Kelly S.
11/14/12 - SIX YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Today is my 6 year anniversary. I am happy to report that this morning I was the lowest weight since having surgery. No, I"m not skinny, but I'm not obese either, and I'm pretty healthy! Unfortunately Gastric Bypass is not a cure for obesity. It is simply a tool to help you lose a lot of weight quickly. Last summer I was over 30 pounds heavier than today and heading down a scary path back to obesity. I decided that I wanted to be fit by 50 and got my nutrition back under control and joined a health club.
In January of this year I had my tummy tuck. Best thing I ever did for myself! It was a very hard surgery to recover from, but I would do it over again and again! It was so worth it.
3/17/12 - Almost 5 years since I posted.
Long story short: High Weight since surgery 210 - Low weight since surgery 181
Current Weight 181!
Abdominoplasty 1/16/2011 - Tummy tuck complete - I'm a new woman!
Still healing and had to have drains put back in yesterday due to excell swelling, but on my way to looking and feeling GREAT!
Pictures soon!
8/20/07 (310 visitors)
HOLY COW, almost 2 months since I've posted.
9 months out and down Down 86 pounds. More importantly, I've made it to ONEderland! You know, when the first number of the scale actually starts with a ONE! WOO HOO.
For me, this has been a long hard slow journey. As you can tell by my weight loss, it's not exactly melting off, but nonetheless, I have lost a small child. I'm only 14 pounds away from joining the century club. I feel better, I look great, but I need to keep going. People that haven't seen me for a while don't recogize me right away. I've grown my hair out to be one length, and it used to be very short! So, between the long hair, and the weight loss and the occasional contact use, people do a double take when they see me! Can I tell you how much fun that is. I still have quite a bit to go, but don't feel so unhealthy anymore.
As I was thinking about how much my life has changed in 9 months, let me highlight just a few:
I no longer have constant lower back pain
My plantar faciatis is gone (spelling?)
There is more room in my car, so I actually moved my seat up.
I can walk up a flight of stairs without a problem
I can paint my toenails
I can easily fit in a bathroom stall, even with a backpack on!
I can sit in a booth at a restaurant without my belly/chest hitting the table
I can squat to pick something off the ground and get right back up
I don't think I snore any more!
I rode a plane without worrying if the belt would fit or the tray would go down
I can stand all day cleaning, running errands without a problem
Life is good. I need to not fall into bad habits. I ate sourdough bread at a restaurant this weekend and it was like HEAVEN. Ok, it was good, but I wouldn't give up all the above named benefits for a slice. Anyway! Here is the secret to permanent weight removal.
Make healthy food choices - Protein FIRST - SUGAR LAST
Eat less - and I mean -- TEENY Portions
Move more!
Food has to be viewed now as the fuel that my body needs to be active. If I choose bad fuel my body functions poorly. When I choose good fuel, I feel great and my body runs SMOOTH!
Eat to live, don't live to eat!!
The WLS is not a cure. Without changing these habits forever, the weight can and will come back on! The surgery has given me the physical accountability (portion control) to get my healthy habits back!. The rest is up to ME!
Ok, That pep talk was as much for me as it was for anyone else that may have needed it. Have a great day and make it easy to make good choices for yourself!
6/24/07
Well, it’s been 3.5 weeks since I found out I was eating double what the doctor suggests. So, for six days I was very good and maintained the 600-900 calories like she recommended. I also kept the carbs under 25 grams per day. Wow, I finally lost weight fast! I lost 7 pounds in 4 days. Not bad for previously averaging about 6 pounds a month!! So, in the last 3.5 weeks, I’ve lost about 13 pounds! ROCK ON! Finally! I’ve been trying to do
6-4-07 All emotions have overcome me this week. I had my 6 month check up a few days ago with doctor and heard alarming news. Down 68 pounds! I’m mad because it should be more, but I mean really…I’m down 68 freaking pounds!! WOO HOO.
Anyway, I had previously asked the nurses how many calories I should be shooting for and could never get an answer. They just always talked about getting enough protein and staying away from carbs. I finally asked the doctor after my exam (actually caught her with her hand on the door as she was leaving). I said, with my only absorbing a portion of the calories I consume, how many should I be shooting for? She said 600-900. I was in shock. She also told me that as time went on, my body would adjust and I would continue to absorb more. I was already absorbing more than when I first had surgery. Then the nurse walked in and I had a shocked look on my face and she said what. I told her what I asked the doctor. She was like, Oh, What did she say? She didn’t know the answer either. When I told her she surprised. She said, yeah, I wondered. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD….I think that was information I could have used 6 months ago!! So, I analyzed what I ate which probably ranged from 800-1600 calories per day, more around the 1200-1400 mark. Some times I track using Fit day, sometimes I don’t. I go in spurts. So I went home from doctor’s office and ate the half of a hamburger that I had left over and a small bowl of shredded wheat and went to bed. I woke up with the resolved to eat NO CARBS. I’ve been on Atkins before and it really worked (until I started eating carbs again) so for the next two weeks, I’m going to try to keep carbs around 20. I started this Friday morning and on Sunday Morning, I’m already down 4 pounds. I had been a very slow loser only averaging 6 pounds per month, and taking a look at what I ate, I was probably eating more carbs and calories than I thought. I still have the weight watchers mentality and really missed salty crunchy, so I was eating a small potion of cheddar rice cakes every day. I would also have a very small bowl (1/2 cup) of fat free, sugar free ice cream. I have stayed away from bread and pasta, but sometimes would buy sugar free cookies, or fat free Pringles. I must not buy any more of that crap. They are empty calories anyway.
So, look out world….let’s see if I can kick it in gear. I’m only 14 pounds away from being out of the two hundreds….I WANT IT BAD….On a side note, I went through my closet and removed everything that was too big. There isn’t much left! WOO HOO. (I’m passing down to people that had surgery that weighed more and are not as far out as I am, so I am recycling!)
4-1-07 I wish I never had surgery! April FOOLS! So, things are going good. This morning I took pictures again. I’m still pretty darn fat, but I’m down 59 pounds, which is nothing to sneeze at! I feel so much better with those horrible pounds off forever! People are telling me that I look great. It’s amazing how relative everything is. Compared to what I used to look like, I do look much better. More importantly, I feel AMAZING. I feel SO MUCH BETTER. It is still a struggle as it will be the rest of my life. Until you’ve lived this, it’s hard for people to understand that the surgery is NOT a cure, and it's still a lot of work. I am very defensive about the weight I’ve lost and how much work it has been. The surgery doesn’t get me to the gym to work out. It doesn’t make me park in the farthest parking spot at work everyday, rain or shine or freezing weather! It doesn’t make me take the stairs every time (except for after step class!). I have made the decision to get healthy. This is just a tool. Oh, don’t get me wrong, it’s a GREAT tool. Unfortunately, I don’t get sick when I’m naughty, so I’m a little disappointed that my tool isn’t a little sharper! Either way, I’m really looking forward to losing even more and feeling even better! Warm weather will help as we can be more active outside! I’m ready for SPRING!
On a side note, I’ve been losing my hair for about a month now. It’s really gotten much thinner. I am getting in my proteins and taking vitamins but I guess it’s one of those things. I can really tell when I put my hair in a pony tail to work out. It’s so much smaller. Well, it’s a small price to pay for being healthier! Hopefully it will stop soon!
2-20-07 Well, another month has passed and down only another 5 pounds or so. What a sad slow month. I’ve lost 49 pounds total so far. I know that I have cheated slightly, but this is ridiculous. I’m now determined to follow the program to the tee. I’m journaling every bite, so I’m keeping myself honest. I even joined the health club at work. I just have to go down two flights of stairs to exercise. I really like the step aerobic class. This week I may try Pilates. At three months I got to start eating veggies. What a treat. I’m having a blast with lettuce, avocado, cucumber, salsa, light ranch dressing and chicken! YUMMY. It’s like a taco salad without the shell!
Again, going much slower than I want, but with added exercise hopefully it will pick up again. I’ve started losing my hair, so I started taking flaxseed oil twice a day. I get worried that the pill will get stuck because it is so LARGE! So far so good though! I have been taking my vitamins EVERY DAY! Calcium too! It’s possible to remember them every day. (I previously didn’t think that was possible)
Anyway, just checking in to say hi, and I’ll update pictures soon. I ended up leaving my digital camera at my sister’s house in Iowa, so I may not have it back for a while!
Protein, water, and exercise everyone!
1-25-07 - Well, I can’t believe that it’s been a month since I updated. I have to say that I’m feeling so much better since I’ve had the surgery. I’m one of the “lucky” ones because I don’t get sick, I don’t puke and I haven’t had any problems with anything. The reason that lucky is in quotes, is because it doesn’t feel lucky to me. The reason that I had surgery was so that I would have some physical limitations on what I could eat. I was supposed to puke if I ate too much, or get sick if I ate the wrong things so I wouldn’t do that again. Well, with the exception of my one time puking before I was even eating solids, I haven’t puked since. And I’ve pushed it a few times, hoping to get a reaction (nothing like I’ve eaten in the past, but still more than I should have) I haven’t eaten bread or pasta, but did have some cookies around the holidays. Ok, I only had a few instead of the previous dozen. But once I pushed it, hoping to dump so it would prevent me from doing it again. No such luck. I did notice my heart seemed to beat a bit faster, and one time I drank my protein shake too fast and had to lay down and slept for 2 hours, but that is it.
In addition to that, even tracking my calories, and keeping protein up over 60 and calories under 1000 most days, I still am losing very slowly. Don’t get my wrong, I’m down two sizes and feel SO MUCH BETTER. Little things are huge, like when I drop something in the car, I can actually reach my feet to pick it up. This week, I was also for the first time able to see my weight as it appeared on the scale, instead of waiting and then leaning forward, because my belly was in the way.
So, would I do it again? HELL YES! Can I see how people could actually have the surgery and go back to bad habits and not be successful HELL YES! I have several friends that have had the surgery, and successfully lost a lot of weight. One was a size 26 an has maintained a size 6 for at least a year now. The other was a 24, and is now a size 12 and maintaining. I even have another friend that is trying to get approved for the surgery, and made a comment on how the size 12 person didn’t lose the weight, the surgery did. I was LIVID. Just because our stomach shrunk, doesn’t mean that our arms and hands and fingers can’t put something that we aren’t supposed to eat into our mouths. We still have to make healthy choices and serve ourselves proper portions. Old habits die hard, and it’s not easy to stop a habit that you’ve been doing for many years! So, better start planning how you can fill up your spare munchy time if you are planning on having surgery, because I’m here to tell you that it’s hard. Especially if you cheat just a little and can get away with it. If I’m not careful, I could fall into some bad habits. I’m not going to, because I’m determined to be healthy. Anyway, that is enough for now! Happy Cold Cold January!
12-21-06 A week later and the scale is finally budging. I’ve finally lost 35.6 pounds, which means that I only have 99.4 pounds left to hit my ultimate goal. (now under 100!) I’m not sure how realistic my goal is. Who knows, maybe I’ll lose even more. For now though, I just want the scale to move a little. For God sakes, I did have the surgery. And, I’ve been eating what I’m supposed to. I actually think that my calorie intake is perhaps too low. Well, I’m not going to stress about it. On a side note, I can’t believe the holidays are so close. I’ve had all this time off, and I need to get wrapping. My shopping is all done, I just need to wrap everything.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
12-13-06 Today I’m officially discouraged! Yesterday was 4 weeks since surgery and I’ve only lost 15 pounds in four weeks. Technically I lost all if it in the first week, and haven’t lost anything in the last three weeks. In addition I lost 17 pounds the two weeks before surgery. I’ve been doing ok and getting in my protein. I’m struggling with getting the required fluids, but I am drinking. I can’t believe that with what I’m eating I’m not losing anything. I just had to vent. If you have experienced the same, send me a message to cheer me up! I NEED IT!
12-7-06 It’s been over two weeks since I posted. Honestly I’ve been slightly discouraged. I lost 17 pounds the two weeks before surgery on that liquid diet and three weeks after surgery I’ve only lost an additional 13 pounds and I am still stuck at the weight I was two weeks ago! (ok, just let me whine and get it out of my system!) So, that means that I was doing better BEFORE surgery. Now, I know that my body has gone through some major changes, but I actually GAINED three pounds and kept it on for 7 days. Then I lost like 1 pound each day for three days. Now, I’m finally .2 pounds (that’s two tenths of a pound, not two pounds) lower than I was two full weeks ago. I keep hearing that in a few days I’ll probably lose like 5 pounds all at once, but it’s just not happening. Ok, I’m almost done crabbing…So hopefully my body has adjusted and I can continue to lose weight. I wanted to be down a total of 50 when I went back to work on Jan 2, but at this rate, I’ll be happy with 40! Ok, thanks for letting me vent!
As far as everything else goes, I’ve been doing very well. I haven’t had any problems with any food yet, and I even started exercising yesterday. So far, I’ve eaten:
Canned Chicken, Canned tuna, Egg whites with sautéed onions and a tiny bit of cheese, Green beans, Kidney beans, Yogurt, Protein shakes made with bananas or canned peaches, Canned pears (all fruit no sugar added)
I’m technically still on the pureed diet, and although I’ve not pureed anything, I’m chewing everything to death so that by the time it hits my pouch it’s pureed!
I found out yesterday that I could do aerobic exercise. I asked if I could do the Dance Pad (DDR Max, Playstation 2) and I was told I could. It’s the only form of working out that I actually enjoy (in the winter anyway) and I started yesterday. I have so much fun and it feels so good to get my heart pumping and sweat a little! (ok I sweated a lot). I did endless mode and managed 25 songs in a row. It took about 45 minutes. Today, I lasted almost an hour and did 30 songs and beat my highest score! (I can’t ever beat that 31st song….I bet another 20 pounds off and I’ll be able to do it!)
I am so glad that I had this surgery. I don’t have a ton of energy yet, but it comes and goes in spurts. It’s funny that I can tell a difference in even my nightgowns with 30 pounds gone. I can’t wait to experience what it feels like to have even more gone!
I’ll keep posting my progress. Everyone help me wish away my awful plateau!! And thanks again to everyone for their encouragement and support!
11-21-06 Tues- Well, it’s been an interesting few days since I posted last. I’ve been feeling tired and my mouth was so dry that I was drinking too fast. (more about dry mouth to come) That caused me to puke (on Sunday night) and I pulled something in my side. Man that hurt like hell. It’s like a small muscle pull, and it’s been giving me more pain than I’d like. I can actually tell that today it is getting better. They crappy part is that I have to sleep completely on my back now because it puts too much pressure on my sore spot. Every time I sneeze, it hurts like hell too, and that really sucks. Oh, and remember that my uterus woke up? I think I’ve combined the last three years worth of PMS crabbiness into one week. My poor husband and son!
Dry mouth explanation… on Saturday, I noticed that when I had a sugar-free Popsicle it turned my whole mouth orange. I thought that was strange because I didn’t remember that happening before. And, everything tasted terrible! The thought of food made me sick. The smell of food made me even sicker. It took everything I had to drink a protein shake or two. Finally on Monday morning, when I talked to the nurse at the surgeons office she said that she thought that maybe I had THRUSH. Holy shit…I looked again, and it was disgusting. My entire tongue was white. Sure enough. So, they called in a prescription and I’ve been taking it for the second day now. Already I’m feeling better. Either that or it’s just a coincidence. They say that is could be caused by too many antibiotics. I’m not sure what the cause is, because now I have medicine. One more thing to try to fit into the do not drink for 10-15 minutes or as long as you can. Like that isn’t already a challenge LOL. I actually did a spreadsheet to chart when I should start and stop eating and drinking. It’s actually funny! Never thought I would have to concentrate on eating because I wasn’t getting enough. I also had my husband pick up some lactose free milk, because the regular made me too bloated and gassy. I figure with the money I’m saving on food and gas, the extra expense is easily justified.
11-18-06 - So, I knew that I felt too good. Today is slightly tougher. Apparently due to my weight I’ve been post-menopausal for 3 years (no periods). Three days after surgery my uterus decided to wake back up! No wonder I’ve been so cranky today and to top it off I have cramps. This is going to be fun!!! And, since I walked so much in the hospital, my legs are sore! LOL. Oh well. It’s still what I wanted, so I’ll grab a few Tylenol for the cramps and hopefully all will be good!! More Later
11-16-06 Thursday, I made it through to the losing side, although with all the IV fluids I've actually gained 5 pounds! Maybe in the morning some will be gone. I'll wait a few days before I adjust my weight. I can tell my little fingers are swollen and pudgy and I'm holding a lot of fluid. That being said, it's hard to believe that I'm sitting in my recliner with my laptop two days after surgery. I feel pretty darn good. Ok, don't hate me, but this was SO MUCH EASIER than I thought it would be. Pain was minimal and I got to eat cottage cheese today with applesauce. Things are tasting ok, except the orange and green jello, and so far stomach is responding just fine. I could never imagine that 2 oz of cottage cheese could take 20 minutes to eat and taste so good. I've done a lot of walking in the hospital and I think it makes me feel better. Thank God for the abdominal support strap that put around my belly. It really makes a big difference. I actually am in no pain just sitting here, and didn't even ask for any pain medication for home. Tylenol as needed. So, am I a size 8 yet? Just kidding. I'll keep ya'll posted, and once again, thanks for all the support!
11-14-06 MY RE-BIRTHDAY!
11-13-06 Monday night 11:14pm Well, it's finally almost here. I have 45 minutes left until NPO (nothing in my mouth!). Then I have to be at the hospital at 6:00am. I'm not even usually up that early. Don't think it will be a problem. I got a call from the hospital nurse and she left a message on the machine reminding me that I needed to be at the hospital at 6:00 am tomorrow for surgery. It was like a reminder call for a physical therapy appt or something. I laughed out loud when I heard the message. Like I could forget that my surgery is tomorrow!!
I just wanted to say a quick thanks to all those that signed my surgery page and wished me well. It's comforting beyond believe. I'll see ya'all on the losing side! Hope to be posting soon!!!
11-12-06 Sunday - Well, 48 hours from now I’ll be in surgery. This weekend has been quite a test. My husband overdid it and threw out his back, (am I repeating myself?) and now he can barely get out of bed. So, now I have to prepare his meals for him and my 9 year old. My husband was cooking for the both of them so I didn’t have to! Friday night I made a big batch of spaghetti because it’s easy to reheat and I won’t have to be cooking all weekend. I also cooked a frozen pizza. Saturday we were out of milk so I found the grocery store (husband usually shops) and bought some milk and some fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts. I baked them with ff Italian dressing and served it with leftover spaghetti. This morning, I made eggs with cheese, heat and serve bacon, toast and orange juice. Have I mentioned recently that I’m on a liquid diet? So…all that food, and I DID NOT HAVE ONE BITE. For normal weight people that probably wouldn’t be a big deal, but for someone that previously put things in their mouth without even realizing it, this was a huge accomplishment! Have I also mentioned how wonderful and helpful my husband is when he is not flat on his back with a pinched sciatic nerve? Anyway, today and tomorrow will be the real test. I can’t have any protein shakes the last two days, and I believe it was those that made me not feel hungry. Maybe it’s just in my head, but I feel hungry already and it’s only 9:00 am! Since my husband’s back is out, I have a lot to do to get ready especially with the holidays right around the corner. My son and I put up our Christmas tree last night. I usually do it the weekend before Thanksgiving, so I can enjoy a 4 day weekend and have it all done. So actually, I’m only one week early. I’ve already done some Christmas shopping so it would be nice to get some gifts wrapped and put them under the tree.
11-10-06, Friday Well, I'm four days from surgery. It's almost surreal. I'm very excited! My liquid diet is going much better than I originally anticipated. Perhaps it's because I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m down 16 pounds and have the mental set of someone that is post-op and dropping pounds. I went to Sam’s Club today to stock up on chicken broth (who would have thought that chicken broth could be so wonderful tasting all by itself??) and there were tons of food samples being displayed through out the store. Normally, I would have had at least one of each and called it lunch. Well, I just walked by them like they didn’t exist. And, I lived… That’s my story for now. Tomorrow is the last day I get to drink protein shakes and then Sunday and Monday it’s strictly clear liquids. Piece of jello! Probably time for one more post the day before surgery, (because I probably won’t be sleeping very well huh?)
11-7-06 Tuesday - Today is ONE WEEK from surgery. I had my pre-op visit with my primary care physician. Of course none of my lab results were there. I knew it. So, my visit was short. Not much to check, and not much going on. She wished me luck. Then the call came later. My urinalysis showed that I had a UTI. Go figure. They were going to call in a prescription for me. Also, my liver results were high, so she wanted to rule out hepatitis. OH BOY. The good news is that according to my doctor brother, the results are probably from just being overweight but she is just being cautious! GREAT! So, then I have to call the surgeon’s office to see if I can drink reduced sugar cranberry juice for my UTI. She’s like fine. I told her I was dragging and asked if I could drink some Diet Snapple tea with caffeine. She was like sure, go for it. Now, I'm like what the hell did I give up caffeine in the first place for! Oh well, I’ll only use it when desperate, which may be just for a day or two. There was no feedback on my ultrasound, which I freaked out about. What the hell.
Surviving on my liquid diet hasn’t been near as bad as I thought. I just keep telling myself that this is what I wanted, and it will be so worth it. I’m halfway through. The last two days will probably be the toughest, because NO PROTEIN SHAKES that day. I was consuming under 400 calories per day (except one at 435) the entire last week, and now I’m really going to bump it up. I’m going to try to stay under 800, because research online said that in order for the liver to shrink, that was the limit. Also, remember I get to eat applesauce and sugar free jello. I actually started making the jello with less water so that it was more work to eat. That really seemed to make a difference. It will all be worth it in the end because I was just forced to start my new life two weeks before my surgery date. That’s fine with me. The ticker shows down 12 pounds. Not bad for one week pre-op! They said I’d lose 10-15 pounds. I’m an overachiever and would like to lose at least 18. We’ll see if I can lose 6 more!
Today for the first time my husband thought that I shouldn’t do the surgery. I had told him about some other people that died and it’s starting to freak him out because he doesn’t want me to die. He said just continue on your jello diet. I was like..sorry, I am going to do it. I’ve been trying to have this surgery for two years and one bad dream is not going to stop me. He has been so supportive. I’ve asked him not to cook while I was in the room (heating good smelling stuff up in the microwave) because it’s too hard for me. Last night he said that he wanted to eat a salami sandwich (9pm at night…no need for that) I said, how about what I’m having…chicken bouillon (from cube). It is much better for you. Well, the great sport that he is, agreed. He gave me a sheepish grin while drinking it and asked if he could have crackers. NOPE I told him. He was so supportive, and suffered through. (although he probably had a sandwich after I went to bed) He actually doesn’t believe that I haven’t cheated. I HAVEN’T!! I did have one sugar free dreamsicle instead of a sugar free popsicle, but I’m not even sure that’s a problem. (I got them for after the surgery, and opened up the wrong box) And, one day, I made my 9 year old vegetable soup for lunch and I gave him all the good stuff out of it along with some broth, and I drank one small cup of the broth. It tasted wonderful. After I read the label there were 5 sugar grams. That’s probably why it was so wonderful. Other than that it’s been Sugar free jello, chicken broth, sugar free applesauce (I was only having 50 calories a day worth – one small little container), water, this sugar free Gatorade type thing I found, vanilla protein shakes mixed with water orange herb tea, and TODAY, I drank low sugar cranberry juice. I also bought some V-8 Splash light. It’s pretty close to crystal light which is ok, so I may have some of that as well. Haven’t decided yet, but it’s in the house. I’m actually craving tuna and chicken. Go figure. That will be a while! Also, on a side note, the chicken broth in the can is so worth the extra money. I was being a cheapskate and just bought the cubes. The 99% fat free chicken broth in the can has more substance to it and makes you feel fuller. It also actually has 1 gram of protein per cup. So, I’d recommend it! Hell, with all the money I'm saving on pop and food, what was I thinking! :)
That’s all for now. I’ll check back in at least once more before surgery to record my weight loss and say a prayer. I’m not really nervous now, but I’m sure my mind will be spinning the night before surgery
11-3-06, Friday - I found out a couple of days ago that my surgery date was moved back a day. I didn’t ask why. Originally, I was scheduled for the second surgery of the day, so I'm relieved that I will now be first thing in the morning. OH MY! That means I started my liquid diet a day before I had to. Well, I guess it’s not like I couldn’t afford to lose some extra weight LOL. I SURVIVED HALLOWEEN ON SUGAR FREE JELLO AND PROTEIN SHAKES! Wow, never saw that coming! Today is day 5 of my liquid diet. I’ve lost ten pounds so far. Pretty unbelievable, and I don’t feel that bad. I thought I’d be very weak, but so far it’s not a problem. Today I had my pre-op tests: chest X-ray, ultrasound of abdomen, EKG, and lab work. Piece of cake! However, when I had my ultrasound I thought I saw a large stone in the middle of my gallbladder. Unfortunately, my surgeon won’t remove my gallbladder at the same time as the bypass surgery. So, I would have to have it out first. (This was explained to me in my first meeting with the nurse practitioner) FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! Please tell me that I don’t have to have it out for ONE stone in the middle of my gallbladder. I have my appt with my primary care physician on Tuesday for surgery clearance so hopefully I won’t hear from anyone before that. If they cancel my surgery, I’ll be DEVASTATED. I just got off the phone with my brother (Dr. Baker) and he thinks that I’ll be fine without having it removed since I have no symptoms! Hopefully, Dr. M will be in agreement. I’ll share more tomorrow. It will be my first weekend at home living on jello and protein shakes!
10-27-06 - Happy 21st Birthday to my beautiful daughter. At least is will be easy to remember when I had surgery! I can’t believe that just yesterday I finally got my date and its two weeks from Monday. I wasn't prepared for the fact that in three days I have to go on a liquid diet for the next two weeks before surgery to shrink my liver. My other surgeon just wanted me to eat less and then do this liter of laxative stuff. It's amazing how many different things all the surgeons do (trust me I've been to three, and not one of them follow the same exact process) So, I'm looking at that diet on the paper they game me and it says for two weeks I must stay on a clear liquid diet with protein supplements. Not sure what that meant. I had asked Corrine if I could drink my protein powder I had at home and she wasn't really sure because she didn't know what it was. She had given me a bunch of protein samples to try, but I thought she said that those were for after surgery and not before. I was confused about how I was going to get my protein. So I call back today to get clarification and she was pretty snotty. Maybe she had a long week, but I was really taken a back. Her exact words were “We went over that yesterday.” Well, excuse me for not thinking I can function on sugar free popsicles for two weeks! She really didn't answer my question and when I got off the phone I was more confused. So, I just kind of forgot about it and finally a couple of hours later when my sister came over I told her what happened and showed her the instructions and asked if I was just dense. She said no, call back and tell them that you need clarification on what the protein part consisted of. So, I called back and told the receptionist that I needed clarification on the protein thing. The one I talked to before was gone for the day, so I talked to Julie. She was extremely nice and took the time to explain it. She said that I should drink 2-3 shakes for the protein part. She said to mix the shakes with water, which is what I had been doing for breakfast anyway. Clear liquids meant broth, caffeine free tea, sugar free jello and popsicles, and NOT BEER, and NOT WINE...LOL. She was VERY nice and explained exactly what I needed to hear. So, it looks like my change in lifestyle is going to happen a lot sooner than I anticipated. I should be able to make it two short weeks, shouldn't I????
Tomorrow is our annual fall fest at my brother's house. We will visit, carve pumpkins, and I will eat and enjoy a boat load of food. Sunday I will have my last supper. I'm actually beginning to realize that it really doesn’t matter what I eat. It's only food. What is more important? A Suzy Q or getting my life back?? Well, the Suzy Q was good tonight, but it was my last one! (I'm trying to prepare myself mentally, how am I doing? :) She said that I should lost 10-15 pounds in the next two weeks. I think on Sunday I'll get myself a decent scale. I don't really like mine. I don't think it's accurate. LOL Let's see if I can lose 18 pounds. I've already given up diet Pepsi. I never thought I'd be able to do that, but I did, and I don't drink coffee, so I won't have to worry about the caffeine withdrawals. I'll have enough to deal with.
10-26-06 - Got a call from McClellan's office to schedule an appt to meet the surgeon for next week in Harvard but I asked if they had anything available sooner in their Vernon Hills office since I work so close. They had a cancellation today so I went at 11:45 am. Met Dr. McClellan and they gave me a date. I can hardly believe it. in 18 days I'm going to finally have surgery! Persistance finally paid off.
I had to call insurance company to give them the date in order to make my referral valid. She told me that today they received the other referral for the out of network doctor. Of course! GO FIGURE!
10-25-06 Wed - 1:25 pm Called insurance. Had a 2:00 meeting and wanted to get it done before then. Insurance said that she called the doctors office in Vernon Hills (VH) this morning and the woman said she talked to me. LIAR! No one has called me. I think I would remember. I've been waiting for a date for almost 4 weeks. I talked to Nancy from the VH office and she said that LaRhonda wasn't available. She would get this through to the office manager and someone should call back today, but for sure by tomorrow (and it sounded more like tomorrow)
Called primary care dr to see where the hell my other referral is to see Out of Network, Dr H. It was supposed to be faxed on Monday - left message. - her reply she didn't realize that Dr still had my chart and Dr was out until Thursday. All she was waiting for was a signature. As soon as she gets a signature she’ll send it. (I heard that on Monday)
Called back Insurance to see if this crap helps my appeal and if they were at all apprised of what was going on. She said they’ll read the notes, but it’s a 30 day process. Sounds like a stall tactic to me.
3:45 - I called Jean at the Harvard office to find out what was going on since the Vernon Hills (VH) woman said that she talked to me. Jean wondered if the VH woman meant that Jean had talked to me (yesterday evening) She also said that the manager of Harvard was going over to the Vernon Hills office for a meeting on Thursday to find out how to work out the situation since it is now been more than two weeks (four actually!)
I've decided that if I can't get a date by Friday, I'm going to ask for the manager at Harvard and demand that I either be given a surgery date, or have them call my insurance company to let them know that they don't have a bariatric surgeon available to perform surgery. (Let's see if I can really wait until Friday...my patience is plum tuckered out!)
10-24-06 Tues -10:00 am - Called to see if they received the new referral for Dr. Heydari. She told me that she received my fax about the doctor switch. They are treating it as an appeal. Dr. McLellan will be the surgeon instead of Dr Bryan. I told her that she has not scheduled anyone for surgery and that she was barely able to do continued care. I also told her that I was told not to call her office. She asked for the number and put me on hold and is checking. She called McLellan's office and they said that they would call me back today. - 4:00 pm. - Called insurance company and asked if they were still treating my case as an appeal because they didn't call me back today like they said they were. They called them again and they said they were going to call me back in the morning. 4:16 pm - Jean called from Dr B’s office. The Vernon Hills office requested my file be sent to them. I told her about the fact that they said they were going to call. She warned that they needed time to look at the file and that Dr. M would have to look at it so I should give them a day to review the file. WOW I guess all it takes is a few angry phone calls. Why didn’t I do that two weeks ago…wait a minute, I DID!! I will wait until 3:45 pm tomorrow to see if they call before I call insurance company again.
10-23-06 Mon - faxed letter to insurance company asking for Dr. Heydari instead of Dr McLellan. At this point, I don’t care which one does it, as long as insurance pays for it and it’s soon. According to the original timing, I should have been having surgery next week. My primary care should be sending her new referral for Dr. H today as well. Called Jean at Harvard. She said that she would call insurance company to let them know that I couldn't get a date with the backup surgeon.
10-20-06 – Sitting in the airport because the flight is delayed 2 hours. Got a call from Rose. She said there is a slight snag in the insurance. The insurance comp won’t accept a referral from Dr H, it has to come from my primary care physician. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD…will I ever get surgery??? Called insurance company and complained and asked what my options are. They surgeon they tell me to use won't give me a surgery date even though I'm approved. They said they would check to see what was going on. Called Jean at Harvard (left a message) and asked her to call insurance company to let them know that I couldn't get a surgery date! NOW I'M GETTING MAD
10-17-06 – Called Rose who does insurance for Dr. Heydari , she will have stuff ready on Friday to fax to insurance for new referral for Dr. Heydari. She said that she will have it done by the end of the week. So much for Dr H putting a rush on his referral letter.
10-15-06 – Going out of town till Friday Oct 20. Hopefully I’ll forget about this for a few days and something will approved. At this point, I really like both doctors, so I’ll take the first available the insurance will cover.
10-12-06 – Went to see Dr. Heydari. They are going to try to help me and they’ll make and exception to their standard process because of the special circumstances. According to my insurance, it has to be submitted as a brand new referral since it’s out of network. (Gotta love HMOs, but can’t beat the price) So, a few phone calls, a few signed releases faxed here and there, and I’m ready to start the same frustrating thing again. If I don’t get approved, I guess I’ll have to wait until Dr. Bryan’s office gets their schedule straightened out and I’ll have one last holiday before my lifestyle change. I REALLY want to get this done early November though.
10-8-06 – After several calls, I still can’t get a date. I can’t get any answers. This is very frustrating. I called over to Dr McCllelan’s office to see how long it would take to get a date if I had insurance approval. She said 6 weeks. After our discussion progressed and I confessed that I was from Dr. Bryan’s office she told me that someone would call me back. Some woman called me back and wasn’t very nice. She was downright snotty. She said. I have a number for you and she proceeded to give me Dr. Bryan’s office number again. She said this is your contact. I’m working with her and this is who you are to call. Can you say BEE-OTCH! – Well, I’ve had it. Called back Dr. Bryans office and pleaded with her to give me more information. She was very understanding and nice. I told her I needed to plan work and my remaining paid days off and that this was crazy. I said, can you give me a ballpark time period? Are we talking November, December, next year? She said probably next year! GRAB A KLEENEX….I finally get approved and I can’t get a surgery date. This has been so frustrating. – I’m going to try to get approval for an out-of-network Dr. (the one I went to first before my insurance changed) Called Dr. Heydari’s office and explained the whole situation. Dr Heydari wants to do a quick assessment of me before he agrees to do surgery. They have an appt tomorrow. I’m going to see him.
10-2-06 Mon Left a message. Still don't have a date. Well, just my luck. Dr. Bryan is "unavailable." They don't know whether it's temporary or permanent. Dr. Leslie McClellan from Vernon Hills is the back up doctor. They have to wait to coordinate.
9-28-06 -- Called about 10:30. At this point they don't even ask for my ID#. She just said hold on, I’ll find out. She interrupted some meeting to get an answer. I'm APPROVED -- WOO HOOOOOOO!!!!! I can't wait for surgery. Hopefully I will be done in early to mid-November. -- Called Dr. Bryan's office and told them I was approved. They said they would have to get a copy of the referral and then they could schedule. Fri 9.29. Still don't have a date. Haven't talked to doctor
9-27-06 Wed-- Called and the director is offsite in Chicago but is looking at it. He is supposed to call between 4 and 5 today and the nurse was going to ask him about it. I said what about the 5 day promise to have a referral processed. She said that there was nothing she could say and that a decision hadn't been made. Called Blue Cross Blue Shield corporate office (as opposed to all these calls to the medical group that approves) to find out if there is a policy and told them I felt like I was getting the run around. -- They called to find out, but I never got a call back from them with a response.
9-26-06, Tues Now it's their deadline. They have to give me answer today. Called a little before 3:00. She was going to check with the nurse and call me back. I called back at 4:05 (since they close at 4:30) and was put on hold and I was then hung up on (so she could take the call from the nurse) She did call back shortly and she told me that my file was locked up in the director's office and that she didn't have a key. – They will have an answer tomorrow -- She will call me back.
9-25-06, Mon – Called, status still pending
9-20-06 Wed - Now they have the referral. Should have known in two days. Now it's going to be another week. (they received it on Tuesday, so only 6 more days)
9-19-06 Tues - Called insurance company. Patience has never been a strong quality of mine. Who knows, maybe they'll already have approved it. HOLY CRAP, they don't even have the referral. -- Called Dr. Bryan's office, and they weren't sure they had the right fax number of the insurance company. I called insurance company back and got a fax number, called back Dr. Bryans office and gave them fax number. Now it's late in the day. Hopefully it will be submitted. Now the week counter is going to start over. Will I ever get an answer?
9-15-06, Fri - Got a call from Dr. Bryan's office. They faxed and mailed the referral yesterday. I should know by the end of next week. WOO HOO....I can't take the excitement. I want my life back. I'm so tired of being so heavy.
9-11-06 - Called Dr. Bryans office to see if they sent the referral for surgery. Unfortunately they weren't sure where the psych results were, and they would find them and get the referral done by the end of the week....(UGHHHH) My insurance always tells me that they have to make a decision in 5 business days (ONE WEEK!). This is making me crazy. I think I've gained 10 pounds in the last two weeks from all the stress eating I’m doing. I asked her to call me when it's submitted to insurance so I can follow up and call them.
9-8-06 Psych results were faxed over to Dr. Bryans office. Now they can submit the referral.
9-6-06 - Had psych referral with Dr. Gartland in Janesville Wisconsin. Bummer that I had to drive 50 miles for the test. At least the doctor does it all (consult and MN personality test) in one visit. Pleasant visit and at least that is over.
8-14-06 - Consult with Surgeon -- not happy about the $200 registration fee, but I guess considering the big picture it's a small price to pay. Saw the surgeon, bariatric nurse and dietician, and watched a 30 minute DVD on the surgery. That part was a waste of time. It was almost an advertisement. I'm sold already. SIGN ME UP! I really like Dr. Bryan. The next step is a psych referral. After that they will submit the paperwork for approval for the surgery.
8-3-06 - Went to Information Session with my sister at NIU in Rockford for Harvard Mercy Bariatric Center. Now I can make my appt with Dr. Bryan.
7-27-06 -- They approved my referral to see the surgeon for a consult. I can't believe it!! Last time they wouldn't even let me go see her for a consult. Things are looking up. Called for an appt with the surgeon, and they won’t see me until after I attend one of their information sessions. Thank goodness the timing is great. The next one is next week.
7-17-06 -- Talked to my friend Mary that had RNY surgery. She went from a 26 pant to a size 6-8. She also tells me that she eats about 40 points a day (she still tracks points) -- WOW - 40 points and a size 8. (She works out every day too) SIGN ME UP. That was the additional last bit of motivation I needed to push the insurance company. During July visit, doctor says she is going to send in a referral. Using the template letter found on this website, I created a 4 page letter that I faxed to the insurance company (to go along with stuff primary doctor sent in) asking for the referral to be approved.
04-06 - Doctor sent in referral for a sleep study to see if I have Sleep Apnea. We are looking for more ammunition to have surgery. Good news, I have a co-morbidity, and bad news, I have sleep apnea. Got a CPAP machine and actually using it. I’m adjusting beautifully. LOVE the way it makes my nasal passages feel. They used to always be very dry, and the built in humidifier makes a huge difference.
3-1-06 - I'm officially in a new Medical Group. Continue to see doctor on a monthly basis and trying to lose weight.
12-24-05 - Decided I was going to try again. My good friend Mary had RNY surgery Jan 8, 05. I went to see primary care doctor and told her about the information session. She told me that a new medical group was being created and she was joining. She thought that maybe I had a better chance of getting approved if stayed with her and switched to the new medical group. At last hope. In the mean time, we are going to do monthly visits.
12-14-05 - Went to Information Session for Gastric Bypass Surgery with Dr. Heydari. I really liked the program. They want $250 and a bunch of paperwork to get started. I think I'll go see my primary care physician first.
8-05, my good friend Peggy had her RNY surgery. We were going to do it together, but I was not approved. Dang insurance! I was on a roll losing weight. Down 35 pounds with Weight Watchers. The day she came back to work I went into a depression and slowly started gaining weight back.
11-04 - Asked primary care physician about WLS. Was told insurance company would never approve it. Funny, two people from work with same insurance have been approved. Found out that with HMOs it's not the insurance, but the medical group that makes the decision. Depressed and tried Meridia to lose weight. She put through a referral and I was denied. They had ridiculous criteria. 5 years weight loss attempt, and lose 50 pounds. If I lost 50 pounds, I wouldn't qualify for the surgery anymore! Having other medical issues and not willing to switch medical groups and doctors. Not fully determined to try and push. I can lose this weight by myself, right???
Pleasant visit and at least that is over.
