I can’t believe the surgery is only 12 days away! People have asked me if I am nervous or excited and neither one seems to really fit. It is more a little of both - or a lot of both when it is on my mind. Which I figure is pretty much normal. However, I wish the 20th was here already :)
I feel like I have accomplished a lot over the last few weeks. I have almost everything I need food wise for at least the next few weeks, plus I have made good progress cleaning out my closet and my kitchen. In fact, I have done such a good job of empting my cupboards I am not sure what my parents are going to eat when they come done after my surgery. LOL
Since I am furlough next week and on medical leave the next two weeks, I expect this week to be extremely hectic. I am thinking of canceling my trip to Cleveland (for work) since I can’t really spare the 10 hours on the road – especially since I also have to take half of Tuesday off for the Echo. However, since the only reason they really want us there is to have a team dinner, that I can’t really eat, I am hoping my boss doesn’t mind. I really should have used this weekend to get some work done, but since I have worked the last few weekends I don’t feel too guilty – not that I should feel guilty anyways!
Well I should probably hit the sack since I have an early morning meeting tomorrow. I still can’t believe that I only have 12 days left!!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Almost there!
It is amazing to think that it is November already. And with the arrival of November the reality of my surgery happening is starting to seep in. Only 16 days! It still doesn’t seem real.
Last week I had an appointment at the hospital for my pre-admission testing. It was a little interesting since they had the hospital in “flu lockdown”. I was running a little late and when I ended up having to take a longer route to the check-in desk since everyone was being filtered through one entrance and had to be screened before entering. I know that they won’t catch everybody since it takes a few days before you show symptoms, but I really like the concept.
Right now the only thing I still need is my medical clearance from my primary dr. Hopefully, I will get that by next Friday since the Echo is scheduled for Tuesday. If not I have the next week off (furlough) so I will just camp in their office until they give it to me!!
So far I have picked out a few protein powders that I like including several that can be used during the clear liquid stage. With my low sugar I wouldn’t make it 2 days on jello and koolaid so I am glad I found something that I like. I am glad that I started trying and buying these a while ago. This way I am assured that I will have something I like plus since I was able to spread the costs out over a couple months so I was able to buy several different flavors to give me a good variety.
I feel pretty prepared, but I have a couple more things to get before everything set. It is funny because I am normally not an organized person, but it is a major way I deal with stress. As I become more prepared and organized I feel more in control and less stressed. Luckily, most people in my life don’t mind my spurts of being a control freak. It helps that as the stress goes away so does the need to organize :)
Last week I had an appointment at the hospital for my pre-admission testing. It was a little interesting since they had the hospital in “flu lockdown”. I was running a little late and when I ended up having to take a longer route to the check-in desk since everyone was being filtered through one entrance and had to be screened before entering. I know that they won’t catch everybody since it takes a few days before you show symptoms, but I really like the concept.
Right now the only thing I still need is my medical clearance from my primary dr. Hopefully, I will get that by next Friday since the Echo is scheduled for Tuesday. If not I have the next week off (furlough) so I will just camp in their office until they give it to me!!
So far I have picked out a few protein powders that I like including several that can be used during the clear liquid stage. With my low sugar I wouldn’t make it 2 days on jello and koolaid so I am glad I found something that I like. I am glad that I started trying and buying these a while ago. This way I am assured that I will have something I like plus since I was able to spread the costs out over a couple months so I was able to buy several different flavors to give me a good variety.
I feel pretty prepared, but I have a couple more things to get before everything set. It is funny because I am normally not an organized person, but it is a major way I deal with stress. As I become more prepared and organized I feel more in control and less stressed. Luckily, most people in my life don’t mind my spurts of being a control freak. It helps that as the stress goes away so does the need to organize :)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Waiting on Medical Clearance
I went to my new primary doctor (Dr. J) about a week and a half ago to get a physical and medical clearance for the surgery. I knew my old doctor wouldn’t approve weight loss surgery and the replacement I found earlier this summer wasn’t very good. I really like the new doctor and the office. What is great is that they are in a brand new building that contains many different medical offices – including radiology, urgent care, pharmacy, lab plus many other specialties – including the bariatric institute. It made things really convenient since I was able to get all the normal testing for my physical and medical clearance done in one visit.
The visit was going great until the EKG. I was kind of wondering why the nurse double checked my leads during the test and seemed a little more intense than normal, but I figured something must not have been connected tightly. Nope :( Turns out the left upper part of my heart is working harder than it is “supposed” to. Dr. J said it could be just something I was born with, but since I have had several EKGs, Echocardiograms, and heart monitors in my past I know that isn’t the case. The other reason, according to Dr. J, is likely my weight.
For some reason I am having a hard time dealing with this. I am doing this surgery for my health, but I always thought of it as my future health. I mean I know that my overall health will get better after I lose weight. The asthma and PCOS may also get better, but these conditions weren’t caused by my weight. I thought I was doing something before my weight caused any major health issues. The good new is that no matter WHY losing weight should help.
Even though Dr. J told me that it didn’t mean I couldn’t have surgery (in fact it makes the surgery more important) she hasn’t given me medical clearance yet. The surgeon’s office doesn’t think she will sign off until after the EKG. Unfortunately, I can’t get the Echocardiogram done until the 10th of November – only 10 days before the surgery!
Ohh well. Time to stop worrying and move on :)
The visit was going great until the EKG. I was kind of wondering why the nurse double checked my leads during the test and seemed a little more intense than normal, but I figured something must not have been connected tightly. Nope :( Turns out the left upper part of my heart is working harder than it is “supposed” to. Dr. J said it could be just something I was born with, but since I have had several EKGs, Echocardiograms, and heart monitors in my past I know that isn’t the case. The other reason, according to Dr. J, is likely my weight.
For some reason I am having a hard time dealing with this. I am doing this surgery for my health, but I always thought of it as my future health. I mean I know that my overall health will get better after I lose weight. The asthma and PCOS may also get better, but these conditions weren’t caused by my weight. I thought I was doing something before my weight caused any major health issues. The good new is that no matter WHY losing weight should help.
Even though Dr. J told me that it didn’t mean I couldn’t have surgery (in fact it makes the surgery more important) she hasn’t given me medical clearance yet. The surgeon’s office doesn’t think she will sign off until after the EKG. Unfortunately, I can’t get the Echocardiogram done until the 10th of November – only 10 days before the surgery!
Ohh well. Time to stop worrying and move on :)
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A Step Closer to Surgery!
Yeah! One more hurdle to a successful November surgery is complete. Yesterday, I completed my esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) which is the only major test I had to have completed before my surgeon would give his medical clearance.
I have had this test before and HATE it. I know that I will be able to breath, but the thought of the scope going down my throat makes me feel like I won’t. As someone who lives with asthma I know what struggling to breath feels like and the thought of it puts me into a panic. The first time I had a mini panic attack and started crying so they knocked me out deeper than they probably normally would (no waking up like I did during my colonoscopy!).
This time I thought I would be fine. I did, however, tell the nurse anesthetist that didn’t want to remember a thing. I was half way joking with him since I really thought I would be fine – that was UNTIL they put in the mouth guard. I don’t remember them doing that last time and I really think they should wait until you are out. The sensation is strange and it makes you feel like you have to work harder to breathe which of course was a trigger for my fear. At this point I started to freak out – which of course signaled the nurse anesthetist to get things going. A few deep breaths and was in dream land and I don’t remember a thing afterwards :)
Turns out I have a small hiatal hernia, but the doctor says it won’t be a problem. So my banding surgery will probably take a little longer since he will have to repair it, but a few minutes here or there doesn’t really matter. The best news is that my shoulder pain and asthma may have been irritated by the hernia and may get much better after it is fixed.
I have had this test before and HATE it. I know that I will be able to breath, but the thought of the scope going down my throat makes me feel like I won’t. As someone who lives with asthma I know what struggling to breath feels like and the thought of it puts me into a panic. The first time I had a mini panic attack and started crying so they knocked me out deeper than they probably normally would (no waking up like I did during my colonoscopy!).
This time I thought I would be fine. I did, however, tell the nurse anesthetist that didn’t want to remember a thing. I was half way joking with him since I really thought I would be fine – that was UNTIL they put in the mouth guard. I don’t remember them doing that last time and I really think they should wait until you are out. The sensation is strange and it makes you feel like you have to work harder to breathe which of course was a trigger for my fear. At this point I started to freak out – which of course signaled the nurse anesthetist to get things going. A few deep breaths and was in dream land and I don’t remember a thing afterwards :)
Turns out I have a small hiatal hernia, but the doctor says it won’t be a problem. So my banding surgery will probably take a little longer since he will have to repair it, but a few minutes here or there doesn’t really matter. The best news is that my shoulder pain and asthma may have been irritated by the hernia and may get much better after it is fixed.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Surgery Date!
I recieved a called from the surgeon's office today. They said I was approved by my insurance company (in one phone call!!) and my surgery date was Nov 20th!! Yippeee!! Ready or not hear I come :)
Long time but I have Good News
So it has been a very long time since I have posted, but things have been moving.
I heard back from the surgeon in Feb and they asked how everything was going. I was a little ticked... they acted like I was the one that they were waiting on not the other way around. I said I was just waiting to hear back from them on what my next steps were since they said they needed to review my primary doctor's charts before telling me what to do next. Her response... "ohhh... well we haven't ordered them yet, but I will order them today."
So ok. I was ticked, but everyone makes mistakes right??? So when they called back in March they still didn't have my charts, but it "wasn't their fault". My primary doctor was refusing to send them until I paid for them. Paid for them??? I was a little shocked, but I decided to drive over to their office and get a copy myself since I knew I would need them a few more times (especially when I changed primary doctors :) ). They charged me a dollar a page - even for the copy of the release the surgeon's office sent them and the fax cover sheet.
I sent a copy of the chart to the surgeon and thought that things would get moving again. Nope. After reviewing my notes they said I needed more weight loss documentation. 25lbs over 6 months with only 2 doctor's visits wasn't enough. I need to have 1 document (or visit) per month. :( So in May (yes it took a long time to figure this out) I found a new primary doctor and was working on getting 4 more months of documents (5 visits in total). Unfortunately, with several reschedules (on the doctor's side) and my increase travel by August I had only seen the doctor three times and I had no idea how to go about getting the additional tests I needed for the surgeon since they didn't seem to provide any help.
Sooo... I decided to start fresh. I started to research new surgeons and found that a great bariatric institute that had just started another office closer to my home. (I had originally thought about going to them, but since they were an hour away I decided not t0). I gave them a call in late August and have been doing follow-up visits almost weekly!!
The new surgeon's office is great! In my first visit I found that I didn't even need the missing documentation since my insurance company had changed the requirements early in the year (grr...). They also set up appointments for my endoscope, physiological review, and nutritionist - with people in their same office. It was so nice to have help with the process instead of being sent out and told to come back after you and talk to us when you are done with everything.
The great news is that, as of yesterday, I passed my physiological review with flying colors and have been approved for "fast track" surgery. This means no group therapy or support groups over the next few months to slow things down. So as long as my scope shows no medical problems I should be able to have surgery in Nov!!!
I am soooo happy to be finally to this point!!
I heard back from the surgeon in Feb and they asked how everything was going. I was a little ticked... they acted like I was the one that they were waiting on not the other way around. I said I was just waiting to hear back from them on what my next steps were since they said they needed to review my primary doctor's charts before telling me what to do next. Her response... "ohhh... well we haven't ordered them yet, but I will order them today."
So ok. I was ticked, but everyone makes mistakes right??? So when they called back in March they still didn't have my charts, but it "wasn't their fault". My primary doctor was refusing to send them until I paid for them. Paid for them??? I was a little shocked, but I decided to drive over to their office and get a copy myself since I knew I would need them a few more times (especially when I changed primary doctors :) ). They charged me a dollar a page - even for the copy of the release the surgeon's office sent them and the fax cover sheet.
I sent a copy of the chart to the surgeon and thought that things would get moving again. Nope. After reviewing my notes they said I needed more weight loss documentation. 25lbs over 6 months with only 2 doctor's visits wasn't enough. I need to have 1 document (or visit) per month. :( So in May (yes it took a long time to figure this out) I found a new primary doctor and was working on getting 4 more months of documents (5 visits in total). Unfortunately, with several reschedules (on the doctor's side) and my increase travel by August I had only seen the doctor three times and I had no idea how to go about getting the additional tests I needed for the surgeon since they didn't seem to provide any help.
Sooo... I decided to start fresh. I started to research new surgeons and found that a great bariatric institute that had just started another office closer to my home. (I had originally thought about going to them, but since they were an hour away I decided not t0). I gave them a call in late August and have been doing follow-up visits almost weekly!!
The new surgeon's office is great! In my first visit I found that I didn't even need the missing documentation since my insurance company had changed the requirements early in the year (grr...). They also set up appointments for my endoscope, physiological review, and nutritionist - with people in their same office. It was so nice to have help with the process instead of being sent out and told to come back after you and talk to us when you are done with everything.
The great news is that, as of yesterday, I passed my physiological review with flying colors and have been approved for "fast track" surgery. This means no group therapy or support groups over the next few months to slow things down. So as long as my scope shows no medical problems I should be able to have surgery in Nov!!!
I am soooo happy to be finally to this point!!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Crazy updates
Ok. It has been a long time since I have posted, but here is a quick update.
I had my first visit to the surgeon mid November. It was a little hectic getting ready for it. They were supposed to email me a bunch of documents with info and stuff I had to fill out, but after a week I hadn't received anything. I called my contact, and left a message, but still nobody called back. Her voicemail message NOT to call more then once, so I waited. A week later I called again. I got the machine again, but this time it was a different person. I left another message, and still waited. The day before my appointment I called once more time and got yet another person. This time they told me that the first person left and they emailed me the documents right away.
There were a lot of documents!! I started filling them out when I read that the next day's appointment was supposed to be 6 hours long! And it said that you might want to bring someone with you. Since my family doesn't live in the area and nobody would be able to make it on such short notice I was a little upset. But I figured that I couldn't be that bad and decided to go anyways.
The appointment was a group and individual consultation and ending up taking over 8 hours - mostly waiting. We had our vitals and pictures taken and then were put in a conference room were we waited for everyone else. Then we talked to a nutritionist and watched a video. After filling out more forms (and more waiting) the doctor finally came in and talked for a while. It was only after that and MORE waiting that I talked to the doctor by myself - for all of maybe 7 minutes.
I know they did it this way so that people could get their questions answered and the doctor wouldn't have to keep repeating themselves, but most people attending this appointment had already researched the surgery or attended a seminar held by the doctor so most of the questions that people had were very specific to their own situations and really wasn't helpful to others.
Since many of us had to take a whole day off a work for the hour of two of semi-useful info, it seemed a waste of time. AND before I left they told me their lab was already closed so I would have to come back to get my blood work done. It was very frustrating to say the least.
They also told me to expect a call from them in a couple weeks to followup on what still needed to be done. It has now been 2 months and I haven't heard a thing. Normally, I would have followed up with them, but with my vacation and the holidays I figured I would give them more time. Now I feel a little stupid for waiting this long don't want to call again.
But it isn't just that. I mean if they can't get the basics right do I really want to put my life in their hands. So that is where I stand now. Limbo land. I need to make my mind up soon. I am thinking about switching surgeons and regular doctors. I am giving myself two more weeks to figure this out. I work better under a deadline so hopefully this will help.
I had my first visit to the surgeon mid November. It was a little hectic getting ready for it. They were supposed to email me a bunch of documents with info and stuff I had to fill out, but after a week I hadn't received anything. I called my contact, and left a message, but still nobody called back. Her voicemail message NOT to call more then once, so I waited. A week later I called again. I got the machine again, but this time it was a different person. I left another message, and still waited. The day before my appointment I called once more time and got yet another person. This time they told me that the first person left and they emailed me the documents right away.
There were a lot of documents!! I started filling them out when I read that the next day's appointment was supposed to be 6 hours long! And it said that you might want to bring someone with you. Since my family doesn't live in the area and nobody would be able to make it on such short notice I was a little upset. But I figured that I couldn't be that bad and decided to go anyways.
The appointment was a group and individual consultation and ending up taking over 8 hours - mostly waiting. We had our vitals and pictures taken and then were put in a conference room were we waited for everyone else. Then we talked to a nutritionist and watched a video. After filling out more forms (and more waiting) the doctor finally came in and talked for a while. It was only after that and MORE waiting that I talked to the doctor by myself - for all of maybe 7 minutes.
I know they did it this way so that people could get their questions answered and the doctor wouldn't have to keep repeating themselves, but most people attending this appointment had already researched the surgery or attended a seminar held by the doctor so most of the questions that people had were very specific to their own situations and really wasn't helpful to others.
Since many of us had to take a whole day off a work for the hour of two of semi-useful info, it seemed a waste of time. AND before I left they told me their lab was already closed so I would have to come back to get my blood work done. It was very frustrating to say the least.
They also told me to expect a call from them in a couple weeks to followup on what still needed to be done. It has now been 2 months and I haven't heard a thing. Normally, I would have followed up with them, but with my vacation and the holidays I figured I would give them more time. Now I feel a little stupid for waiting this long don't want to call again.
But it isn't just that. I mean if they can't get the basics right do I really want to put my life in their hands. So that is where I stand now. Limbo land. I need to make my mind up soon. I am thinking about switching surgeons and regular doctors. I am giving myself two more weeks to figure this out. I work better under a deadline so hopefully this will help.
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