Wow, I've been busy. Work has been fairly busy, and so has home. So many things going on, I forget to post here.
So, I've been so busy I haven't been exercising enough. I'm still losing weight because my band is very tight right now, but that's not enough by itself anymore. I've lost almost 80 pounds (only one more pound to go for that goal) so I'm not doing bad, but I would like to have lost just a bit more by now. There have been set backs, like the surgeries, and the unfill, but it still feels like my fault. I was losing 2-3 pounds a week in the beginning, now I'm lucky if I lose one. I go down, then come back up and then go down again. Luckily it's a downward trend either way. I just wish it would go faster. It would help if I didn't eat so much junk.
So on the exercise front I've been getting in some exercise every week. At least one 45 minute session on the elliptical for the last couple weeks. 1-2 40 minute walks in addition to that. I started week 4 of the Couch to 5k yesterday. That was so frickin' hard. I couldn't believe it. Tomorrow I will do it again. I suspect that week 4 will take me 2 weeks or more to get down completely. Had I not been slacking for the last couple weeks it would have been easier, I'm sure.
Hopefully I'll see you guys again tomorrow when I post my 80 pound loss. lol
Current weight:184 lbs
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surgery. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Hangin' Steady
I'm at 204. Only a few pounds away from One-derland! But I'm not allowed to exercise, so it feels so far away. I'm only allowed to walk, slowly, for 6 weeks. I'm done with 3 of those, so it's only a little longer. It just feels like it's draaaaaaaaaagging by. I finally have all my drains out. Not sure if I mentioned that already.
I'm looking skinnier. Several people have commented on that in the last week. I'm back in my size 18 jeans. They're a little tight, but not in a gross way. My tops are 14-18, or L-1XL, depending on the style. My neck is looking longer, and that's just awesome. I have on some super big hoop earrings right now, that I couldn't wear before because there wasn't enough space.
I'm not as scared about getting my picture taken, though, now the the fat is coming out, I have to worry about wrinkles more. heh.
So, overall life is ok. I'm still weighing myself daily when possible. I'm also out of old clothes, so once these get too big, I'll have to buy more. I'm ok for now though, since I'm not losing much right now.
Oh, also, on the food front. I'm still having trouble eating. Which is probably why I'm still losing even though I can't exercise. I'm still going to wait till I can exercise though, to tell the docs.
Current weight: 204 lbs
I'm looking skinnier. Several people have commented on that in the last week. I'm back in my size 18 jeans. They're a little tight, but not in a gross way. My tops are 14-18, or L-1XL, depending on the style. My neck is looking longer, and that's just awesome. I have on some super big hoop earrings right now, that I couldn't wear before because there wasn't enough space.
I'm not as scared about getting my picture taken, though, now the the fat is coming out, I have to worry about wrinkles more. heh.
So, overall life is ok. I'm still weighing myself daily when possible. I'm also out of old clothes, so once these get too big, I'll have to buy more. I'm ok for now though, since I'm not losing much right now.
Oh, also, on the food front. I'm still having trouble eating. Which is probably why I'm still losing even though I can't exercise. I'm still going to wait till I can exercise though, to tell the docs.
Current weight: 204 lbs
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Surgery
So I'm not posting much this week, or probably next week either. I had surgery on Monday for the first part of my reconstruction on my boobs. I'm sore and am not weighing myself because of the swelling and water retention that comes from it. I'm hoping I won't gain a million pounds from being laid up and not exercising as much, but if I do, then, well, I'll just have more to lose later. My right boob, the one that had radiation, looks so much better now. I'm very happy with those results. Now I have to wait 1 and a half weeks so they can put some fluid in my fakies to expand them. Then I think it's every week after that.
Once I'm at the right size, which won't be too far off, because I want them fairly small, I have to wait 2 months at least before I can get the last boob job done to have the final implants put in.
Current weight: 2?? lbs.
Once I'm at the right size, which won't be too far off, because I want them fairly small, I have to wait 2 months at least before I can get the last boob job done to have the final implants put in.
Current weight: 2?? lbs.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Boob Job!
Yay!! Well, sort of. I went to the plastic surgeon yesterday to get the ball rolling on my boob job, and boy did it roll. In order to finish by the end of the year, he's having me come in for surgery on September 21st. Yes, you read right, that's less than 2 weeks from now. Holy sh*t.
What he told me is that this is a two part process. Apparently I can't avoid the implants because I still have too much belly fat and my stomach skin is too far out of shape to work with. So he's going to take some skin and stuff from my back for the right boob, and put expanders in both sides to get them ready for the implants. I don't want very big boobs, so this shouldn't take too long. Once it's to the right size, I will have another surgery to put the actual implant in and take the expanders out. I'm hoping to get approval to do a tummy tuck too, because of a rash under my loose skin from my tummy, and maybe he can do that on the second surgery, that way I don't have to have a bunch of different surgeries.
On an NSV note: I am only 37 bmi now, which means I have been out of the "morbidly obese" category for awhile and didn't know it! Now I'm just "obese" and I have only about 40'ish (??) pounds till I'm just "overweight".
Current weight: 215 lbs.
What he told me is that this is a two part process. Apparently I can't avoid the implants because I still have too much belly fat and my stomach skin is too far out of shape to work with. So he's going to take some skin and stuff from my back for the right boob, and put expanders in both sides to get them ready for the implants. I don't want very big boobs, so this shouldn't take too long. Once it's to the right size, I will have another surgery to put the actual implant in and take the expanders out. I'm hoping to get approval to do a tummy tuck too, because of a rash under my loose skin from my tummy, and maybe he can do that on the second surgery, that way I don't have to have a bunch of different surgeries.
On an NSV note: I am only 37 bmi now, which means I have been out of the "morbidly obese" category for awhile and didn't know it! Now I'm just "obese" and I have only about 40'ish (??) pounds till I'm just "overweight".
Current weight: 215 lbs.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Vacation!
About my diet since surgery. Once you leave the hospital it's the Stage 2 diet. That means that I have to have one shake a day, but the other two meals can be anything mushy or liquid. Like mashed potatoes, or strained soups or eggs. I have to admit I've cheated a little and had pasta and a few cooked vegetables. But I've chewed REALLY well, and only eaten really soft stuff. No meats or other hard to chew stuff.
My appetite has been coming back since about Friday, so it takes a bit more to get full than during the few days after surgery. Those days were crazy! I could only eat a couple teaspoons of something before I was full!
We went on a mini-vacation this last weekend as soon as I felt up to it. We left Saturday morning to Portland, went to the Oregon Zoo, and the Old Spaghetti factory (that's where I had the pasta...mmmmm). At the zoo we got to ride on an old fashioned steam train to Washington Park and back. It was so cool! By the time we caught the train my feet were throbbing from walking around the zoo. And it was so hot that day. About 90 degrees if I remember correctly. The Old Spaghetti factory was after the zoo, later in the day, for dinner.
Sunday we drove over to Astoria, went to the Astoria column and climbed up it... OMG so difficult it was 165 steps, but I made it! Then we spent the rest of the day driving down the coast from there on 101. We were going to drive all the way to Florence on 101, but traffic was horrendous. So we ended up cutting short and routing through from Newport to Corvallis, then on down i-5 to Springfield. We saw a bunch of neat stuff. It was a great trip.
As of this morning I'm down just under 3 more pounds from Saturday's weight. I'm sure the walking around the zoo, and the climbing that tower were helpful, to say the least. I am excited to say that if I keep loosing weight like this, I should be in the 230's by Friday. Cross your fingers for me!
Current weight: 241 lbs.
My appetite has been coming back since about Friday, so it takes a bit more to get full than during the few days after surgery. Those days were crazy! I could only eat a couple teaspoons of something before I was full!
We went on a mini-vacation this last weekend as soon as I felt up to it. We left Saturday morning to Portland, went to the Oregon Zoo, and the Old Spaghetti factory (that's where I had the pasta...mmmmm). At the zoo we got to ride on an old fashioned steam train to Washington Park and back. It was so cool! By the time we caught the train my feet were throbbing from walking around the zoo. And it was so hot that day. About 90 degrees if I remember correctly. The Old Spaghetti factory was after the zoo, later in the day, for dinner.
Sunday we drove over to Astoria, went to the Astoria column and climbed up it... OMG so difficult it was 165 steps, but I made it! Then we spent the rest of the day driving down the coast from there on 101. We were going to drive all the way to Florence on 101, but traffic was horrendous. So we ended up cutting short and routing through from Newport to Corvallis, then on down i-5 to Springfield. We saw a bunch of neat stuff. It was a great trip.
As of this morning I'm down just under 3 more pounds from Saturday's weight. I'm sure the walking around the zoo, and the climbing that tower were helpful, to say the least. I am excited to say that if I keep loosing weight like this, I should be in the 230's by Friday. Cross your fingers for me!
Current weight: 241 lbs.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Surgery Done
Surgery is done! It was on Monday. Can't write alot today because I have a bandaid on my finger and it's causing me trouble typing.
Just letting everybody know all is good. I got home from the hospital today about 10 am, after spending the night. I've been mildly hungry a couple times, but fixed easily by a couple teaspoons of food. Of course I'm in stage two eating. Mushies for the next week.
I have some pictures to post that will be my "before" pics. I also have some of my belly and the scar. I got to be the first to get the new machine for my surgery, so I have one scar just above my belly button, it's about 1.75 inches long, and one tiny one just below the middle of my breasts. (or, where they would be if I had them)
Dr. Yarbrough says that the little one won't be a scar really. It's about the size of a large needle being poked in, rather than an incision.
So that's all for now, more tomorrow when I take off this darn bandaid.
Current weight: 256 lbs.
Just letting everybody know all is good. I got home from the hospital today about 10 am, after spending the night. I've been mildly hungry a couple times, but fixed easily by a couple teaspoons of food. Of course I'm in stage two eating. Mushies for the next week.
I have some pictures to post that will be my "before" pics. I also have some of my belly and the scar. I got to be the first to get the new machine for my surgery, so I have one scar just above my belly button, it's about 1.75 inches long, and one tiny one just below the middle of my breasts. (or, where they would be if I had them)
Dr. Yarbrough says that the little one won't be a scar really. It's about the size of a large needle being poked in, rather than an incision.
So that's all for now, more tomorrow when I take off this darn bandaid.
Current weight: 256 lbs.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Written in Stone
I just got the call from Dr. Yarbrough's Office!! I'm no longer in pencil, I'm in pen! I am for sure getting my surgery Monday! I have $2700 left to pay, and I've got that, so I'm good.
I have a pre-op today at 3:15pm, then my surgery is 6AM Monday morning.
I am so excited that my blood pressure is through the roof. My head feels like it's going to explode, along with my heart, and I'm actually getting a headache from the rush. OMG OMG OMG OMG.
So I probably won't post again till after the surgery, unless something weird happens before then.
Wish me luck!!
Current weight: 249lbs.
Time to surgery: 5 days!
I have a pre-op today at 3:15pm, then my surgery is 6AM Monday morning.
I am so excited that my blood pressure is through the roof. My head feels like it's going to explode, along with my heart, and I'm actually getting a headache from the rush. OMG OMG OMG OMG.
So I probably won't post again till after the surgery, unless something weird happens before then.
Wish me luck!!
Current weight: 249lbs.
Time to surgery: 5 days!
Insurance
OMFG!!
So yesterday I was going to go in and get myself officially weighed in. I figured that I must have hit my goal weight, so it was a good time to do that. Wanting to make sure I had my goal weight before I went in, I called yesterday morning, about 10:30, to find out, and was on hold for 5 minutes. So I called back again, and was on hold still. I was on my morning walk, so I didn't really want to listen to hold music, I wanted to listen to regular music, and my iPhone is my iPod, so even though I could listen to both at the same time it would have sounded funny.
I tried back about 10 minutes later, and still was on hold. This time I decided to stay on hold, and did end up listening to both my iPod music and the hold music at the same time. Ick. It was better than hold music alone though.
I waited on hold for over 20 minutes. Then my lunch break was over so I had to hang up.
I tried back again later, about 1:00pm, on my second break, and this time I got their answering service. They were at lunch. OMG. The answering service said that they would be back by about 1:30, but by that time my break would be over.
After work I tried again. I called and this time I actually got through! Yay me. I talked to Cindy, the secretary, and told her that I wanted to do an "official" weigh in so that I could be in the running to get an upcoming surgery. Cindy said they were busy today, and that if I came in tomorrow, I could do that, and talk to Rosemary (the official person to talk to). I said ok, and hung up.
I went home, disappointed, but figuring, it's only one more day. The problem is that I'm on Slim-fast right now... the diet from hell... and that's how I've lost the last few pounds to get me into this range. Well, if at any point I go back to regular food, even with small portions, I'll probably gain back a pound or two which would put me over my goal weight. Which means that waiting one more day means I have to continue this diet from hell. I am so hungry during the day that I'm swooning by the time I get off work, and STILL can't eat. I can't eat till dinner.
Anyway, I get home and tell my boyfriend about all this, and he's visibly annoyed at them for doing this to me. He's like, "it's not that hard to enter someones name in a chart!" He wants to go get a new video game (Conduit, for the Wii) so we're going out anyway. He says we should drop by at their office, and I should pretend that I didn't fully understand what she said earlier and say:
"I know you guys were busy earlier, so I thought I'd come by now and see if you were less busy."
He figured that they'd be less able to send me away if I was standing right there in their face in person.
So, we went in, about 4:00pm. We got there and there was seemingly no one there. The front desk was empty. I was sure they didn't close till 5, and I was there before then, so there should be someone there. We sat down, and waited. I thought, well, if someone was actually here, maybe they went to the back for a minute.
After about 5 minutes, Cindy comes in. Yay! I give her the line, and she says, "I'll take you back and we'll see what we can do." We came around the door to the back, and she says, "We were just talking about you!"
At this point, I'm dying of curiosity. Why were they talking about me?? Is it good or bad? Do I owe them thousands of dollars? Do they know for sure I'll have to wait to get my surgery? Or... are they ready to schedule me?? OMG.
I walked back towards the scale, and on my way Cindy tells Rosemary that I'm here. Rosemary looks up and says, "Angela? Angela ******* ?" I looked up and said yes, it was me. She told me to come sit down at her desk so we could chat.
Upon sitting down she tells me that they were indeed just talking about me. My insurance approval came through FIVE MINUTES AGO!!
Knock me down with a feather.
Well, she then asks me, "Can you..." and I interrupt with a "YES!" because I know she's going to set me a date! OMG OMG OMG OMG.
She asks, "Can you come in for a pre-op consultation tomorrow afternoon?"
And of course I answer, "YES!!"
Then she said she was penciling me in for surgery on Monday, June 29th... MONDAY!!
...
...
...
Did I mention, MONDAY!?!?!?!
Current weight: 249lbs
Time to WLS approval: Done.
So yesterday I was going to go in and get myself officially weighed in. I figured that I must have hit my goal weight, so it was a good time to do that. Wanting to make sure I had my goal weight before I went in, I called yesterday morning, about 10:30, to find out, and was on hold for 5 minutes. So I called back again, and was on hold still. I was on my morning walk, so I didn't really want to listen to hold music, I wanted to listen to regular music, and my iPhone is my iPod, so even though I could listen to both at the same time it would have sounded funny.
I tried back about 10 minutes later, and still was on hold. This time I decided to stay on hold, and did end up listening to both my iPod music and the hold music at the same time. Ick. It was better than hold music alone though.
I waited on hold for over 20 minutes. Then my lunch break was over so I had to hang up.
I tried back again later, about 1:00pm, on my second break, and this time I got their answering service. They were at lunch. OMG. The answering service said that they would be back by about 1:30, but by that time my break would be over.
After work I tried again. I called and this time I actually got through! Yay me. I talked to Cindy, the secretary, and told her that I wanted to do an "official" weigh in so that I could be in the running to get an upcoming surgery. Cindy said they were busy today, and that if I came in tomorrow, I could do that, and talk to Rosemary (the official person to talk to). I said ok, and hung up.
I went home, disappointed, but figuring, it's only one more day. The problem is that I'm on Slim-fast right now... the diet from hell... and that's how I've lost the last few pounds to get me into this range. Well, if at any point I go back to regular food, even with small portions, I'll probably gain back a pound or two which would put me over my goal weight. Which means that waiting one more day means I have to continue this diet from hell. I am so hungry during the day that I'm swooning by the time I get off work, and STILL can't eat. I can't eat till dinner.
Anyway, I get home and tell my boyfriend about all this, and he's visibly annoyed at them for doing this to me. He's like, "it's not that hard to enter someones name in a chart!" He wants to go get a new video game (Conduit, for the Wii) so we're going out anyway. He says we should drop by at their office, and I should pretend that I didn't fully understand what she said earlier and say:
"I know you guys were busy earlier, so I thought I'd come by now and see if you were less busy."
He figured that they'd be less able to send me away if I was standing right there in their face in person.
So, we went in, about 4:00pm. We got there and there was seemingly no one there. The front desk was empty. I was sure they didn't close till 5, and I was there before then, so there should be someone there. We sat down, and waited. I thought, well, if someone was actually here, maybe they went to the back for a minute.
After about 5 minutes, Cindy comes in. Yay! I give her the line, and she says, "I'll take you back and we'll see what we can do." We came around the door to the back, and she says, "We were just talking about you!"
At this point, I'm dying of curiosity. Why were they talking about me?? Is it good or bad? Do I owe them thousands of dollars? Do they know for sure I'll have to wait to get my surgery? Or... are they ready to schedule me?? OMG.
I walked back towards the scale, and on my way Cindy tells Rosemary that I'm here. Rosemary looks up and says, "Angela? Angela ******* ?" I looked up and said yes, it was me. She told me to come sit down at her desk so we could chat.
Upon sitting down she tells me that they were indeed just talking about me. My insurance approval came through FIVE MINUTES AGO!!
Knock me down with a feather.
Well, she then asks me, "Can you..." and I interrupt with a "YES!" because I know she's going to set me a date! OMG OMG OMG OMG.
She asks, "Can you come in for a pre-op consultation tomorrow afternoon?"
And of course I answer, "YES!!"
Then she said she was penciling me in for surgery on Monday, June 29th... MONDAY!!
...
...
...
Did I mention, MONDAY!?!?!?!
Current weight: 249lbs
Time to WLS approval: Done.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Hungry
I'm dreaming of a brownie. I just ate a chicken salad, and then a half hour later 2 pieces of chicken stuffed manicotti. Now I'm dying for that brownie.
I'm supposed to be losing weight. I still have over 7 lbs. to lose. I'm not sure I'm going to make it. My next appointment is next week, and I think that's my deadline. The appointment is on Tuesday.
I'm thinking about buying some slim fast or boost and doing liquids for 1-2 days. I think that would work off about 5lbs. If I get super close to what I'm supposed to lose, I think they'll forgive me my other two pounds. Don't you think?
On other fronts, I had a stack of medical bills from my cancer last year, that I'm not able to pay. They are taking me to court for the amount I owe, and may be garnishing my wages. If they do that, I won't be able to afford my surgery.
I really hope that I can put them off long enough to get the surgery done. After that, I won't stress. I'm declaring bankruptcy anyway, but if I can't get my surgery this year, I can't get my reconstruction and I'm giving up on the whole thing.
I'm bordering on depressed because of all this. I really don't think I have it in me to fight this fight.
Wish me luck.
Current weight: 257lbs
Time to WLS approval: 1 mo. 3 weeks.
I'm supposed to be losing weight. I still have over 7 lbs. to lose. I'm not sure I'm going to make it. My next appointment is next week, and I think that's my deadline. The appointment is on Tuesday.
I'm thinking about buying some slim fast or boost and doing liquids for 1-2 days. I think that would work off about 5lbs. If I get super close to what I'm supposed to lose, I think they'll forgive me my other two pounds. Don't you think?
On other fronts, I had a stack of medical bills from my cancer last year, that I'm not able to pay. They are taking me to court for the amount I owe, and may be garnishing my wages. If they do that, I won't be able to afford my surgery.
I really hope that I can put them off long enough to get the surgery done. After that, I won't stress. I'm declaring bankruptcy anyway, but if I can't get my surgery this year, I can't get my reconstruction and I'm giving up on the whole thing.
I'm bordering on depressed because of all this. I really don't think I have it in me to fight this fight.
Wish me luck.
Current weight: 257lbs
Time to WLS approval: 1 mo. 3 weeks.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sleep Study
I got a reminder call today from my bariatric center that I need to do my sleep study. I've been putting this off because I don't like the idea of trying to sleep with all those wires attached to me. Ick. I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is without adding that complication to it. I'm going to call at lunch today and make an appointment.
The sad thing is, is I'm pretty sure I made this appointment already and I just forgot about it. I'm hoping that's not the case though, because sometimes doctor's offices and other places will blacklist you if you miss appointments. And I don't want to be blacklisted. lol.
Well, that's all for now. Once I have my sleep apnea thing, I'll come in here and blog again. Till then.... TTFN (Ta Ta For now!)
Current weight: 257lbs.
Time to WLS approval: 2 mos.
The sad thing is, is I'm pretty sure I made this appointment already and I just forgot about it. I'm hoping that's not the case though, because sometimes doctor's offices and other places will blacklist you if you miss appointments. And I don't want to be blacklisted. lol.
Well, that's all for now. Once I have my sleep apnea thing, I'll come in here and blog again. Till then.... TTFN (Ta Ta For now!)
Current weight: 257lbs.
Time to WLS approval: 2 mos.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Nutritionist
I'm going to the nutritionist tomorrow at my bariatric center. I have another appointment with them tomorrow as well, but I can't remember what it's for. This is another step in the long road to WLS. I'm hoping to get my actual surgery by early June at the latest. If all goes well I will! :)
I've been having a lot of issues with heartburn and reflux lately. I'm hoping it's just because of my fat, and not because of some new cancer in my chest. I'm finding spicy foods hard to tolerate, yet I still eat them because they are good. mmm tacos and pepperoni!
Current weight: 255 lbs.
Time to WLS approval: 2.5 months
I've been having a lot of issues with heartburn and reflux lately. I'm hoping it's just because of my fat, and not because of some new cancer in my chest. I'm finding spicy foods hard to tolerate, yet I still eat them because they are good. mmm tacos and pepperoni!
Current weight: 255 lbs.
Time to WLS approval: 2.5 months
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Dr. Yarbrough
So I had my first visit with Dr. Yarbrough today. He is so nice! It was a longer appointment than I was expecting.
There were three people with concurring appointments. We had to go through a mini-class on what to expect from the surgery and more detailed info on how it works. After that, I had to talk to a finance person who basically told me that I had to have all my surgery money up front.
This wouldn't be a big deal except that my out of pocket through my insurance is like over $4500 bucks. Do you have that kind of money laying around??? I sure don't. I think I may be able to come up with most of it, and I asked my sister to see if she'd fit the extra $2500 that I can't come up with, in exchange for a repayment of $200/mo. and an extra payment at the end.
Hopefully that works out. She said yes, but she tends to be a bit flighty sometimes.
So anyway, my next appointment with them is in March. And the earliest I'll get my surgery, if everything works out, will be in May sometime. So maybe if I'm really lucky it'll be end of May.
I need to lose 75 lbs before I can get my reconstruction on my chest. So, if I get it in May I'll be hard pressed to lose that much before the end of the year.
We had to go through another
Current weight: 258 lbs
Current BMI: >44
Time to WLS approval: 4 months :(
There were three people with concurring appointments. We had to go through a mini-class on what to expect from the surgery and more detailed info on how it works. After that, I had to talk to a finance person who basically told me that I had to have all my surgery money up front.
This wouldn't be a big deal except that my out of pocket through my insurance is like over $4500 bucks. Do you have that kind of money laying around??? I sure don't. I think I may be able to come up with most of it, and I asked my sister to see if she'd fit the extra $2500 that I can't come up with, in exchange for a repayment of $200/mo. and an extra payment at the end.
Hopefully that works out. She said yes, but she tends to be a bit flighty sometimes.
So anyway, my next appointment with them is in March. And the earliest I'll get my surgery, if everything works out, will be in May sometime. So maybe if I'm really lucky it'll be end of May.
I need to lose 75 lbs before I can get my reconstruction on my chest. So, if I get it in May I'll be hard pressed to lose that much before the end of the year.
We had to go through another
Current weight: 258 lbs
Current BMI: >44
Time to WLS approval: 4 months :(
Friday, October 10, 2008
It's back on!
Ok, it has started again. I've done my cancer treatments, my last radiation was yesterday, in fact. So I'm back on the road to recovery and back on the road to weight-loss surgery!! Yay me!
I turned in my paperwork today, and am now waiting for a call back to schedule my first appointment. I've decided that the 6 month Dr. monitored weigh-loss plan is just dumb. My insurance has another option, it's a combo thing of counseling, weight-loss diets and visits to the surgeon. I'm hoping that I have sleep apnea (what a thing to hope for? eh?) so that the insurance thing is easier, but I don't really see a problem with it. I'm going to drink about a gallon of water/liquids on the day of my appointment to make up for my lack of boobs, because they weighed 9 pounds!!
Did I mention that I had a double mastectomy?
So yeah, since my weight is so close to the <40 BMI I need to make sure that even if they weigh me nekked, I'll still be over 40 BMI with some to lose.
So that's the update for now. I'll probably right again when I have my appointment. Keep an eye out for it! :)
Current weight: 244'ish
Time to WLS approval: 3 months
And now a word from our sponsors:
I turned in my paperwork today, and am now waiting for a call back to schedule my first appointment. I've decided that the 6 month Dr. monitored weigh-loss plan is just dumb. My insurance has another option, it's a combo thing of counseling, weight-loss diets and visits to the surgeon. I'm hoping that I have sleep apnea (what a thing to hope for? eh?) so that the insurance thing is easier, but I don't really see a problem with it. I'm going to drink about a gallon of water/liquids on the day of my appointment to make up for my lack of boobs, because they weighed 9 pounds!!
Did I mention that I had a double mastectomy?
So yeah, since my weight is so close to the <40 BMI I need to make sure that even if they weigh me nekked, I'll still be over 40 BMI with some to lose.
So that's the update for now. I'll probably right again when I have my appointment. Keep an eye out for it! :)
Current weight: 244'ish
Time to WLS approval: 3 months
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Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Torn
I recently had a lump in my breast that was about the size of a softball. It needed to be removed. It was benign, but it was still growing and was causing me pain. I went to a surgeon on January 4th to discuss it and he agreed that it needed to be removed. I was scheduled for a January 17th surgery date.
Well, on the 16th I got a letter. It was an estimate for my care, listing the wrong insurance company and a large patient liability. I looked at it and went... OMG.
After calling the hospital, I found that they indeed had the correct insurance, it was just listed wrong on that paper. They mentioned that when they'd called they found out there was a $4500 deductible on my insurance.
WTF?!
No. This is not the case. My deductable was $750 - Only $750. WTF are you talking about??
I called the insurance. They said that this is a family plan, that the deductible was the entire family's deductible. No worries, my company (the one I work for) pays for half of that deductible. So yours is only $2250.
Well, that's better, but unfortunately not what I was figuring on when I planned to get the LapBand surgery. The out-of-pocket was supposed to be $1700 with the deductible and the copay amount. It was not supposed to go over that. Now, I have this surgery and the WLS surgery and both together would bring my total to $4000 + .
Not okay. Not one bit.
So guess what that means? No LapBand. Not this year, and with the current insurance trend, not ever. *cries*
But guess what? My mom's on state medical care, and they offered her one for free. So at least someone is getting it. Not little miss middle-class-me though.
I'll be closing this blog soon. Thanks for reading.
Current weight: ???
Time to WLS approval: 2 mos and a few days??
Well, on the 16th I got a letter. It was an estimate for my care, listing the wrong insurance company and a large patient liability. I looked at it and went... OMG.
After calling the hospital, I found that they indeed had the correct insurance, it was just listed wrong on that paper. They mentioned that when they'd called they found out there was a $4500 deductible on my insurance.
WTF?!
No. This is not the case. My deductable was $750 - Only $750. WTF are you talking about??
I called the insurance. They said that this is a family plan, that the deductible was the entire family's deductible. No worries, my company (the one I work for) pays for half of that deductible. So yours is only $2250.
Well, that's better, but unfortunately not what I was figuring on when I planned to get the LapBand surgery. The out-of-pocket was supposed to be $1700 with the deductible and the copay amount. It was not supposed to go over that. Now, I have this surgery and the WLS surgery and both together would bring my total to $4000 + .
Not okay. Not one bit.
So guess what that means? No LapBand. Not this year, and with the current insurance trend, not ever. *cries*
But guess what? My mom's on state medical care, and they offered her one for free. So at least someone is getting it. Not little miss middle-class-me though.
I'll be closing this blog soon. Thanks for reading.
Current weight: ???
Time to WLS approval: 2 mos and a few days??
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
I want off the rollercoaster.
Yesterday's weight: 250
Ok, this is where I need to be to start my diet. To make sure that I won't lose too much thereby blocking my surgery. It sure don't feel very good though!
I hate weighing this much. My ankles hurt, my feet hurt, and my knees feel like they'll split open whenever I bend them. Luckily I'll be able to lose a little soon. I'll lose about 10-12 pounds over the next 5.5 months. So that's about 2 pounds a month if I want to stay safely over the BMI limit.
Yay me!!
Every day that goes by I get more excited. More hopeful. I read blogs of people who have already had the surgery, there seems to be a proliferation of people who got banded or RNY in the year 2005. So luckily for me, I am able to read the entire story. From the struggles to the easy-peasy. I hope I fall into the easy-peasy category. I don't want to be obsessed with food every day of my life. I'd like to be the ".. it's ok. I like food, I eat food, I just eat less food" people.
Ok, this is where I need to be to start my diet. To make sure that I won't lose too much thereby blocking my surgery. It sure don't feel very good though!
I hate weighing this much. My ankles hurt, my feet hurt, and my knees feel like they'll split open whenever I bend them. Luckily I'll be able to lose a little soon. I'll lose about 10-12 pounds over the next 5.5 months. So that's about 2 pounds a month if I want to stay safely over the BMI limit.
Yay me!!
Every day that goes by I get more excited. More hopeful. I read blogs of people who have already had the surgery, there seems to be a proliferation of people who got banded or RNY in the year 2005. So luckily for me, I am able to read the entire story. From the struggles to the easy-peasy. I hope I fall into the easy-peasy category. I don't want to be obsessed with food every day of my life. I'd like to be the ".. it's ok. I like food, I eat food, I just eat less food" people.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Awesome Quote~
I just loved this quote from this site:
http://www.weightlossdaily.org/
(This is the specific article)
The whole article is awesome, but this quote kinda sums up the lapband and, really, any WLS. So check it out!!
"Surgery is not the magic pill we have all been waiting for. You will not wake up thin. You must be willing to meet the band half way. You will lose weight at a different pace than your friends. You must change your behavior for this to work. It is a tool-and nothing more. An electric mixer is easier than mixing by hand but you still have to follow the recipe for the cake to taste good."
http://www.weightlossdaily.org/
(This is the specific article)
The whole article is awesome, but this quote kinda sums up the lapband and, really, any WLS. So check it out!!
"Surgery is not the magic pill we have all been waiting for. You will not wake up thin. You must be willing to meet the band half way. You will lose weight at a different pace than your friends. You must change your behavior for this to work. It is a tool-and nothing more. An electric mixer is easier than mixing by hand but you still have to follow the recipe for the cake to taste good."
Food
The things we learn about food when we're forced to eat too much:
What I didn't count on was that my stomach was smaller from not eating so much, so when I tried to eat more..... *blech* Food is gross. For the past few days I have been consuming an average of 3700 calories per day. I'm eating the worst for you stuff I could find and I hate it.
I always used to laugh at my boyfriend. There was a time when he was only 140 lbs, and he's 6'1". He was always upset because he was "too skinny" which makes sense for a guy and especially one that tall. He was always trying to gain weight, but pretty much no matter what he did it didn't happen. Eventually, and after much laziness and stomach expanding, he was able to gain weight and looked pretty normal, no longer skinny. Now, he's gotten used to being lazy and eating alot and he weighs more than he wants... go figure! LOL So he's a little on the chunky side.
So, my point on that was, that I used to laugh at him, when he tried to gain weight. That whole, "If only I had that problem!" I wanted to be too skinny too, and now, although I am obviously not too skinny for most things (I'm actually morbidly obese) I am nearly too skinny to get the surgery I need to no longer be morbidly obese. So now, I had 10 days... yes, only 10 days, to gain 10 pounds. Yikes. Well, not 10 whole pounds, more like 8, I had already gained 2 in the weeks leading up to this. I succeeded in gaining 5. I didn't gain 10. I gained 5. Arg. And today is the day I'm supposed to reduce my calories by 200. Luckily I was fibbing on my tally, and where my Diet Coke should be, I put in Coke. So I have a fictitious extra 300 or so calories I can take away without actually doing it.
I'm truly afraid, that when I start cutting the calories back, my body will do what it wants to do and lose weight. I know, again, that sounds horrible. After all, my whole goal is to lose weight, and you know what? I could. I could lose some weight without the surgery. BUT. I could probably only lose about 30 pounds. Where will that get me? I'll be too skinny to get the surgery, I'll be stuck at that weight -- which is still too heavy, and I will eventually gain it back, because that's how life is. I won't have anything stopping me from eating too much, I'll become complacent and my stomach will stretch from eating just a little too much - often - and food will no longer be gross. I'll gain it back and then more, and my skin will stretch more and my stretch marks will get worse. I'll be 300 pounds and really need the surgery but then I'll not have a job because I lost it after a bout of depression caused me to stay home too much and I won't have insurance and I'll just get even bigger!!!!! Or, my sleep apnea will kill me while I sleep.
Ok, so a little melodramatic, but that's just me. These are my fears and I don't want to live like this anymore.
- Food is gross!
- Don't eat too much.
- Food is gross!
- I don't like that.
- Food is gross!
What I didn't count on was that my stomach was smaller from not eating so much, so when I tried to eat more..... *blech* Food is gross. For the past few days I have been consuming an average of 3700 calories per day. I'm eating the worst for you stuff I could find and I hate it.
I always used to laugh at my boyfriend. There was a time when he was only 140 lbs, and he's 6'1". He was always upset because he was "too skinny" which makes sense for a guy and especially one that tall. He was always trying to gain weight, but pretty much no matter what he did it didn't happen. Eventually, and after much laziness and stomach expanding, he was able to gain weight and looked pretty normal, no longer skinny. Now, he's gotten used to being lazy and eating alot and he weighs more than he wants... go figure! LOL So he's a little on the chunky side.
So, my point on that was, that I used to laugh at him, when he tried to gain weight. That whole, "If only I had that problem!" I wanted to be too skinny too, and now, although I am obviously not too skinny for most things (I'm actually morbidly obese) I am nearly too skinny to get the surgery I need to no longer be morbidly obese. So now, I had 10 days... yes, only 10 days, to gain 10 pounds. Yikes. Well, not 10 whole pounds, more like 8, I had already gained 2 in the weeks leading up to this. I succeeded in gaining 5. I didn't gain 10. I gained 5. Arg. And today is the day I'm supposed to reduce my calories by 200. Luckily I was fibbing on my tally, and where my Diet Coke should be, I put in Coke. So I have a fictitious extra 300 or so calories I can take away without actually doing it.
I'm truly afraid, that when I start cutting the calories back, my body will do what it wants to do and lose weight. I know, again, that sounds horrible. After all, my whole goal is to lose weight, and you know what? I could. I could lose some weight without the surgery. BUT. I could probably only lose about 30 pounds. Where will that get me? I'll be too skinny to get the surgery, I'll be stuck at that weight -- which is still too heavy, and I will eventually gain it back, because that's how life is. I won't have anything stopping me from eating too much, I'll become complacent and my stomach will stretch from eating just a little too much - often - and food will no longer be gross. I'll gain it back and then more, and my skin will stretch more and my stretch marks will get worse. I'll be 300 pounds and really need the surgery but then I'll not have a job because I lost it after a bout of depression caused me to stay home too much and I won't have insurance and I'll just get even bigger!!!!! Or, my sleep apnea will kill me while I sleep.
Ok, so a little melodramatic, but that's just me. These are my fears and I don't want to live like this anymore.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Dr. Monitored Diet
For my insurance I need to have a 6 months, doctor supervised diet plan.
I went to my PCP yesterday, because he's fastest. He gave me this:
For 10 days, keep track of what you eat and average the calories.
At the end of 10 days, subtract 200 calories from your average and stick to that.
Continue for 2 weeks at that reduced calorie level, and continue to lower by 200 calories every 2 weeks after (till my 6 months is up).
Oh, and exercise.
Sounds like a good plan, I think.
I still have to be at >40 bmi at the end to qualify for surgery, but since this diet plan is so slow, I think that will happen ok.
I went to my PCP yesterday, because he's fastest. He gave me this:
For 10 days, keep track of what you eat and average the calories.
At the end of 10 days, subtract 200 calories from your average and stick to that.
Continue for 2 weeks at that reduced calorie level, and continue to lower by 200 calories every 2 weeks after (till my 6 months is up).
Oh, and exercise.
Sounds like a good plan, I think.
I still have to be at >40 bmi at the end to qualify for surgery, but since this diet plan is so slow, I think that will happen ok.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Doomed.
Ok, so I'm starting to think fate is against me.
I woke up this morning and checked my scale. I'm at 239 lbs. Only 8 pounds away from not being able to get the surgery. This wouldn't be bad, except that I've been eating like a pig to gain 10 lbs for the last week. So instead of gaining.... I lose a pound. Yeesh. If this keeps up I'll never make the 6 months without going below 231.
This should make me happy. All my life, well, mostly for the last 10 years of it, I've struggled to keep the weight off, wishing I could lose weight easier. So now, now I am. I'm losing weight without even trying. While trying to GAIN weight, and what am I? I'm bummed. I'm disappointed because I know as soon as I give up on the surgery, because I've hit the 231 mark, I'll start gaining weight again and I'll have to start all over again on the lap band thing. It wouldn't be that bad except that I've got to do the 6 months diet plan and at the end I still have to be over 231!!!
Anyway, I know this is a silly thing to complain about so... yay. I lost a pound without even trying.... yay.
I woke up this morning and checked my scale. I'm at 239 lbs. Only 8 pounds away from not being able to get the surgery. This wouldn't be bad, except that I've been eating like a pig to gain 10 lbs for the last week. So instead of gaining.... I lose a pound. Yeesh. If this keeps up I'll never make the 6 months without going below 231.
This should make me happy. All my life, well, mostly for the last 10 years of it, I've struggled to keep the weight off, wishing I could lose weight easier. So now, now I am. I'm losing weight without even trying. While trying to GAIN weight, and what am I? I'm bummed. I'm disappointed because I know as soon as I give up on the surgery, because I've hit the 231 mark, I'll start gaining weight again and I'll have to start all over again on the lap band thing. It wouldn't be that bad except that I've got to do the 6 months diet plan and at the end I still have to be over 231!!!
Anyway, I know this is a silly thing to complain about so... yay. I lost a pound without even trying.... yay.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Keeping it on. Part Duex
Ok, I just want to put this down here because I might forget. I just did the BMI calculations, and as long as I stay over 231 lbs. for the next 6 months I'll be ok for surgery. I called my insurance company and they said that they use the weight after the 6 months doctor supervised diet. I'm at 243 lbs. right now, so I can't lose more than 12 lbs. in 6 months. That shouldn't be too hard, right?
I suspected that this would be the case, so I am on a binge right now to gain another 5 lbs so that I won't lose too much during that 6 months. Ugh. I've been researching this lap-band thing for months, and have been actively practicing my post-op eating habits in anticipation of the surgery so my stomach has shrunk. This over-eating is making me sick, literally. I feel like puking most of the time and my digestive system is going crazy. How did I eat all this food before? I know I did. I look at what I'm eating now and it's less than what I ate before I started all this, but it feels like so much. My mind is not reacting well either. The last thing I want to do is gain weight, but if it will help me get approved for my lapband then I'm all for it.
On other news, speaking of that 6 mos diet. I talk to my doc Monday about starting that. So hopefully, if all goes well, 6 mos from Monday will be my surgery date. This means I'm looking at April 1st. LOL April fools day. That ought to be interesting.
I suspected that this would be the case, so I am on a binge right now to gain another 5 lbs so that I won't lose too much during that 6 months. Ugh. I've been researching this lap-band thing for months, and have been actively practicing my post-op eating habits in anticipation of the surgery so my stomach has shrunk. This over-eating is making me sick, literally. I feel like puking most of the time and my digestive system is going crazy. How did I eat all this food before? I know I did. I look at what I'm eating now and it's less than what I ate before I started all this, but it feels like so much. My mind is not reacting well either. The last thing I want to do is gain weight, but if it will help me get approved for my lapband then I'm all for it.
On other news, speaking of that 6 mos diet. I talk to my doc Monday about starting that. So hopefully, if all goes well, 6 mos from Monday will be my surgery date. This means I'm looking at April 1st. LOL April fools day. That ought to be interesting.
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