sixfootkat
Third Time is a Charm?
Apr 25, 2010
So I am going to meet with Dr. Birch again tomorrow. This will be my third time. I am confused and starting to feel a little lost and disheartened. I have been in the WW program since Feb 2009 and before that I was on a waiting list for one year to get into the program.
In that time I have worked so hard mentally that I almost feel like a different person. Being over 400lbs takes such a huge physical effort just to get thru my day. Every day I have to tell myself to be positive and that the physical pain of obesity will go away soon and that I am doing the right thing by being in the WW program.
Katrina
1 comment
In that time I have worked so hard mentally that I almost feel like a different person. Being over 400lbs takes such a huge physical effort just to get thru my day. Every day I have to tell myself to be positive and that the physical pain of obesity will go away soon and that I am doing the right thing by being in the WW program.
Sometimes the pressure of my work when I have to take days off to drive all the way to Edmonton is really stressful! The first time was reasonable but the second time I get there and I get a 15 min appointment with the Surgeon and he tells me they are still not going to sign off on surgery because they want to do a CT Scan of my liver. I don't understand why that was not suggested during the first visit. I have to take a full day off from work every time I have to go to the clinic because I live in Carstairs and it is 5 and 1/2 hours of driving (2 hour and 45min up and back) for me.
The nurse told me that my liver was normal so that should no longer be a factor. So hopefully all will go well at my appointment tomorrow and Dr. Birch will finally sign off so I can finally get on the waiting list.
It is really hard to stay positive with all this waiting...I don’t want to be a complainer or to be negative. The WW clinic has helped me so much over the last year. I have no idea how far my obesity would have spiraled without them. I am truly grateful to them and I would not be where I am today if I did not have there encouragement and guidance but I am ready to move forward in my journey.
Katrina
Who did I tell that I was having Bariatric Surgery
Apr 18, 2010
I told everyone! At my work I took it slow and told our HR person first. I felt I should cover my butt and be sure that I was a loud to talk about such personal stuff. She was great about it and helped me explain it to my boss. I was really medical about it. I explained it as I have a medical problem, I told them I was refered by my family Doctor to an obesity clinic to help me with my obesity. I explained that I was assigned at team which included a dietician, OT, PT, nurse, psychologist and surgeon. They know that along with education and theraphy my team feels that I will be the most successful at losing the weight and keeping it off with bariatric surgery. My work is really supportive and they want me to do what ever I need to do inorder to be happy and healthy. I figured that people are eventually going to start asking me how I lost weight and I better have an answer.
I find some people want to know more and have a lot of questions. Some people don't have any questions and just wish me luck When I make it about my health most people are very supportive. So far I have only had a couple of people tell me I should not do it and they were mostly just concerned about me altering my insides so much or they really did not know much about modern bariatric surgery only stories they heard as a kid about people who got there stomach stappled.
I find talking about it openly and honestly helps me to stay focused and provides me with a lot of support.
0 comments
I find some people want to know more and have a lot of questions. Some people don't have any questions and just wish me luck When I make it about my health most people are very supportive. So far I have only had a couple of people tell me I should not do it and they were mostly just concerned about me altering my insides so much or they really did not know much about modern bariatric surgery only stories they heard as a kid about people who got there stomach stappled.
I find talking about it openly and honestly helps me to stay focused and provides me with a lot of support.
Waiting
Apr 18, 2010
I really don't understand why the Dr has to do the dictation letter right in front of you. I get that they want to insure that everything they say is accurate but to hear them say everything about your obesity related issues all clumped together is really unnerving. After the appointment I kept running it thru in my head. I actually got my family Dr to give me a copy when she recieved it so I could read it again.
Once you are approved to met the surgeon it does feel good to move on to the next step. Unfortunately for me I did not get approved for surgery my first time meeting Dr. Birch or my second. I have a lot of stomach fat and my BMI is over 55 so i was sent for the CT liver scan. I felt really sad, like I had done something wrong this made me lose my path a little but I have been talking a lot with my nurse and she is helping me stay focused and positive. My hope is for others to please try not to be disscouraged or to disappointed if you don't get approved for surgery right away. I know that the reasons Dr. Birch has for waiting to do my surgery are valid. He wants the surgery to be as complication free as possible but sometimes the wait is so very hard.
0 comments
Once you are approved to met the surgeon it does feel good to move on to the next step. Unfortunately for me I did not get approved for surgery my first time meeting Dr. Birch or my second. I have a lot of stomach fat and my BMI is over 55 so i was sent for the CT liver scan. I felt really sad, like I had done something wrong this made me lose my path a little but I have been talking a lot with my nurse and she is helping me stay focused and positive. My hope is for others to please try not to be disscouraged or to disappointed if you don't get approved for surgery right away. I know that the reasons Dr. Birch has for waiting to do my surgery are valid. He wants the surgery to be as complication free as possible but sometimes the wait is so very hard.
Jumping Thru Hoops
Apr 18, 2010
I feel that everyone at the clinic is there to help you be successful on this journey. I have seen some people write that they had to "jump thru all the hoops" before they got to meet the surgeon and I found this statement to be a little dishearting. Lets face it...if you are obese enough to require weight loss surgery you are doing something that requires you to change, whether that is better nutrition, adding exercise, learning better ways to deal with stress, dealing with your unresulved emotions...the list is endless. If you are just "jumping thru all the hoops" and not working on improving yourself I am not sure how successful you will be with surgery. This is just my opinion and not ment to be offensive to anyone. I wish everyone success in there journey!
0 comments
Meeting the Doctor
Apr 18, 2010
I always feel nervous when I have to see the Doctor at the WW Clinic. My blood pressure is always really high when I have to see the Doctor. I have ADHD and when I get really nervous I get confused and overwhelmed with my thoughts. So I write things down it a note book. I also write down some of the Drs instructions or ask them to write down there instructions for me. They are really nice and very accommodating. They want you to be successful. I never feel like I am being tested or judged like with other Drs.
There is a sort of 2 part process where you meet with the Regular Dr and then later you meet with the Surgical Dr.
For the Regular Dr Appointments I met with Dr Sharma and Dr Yalto (sorry I may have spelled her name wrong) I found both Dr Sharma and Dr Yalto to go thru things really fast. They do ask some uncomfortable questions about your past such as if you have ever been sexually abused. They ask about binge eating and bulimia. They will ask you dates. This was hard for me but journalling helps with this. So I could tell them the dates of when I took the modules, when the last time was that I binge ate, I had written down what medication and vitamins along with the dose so I did not have to remember on the spot.
The Strangest thing that happened when I saw Dr Sharma and Yalto is that they dictate a letter to your family Dr right in front of you. This was soooo weird to me.
When you go see the Surgical Dr it is totally different. I was soooo nervous my blood pressure was 157/107 and they got me to sit quietly in the room by myself for a few minutes so I could relax and take deep breaths. Then the nurse took my blood presure again and it was 137/77. LOL. Once I met Dr Birch I found him to be very relaxed and not at all rushed. They walk you thru all the surgeries and go over all the positives and negatives of each surgery. Dr Birch was so nice and informative. My first appointment with him was 45 mins and he answered all of both mine and my husbands questions.
0 comments
There is a sort of 2 part process where you meet with the Regular Dr and then later you meet with the Surgical Dr.
For the Regular Dr Appointments I met with Dr Sharma and Dr Yalto (sorry I may have spelled her name wrong) I found both Dr Sharma and Dr Yalto to go thru things really fast. They do ask some uncomfortable questions about your past such as if you have ever been sexually abused. They ask about binge eating and bulimia. They will ask you dates. This was hard for me but journalling helps with this. So I could tell them the dates of when I took the modules, when the last time was that I binge ate, I had written down what medication and vitamins along with the dose so I did not have to remember on the spot.
The Strangest thing that happened when I saw Dr Sharma and Yalto is that they dictate a letter to your family Dr right in front of you. This was soooo weird to me.
When you go see the Surgical Dr it is totally different. I was soooo nervous my blood pressure was 157/107 and they got me to sit quietly in the room by myself for a few minutes so I could relax and take deep breaths. Then the nurse took my blood presure again and it was 137/77. LOL. Once I met Dr Birch I found him to be very relaxed and not at all rushed. They walk you thru all the surgeries and go over all the positives and negatives of each surgery. Dr Birch was so nice and informative. My first appointment with him was 45 mins and he answered all of both mine and my husbands questions.
CT SCAN OF MY LIVER-RESULTS
Apr 18, 2010
The CT Scan was easy. There was no wait, the ladies were really nice and I was done before my appointment was even suppose to start. I did not even need the dye which was a big relief! I was worried about the weight limit but they told me the machine would hold up to 700 lbs.
My nurse emailed me to let me know that Dr. Birch reviewed the results and found my liver to be unremarkable which is apparently good. I see him again on April 26th and I am hoping he will let me see the scan!
0 comments
My nurse emailed me to let me know that Dr. Birch reviewed the results and found my liver to be unremarkable which is apparently good. I see him again on April 26th and I am hoping he will let me see the scan!
CT SCAN OF MY LIVER
Apr 18, 2010
Dr. Birch (WW Surgeon) said that some people (especially super obese people (ME) and people with a large amount of belly fat (ME)) can have extremely large, fatty livers. During surgery they move the liver to the side (to work on the stomach) and when the liver is extremely large and or fatty it can crack and bleed. This can cause the surgery time to go from 1.5 hours up to 4-5 hours or they can not even do the surgery. :( So they would like to know the size of my liver before surgery.
I love that they are taking the time to do the pre test and helping me to shrink my liver. I find everyone at the clinic to be so kind and informative.
Once I have the scan I will let you guys know how things go.
0 comments
I love that they are taking the time to do the pre test and helping me to shrink my liver. I find everyone at the clinic to be so kind and informative.
Once I have the scan I will let you guys know how things go.
2-17-10
Apr 18, 2010
Hi,
I had my first assessment in Feb 2009. They will want you to do a Sleep Apnea test. I did mine before going to my first assessment. My family Dr put me on a waiting list and it was a minimum of a year wait. I went to a private clinic instead and paid $150. I was diagnosed within a month.
Keeping a journal has to be a super priority. My therapist suggested I leave my book in the bathroom and write whenever I go. It is weird at first but it works.
Good Luck
Katrina
0 comments
I had my first assessment in Feb 2009. They will want you to do a Sleep Apnea test. I did mine before going to my first assessment. My family Dr put me on a waiting list and it was a minimum of a year wait. I went to a private clinic instead and paid $150. I was diagnosed within a month.
Keeping a journal has to be a super priority. My therapist suggested I leave my book in the bathroom and write whenever I go. It is weird at first but it works.
Good Luck
Katrina
About Me
AB
Location
39.1
BMI
Surgery
06/15/2010
Surgery Date
Feb 16, 2010
Member Since
