Sleep Apnea Test
Okay, now I've officially been diagnosed w/ Sleep Apnea. I'm happy only because now I know I can't be denied coverage for the Band surgery. However, I'm a little pissed that I had to diagnose myself and that I've probably had this for 5 years at least. No telling what kind of damage I've done to my body. Anyway, here's the rundown on the test:
I had to be there at 6pm, of course I got there late - who can get from work at 5pm to any destination in Houston (and eat dinner) in an hour at rushour? So, I get there and they tell me to get in my bed clothes and wait for the tech to hook me up w/ the monitors. I do this and wait like what seems an eternity. The rooms are NOTHING to speak of either. The bed is a flimsy mattress that hurt my back just looking at it. The pillows are like those pillows for the airplanes (no joke). Anyways, right when I was getting into a TV show they come get me. Take me through the hospital (embarassing) and sit me down in a chair. There is a funky smell of nail polish remover. The lady then explains she has to run some wires through to my legs (oh, so that's why they recommended shorts!) so she sticks her hands literally down my shirt and pants, then digs up my pant leg to pull the wires down. Then come the heart monitors those are on my chest, then somemore on my lower back. Then she takes my hair and separates it - very wonderful lady - she did this so I wouldn't have glue on myself from head to toe. I feel bad for the men who cannot pull their little short hairs back! The glue is freezing, but it gets better, the glue has to be dried using some sort of air hose - THAT WAS FREEZING - and that was all over my body. Then they wrap these very strick bands over my breasts and stomach. I felt like a peice of sushi. After all this I'm taken back to the room and plugged in, I have a monitor that is velcro'd to me and my finger is taped to something that I assume takes my pulse all evening. Then they shut the lights off. There is no discussion about reading or watching TV - this isn't a hotel where they will come turn off the light or TV when you are ready - oh, no, there is no discussion. I was lucky I realized this and decided to pee before I went to bed. Anyways, they expect you to sleep wrapped up like this and if you turn over there's wires everywhere and a clunky monitor sticking you. I felt in the morning like I might have gotten 3 hours of sleep. Keep in mind I was asleep by 9pm and awakened at 5am - that's 10 hours of sleep I was supposed to have gotten. They also tell you you have until 7am to be out of the room. What they don't tell you is that your Doctors want to go home in the morning. I was out of there by 6 am. Normally, I'm lucky if I'm awake by 6am!!

The latest is that the tests Dr. Spivak's office wanted ordered by my PCP could have been ordered from his office. I thought maybe it was an insurance thing, but I called and I guess they thought I was referred because they said they'd order the tests for me, but they couldn't do it until Tues. In the meantime, I'm totally freaking out because I read an article where BlueCrossBlueShield has decided to no longer cover Gastric procedures. I'm concerned because I know how these things go. The shareholders start complaining and next thing you know everyone is following suit. I understand, why pay thousands of dollars now on a disease that doesn't really affect people until the future. Especially since most people are covered through their work insurance, and whose to say they will be covered by the same insurance later on when the probs start developing. It makes sense, however, insurance is something we pay for to fix our ailments, and if obesity is a disease and surgery is a treatment then I don't see how it can be turned down. I just HAVE to get this done before things begin turning this direction. So, after speaking to Dr. Spivak's office I called Dr. Farnie and his nurse said she was ordering the tests right then, but they had to be approved through the insurance coordinator and then they'd be scheduled. So, whichever calls first is the one I'm going through. I hate to be that way, but I feel like I'm in a race against time. In the meantime, on 31st I have my sleep apnea test and then on the 8th I have the EKG. Argh! I also for some crazy reason decided to go blonde this weekend. I must admit, I look a little silly, but I'll get it fixed eventually.

Visit to the Surgeon's Office on 3/22/04
I apologize, I tried to update my blog while at work, but I guess I did something wrong or got interupted or something....so here it goes now:

3/22 - Okay, I had my 1st consultation w/ Dr. Spivak. He is wonderful and was very thorough at answering all my questions. This is how it went: 1. I saw Dr. Spivak, a brief Q & A, took some weight/height measurements & listened to my chest, and felt for swelling in my legs & stomach. 2. He sent me to see the person regarding the paperwork (sorry, I forgot her name!) 3. She then gave me a diet to be on until the surgery, gave me a form to sign that states anything and everything that could go wrong w/ the surgery including death - kind of a notice that needed to be signed and witnessed (gulp!) 4. She then gave me a form which had listed the types of tests that needed to be ordered by my PCP, the results need to be screened prior to scheduling the surgery. That was it! They then sent me on my merry way

Inching closer to the goal!!
Well,
Yesterday was a mixture of bad and good. I had my appointment w/ my PCP. He was very positive about my having this surgery. He said he's had to write letters for two of his patients for the same and that they were doing splendidly! But on the flip side of that, he is concerned about my heart. He has scheduled me for an echocardiogram. This is a major concern to me because my father has major heart problems, and his father also had major heart problems, too. They were never overweight or smoked, where, I on the other hand started smoking when I was 15, although only a social smoker, it's a major concern. I've quit smoking. I'm going to finish the pack I have left and never smoking again. Why is it that it takes a major scare to get the huevos to stop a behavior that you know has been harming you, but you just kept procrastinating on quitting it? My parents don't even know I smoke. And it's not like I do it often, I'd say once or twice a week, pretty much whenever I have a drink do I get the urge. It's just that it's been over a long period of time and I'm sure it's doing damage. The doctor asked if I smoked. I told him know. I'm in denial. I've been in denial since I was 15. I think I'm going to be fine. Once I get this gastric bank I won't be able to drink, so it'll not be a problem anyways. I was thinking how miserable life was going to be not being able to drink, eat and smoke, but that's foolish thinking. You see, I'll be able to start living again and freedom is the best drug there is. I'm so excited.

Nothing Special
Just writing a little update. My appointment w/ the surgeon is on 3/22/04 (Monday). Today I have an appointment w/ my PCP to obtain the letter promoting my need for the AGB. I wrote him a letter last week preparing him, I put all my numbers on it, but haven't heard back from him. So, I'm not going to be surprised if he hasn't even seen the letter. I gotta go now!!
Leigh

Day 1 of Rest of Your Life
so i went to the wls seminar and the only thing i really got out of it was that dr. is willing to deflate band for cruises and that he had only one patient die and it wasn't his fault. oh, i also got out of it that he was going to start doing surgery at memorial hermann, which is fantastic b/c if my heart were to fail or something they would be fully equipped to save me. i was absolutely amazed at how little people knew about the surgery that were at this seminar. i suppose that's why they made it mandatory. but you'd think that if you were going to go under the knife where it's very possible you could die, you might do a little bit of research before you decide that you are going to have it. the people had decided they were going to have gastric bypass and knew so little about it. i was amazed. i know it sounds as though i think i'm better than that, but i just cannot relate, bottom line that's all it amounts to.

problems with mom
i forgot to mention, i went over the details with my mother about the seminar and when the appointment w/ the surgeon was scheduled. i invited her to go w/ me, as she had indicated she was concerned about this, but she did the exact same thing that she's been doing. she just nodded and acted totally dis-interested. it really bothers me that she's not supportive. it reminds me when i told her i wanted to have a baby and she said, well, don't expect me to be in the delivery room w/ you. i'm 30 and i'm married and she treats me as though i'm a teenager still living in her home. she's just never supportive of anything i do that means a great deal to me. when i bought my house she was totally against it. it really makes me mad. why wouldn't a parent be happy to have grandchildren, or why wouldn't a mother be happy her child was getting married or buying a house. i can't understand that. i can kind of understand the wls, that's dangerous, there's lots of emotional problems that can affect people, but it bothers me that she distances herself. if she was truly concerned for my well being she would be more interested. as it is she just tunes me out. i think she might be jealous. my own boss is more interested and supportive than my own mother. sometimes i think god had me meet ronda and work for ronda, because i need some support in my life. i'm getting hokey, but i thank god for her. terry just doesn't get it, he's just thinking, my wife is going to be skinny again. he's supportive, but he doesn't "get it".

still1st day of rest of your life
so i went to the wls seminar and the only thing i really got out of it was that dr. is willing to deflate band for cruises and that he had only one patient die and it wasn't his fault. oh, i also got out of it that he was going to start doing surgery at memorial hermann, which is fantastic b/c if my heart were to fail or something they would be fully equipped to save me. i was absolutely amazed at how little people knew about the surgery that were at this seminar. i suppose that's why they made it mandatory. but you'd think that if you were going to go under the knife where it's very possible you could die, you might do a little bit of research before you decide that you are going to have it. the people had decided they were going to have gastric bypass and knew so little about it. i was amazed. i know it sounds as though i think i'm better than that, but i just cannot relate, bottom line that's all it amounts to.

1st day of rest of your life
ok, so i tried to do this blog thing, thought it was going well...went back a week later and cannot get into it. so, i'm starting over.