Lisa's Weight Loss Surgery Journal
December 5, 1999...
I have been giving weight loss surgery some serious thought since earlier this year, when I made the decision to "DO" something about my weight. Started out the year on the right track... I even made an on-line journal to track my weight loss attempts! I started out at around 280 (I think? my scale doesn't go that high...) and now I weigh about 307!!!! So, I wasn't very successful. That puts my BMI at about 58, since I am only 5'2" tall!! I have also been on Xenical for about 3 months, with no luck. I tolerated it very well, no nasty side effects b/c I was careful not to go over the fat gram limits... but still, no luck. I believe I actually GAINED weight while on the Xenical! But I'm sure it works for some people.
I have called and set up an appointment with our local Bariatric Treatment Centers, at St. Vincent Hospital in Carmel, Indiana. I will be consulting with Dr. Margaret Inman. I have seen many good references about her on-line, so I hope everything will go well and I'll be able to have this surgery. I called the insurance company and they told me that bariatric surgery is excluded EXCEPT in the case of medical necessity... they told me to have the surgeon write a letter of medical necessity, which I am sure will be no problem - here are my "stats":
* Weight: 307#
* Height: 5'2"
* BMI: ~55-58, depending on who's calculating
* Amount over "ideal weight": who knows? At least 150#!
* Co-Morbidities: Degenerative Disk Disease (I currently wear a back brace and walk with a cane, and must use a wheelchair or electric cart to actually get from point A to point B);
I was diagnosed with Pseudo-Tumor Cerebri in 1991 - it comes and goes.
* Family History: my mother and maternal grandparents were all diabetic; my Mother is a survivor of ovarian cancer, and my father has serious heart problems.
SO... if they don't approve me, they've really got a problem! :)
I will update this as much as possible... in the meantime, here are some pics of me - we can call these my BEFORE pics, b/c I am confident that this is going to happen for me! It just has to...
December 9, 1999
Found a terrific on-line support group, called "MillenniumBobs@onelist.com"... what a terrific group of gals. I am making new friends on there, and experiencing others' surgeries as they make the journey to "The Other Side". They taught me a lot already! Not only about the surgery and what to expect, but that people really are wonderful and supportive.
Today, I picked up my new back brace. Is this thing ever a treat! Imagine a 55 gallon barrel, with the world's largest cast wrapped around it. Now, cut out two holes for its BOOBS to poke through (OK, OK, so a 55 gallon barrel IS boobless, but bear with me here for the sake of creative liscense...)... it is atrocious, and very HOT! But, I'm sure I'll adjust. Even MORE incentive to get this weight GONE! :)
I've been at home sick most of this week, with a nasty upper respiratory infection. I haven't felt this bad for a very long time! So, since I've been at home with nothing to do, I've done a lot more research on the WLS. The before and after pics never cease to amaze me! I can't wait for my meeting with the doctor on Monday... just a few more days!
December 14, 1999...
My appointment at St. Vincent's Bariatric Center got re-scheduled! :( Now I have to wait until NEXT Monday. OH well... everything good is worth waiting for, right? I'm just being impatient!
I'm still feeling kind of gross. Spent a lot of my "down" time reading other people's stories of their weight loss surgery journies... wow, there are lots of brave people out there. It's still hard for me to imagine that might be among them one of these days!
I joined another on-line support group called "Flock of Angels". Hey, I figure I need all the support I can get! LOL! :) My family is still standing behind me, they're great! My sis-in-law Carrie is now getting interested in the weight loss surgery, for herself. I think it would be cool to have someone in the family to go through this with! She has CIGNA insurance, and from what I read on the Obesity Help site, there are others with the same insurance who have been approved. So, maybe...?!!! I really do hope she'll look into it.
On the other hand... a friend of the family had the stomach stapling procedure done a few years ago. She lost quite a bit of weight initially, but now has gained back 40#. My Dad keeps telling me I need to talk to her - she wants to talk me out of this surgery. But I can't help but think, SHE had an entirely different procedure done! SO, as bad as I feel for her, I can't help but think our experiences will be "apples and oranges". Maybe I'm just in denial! Hmmm...
December 20, 1999
Well, today is the first step... I have an appointment with Dr. Margaret Inman at 3:00. I am excited to finally be getting on with things! I hope Dr. Inman feels that this surgery will be a good thing for me... I'm sure she will! As I understand it though, if I "DO" get all approved and everything, it will be April at the earliest before the surgery will happen. I can't wait to go to some of the support meetings, to meet some of the people I've talked with on-line who are also in line to have the surgery.
On the personal "home front", things are going OK. The nasty cold/URI that had me by the throat (literally) has finally started to clear up. We finally got some Christmas decor placed in the house, so we are all feeling a bit better about the holidays. It was "Grinchville" there for awhile!
I've got lots of pet-sitting lined up for the holidays. "JC" the African Grey Parrot was with us for a couple of weeks, and he went home last Thursday. He's such a good guy! This weekend, I will be going over to feed Maxi on Christmas Eve(Maxi is a Blue and Gold Macaw that I've been taking care of for about 7 years now)... and on Christmas evening, a couple that I met on the Macaw Chat (John and Melanie) will be bringing their cockatiel and yellow-collared macaw over to stay while they go on vacation. It will be neat to meet John and Melanie! I've met a lot of people on-line, but very few of them have I had the opportunity to meet in person.
OK, that's about it for now. I'll post another entry after I visit the doctor and see what the "scoop" is.
(later that same evening...LOL)
Well - I'm back! The consultation with Dr. Inman was great. There were 5 WLS candidates there - 2 women, three men, and I was the youngest. One man who showed up thought that Dr. Inman could do a Fobi pouch, and seemed to have a very difficult time understanding that only Dr. Fobi (in California) does the Fobi pouch!
At any rate, the drill was: sign in, and the nurse took us one by one into a room to be weighed (I was 303#) and measured around the waist and hips. I tried to explain that I HAD no waist, but they found something to measure anyway. *grins* After that, we waited in the waiting room for awhile b/c Dr. Inman was delayed in surgery. No problem! As soon as she arrived, we all filed into a little office/conference room and she explained four different bariatric surgeries that are currently being done in the United States. She only performs the VBG and the
Roux-en-Y,which is what I will have.
One thing about Dr. Inman - she is so very sure of herself and confident in her abilities!! It was very comforting and made me feel even better about looking into this surgery. One thing she said really stuck out in my mind... she said that there are three components to one's weight:
1) Genetics, 33%
2) Environment (sedentary vs. active) 33%
3) Intake (how MUCH you eat) 33%
She was very quick to point out that most people blame themselves 100% b/c of #3... but that #3 is only 1/3 of the equation! I had never looked at it in those terms. Very interesting. She explained the details of the surgery to us in great detail, and also the risks and complications. She gave statistics for each of the risks/complications - which also made me feel better.
After this group meeting, each of us had a chance to meet with Dr. Inman individually to ask questions. Here are some interesting things I learned:
* I have to keep a food diary between now and surgery, and write down everything I eat.
* It was suggested that we start on the high protein thing NOW so we'll be used to it.
* I will have a NG tube for 12 hours after the surgery.
* I will be in ICU for the first night - NOT because I need "extra care", or because I'm more of a risk, but because Dr. Inman wants her patients to have the best of care, and their own "personal" nurse. She said, "I want you to be pampered. If you want your pillow fluffed or your toes scratched - I want you to have it." Isn't that cool? After the first night, though, we will be "on the floor" where there is only one nurse for several patients.
* I will have a stomach drain in place & will go home with it... after that it can be removed in the office or (she said) I can "do it myself" at home. (AAACK!)
* I will have to give myself Heparin shots at home for a week after the surgery (that was unique, I hadn't seen where anyone else has had to do this... but I can deal with it!)
I'm sure I'll think of more as time goes by. In the meantime, Dr. Inman is composing her letter to my insurance company, and I am now an official player in "The Waiting Game!"
Found out that I could possibly be having surgery as early as February or March, instead of April like we thought... depending on insurance approval, obviously! I am excited, and scared, and just plain happy that this ball is finally rolling!
December 21
I made a "Food Journal" template to keep track of what I eat, when, how much, etc. This is an exercise my surgeon likes her patients to do. Thought I'd put the template up here, in case anyone else would like to use it... but I'm having technical difficulty! Bear with me.
"JANUARY Journal..."
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