Why am I having this surgery? Some family members were, and still probably are, against me having this surgery. I had trained for and walked the Susan G. Koman Boston 3 Day in 2006 and had lost 70 pounds on my own and walked 30 miles that weekend, with the bulk being in the first day (18 miles). So why can't I do that again, they asked.
I have tried so many times to lose weight. I have been successful many times as well. If I can get in the right mind set for long enough I show great results. The problem is, I always gain it back with extra. This is really wearing on my body. I was lucky until this last weight gain. I found out I have high blood pressure, borderline diabetes, sleep apnea with sleepless nights, depression, anxiety, edema, acid reflux, pain in my joints, dizziness that occurs way too often, back pain, as well as a few other symptoms that I am probably forgetting. I even went for an eye exam and the Doctor found blood spots on my eyes which indicates I have blood spots throughout my body. These can hemorrhage or cause a stroke if my blood pressure gets too high. That's the one that really scared me.
I am only 39. I'm not going to make another 10 if I keep heading in the direction I was going. So my comment was, "yes, there is a slight possibility I could die during surgery or from complications after the surgery. But I feel at least I would have tried to solve the issue instead of waiting to die from one of the above symptoms, which could be any day." I have been motivated to do this for more than a year now. In the past month and a half I have lost 27 pounds on my own. I have already started feeling a difference in my body. But in order to continue, I need a solid tool. Something to keep the weight loss going. This operation will help.
The bypass leaves you with a "pouch" instead of a stomach. The lower part of your lower intestines are made to bypass the upper portion, creating a shorter digestive track. Less calories and nutrients are able to be consumed due to the new pouch being so tiny. It will only hold about a cup of food. For a better explanation of the surgery, visit the Mayo Clinic's page at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gastric-bypass/HQ01465.
There are no averages to really quote on the weight loss that takes place after the surgery because each person is so different. SO I have no idea what to expect, except that my story will be unique to any others. I have heard many success stories and have a few personal friends who have had great success. My realistic goal is to lose 40 pounds before returning to work 4 to 6 weeks after the surgery. I was speaking with a woman yesterday during my pre-surgical appointment who stated that she had lost more than 100 pounds since the surgery and a friend of hers recently lost 88 pounds in 3 months! That's inspirational.
With only about 110 hours left until the surgery takes place, I must tell you that I am very nervous. My thoughts have ranged from "I'll never be able to eat THAT again," to "death is a possibility." Sorry to be so morbid but this is about the truth. The thought has crossed my mind. For all of you who truly know me, I would fight and win, no worries. I have too much to look forward to and live for in my life. I have a loving supportive husband and two wonderful teenagers who I need to watch grow into the wonderful men I see them becoming. I have a wonderful family here and in Pennsylvania as well as friends who are very supportive, encouraging and willing to help me succeed after the surgery.
I am worried, scared, nervous, anxious, and a bit depressed. But more than that, I am excited. I am dedicated to being strong and doing what I need to in order to succeed at this. I am fascinated to get to know the woman who evolves from who I am now. I'm hoping it just intensifies the good parts of my personality. I look forward to the the hills and mountains ahead of me and ask God for the strength to be able to climb them.
Thank you to those who have stuck by me so far and are just as anxious for me as I am for myself. You are truly amazing and inspire me to work my hardest at this. Thank you for your support so far. I look forward to taking this journey with you at my side.
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Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
June 30th - What Happened???
I woke up the day of the surgery and tried dealing with the insurance company to get to where we needed to be before leaving for surgery.
To make a long story short, Mike's insurance would not cover as secondary if my insurance would not cover due to lack of paperwork. They would only cover as secondary to my insurance if my insurance did not cover the procedure or if my insurance was going to cover it. I had sent the requested paperwork to my insurance 3 times since January and for whatever reason, it was not sufficient and was grounds for denial. I had really just been too fed up to fight with them any more. So when Mike's insurance said yes, I figured everything would be fine.
So here I was, back and forth with both insurance companies, distraught and frustrated. At 10am the surgery was officially postponed. I felt as if someone had just snatched all hope from me.
I had gone through the fasting the day before with only clear liquids and did not eat until the next day. The week before the surgery I was focusing on simple foods like Slim Fast, bananas, cottage cheese, V8 Splash, etc. in order to get ready. In the process I had began shrinking my stomach. After gathering my thoughts I decided that I was not going to give up. I kept eating this way for three more weeks.
I was on the phone with everyone I could think of on the day they postponed. All the Doctors I had seen over the past two years were called and asked to re-submit my medical records to my insurance company. It took a full week (the 4Th of July weekend fell in between) before records started pouring in to them. I called twice a day to see what they had received and where things stood. I was told they had up to 30 days to review the material before they made a decision.
There was really no need to get angry over this. Everyone else who had been excited for my was mad enough. My mother couldn't understand why I seemed to be un-phased by the postponement. What else could I do? I was already having the records re-submitted and appealing the previous denial. Getting upset would have lessened my focus on what needed to be done. I put all of my efforts into this. I also felt that if I let myself succumb to the drama of it all that I could easily slip into a depression and make the situation much worse and gain weight back that I had worked hard to lose. The most difficult part was having to explain to everyone why I was back at work the day after what should have been my surgery.
I finally called Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama on the second Wednesday and explained my situation. I told them that I could not wait another 3 weeks for the decision to be made only to find out that they were requiring more information. Then I would have to submit and wait again. I needed to know what they were currently missing so that I could submit that immediately and move on with the process.
I had completed my requirements for this surgery according the the Weight Loss Center 7 months prior to this. I was ready to be submitted for a date but because they didn't have any openings available before January 1st, I needed to wait on my new insurance to kick in.
After being on hold for a few minutes the woman in Customer Service came back on the phone and informed me that I had met the criteria for surgery earlier in the morning and they were going to cover it.
I was shocked that it only took them a week and a half after receiving the information and naturally wondered why I wasn't approved back in February. I was totally beside myself, literally doing a happy dance in the isles at work.
I called the Surgeon's office and spoke with Jacqueline. She said that she had felt so badly about things falling through before that she had saved August 4Th for me and it was still open. She penciled me in and she went to work verifying both insurance companies and requesting paperwork.
I faxed the approval letter over to her last week and she made my pre-surgical testing appointment for July 29Th and stated we were on track with the 4Th as the surgery date.
To make a long story short, Mike's insurance would not cover as secondary if my insurance would not cover due to lack of paperwork. They would only cover as secondary to my insurance if my insurance did not cover the procedure or if my insurance was going to cover it. I had sent the requested paperwork to my insurance 3 times since January and for whatever reason, it was not sufficient and was grounds for denial. I had really just been too fed up to fight with them any more. So when Mike's insurance said yes, I figured everything would be fine.
So here I was, back and forth with both insurance companies, distraught and frustrated. At 10am the surgery was officially postponed. I felt as if someone had just snatched all hope from me.
I had gone through the fasting the day before with only clear liquids and did not eat until the next day. The week before the surgery I was focusing on simple foods like Slim Fast, bananas, cottage cheese, V8 Splash, etc. in order to get ready. In the process I had began shrinking my stomach. After gathering my thoughts I decided that I was not going to give up. I kept eating this way for three more weeks.
I was on the phone with everyone I could think of on the day they postponed. All the Doctors I had seen over the past two years were called and asked to re-submit my medical records to my insurance company. It took a full week (the 4Th of July weekend fell in between) before records started pouring in to them. I called twice a day to see what they had received and where things stood. I was told they had up to 30 days to review the material before they made a decision.
There was really no need to get angry over this. Everyone else who had been excited for my was mad enough. My mother couldn't understand why I seemed to be un-phased by the postponement. What else could I do? I was already having the records re-submitted and appealing the previous denial. Getting upset would have lessened my focus on what needed to be done. I put all of my efforts into this. I also felt that if I let myself succumb to the drama of it all that I could easily slip into a depression and make the situation much worse and gain weight back that I had worked hard to lose. The most difficult part was having to explain to everyone why I was back at work the day after what should have been my surgery.
I finally called Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama on the second Wednesday and explained my situation. I told them that I could not wait another 3 weeks for the decision to be made only to find out that they were requiring more information. Then I would have to submit and wait again. I needed to know what they were currently missing so that I could submit that immediately and move on with the process.
I had completed my requirements for this surgery according the the Weight Loss Center 7 months prior to this. I was ready to be submitted for a date but because they didn't have any openings available before January 1st, I needed to wait on my new insurance to kick in.
After being on hold for a few minutes the woman in Customer Service came back on the phone and informed me that I had met the criteria for surgery earlier in the morning and they were going to cover it.
I was shocked that it only took them a week and a half after receiving the information and naturally wondered why I wasn't approved back in February. I was totally beside myself, literally doing a happy dance in the isles at work.
I called the Surgeon's office and spoke with Jacqueline. She said that she had felt so badly about things falling through before that she had saved August 4Th for me and it was still open. She penciled me in and she went to work verifying both insurance companies and requesting paperwork.
I faxed the approval letter over to her last week and she made my pre-surgical testing appointment for July 29Th and stated we were on track with the 4Th as the surgery date.
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