Linda Sue C.
I have one more doctor appt to get a clearance letter for my lung on 1/3/06 . Then my packet will be complete and ready to send to Cigna. I was turned down two years ago as not medically nessary, needless to say my health has gotten worse. My goal is to have the surgery before my birthday in March. I am almost there
I started this process in October, what helped was I already had a lot of the test and specialist done. I am 47 years old, not married and no children. My support sytem is my parents and my younger brother Jamie. At the present I am 308lbs.
1/11/06 Well I completed my last doctor appointment and got the ok to go forward with surgery. I sent off my release letter from Dr.Rhodes to Tracy at the wellness clinic. They handle the insurance for Dr. Duncan office.
Tracey was out on vacation last week. So I left a message last week and called her Monday and today just wanting to ensure she has all my paper work to submit to Cigna Insurance. I have not received a call back from Tracy and I am feeling a little frustrated. I going to call every day this week to see if I can get her to return my call.
1/12/06 Talked with Tracey and she is missing my diet history and my physch evaluation . Will get it faxed ASAP and she has to get Dr.Duncan test results. I am getting closer ;-)
1/17/06 Well we still can't locate the physch evaluation. I have a call into Dr.Duncan office to see if it got faxed there. The challenge with just going back to Dr.Dawson and having her fax it is she recently had a fire in her office building and they are in the process of moving her office. She indicated they should be done by next Monday and can locate the evaluation for me. I am just frustrated to be so close to the submit to the insurance. Hopefully this next week and I can still make my goal of a March surgery.
1/26/06 I am still struggling with trying to get the phsch evaluation over to Tracy at Dr.Duncans office. Dr. Dawson nurse said they faxed it they say they did not get it??? So call back to Dr. Dawson office . I am seeing Dr.Dawson on 2/3/06 and can pick it up myself and fax it, this should not be so hard. Just read on the message board about someone being turned down by Cingna twice. I have already been turned down once. I am feeling a little discouraged today, trying to keep my spririts up though. I still feel this is right for me. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers I get to the next leg of this journey.
2/7/06 Tracy finally has my phsch evaluation today and will be sending out my letter to the insurance today. Hopefully I wil get a answer by March. Saying a prayer this is approved and I will start my journey and the insurance approves the WLS.
2/14/06 Talked with Tracy today my letter did not go out she was waiting for blood test back from Dr.Duncan. She now has them and will get them out for me. It only took a full week to get them ;-( However I will continue to call daily to check the status. It is just such a long journey and my patience is wearing thin with anticipation. I just want to know if I can get it approved.
2/15/06 Talked with Tracy today and I am to check with Cigna in 3-5 days. She has talked with them concerning where and who the surgeon is. Please, Please let this be approved ASAP. I will be calling in on Monday 2/20/06. I may still get my answer by my birthday.
2/20/06 Per Dawn at Intercore- Cigna they have my request for WLS and it has been approved for March 17 !!! My next call is to Dr.Duncans office. They are just waiting for the offfical letter from Cigna and then will schedule the pre op appt.
2/23/06 Talked with Nick at Dr.Duncans office and he said they have my approval from the insurance and Shonna should be calling me back today to set up the appointments for surgery. I can not wait. I really hope she calls today, I want to let work know exactly when I will be off and apply for FMLA. So I am in the waiting mode AGAIN. I have no patience...LOL
3:44 p.m Received the call from Shonna , I am scheduled for pre assesment on 3/10 at 2:30 p.m and will be able to have surgery on good old St.Patricks day March 17,2006. I am soooo happy I could scream.
3/2/06 Went to see Dr.Feilds who works with Dr.Duncan yesterday and we are still on for surgery on 3/17/09. I have to go to a complication class and have blood work done at the hospital on 3/9/06. I was so happy I had even lost 22 lbs since January, I am almost to the lossing side. :-)
3/10/06 Went to Dr.Duncans office and had the complication class, pre op visit with Dr.Feilds and went over to the hospital for the bood test and the x-rays. It almost time and I am soo excited, my life is about to change for the better. I can't wait to stop taking all the medication I am on. I thinking positive and very committed to make this work for me. 7 days to go !
4/3/06 The surgery went great. No hard pain no sickness. The only thing that botered me was the drainage tube in my stomach for 5 days. It was only a mental thing with me, could not stand the idea of a foriegn object in me sticking out of my stomach, I was a afraid of pulling it out. Once I got the tube out I felt great. The weight me at only 5 days out and I had lost 15lbs in 5 days, I go back in on April 18th for the next check up. My family and friends have been really supportive and I really appreciate all the well wishes my WLS friends has sent. I am trying to get used to only eating when I am hungry only and eating soft foods. I have not been real hungry but it does feel weird to only eat the soft foods. I am getting excited about getting into some of my smaller size clothes too. Today I went back to work all is well, no problems. I am so glad the board members are here to help me on my jorney and with the new question I now have on eating.
308lbs/284lbs/150lbs
4/17/06 I am one month out and had some minor challenges, learning to listen to my stomach. It dose not like cold water in the morning and some days it likes eggs and some days it dosn't. I took some extra time from work to try and work through the changes as it was unconfortable to be sick at work. So I am trying again to work part time for the next two weeks. This week I have been able to eat chicken, beans ect...feeling a lot better. Just want to get things back to "normal" asap. Get on with my life.
308lbs/270lbs/150lbs
5/7/06 This weekend I had so much energy , I cleaned out old clothes from drawers and closets and found lots of new things I had never wore because my butt would not fit into them. I have not weight myself, trying to only do that at the doctors office. But I was so tickeled to have so many new cute things to wear and I was not all tired out trying to get organied. I feel like I am living not just exsisting ! The best is yet to come.
5/18/06 Went to my PC doctor the great Dr.Meena Shah for my yearly physical and was so glad to see I am down 46 lbs /262 lbs. I am happy she is leaving me off the blood presure pills and water pills. Just a few test due to my previouse health issue, but all was well. I am feeling better and better every day.
308/262/150
6/20/06 Today I down 70 lbs weighing in at 238 lbs. Feeling good and still making a consise effort to eat slow, small bites of protein,vegatables or fruit only. No craving for sweets. Getting in more exercise now that I am not so tired all the time, Hope I can stick with this for the rest of the year so I can make my goal of 150 lbs, which is another 88 lbs. Almost halfway there.
7/3/06 The last few days have been unconfotable and I have felt a great deal of axiety. I am not used to all the attention I am getting as I loose my weight. I feel a little embarrassed with each compliment I receive. The negative tape in my heads gives me the reminder I was obese, overweight, Fat and let through in ugly. I am trying to accept on a positve side I feel better as I begin to look better, however this is a part of the journey I did not realize I would struggle with. Funny though, I stand a little taller and my head a little higher. I am proud of the weight loss, but in my mind I just did not want to make a big deal of it, perhaps go unnoticed. It only been 4 mths, with time I hope I will begin to feel more "normal" ??????
7/18/06 The only problems I am having is with my cycle being continuous for the last 40 days. I am not having any problems with food, although I have to try a little harder to get all the water in on the weekends. I am down to 222, can't wait to make it below the 200lbs mark. I am eating lots of salad with protein, chicken turkey, fish and trying to get fruits in every day. South Beach diet bar with 22 grams of protein is what I having been using to ensure I get enough protein in every day. I still am getting lots of compliments, then I start to worry what if I can't get the rest of. Having to do a lot of self talk "Linda just stick to the program" "Do not worry what the scales say this week" "you will hit a stall, just stick with the diet" ect.ect..
7/27/06 Well I finally moved off the stall and I am now 212. It really lifted my spirts. Two of my friends in the last two days have asked me when I was going to buy tighter fitting clothes, versus the loose dresses I call school dresses. This was a eye opener on my journey to realize I do always pick big loose closthes to cover my masive body. Well being a little smaller and buyer tighter clothes is going to bring more attention which I an not sure I am prepared for. As a larger woman I was always a social flirt, I was in control, who would take me serious and like such a large woman. Now when a man gives me a compliment or flirts with me I get some axiety? I am trying to adjust and overcome thease unconfortable feelings. I do enjoy mens company, however on a romantic level I am soo nervouse if I think they are serious, I have all thease self doubts. I going to take a step and buy some fitted not tight clothes and try to get used to my own skin and stop feeling so ackward. At 48 I still am learning about myself every day, don't know why that would surprize me.
9/19/06 I havn't written for a while as I had some female problems since June and finally had some surgery last week. The good thing is I am feeling much better. I down a total of 105 today, can't wait to get below the 200lb mark. Some days I have to make myself eat and others it is easier for me. My family is so supportive and checking with me to ensure I am eating good food, protein, vegatables and fruits. However I have discover I can eat a slice of thin crust pizza with muchrooms with is heaven. I am learning how to intergrate my social life with doing different things other than eating. I have attended Plays, Poetry readings and been to Six flags. I have sign up to walk the 10 mile walk for breast cancer on October 28th. I know I can do it ;-) As time goes on my friends are so much more educated on WLS and supporting me with food choices,They offer to share a entree or tellling me where a resturant has great vegatable soup. I really appreciate the help and I not experiecing any sabatage. I still gimace a little when I get lots of compliements, but I getting more cofortable with my body image. I am loving haveing new clothes and looking and feeling better. I only want to loose about 40 more pounds. I am currently wear a 16 and want to be in 12. Not too thin. I still think WLS was the best thing I could of ever done for my physical and mental health. I had no problems with the surgery and have managed to adjust to the new smaller portion and still feel full and content.
9/25/06 I made it! I am under 200lbs 194 today and I have lost 108lbs total in 5 mths. I only have 34 mor lbs to reach my goal of 160lbs. The next step to this journey will be how to maintain my goal weight and not gain it back. I have already learned it not always what I eat but how much, small portions of healthy food.
