JamieNP

You will go to the hospital's sleep study clinic about 9 pm. They will hook you up to EKG monitors, O2 saturation monitors, EEG monitors and then they will watch you sleep. Call your physician that ordered it if you can get some Ambien to take before you go, as I was not able to sleep well my first night. You will also wear a monitor around your nose and mouth to measure how bad you snore. When you wake up in the morning you will want to take a shower, as all of the EEG monitor leads are basically "glued" to your scalp. Then you leave. The results take about a week. If you have sleep issues, you will return for another study, with a CPAP or BiPAP machine. They will basically do the same kind of monitoring, but will tweak the machine while you sleep (by remote control) so that you have enough positive airway pressure to keep your airway open. Personally, I have never slept better. The mask (I use the nose mask) can be uncomfortable and takes awhile to get used to, but I have yet to sleep with out it. Good luck!

Thanks, I called today and got the appointment for July 11th. After your insurance approval, how long did it take to schedule surgery? (ie. what is the weight time between referral and surgery time...is he booked months in advanced?) I hopefully don't have many hoops to jump through! As far as the obesity law person, Dr Steely mentioned that there was a couple that specialized in it after they, themselves, had the surgery done. I heard that their success rate is about 99%

Ok, I am a nurse so I can give you a little advice on what I do for patients. You can get a pill crusher from any pharmacy (although a hammer and a baggy work great). Mix it with a little liquid (something with a taste, like juice). At this stage with that many pills, you may want to take them at different times of the day. Anything that is "enteric coated" or extended release needs to be changed and should not be crushed. You can call your pharmacist and they should be able to help you.

I have not told my husband, and I don't plan on telling him. He just retired from the military and has PTSD and just wouldn't be supportive (he came back from the war a totally different person...long story). I just feel like this is something that I need to do for myself. I have taken care of the kids by myself since the war started, and I am a CCU nurse so I am constantly caring for others. This is going to be for me and only my closest friends, mother and my oldest daughter will know about it.

Yeah, I thought about putting a few extra heavy things in my pockets! I didn't even have to meet with my pcm...the office is writing the referral now. woo hoo!! With clothes on I am about 5 lbs under the low weight/small boned..with 2 comorbidities

Ok, my pcm is sending the referral now. I have an appointment with the surgeon on July 11 (they are closed next week). Now, if my insurance will pay for it..cross your fingers!

How long did it take to get an appointment with Dr. Steely? And how long did it take you to get your surgery date? I will be talking with my PCM this week to get the referral. I am hoping this moves quickly. I have already had a sleep study and I am on CPAP. And with my insurance I won't need the PSY eval or diet program.

I just hope my surgeon says I am small framed... Oh, and one more thing, does Tricare do the figuring, or does your Surgeon...as far as how much over weight you are. For instance, according to the table, I am supposed to weigh 120 lbs (on the low end). Will they use that low end figure?

I went to the seminar and found out some information. Tricare only has the weight requirements and the MD referral. The surgeon that I chose only requires a gallbladder scan. So I do not need the psy eval, the history of weight loss attempts, etc. He said all of this extra stuff is so insurance companies can come up with some reason not to pay. Now I just have to make an appointment with my family doctor to get the referral. I don't know what Ht/wt chart is used in this decision, but according to some, I am 10 pounds under (this is naked and on my bathroom scales). My dr's office scales always weight heavier. Wish me luck!