SYRENITY
~8-26-07 ~
Aug 26, 2007
ok sorry guys I had to do that I need to vent. I am so frustrated at this point as I stated in my last post I have a fill of 8cc's right now and I still am not seeing this damn scale move downward fast enough what the hell is up with that ? On a brighter but really not so brighter note I am losing inches and my arms have lost drastically although the hanging fat or bat wings as I have heard them referred to are something else to deal with which is the not so good part.
I noticed the other day when I was in the mirror the outline of my arm then there was a slight indentation and the rest is the fat hanging the arm itself is so small but because I still have the fat attached it does not really look like they are small sooooooooooo. I now know I have to start back with my resistance bands and hand weights to tighten things up hopefully most or all of this will firm up and I will not have to have any plastic surgery in the end.
Back to the real cause of my venting today is since my last fill I have been frustrated over the loss in numbers I think I am doing this whole lap band thing wrong. I am wondering if I should just start from scratch and go back on liquids, protein shakes etc and just act as if I was just released from the hospital. Now I had surgery in April the and I know this is not a race and I am not going to just drop weight like an ice pop on a 100 degree day nor would I wish to which is why I chose the Lab Band option but, this mess is really frustrating. I am not sure if it is just the absence of exercise that will boost things and kick them into gear or if I am not getting enough protein, vitamins etc but whatever it is I need to find out immediately.
The only plus side is that not once since surgery have I gained a single lb but I can not celebrate too much with that aspect when I am disappointed in the slow down in progress of the weight loss numbers. I am at 8cc's now and some days feel more restriction than others if it's not liquids, mushies or crunchies I feel it going down and most times get either a slight or severe stuck feeling on the first couple of bites. At my last fill appointment I was told that this fill should jump start things but I have not seen much of a change since the fill before so I guess I have not gotten to my "Sweet Spot" as of yet. Maybe it's me being spoiled and the fact that I had gotten used to the 8-10lb + per week loss that I was experiencing in the beginning only to slow down to 4 or 5lbs in 3 weeks to a month that is a big change. I had set personal goals for myself which I obviously have not reached because of this and honestly I think I am doing things all wrong. I borrowed something from a post that I read hopefully it won't be the case for me and take that long but, I wanted to post it just as motivation and to remind myself to try and remain patient until I find my personal "Sweet Spot" and can progress with my weight loss.
This is from mish's Profile in case any of you want to read her journey click the link. I thought her story was very interesting.
ATTENTION NEWBIES: Listen, and listen good! It took me 10 months and 4 fills before I reached my "sweet spot" (effective restriction). I lost close to NOTHING in the first 10 months! I was totally, utterly frustrated and wanted to shoot myself for failing yet ANOTHER WLS... but that was not the case- all I needed was to hit the sweet spot... then the band started working. Food was no longer the driving force in my life and the weight came off. So please, please, do NOT panic when the weight doesn't fall off right after surgery. It takes TIME... but be patient. It is sooo worth it.
As far as tolerable foods I am able to eat almost everything besides steak which I really don't miss because I was never a big beef or steak eater anyway. I mostly eat chicken, fish or shrimp as a source of protein my vegetable intake is limited to broccoli, string beans & sometimes carrots which I eat shredded in salads. as far as starch which I have tried to limit I can eat pasta easier than potatoes or rice which gives me a stuck feeling almost every time even with complete chewing. It seems that I don't know where to begin to kick things up a few notches and get better results out of this weight loss tool.
I will make it clear that i do not think in any way that it is a failed mission I take COMPLETE blame. I am in control of how this tool will assist me and I just think that somewhow I got sidetracked and comfortable with the Idea that although I can eat just about anything I want that eating it in smaller quantities will not hurt me. As far as exercise I was only walking and I have honestly not done that in almost 2 months which I think is another reason the weight loss has slowed down I just need help in figuring out how to prioritize my efforts to getting back on track.
Do any of you think I should just start from scratch with the liquids, mushies then solids again? or do you think it is just an exercise issue? Also can any of you give me any examples of what a typical day is like for you as far as protien intake in grams as well as other vitamins & supplements. I guess that is all for now thanks for listening to me vent. Until next time........
Stay Blessed
Alicia
~ 6-24-07 ~
Jun 24, 2007
This Lap band is no damn joke !!!! I have to laugh really hard at individuals that have the audacity to state that those of us that choose to use surgery as a tool to assist in our weight loss goals are taking the EASY way out. Pardon my french but nothing about this shit is easy !
I knew this to begin with long before I made my final decision to have surgery and when I hear folks say that it makes me angry. I am so tired of hearing folks tell people "don't have surgery just go to the gym" or "oh your not THAT BIG you can just diet" and other nonsense of that nature. If things were that easy for many of us to do don't you think we would have already exhausted that option?
Why would anyone choose to go under the knife if it was as simple as dieting or taking pills or simple exercise realistically it is not that EASY ! It begins with the hard decision of realizing that you can no longer do this on your own and owning up to the fact that you have tried and tried with no or very little success and you need help. It then moves on to trying to find the right help for your individual situation then once you make the decision to have surgery it moves on to the dedication & commitment to the band or for those of you that decided to take the gastric route the dedication to supplements and such. Those things for sure are not EASY this is lifelong dedication not 6 months on a diet or working with a personal trainer easy. I am busting my ass to get where I want to be so easy way out my foot !!!!
I went to get my second fill on the 13th of june I was a little disappointed because I had only lost 3 lbs in 3 1/2 weeks but the plus side is that I have lost a bunch of inches I have to start using this tape measure to keep tabs on that as well.
My doctor heard a few of us talking in the waiting area as we were drinking our water and waiting to see if things were ok to go down and he came in and stated to this one lady get over it lol just accept the fact that you can not eat lettuce any more some can you obviously can't we all laughed we then shared that we were not as happy about the numbers but he reassured us and reminded us that this is not a race our weight loss will never be typical and that as long as it is a pound in the minus direction or some inches in the minus direction it is a loss and we should accept it as such.
My surgeon only put back in .05 cc's but I can feel the difference I am still getting into the habit of chewing, chewing, chewing but as always I am easily reminded with that stuck feeling or having to go spit my food up before continuing my meal. Who knows when I will have this mastered but I am trying. Luckily I have not had any problems with foods that I can not eat besides steak which is hard to get down of course I refuse to try it again and thankfully I was never a steak person because I don't miss it.
I am going to start working out more I have noticed my clothes not fitting the same and some loss on my huge arms are becoming noticeable so I have to tighten them up before I start to look like the flab monster lol my thighs are coming down and my stomach of course is going down as well so overall I still am so blessed to have been able to have surgery and I definitely don't regret a thing and I'm sure none of you regret it either.
Stay Blessed.
Alicia
~ 5-30-07 ~
May 30, 2007
Then that afternoon I attempted to eat some fries It wasn't the best choice but on friday's my employer pays for lunch for the entire office and we get to choose a restaurant or two to order from so from the restaurants chosen my choices were limited and I opted to go to the sides menu looking for mashed potatoes which they didn't have so the next best thing was the fries which I thought would be soft enough to get down.... BOY WAS I DEAD WRONG !!!! From the first swallow I had to throw up again it hurt my chest so bad I was like never mind and packed the food up to bring home. That night I tried to eat a piece of fish mashed it up and then chewed it as well. That was a no go as well but unlike the two previous times that day I didn't just spit the food back up this is when I really threw up gagging and all it was then I knew for sure that the band was way too damn tight and I needed to remove some more of the saline.
Unfortunately for me it was friday evening and I had to go to a communion and a reception that saturday as well as do mother's day that sunday and all the while knowing my Dr's office would not be open until monday morning. Needless to say it was a long long weekend I had trouble getting food down at the communion reception luckily a good friend of mine who was the host had WLS a few months before I did and was able to make me take a walk and get the food to go down so I didn't have a repeat of the 3 occurances the previous day. So you know I had my big butt there at the Dr.'s office bright and early on monday. I found out from the nurse that I actually had 7 cc's instead of the 6 that I thought was in there that is why I could not get any food past the band the even bigger shock was that I had lost an additional 6 lbs from thursday to monday. YIPPEEEE !!! down 10 additional lbs in 6 days I really couldn't complain about that. So far I have lost 16.5 on the liquids before surgery and 21 lbs from April 2nd which was my surgery date to May 14th and although that week I had the fill & adjustments I had a few uncomfortable days getting food down I don't regret a minute of it. I have been able to get foods down since then which I definitely can not complain about. I have to admit that sometimes I forget that I have the band and I take too big of a bite of something or I do not chew as well as I should and swallow way too soon but believe me I am quickly reminded that the band is defiinitely working. I get full much faster and on most days I can't eat nearly as much as I think I want to eat or as much as I order or put on my plate but I do know no matter how much food is in front of me when I start feeling full I stop eating it's either that or pray to the porcelain god lol which I had more than enough of the few days when my band was extra tight. I am sure I will get the hang of the portions and how to not let my eyes be much bigger than my stomach and gauge my bites better and it will become second nature at some point but I truly feel so much better since surgery and others have noticed a change in my spirit which is nice to hear especially since I hear the compliments from folks who have no idea that I have had surgery.
Aside from that I don't get short of breath as much I noticed that I have been using my inhaler less {hopefully I won't have to use it at all soon} and the weight is coming off. Well, truthfully I don't see it but everyone keeps complimenting on it so I guess it's working slowly but surely I can only notice it by certain clothes fitting looser than they did before but as far as seeing any significant loss I don't see it yet everyone says that is because I see myself everyday. I did however notice a picture I took at my nana's house thanksgiving day and I saw a picture I took at one of the events that I mentioned I attended in the last few weeks and my face has gone down. and the portraits my boyfriend and I took this past valentines day I saw a difference in my cheeks and my boyfriend keeps calling me small face. On my way to work last week I bumped into someone I know who made the comment that in a few months she won't be able to recognize me that I was melting away and I now have cheekbones I had to laugh because once again I can't see what others see. But, I have been so much happier and I can not wait until I reach my final goal as I am sure we all are looking forward to.
I was finally cleared on the 14th of May which made 6 wks since surgery to work out so I did some arm exercises yesterday and I have been walking since the day I had surgery & have been walking a few blks during my lunch break since I couldn't do much more until now even if it's only 2 or 3 blocks down and back. The longest I have walked so far without getting tired was 6 LONG city blocks which are really 12 normal blocks some of you know how long the blocks are in midtown manhattan for those of you that don't it is definitely exercise especially when you are walking at a faster than normal pace to get your exercise in and get your heart rate up. I was just glad that I didn't have to use my inhaler I only had to wipe the sweat from my forehead and stand still for a few minutes to slow my heart rate and I felt fine. Had this been pre-op it would have been a whole different ballgame. I realized after my first fill that my journey is really just beginning but I am so excited and can't wait for the end results. I look forward to catching up with you all in the coming days and reading your progress as well. I go for my second visit or fill {if I need it} on the 13th so wish me luck I will also see if I gained or lost any more weight since the last band adjustment but, hopefully it's the latter as this is what we are all on this journey for. I will keep you all posted.
Stay Blessed.
Alicia
~ 4-4-07 ~
Apr 04, 2007
I don't have any regrets so far the gas yesterday was in my back and was killer I had not been able to belch or pass gass since the surgery so I guess it was a build up and after trying to chew a few tums and trying to drink some hot water and chicken broth and walkimg back and forth in my house I dealt with it as long as I could and then I took a crushed up vicodin and wound up falling asleep.
Bending is still a little strained i'm a little bloated still but not in any major pain thankfully. I'm not hungry yesterday I had to make myself drink because I didn't feel hungry at all I just felt the gas rumbling around in my stomach. Today is the same the only thing I have had to drink so far is some carnation instant breakfast and I feel full. It feels like I have to burp but nothing is coming out so I guess I have to keep trying or deal with this for a little bit I plan to go for a walk in a little while it's raining out but I'm going to go as soon as it slows up just to get some exercise in.
Stay blessed
Alicia
~ 4-3-07 ~
Apr 03, 2007
Hello all I had hopes of writing to you all yesterday morning before I went in for surgery but that obviously didn't happen so here goes....
Sunday I did my liquids from the afternoon on until the protein shake that I had as my last meal at about 10 pm. I started to get a little emotional that afternoon when I began packing my overnight bag. That night I got 4 calls wishing me luck and I finally fell asleep I woke up again about 1 am with a call from my cousin who had hoped to be there with me during surgery but she had a funeral to attend in virginia that weekend and would not be able to make it back in time so she was kind of upset I told her not to worry that I would be fine and she would see me the following day. I then went to sleep for good after that call.
I woke up about 6:45 and started to get ready for my big day My mom and I took the train to the city and arrived about 9:15 I had 15 minutes to spare so my mom took that as an oppertunity to smoke a cigarette {yuck one of the nastiest habits known to man}. When she was done I went upstairs to the 6th floor and went to the desk to register. I signed my name and filled out the forms I was asked to sign and found a seat while waiting to be called. About a half hour later the lady called me to the desk to verify insurance info as well as personal information I then received my ID band and was told to wait to be called in the back.
A few minutes later a nurse called me in the back to weigh me and take my temp & blood pressure. I was then asked to go back to the front to be called as soon as I got back to the front less than 5 minutes passed before they called me in the back to see the nurse again. I was then asked to put on a gown and some standard issue socks and a hospital cap. I then had to wait to see the anesthesiologist, the nurse and the surgeon. I had to sign two release forms the anesthesiologist made my mom laugh and she admitted that she was feeling better about things now since she met with him. I think she was more worried than I was and being that she didn't really want me to do the surgery he tried to explain to her that for some people just dieting and exercise work but for others nothing works and this is the best option for individuals that have constantly tried to lose weight he even told her "skinny people like us can never relate to what heavy people go through" my mom is really slim and I have tried to explain this to her more than once so I guess her hearing this from a professional doctor helped her to understand a little better or at least ease some of her fears.
He went on to assure her that he would take care of me just as he woudl take care of his own child and he promised her that he would make sure I was ok he made a few more jokes to ease her fears and then left. I was then greeted by Dr. Fielding who was pleasant as always I also met a new friend and fellow bandster Lisa & her husband she was just as nervous as I and she went in immediately after me we were also on the same floor once we came out of recovery.
Well once they were ready for me Dr. Fieldings wife Dr. Ren who also performs Lab Band surgery at NYU. She was very pleasant and she walked me through the OR I saw doctors and assistants scrubbing up and started to get nervous but I kept walking then we came to my OR room and I walked in holding my blanket.
Dr. Ren asked what kind of music I liked and I told her anything soothing and relaxing she began searching for some music on the ipod they have hooked up in the room to speakers which I was surprised to see but to tell you the truth I never remember what music she chose and I don't remember hearing any of it. I then was asked about my contacts and I was going to walk back to the room I had just left to put them in the case but they gave me some saline solution in a jar and I just placed them in that and I was asked to sit / lay down on the table. I remember that I was getting an IV put in my forearm right above my wrist the IV moved out when they moved my arm so they decided to put it in the crook of my arm which was fine with me. I had two heated blankets put over me and I was then told that they were going to give me something to relax me I asked if it would be gas or through the IV and I was told the IV the next thing I remember was looking around the room and then I looked straight up and saw the big lights you always see on TV and I began praying for the surgeon and his staff and as I did that the anesthesiologist put somthing in my IV and a few tears ran down the sides of my face as I said out loud "Jesus your in control" the only thing I remember after that was having my shoulders shaken and I was being told that I was in recovery.
After a few attempts of trying to open my eyes and seeing blurry I realized my contacts were not in which was really annoying I asked twice if my mommy was ok which the nurses thought was cute that all I was concerned about was her and then a few minutes later she came in the recovery area. They had me hooked up to all kinds of mess I was a little groggy but the one in my left arm with the IV kept beeping because of the position of the needle in the crease of my arm which was annoying as well. I felt a little bloated and one of the incisions was really sore which I found out later was where the port is and which is usually the only incision patients say bother them immediately following surgery. I was told that I had already been assigned a room they just needed to check my vitals a few more times before releasing me from recovery to my room my mom was instructed where to go to meet me and she left to find her way. I stayed in recovery for another 10 minutes or so waiting for I guess the head nurse or something to read my chart and release me from recovery.
I got upstairs to my room I had a roommate who had Lap Band with Dr. Ren that morning shortly before I did I was told that I may experience discomfort from gas due to the fact that they had to fill my belly with gas in order to move around my organs. I was told that the sooner and the more frequent that I walked that I would not have any pain and once I was settled I began walking 2x's around the hospital floor I then had to get my vitals taken again so I went back to my room. My friend Jey came bearing some beautiful flowers and I sat with her and my mom until almost 6pm when they both left I then tried to relax for a few. Shortly after my roommate and I received our dinner tray which consisted of propel water which surprising was good I had the berry flavor, also some chicken broth and some hot tea YUMMY HUH? a prefect gourmet meal lmao. About 7 Dr. Ren & Dr. Fielding made their rounds and visited my roommate and I. I asked him if at the end of my surgery if they were trying to wake me and I was stating that I could not breathe. He said no that the medication must have had me dreaming I remember asking them in recovery if this had happened and they told me no as well. I asked him if the surgery had any complications and he stated that everything went perfect that he was in and out and there were no issues at all. After they left I decided to walk some more to get it over with. It was more comfortable for me to sit up and in this really large chair they gave me than it was to sit on the bed I felt too bloated. So I began walking the halls 8 more trips around for a total of 10 times around the floor the nurse told me that I was her best patient and on my last trip around another nurse told me to go rest so I stopped they joked and stated that I would have a good nights sleep after all that walking.
I asked the nurses if they could change the location of the IV in my arm because the machine kept beeping they called for the IV tech who they stated was especially great with putting in IV's they never lied I didn't feel a thing. He ended up putting it in my hand and if anyone has ever had a needle in the top of their hand knows that area is really sensative and really hurts with an IV but as I stated I never felt a single thing. I asked for help hooking up my booties to the machine they told me I had to wear them while I slept to help massage my legs and keep the circulation going. I watched some tv and received and made several phone calls from people wanting to know how I was feeling. I fell asleep about 11:30 and was awakened at about 1 am by the nurse to get a shot of heprin which they stated would prevent clotting and I also got some pain meds and changed my IV which had ran out. She told me that she would be waking me up at about 5:30 to take off the booties and give me more pain meds then remove the IV for good.
They did wake us at 5:30 as promised. And after getting all the IV's & booties off we were served another tray which was a repeat of the dinner selection. I felt much better not much bloating and no pain so I was thankful we met with the assistant to the surgeon the nutritionist and someone named Ann who changed the dressings on our incisions and brought our discharge papers she also gave us some percocet before we were discharged and gave us instructions on what to do in the following days. I left at about 10:15 and have only had about 6 oz of watered down apple juice and I tried to sip some soup but I will try again later I can't seem to get it down and I feel like there is a little gas in my chest so I am going to eat a gas ex tablet or two and relax. I already filled my prescription for Vicoden so if any pain kicks in tonight I'm good to go.
Well that is my surgery story I really can't believe that I actually went through with it but that part of the journey is over with and I am officially a BANSTER FOR LIFE. And I look forward to the new changes I will encounter and the new me that is waiting to be revealed.
Stay Blessed.
Alicia
~ 3-28-07 ~
Mar 28, 2007
So the first day I had a full exam including a breast and spinal exam I also did the EKG and the bloodwork which he had rushed over to quest diagnostic lab I was also weighed and the nurse told me that I was 328 which I found very very hard to believe and would mean that I have lost a total of 34lbs in 3 weeks I found it so hard to believe that I had to ask her 3 times if she was sure that the scale was not broken or if she meant to say 338 instead. She insisted that she was correct but I still have my doubts. I weighed myself at home on the new scale and it said 346 so I am not sure which reading is right my mom and my boyfriend keep asking me if I'm sure I programmed my scale correctly who knows I will find out on monday because I am going to ask to be weighed at NYU before surgery if possible.
On tuesday I went back to do the other heart exam which results of all 3 came back fine although I found out I am slightly anemic the level should have been at at least 10 and I was at 9.9 which was nothing alarming although I agreed to go back for further testing of iron levels etc. I also asked him for some meds for this cold which he gave me and also gave me new meds for my asthma. He told me that he would like to see me again before surgery just to make sure I was breathing well because when I went on tuesday my chest was really tight, I was wheezing and could hardly breath which made the echocardiogram very uncomfortable.because they had to press down really hard to get an accurate reading. Well he filled out the medical clearance form and I asked him if it was ok if I came to see him on saturday he said that was fine. So today I faxed over the clearance form to the surgeons office and called Johanna to confirm that she received it which she did. I then called the main desk to confirm my surgery date and I asked if they knew which time I had to arrive on monday they told me I was scheduled for the 2nd but I would not know the time of arrival until sunday they said that it was too far ahead to know the OR's schedule but someone will call to inform me.
So basically that's it I'm taking my antibiotics & cough syrup and my new inhaler along with my thera flu and the cold is getting better. My sides hurt when I laugh or cough but I am breathing much better I am at about 60% now so hopefully by monday I will be at 100% and ready to join the losers bench with the rest of you.
P.S....
If anyone can help out with any ideas on what I should pack in my overnight bag please contact me. Thanks in advance.
As always Stay blessed
~ 3-25-07 ~
Mar 24, 2007
Isn't this some bull....... why did I catch a head cold lol as if things couldn't get any worse I came home friday evening already miserable about the pcp situation and having to reschedule and my throat felt scratchy so I gargled with some peroxide and warm salt water to kill whatever germs wer trying to get their party on in the back of my nose & throat. Then came the runny nose, the sneezing and stuffy nose as well. Boy oh boy I am batting a thousand.
I drank some thera flu and took some vitamins and used some zicam nasal swabs since I ran out of the pills. Saturday was really a miserable day but I was thinking maybe it was best that I had to reschedule my surgery anyway because I'm not sure they would have done it with me being sick. God probably knew I was going to get sick so, I guess it all worked out for the best.
I am trying my best to get rid of this mess in the next few days so this won't be an issue for next monday. So I'm going to do things old school style. I have on my sweats hoodie & all, sweat socks & I tied my head up. I'm drinking thera flu & tea WITH HENNESSEY might I add & I am going to sweat this thing out of my system. Wish me luck ......................
Stay blessed.
~3-23-07~
Mar 23, 2007
This has been one hell of a week ! See the drama unfold after the updates......
Let me start off by updating days 5 through 12.
Day 5 - 3/16/07 I cheated in the evening. During the day I had nothing but liquids but for dinner I had 2 of the 4 chicken wings I ordered belly got full and I couldn't finish them.
Day 6 - 3/17/07 I did the liquids during the day but finished the other 2 chicken wings that evening
Day 7 - 3/18/07 which was Sunday I didn't eat anything all day until that evening when I had 3 pieces of corned beef & 2 spoons of mac & cheese {I know I was overdoing it}
Day 8 - 3/19/07 Monday back on liquids & ate the same as Sunday for dinner.
Day 9 - 3/20/07 Tuesday I Had liquids all day and had some grilled chicken chunks for dinner.
Day 10 - 3/21/07 Wednesday I had liquids all day and had the rest of the chicken for dinner. I finally got my scale which calculates body fat, bone mass etc. I weighed myself and since March 8th the day I got my surgery date and was weighed in the office I have lost 16 lbs even though I was eating light meals in the evenings.TRULY AMAZING !
Day 11 - 3/22/07 Thursday I did liquids all day and night and was told that I WAS APPROVED FOR SURGERY !!!! It's about damn time.
Day 12 3/23/07 Today I did liquids in the morning for lunch I had a burger without the bun and fries with some apple juice and no dinner.
Now for the drama. I got a call from my surgeons office on wednesday afternoon about 4:30pm I was told that I still needed to have my medical clearance form faxed over. So I'm thinking no problem my pcp knows the deal and is aware of my pending surgery so I called the office to speak with her and asked the nurse if it was possible if I could come in to see her that evening to fill out the paper I told her that I was aware that I didn't have an appointment and would gladly wait until she had seen the patients who had appointments.
I was then told by the nurse that the doctor would not see me because there is a procedure and that it may take a few days so I explained to her that I had surgery scheduled for this coming monday and needed to have this paper signed in time for surgery. She Took my name, number and my surgery date and relayed the message to the Dr. she called me back and stated the Dr.told her that she would not see me that day or thursday and she does not work friday she also stated that I would have to make an appt to see her. I was then transferred to the front desk to make an appointment I explained to the desk that I needed an appointment ASAP because of pending surgery they in turn transferred me back to the nurse.
At this point the nurse tries to conference call the front desk and then realizes she wrote that my surgery was in 5 days she then tells me that she does not think that I will be able to see the Dr. or get the form signed in time for surgery. I asked her to speak with the Dr. and ask her if she could call me when she was done with her patients although I didn't really expect a call back. I got on the train ride home praying all the way by the time I walked out of the station walked around the corner and was crossing the street to my house my phone rang.
The doctor stated she did not know what kind of form I was speaking of and I read to her what the heading on the form was after about 5 minutes she stated that I could come in and she would see what form I was referring to. So I head to the hospital and after waiting for her to finish seeing 2 patients and do some paperwork she sat with me and basically argued me down about signing the form she was stating that she did not want to fill out the form because she did not have the tests results I told her that was not an issue because I could fax her the results and by the time she came in the next day they would be in my file or or her desk she then took it to another level stating that the last visit I had with her was in the beginning of february and they would not accept results from then since they were not current
I pleaded with her to just put whatever information she had in my file on the form and sign it we went back and forth for about 45 minutes finally she gets to the portion on the form which asks is this patient an optimal candidate for surgery this B%#@! scratches a line across the yes & no that wasn't so bad because of the way she did it anyone could easily interpret it for a yes so I didn't stress it too much. Then she made me want to strangle her because she then writes next to the question do not have sufficient information to review. So I asked her why did she put that I asked her to instead add or put pending fax of positve test results she argued me on that as well so finally I left before I had to catch a case for slapping this chick.
I got home I wrote my coordinator at the surgeons office an email giving her a heads up and letting her know I would be faxing the form in the morning. When I got to work I faxed the form and she emailed me back to state she had received it she also called me once she read it and stated that it was unclear whether or not the doctor had cleared me for surgery and that if she submitted that form the surgeon & anesthesiologist would not accept it or move forward with the surgery so she stated that if the doctor would just reword her statement then it would be ok I gave her the number she said she would call my pcp and get back to me.
Long story a little shorter both the coordinator and I spoke with the doctor and she did not budge instead she came up with other excuses as to why she would not sign the form she told me that she did not have a problem with writing a letter approving the surgery as long as it stated that shes is approving it pending the positive results from tests that were provided from other physicians I told her to do so then when she spoke to the coordinator she switched the story up and called me back to tell me that she would only write the letter if I would make an appointment to see her and she administer the tests. WHAT THE F@&! IS WRONG WITH THIS CHICK ???
Moving on.... she then proceeds to tell me that she is sorry but she will not send the letter if I can not do the tests with her and that I will just have to reschedule my surgery date. I explained to her it isn't just that simple I have been preparing mentally and physically for this surgery and she knew this 4/5 months ago I have taken time off from work spent money out of my pocket and most of all spent my time to take care of all of these things I have also prepared my job and scheduled time off for recovery etc so to me it isn't just as simple as changing a damn date.
I then called the coordinator back she then explained to me that the doctor was not pleasant she didn' t really let her talk and did not want to cooperate I agreed and told her that is the same way that she was when I was is her office the previous night. She asked if I had another doctor that I could go to just to get evaluated and have the release form signed. I told her no because this insurance was new and I had not visited any other doctors. She told me that there were a few doctors that their office worked with that accepted my insurance and she would try to see if one of them could see me between friday and monday.
This morning I called her on my way to work to let her know that I was assuming that since she had not called me thursday before she left that she had not found a doctor for me to see. I received a call from her about half hour later and she said that she got a response from one doctor but they did not have any openings to see me by monday the second doctor that she really wanted me to see did not accept Blue Cross Blue Shield. So I then called my cousin that had the same insurance and a friend that also shares the same insurance and I got numbers for doctors they use. I called the first one which my cousin gave me and I spoke with the nurse explained why I needed a visit she said that was fine that the doctor would see me to sign the forms as long as I had all of my bloodwork done and faxed to them WOW I was getting excited then she asked me to hold and came back and asked if I could come in today at 1 I told her that I was at work but if need be I would speak with my manager and leave work early but I asked her what was the earliest they could see me if I could not make it at 1.
The nurse told me that they have saturday hours but do not take walk ins that day she said the next time they could see me would be monday so I told her to book it just in case and I was still going to try to get there for 1 I then called my coordinator and I asked her if I was still scheduled for monday she told me had I called about 10-15 minutes ago I would have still had the date but they had to submit the surgeons schedule and had to fill my slot so I asked her what the next available date was she stated the following monday and I told her to book it and explained the situation with the new doctor that agreed to see me today and monday. I then asked her to fax over the test results and a medical clearance form to the doctor and gave her the number to call and confirm with and this is my F&#@!* up story.
So folks as you see since Wednesday I have been going through it and had to cancel my surgery date for Monday March 26th my new surgery date is........ April 2nd 2007
Stay Blessed
~ 3-7-07 ~
Mar 15, 2007
Today was a walk in the park I am so amazed that I am in such good spirits. I had originally expected to be a bitch on wheels, cranky & irritable to say the least. Even the receptionist at my job was telling folks in the lobby that she was so excited for my upcoming surgery {she is currently doing the medifast thing} and she also stated that she had predicted that by wednesday of this week I would be bitchy as all hell.
Luckily I have not had that issue yet and hopefully I won't maybe it will occur after the surgery when I am struggling to get my protein in as I have heard a lot of people on this site mention. Either that or I might get frustrated waiting on being able to eat solids again.
I do admit that I miss chewing my food as apposed to drinking each meal but each time I feel my tummy rumbling or hear a growl or two I'm looking for some water, crystal light, diet snapple or some other beverage to fill the void so I actually have not had the chance to feel extremely hungry which is making this liquid thing a breeze.
I have my friends & cousin checking on me daily to see how I am feeling they are calling me the liquid queen and a few other things. Two of them are looking to have the procedure in the near future so they are basically trying to use me to determine what things they have to encounter. I'm sorry I am a poor example of the worst of things they can expect but, from a personal point of view I'm definitely not complaining.
I go tomorrow to take my EKG & pre op bloodwork and whatever else they need me to do and I am going to ask to be weighed to see if this liquid thing is doing what they are telling me it should be. Other than that I am continuously praying that I will get through each day of this whole process.
Keep me in your prayers & Stay blessed.
10 days to go.........
~ 3- 14-07 ~
Mar 14, 2007
Today went really well. No hunger pains less stomach grumbling just more urination from all of those liquids. I think I can do this !
Only 11 days to go !!!!
