Sarah C.

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Hello Everyone!!

Wow it has been sooo long since I have been on here!!!

The verdict of my WLS is that I ended up chickening out.  I just couldn't do it.  Somewhere deep down inside I felt like I was going to die if I got it... and because of that decision I am still heavy and actually weigh 237 now! So I am officially at my highest and have gained 6 pounds in the last 1 1/2 years.
 
I am thinking about going through with it this time around.  I just cannot believe almost two years has passed and I haven't even budged the scale except for going up 6 pounds.  How depressing! I just got carried away with life and my daughter.  She has special needs and the last two years have been a blur of appointments and me just eating fast food.

I have recently started cooking for my family though, thank goodness right! I have also decided to take a leave of absence from school so I could focus more on myself and my family.  My health is just deteriorating and I need HELP! I just wasn't focusing on myself or my family the way I should have... so here I go again on my weight loss journey =) Hopefully this time I around I stick with it!!! I have to do this for myself, my husband and my daughter. 

Blessings and Love ~ Sarah

So I keep getting such mixed feeling from people about the Band.  I really think I am going to do it.  I have some people who are telling me to absolutely not do it, but then I hear about peoples great stories.  I just am so confused! ahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got a call from Jodie J (the insurance lady), She told me that she needs some more medical notes from my pcp before she can send to insurance.  Well thats nice because he is on vacation!  Oh well, he gets back tomorrow and as soon as he sends that to Jodie it will be off to insurance... So I should know within a couple of weeks if I am approved..

Wish me luck!

Thanks again for all of the support from everyone!

Well, I have been researching the Lap Band alllll day!  I am still soooo undecisive about what to do...

I have so many questions about the lap band now, I really need advice and I need to talk to my doctor.  I have heard so many horror stories on OH that I just don't know what to think.  So many people end up having the band taken out.  They say the first year is great but after that it goes downhill... What do I do?!?!  All other WLS are out, the only one I am approved for is the Band.... Here are some of my questions if anyone can give me advice or just opinions (good and bad) about their experiences... please everything is welcome!  I just need to gain as much knowledge as I can so I can make a good decision....

What do your scars look like and how big are they? I hear the one where the port goes is pretty big and ugly.

Do you vomit when trying to eat like chicken or healthy foods like that?

Do you think the band can be used long term (like 10+ yrs) without having to get it replaced?

Do you get x-rays or anything done to check on your band?

Do you have reflux? (if you had it before surgery is it worse?)

Do you ever have pain internally or where the port is?


God please give me comfort and guidance during this time.  I know I could be going through much more worse things.  But I just need support and help guiding me in what I should do with the WLS.

Okay, So the past couple of days I have been thinking alot about WLS.  I am so lost and confused! I am just CONSUMED with fear of dying.  I don't know why it is haunting me so much.  I try to pray about it, but it is just eating me alive.  I have this horrible, nagging feeling that I am going to not wake up from WLS if I decided to have it.  I am not scared of dying per-se' but I am scared of dying and not being able to raise my beautiful daughter.  She is only 17 months old, she wouldn't even remember me... I am just so torn and I can't stop crying.  It is just awful!!! I need help and support and somebody to talk to!  I even sat for 3 whole hours and read the memorial page on the OH website here... I just can't knock the feeling I am not going to live.  I am so lost, somebody help me please!!!  The fear is getting so bad that I am thinking I may just not do the surgery.......

Comments? Prayers? Advice? Anything.. please!

Today is day four of the infamous liquid diet.. It is getting MUCH easier! Thank goodness!!!!!!  I have officially stopped craving pop (which was my biggest!) I actually don't feel as hungry and I have sooo much energy!!

Yes I still have those cravings when I just want to give up and eat some pizza, but I don't!! I am so happy, I am down from 234.5 to 227!!!! It is soooo fun to see that scale budge! 

Thanks to my OH friend Jim and his wife, I have a few more great recipes to keep me going! It is so great to have all of this support!

Keep your head up and your cravings down. 
-Sarah

Okay so surprise! I have a fatty liver ... lol okay not surprising! I don't really drink, but yes I loved my fast food!  Now I am paying for it though.

So today is day two of a all liquid diet to get my liver healthy again.  It is soooo hard! I am sooo hungry I could eat my own stinkin' arm! haha... I also cheated a wee bit last night.. I ended up eating a small bowl of rice krispies.. I couldn't take it..  But I just have to tell myself today I will do better!   But get this in only 1 day of dieting I have lost 4 1/2 pounds! Talk about holy cr*p!  Its a great start! It gives me the motivation I need! 

My sister is also going on this journey with me, she is not having surgery though.  She is going to be following the same diet and exercise plan I am!  I am so lucky to have all of these people supporting me :) and thanks to all of my new friends on OH .  The only toughie is my hubby, he is still eating whatever (not fast food though).  So watching him eat grilled hamburgers yesterday was death!!!!! ahhhh... haha oh well. I will live!

Okay and as for getting approved for WLS.. still waiting... Oh how I hate the waiting game! .... Maybe it's because I am Italian and very impatient.. haha!

Okay so July 16h finally rolled around and I headed up to Sioux Falls with my Hubby for the day.  We got to eat at Olive Garden *MY ALL TIME FAVORITE!!!*.. Oooh so yummy breadsticks and chicken alfredo!! I know that was a no-no meal but hey it was OH SO GOOD!  We had a baby-free day because my sister-in-law was watching my daughter.  So we had a nice quiet fun day!  Of course I missed my pumpky big time!!! It is always sooo hard leaving her!  I have no idea what I am gonna do on the day of surgery.. I am sooo afraid of dying and leaving her.. I just need alot of prayers right now.

Okay so back to our day - It started off with meeting the dietician.  She was really funny and I had to be super honest with her.  That was not easy considering I have been eating everything in sight lately.  She told me that I had develped the infamous " Last-supper syndrome " and boy was she right... I have been eating whatever I want the last couple of weeks and I just kept telling myself I could because I won't be able to eat it after surgery.  Well she told me it's time I start my 1200 calorie a day diet to get ready for surgery when (or if) I have it.  She gave me a list of what I could eat and what not to eat.  She said I had to quit the pop too.. oh that is gonna be a toughie!! What am I gonna do without the caffiene! Oh well, I shall survive!! She also told me I need to have a two hour nutrition class once I am approved for surgery and I had to meet with her post op... She told me that I am a great candidate for surgery and she will send a letter of approval to my insurance company!

Woohoo!

So then it was off to meet with the Pyschologist for my mental evaluation.  Dr. Rhonda Smith was super nice and very soft spoken.  She first made me take a hour and half long mental evaluation quiz.  It was 567 strange questions, but I passed with flying colors.. in other words I am sane! haha...  Then we met and talked about my life and why I wanted to have WLS.  She told me that she agree'd with the dietician about me being a good candidate for surgery.  So she also sent a letter of approval to my insurance company!! that calls for another Woohoo!!  

Then on to the bad news.... I found out on July 2nd that I needed to have a 6 consecutive month medically supervised diet in order for my insurance to cover WLS... Well that just sucks!  I have been on soooo many diets, but only 1 of them was what you might call supervised.  Back in January of this year my Doctor prescribed me Orlistat.  I couldn't afford it so he put me on Alli, which you take on a low calorie low fat diet.  So I did that, but most of it was not documented! But my doctor (who is awesome!) Told me he could "tweak" a few things for insurance.. So now I just need to hope and pray that insurance approves! Because who really wants to wait another 6 months for surgery!! ughhhhhhh!

                     

So please everyone be praying!!  I need all of the prayers I can get.  This is such a frustrating process.. but I guess I am up for the challenge....

I finally took the plunge.  I have been researching WLS for quite awhile now.  I have mainly been leaning towards the Gastric Lap Banding.  I went to see my family doctor in June for a regular check up, when he suggested I maybe think about WLS.  We have been working together for along time now trying to get my weight down.  NOTHING works.  We agree that this may be my last option.  So he set up a consultation in Sioux Falls, SD with Dr. Peter O'Brien.  It is about a 3 hour drive for me (but totally worth it).  

So I waited and waited until finally July 2nd came!  I drove down to Sioux Falls with my sister to begin the opportunity of a lifetime.  I first went in to register and immediately started crying at the receptionist desk.  I had been waiting for this moment my whole life and everything had just built up until now.  I could not tell you what it felt like to be standing there.  Just very overwhelming is one way to put it.  So the receptionists that were there were comforting me and giving me kleenex's.  They were soooo supportive and were great!  (Talk about embarrasing though! haha)

So after registering I got to meet with Dr. O'Brien's nurse, Pam.  She was very helpful and informative!  She showed me the actual lap band and let me feel it.  She explained the whole pre op, procedure, post op, risks, diet, etc.  She gave me tons of WLS packets too.  After she was done Dr. O'Brien came in to meet me and see if I had any questions.  He was only with me for maybe 10 minutes, haha.  Thats okay though because he was busy and I honestly didn't have alot of questions for him.  He was very nice though!  After meeting with him, I met his insurance lady, Jodie J.  She was also very nice!  She explained everything for me and is willing to be there step by step through the DREADED insurance process!  

For insurance I have to meet a few criteria's.  I have met most of them but have to get a mental evaluation and meet with a dietician pre op before they will approve me.  I also found out I needed to have a 6 month supervised diet.  That may be a problem because I have been on diets and some were medically prescribed but I don't know how much of those were documented.. so we will see!  Jodie set up appointments for me to see the Dietician and Pyschologist, I will have those done on July 16th in Sioux Falls.  So after those are done she will be sending all of my information to Blue Plus insurance and then we wait.  So please please please pray for me!  I so hope I get approved, this is my chance to change my life once and for all.  I am so ready!