Cici22

Tomorrow, October 2, 2013, is the day I have my first pre-op appointment. 3:30 pm (cst). I pretty positive I will be approved and I'm pretty positive that Medicare will pay for it. My BMI is 46 and I'm a type 2 diabetic with high blood pressure. My surgery will be in a Center of Excellence (even though that it not a requirement anymore I feel good about) that has had their rating since 2007.
 
Yesterday I shared what I was doing with my brother. I think I expected him to say something like have you thought about this carefully but instead he was totally supportive as has been my son.

I do better writing my thoughts down -- helps me work through them
 
1. My first appointment is Tuesday, Oct 4. I have questions
 
How does Medicare work? Is there a waiting period? Does it have to be pre-approved via the clinic? If not, how do I know they are going to pay? What has been MBS's experience dealing with Medicare.
 
How soon can I expect to have the surgery? Do I need to have so many pre-op appointments, nutrition appointments, etc.
 
How soon can I drive after surgery? (reason: I want to do this and have only Patrick know what is going on. I would prefer no one go with me.)
 
Are there any additional tests I will need?
 
How do I take my medicine after surgery? Confirm that I will have to give up Celebrex.
 
Upcoming cataract surgery -- should I wait until to have the bypass until after that is done?
 
2. I need to formalize my support plan.
 
Attend MBS support group once a week.
 
Dr. Harden - start seeing him as soon as surgery is scheduled. See him every two weeks until surgery; every week for first four weeks after surgery; then once a month for a year.
 
Keep Karyl and Pat in the loop and Patrick & Mayra.
 
Be faithful about food and exercise journal.
 
Figure out how to answer the "you have lost enough weight" comments and "why have you done this" comments.
 
Figure out how to handle being attractive again -- have I been hiding behind my weight; do I want another relationship; how far would I want a relationship to go. This is a topic I will need to explore with Dr. Harden's help.
 
Learn to exercise again.
 
3. How to handle pre-op stage cause I'm not doing a very good job of it right now. The last two weeks I've been eating way beyond what I should.
 
Get back to on three meals a day
 
No snacks
 
High protein, low carb
 
Eat a table, not in chair in front of TV
 
When watching TV find something to do with my hands (build a puzzle, finish afghan, figure out how to get on bike and ride it while watching TV
 
Spend less time watching TV. Limit my self to 2 hours each evening during the week.
 
Work on my Beth Moore study and bible archeology study.
 
Use RNYTalk blog.
 
4. Once surgery is scheduled:
 
How to tell Dr. Heard I will be having surgery and need two weeks sick leave.
 
Keep it quiet - how to answer questions aimed at finding out why I will be out.
 
Clean out kitchen.
 
Use weight loss surgery for dummies book to stock kitchen (pretty well stocked now)
 
Attend MBS support group weekly until surgery..
 
So I have a basic plan. Now I just need follow-through.

Call from doctors office saying all files on me has now been placed on surgeons desk. Now I just wait for a phone call giving me a surgery date.
Also told me when the call comes in, I have to do a three week liquid diet before surgery. Don't think I'm going to enjoy that very much.
Oh well, got to do what I have to do...

Well the sleep Center call me today and told me that I tested positive for sleep apnea and is severe. So they schedule me appointment to go try the CPAP mask and machine and I have to stay overnight again. In part this will definitely get me approve as a medical necessity however, it's sad that I'm in this predicament. My mother and brother both suffer from this disease, and they let it get horribly bad. But I am going to do everything in my power to not end up with a trachea tube and in a position that I can't barely move. I met my surgeon already I'm in a supervised diet, I'm walking, I'm potion controlling. I'm doing this.

Hi, as you might have read, my name is Carmen. I am a mother of two, a 13 year old daughter, and a 9 year old son. Currently after 15 years working I am taking a break to continue my education. I am an EMT, and I am going to school for cosmetology. I been in the retail industry all my life. When I became and EMT, it was one if my great accomplishments, I was very happy. I started to work for a busy system in the City of Syracuse, and I was doing OK. At the end of my 15 hour days, I was in serious pain, but i got up every morning at 4am to go to work and do it all over again. But the pain got worst, i was barely able to stand on my feet less carry a heavy bag with an oxygen tank. I took a medical leave to address my condition. Resulting that I have arthritis on my back and my knees are deteriorating and I have tendinitis on my wrist. Anyone with arthritis now that pain only gets worst and it never gets better, I started taking medications for the pain that wouldn't allow me to drive the ambulance in the state. So I had to extend my leave indefinitely. My neck started to hurt, along with my ankles, and even so I decided to start going to school for cosmetology more standing up and more wrist work, What was I thinking? I figure I need to continue working on something I like doing but I want to make more for my work, and I want to work when I want to ( when not in pain). Anyways Its been a journey I am half way my journey (http://bbgbeauty.blogspot.com). My brother ended up in the hospital, also my mother. My brother had developed sleepanea, a sleeping disorder mostly on obese people. He weight at almost 600 pounds. He had let himself go. He was in the hospital for many months until he was able to get out he now weights around 550. He can barely walk, or breathe he ended up with a tracheal tube for life or until he gets his weight under control.
 
 
Now my mother is battling her foot to diabetes in the hospital and they ha to amputate all her toes.
 
I go trough a lot with them and finally get them into my home and they doing a little better. But its far from over, my mom goes again more times to the hospital and still struggling to keep her leg now in top of everything my boyfriend ends up in the emergency room because of his diabetes. I said to my self no more...
 
 
 
I decided I am not going to end up like them, to this date I don't have diabetes, I might be in the border of Sleepanea, I might already have it. I don't have high cholesterol but my blood pressure is very high and I take medications for these. I talk to them about loosing weight and that we could do it together, they seem reluctant to the idea of eating less and healthier. I guess I am on my own right now. Each person's health is their own decision. My mom is somewhat supportive, she "tried to keep me under control with sweats" and by trying i mean she waves them in front of me and says resist the temptations! lol . My boyfriend has gone so far to the info group and support groups in the area for me and have allow me to expend a little extra on healthy foods. We all know that healthy food is more expensive... but thats another topic. So I went to the information group to gather information about the Gastric Bypass Surgery, and I have learn a lot. I also went online to research, and I been to support groups in the area. I filled my paperwork and submitted to the surgeons. I am awaiting a date to start the process. It should be this week. They called me last week but I was missing my doctors referral, which hopefully they faxed today. I been on a diet on my own so i can gradually start my transition to better eating. Its been hard. I am limited to 1,400 calories a day, witch is not much compared to what I was eating before. its like torture, to the point that I don't want to leave my room into the world because everything is food, advertised, in commercials, int he internet, on games, in my kitchen, my family and kids, across the street next door, its everywhere, the temptations are all there, its worst than drugs. And for someone that has been big since a child, and never been restricted on what I can eat because my motto was, "I am going to die anyways might as well die happy" Well, i rather die happy but not suffering restricted to a bed or not able to enjoy life. I want to be able to fit in the roller coaster so when my daughter goes in a date I can follow her and get in the same rides as her and her boyfriend. I want to be able to fit on normal clothes and spend $20 less on a shirt. I want to be able to run after my future grand kids, I want to be able to have a snore free sleep, and wake up energized, I don't want to be afraid of a stroke or diabetes. I want to keep all my limbs, I want to be able to work and make money! I want to be able to wash the dishes with less pain on my back and knees, and I want to be able to go back to being a great EMT and live a long healthy life. And more than anything I want to go to my birth country and shove it on their faces that I was able to loose weight and I ams till beautiful as I was before. So this is why I decided to do the gastric bypass. Even thou a lot of people say you can do it without the surgery, I might... but YES i am opting for the easier way, where I will have less chance of failure. Once my stomach is smaller, I will able to be full with less food thus being different from now, that I eat less but i am still hungry. And I don't care if people don't agree with me on doing this surgery, it my decision, and if I am weak for doing it, so be it.
 
Pre-Operation: Currently I weight 280 pounds I lost 3 pounds in 2 weeks. Here are some of my current pics, They are gross, but I want you to have an idea of the real situation and have a visual concept of my progress.

Well the sleep Center call me today and told me that I tested positive for sleep apnea and is severe. So they schedule me appointment to go try the CPAP mask and machine and I have to stay overnight again. In part this will definitely get me approve as a medical necessity however, it's sad that I'm in this predicament. My mother and brother both suffer from this disease, and they let it get horribly bad. But I am going to do everything in my power to not end up with a trachea tube and in a position that I can't barely move. I met my surgeon already I'm in a supervised diet, I'm walking, I'm potion controlling. I'm doing this.

Well the sleep Center call me today and told me that I tested positive for sleep apnea and is severe. So they schedule me appointment to go try the CPAP mask and machine and I have to stay overnight again. In part this will definitely get me approve as a medical necessity however, it's sad that I'm in this predicament. My mother and brother both suffer from this disease, and they let it get horribly bad. But I am going to do everything in my power to not end up with a trachea tube and in a position that I can't barely move. I met my surgeon already I'm in a supervised diet, I'm walking, I'm potion controlling. I'm doing this.

I'm so excited to be down 50 pounds!! I can see and feel a big difference in my clothes - I'm amazed how baggy my clothes are on me. I would love to buy new ones but financially it doesn't make a lot of sense. I've bought some here & there as I've needed them. Like this new dress in my picture. I had a cocktail party for my company sales meeting & yes, I bought it in the regular size section! Who was happier than me in that dressing room? No one!!

It's 2 weeks until I have my surgery, and feeling excited and nervous all in one...I know this will be life changing, and am ready to take the challenge on, but don't fool myself...this is gonna be a challenge!! I've been very selective to whom I tell what im doing, although, I know they will see the difference soon....guess the stigmatisn of gastric surgery to some people is the easy way out...but we all know better...learning my diet, and the road I have ahead of me is by far the most challenging diet I will ever face...a life time challenge if I want success...and failure for me is not an option...my health is counting on it. So, if anyone has any tips, good websites, or food preferences that they like I would appreciate any help. Julz

So 10 weeks out and I've lost 38 pounds. I could have lost more if I was exercising but I haven't been. I bought a bike & was riding with my kids every night after school. Now the temps here are around 95 every day with high humidity and rain. The joys of summer in Central Florida. I should be working out indoors but I've been lazy. I'm determined to start now that I am settled into my new job (started 2 weeks ago) and am lighter. I had a great surprise today! I have a cocktail party to go to in 2 weeks and had nothing to wear. All my clothes are too big (Yahoo!!!). I went to Kohl's and found a dark navy lace dress that I thought was just gorgeous! I also thought "no way am I going to be able to wear this". Well, I had to have my daughter zip it (damn back zippers!) but IT FIT!!! And I looked amazing! I wanted to dance around the dressing room! I can't wait to knock 'em dead in 2 weeks! Inspiration to work out, too! I would love to see that dress a little loose next month! Good luck everyone!