Twin71
5/18/06
WOW .......never thought I would be getting this far. I have been battling weight loss for over 12 years. On April 22, 2006 (Saturday), I went to my first Lap Band Seminar w/a friend of mine. At this time I was very impressed with the md who lead the seminar. He was very straight forward.
I received a call from the Suburban Surgery Center on Tuesday to schedule a appt. for a consultation. On May 9, 2006, I went in for my consultation and I felt relaxed and at ease. I felt this is something that will help me thru the future and help me live long enough to see my children to grow up, because at this rate..and all my problems I'm not going to last long. I talked to Dr. Rantis for over a hour about all my problems and concerns.
Problems:
34 years old
287 pds
I've had a Pulmonary Embolism which lead to a stroke in 11/99 this happened a week after my 2nd daughter was born. I've had a heart cath placed in 7/02. I experience back pain, high blood pressure, retain tons of water plus I fell back in November of 05 ..now I have knee problems. Go figure ..he was shocked.
Dr. Rantis said that a lap band procedure can relieve some of my problems. I of course was very happy because some beats none. I have been on a diet roller coster for over 10 years from taking pills to Atkins (which really worked until you start eating pasta, breads, etc.). The staff sent in for my insurance approval and now I'm still waiting to hear back from them to schedule a date which I hope is real soon, b4 I get cold feet. UGGGGGGGGh I hate waiting.
Til Next Time
5/30/06
Okay I need to type something to keep you updated. I finally got a call from the insurance company who said that I need a clearance letter from my PCP (primary care physician) before they approve this procedure..but guess what..I was one step ahead of them in had a appointment the same day which was 5/18/06. My PCP (Dr. Nelson) is wonderful he knows the diets I've tried and said that this would be a good choice. He wanted to know if I was going to have help after the procedure..(Single Mom) I told him yes my mother. He was like cool I know you like to walk and exercise so this would be good. He said that by eliminating weight will help with my knee problem and water gain. On Wednesday 5/24/06 Dr. Nelson sent a clearance letter to Dr. Rantis the surgeon who will perform my Lap Band. Dr. Rantis office called me in said they received the clearance letter and will be submitting this to the insurance company...YEAH..
So now I'm just waiting on a surgery date because I already know.
P.S.
It's best to always call the insurance company to see what you need before you start a surgery procedure such as this. I guess it helps working for one. LOL
6/1/06
Okay I called my precertification company who sts they have not received any predetermination information on my lap band procedure yet.
**Call Dr. Rantis's office and spoke with Michelle in the insurance dept who said that they have not typed up the predetermination letter yet for my insurance company. OK now I'm pissed...it does not take that long to type a predetermination letter to a insurance company..WHY because I work for one in know the process. UGGGH She said that she will do mine next. I was like ok perfect..in the mean time I have to sit in wait longer for them to come back with a surgery date. hummm I guess I will just put me and my kids vacation on hold while I wait on Dr. Rantis office to type a letter to my insurance company. Signing off getting 2upset 2finish.- C
06/14/06
Okay placed call to Dr. Rantis office with no reply so I called my insurance company who said they have received no information today. Called PHCS the precertification company who also said the same. So after leaving several msg I call my insurance company again this morning in they said to just inform the mdo that they just need to call phcs, the imsurance company said that everything is done by phone. So I sent a fax to the mdo in finally received a call back this afternoon. They gave me a reference # in said that my precert contact is Marilyn. So I guess I have to be a stalker in order to get the mdo insurance dept to do there job. Anyway they gave me a tentative date of June 30th so I'm going to start preping myself.
6/20/06
Okay have not updated since last week ...how goofy am I. LOL
Anyway the mdo called on Friday to tell me that my insurance company wants me to have a physco eval in a nut evalk Cool I got in right away for both doctor's.
Anyway I went for the 1st part of my physco eval yesterday. I had to answer 600 questions. By question 215 I was ready to throw that computer out the window. I just started laughing to no avail. How many times can you ask 1 question...duhhh 600 times is the answer.
I go see the nut doctor tomorrow afternoon. Then I have a stomach ultrasound scheduled for next week on the 29th. Things are moving finally yeahhhhhh. Once I finish seeing these 2 doctors then they send that info to the insurance company.
I called the insurance company to find out how long would it before approval once the nut/pshye eval is faxed to them and she said no time at all. Kind of figured because I work for a insurance company that does the exact same thing...approval for procedures. Our turn around time is usually 2hrs to 24hrs if we have all the information.
I've been talking to the girls at work about this procedure some say they're thinking about it. One ladie even had the nerve to say she couldn't believe I was going to have it done. I told her I pushed out 3 kids in 1 of those kids was w/o pain medicine....oooohh still thinking about that which of course was 4 years ago.
Forgot to tell you about my 3 beautiful girls..I'll give you there nick names ..the oldest is Peanut..yes peanut ...my dad named her when she was in the hospital because she was born at 25 weeks,,,only weighed 800 grams..he said she looked like a peanut. Well that was 8 years ago in the doctor has now put her on a diet. She is 8 in weigh 94 pounds. She likes to sneak in eat. Which I hate. She does this because she has no friends. She says the kids are mean to her in always call her fat. She wears glasses in her left eye is crossed. This happened due to the extensive oxygen she received while in the incubator. She has had several surgical procedures to correct this to no avail. After the last surgery about a year ago she cried and said no more mommy no more. That just broke my heart in I said to myself if she wants that eye corrected then she can do it when she get older or an adult. She was in so much pain. Well let me get off that before I choke up.
My 2nd daughter is Ne-Ne we call her sassy because she is always rolling her eyes in smacking her lips. Not sure how she got so ghetto but it is funny sometimes. She likes to wear her little sisters clothes because she says her clothes are to big. Well that is bull she just like the tight clothes.
My 3rd child is called KJ or cry baby. This is because she crys whenever she can't get her way. Boy does she have a set of lungs. She is smart and always call herself the baby. Also this child gets away with dirty murder because she is the baby of the family right now. Still waiting on my brother in his wife to pop a child out.
Well enough about me in my family will update you later!!!! After the nut visit in the physco visit.
Charlotte
6/27/06
Okay I had a psyche eval and saw the nut doctor...I'm now approved in this mdo come at me with some more bullshit. Now I have to go to a behavior support group, another nut eval which by the way I'm paying for out of pocket..so I'm supper pissed. A Lung doctor which is also affliated with this doctors office, etc ,etc ,etc...this is never ending. They should tell you this in the beginning that you will have to see doctor after doctor. I just feel at this point I'm getting jack here. This could of been done prior to approval. I have to keep taking time off work. Do they not understand what a SINGLE MOTHER is...I have to ask my mother to watch them extra hours because these doctors don't have weekend appointments or I need to go back to work after I drive 30mins to a appointment & 30 mins back. I'm so frustrated it is not funny. Shit I'm sure I will lose weight now. This is gettung extra hard considering my baby has to have her tonsil taken out.....can't focus on myself anymore. UGGGGH
7/19/06
Long time no write. Good morning!! or should I say early afternoon. Well I went to see the Pulmonologist in today I see the Nut doctor again for my post diet plans. Hopefully after this I will be able to get a date. This is starting to wear in tear on me. Not knowing not having a date. All the you need a clearance from him..or her. Oh well started this journey will finish this journey. The pulmonologist was pretty straight forward. Had to do a pulmonary function test which I pasted with no problems. I had to do a oximeter test to test my oxygen level while I sleep..and would you know it ..I could not sleep. So I'm sure that will come back all jacked up. Uggh.
Oh well. Hope I don't need a sleep study because I just don't have the time. My poor mother is already complaining about babysitting. Just hate to push her over board considering she has to watch my kids while I have this procedure done. Till next time peace.
7/29/06
Okay I FINALLY got a surgery DATE...8/14/06..YEAHHHHHHH
Let me take you thru the events of the last couple of weeks..I went to see the pulmo doctor ..he ordered extensive blood work. Why??? to see if I will have any blood clots on him while I'm in surgery...anyway went to have the blood work done at Quest Labs..what do you know..they didn't send the right codes with the blood work to the lab..so I had to go back 4 days later in redo the blood work. The first time they took 11 vials of blood...I find out this blood work takes up to 10days to read because they have to freeze..then unfreeze this blood. WOW..any way now I'm just waiting on a clearance from the pulmo doc. But Dr. Rantis will move forward as if everything has cleared.
i went for my presurgical testing on Thursday 7/27/06..That was a big joke the hospital blood draw lab took a hour in 10 mins to find a vein to draw blood...boy was I pissed. I was poked 10 times. If I did not need the blood to complete my presurgical testing..I would of SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPed..but I stayed cool because in the end this is benefiting me. Presurgical testing consist of Lab work, EKG, Chest X-Ray, Upper GI.
EKG came back abnormal but my PCP wrote a clearance letter for me to have this procedure done..thank goodness I caught him because he was leaving out of town Friday evening. i would of had to wait almost another month. Spoke with the surgical office Friday afternoon they said they had the clearance and everything is still a go...unless the pulmo doc find something wrong with my BLOOD work..which he shouldn't.
I'm so excitied...a co-worker of mines go in for a consult in about a week. I'm glad. All I do is talk about this procedure. Then when I tell people...they are so excitied and always wish me luck. My kids are supper excitied..they said I will be skinny again./Told them not skinny but different as in healthier..we can do things beside sit outside. Today they are begging to go to the pool...but it is soooo hot outside. When I took them to the store earlier the temp read 101 degrees at the bank..baby bye..I'm staying inside til nite falls.
Well until next time peace in the middle east...-Charlotte
09/04/06
Okay ladies I'm still alive and kicking..i haven't been able to get online. Been pretty busy. So now I'm gonna feel you in on what happened on 8/14/06 when I went to get banded.
I arrive at the hospital St. Alexius Medical Center...For some odd reason I had the anesth. dept (3people) standing around me telling me that they want to insert a pic line. WHAT a pic line for what i say. They said because last week when I had another procedure the anesth. had a hard time finding a vein. Again I'm like WHAT..of course he was gonna have a hard time..I was dehydrated. I didn't have anything to eat or drink from the nite b4 and it was 130pm. So one of the anesth lifts my are to find a vein and he had the NERVE to tell me I was to dark he could not find a vein. TOOOOO DARK...see right then and there I should of got my ass up and left that hospital but I was like nope you can handle this Charlotte.
Well they found a vein on the first poke. Go figure. So I already put together that these are some idiots, so I put myself in GODS hands.
Well when I woke up..I immediatly reached for my stomach...I was like wow NO pain. I looked at the clock..and I was again like DAMN it took Dr. Rantis a hour and a half to do this procedure.
Of course it never took him that long because the procedure never happened. The anesth could not get me intubated..it took 5 of them and they could not get me intubated...can you believe that what kind of idiots are these that they call themselve professionals. It took them a hour and a half to realize this..no they just kept trying and trying and trying.
So now I'm rescheduled at a diff hospital. I was not going to go thru with this...but this was not my doctors fault this was the hospitals fault. Dr.Rantis never even started the procedure because they could not get me intubated.
My new surgery date is 9/15/06. Everyone keep ur fingers crossed.
9/18/06___I'm banded and feel great. I had NOOOO complications or problems. Came home on Saturday and slept for a couple of hours. It felt good to be in my own bed. My kids were to funny they just kept looking at me. Then finally my 4 year old said mom did you have you skinny surgery. I thought that was funny. Anyway will up date my hospital stay which was overnight later. I'm back at work today and I have a ton to do.-Charlotte
2/25/07___Well I see I have not typed anything in awhile so let me get started. I'm currently down 59pounds which is WONDERFUL. I'm a perfect size 18 from a size 22/24. My bra size is down to a 38D perfectly from a 42. My mind is always racing. I love it and it feels wonderful to have a shape. I recently got my nails done when I reached 50# lost. At 75 pounds I will be getting my hair cut. I get compliments constantly on how wonderful I look. People are always like WOW. I recently went out with my bestfriends to a couple of parties and could not believe the attention. I can't wait I'm almost at my first goal since my surgery date which was 9/15/07. My 1st goal was 75# by 6/1/07. I do believe I will reach that goal b4 that date. Anyway my kids are doing wonderful and personally I think I'm draining there poor little bodies. We are always shopping and they are starting to hate this because I'm not just stuck shopping for them anymore. I constantly shopping for myself. My x-boyfriend had the nerve to tell me I never dressed like this when I was with him. Well of course not..they don't have sexy clothes in a size 22/24. Yeah we broke up at the beginning of the month because he said he didn't like the change in me. I' like what change this is the real me w/o all the weight holding me down anymore. He hated the fact that we didn't go out to eat anymore & the fact that Charlotte is focussed on Charlotte. Oh well a change is coming.-Will update again next week.-Charlotte
