AllisonF
My JOURNEY..
July 26, 2002
286 pounds
Well, it has been quite a ride this last week! I had an appointment schedule with a surgeon in December. Then realized that he only did open RNY and I really want to have a Lap if possible. I can't take very much time off work. I called around (with the help of this site) (THANKS)and found another surgeon, he could get me in in October, but also did not do Lap procedures. I got a return call finally from the doctor that I knew did Lap RNY all the time. He was full all the way through 2003!!! After searching profiles of people in my state, I found a doctor who was not know for bariatric procedures, but had been practicing general surgery for quite a long time, lots of Lap. I called and I'm going to see him on August 13 of THIS YEAR! I am soooo excited!
August 6, 2002
Went to my first WLS Support Group last night. It was great! Very enlightening! My DH went with me and I was so glad because it answered some of this questions. He says he still not for the surgery, he wants to know more. Like what?, I ask. No comment. I have my initial consult next week on the 13th and really want him to attend with me. He says he doesn't know if he can get off work. I say he doesn't want to even try. If it had something to do with his Army Reserves, he would take off in a minute! Oh well, nothing I can do to change that. All I can do is pray that he will come around. I was happy to meet Michele and Misty last night. Thanks for the encouragement!
My family still doesn't know quite what to think of all this. I have brought home a lot of reading material for my DH. I think that he is scared of me going through surgery. and I really think that he is scared of me becoming fit! No matter how much I reassure him, I believe he thinks that I will leave him, when I get NORMAL size. Does this happen to anyone else? I don't know how else to reassure him. My two girls just don't say anything about it at all. Maybe as the time comes closer to actually having surgery, they will.
I really appreciate all of you here at AMOS!! Good luck and God Bless to those having surgery and post and to all of you like me pre and nervous! Allison
August 21, 2002
Well, I had my appointment with Dr. White on Monday, Aug. 19th at 4:30. What a day!! My care broke down on the way to work in the morning. Thank God, I was able to baby it to the mechanic. The dealer gave me a courtesy car and I was on my way. I even made it to work on time! I couldn't believe it! Well, I got my car back that afternoon, it was expensive ($850) but it's still better than a car payment. We paid off our car loan last summer. Sorry to ramble. So anyway, I had my initial consult with Dr. Tom White in Omaha. I was very impressed with his professionalism. He explained the surgery types to me and my DH, along with the pros and cons and the risks involved. Dr. White says I am a perfect candidate for lap RNY. His office assistant, Mary, is going to send in my paperwork. So now we just sit here and wait. and wait... and wait.............. and wait..................................and wait. Oh well, what else is a girl to do? God Bless Everyone on your Journey!! Make sure that you remember that you are a special person! It's what's on the inside that counts! We are just waiting for the insides to show. God speed. Allison
Today is September 12, 2002. I am trying not to pick up the phone and call my surgeon's office. This is VERY difficult today! I told myself that I would wait the 4 weeks they told me it would probably take to hear from my insurance before I started calling. That time is fast approaching and I am getting anxious. I want this surgery so much! I know that my life will be so much better with this tool to help me to lose this extra baggage. My husband and I have two daughters, I probably already mentioned that, the oldest is 12 and is involved in everything. Our youngest is 10 years old and has spina bifida. She is a very intelligent young lady and gets along fine in school. It's just so much stress on me to see her without a few good girlfriends her own age. She does play with some of the neighborhood children who are younger than her. They are more likely to sit still and play Barbies or something like that. The girls her own age all want to be up and running around. That not possible for my girl. She uses crutches to walk and has to wear braces on both legs and a brace on her torso as well. It is all very cumbersome. She does not complain and we always keep everying positive in front of her. But sometimes, I just need a place to vent my feelings and frustrations. I know that there are many out there who have it so much worse. and then I feel guilty for feeling sorry for myself. It seems as though I can't win.
I know that when this surgery comes through for me and I can use this tool to lose my excess 100++ pounds that I will be able to get around easier and have more energy to live longer and fuller for my girls. I know that they need me, especially going into their adolesence and I want to be there for them. My health problems seem to mounting and I don't know how much more I can take. Well enough of the pity party for today, it's time to get back to work.!
November 21, 2003!
It has been a long time and a lot has happened in my quest for WLS since my last update. Where do I start?? When I first began my search for a surgeon, I called 3 doctors that did the surgery in Omaha, NE. I was put on the waiting list for all three of those surgeons because I wanted to get in as soon as I could to whoever could see me first. I was so excited and had my first consultation with my 1st doctor, I thought that everything went well. Boy was I wrong!! I waited six weeks after my appointment to give the office time to submit my paperwork to insurance and to hear back from them. When I called the doctor's office - they would not give me a copy of what they sent to the insurance company and said that I had been denied. When I called my insurance company, they had no record of anything being submitted to them- let alone a denial on file!!
I decided that if this was the kind of care that I received from the office personnel - I did not want to deal with that long term through the WLS process and recovery. I kept my appointment with the other surgeons. I went to my first appointment with the surgeon that my PC had referred me to, or I should say, I tried to. I sat in the waiting room for 4 hours!! He was in emergency surgery. How could I be upset? When discussing with the receptionist about my rescheduling, I mentioned that I had an appointment pending with another surgeon in the same hospital. This pending appointment was with Dr. Danny Jacobs from Creighton Hospital in Omaha. Everything that I had heard about him was fantastic! All of the comments from his prior patients were good and I said well, because I already have an appointment scheduled with him, I might as well just keep that rather than try to reschedule with Dr. Gaines, who is a very busy man, the head of trauma who only takes on about 3-4 bariatric patients a year. It was then that I was told that Dr. Jacobs was leaving Creighton and going to Duke University. Lucky Duke, unlucky me.... Oh, well, I rescheduled with Dr. Gaines, my rescheduled appoinment was in December of 2002. At that appointment Dr. Gaines explained the whole procedure of RNY and made sure that I understood the seriousness of this tool, etc. He told me to get a psych eval done and that he would get back to me after the results of that were in. That was the last time I spoke to Dr. Gaines!! I had my psych eval done a few weeks after my appt with Dr. Gaines and was told by the Dr. who did the evaluation that he would send the results to my doctor. After waiting 2 weeks I began to call Dr. Gaines office. Mary, Dr. Gaines, assistant, has been very pleasant and understanding, but to no avail. I absolutely hit a brick wall at that point! I called to get the results and to have Dr. Gaines get back to me as to whether or not he would file my paperwork with insurance or if I needed to have further evaluations done or have another appointment or if he was even going to take me on as a patient! NO RESPONSE! NONE! For months, I called, and finally after waiting through the summer of 2003, I finally called the surgeon who had taken Dr. Jacobs place at Creighton, Dr. Ranjan Sudan. His program coordinator was very kind and sent me out the informational packet and got me on his waiting list. I am finally going to have my initial consult with my 3rd doctor on January 9th! I sure hope that the 3rd time is a charm. I already have my psych eval out of the way and have done A LOT of research. I have decided that the surgery for me will be the BPD/DS. Dr. Sudan does the surgery LAP, it may take me a little longer to get in the schedule, but, hey, I've waited a long time already, right?
The insurance through my employer has an exlusion for WLS, so all of last year we carried double insurance through my husband's employer. What a waste of money!! Now he is being deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom. He is in the Army Reserves. About the only positive thing we can think of, is that Tricare has been known to cover WLS and at least the insurance end of things should be easier.
That brings things up to date. I go to an educational seminar on Dec. 6th and am looking forward to it.
Good Luck to all on your journeys! God Bless!
December 8, 2003!
I went to Dr. Sudan's Educational Seminar on Wednesday, the 3rd. Who knows what calendar I was looking at when I posted the date of that class last time! Anyway, the seminar was very informative and I learned a lot more than I already knew even after all of my research. The information that was presented just reinforced my plan to go with the BPD DS laparscopically, if Dr Sudan agrees. My initial consult with Dr. Sudan was scheduled for Jan. 9th. BUT Alissa emailed me today and said that there was an opening for THIS Friday! and would I like to come in early? OH MY, WOULD I EVER!! I am so excited! It is wonderful to have something positive happen in this journey! I knew that if I was patient things would happen eventually. I have already had my psych evaluation, and now I will have my initial consult with Dr. Sudan. I am very happy about that. I feel very comfortable with the fact that he will be the one to perform surgery and take care of me. His explanation of the procedures, as well as the pros and cons of each without a bias for one or the other was reassuring.
Insurance issues are my only real questions as of now. I am going to call Tricare (the new insurance I will have now that my husband has been activated in the Army Reserves) and talk to a representative about what to plan for in my spending account at work. I want to make sure that I have about the right of money in there because it is a use it or lose it account to pay for medical expenses (tax free). It is really an awesome benefit through my employer and I have to turn it in to HR by Wednesday at the latest.
I was in Des Moines this past weekend with my husband. His Army Reserve unit had their "official" farewell send off to Iraq ceremony and family briefings. I learned alot about the new insurance we will have, but not enough!
I am so torn that my husband, my best friend, will not be in the country while I go through the rest of this process, especially surgery itself. We were talking and he is afraid that he will come home in 18-24 months after surgery and I will be "too skinny"! RIGHT, like that is ever gonna happen! He has always loved me for me and he loved me when I weighed a hundred pounds less than I do now, I had to remind him of that and tell him that he might not look at other "thin" women, but I will be different! I think that he is just afraid that other men might look at me if I lose weight. Not that it will make any difference to me, I am not looking around nor will I be! I am one VERY happily married woman who intends to stay that way! We have been through one separation due to deployment and we will make it through this one too! I will post more after my initial consult on Friday. God Speed on your journeys!
December 29, 2003
I had my consult with Dr. Sudan earlier than orginally scheduled on December 12, 2003. Everything went very well. He answered my questions and went over my history. We talked about the type of surgery that I want, I am sure that I want the Duodenal Switch/BPD. When I first started looking into WLS, I thought that I wanted a RNY. After talking with others and reading LOTS of information, I decided that a LAP BPD/DS is the surgery for me! It looks as though everything is a go as soon as Charity receives insurance approval after the beginning of 2004. With changes in our insurance coming with the new year, it seems the thing to do to give the best chance of approval.
After insurance approves me, I will have to undergo some testing. A sleep test, an EEG, meet with the dietician, and basic bloodwork is what is sounds like since I have already had my psych eval. I hope to get notice of my approval within the first week of January, so that I can get all of my tests scheduled and keep the ball rolling! My husband is still in the country and wouldn't it be great if he would still be at least in the US when I have surgery even if he can't be with me?!!
I am holding out some hope that everything will go VERY smoothly and God will smile on me and he will still be here AND be able to come and be with me for the surgery. I know that is a LOOOONG shot, but I can hope and pray!?! The new year will be here before I know it, I'll keep you posted on the insurance situation. Take care!
January 7, 2003
I spoke to Alissa today at Dr. Sudan's office. My insurance paperwork has been submitted! Wow, I didn't think this day would ever come. It is now time to wait some more for the approval to come, and it will. I know that it will. I used to talk like if I get to have surgery, now I say when I have my surgery then _____. I have been traveling down this road for a long time. It has been over two years since I began my quest for WLS. I have spent a lot of time pondering what my life will be like when I am no longer MO. I so look forward to the day that I can be physically active with my girls! To play ball and run and push Toni's wheelchair without getting winded just getting it out of the car. I want to be healthy so that I can stick around for a long time and enjoy life to its fullest! I want my girls to be proud of me. I want to be proud of me.
January 22, 2004
It has been a few weeks since I have updated my profile. That is because I am depressed. Alyssa and Charily from Dr. Sudan submitted my insurance to Tricare and then after I called to check on the status after a couple of days it was sent to Tricare Prime Remote which is the correct place. Then I waited. I wish I had never been told that Tricare normally approves within 48 hours and there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Because I wasn't worried in the least! I had everything finally on track and was moving forward and finally letting myself see the beginning of the end of the tunnel. i.e. my surgery was actually going to become a reality soon. That was a mistake. First I waited over a week to get information from Tricare and then I received a funky denial. Alissa said that it was a strange one like she hadn't seen before from Tricare. Great! Leave it to me. If it can happen, it probably will to me. So now, Charity has sent another insurance package to Tricare Prime along with a letter from her explaining the laparascopic duodenal switch procedure and the fact that Tricare has indeed covered this procedure in the past. So now I wait some more. I had so wanted to have this surgery done before my husband shipped out for Iraq! I guess that it is not to be. As long as the procedure is still moving, I should be grateful. At least I am not dead in the water and I still have options. It is still hard to keep my chin up though! If anyone reading this has had experience with Tricare Prime Remote and the Duodenal Switch, please contact me. I would love to have your insight. That is about all for now. I have spilled about all there is to tell. I will keep you posted on any new events.
February 23, 2004
Approved!!!
March 19, 2004
Well finally, I have a date and it is very soon! Tuesday, March 23rd at 7:30am!! I am so very excited and happy! It took a while coming, but the time is finally here, I will be "remade" and look forward to a new and healthier life! Everyone keeps asking me if I am nervous. I am not nervous at all. I am just very excited to get this done. I've spoken to my husband in Iraq and he knows when my surgery is scheduled and that is all that I was really worried about. Now it is just 4 more days to go! I have not been very good in keeping my profile up to date, but I hope to write more when I am home after surgery to fill you in. Thanks for all of your well wishes!
8/4/04
It has been 4 /12 months since my lap rny with Dr. Sudan at Creighton Univ. Med Center. I have lost 79 pounds but have been stuck on a plauteau for over a month! A lot has happened in the time since my surgery. The procedure went well and I was home 4 days from the hospital. It took some getting used to - but I dealt with the liquid - soft food stages. I ended up getting dehydrated early in May and kept having nausea and vommitting. I got some medicine and started feeling better soon. Then on May 21st I was admitted to the hospital for 9 days with ecoli infection. I was very very sick and it took a while to figure out what was wrong with me. While I was in the hospital my left knee gave out and I fell. Every since then I have been battling problems with me knee. I saw one orthopedic surgeon in June and he told me nothing was wrong with me except my muscles were weak. He prescribed physical therapy. I did about 4 sessions of therapy and was regressing instead of progressing. I then saw another ortho guy after an mri showed that I have a torn miniscus. Now I am wearing a brace for a few weeks to see if that helps the situation. Hopefully, I will not have to have surgery. I have started losing hair and that is very unsettling. Even though I knew that could happen, it is freaky when you start losing your hair in gobs! I am getting in my liquids and most of the days get 50-60 grams of protein. The most important thing that I am lacking right now is exercise and I know it. Walking just isn't feasible right now and I need to make myself go to the YMCA so that I can swim. Everyone has been paying me compliments and saying that I look good, but I still feel like the same old me. I can't see that big a change. I am so looking forward to dropping below the 200 pound mark. I weight myself everyday. (I know that I shouldn't do that but it is one of my faults!) I just want the scale to start moving again! 5 weeks is a long time for nothing to happen! I will check back in a few weeks and let you know how I am doing.
Oh, by the way - my husband is going to get to come home on leave for 2 weeks in September!! :) I am so excited to see him! He is planning on being home for our 16th anniversary.
June 21, 2005
Almost 15 months out and I am down to 182! I am no longer morbidly obese or even obese! I am no classified as overweight! "Awesome!" What a journey it has been! My knee is healed, my husband is home and life is good! I feel good and my weight has really stabilized. I have even lost a few more pounds in the last couple of weeks! I am happy where I am, and I will be happy to lose more as well! But if I don't, that is okay, too. Wherever my body ends up will be right for me. I spoke to my doctor about plastic surgery in the future, but want to wait another 6-9 months at least to see how I shape out and what will ultimately meet my needs. I have a panni, get rashes, have low hanging "girls" and plenty of excess skin on my thighs. We will see what time brings and then what insurance has to say :( (who knows?)?
I am so thankful that I did this to be healthier for my family. I can do more with them and not tire so easily. I know in my heart that I am going to be around a lot longer than I would have been had I not had wls. I am so thankful for Dr. Sudan and his team for taking such good care of me and seeing me through my surgery and my ecoli while my dh was out of the country. I have a new lease on life!
11/22/05
current weight 176 11/22/05