bearmandu
Surgeon & Insurer Info:
Feb 28, 2010
Surgeon Info:
Surgeon: Monte Schwartz, M.D.
I would recommend anyone to Dr. Monte Schwartz. My aunt came with me to my initial consult and we were both equally impressed. He made me feel comfortable talking about what is always a touchy subject, he took the time to listen to and answer carefully any question I had -- no matter how many. I didn't feel rushed in his office as if I was on a surgical assembly line. I even asked the hard questions -- he had never lost a patient of this surgery. Neither here nor for five years at Mayo Clinic. I didn't plan on breaking his record. He was very interested and active in my recovery in the hospital and helpful with questions I had in the one follow-up I have had since.
Insurer Info:
BCBS of Iowa (Wellmark), Alliance Select
I have been through living Hell with Insurance companies. I started with Coventry of Iowa... Ironclad written exclusion policy. I attempted to bring Union representation into my workplace... vote failed, then found out Union insurance had a written exclusion policy. After my employer finally figured out we were unhappy with our current health care, they changed providers: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City... Ironclad written exclusion policy. Finally I gave up and started researching other employers whose insurance covered WLS... ended up changing jobs and moving just to get this done... had to continue coverage via COBRA for three months to override pre-existing clause in new insurance, but now, here I am. I've gone through a lot of hoops to get this far... wish me luck from here. BCBS approved my surgery one day after consult. We scheduled less than one week later.
0 comments
Surgeon: Monte Schwartz, M.D.
I would recommend anyone to Dr. Monte Schwartz. My aunt came with me to my initial consult and we were both equally impressed. He made me feel comfortable talking about what is always a touchy subject, he took the time to listen to and answer carefully any question I had -- no matter how many. I didn't feel rushed in his office as if I was on a surgical assembly line. I even asked the hard questions -- he had never lost a patient of this surgery. Neither here nor for five years at Mayo Clinic. I didn't plan on breaking his record. He was very interested and active in my recovery in the hospital and helpful with questions I had in the one follow-up I have had since.
Insurer Info:
BCBS of Iowa (Wellmark), Alliance Select
I have been through living Hell with Insurance companies. I started with Coventry of Iowa... Ironclad written exclusion policy. I attempted to bring Union representation into my workplace... vote failed, then found out Union insurance had a written exclusion policy. After my employer finally figured out we were unhappy with our current health care, they changed providers: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City... Ironclad written exclusion policy. Finally I gave up and started researching other employers whose insurance covered WLS... ended up changing jobs and moving just to get this done... had to continue coverage via COBRA for three months to override pre-existing clause in new insurance, but now, here I am. I've gone through a lot of hoops to get this far... wish me luck from here. BCBS approved my surgery one day after consult. We scheduled less than one week later.
Transfer of my story from old obesity help web site...
Feb 28, 2010
December 31, 2002.
I'm sure you have seen most of this before... I was always bigger than all the other kids in school. I've tried all sorts of diet and exercise programs... they didn't fail because of willpower... they failed because I ran out of money. And everytime I was off a diet or couldn't afford the gym fees, every pound I lost came back -- and brought friends.
I had a dramatic weight loss in the summer between my Junior and Senior years in high school. I looked good. I didn't know how good until I had gained all my weight back. It is human nature to appreciate that which we have lost more than what we never had.
Thin in the past, I knew my fat body didn't fit to my satisfaction. I continued trying to do the things thin people do. As time wore on, my body couldn't keep up. My knees hurt, my feet ached, the lifespan of a pair of shoes was counted in weeks rather than months. I couldn't climb a flight of stairs without becoming winded.
I always saw WLS as a failure on my part... as giving up. I have had relatives who had the old staple surgery to no avail.
Then came the storm.
While babysitting for a friend on a stormy night, her three-year-old came to me as I laid on the couch watching television. Scared from the lightning and thunder she wanted to lay down with me. She didn't fit. There wasn't enough room on the couch to comfort a frightened child. That was the night I new something had to be done.
Some time after this, I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, a condition that nearly cost me this and my last three jobs -- I was tired all the time, I couldn't wake up in the morning, I would have to stop to take naps on the way home from work at night, I drove off the side of the road.
Now I sleep with a bi-pap breathing machine. A tube that shoves 15 p.s.i. of air into my nose all night. The change was immediate. I am more rested, more energetic, more optimistic and I'm never late to work. The tradeoff: I don't want anyone to see me with this apparatus on my head... so I sleep alone -- always alone.
Weight loss is the only remedy for my sleep apnea. The quickest way to get out of the bi-pap is WLS. That is what made my final decision and how I arrived here.
Now I am at the threshold of a new life. I have jumped through many hoops to get this far. I have been to three insurance companies and four doctors before I found medical support and coverage. I have had to leave my house, my family and my hometown in order to get this done. I look forward to simple things... walking my dog around a lake without having pain, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, riding a bicycle, buying clothes off the rack, riding the rides at the state fair.
My new insurance starts tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.
January 2, 2003
I have a consultation date scheduled... January 30, 2003.
January 10, 2003
In response to one of the many E-mails I have received from all of you (thank-you all), one of my friends asked about the emotions I am going through. If I can be so pretentious to quote myself, this was my response:
"Emotions? Oh, yea, I've got 'em. I've gone from extreme excitement to deep depression through this whole insurance fiasco. I talked to a friend of mine who had the surgery only two months ago who compared the rapid weight loss to killing your best friend... your belly has been with you your whole life, you've joked about it with others, you feed it when you're down, you've blamed it for your shortcomings, you've tried to starve it on all the diets you've tried, welcoming it back when the diet's over. And now you're trying to get rid of it. Come to think of it, it's kind of like battered woman's syndrome. You hate your weight, you know it hurts you, but it becomes "comfortable" in a twisted sense, so you keep bringing it back thinking it will somehow be "different" this time."
January 30, 2003
Consultation with Dr. Monte Schwartz went very well. In his words, I am an "excellent candidate for this surgery." He also recommends that I get the surgery "sooner rather than later" as I am still young and in reasonably good health.
I will have the "open" RNY gastric bypass. I thought I could have it done laposcopic, but Dr. Schwartz told me they only do the open surgery. This means I will have one large incision approximately 10 inches long under my sternum. The surgery will last about an hour as opposed to 2-4 hours by laproscope. The downside... I will have one large scar instead of six smaller ones. His explanation made sense -- without great detail here -- there is little benefit and some limitations in laproscopic surgery. I don't really care... I just want it done!
Aunt Jo went in with me and she liked him too. He has never lost a patient -- here or at the Mayo Clinic where he performed the surgery for five years. I don't plan on breaking his record.
He dictated the letter to the insurance company today, it will go out tonight and we will hear back in 4-5 weeks. We will schedule surgery within a week of getting approval from the insurance company. So here we go again... back to waiting.
February 3, 2003
Called BCBS today to check on status... I was approved on Friday -- one day after my initial consult. Next up: The Date.
February 5, 2003
I have a date scheduled: My new Birthday is February 24, 2003.
February 24, 2003
Starting Weight: 354# Waist: 60" Neck: 22"
March 1, 2003 341# w:60" n:21.5" down: 12#
I've been a little busy up till now getting ready for WLS. I got back home on the 27th as I had done really well while I was in the hospital. I got up and walked twice the night after surgery, I was getting myself in an out of bed by the second day and my vitals were all good.
The problem came when I got home. I bloated up with gas and could not release it... finally got the misery ended today with one swallow of Mallox... why didn't someone tell me that three days ago?
That's why I'm just following up with this now... I've been too miserable to update my site until tonight. All in all, everything went well, very little pain... equivalent to getting a light punch to the stomach.
And I lost 12 pounds before being released from the hospital.
March 7, 2003 326# w:59" n: 20" Down: 28#
Went to the doctor yesterday to have my staples removed and found out I have lost 28 pounds since surgery. I had no idea I had lost that much -- that's nearly 30 pounds in a week and a half! It came as a shock to me because I didn't believe the 12 pounds thing leaving the hospital -- that was on a different scale... this weight was on the same scale I was originally weighed on.
I also had to have the pressure on my Bi-pap reduced this week... my neck is two inches smaller and the pressure was causing my ears to pop while I slept... this explains the dizziness I had earlier.
March 12, 2003 321# w:59" n:20" Down: 33#
Had the chance to get weighed again today while mom was in for a doctor's appointment. Lost another five pounds this week... 33 and counting.
March 19, 2003 315# w:58" n:19.5" Down: 39# 3 weeks post op
Official weight from surgeon's office scales = average of 13 pounds a week.
April 8, 2003 298# w:56" n:19" Down: 56# 7 weeks post op
Been awhile since I posted -- I've lost 56 pounds now and it's odd the things I notice. While scratching my back a couple weeks ago, I felt my shoulder blade for the first time in years. While scratching my side, I could feel my ribs. And while scratching my butt, I felt my hamstring. So either I'm really losing weight -- or I just need a bath!! I also found out while sitting on a picnic table outside work that I have a bony ass that hurts while sitting on things like a picnic table.
I have been able to accomplish a couple important things, though. I've walked the dog around the lake about three times now (then it turned cold again -- damned Iowa weather!). And I peeled open the box labeled "clothes that don't fit, but I'm keepin' 'em anyway. Everything but one jacket fits now... that's good news now, but I'm gonna be either saggy or naked next month!
May 5, 2003 277# w:53" n:18.5 Down: 77# 13 weeks post-op
Finally getting around to updating this... I'm over half way to my goal weight. I finally found pants that I can wear to work without dropping trou everytime I walk.
And I bought Rollerblades... Now there's something I couldn't have done a year ago. I still haven't gotten the courage to use them, but they're there for when I get brave. I am eating about anything I want, but McDonald's Sausage Egg McMuffins just don't taste good anymore -- damn, and I liked those, too! Oh well, just one more thing I won't have to wonder about anymore.
At the encouraging of my mother, my friend Renee Eads and Dr. Phil, I start seeing a shrink this week to get a grip on the changes that have started and those that are still to come. Wish me luck!
June 20, 2003 254# w:49" n:17.5" Down:100# 16 weeks post-op
Big goal number one achieved. 100 pounds is a great milestone and one I wanted to accomplish before moving on to most anything else in my life. About 50 more pounds to go and I'll be there. I may give up on my idea of getting to my once high school weight of 183# -- it may be too skinny! I have updated my website: http://www.ideservemore.us with new pictures and links to all my other websites.
Having achieved this goal, I am moving on to others, please visit "My Business" page on the website above to see my next step and how we can help each other!
I often quote myself because I find myself so interesting, so I include here a clip of a revelation I had while updating my website:
"When I found out that I can achieve a major goal -- that I had control over the outcomes that effect my life, and that everything in this world is not predetermined and destined before birth, -- my whole outlook changed. Everything in this life is just a gift from God anyway, whether it's money, or friends, or the courage to make changes in your life, everything is a gift, and it comes to us when -- and only when -- we are ready for it. I was convinced I would be fat and alone forever because that's the way God built me. Who was I to have a doctor go in and rearrange stuff inside me in a manner that God never intended? But he did. The information I got about this surgery came to me only at the time that I was ready to receive it."
Check out my site!
July 30, 2003 243# w: 45" n: 17" Down 111# 5 mo post-op
So anyway, it's been awhile since I've updated this site... biggest news: I have completed RAGBRAI XXXI! For those of you who don't know what the hell I'm talking about, that is the "Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa." This year it was 450 miles of the hilliest terrain in the ride's 31-year history.
I have wanted to ride RAGBRAI since my senior year in high school 15 years ago, but because I got to fat and out of shape, it couldn't happen. Everything came together this year to make it happen!
This is one of the most incredible achievements I have accomplished yet. I've never been prouder of myself.
I actually gained six pounds on the ride, but it was to be expected... I was building muscle the entire ride -- I did however lose two inches around my waist -- I'm okay with that tradeoff.
I had to completely alter my diet for this ride. Whereas I had previously cut out all sugar and most carbohydrates, these are the essential ingredients required to make the trip. Sugar and carbohydrates are the fuel that keeps you going from day to day. I pray that anyone who attempts such a feat has as much luck with it as I have. I had no complications along the ride and kept a careful eye on my hydration (most important).
It's just been over a few days and I want to do it again already for next year! (Even though the doctor recommended against it!)
October 20, 2003 209# w: 41.5" n: 16.5" Down 145# 8 mo post-op
Okay, I'm finally updating my website. I have a new picture on the website listed above and it should be updated here soon.
I've been having so much fun with my new self that I haven't had time to keep up with busy work like this, although I know it is important. I bought a motorhome (cause I can fit in one now) and me and the dog have moved to Florida. I began working at Sun Cruz Casino out of John's Pass, Treasure Island, Florida. These are the "cruises to nowhere" where gambling is permitted in international waters. The weather is great, the water is smooth and everyday is like spring break.
I'm having a great time here as I am finding out that I am not too shabby looking (girl's opinions). Although, still to this day, when I catch someone looking at me I try to figure out if I have a booger in my nose or if my zipper's down. I'm still not comfortable with the attention.
I have a setback in my plans however. Forces outside of my control mean that I have had a break in insurance coverage and my skin-removal may not be covered for six months to a year due to pre-existing clauses no matter where I get insurance. This means I finally have a good valid reason to hit my home-business hard. I'm going to have to pay for it myself. If you're reading this, give me a call -- I'll need your help!
0 comments
I'm sure you have seen most of this before... I was always bigger than all the other kids in school. I've tried all sorts of diet and exercise programs... they didn't fail because of willpower... they failed because I ran out of money. And everytime I was off a diet or couldn't afford the gym fees, every pound I lost came back -- and brought friends.
I had a dramatic weight loss in the summer between my Junior and Senior years in high school. I looked good. I didn't know how good until I had gained all my weight back. It is human nature to appreciate that which we have lost more than what we never had.
Thin in the past, I knew my fat body didn't fit to my satisfaction. I continued trying to do the things thin people do. As time wore on, my body couldn't keep up. My knees hurt, my feet ached, the lifespan of a pair of shoes was counted in weeks rather than months. I couldn't climb a flight of stairs without becoming winded.
I always saw WLS as a failure on my part... as giving up. I have had relatives who had the old staple surgery to no avail.
Then came the storm.
While babysitting for a friend on a stormy night, her three-year-old came to me as I laid on the couch watching television. Scared from the lightning and thunder she wanted to lay down with me. She didn't fit. There wasn't enough room on the couch to comfort a frightened child. That was the night I new something had to be done.
Some time after this, I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, a condition that nearly cost me this and my last three jobs -- I was tired all the time, I couldn't wake up in the morning, I would have to stop to take naps on the way home from work at night, I drove off the side of the road.
Now I sleep with a bi-pap breathing machine. A tube that shoves 15 p.s.i. of air into my nose all night. The change was immediate. I am more rested, more energetic, more optimistic and I'm never late to work. The tradeoff: I don't want anyone to see me with this apparatus on my head... so I sleep alone -- always alone.
Weight loss is the only remedy for my sleep apnea. The quickest way to get out of the bi-pap is WLS. That is what made my final decision and how I arrived here.
Now I am at the threshold of a new life. I have jumped through many hoops to get this far. I have been to three insurance companies and four doctors before I found medical support and coverage. I have had to leave my house, my family and my hometown in order to get this done. I look forward to simple things... walking my dog around a lake without having pain, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, riding a bicycle, buying clothes off the rack, riding the rides at the state fair.
My new insurance starts tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.
January 2, 2003
I have a consultation date scheduled... January 30, 2003.
January 10, 2003
In response to one of the many E-mails I have received from all of you (thank-you all), one of my friends asked about the emotions I am going through. If I can be so pretentious to quote myself, this was my response:
"Emotions? Oh, yea, I've got 'em. I've gone from extreme excitement to deep depression through this whole insurance fiasco. I talked to a friend of mine who had the surgery only two months ago who compared the rapid weight loss to killing your best friend... your belly has been with you your whole life, you've joked about it with others, you feed it when you're down, you've blamed it for your shortcomings, you've tried to starve it on all the diets you've tried, welcoming it back when the diet's over. And now you're trying to get rid of it. Come to think of it, it's kind of like battered woman's syndrome. You hate your weight, you know it hurts you, but it becomes "comfortable" in a twisted sense, so you keep bringing it back thinking it will somehow be "different" this time."
January 30, 2003
Consultation with Dr. Monte Schwartz went very well. In his words, I am an "excellent candidate for this surgery." He also recommends that I get the surgery "sooner rather than later" as I am still young and in reasonably good health.
I will have the "open" RNY gastric bypass. I thought I could have it done laposcopic, but Dr. Schwartz told me they only do the open surgery. This means I will have one large incision approximately 10 inches long under my sternum. The surgery will last about an hour as opposed to 2-4 hours by laproscope. The downside... I will have one large scar instead of six smaller ones. His explanation made sense -- without great detail here -- there is little benefit and some limitations in laproscopic surgery. I don't really care... I just want it done!
Aunt Jo went in with me and she liked him too. He has never lost a patient -- here or at the Mayo Clinic where he performed the surgery for five years. I don't plan on breaking his record.
He dictated the letter to the insurance company today, it will go out tonight and we will hear back in 4-5 weeks. We will schedule surgery within a week of getting approval from the insurance company. So here we go again... back to waiting.
February 3, 2003
Called BCBS today to check on status... I was approved on Friday -- one day after my initial consult. Next up: The Date.
February 5, 2003
I have a date scheduled: My new Birthday is February 24, 2003.
February 24, 2003
Starting Weight: 354# Waist: 60" Neck: 22"
March 1, 2003 341# w:60" n:21.5" down: 12#
I've been a little busy up till now getting ready for WLS. I got back home on the 27th as I had done really well while I was in the hospital. I got up and walked twice the night after surgery, I was getting myself in an out of bed by the second day and my vitals were all good.
The problem came when I got home. I bloated up with gas and could not release it... finally got the misery ended today with one swallow of Mallox... why didn't someone tell me that three days ago?
That's why I'm just following up with this now... I've been too miserable to update my site until tonight. All in all, everything went well, very little pain... equivalent to getting a light punch to the stomach.
And I lost 12 pounds before being released from the hospital.
March 7, 2003 326# w:59" n: 20" Down: 28#
Went to the doctor yesterday to have my staples removed and found out I have lost 28 pounds since surgery. I had no idea I had lost that much -- that's nearly 30 pounds in a week and a half! It came as a shock to me because I didn't believe the 12 pounds thing leaving the hospital -- that was on a different scale... this weight was on the same scale I was originally weighed on.
I also had to have the pressure on my Bi-pap reduced this week... my neck is two inches smaller and the pressure was causing my ears to pop while I slept... this explains the dizziness I had earlier.
March 12, 2003 321# w:59" n:20" Down: 33#
Had the chance to get weighed again today while mom was in for a doctor's appointment. Lost another five pounds this week... 33 and counting.
March 19, 2003 315# w:58" n:19.5" Down: 39# 3 weeks post op
Official weight from surgeon's office scales = average of 13 pounds a week.
April 8, 2003 298# w:56" n:19" Down: 56# 7 weeks post op
Been awhile since I posted -- I've lost 56 pounds now and it's odd the things I notice. While scratching my back a couple weeks ago, I felt my shoulder blade for the first time in years. While scratching my side, I could feel my ribs. And while scratching my butt, I felt my hamstring. So either I'm really losing weight -- or I just need a bath!! I also found out while sitting on a picnic table outside work that I have a bony ass that hurts while sitting on things like a picnic table.
I have been able to accomplish a couple important things, though. I've walked the dog around the lake about three times now (then it turned cold again -- damned Iowa weather!). And I peeled open the box labeled "clothes that don't fit, but I'm keepin' 'em anyway. Everything but one jacket fits now... that's good news now, but I'm gonna be either saggy or naked next month!
May 5, 2003 277# w:53" n:18.5 Down: 77# 13 weeks post-op
Finally getting around to updating this... I'm over half way to my goal weight. I finally found pants that I can wear to work without dropping trou everytime I walk.
And I bought Rollerblades... Now there's something I couldn't have done a year ago. I still haven't gotten the courage to use them, but they're there for when I get brave. I am eating about anything I want, but McDonald's Sausage Egg McMuffins just don't taste good anymore -- damn, and I liked those, too! Oh well, just one more thing I won't have to wonder about anymore.
At the encouraging of my mother, my friend Renee Eads and Dr. Phil, I start seeing a shrink this week to get a grip on the changes that have started and those that are still to come. Wish me luck!
June 20, 2003 254# w:49" n:17.5" Down:100# 16 weeks post-op
Big goal number one achieved. 100 pounds is a great milestone and one I wanted to accomplish before moving on to most anything else in my life. About 50 more pounds to go and I'll be there. I may give up on my idea of getting to my once high school weight of 183# -- it may be too skinny! I have updated my website: http://www.ideservemore.us with new pictures and links to all my other websites.
Having achieved this goal, I am moving on to others, please visit "My Business" page on the website above to see my next step and how we can help each other!
I often quote myself because I find myself so interesting, so I include here a clip of a revelation I had while updating my website:
"When I found out that I can achieve a major goal -- that I had control over the outcomes that effect my life, and that everything in this world is not predetermined and destined before birth, -- my whole outlook changed. Everything in this life is just a gift from God anyway, whether it's money, or friends, or the courage to make changes in your life, everything is a gift, and it comes to us when -- and only when -- we are ready for it. I was convinced I would be fat and alone forever because that's the way God built me. Who was I to have a doctor go in and rearrange stuff inside me in a manner that God never intended? But he did. The information I got about this surgery came to me only at the time that I was ready to receive it."
Check out my site!
July 30, 2003 243# w: 45" n: 17" Down 111# 5 mo post-op
So anyway, it's been awhile since I've updated this site... biggest news: I have completed RAGBRAI XXXI! For those of you who don't know what the hell I'm talking about, that is the "Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa." This year it was 450 miles of the hilliest terrain in the ride's 31-year history.
I have wanted to ride RAGBRAI since my senior year in high school 15 years ago, but because I got to fat and out of shape, it couldn't happen. Everything came together this year to make it happen!
This is one of the most incredible achievements I have accomplished yet. I've never been prouder of myself.
I actually gained six pounds on the ride, but it was to be expected... I was building muscle the entire ride -- I did however lose two inches around my waist -- I'm okay with that tradeoff.
I had to completely alter my diet for this ride. Whereas I had previously cut out all sugar and most carbohydrates, these are the essential ingredients required to make the trip. Sugar and carbohydrates are the fuel that keeps you going from day to day. I pray that anyone who attempts such a feat has as much luck with it as I have. I had no complications along the ride and kept a careful eye on my hydration (most important).
It's just been over a few days and I want to do it again already for next year! (Even though the doctor recommended against it!)
October 20, 2003 209# w: 41.5" n: 16.5" Down 145# 8 mo post-op
Okay, I'm finally updating my website. I have a new picture on the website listed above and it should be updated here soon.
I've been having so much fun with my new self that I haven't had time to keep up with busy work like this, although I know it is important. I bought a motorhome (cause I can fit in one now) and me and the dog have moved to Florida. I began working at Sun Cruz Casino out of John's Pass, Treasure Island, Florida. These are the "cruises to nowhere" where gambling is permitted in international waters. The weather is great, the water is smooth and everyday is like spring break.
I'm having a great time here as I am finding out that I am not too shabby looking (girl's opinions). Although, still to this day, when I catch someone looking at me I try to figure out if I have a booger in my nose or if my zipper's down. I'm still not comfortable with the attention.
I have a setback in my plans however. Forces outside of my control mean that I have had a break in insurance coverage and my skin-removal may not be covered for six months to a year due to pre-existing clauses no matter where I get insurance. This means I finally have a good valid reason to hit my home-business hard. I'm going to have to pay for it myself. If you're reading this, give me a call -- I'll need your help!
