meeg
May 19 - Quick note...
May 19, 2007
OK, I may look back on this and laugh, but I just have to say it. I got my Any Whey unflavored protein powder yesterday, and tried it today in my coffee. First of all, it smelled GREAT, second, it dissolved/disappeared INSTANTLY in my coffee, and third, the only effect it had on the coffee was to make it richer and tastier! I LOVED it and am so glad I got a HUUUUGE thing of it. The container is almost as wide as a gallon as milk and taller!
I have heard so many people say that the smell of the stuff makes them so sick that they can't even use it.... I can't even imagine feeling that way! I seriously loved the smell. LOL we'll see what I have to say about this AFTER surgery!
I have heard so many people say that the smell of the stuff makes them so sick that they can't even use it.... I can't even imagine feeling that way! I seriously loved the smell. LOL we'll see what I have to say about this AFTER surgery!
May 16 - It's getting closer!!!
May 15, 2007
Someone from my hospital, Pontiac Osteopathic, called me last Friday to set up my pre-admission appointment. She quickly went over my vital info - name, address, employer, etc., then told me I could have my appointment anytime next week. I chose Monday - why put it off?!?
I was driving when she called & I am incapable of talking on the phone and driving safely, so I didn't take the time to ask her WHAT this pre-op appointment was for exactly. All she said was to bring a list of all medications I'm on (I'm only taking thyroid replacement hormone), and be there at 2:30PM. So I'll be there!
I'm assuming they're going to take some blood, and I'm HOPING that I will be able to talk to the anesthesiologist. If so, I'm going to tell him or her about the fact that I get VERY, VERY nauseous after surgery. I want them to load me up with anti-nausea stuff. I've heard some people say they requested that, and that it worked. I'm not afraid of the pain at all, it's the nausea that has me scared. I don't want to feel that. I wish I knew of a way I could prepare myself before surgery to avoid becoming nauseous afterward.
I would think that for this surgery - where they cut most of your stomach off and staple it - they would go to great lengths to keep you from being nauseous afterward. I would think that retching and heaving would be really, really dangerous! It seems strange to me that some folks come out of surgery and are really nauseous for days. (Raimeegirl on the VSG forum just had that happen.) Maybe nausea just can't be controlled in some people? As I recall, anti-nausea stuff that I've taken at home has never helped me.
Well, I'm not going to let this concern stop me from having the surgery, that's for sure. But I do plan to be very aggressive about making sure they do everything they can to prevent it. I'm gonna tell whoever I see at the pre-admission appointment, and I'm going to tell my surgeon at my pre-surgery appointment on Wednesday, May 23. Then on the morning of surgery, I'm going to tell them all over again! Twice! :)
I have ordered a little bit of bariatric-type foods... I ordered the Bariatric Survival Kit from BariatricEating.com, and I also ordered their chewable vitamins. This stuff should arrive tomorrow. I also ordered Any Whey unflavored protien powder from AllStarHealth, after seeing a post Amy P. made on the forum about it. It sounds like good stuff - it supposedly dissolves instantly in anything you put it in. I'm not too worried about protien powders in general... I actually have been using them for years, because I know I don't get enough protein. I go for days at a time without eating meat, so I'll put a few scoops of protein powder that I get from the grocery store in my oatmeal or yogurt, or even in my coffee.
My parents were hippies and my mom used to feed me health food when I was a kid. I was the only one in my class who opened her lunchbox and had granola & a wheat bread sandwich with natural peanut butter and bananas. Everyone else had Wonder bread, american cheese & boloney LOL. At the time, it was embarassing to me, but now I'm SO grateful for that. THANK YOU MOM!!!
She also used to make her own yogurt, her own mayonnaise, her own trail mixes... And I had my share of strange protein powders and health drinks, too. I really love that stuff now, I'm just too lazy to make it all for myself! :)
Well on a different note... I posted my first photo last night - the full version of my avatar, the part that included my dear little puppydog, Poppy. It felt really scary to post that pic - partly because it brings back memories of my dog, who died not long after it was taken. I totally adored her & lived for her... Probably because I haven't had kids yet... So I am still mourning her loss. Today it's been exactly a year and a half since she died. :(
The other reason it was hard to post the picture is just the fact that it's revealing more of me... Not MUCH more of me, but some, and that's hard for me because I tend to be a very private person. But I think it was a good first step toward actually posting some "real" photos of myself... Some BEFORE shots that I didn't alter with Photoshop, LOL.
I've really turned into a homebody since I've gained this weight, and I have even started to neglect myself to a certain extent. I stopped plucking my eyebrows (been doing that since I was, what, like 5? LOL just kidding) I stopped getting my hair cut, I don't even shower every day anymore. Gee ya think I'm depressed?? But knowing that I'm having this surgery has started to lift my spirits... knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel makes it easier to do things that have become hard for me. I guess it's because I now have hope that the rest of my life isn't going to be day after day of struggling with my weight. Struggling to get off the couch. Struggling to walk. Struggling to take a shower. Struggling to find some clothes that fit and put them on. I have hope now so I'm starting to feel a lot happier. YAY! :)
I was driving when she called & I am incapable of talking on the phone and driving safely, so I didn't take the time to ask her WHAT this pre-op appointment was for exactly. All she said was to bring a list of all medications I'm on (I'm only taking thyroid replacement hormone), and be there at 2:30PM. So I'll be there!
I'm assuming they're going to take some blood, and I'm HOPING that I will be able to talk to the anesthesiologist. If so, I'm going to tell him or her about the fact that I get VERY, VERY nauseous after surgery. I want them to load me up with anti-nausea stuff. I've heard some people say they requested that, and that it worked. I'm not afraid of the pain at all, it's the nausea that has me scared. I don't want to feel that. I wish I knew of a way I could prepare myself before surgery to avoid becoming nauseous afterward.
I would think that for this surgery - where they cut most of your stomach off and staple it - they would go to great lengths to keep you from being nauseous afterward. I would think that retching and heaving would be really, really dangerous! It seems strange to me that some folks come out of surgery and are really nauseous for days. (Raimeegirl on the VSG forum just had that happen.) Maybe nausea just can't be controlled in some people? As I recall, anti-nausea stuff that I've taken at home has never helped me.
Well, I'm not going to let this concern stop me from having the surgery, that's for sure. But I do plan to be very aggressive about making sure they do everything they can to prevent it. I'm gonna tell whoever I see at the pre-admission appointment, and I'm going to tell my surgeon at my pre-surgery appointment on Wednesday, May 23. Then on the morning of surgery, I'm going to tell them all over again! Twice! :)
I have ordered a little bit of bariatric-type foods... I ordered the Bariatric Survival Kit from BariatricEating.com, and I also ordered their chewable vitamins. This stuff should arrive tomorrow. I also ordered Any Whey unflavored protien powder from AllStarHealth, after seeing a post Amy P. made on the forum about it. It sounds like good stuff - it supposedly dissolves instantly in anything you put it in. I'm not too worried about protien powders in general... I actually have been using them for years, because I know I don't get enough protein. I go for days at a time without eating meat, so I'll put a few scoops of protein powder that I get from the grocery store in my oatmeal or yogurt, or even in my coffee.
My parents were hippies and my mom used to feed me health food when I was a kid. I was the only one in my class who opened her lunchbox and had granola & a wheat bread sandwich with natural peanut butter and bananas. Everyone else had Wonder bread, american cheese & boloney LOL. At the time, it was embarassing to me, but now I'm SO grateful for that. THANK YOU MOM!!!
She also used to make her own yogurt, her own mayonnaise, her own trail mixes... And I had my share of strange protein powders and health drinks, too. I really love that stuff now, I'm just too lazy to make it all for myself! :)
Well on a different note... I posted my first photo last night - the full version of my avatar, the part that included my dear little puppydog, Poppy. It felt really scary to post that pic - partly because it brings back memories of my dog, who died not long after it was taken. I totally adored her & lived for her... Probably because I haven't had kids yet... So I am still mourning her loss. Today it's been exactly a year and a half since she died. :(
The other reason it was hard to post the picture is just the fact that it's revealing more of me... Not MUCH more of me, but some, and that's hard for me because I tend to be a very private person. But I think it was a good first step toward actually posting some "real" photos of myself... Some BEFORE shots that I didn't alter with Photoshop, LOL.
I've really turned into a homebody since I've gained this weight, and I have even started to neglect myself to a certain extent. I stopped plucking my eyebrows (been doing that since I was, what, like 5? LOL just kidding) I stopped getting my hair cut, I don't even shower every day anymore. Gee ya think I'm depressed?? But knowing that I'm having this surgery has started to lift my spirits... knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel makes it easier to do things that have become hard for me. I guess it's because I now have hope that the rest of my life isn't going to be day after day of struggling with my weight. Struggling to get off the couch. Struggling to walk. Struggling to take a shower. Struggling to find some clothes that fit and put them on. I have hope now so I'm starting to feel a lot happier. YAY! :)
May 12 - On hold...
May 11, 2007
Not a lot going on right now... I'm pretty much just waiting for May 31st to get here.
My surgeon told me I don't have to lose weight before the surgery, but I feel like it would be a good idea for me to go on a liquid diet one week before the surgery. I feel this way for 2 reasons...
The nurses here on the VSG forum have mentioned that it's much better to shrink your liver before surgery, and apparently a liquid diet will do that. The other reason is because for the next week or so, I plan on eating about 50 final meals! I know this will cause me to gain weight, and my surgeon won't operate if I gain weight before the surgery. He actually said that. So I figure I'll splurge then go on a week-long diet. (Jeez, that sounds like how I got myself into this mess! Very unhealthy eating habits!)
I want to mention that I have found this forum to be an amazing source of support. I've met so many kind and caring people here, and the entire experience has been nothing but positive. I hope that anyone who is on the fence about surgery or about joining the VSG forum will do what I did, and just start participating. You will learn more and feel more support that you ever dreamed possible.
On a similar note, I want to thank all of my friends here on the VSG forum for being so awesome!!! You all are the best! :)
Oh one other thing I want to mention... I was feeling really down yesterday. I took some "before" pics of myself, and OMG they were SO awful! I mean, I KNOW how big I've gotten, because I live in this body every day. But when I saw the pics, I seriously thought that my camera was skewing the images... I thought they were stretched sideways! I am just STUNNED at how big I have become! These are the only pics I have of myself since I've gained all this weight. I want to get some photos up here on my profile, but I am honestly not ready to put them here yet. The pics I took were just standard before shots - the front, side and back. No make-up, hair was a mess, and I had a terrible look on my face, too. So I'm going to try & get some nicer ones, that don't look like full-body mug shots. I promise I will get the nicer ones up soon!
I HAVE A DATE!!!
May 08, 2007
Ok I just wrote like a 5 paragraph long description of the phone tag game I've been playing all morning with my PCP and surgeon's office... It was totally crazy... My cell phone kept dropping the calls (which it NEVER does) and then the receptionist accidentally hung up on me... I was on hold forever.... I wrote this big long story of how I was going crazy because I couldn't get a date.... But then everything worked out so I decided to erase all the bitching I did and just sum it up:
My surgery with Dr. Pleatman will be on MAY 31st!!!!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!
Ok I gotta go eat now. :)
My surgery with Dr. Pleatman will be on MAY 31st!!!!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!
Ok I gotta go eat now. :)
Stress test results...
May 07, 2007
Well I called my PCP's office today at 2:45PM... They already had my stress test results. Guess what, everything came back normal! Imagine that! So I asked if my doc had written the letter of permission to my surgeon yet, and of course they had nothing in their files about it. So the receptionist wrote it down and said she would get the request to my doctor today.
So.... who knows when my doc will get around to writing the letter. I dont think she even knows what she's supposed to write. And I don't think she knows my surgeon's full name or fax number... But I know that other doctors in her practice have given letters of permission to Dr. Pleatman in the past, so maybe she'll surprise me and know what to write and who to send it to. I'll call again tomorrow if I don't hear from her.
Jeez I get really bitchy when I'm stressed out! I was reading over my last blog entry and this one too, and I feel like I sound really snarky and paranoid. Well whatever LOL!!! I guess I've had a lot of bad experiences with doctors and service providers in general not doing what they say they'e going to do. I really think it's true that you have to make things happen, not wait on others to do them... even though they're supposed to. I guess we have to give doctors a break, I know that dealing with insurance companies all day would drive anyone nuts. But at the end of the day most doctors make a pretty damn good living, so it couldn't be all that bad, right?
Ok, well I'll update again tomorrow! :)
So.... who knows when my doc will get around to writing the letter. I dont think she even knows what she's supposed to write. And I don't think she knows my surgeon's full name or fax number... But I know that other doctors in her practice have given letters of permission to Dr. Pleatman in the past, so maybe she'll surprise me and know what to write and who to send it to. I'll call again tomorrow if I don't hear from her.
Jeez I get really bitchy when I'm stressed out! I was reading over my last blog entry and this one too, and I feel like I sound really snarky and paranoid. Well whatever LOL!!! I guess I've had a lot of bad experiences with doctors and service providers in general not doing what they say they'e going to do. I really think it's true that you have to make things happen, not wait on others to do them... even though they're supposed to. I guess we have to give doctors a break, I know that dealing with insurance companies all day would drive anyone nuts. But at the end of the day most doctors make a pretty damn good living, so it couldn't be all that bad, right?
Ok, well I'll update again tomorrow! :)
I'm so impatient!
May 05, 2007
Ok, it's been 10 days since my consult with Dr. Pleatman. I have had all the pre-op tests that I am supposed to have, according to my PCP. I am waiting for her to get the results of the stress test she had me take last week. Today is Saturday, May 5, 2007. She should be getting the test results next week, and assuming they are ok, she will then write a letter of permission for me to get the surgery. After Dr. Pleatman's office gets the letter of permission, THEN they will give me a surgery date.
I feel like whining. I want to apologize for this in advance, because I know so many people have to go for months or years of jumping through hoops in order to get this surgery, and for me, it's only been 10 days. But I want to whine anyway!
First, I'm irritated that my PCP ordered a stress test for me. That delayed everything by a good 2 weeks, and I feel it wasn't necessary. I am totally healthy, in my mid 30's, and have no indications of heart disease at all, nor do I have a family history of it. But she still decided I need the Cardiolite stress test, which is meant for people who may have heart disease! She did it because the EKG I had at her office was "off" a tiny bit. She said it was most likely because I have "rather large breasts" as she put it, and that the nurse who put the EKG sensors on me didn't place them correctly. Better safe than sorry I guess...
But here's the thing. I'm being totally paranoid here, but I just want to get this out. This PCP is new to me, and her clinic was recommended to me by my surgeon. There are several doctors at her clinic, and I wound up with her, because the specific doctor that my surgeon recommended was on vacation. Don't get me wrong, I like this PCP, she was really nice. But she was also, surprisingly, morbidly obese. When I told her I was there to get surgical clearance for WLS, she was fairly negative about it. Not that she was trying to talk me out of it or thought I didn't need it, more like a jealous friend might be. So there's a little part of me that feels like she ordered the stress test just to delay things for me a bit. OK, I said it! Yes, I know, that's totally paranoid and I'm probably not right at all. :)
Ok, here's the other thing I want to whine about. I keep reading on OH that people who are self-pay (like me) get their surgeries scheduled on the same day of their consult. I have even heard people who are with my surgeon are able to schedule their surgeries on the day of their consult with him. Did all of these people walk into the consult with their PCP's letter of permission in hand? Because I was never told that I needed that before my consult. I had to wait 3 weeks to get my consult, and I could have easily gone to my PCP during that time and gotten the stupid letter if I had known it was necessary to get my surgery date!
Jo, Dr. Pleatman's surgical coordinator, was having a very bad day when I was there for my consult. (Read my first 2 blog entries for an explanation.) She was very out of it, but I questioned her about this point - I said, "So you HAVE to have the letter of permission before you will schedule the surgery?" I even called her a few days later and asked her again, and she confirmed that they needed the letter before they could do the surgery.
I don't even know what I'm complaining about here. I guess I feel like something is going wrong. Why can't they just schedule my surgery on the assumption that the letter of permission will come through? I mean, I was told by them that the only reason they need it is so they know they will have someone to take care of my needs after the surgery is over. So isn't the fact that I have insurance and I have a PCP enough?
OK, enough whining. I can understand why they need the stupid letter I guess. I'm just so anxious to get this surgery going, and I thought self-pay people were supposed to get much quicker service.
I hope that in a week from now, I come back here and read this blog and feel happy about how things turned out. I'm hoping my PCP gets my stress test results early next week, then whips out that letter of permission in one day, and I get my surgery scheduled for like mid-May or something. But my luck will be that the hospital lost the stress test results, and I will have to re-do it, and everything will keep getting delayed. I'm being neurotic here. My OH buddy Stacey knows what I'm going through though, right Stace? :)
Well, I've whined/blogged long enough... Hopefully next time I'll have more positive things to say!!!
I feel like whining. I want to apologize for this in advance, because I know so many people have to go for months or years of jumping through hoops in order to get this surgery, and for me, it's only been 10 days. But I want to whine anyway!
First, I'm irritated that my PCP ordered a stress test for me. That delayed everything by a good 2 weeks, and I feel it wasn't necessary. I am totally healthy, in my mid 30's, and have no indications of heart disease at all, nor do I have a family history of it. But she still decided I need the Cardiolite stress test, which is meant for people who may have heart disease! She did it because the EKG I had at her office was "off" a tiny bit. She said it was most likely because I have "rather large breasts" as she put it, and that the nurse who put the EKG sensors on me didn't place them correctly. Better safe than sorry I guess...
But here's the thing. I'm being totally paranoid here, but I just want to get this out. This PCP is new to me, and her clinic was recommended to me by my surgeon. There are several doctors at her clinic, and I wound up with her, because the specific doctor that my surgeon recommended was on vacation. Don't get me wrong, I like this PCP, she was really nice. But she was also, surprisingly, morbidly obese. When I told her I was there to get surgical clearance for WLS, she was fairly negative about it. Not that she was trying to talk me out of it or thought I didn't need it, more like a jealous friend might be. So there's a little part of me that feels like she ordered the stress test just to delay things for me a bit. OK, I said it! Yes, I know, that's totally paranoid and I'm probably not right at all. :)
Ok, here's the other thing I want to whine about. I keep reading on OH that people who are self-pay (like me) get their surgeries scheduled on the same day of their consult. I have even heard people who are with my surgeon are able to schedule their surgeries on the day of their consult with him. Did all of these people walk into the consult with their PCP's letter of permission in hand? Because I was never told that I needed that before my consult. I had to wait 3 weeks to get my consult, and I could have easily gone to my PCP during that time and gotten the stupid letter if I had known it was necessary to get my surgery date!
Jo, Dr. Pleatman's surgical coordinator, was having a very bad day when I was there for my consult. (Read my first 2 blog entries for an explanation.) She was very out of it, but I questioned her about this point - I said, "So you HAVE to have the letter of permission before you will schedule the surgery?" I even called her a few days later and asked her again, and she confirmed that they needed the letter before they could do the surgery.
I don't even know what I'm complaining about here. I guess I feel like something is going wrong. Why can't they just schedule my surgery on the assumption that the letter of permission will come through? I mean, I was told by them that the only reason they need it is so they know they will have someone to take care of my needs after the surgery is over. So isn't the fact that I have insurance and I have a PCP enough?
OK, enough whining. I can understand why they need the stupid letter I guess. I'm just so anxious to get this surgery going, and I thought self-pay people were supposed to get much quicker service.
I hope that in a week from now, I come back here and read this blog and feel happy about how things turned out. I'm hoping my PCP gets my stress test results early next week, then whips out that letter of permission in one day, and I get my surgery scheduled for like mid-May or something. But my luck will be that the hospital lost the stress test results, and I will have to re-do it, and everything will keep getting delayed. I'm being neurotic here. My OH buddy Stacey knows what I'm going through though, right Stace? :)
Well, I've whined/blogged long enough... Hopefully next time I'll have more positive things to say!!!
The Pre-Surgery/Nutrition Class & Stress Test
May 03, 2007
Well yesterday (Wednesday May 2), I went to the pre-surgery nutrition class, run by Dr. Pleatman's awesome nutritionist, Jennie Fox, and his wife, Adele. It was very enjoyable and I learned all about the foods I'm going to be eating for the rest of my life! Both Jennie and Adele are very knowledgable and nice.
I also got the chance to meet Julia, who came up from Kentucky, and was scheduled for surgery the next morning! Poor thing had been on a liquid diet all day, and was pretty tired from the drive up here to Michigan. She was really sweet and I know that as I write this, she's probably in her hospital room just waking up with her new banana! Good luck Julia!
Just to follow up on the comments I made in my last blog entry, Adele confirmed for me that Jo, Dr. P's receptionist and surgery coordinator, is indeed having some personal family issues. I think I literally was there right at the exact moment she was finding out about a serious illness in the family, and so that explains the less-than-optimal help she gave me the day of my consult. I truly think that it was a one-time thing, and after last night's class, I believe that Dr. Pleatman and his staff have an excellent, structured program. And I wish Jo all the best, whatever it is that she and her family are dealing with.
This morning, I went to Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital in downtown Pontiac, Michigan, to have a Cardiolite stress test. It's the last thing my PCP wants me to do before she'll approve me for surgery. I had to fast for several hours before the 8AM test, and no caffiene for 12 hours prior... so I was not a happy camper this morning!! I got there and was told that the medicine they were supposed to inject me with during the test had been shipped to the wrong hospital. (It's a specialized, slightly radioactive drug, so it's not like they just have it laying around.) Well I was not too happy about that, but they said it was on its way and I would have to wait 30 - 40 minutes. What choice did I have? I sat and waited, and within 10 minutes, they came and got me to begin the test. I asked what happened, and they just said it got there sooner than they thought it would. Strange!
The test itself wasn't too bad. Mostly a lot of waiting around for the medicine to absorb into my heart muscles, then they took images, had me get on a treadmill, took more images, and it was done.
I was glad that I got the chance to check out Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital for the first time. That's where I'll be having my surgery, eventually. To be honest, I had never even heard of POH before I went to Dr. Pleatman. It's not a very well-known hospital in this area. The outside of the building is really pretty and modern looking... part of it looks like a round, glass, office building. It looks very new. The inside, however, was a different story. Some of the places I went smelled like mildew, but I was in the basement level for part of my test, so maybe that explains it. I was taken to the upper floors for part of the test, and that part was really nice and new and modern looking.
Just in case any hospital administrators ever read this blog, here's a suggestion: put up some signs! People kept directing me where to go - "Go down to the end of this hallway, turn right, then make a left past the elevators and follow it around and you'll see a room on the right...." I think SIGNS would be a lot easier for everyone involved! Even in the entry to the Emergency Department, which is where I was told to check in, there are NO signs at all. You walk in this small door, and there's a desk on the left, but only security guards are sitting behind it, so it doesn't seem like a check in desk. There are some hallways and rooms there as well, but NO SIGNS anywhere! One of the security guards finally told me to go around the corner and check in. You would think that when everyone who comes in looks around and acts bewildered, SOMEONE would think to put up a sign somewhere, telling people what to do & where to go!
Ok, enough ranting. Overall the test went well, but they told me it would be 3 - 5 days before my doctor has the results. Since this is a Thursday, it probably won't be until the middle of next week before she gets them, then I have to wait for her to write the letter of permission, THEN I can get my surgery date. I'm feeling kind of disappointed, because I was hoping to have the surgery in May, along with several other people on the VSG forum, but it's looking like it will be more like June. :( But I know some people have to wait months or even years to get it, so I really shouldn't complain!
I also got the chance to meet Julia, who came up from Kentucky, and was scheduled for surgery the next morning! Poor thing had been on a liquid diet all day, and was pretty tired from the drive up here to Michigan. She was really sweet and I know that as I write this, she's probably in her hospital room just waking up with her new banana! Good luck Julia!
Just to follow up on the comments I made in my last blog entry, Adele confirmed for me that Jo, Dr. P's receptionist and surgery coordinator, is indeed having some personal family issues. I think I literally was there right at the exact moment she was finding out about a serious illness in the family, and so that explains the less-than-optimal help she gave me the day of my consult. I truly think that it was a one-time thing, and after last night's class, I believe that Dr. Pleatman and his staff have an excellent, structured program. And I wish Jo all the best, whatever it is that she and her family are dealing with.
This morning, I went to Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital in downtown Pontiac, Michigan, to have a Cardiolite stress test. It's the last thing my PCP wants me to do before she'll approve me for surgery. I had to fast for several hours before the 8AM test, and no caffiene for 12 hours prior... so I was not a happy camper this morning!! I got there and was told that the medicine they were supposed to inject me with during the test had been shipped to the wrong hospital. (It's a specialized, slightly radioactive drug, so it's not like they just have it laying around.) Well I was not too happy about that, but they said it was on its way and I would have to wait 30 - 40 minutes. What choice did I have? I sat and waited, and within 10 minutes, they came and got me to begin the test. I asked what happened, and they just said it got there sooner than they thought it would. Strange!
The test itself wasn't too bad. Mostly a lot of waiting around for the medicine to absorb into my heart muscles, then they took images, had me get on a treadmill, took more images, and it was done.
I was glad that I got the chance to check out Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital for the first time. That's where I'll be having my surgery, eventually. To be honest, I had never even heard of POH before I went to Dr. Pleatman. It's not a very well-known hospital in this area. The outside of the building is really pretty and modern looking... part of it looks like a round, glass, office building. It looks very new. The inside, however, was a different story. Some of the places I went smelled like mildew, but I was in the basement level for part of my test, so maybe that explains it. I was taken to the upper floors for part of the test, and that part was really nice and new and modern looking.
Just in case any hospital administrators ever read this blog, here's a suggestion: put up some signs! People kept directing me where to go - "Go down to the end of this hallway, turn right, then make a left past the elevators and follow it around and you'll see a room on the right...." I think SIGNS would be a lot easier for everyone involved! Even in the entry to the Emergency Department, which is where I was told to check in, there are NO signs at all. You walk in this small door, and there's a desk on the left, but only security guards are sitting behind it, so it doesn't seem like a check in desk. There are some hallways and rooms there as well, but NO SIGNS anywhere! One of the security guards finally told me to go around the corner and check in. You would think that when everyone who comes in looks around and acts bewildered, SOMEONE would think to put up a sign somewhere, telling people what to do & where to go!
Ok, enough ranting. Overall the test went well, but they told me it would be 3 - 5 days before my doctor has the results. Since this is a Thursday, it probably won't be until the middle of next week before she gets them, then I have to wait for her to write the letter of permission, THEN I can get my surgery date. I'm feeling kind of disappointed, because I was hoping to have the surgery in May, along with several other people on the VSG forum, but it's looking like it will be more like June. :( But I know some people have to wait months or even years to get it, so I really shouldn't complain!
Finally making my first blog entry!!
May 01, 2007
Well I've been putting off making my first blog entry because, well, I guess it's because I didn't have my funding secured, and so none of this seemed real yet. But yesterday, I got the money!!! I'm so excited - it all seems real now!
Ok, so let me tell my story so far, starting with the informational session with Dr. Pleatman...
The info session was April 4, 2007 at St. Joe's Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan. I guess Dr. P does one every month. It's in a nice, large auditorium on the lower level. There were about 15 or 20 people there. Dr. P did a good presentation on the history of bariatric surgery, on the surgeries that he offers, and answered questions people had. He isn't really a charmer, but that's not something I care about in a surgeon. He's very honest, and speaks to you the same way he might speak to his friends or colleagues. In other words, he is honest about the fact that this is all kind of new to him, that mistakes can happen, that he's not perfect. Here's an example of what I mean: One of the first things he told us at the beginning of the session was that he just received his first lawsuit in the mail that morning. He said he did a surgery on a woman, then 10 days later she was back home in Florida, veered into the wrong lane while driving, "and so that's my fault." I thought it was a little strange that he would be telling a group of potential patients about this, but I think it's a good example of how honest he is. He told us the same way he'd tell a friend, without concern for what some of us might think of it. It didn't bother me personally, but I imagine some people might make a judgment automatically when they hear a doctor is involved in a lawsuit.
So anyway, it was at that information session that I first learned about the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Before that, I had pretty much made up my mind that I wanted a LapBand. But Dr. P was fairly open about the fact that although he does the LapBand, he's not crazy about it. He's had to start doing revisions on LapBand patients, because so many of them have problems with it. He presented the VSG as a nice compromise between the Roux-n-Y and the Band. I went home and did research on the VSG (and on Dr. P of course), then called the next day and scheduled my consult.
I had my consult with Dr. Pleatman on April 25. It went pretty well. I was in the exam room with him for maybe 15 minutes, including the time it took him to take my measurements and "before" pictures and put them into his laptop.
You know, it's kind of funny.... Before the consult, I was all prepared to run back here and write about everything that happened, but now that it's over with, I feel differently. It's like, now that I have a relationship established with him and his office, I feel weird coming home and telling everything to the whole world. (Not that the whole world, or ANYONE, for that matter, will be reading this LOL!) But it IS public, and... I don't know... I just feel like he or his office staff will come and find me on this site and read everything I write, then when I go in to the office the next time, they'll be like, "SO! We saw what you wrote about us!" It just feels strange. (Can you tell I've never blogged before?!? :)
But I'm not going to say anything about my office visit that's damaging - it's just the truth, and if they read it, well, then it's probably good that they will be seeing an honest evaluation of their services. So here goes:
When I got to the office for my appointment, no one was at the reception area. I had passed an older woman out in the hall who was on her cell phone, discussing some personal medical matter that sounded really serious. I went in the office, and a few minutes later she followed me in, then went around to the reception area and greeted me! I had figured she was a patient, not the receptionist. It was a little awkward, because she was obviously upset (I think I had heard her say out in the hallway that someone she knew just found out that their cancer had spread) but she tried her best to be professional with me. She was really sweet - she's the same one you talk to when you call there, "Jo" I think her name is.
Well, even though I had filled out many, many pages of info from the downloadable packet that Dr. Pleatman has on his website, she had me fill out like 4 more pages. I had to laugh about that... isn't that always the case at a doctor's office? They have you fill out like 50 forms with the same info over & over?
Well anyway, after I was done, she had me come around behind her desk to get my height, weight & body fat taken. I have a minor complaint about this... She's like, "Okay, take off your shoes & socks & come over here so I can get your height, weight & body fat." I had on a large raincoat, plus a purse and a folder with a bunch of papers in it. I had to set them on her narrow counter, then bend over & take off my zip-up boots and knee-high nylons, which isn't an easy task when you're a large person in a narrow area with no chair! Plus it was just kind of gross, having to walk around barefoot in their carpeted office/reception area where many others have obviously done the same thing. I think she just doesn't realize that taking off and putting on shoes is an event for people my size! We can't just whip them off & put 'em back on... it causes us, or at least me, to get all red in the face and it's just... well, it's hard! But I'm spending too much time on this point. It wasn't really that big of a deal, just kind of strange, and something I would have liked to know about before hand. So a small word of warning to anyone going to Dr. Pleatman's office for your consult: wear slip on shoes, preferably with no socks! :) [EDIT added 5-28-07: Just want to mention that last time I was at the office, I noticed that they do have a chair there, near the scale. I don't know if they added it recently, or if I just didn't notice it the first time I was there!]
After another 5 or 10 minutes, Dr. Pleatman came and called me into the consult room. He's very low-key, and not the kind of person who talks over you or down to you. I didn't get the impression that he had any agenda... It was like, well why are you here? In a nice way, not with an attitude or anything. I told him I wanted the VSG. It was funny... I remember reading someone else's blog, and she said she felt like he was looking at her chest, but then realized he was just trying to see how large she was. That's exactly how I felt! As a woman, I'm used to certain men looking not in my eyes, but about 18 inches lower, when they talk to me. :) So it was a little awkward for a second, until I realized what he was doing!
Well anyway... My BMI is barely 40, and I'm not nearly as large looking as most of the folks I saw at the information session. So as I told him that I wanted the VSG, he didn't say anything immediately, but was checking me out so to speak. I started to feel like maybe he was going to say I wasn't big enough for WLS (silly me, it was just a passing thought) so I kind of mumbled that maybe I wasn't that big, or that maybe it seemed like I didn't need it. He's like, "Well, you're bigger than most people..." I'm like, "Yeah, ok, thanks!" Kind of funny. He doesn't sugarcoat things!
We talked for a few minutes, he answered the few questions I had (I had VERY few, because everything has been answered already on O.H.!!) He did say he uses a 32 fr. bougey, which I was glad to hear. He showed me the stapler they use during the surgery - he had one right there in the exam room - so that was pretty cool.
He also said something I found interesting... He said that he had been on the phone with Dr. Cirangle (of LapSF in San Francisco) the other day, and that Dr. C told him he had been getting "better weight loss" by removing more in the pylorus area of the stomach than he had previously done. Surgeons have traditionally left the pylorus (the bottom part of the stomach - the part that kind of moves the food down into the small intestine) pretty much intact. So the banana shape kind of ended above the pylorus, then flared back out to allow the whole pylorus to stay in place. Well, now that Cirangle has changed his technique, Dr. P says he has started adjusting his technique, too. I thought it was cool that he told me that - again, it seems like something you might want to tell a patient, because some might take it the wrong way or something. But I like his honesty. And I'm glad to be one of his patients who will be receiving this modified technique!
After he and I were done, he left me with Jo to get the surgery scheduled. I had asked him a couple of scheduling/payment type questions in the exam room, and he seemed like he didn't really know - he told me to talk to Jo about it. Well, when we came out of the exam room, Jo was staring into space and visibly upset, the poor thing. But she quickly straightened up and started helping me, while Dr. P moved on to his next patient.
I don't want to say anything bad about Jo, because I am pretty sure she was very upset and quite distracted because of the personal issue I mentioned earlier. But she wasn't very helpful to me at that point... she mentioned a few things I needed to do to get my surgery date, but she said things as if I already knew about them, which in fact I didn't. I was able to determine that she needed my PCP's letter of approval before she could give me a surgery date. I decided I'd get that taken care of and call her back later when she wasn't so distracted, to take care of the rest. I had been hoping to get step-by-step instructions on what needed to be done before the surgery, but I didn't want to push her. I almost asked her if she was ok, if there was anything I could do, but I decided to leave it alone. Poor Jo!
I left the office feeling a little strange. It wasn't as smooth a visit as I had hoped. I still had a lot of questions about what I needed to do, and frankly, I was a little concerned that Dr. P was not more... well I don't know how to explain it... more involved or concerned I guess. He blew through my 10 - 15 pages of medical history without asking more than 1 or 2 questions of me. To be fair, I had almost nothing bad in there - I am pretty healthy, and so are most members of my family. But the whole appointment seemed more like a formality really. It was obvious I qualified for the surgery, that I wanted the surgery, and that he DOES the surgery, so it was like, well, let's do it! He didn't explain anything about what was going to happen, but then again, I didn't ask either. As I said before, he didn't seem to have an agenda at all. Like he didn't have a list of things he wanted to tell me, or a speech he gives to all potential patients, like you would think a surgeon would. He didn't mention bloodwork, or pre-op testing. He did say that I don't need to go on a pre-op diet, which is great! He said I shouldn't gain any weight before my surgery, and that it wouldn't hurt to lose a few pounds to shrink my liver, but it wasn't a big deal.
All in all, I am happy with the whole situation. Dr. P and his office don't seem to have a very polished or structured program, but I've done SO much research that I really feel like I have a good grip on everything. I don't need the kind of surgeon who babies me. Dr. Pleatman has impeccable credentials, and that's what matters most to me. And for heaven's sake, ANY question I have would be completely answered within minutes if I posted it on the VSG forum!! So I'm happy. My PCP wants me to do a cardiolyte stress test, so I'll be doing that tomorrow - Thursday, May 3rd - and once that's done, she'll write the letter of permission to Dr. P so I can get my surgery date!! I'm so excited, I can't wait! Yay!!!
Ok, so let me tell my story so far, starting with the informational session with Dr. Pleatman...
The info session was April 4, 2007 at St. Joe's Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan. I guess Dr. P does one every month. It's in a nice, large auditorium on the lower level. There were about 15 or 20 people there. Dr. P did a good presentation on the history of bariatric surgery, on the surgeries that he offers, and answered questions people had. He isn't really a charmer, but that's not something I care about in a surgeon. He's very honest, and speaks to you the same way he might speak to his friends or colleagues. In other words, he is honest about the fact that this is all kind of new to him, that mistakes can happen, that he's not perfect. Here's an example of what I mean: One of the first things he told us at the beginning of the session was that he just received his first lawsuit in the mail that morning. He said he did a surgery on a woman, then 10 days later she was back home in Florida, veered into the wrong lane while driving, "and so that's my fault." I thought it was a little strange that he would be telling a group of potential patients about this, but I think it's a good example of how honest he is. He told us the same way he'd tell a friend, without concern for what some of us might think of it. It didn't bother me personally, but I imagine some people might make a judgment automatically when they hear a doctor is involved in a lawsuit.
So anyway, it was at that information session that I first learned about the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. Before that, I had pretty much made up my mind that I wanted a LapBand. But Dr. P was fairly open about the fact that although he does the LapBand, he's not crazy about it. He's had to start doing revisions on LapBand patients, because so many of them have problems with it. He presented the VSG as a nice compromise between the Roux-n-Y and the Band. I went home and did research on the VSG (and on Dr. P of course), then called the next day and scheduled my consult.
I had my consult with Dr. Pleatman on April 25. It went pretty well. I was in the exam room with him for maybe 15 minutes, including the time it took him to take my measurements and "before" pictures and put them into his laptop.
You know, it's kind of funny.... Before the consult, I was all prepared to run back here and write about everything that happened, but now that it's over with, I feel differently. It's like, now that I have a relationship established with him and his office, I feel weird coming home and telling everything to the whole world. (Not that the whole world, or ANYONE, for that matter, will be reading this LOL!) But it IS public, and... I don't know... I just feel like he or his office staff will come and find me on this site and read everything I write, then when I go in to the office the next time, they'll be like, "SO! We saw what you wrote about us!" It just feels strange. (Can you tell I've never blogged before?!? :)
But I'm not going to say anything about my office visit that's damaging - it's just the truth, and if they read it, well, then it's probably good that they will be seeing an honest evaluation of their services. So here goes:
When I got to the office for my appointment, no one was at the reception area. I had passed an older woman out in the hall who was on her cell phone, discussing some personal medical matter that sounded really serious. I went in the office, and a few minutes later she followed me in, then went around to the reception area and greeted me! I had figured she was a patient, not the receptionist. It was a little awkward, because she was obviously upset (I think I had heard her say out in the hallway that someone she knew just found out that their cancer had spread) but she tried her best to be professional with me. She was really sweet - she's the same one you talk to when you call there, "Jo" I think her name is.
Well, even though I had filled out many, many pages of info from the downloadable packet that Dr. Pleatman has on his website, she had me fill out like 4 more pages. I had to laugh about that... isn't that always the case at a doctor's office? They have you fill out like 50 forms with the same info over & over?
Well anyway, after I was done, she had me come around behind her desk to get my height, weight & body fat taken. I have a minor complaint about this... She's like, "Okay, take off your shoes & socks & come over here so I can get your height, weight & body fat." I had on a large raincoat, plus a purse and a folder with a bunch of papers in it. I had to set them on her narrow counter, then bend over & take off my zip-up boots and knee-high nylons, which isn't an easy task when you're a large person in a narrow area with no chair! Plus it was just kind of gross, having to walk around barefoot in their carpeted office/reception area where many others have obviously done the same thing. I think she just doesn't realize that taking off and putting on shoes is an event for people my size! We can't just whip them off & put 'em back on... it causes us, or at least me, to get all red in the face and it's just... well, it's hard! But I'm spending too much time on this point. It wasn't really that big of a deal, just kind of strange, and something I would have liked to know about before hand. So a small word of warning to anyone going to Dr. Pleatman's office for your consult: wear slip on shoes, preferably with no socks! :) [EDIT added 5-28-07: Just want to mention that last time I was at the office, I noticed that they do have a chair there, near the scale. I don't know if they added it recently, or if I just didn't notice it the first time I was there!]
After another 5 or 10 minutes, Dr. Pleatman came and called me into the consult room. He's very low-key, and not the kind of person who talks over you or down to you. I didn't get the impression that he had any agenda... It was like, well why are you here? In a nice way, not with an attitude or anything. I told him I wanted the VSG. It was funny... I remember reading someone else's blog, and she said she felt like he was looking at her chest, but then realized he was just trying to see how large she was. That's exactly how I felt! As a woman, I'm used to certain men looking not in my eyes, but about 18 inches lower, when they talk to me. :) So it was a little awkward for a second, until I realized what he was doing!
Well anyway... My BMI is barely 40, and I'm not nearly as large looking as most of the folks I saw at the information session. So as I told him that I wanted the VSG, he didn't say anything immediately, but was checking me out so to speak. I started to feel like maybe he was going to say I wasn't big enough for WLS (silly me, it was just a passing thought) so I kind of mumbled that maybe I wasn't that big, or that maybe it seemed like I didn't need it. He's like, "Well, you're bigger than most people..." I'm like, "Yeah, ok, thanks!" Kind of funny. He doesn't sugarcoat things!
We talked for a few minutes, he answered the few questions I had (I had VERY few, because everything has been answered already on O.H.!!) He did say he uses a 32 fr. bougey, which I was glad to hear. He showed me the stapler they use during the surgery - he had one right there in the exam room - so that was pretty cool.
He also said something I found interesting... He said that he had been on the phone with Dr. Cirangle (of LapSF in San Francisco) the other day, and that Dr. C told him he had been getting "better weight loss" by removing more in the pylorus area of the stomach than he had previously done. Surgeons have traditionally left the pylorus (the bottom part of the stomach - the part that kind of moves the food down into the small intestine) pretty much intact. So the banana shape kind of ended above the pylorus, then flared back out to allow the whole pylorus to stay in place. Well, now that Cirangle has changed his technique, Dr. P says he has started adjusting his technique, too. I thought it was cool that he told me that - again, it seems like something you might want to tell a patient, because some might take it the wrong way or something. But I like his honesty. And I'm glad to be one of his patients who will be receiving this modified technique!
After he and I were done, he left me with Jo to get the surgery scheduled. I had asked him a couple of scheduling/payment type questions in the exam room, and he seemed like he didn't really know - he told me to talk to Jo about it. Well, when we came out of the exam room, Jo was staring into space and visibly upset, the poor thing. But she quickly straightened up and started helping me, while Dr. P moved on to his next patient.
I don't want to say anything bad about Jo, because I am pretty sure she was very upset and quite distracted because of the personal issue I mentioned earlier. But she wasn't very helpful to me at that point... she mentioned a few things I needed to do to get my surgery date, but she said things as if I already knew about them, which in fact I didn't. I was able to determine that she needed my PCP's letter of approval before she could give me a surgery date. I decided I'd get that taken care of and call her back later when she wasn't so distracted, to take care of the rest. I had been hoping to get step-by-step instructions on what needed to be done before the surgery, but I didn't want to push her. I almost asked her if she was ok, if there was anything I could do, but I decided to leave it alone. Poor Jo!
I left the office feeling a little strange. It wasn't as smooth a visit as I had hoped. I still had a lot of questions about what I needed to do, and frankly, I was a little concerned that Dr. P was not more... well I don't know how to explain it... more involved or concerned I guess. He blew through my 10 - 15 pages of medical history without asking more than 1 or 2 questions of me. To be fair, I had almost nothing bad in there - I am pretty healthy, and so are most members of my family. But the whole appointment seemed more like a formality really. It was obvious I qualified for the surgery, that I wanted the surgery, and that he DOES the surgery, so it was like, well, let's do it! He didn't explain anything about what was going to happen, but then again, I didn't ask either. As I said before, he didn't seem to have an agenda at all. Like he didn't have a list of things he wanted to tell me, or a speech he gives to all potential patients, like you would think a surgeon would. He didn't mention bloodwork, or pre-op testing. He did say that I don't need to go on a pre-op diet, which is great! He said I shouldn't gain any weight before my surgery, and that it wouldn't hurt to lose a few pounds to shrink my liver, but it wasn't a big deal.
All in all, I am happy with the whole situation. Dr. P and his office don't seem to have a very polished or structured program, but I've done SO much research that I really feel like I have a good grip on everything. I don't need the kind of surgeon who babies me. Dr. Pleatman has impeccable credentials, and that's what matters most to me. And for heaven's sake, ANY question I have would be completely answered within minutes if I posted it on the VSG forum!! So I'm happy. My PCP wants me to do a cardiolyte stress test, so I'll be doing that tomorrow - Thursday, May 3rd - and once that's done, she'll write the letter of permission to Dr. P so I can get my surgery date!! I'm so excited, I can't wait! Yay!!!
About Me
MI
Location
38.4
BMI
Surgery
05/31/2007
Surgery Date
Apr 04, 2007
Member Since
