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A road bump along the way...

Went to the lab Friday to get the chest x-ray and blood work done. Despite the fact that I had to disrobe (again!) it was quick and painless. My PCP said she should have the results in a few days and if everything is in order she will send over my medical clearance for surgery.   I called my surgeon's office to confirm the next items on the checklist and got a bit of surprising news. With just 34 days to go, the nurse informed me that they have canceled my surgery date because the Surgeon wants to wait till my pre-op consultation (12/1/10) to talk with me about gastric bypass surgery.   I shared concern that I am not willing to consider any other weight loss surgery and that I had to request the time off work months ago and if I lose the date I don't know when I would be able to reschedule. The nurse was adamant about canceling the surgical suite.   I felt truly frustrated. I have no intention of switching to another surgery. I have researched the lap-band, learned all about the lap-band, spoken to other lap-band patients and prepared myself for the lap-band. I scheduled this surgery back in August so Im not sure why they're waiting till now to say something.   I've shared in previous posts that I could tell from the informational seminar that the surgeon was not a big fan of the lap-band. He spent far more time discussing the bypass and sleeve. That being said he stated he thinks the lap-band is more appropriate for people with a BMI no higher than 45 (mine is 47) but that he's performed the surgery on people with a BMI up to 52 and will do it if its all a patient is willing to consider.   I'm hoping that if I go in and show him that I'm seriously not going to be swayed, he will acquiesce and we can get back on track for December 16th. I would be crushed to have come so far only to be shot down now. I feel if a surgeon is not willing to do a lap-band procedure than he needs to be upfront and not make a patient spend months jumping through hoops only to say no at the end.   Here's hoping I can work this out...   :bored:
Jessica Lyndsey

Jessica Lyndsey

5
 

Pre-Op with PCP

Had a pre-op appointment with my Primary Care today. The visit was basically just an EKG, check-up, file review, and an order for the neccessary labs. In the next two weeks I'll need to get more bloodwork done as well as a chest x-ray. Then she'll send the surgeon a medical clearance document and I'm one step closer to the lap-band®!   The only incident of note was finding that I have high blood pressure. My primary care is great though, she is ALREADY planning how we'll make the prescription work after the surgery (for however long I'll need it).   Things are going well. Surgery is 50 days from tomorrow. I'm excited but really nervous. I'm starting to get burnt out on the uncomfortable/embarrassing tests too. I'm trying to stay positive and know it will all be worth it in the end.   Although Im hearing the x-ray is another one I'll have to go topless for. Yippee. :thumbup:
Jessica Lyndsey

Jessica Lyndsey

0
 

The Surgical Procedure

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5ICI9q7nxU   I found this great (awful) video on youtube and have watched it several times now. It's quick and dirty but I think I have a better understanding of how the actual surgery is going to work.   Not gonna lie, I had to turn it off twice the first time I watched it so I could run to the bathroom, gagging.   I simply am NOT brave about hospital stays/surgical procedures.   All told though, I'm glad I found it. I've been looking for something like it for a while, and as always my imagination cooked up images MUCH scarier than the reality of it.   Just wanted to share.   88 days and counting! :thumbup:
Jessica Lyndsey

Jessica Lyndsey

2
 

The Nutrition Consult - The Decision

September 5th, 2010   I had my consultation at the Hospital Diabetes Education Center. The appt was with a Registered Dietician and was probably the most helpful step of the process thus far.   The dietician sent me a packet to fill out a week before my appointment that asked for my medical/psychological history as well as a 3 day food journal. I brought the completed packet with me, and we spent the first 15 minutes going over my responses.   The only physical portion of the consultation was stepping on the scale. Always my favorite part... After that it was just sitting at a desk going over paperwork.   She asked me some more medical questions, my family history of obesity related weight concerns mostly... then proceeded into the information about the surgery. Since I had already decided on the surgery I was getting, she didn't bother going over the bypass or sleeve paperwork, and devoted the entire 40 minutes to the lap-band.   She explained the process where everyone else left off... at the point of waking up from the surgery. What to expect pain wise, what to eat, the first day, week, month, year of recovery. And most importantly what the rest of my life would be like. She took out a 2 ounce measuring cup and put it in my hand to help me understand what it looked like, (and to drive home the point that a piece of pizza would NOT fit in it).   She went over a lot of possible complications and the requirements for getting the most out of band. She was incredibly patient and encouraging, answering all my questions and honestly laying out the difficult road that only STARTS at getting the surgery. She have me a behavior modification schedule that the reccommended starting NOW to be an expert at it by the time the band is put in.   As I left I knew this was something I was going to do. I took the little cup home with me and set it on my foyer table where I would pass it often.   The next day I called the Doctor's office and scheduled the surgery. I'm still nervous, but really the hesitation and doubt have lifted. I'm so confident with my decision to get the lap-band. I'm really excited about this first step in changing my life.   :thumbup:
Jessica Lyndsey

Jessica Lyndsey

1
 

The Psych Consult

August 31, 2010   The Psych Consult. For a therapist, I was surprisingly nervous. The subject matter rattled me. As I've mentioned in other posts, I don't make a habit of frank discussion of my weight and dieting habits.   The surgeon reccommended 3 therapists he had worked with before but only 1 was on my list of approved providers so my choice was made. The office was small but comfortable. The therapist was older and not threatening at all. After about 10 minutes I was able to relax and breathe normally.   We started by discussing a brief history of my life. Family, friends, school , jobs, relationships. How did my weight affect me in all these arenas? Did I have any mental health disorders or eating disorders? What did I expect the surgery to do for my life?   Then we moved into the surgery itself. What was my understanding of the procedure and the possible risks? How was I prepared to change my life afterwards?   The whole session was done in a very casual conversational manner. The only uncomfortable bit was when he was asking about my sex life and said "you know some guys really like big women. they look for that in particular..." Said with an ever-so-slightly-lecherous tone. Made me wonder why he chose this as a specialty. Lol.   Other than that it was fine. He said he'd send the report directly to Dr. Vaughan and my work there was done.   As I left I called the office girl to let her know the report was coming and informed her, while I wasn't sure about the money or the timeline for being able to proceed as a self-pay client. I was interested in continuing and would be moving on with the list of requirements.   The next of which was the Nutrition Consult.   :thumbup:
Jessica Lyndsey

Jessica Lyndsey

0
 

The Insurance Decision

August 19, 2010   I mailed back the paperwork I got at the seminar a few days later. The response was almost immediate. The surgeon's receptionist called and told me that AETNA had denied my appeal. I tried to get approval on my own at first but had held out hope that the medical staff had some secret language or handshake that would unfreeze the cold-dead hearts of my insurance benfits reps. Apparently not.   She told me I could consider doing it as a self-pay patient. The hospital has a financing plan that approves everyone (with 30% down) and gives you five years repayment time with prime plus 6% or no interest if paid in 1 year. She encouraged me to consider it and told me the next step would be a psych consult if I decided to proceed. I told her it was a lot to process and I'd let her know.   I thought it over for a week or so and vaccillated like a mad woman. My mother and friends convinced me to see the therapist, talk about it some more and not make my mind up just yet. Since my insurance covered the psych visit, I figured what the hell... :thumbup:
Jessica Lyndsey

Jessica Lyndsey

1
 

The first step on the path... the lecture

I feel compelled to start at the beginning to provide as accurate and thorough a retelling as possible. For those of my friends who are interested in taking the same route someday, perhaps I can help assuage some fear/doubt by mapping out my journey.   August 11, 2010     I finally attended the Weight Loss Surgery seminar at the Hospital. I had registered for it twice before in the last year but then cancelled at the last minute. I kept telling myself I wasn't there yet. That I didn't really need this.   There were about 35 people there to hear the lecture, and 2 post-op volunteers who came to share thier stories. The surgeon discussed the gastric bypass, vertical sleeve, and LAP-BAND®. He flat out announced that he's not a fan of the LAP-BAND® but I made my mind up that this was the surgery for me before I got there.   It took a lot to get me to this point. There's no way in hell I'm rerouting my intestines OR removing part of my stomach. The band is the safest weight loss surgery. I know he's worried I won't see the same results as I might with the others, but I know that all of the surgeries are tools, and that I will get out as much as I put in.   At first, being at the seminar was terribly uncomfortable. I was embarrassed to sit in a room where everyone knew I had come because I want to lose weight. I've made a lifetime habit of blending in, wearing dark clothes, and sitting in the back. I don't draw attention to my body or discuss my weight. The fact that the DR was so down on my preferred method didn't help either.   Despite it all, I liked him a lot. He is very frank and straightforward. I felt he was glib (almost to the point of rudeness) with some of the question askers but I appreciated his open discussion of some possible complications and even the possibility of death from the surgery. I've never had an operation and was really scared about the prospect of being cut open and talking about it upfront made it seem less sinister and more manageable, I guess.   One thing he said that really struck home was that... "if you go on living obese, there is a high likelihood you will need surgery in the future, hip replacement, hiatal hernia, open heart, etc. The mortality rates for these surgeries are 5-10x higher than the mortality rate for WLS." He almost convinced me right then and there.   As it was I took home all the paperwork he gave me to look over and filled out the health forms the next day on my lunch break.   I still wasn't conviced this was in my future but I figured it couldn't hurt to fill out the paperwork. :thumbup:
Jessica Lyndsey

Jessica Lyndsey

1
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