vickyh985
I have been overweight all of my life. I have been on just about every diet there is and would lose some weight, but was a very slow loser. This always became discouraging to me, so I was soon off of whatever diet I was on and gaining back whatever I had lost and more.
I have been married to the same wonderful man for 25 years and have 3 sons, ages 24, 20 & 16. When I got pregnant for my first son I weighed 199, which was the last time I was under 200 lbs. I am only 5'2", so now at 331, I am super obese.
I have an Aunt who had the surgery done about 3 years ago and lost about 165 lbs. It has taken me this long to finally build up the courage to want to have the surgery myself. I am on 17 different prescription drugs and I am out of breath just getting in bed at night. I have to sleep with a nasal c-pap machine every night, I have high blood pressure, asthma, high cholesterol, fibromyalgia, migraines, panic attacks, a lot of lower back pain and hip pain,and was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I feel like I can't get out of my own way most of the time and I am totally miserable. I am only 45 years old and I am afraid that by the time I'm 50, I will either be unable to move at all or will be dead. I really feel the surgery is my last chance for a tool that could help me to save my life.
However, when the doctor's office phoned to verify my insurance coverage, they and I found out that my insurance has a written "exclusion" clause in the policy. That means I cannot get any of my doctor's to "medically justify" why I need this surgery. There are no appeals open to you. When you have the exclusion clause, the answer is just plan NO.
I am researching options with my husband's insurance and also researching self-pay, but both really seem out of reach at this point. Again, I feel like a failure as I have my entire life because I cannot control my weight and I cannot control my insurance coverage.......
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March 28, 2006
The surgery or any obesity related diagnosis is still excluded from my insurance. I have no choice but to be self-pay. I decided to go with the Lap-Band mostly because there is a $6,000.00 difference in price. I applied for a loan with my credit union from work and was approved.
I been to my first appt. at the beginning of March with the Nurse and got the ball rolling. I have since gotten all of my medical, cardiac and psychological clearances. Doctor's office has me on a medically supervised mostly liquid diet. My BMI was 61.5 when I went to my first visit and they want it to be below 60 by the time I have my surgery. I have been on this diet 1 week and have lost 14-1/2 lbs. I only need to lose about 15 to get my BMI down where it needs to be. This is a 2-week diet, so I plan to go weigh in after the 2-weeks. If the doctor's office verifies my BMI is down where they want it, they will put me on the surgery schedule. I have an appointment with the surgeon on April 21st, hopefully to sign all the consents and whatever else needs to be done pre-operatively. Right now, I am hoping to have surgery the very end of April or beginning of May.
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4/13/06
It's been a little while since I updated. A lot has been happening. I am scheduled for surgery April 20th, only a week away. When I went to weigh in after 2 weeks, my BMI was down from 61.5 to 59.4. Two days later I received a call from the scheduler to set me on the surgery schedule.
Yesterday, 4/12/06, I went for pre-op and class. I have an appt. with my doctor Monday, 4/17 to sign consents and such. Then I have my surgery on 4/20. I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. I can't wait until I can move forward with the weight loss....
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4/24/06
Surgery was 4/20/06. I can't believe it finally happened.....after all this time researching it and wanting it so badly. Surgery went perfectly. I went into surgery at 8:00 a.m. and I was on my way home at 11:30 a.m. the same day.......Have been pretty sore - not unexpectedly. Past couple of days I have also had a lot of gas, which is also expected. I know as I am able to add solid foods back to my diet, the gas will get better. I go for my first post-op visit Friday, 4/28/06......I am excited to weigh in the first time.....Will post again after that visit.
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Beginning weight 333
Weight morning of surgery 312.5
Weight at 1 week post op 300.5
4/30/06
Went for 1 week post op on Friday. I lost 12 pounds since surgery!!! Dr.'s office had put me on Optifast diet and very measured amounts of food before surgery. I started the Optifast diet on 3/19/06 and lost 20.5 lbs. before surgery. With the 12 I have lost since surgery, that puts my total weight lost at 32.5 lbs.
I am so happy. I'm still not able to eat too many solid foods. I am expecting to really slow down once I add solid food back, but it was still good to lose 12 pounds the first week.......
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5/19/06 - 4 weeks post-op - lost 6 pounds this week for a total of 39.5 pounds since 3/19/06 pre-surgery diet, and 19 pounds since surgery date. YAY for me!!!
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7/4/06 - Haven't updated in a while. Really busy time at work....I am now 2-1/2 months post op.....58 pounds since 3/19/06 pre-surgery diet, and 38 pounds since surgery date of 4/20. I have been off all blood pressure medicines for about 2 weeks now, off Nexium, CPAP pressure down from 14 to 10. Feeling AWESOME. Much less lower back pain, much more energy. I feel fully awake and alive for the first time in years. This is the best thing I ever did for myself.
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8/24/06 - I haven't updated in a while. I am 4 months post-op. I have now lost 75 lbs since 3/19/06 pre-surgery diet, and 55 lbs since surgery date of 4/20/06. I am still off all blood pressure medicines, Nexium. I now think the pressure on my CPAP machine is too high at 10...I feel like I'm smothering when I sleep. I have a sleep doctor appt. on 9/1/06 and hopefully will be able to get pressure reduced again. I have had a total of 3 fills, the last one was the end of July. I have an appt. with Nurse Practioner tomorrow, and I don't feel like I need a fill this time. I still have restriction...if I forget to chew well, or eat too fast, I am definitely aware......
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I lost 1-3/4 lbs. this week, which puts me at 251. My goal for the upcoming week is to lose 1-1/2 lbs., which would enable me to move that big 50 lbs. weight on the scale.....WOW...that would be the 2nd time since March I would be able to move the 50 lbs weight since I started at 333.......WOW
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9-30-06 - I am now 5 months post op...surgery date of 4-20-06...I have lost a total of 87.5 lbs. since the pre-op diet that began 3-19-06. If anyone had asked me last year if I thought I could lose 87.5 lbs in 6 months, I would have laughed, yea right. I've never lost 87.5 lbs at one time before. I've lost hundreds of pounds at different times if you add them all together, but never was able to stick to anything 6 months...I would have given up a long time ago. Some of the things that have changed:
Pre-Op Weight: 333
Weight now: 245.5
Pre-Op BMI: 62.5
BMI now: 46.4
Pre-Op pants size: 34
Pants size now: 24
Pre-Op shirt size: 5X
Shirt size now: 2X & some 1X
Total inches lost: 5.5 bust; 6.75 waist; 8.25 hips; 2 thighs; 7 arms
Medicines off of: 2 blood pressure medicines; 1 fluid pill; 1
medicine for GERD; 1/2 of sleep apnea pill; lowered cpap pressure
from 13 to 8.
MORE energy than I knew I could have; clearer brain that I have had in years. Even though I am still 245.5 I feel attractive, have much more self-confidence (had none before), actually beginning to feel human, which I haven't felt in a very long time.....
I L O V E M Y B A N D ! ! ! ! !
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12/27/06
I haven't posted in a while. I am now 8 months post-op. I have lost a total of 98.5 lbs. I am looking for the elusive 100 lbs. I'm confident that will come shortly into the new year.
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1/5/07
I am now 9 months, 2 weeks and 3 days into my weight loss journey and I have lost 100 POUNDS. Totally unbelievable. I have never lost 100 pounds at one time before. I never would have believed it possible. I still have 58 pounds to go for my first goal of 175, which was what I weighed when I graduated high school. After I get there, and I know I will, then I will reflect and re-set my goal. I am so much healthier than when I began this journey. Both mentally & physically I am like a completely different person. It is hard to imagine I was so slow and sluggish just 9 short months ago. I absolutely love my lap-band and would do it again in a heartbeat.
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1/19/07
Tomorrow is the 9 month anniversary of my surgery; today is 10 months since my pre-op diet. I have lost a total of 103-3/4 lbs. I started at 333 lbs. and today I weight 229-1/4 lbs. I swear I would have never thought this was possible. Now that I see it is possible, I believe anything is possible. My Nurse Practioner told me today that I am a "Band Success". I'm not finished yet though. My next mini goal is to get below 200. I know I will do it....I now have the tool I need to do it.....I can and will succeed. The lap-band is the best thing that was ever invented as far as I'm concerned.....I LOVE MY BAND.
