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Yippee Skippy! I had my 2 week post op check up today and am down 20.5 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Never in a million years would I have ever thought thta I could lose 20 lbs in 2 weeks. Woohooo! I am in disbelief!

Doing great!  Yesterday was the only day I truly felt yucky. I felt bloated like a fish BUT I woke up this morning feeling awesome and even cooked my kids Mickey Mouse waffles for breakfast.  I am not hungry at all which is great. 

Here is a mini recap of my experience so far-

On Monday March 3rd I arrived at OLOL in Baton Rouge at 5AM. The staff had me ready for surgery by 6:45 AM (I was scheduled for 7AM.) and was in my room for about 12PM (I think. LOL) My pain level was minimal but I burped like crazy for about 3 days. The nurses and support staff were absolutely wonderful and I have absolutely no complaints. They were a great bunch and i would not hesitate to use the Lake again. My room was newly refurbished and was like a hotel. They are finally upgrading the rooms and they are wonderful. The room and bathroom were huge, there was a huge armoire that held the closet, fridge and a safe for your valuables.

I was discharged Wednesday morning and was especially nervous about having the drain removed but I requested my Lortab elixir about 45 minutes before and it was a piece of cake. 

I really can't say I have had any extereme  pain or complaints. Things are healing well & I feel good.

If anyone is looking for advice my 2 cents is- don't be afraid to take your pain meds. They can make your recovery go so much smoother. Also, walk, walk, walk but don't forget to lay down too. It seemed to help the bloat discomfort and gas move if I layed down after walking etc.

Insurance approved my surgery today and my surgery  date is~~~ March 3, 2008 is the beginning of my new life! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

My esophageal manometry was able to be done (YAY! Praise the Lord!)
It was completely different from the last time, not to mention I had a completely different nurse. It was not a walk in the park but not even close to being as bad as my last experience.  Having a knowledgeable and competent nurse makes all the difference in the world. Thank you Jill at Ochsner in BR!  

My last hurdle is AETNA. Amy faxed my stuff on Jan 18th and I have been calling Aetna since then daily, sometimes even twice a day. Every single time I get a different story from them. Their explanations range from- it is in medical review, to it went to the wrong dept, to have your doc call and talk to precert dept to start the process cause there is no record of my stuff being faxed!?!?! LOL It is funny but on Monday I am going to request to speak to a supervisor there. It is covered under my plan and I meet the criteria, them putting off is not going to discourage me.

I fully intended on going to the New U support group meeting but since I had to get up at 4AM so I could have my test done on Thursday, I was way too tired to make it that night. Brad's coworker and his wife who both had GBS with Dr. Hausman were there and I wish I would have gone now to meet them. Brad is going to remind Jeff about next month's meeting so he and his wife will go and we can finally meet. They have been a wonderful resource and a big help to calming some of my anxieties about the surgery. Ican't wait to meet them.


Now we are off to the casino tonight to celebrate my parent' s wedding anniversary. Maybe we will hit the progressive and come back alot richer! Yeah right! I always joke that casinos should just put a barrel at the front door so you can just drop your money in because you never win! LOL

I have called my insurance twice and still no answer. My packet was faxed last Monday, January 28 and it just went to review yesterday only because I called to check on an answer. I am going to bug them every day from now on.

I have another esophageal manometry scheduled for Thursday morning  (AGAIN) and hopefully there will be someone more competent at putting in an NG tube. If not, I am likely to put that sucker down myself (just kidding.)  PLEASE, PLEASE if anyone reads this pray I get an experienced nurse Thursday. I surely would appreciate any prayers. 

Thursday night is another New U support group meeting and I am planning to attend (unless I am crying my eyes out about my unsuccessful test that morning.)

Yes. Today was a horrible day. I was scheduled for an esophageal manometry. For anyone that does not know what an esophageal manometry is, it is when a nurse puts a catheter down your nose the same way as an NG tube and you have to do swallows and stuff and it checks to make sure your esophagus is working properly. Well, if you have never had and NG tube put down, let me say that it is definitely no walk in the park.

I arrived at the hospital for 8AM. I was taken back into the test room and by 9:15Am I was was sent home. The nurse could not do the test because she felt resistance and was not comfortable doing the test. She called my surgeon and they wanted me to see an ENT. I sat in my van when I left and cried my eyes out. I just felt so discouraged.

So I was lucky enough to see him at 10:50Am today and he sprayed MORE numbing stuff down my nose and used a small scope to see if I had any obstructions. Well, it turns out that I have nothing major, just a little bit of a deviated septum and he has no problems with putting the scope in my nose.

Now I have to wait for another esophageal manometry test appointment which God knows how long that will be. I just feel so sad and discouraged, not to mention my throat and nose feels like chopped liver now.

Hopefully in a month or so I will be on my way to being skinny and this will all be a distant memory.

On January 2nd, I had my consult with Dr. Leblanc and he and his staff are wonderful. On January 3rd I attended their seminar and support group and, gosh, I enjoyed it so much. I met Frances (Hi Frances!) and quite a few other WONDERFUL people. The majority that attended were sleeve patients but there were a few RNY and  bandsters attending. The post op people look great and I wish everyone had before and after pics there because that is one of my favorite things to see and hear right now.  I love reading about smooth recoveries (relatively speaking) and great weight loss. I am still in disbelief that that will be me in a few months. It really seems surreal. I am so excited.

I have also taken to looking things in smaller sizes and can't wait to be able to buy cuter things than my plain Jane polo shirts and tee shirts. That seems to have become my "uniform."  LOL  I have to confess that even though I haven't bought any clothes from any retailers yet, I did buy a size 16 swimsuit "just in case" I am that small by our vacation in May.  I know my chances are small that I will reach that size by then, but girl can hope at least. LOL

I had my psych appt today and tomorrow I have my nutrition appt. Woohoo! Then thy shall be done and my "stuff" can be submitted to the WLS Gods at Aetna PPO.  Wish me luck and hopefully my next update will be my approval and I will have a surgery date!

edited to add- I really really need to get some before pics soon.

Well Decenber 26th I was ready for my consult and Dr. LeBlanc had to reschedule because he was caught up in surgery. I have been rescheduled for Wednesday January 2, 2008 for my consult. I am still nervous and excited. My dh, mom & dad are very nervous but I have to do what I have to do. I hate when they down talk the surgery , etc because it makes me feel like they don't support me.

Yesterday, December 19, 2007, was my last weigh in with my PCP before I have my consult with Dr. LeBlanc.

My consult is December 26, 2007 and I have such a mix of emotions. I am excited, anxious, antsy, scared... just to name a few.
I began this journey with full intentions of having Lap-Band surgery.  Now, after reading, I am wondering if maybe RNY may be the better choice for me. Our insurance will cover bariatric surgery beginning January 1, 2008 and they will only cover ONE (bariatric) surgery throughout my entire lifetime so I am feeling pressure that I have to make the right decision the first time. I don't have the option to get banded now and if it does not work out a few years later have an RNY done. So this is a one shot deal for me concerning my insurance.

I am also afraid that I will have numerous complications and not be able to care for my children properly (which is a VERY big deal because my oldest is severely disabled. ) I am afraid that my results from the surgery will only be temporary just like all of the diets I have tried. I am so addicted to food (namely, ice cream & chocolate milk) and fight head hunger constantly.  Will I let myself down again?

One the other hand, I am so ready to have the energy that I used to have and play with my kids. I want to go on vacation and not be a grouch because I am so darn tired. I want to not have pains in my feet and knees. I want to be able to sleep on my back and on my stomach again. I want to not have to take TWO blood pressure meds and constantly think to myself that I will be dead by 50 (or younger) from a heart attack or stroke. I want to be able to ride my horse and not feel like I am killing him when I sit on his back. I want to have the energy and confidence to show my beautiful Western Pleasure gelding. I want to shop at Old Navy, and Gap and Anthropologie!  LOL. I am also tired of being invisible and feeling like people look down on me and ignore me because I am fat.  But, most importantly of all, I want to live to see my boys grow up and have families of their own. I know God has the ultimate control of when I go, but if I can help myself to live a little longer, then I want to.

On July 24th I began my journey to the real me. The me that I feel like I never had. I have struggled with my weight since I was a small child. I was not obese until my 20's but it seemed I was constantly always gaining throughout my childhood and life. I never had a time where I was one size for very long. As a teenager I rode and showed horses daily and that slowed my weight gain but as soon as I stopped riding at about 18 years old, I gained quickly.

As of January 1, 2008 our insurance, Aetna, will cover WLS and I am planning on having LapBand surgery with Dr. Karl LeBlanc in Baton Rouge. I am excited, nervous, and anxious. I have tried numerous diets- Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers numerous times & diet pills with no long term success whatsoever. 

Here I am at 260 lbs and miserable as can be. I have been on blood pressure meds for over 10 years now. I also have PCOS and all the wonderful symptoms that go along with it. I am scared of having a stroke or heart attack at 40 years old and not being able to see my children grow up.