tdickson
6/3/04
Hi All,
I have struggled with my weight all my life. Although I was never as overweight as a child as I am now I was still the fat kid on the block. I was on my first diet before I was out of elementary school. I can remember my Mom sending me to school with a lunch that consisted of tuna fish and a salad for a whole year. God bless her for caring and trying. I am now 43 years old and have probably lost 500 pounds over the years and put on 600. I know that I have tried just about every diet out there and most of them were successful until I strayed from the menu. Of course after my yo-yo ways it is now extremely hard to lose any weight at all. As all of you know it is extremely hard not to be able to do the things you want. I wouldn't even attempt to go to an amusement park. I love to swim yet who wants to expose anyone to this body. I grew up riding horses but am too big to even think of getting on one now. My body aches from the weight. I can hardly walk down my steps some mornings. My primary doctor is working on trying to get approval for my surgery. Pray that they say yes!
6/8/04
I went to my primary yesterday and he has prepared my letter for the insurance company. It should be going out in the mail tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed! Hopefully they will approve me without a lot of hassle :)
6/17/04
I have an appointment with the surgeon on 7/2/04. They are suppose to be sending me the paperwork in the mail so I can have it filled out before I go. Hopefully I won't have a problem with the insurance company. I have a letter from my primary care saying that I need the surgery and he has been documenting my weight for the past twenty years.
6/23/04
Things are moving right along, I have an appointment with the psychiatrist on 6/29 so I will be able to take all the paperwork to the surgeons office on 7/2 and hopefully the insurance company will approve the surgery right away!
6/29/04
Went to see the psychiatrist today and she said that she is going to recommend that I get therapy following the surgery but that she didn't see any reason for me not to get the surgery. One more thing done! I go to see the surgeon on Friday and I have copies of my records from my PCP so the only thing they will need to get is the write up from the psychiatrist. Hopefully the surgeon will not require too many tests before submitting to the insurance company for approval. By the way I told the psychiatrist about this site and how great it was. I am not sure if everyone knows what a great support the journals are to others that I going through this process. Thanks to all who have taken the time to share their experiences. God Bless!!
7/6/04
Went to see the surgeon on Friday and was very impressed. I liked Dr. Lee a lot. She went through and explained the surgery throughly explaining the different types of surgery and why she does the one she does (RNY proximal) I felt very comfortable with her. Because of my schedule if I can get insurance approval quickly she is going to try and do the surgery by August 1st. Her office is only waiting on the psych evaluation in order to turn my stuff in to the insurance company. I have also contacted one of the users from my area and they are suppose to let me know when the next support group meeting is in our area. It will be nice to talk with people that are going through the process as well as ones that have already been there. Please say a prayer for me that the insurance company approves me quickly!
7/8/04
I am still waiting for the surgeon's office to receive the psych eval. I talked to the doctor's office and they said they faxed it on 7/06 but the other office is not showing having received it. The doctor is suppose to fax it to me and the surgeons office today as soon as they get their fax machine fixed (just my luck) Hopefully they will get it over to the surgeon today so they can get my paperwork turned into the insurance. Keep me in your prayers.
7/13/04
Thought I would give a quick update. The doctors office received the psych eval but have not submitted paperwork to insurance company. Ongelic, the surgeons assistant is waiting on the paperwork from the surgeon. Hopefully this will get done soon. Waiting stinks :)
7/15/04
The doctors office has sent the information to the insurance company so now I have to wait and see what they say. Pray that they approve!
7/16/04
Called the insurance company and they don't show receiving the paperwork back from the doctors. I called the doctors office and Ongelic is going to refax it. More waiting :(
7/22/04
Since my last post the insurance company received the paperwork but needed the psych eval refaxed and requested the clinical notes from my PCP on my weight loss attempt. I called my PCP and they couldn't find my file! To make a long story short they finally located it yesterday and should be faxing the paperwork I need today. Hopefully this will be enough to get my approval. Please keep me in prayer. If the insurance company approves me right away the surgeons office says I can still have my surgery by the beggining of August.
I almost forgot...I went to my first WLS support group last night and it was great. I actually sat next to a woman that had the surgery done a year ago with the same doctor that I am using and she lives down by me (in the sticks) We had a great conversation and I think we will become good friends :)
I will post as soon as I have more information from the doctor and insurance.
8/18/04
Not much to report. I obviously missed the first of August date for surgery. Insurance company denied the surgery stating that I needed six months of physician supervised weight loss and that my doctor's clinical notes were not detailed enough. So now my doctor has written a letter explaining the lack of notes and I have written a letter as well. I have sent the letters to my surgeon for review before submitting it to the insurance company. I am also going to include my medication history from the pharmacy showing that I have been on diet medication for the past two years. Hopefully this will get me approved. If not then I will have to start six months of office visits with my doctor documenting every word he says to me. Either way I am not going to give up!
9/21/04
I am approved!!!! The insurance company called last night to let me know that the original decision was overturned and that I was approved for surgery. So those of you who get turned down don't give up! I will let you know as soon as I get a surgery date. I have to go out of town on business in October so it won't be until I at least get back from that.
9/28/04
The surgeon finally got the letter from my insurance company and my surgery is scheduled for November 4th. Can't wait :)
11/2/04
Two days before surgery and my last day of work for a few weeks. Tomorrow I will be spending the day on a liquid diet and cleaning and prepping my intestines for the surgery. What fun! I am very excited about the surgery and can't wait. People keep asking me if I am nervous. I am anxious. I want to be on the other side. I still won't believe I am having the surgery until I wake up from the surgery and know that it was completed. My husband wanted me to get rid of some of my clothes. I told him that as soon as the surgery is done then I will start cleaning them out. I don't know why I feel this way but I just don't want to jump the gun. You just never know.
Thanks to everyone who has me and my surgeon in their prayers. I will make sure I post as soon as I come home from the hospital.
11/9/04
Surgery went great and I am home from the hospital. For those of you who have not had the surgery yet and are trying to find out what it is like let me give you my account. The day before surgery I had to drink to bottles of magnesium citrate and take two different kinds of antibiotics and was not allowed to have anything but clear liquids. Needless to say I spent most of that day on the toilet. I ended up with an awful headache which was probably from lack of caffiene. I would suggest to others to give the caffiene up a few days before surgery so that they do not have to go through that.
I live in Southern Maryland and my surgery was scheduled for 10:15am at GW in Washington DC. We left my house at 6:00am and where suppose to get to the hospital by 8:15am. Unfortunetly it was raining and what should have taken us a little over an hour took us three! I had to call the hospital to let them know I was on my way (didn't want them to give up my spot in the operating room). Me and my son basically jumped out of the car when we reached the hospital and went up to the second floor where I was to report for surgery while my husband parked the car. My daughter and her husband where already there waiting. They took me and my daughter behind the double doors where she went into a waiting room and me to a curtain cubicle to change into my hospital gown and start answering questions. My husband showed up during the process and was a little upset that I had jumped out of the car on him :) I spent some time with him and my daughter and then she went out to the waiting area so that my son could come back and see me. This is a teaching hospital so I met quite a few students and answered a lot of the same questions which I was prepared for. My doctor had forewarned me :) My head was still hurting but they wouldn't give me anything until I had spoken with my surgeon. My surgeon came in and spoke with me, verified that I was going to have the surgery laproscopically and then she went to change while they took me to the operating room. I said my goodbyes and off I went. The operating room was very cold and I had to transfer from one table to the operating table. They started giving me oxygen and then the next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room. I was sick to my stomach and my back was killing me. My daughter and husband where there and trying to talk and encourage me. My poor husband was trying to help make me more comfortable as I was complaining about my back. The surgeon Dr. Lee came in to see me and said that my back was probably hurting from laying on it flat for so long. They had taken me into surgery around 11:00am and the doctor did not finish with the surgery until 4:00pm. The reason it took so long was she had found a leision on my stomach and wanted to have it checked before preceeding with the surgery. Then by the time I came to in the recovery room it was 7:00pm. So I had been on my back for a very long time. I already had back problems before going into surgery so this was nothing new to me. They gave me something for the nausea and the nurse would take an alcohol swab and hold it under my nose which would help. The nurse had given me the first whiff of the alcohol before by husband and daughter had come into the room so when I started asking for some alcohol they thought I was out of my mind :) The nurse explained to them what is was that I really wanted. My family left around 7:30pm since I was suppose to go to ICU for the night. My doctor puts all her patients that had the surgery laproscopically into the ICU for the first night just so that they will someone watching over them closely. It turns out that it was a very busy night for the ICU and they did not have enough beds. There was someone who was in much worse shape then me that needed the bed so they called my surgeon to see if it would be okay for them to transfer me to the bariatric unit for the night. Since my vitals where good she agreed and off I went. It was about 9:30pm buy this time. I must say that I had an angel as a nurse that night. I can not say enough good things about her. I was still in a lot of pain with my back and she was trying everything she could to make me comfortable. She would try me on my side with some pillows behind me and that would work for a while and then I would have to change positions. I never called her once! She kept coming back and checking on me. Sometime I think around 3:00am I asked her if it would be possible for me to get up and get in the chair. She helped get me there and I did get a few hours of sleep sitting there. I had a morphine pump but it really didn't help with my back. The next morning one of the residents came in to see me and I told him my back was really still bothering me and he got a muscle relaxer ordered for me. That really helped a lot!
I should back up a little and let you know that I had a tube in my nose that went down to my new pouch, I catheter, and a drain on my stomach that looked like a granade. The tube down my nose really irritated my throat and they gave me these sponge like lollipops that I could dip in ice water and suck on. They were so good! The granade really didn't bother me at all. The catheter ended up coming out the next day which was nice so that I could get up and go to the bathroom on my own. Any time out of the bed was good for my back.
My surgery was on Thursday. On Friday they did the blue dye test which didn't bother me at all since they use the tube in your nose to insert the dye. That test turned out fine so the next day they took me down to have the upper GI. Now I won't lie to you, that was not real pleaseant. The drinks are not very tasty but I just told myself that once I got through it I would be better off and I made it through. It only took a few minutes and about 6 or so ONE MORE GULPs before it was over. The test turned out fine so they removed my nasal tube. That is not a pleasant experience but it is quick and once it is done it feels great. I could actually talk without the tube irritating my throat. They then started me on sips of water. I was allowed 2oz of water per hour. Sunday they increased my water intake to 4oz per hour and introduced fruit juice. They also removed my granade. Another very upleasant experience but once it is done it is done. As the day went on they introduced me to insure a protein drink. The taste was not very good but I did what I had to and didn't have any problems then I felt very full. Since I was doing so well they released me Sunday night. Now if I had been smart I would have gotten some pain medicine before I left. The problem is that you are not in a lot of pain from the surgery. Unless I move I really don't feel any pain at all and even then it feels like I have overworked a muscle and it is just very sore. But the roads of Washington DC are not patient friendly and have a lot of bumps. My husband did the best he could and I survived but there where a few bumps that where a little ruff. I got home took a pain pill and went to sleep in my recliner. Basically that is where I have been ever since. Each day I feel better and will hopefully be moving around normally very soon. If anyone has any questions please feel free to email me. I have tried to put as much detail as I could into this but I still could have left something out that might be important to others.
11/17/04
I went to the doctors yesterday and am happy to report that I have lost 16 pounds in the past two weeks. I am also happy to report that I can now start eating food. The doctor added any foods that I can mush up :) So I can now eat egg, cottage cheese, oatmeal, cream of wheat, fish, chicken, some fruits such as berries and bananas, and peanut butter. I had some peanut butter last night and it was delicious. It is very hard to time out the meals and be able to get in the protein you need along with all the water. I am really trying to push the water today since I know that I have not been getting enough. I go back to the doctors in two weeks so I will keep you posted.
12/3/04
It has now been 4 weeks since my surgery and as of my doctors appointment on 11/30 I have lost a total of 20 pounds. I am still having some trouble getting in all the fluids and protein. I discussed this with my doctor and she said that I am still in a learning period and that I need to keep trying different things. I now have permission to eat just about anything I want except steak, organ meat, or pork. I still tend to stick with the mushy types of food. I have found that I can now eat oatmeal which I eat for breakfast since I was tired of eggs. Chicken seems to be easier to eat as well. I ate most of a chicken thigh for dinner last night. The doctor gave me a sample of unjury protein powder to try since my low carb slim fast which I use to drink all the time before surgery now makes me gag. I will let you know what I think of the powder once I try it.
I have been trying to keep track of my calories and I am getting about 700 to 800 a day. My daily protein intake has been around 30 to 40 grams and my fluid is between 40 to 48 ounces. I am trying to increase the protein and fluids but it is hard. Once I find a protein supplement I think I will be okay. I still take my children vitamins with Iron and a zinc tablet each day.
I go back to the doctors in two weeks and I will keep you posted. I hope that my journey helps someone as much as reading others journies have helped me :)
12/17/04
I went for my check up on Tuesday and I have now lost 27lbs :)
The surgeon says that I am doing great but that I need to eat more. I have only been getting about 700 calories a day and I should be taking in 1000. I have also switched from the childrens vitamins to Centrum chewables. It is a little weird but I can't eat the same things each day. I started gagging with the childrens vitamins and that is why I switched. I go back to the doctors on 1/11 and will find out the results of my blood work.
1/17/2005
Sorry I have not updated before now but my Mom has been having some health issues so I have been in Florida visiting with her. My last visit to the doctors for my 8 week checkup I had lost a total of 38 pounds. I am very happy with my results. I have not really had any dumping although I have had moments were my stomach does not feel to great which I think has been mainly from eating too fast. My blood work came back showing me a little low on iron so I am now taking an iron supplement as well as folic acid and b-12. Well have to go. I will update soon.
2/16/2005
Just wanted to give a short update since I hate when I read other peoples profiles and they don't keep them up-to-date.
I have lost about 50 pounds unofficially since I don't have another doctors appointment until 3/8. Things are going pretty good. I have started walking on my treadmill. My energy level is still low and if it hasn't picked up by the time I go to the doctors I will discuss with Dr. Lee. I am getting in my liquids and most of my protein each day. I have started drinking a low carb carnation instant breakfast each day and try to make a protein shake at night depending on what I am doing for dinner. My weight loss is usually one week out of the month and the rest of the month is just watching the scale not move. I will update again after I go to the doctors.
3/10/05
I went to the doctors on Tuesday 3/8 and I have lost 58lbs. I am so happy I had this surgery. We talked about my goal. Her goal for me is 200lbs my goal is 145lbs. Dr Lee thinks I will get to about 170-165. I really hope I am able to prove her wrong. Even though I will be happy with anything under 170.
5/5/05
Well it has been six months and I have unofficially lost about 70lbs. Things are going great, I am able to get in all my protein through drinks and all my liquids. I am excercising just about everyday. I walk about 3 miles a day and I am doing the stairs at work walking about 40 flights throughout the day.
My weight continues to drop in the usual way, I loose for about a week to a week and a half then nothing for the rest of the month. Weight loss has definitely slowed down to about 5 or 6 pounds a month. As long as it keeps going down I am happy. I go to the doctors again in June so I will keep you posted.
6/9/05
It has been a busy month. My husband had wls on 5/16 and is doing great. He lost 27lbs in the first two weeks. I went to the doctors on 5/31 (we had an appointment together) and have officially lost 76lbs. That puts me under 200, I have not been there since prior to getting pregnant with my youngest who is 20 years old. I am so happy I had this surgery. I feel so much better about myself and love the fact that I can exercise and keep up with everyone else. This surgery is definitely worth fighting for.
8/16/05
Thought I would give an update since I had to go see my primary care doctor yesterday and was weighed. I have now lost 91 pounds and am down to 180. I started going to the gym about 5 or 6 weeks ago and can really see the difference. It was kind of funny because the first few weeks I was gaining weight instead of losing then all of a sudden it just started dropping.
I have been having problems with a pain in my lower left side of my back that radiates around to the front. I had gone to the doctors a few weeks ago and he thought I had a kidney stone and that I would pass it within 48 hours. Well I am not sure if it passed or not but the pain went away. Two weeks later the pain is back and I have been running a fever on and off. Went back to the doctors and he thinks it is a kidney infection so he is treating me with antibiotics. If I still have problems next week then he is going to run tests on me to find out what is going on. Hopefully the antibiotics work because it is effecting my exercising I want to stay on track. I would like to lose at least 9 lbs before going to see the surgeon at the end of September which would put me at 100 lb loss.
My husband is doing great and has lost about 70lbs since his surgery in May. He is going to catch up with me soon. Men lose weight so much easier then women :(
I will try to update after my next visit to the doctors.
11/4/2005
Well it has been a year since my surgery and I have lost a little over 100lbs. I feel great! I still want to lose about 20lbs more. I go to the gym about 5 days a week and make sure that I get my protein and vitamins in everyday. The weight loss has definitely slowed down but hasn't stopped. I think mainly because of the exercise. I do eat pretty much whatever I want other then ice cream and milk since I am now lactose intolerant, but that is probably a good thing :) To those of you out there thinking about getting the surgery I can tell you that I would do it again in a heartbeat. There are so many more WOW moments in my life since I have lost weight. I can now get on a plane and not worry whether the seatbelt is going to fit or if someone will be sitting next to me. I can fit into regular size clothes and not have to go to the plus size stores. I can go out to eat and not worry whether I will fit in the booth. The list goes on and on. Life is good and God is great!
3/6/07
It has been a long time since I have been to the sight but really want to give an update. I had plastic surgery 5/06 and since then have ran into numerous problems. Not from the plastic surgery but from my gastric bypass. It turns out that I have a lot of long stitches where they attached my small intestine to my new pouch and these are causing an ulcer which in turn has caused me to become majorally anemic. I was getting iron by IV every week for about 4 or 5 months and now that the medicine is starting to work on the ulcer I only have to go once a month. My pcp is looking into having the stiches removed or at least cut so that they are not irritating my pouch. I have not heard of anyone else having this problem and the same surgeon did mine and my husbands and he does not have stitches like mine so who knows??? Anyways I am hoping that they can find someone to fix the problem or else I will have this problem for the rest of my life. The scary part is that I have no pain in my pouch although the ulcer was huge and deep. Thankfully the low iron caused my restless leg to act up and that is how they found out my iron had dropped so low. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Although this complication is no fun and has made me miserable I am still happy with the weight loss and pray that the future finds me cured and doing well. I am down to 148 lbs (morning) and am happy at that weight. Good luck to all! God Bless! Teresa
