Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum - Considering Dr. Kirshenbaum

[Lap_dancer 8]

Hello All:

Dropping in for a quick hello.

So much to tell.

Sharing that my daughter came home with my son-in-law who is deploying to the middle east. What should have been a nice ten day visit resulted in much more.

Son-in-law had gone out for the night with a friend and left my daughter with the baby, early the next morning I walked in on her screaming obscenities and shaking the baby who is two months old.

Some of you know she is bipolar what I did not know was she has been suicidal almost daily since the birth of my grandson.

I am a trained foster parent, enough said. I took over.

Grandson has been checked out, he is fine. He is in our care. She cannot be left alone with him and is ordered three months of therapy/counseling. She is also on four medications, getting stabalized and feeling not better but balanced.

I am wondering what the greater meaning is in this all. I had to suspend rehab on the back because the situation with the baby took priority. We have no baby furniture and such it's been an ordeal but the state and my county has some wonderful support agencies that have stepped in. It's been encouraging to see things like this in place.

---

Politics. I think of Abraham Lincoln who said "A house divided cannot stand". True.

With support and split support on the war, I have since learned the military does not have the financing needed for what I see as essentials. Something (Army) I was so far removed from before my daughter married a soldier.

My daughter was on a birth control patch given to her by the Army doctor in August which, when she saw her OBGYN here in Florida last week she discovered, is off the market. It causes a reaction that can lead to death.

The wait time for her to get mental health counseling in Texas was three weeks. She had put a gun to her head that afternoon. They have been told "Not enough resources."

So she will stay here where we have resources. Care has been excellent and I see her getting better. I pity and grieve for those who are not so fortunate serving our country.

The tension from all has been my break point. I've missed loads of work. My stomach has been bound up no doubt by the stress. I'm just trying to find what I can eat without vomiting. Soup!

My family has been awesome. My sister and I have mended our broken relationship. She took care of the baby for me and my mother has been caring for him as well even in her 80's with arthritis and coming in and cleaning my house.

So much more to tell but time to pause and be grateful for what we do have.

Peace to all.

Patty

[jmegirl 2]

Oh my goodness Patty, bless your heart! You are a strong woman and I can only hope one day to be as strong as you. Bless you for intervening in that very delicate situation. Stay strong and know that my thoughts and prayers are with you.

[minidriver 0]

Patty, I am so sorry to hear about your latest trials. As a mother of a child with mental illness, I know how hard it can be to watch them struggle and how the problem is severely compounded when there is no help available to them.

I'm glad that you let us know what's going on in your life, as you know that we wil all be sending healing and supportive thoughts your way.

[deboregon 0]

Hello All:

Dropping in for a quick hello.

So much to tell.

Sharing that my daughter came home with my son-in-law who is deploying to the middle east. What should have been a nice ten day visit resulted in much more.

Son-in-law had gone out for the night with a friend and left my daughter with the baby, early the next morning I walked in on her screaming obscenities and shaking the baby who is two months old.

Some of you know she is bipolar what I did not know was she has been suicidal almost daily since the birth of my grandson.

I am a trained foster parent, enough said. I took over.

Grandson has been checked out, he is fine. He is in our care. She cannot be left alone with him and is ordered three months of therapy/counseling. She is also on four medications, getting stabalized and feeling not better but balanced.

I am wondering what the greater meaning is in this all. I had to suspend rehab on the back because the situation with the baby took priority. We have no baby furniture and such it's been an ordeal but the state and my county has some wonderful support agencies that have stepped in. It's been encouraging to see things like this in place.

---

Politics. I think of Abraham Lincoln who said "A house divided cannot stand". True.

With support and split support on the war, I have since learned the military does not have the financing needed for what I see as essentials. Something (Army) I was so far removed from before my daughter married a soldier.

My daughter was on a birth control patch given to her by the Army doctor in August which, when she saw her OBGYN here in Florida last week she discovered, is off the market. It causes a reaction that can lead to death.

The wait time for her to get mental health counseling in Texas was three weeks. She had put a gun to her head that afternoon. They have been told "Not enough resources."

So she will stay here where we have resources. Care has been excellent and I see her getting better. I pity and grieve for those who are not so fortunate serving our country.

The tension from all has been my break point. I've missed loads of work. My stomach has been bound up no doubt by the stress. I'm just trying to find what I can eat without vomiting. Soup!

My family has been awesome. My sister and I have mended our broken relationship. She took care of the baby for me and my mother has been caring for him as well even in her 80's with arthritis and coming in and cleaning my house.

So much more to tell but time to pause and be grateful for what we do have.

Peace to all.

Patty

Patty, so glad you checked in, but am saddened to hear of the difficulties you and yours are facing. You are in my thoughts.

[Mal 0]

Lap~You have been in my thoughts lately and I am glad that you stopped in to let us know how you are doing. Your family has gone through a lot. Remain strong, you are always in my prayers. I believe in your strength and your wisdom.

Give the baby hugs and kisses from us.

[minidriver 0]

Okay, back from my fill. It was going just fine . . . he put in 1.5cc and then I started drinking the barium and it was not going down at all, then my esophagus went into spasm and then I got all light headed and almost fainted. It was embarrassing and I had to lie down for awhile, etc. Needless to say, he took about .75 out. Now I think I probably don't have enough. Who knows.

The good news, though, is he is going to prescribe metformin for me. He agrees with me that it certainly couldn't hurt and may help.

[Lap_dancer 8]

You all are precious to me. Thank you for the kind words.

Here's my little man.

[minidriver 0]

You all are precious to me. Thank you for the kind words.

Here's my little man.

Oh, Patty, what a beautiful, beautiful little fellow. And a fantastic photo (as always).

[ShelbiCallie 0]

You all are precious to me. Thank you for the kind words.

Here's my little man.

He is adorable. He and his mama are so fortunate to have you in their lives. I am sorry that you are going through this, but am so thankful that you were there to intervene and take charge of the situtation before it worsened. Stay strong Patty. I'm glad to hear that your sister and mom are helping. Kiss that precious boy on that sweet little head for me.

[lotzasunshine 2]

Oh Patty!! He is adorable!! I love babies!! I am sorry that this time is so hard for you right now. Trials are so hard sometimes. You are in my prayers.

[PrtyAntOvrYt 6]

You all are precious to me. Thank you for the kind words.

Here's my little man.

Oh Sweet Patty!

Your Baby Boy is Beautiful! AND your photography is amazing!

Honey, you've been through a lot since you left our little group here. We have missed you so much! I am so thankful you were there to intervene and protect your daughter and baby. You're a good Mom and a good Grandmother. They are so blessed to have you in their corner.

[munchkin392 1]

Drive by post...

The evil neighbors have done it this time. I have HAD it with this situation. I came home today to find a notice on the door because they have complained to animal control that I am over the 4 pet limit. I am absolutely devastated to think of having to give up even one of these dogs. How can they live with themselves for doing this? My dogs don't bother ANYONE. They are not left outside, they do not bark, and my yard is clean.

I really don't know how they can live with themselves. These dogs will be heartbroken if they are split up too!!

[PrtyAntOvrYt 6]

Well, I just got home from the Plastic Surgeon's Office.

He was extremely nice and very encouraging. He said some really nice things to me.

I went there to just touch base and see what his recommendations are for my lower stomach and my arms. He said there are two different procedures for the stomach. The panniculectomy and the Tummy Tuck are not the same. I thought they were. He would be willing to do a panniculectomy on me when I get my BMI close to 40. A BMI less than 40 would make me obese and the risks for surgery are much lower. He also said that insurance companies are more likely to pay for a Panniculectomy, but unlikely to pay for a Tummy Tuck. The Tummy Tuck will pull the muscles and suture them back together. The Panniculectomy will just take the excess skin away. I would have the Panniculectomy done to help with my lower back strain and then when I get to goal, I'd self pay for my Tummy Tuck. He gave me the price of the Panniculectomy and I was shocked. He's portion is less than $4K. If the insurance covers it, it would be great!

We went to his office and discussed everything. I talked about my upper arms and he said most insurance companies never pay for Brachioplasty. We then went to the exam room and I put the gown on - when he saw my arms, he was shocked. I mean, you could see on his face, he had never seen anything like that. He said, each arm appears to have a panniculectomy too. His response was that the insurance could very well pay for them too.

Lastly, he said he would be willing to do the surgery now, if I really felt it hindered my activity, caused discomfort or was a problem with hygiene. I decided to try to get my BMI down more, so that the outcome would be better. He asked me to call him, if I changed my mind.

He showed me pics of women who had, had RNY and LapBand and had panniculectomies done. I could see some of their ports. There were several who weighed close to what I weigh now and having the panniculectomy removed really improved their appearance.

Edited October 2, 2008 by PrtyAntOvrYt

[PrtyAntOvrYt 6]

Drive by post...

The evil neighbors have done it this time. I have HAD it with this situation. I came home today to find a notice on the door because they have complained to animal control that I am over the 4 pet limit. I am absolutely devastated to think of having to give up even one of these dogs. How can they live with themselves for doing this? My dogs don't bother ANYONE. They are not left outside, they do not bark, and my yard is clean.

I really don't know how they can live with themselves. These dogs will be heartbroken if they are split up too!!

Oh my goodness Heather! That is the worst! How can anyone be so hateful? What is wrong with those people? Do they really hate their lives so much that they have to torture others? How cruel!

[minidriver 0]

Well, I just got home from the Plastic Surgeon's Office.

He was extremely nice and very encouraging. He said some really nice things to me.

I went there to just touch base and see what his recommendations are for my lower stomach and my arms. He said there are two different procedures for the stomach. The panniculectomy and the Tummy Tuck are not the same. I thought they were. He would be willing to do a panniculectomy on me when I get my BMI close to 40. A BMI less than 40 would make me obese and the risks for surgery are much lower. He also said that insurance companies are more likely to pay for a Panniculectomy, but unlikely to pay for a Tummy Tuck. The Tummy Tuck will pull the muscles and suture them back together. The Panniculectomy will just take the excess skin away. I would have the Panniculectomy done to help with my lower back strain and then when I get to goal, I'd self pay for my Tummy Tuck. He gave me the price of the Panniculectomy and I was shocked. He's portion is less than $4K. If the insurance covers it, it would be great!

We went to his office and discussed everything. I talked about my upper arms and he said most insurance companies never pay for Brachioplasty. We then went to the exam room and I put the gown on - when he saw my arms, he was shocked. I mean, you could see on his face, he had never seen anything like that. He said, each arm appears to have a panniculectomy too. His response was that the insurance could very well pay for them too.

Lastly, he said he would be willing to do the surgery now, if I really felt it hindered my activity, caused discomfort or was a problem with hygiene. I decided to try to get my BMI down more, so that the outcome would be better. He asked me to call him, if I changed my mind.

He showed me pics of women who had, had RNY and LapBand and had panniculectomies done. I could see some of their ports. There were several who weighed close to what I weigh now and having the panniculectomy removed really improved their appearance.

Oh my gosh! That would be so exciting if the insurance would pay for your arms too! It makes sense to wait though. I would think you'd get a better result if you wait a bit, and the safety factor is a big issue, given your family history of problems with anesthesia.

How great that you went and found out about this stuff. Something to shoot for!