April Henderson
Second & Final Psych Eval for Kaiser
Nov 07, 2007
I met with Dr. Julie Kovitz today at Kaiser's Union City facility. I drove almost a total of 4 hours for a 20 minute evaluation! CRAZY! The eval was pretty basic. When I got there and checked in with the receptionist she gave me a couple of forms that I needed to fill out. 2 forms were just basic releases that you need to sign. The other was a basic questionaire about the surgery. It had questions like:
- How have your eating habits changed?
- What has been the hardest thing about changing your eating?
- Are you excercising? How often? Doing what?
- Do you love your body? Hate your body? Dislike your body? Like your body?
- Have you had any mental issues in the past?
- Have you had any chemical dependency issues in the past?
- Are you drinking carbonated beverages? How often?
- Do you drink caffine? How often?
- Do you eat fast food? How often?
- Do you chew your food 30 times? What percentage of the time?
- Do you drink 64 oz. water per day?
And lots more. When I went in and met with the psychologist she basically went over the form and asked me about the questions. I had answered yes to the carbonated beverage one. She asked how often I am drinking them. I told her once or twice a day- DIET COKE. She wants me to try to cut back even more (it is way better than I was doing- trust me). Then after she went over the form and those questions, she basically said, "So, you are obviously attracive (yeah, ok), how do you think your husbnad will act when you lose weight and look "hott"? I explained that while I can't predict the future, my husband and I have talked about it extensively and I really don't think it should be really negative. He isn't a jealous person by nature and we have a great relationship. However, I know there is always a possibility and if something like that happens, we can always go to counseling. I love Jayson and I know he loves me, so we will make it work.
All in all, it was fine. Nothing extraordinary, but fine. Ok, that is it for now.
- How have your eating habits changed?
- What has been the hardest thing about changing your eating?
- Are you excercising? How often? Doing what?
- Do you love your body? Hate your body? Dislike your body? Like your body?
- Have you had any mental issues in the past?
- Have you had any chemical dependency issues in the past?
- Are you drinking carbonated beverages? How often?
- Do you drink caffine? How often?
- Do you eat fast food? How often?
- Do you chew your food 30 times? What percentage of the time?
- Do you drink 64 oz. water per day?
And lots more. When I went in and met with the psychologist she basically went over the form and asked me about the questions. I had answered yes to the carbonated beverage one. She asked how often I am drinking them. I told her once or twice a day- DIET COKE. She wants me to try to cut back even more (it is way better than I was doing- trust me). Then after she went over the form and those questions, she basically said, "So, you are obviously attracive (yeah, ok), how do you think your husbnad will act when you lose weight and look "hott"? I explained that while I can't predict the future, my husband and I have talked about it extensively and I really don't think it should be really negative. He isn't a jealous person by nature and we have a great relationship. However, I know there is always a possibility and if something like that happens, we can always go to counseling. I love Jayson and I know he loves me, so we will make it work.
All in all, it was fine. Nothing extraordinary, but fine. Ok, that is it for now.
Hola! Support Group Last Night!
Nov 06, 2007
Hola a todo la gente aqui! Ole! Anyway... I just wanted to write in a few thoughts. First of all, I went the the Memorial Medical Center WLS Support Group Meeting last night with my husband (a great support!) and MY FRIEND (too) Tiffany! Shout out back at you Tiffany! It was cool. The room was full and it was funny because when we were waiting to go inside, a lady from Memorial was like, "Ooooh, you guys came on a good night... we have FOOD!" It was crazy. Tiffany and I looked at each other and just shook our heads. You can see the irony, right? Anyway, the food they were serving were some small portions (perfect for WLS patients) of cajun salmon and a beautiful vegetable salad. I don't know why I thought you may want to know that, but now you do. I will include the recipe below.
So, I highly recommend going to these things. They seem a little corny, but it is really true, there is nothing like support from people are going through the same thing. It was really cool to hear everyone's stage or journey in the process. There are people with great advice (Mr. Philip Smallwood everybody), crazy folks (Lady in the Red Shirt), other just really nice people just starting out (Margie), people with a surgery date (My friend Tiffany who's life is about to change in 2 days!) and of course all the rest of us just waiting for it to really begin. It's a great pleathura of people and I strongly encourage everyone to join a support group. Whether big or small, I promise, it WILL help encourage you (no matter how corny it is).
Ok, off of that soapbox. Tomorrow is my final psych eval for Kaiser (which I pray can be used for Pacificare). I will write about what happens later. Wish me luck driving to Union City- yuck!
Cajun Salmon Recipe
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Rub approx. 1/4 tsp of cajun seasoning onto a 2-3oz piece of salmon.
Place salmon directly on a baking sheet.
After oven has preheated, place baking sheet in oven.
Cook for 10-12 minutes only. Any longer and it will toughen up the salmon.
Remove salmon from baking sheet and let it rest on a plate. If you leave the salmon on the baking sheet, it will continue cooking and be too tough for the average WLS patient to eat.
Serve and Enjoy!
So, I highly recommend going to these things. They seem a little corny, but it is really true, there is nothing like support from people are going through the same thing. It was really cool to hear everyone's stage or journey in the process. There are people with great advice (Mr. Philip Smallwood everybody), crazy folks (Lady in the Red Shirt), other just really nice people just starting out (Margie), people with a surgery date (My friend Tiffany who's life is about to change in 2 days!) and of course all the rest of us just waiting for it to really begin. It's a great pleathura of people and I strongly encourage everyone to join a support group. Whether big or small, I promise, it WILL help encourage you (no matter how corny it is).
Ok, off of that soapbox. Tomorrow is my final psych eval for Kaiser (which I pray can be used for Pacificare). I will write about what happens later. Wish me luck driving to Union City- yuck!
Cajun Salmon Recipe
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Rub approx. 1/4 tsp of cajun seasoning onto a 2-3oz piece of salmon.
Place salmon directly on a baking sheet.
After oven has preheated, place baking sheet in oven.
Cook for 10-12 minutes only. Any longer and it will toughen up the salmon.
Remove salmon from baking sheet and let it rest on a plate. If you leave the salmon on the baking sheet, it will continue cooking and be too tough for the average WLS patient to eat.
Serve and Enjoy!
Another Step!
Nov 02, 2007
Hi again! I know, this is crazy. This afternoon while I was at work I got a call from Angela at Dr. Coates' office. She wanted to schedule me for my consult... ALREADY! WOW! The downside is that because I have Kaiser as my primary insurance until 12/31/07, I either have to self-pay for the consult ($72) or I can wait until 01/08 when Pacificare takes over completely. The good thing is that I was told that I might be able to use the Nutrition and Psych appts. from Kaiser as long as they are not expired (over the time limit that Pacificare sets). So, I decided to self-pay for the consult and get the ball rolling as much as possible. So... I'll go to the consult on 11/20 and as long as I can use my Kaiser stuff or get the appts. taken care of, they can submit for approval as soon as the new year rolls in. So, maybe by mid-January I can have the surgery!!!! Yeah baby! My goodness...
I almost forgot...
Nov 02, 2007
I almost forgot, guess who called yesterday AFTER I got the seminar date moved up? You guessed it! Kaiser! They wanted to schedule my 2nd psych eval. FINALLY. My insurance will stop with them on 12/31/07, so it's pretty pointless. DAMN them! Couldn't call me 2 months ago? Oh no!
The Seminar
Nov 02, 2007
Well hello. Ok, so if you are reading this, you already know that I was waiting for the seminar for 11/14/07. After some great advice from my friend Tiffany (seen on the left side of the screen in the "Friends" section) to call and see if there were any cancellations for any sooner seminars, I made the call to Dr. Coates office. I called on Tuesday 10/30/07. I explained to whoever I was speaking with that I had a seminar on the 14th but I was calling to see if there were any cancellations for any sooner seminars. She explained that the next seminar would be Thursday (11/01/07), but they wouldn't know if they had cancellations until either Wednesday or Thursday and that I would need to call back. I thanked her and hung up. So, very persistent me, I called on Wednesday morning (I was trying to be the first one to grab an open seat). The lovely Angela said, "Sorry, but we haven't had any cancellations." I thanked her and hung up again. I was going to call back later that afternoon, but I got all wrapped up and never did. So, yesterday morning, Thursday 11/1, I figured that I would call one more time and that if I didn't get it, no problem, it just wasn't meant to happen sooner. So... the phone rings... "Good morning, Dr. Coates' office." I explained who I was and why I was calling. Angela on the other end said, "Is this the same person that has been pestering us for a couple of days?" I said, "That's me!" She was very sweet and very funny. Thankfully, there had been a cancellation and I got it!!! That's right baby! WOO HOO! I had the seminar last night. Second step- DOWN! The seminar was pretty straight forward and went over all the stuff that you probably already know, but that is good to be reminded of. Dr. Coates was actually the speaker. He was great. He was so witty and kind. I know I'll be in great hands. He was very informative and some of the stuff on the slides was really interesting. Then, Dr. Morgan, a psychologist that they work with, got up and spoke about his aspect of it all. He was kind and explained basically what he is looking for during the session. Pretty straightforward stuff- don't be a nutso, don't want to hurt yourself, make sure you can handle the change and the stress, etc. It was good. Then, they had 4 guest speakers (all patients and Angela, Dr. Coates' PA- also a patient). They all looked great and had great stories to share. People in the room asked questions, and all that good stuff. The room was really full. I would say probably around 120 people or so. Now, keep in mind probably 30-50% of the people had someone with them, but dang! That is still a large # of people for only 2 Dr.'s. WOW. Anyway, overall it was great. They explained that we would be hearing from the Dr.'s office probably within a week and that if we hadn't, to give them a call. So, that is about it for now! I'll write more as it progresses.
No more "Healthy Roads"
Oct 24, 2007
After looking on the message boards here, I found out that because of a legal battle, Pacificare is no longer requiring the Healthy Roads program to be approved for surgery. I IMMEDIATELY emailed a friend of mine on here that has been waiting for months and going through HR. She called the Surgeon's office and the wonderful Insurance lady, Hilary, was able to confirm with both Pacificare and Healthy Roads that they are no longer a requirement. So, anyway... I called the Surgeon's office and explained that I have my seminar on 11/14/07 and that I wanted to know if I could go ahead and schedule my Nutrition & Psych evals to get it done quicker. The very helpful Isabel at Dr. Coate's office said that it is probably better that I wait. I also asked her how I would know if they receive a referral for me so I can make sure that I can see Dr. Coates for the Initial consult. She asked my name. She said, "That sounds familiar, but it could just be from the seminar list". I said, "No problem". She told me to give her a second while she looked through the referrals. She found mine!!! WOO HOO! Pacificare has already authorized the consult. I am so excited. This is already going quickly. I don't know what will happen in time, but it feels like I am on the right track!
Seminar Date 11/14/07
Oct 24, 2007
Ok. So... my husband called the Surgeon's office (Dr. Coates) and asked about the referral. The lady explained that I would have to attend the seminar first and that the initial consult with the surgeon would be scheduled after that. I would need the referral for that. So my seminar date is on 11/14/07.
Here we go again
Oct 19, 2007
Hi again. I realize it's been awhile. I've been waiting for Kaiser to respond to me for almost 2 months, and I'm pretty upset. My husband started to work for the county too and we got him on Pacificare insurance. I am a dependent on his insurance. I just went to a PCP that was not through Kaiser. We spoke about the gastric bypass and he stated that he thinks I seem very motivate and like I would be a great candidate for the RNY. He asked me to call about who needs to make a referral since I have Kaiser and Pacificare. I called Pacificare and they told me that I had to have my PCP make the referral and complete Healthy Roads. However, after looking into the Insurance Forum here, it seems that Pacificare has dropped the HR program and that it is no longer mandatory.So... here we go again. I'll try to keep updated on my progress and what has to happen to be approved through PCare.
A Tough Week
Jun 16, 2007
Well hello there. I wanted to take a few minutes to write about some real feelings. I was sending a message to a fellow ObesityHelp friend and writing about how losing the 10% I am required to is not a walk in the park. I thought it was important to share these feelings here. I think that writing about it helps me stay accountable for my own actions.
This past week has been rough. I think I get to the point where I feel like I should be able to eat whatever I want whenever I want and I start falling into my old habits. Snacking, eating fast food, not exercising, etc. The thing is, I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE! It is a very emotional ride. Even as I write this, I am starting to tear up. I get so frustrated with my Fat-Self. I just want her to LET ME GO! I have seen the scale jump back and forth between 335.7 and 339. I don't want it to be jumping around, I want it to go DOWN!
I wish everyone on here the best of luck and I promise to stay true to this journey and to tell the truth about how things are going. Love you All!
This past week has been rough. I think I get to the point where I feel like I should be able to eat whatever I want whenever I want and I start falling into my old habits. Snacking, eating fast food, not exercising, etc. The thing is, I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE! It is a very emotional ride. Even as I write this, I am starting to tear up. I get so frustrated with my Fat-Self. I just want her to LET ME GO! I have seen the scale jump back and forth between 335.7 and 339. I don't want it to be jumping around, I want it to go DOWN!
I wish everyone on here the best of luck and I promise to stay true to this journey and to tell the truth about how things are going. Love you All!
6/6/07- 2nd Weigh In
Jun 06, 2007
A quick update- I did my 2nd weigh in today and I was down to 335.7--WOO HOO! Another 3.3 lbs. Yippee! I also completed my EKG, Blood Test, and Chest X-Ray today, so that's another thing out of the way! WOO HOO! I'm moving along! During my blood test one of the lab assistants that was taking my blood asked me how far along in the process I was. I got to talk about it, and it was actually pretty fun. It's amazing how WLS attracts people!
About Me
Modesto, CA
Location
30.1
BMI
Surgery
04/29/2008
Surgery Date
Jul 28, 2002
Member Since
