On June 19th I had to be at the hospital at 6:30 am. Of course I had to fast, so I had a very grumbly tummy when I was on my way (little did I know what lie ahead.... oh the grumbles!!!) I checked into the hospital and while we were waiting to go back I had Tim take my "before" photos with my phone. OMG I can't believe I really am THAT FAT!! Hopefully that will be the last time I EVER see myself that fat again!
They took me back to my "room" where I got to put on some lovely compression tights (to prevent blood clots) and had me undress. I never understand why they need me to take it ALL off... ugh. God have mercy on their eyes if they actually saw all "that". Tim came back and kept me company. (okay, not really. He played a game on his cell phone while I read 50 Shades of Grey). The nurse tortured me and tried to give me an IV. He says I was dehydrated and he couldn't get a vein. Nobody has ever had problems getting my veins before though. He tried one in my forearm and poked and moved the needle around in there but never got it. I have a huge bruise as a souvenir from that experience! He called in another nurse and she got it immediately. After that I tried to lay my head down and go back to sleep, but couldn't get comfortable. Dr. Bagnato came in as we were looking for the lever to put my head down and he said "well, they're getting ready to take you back... so you'll be getting plenty of sleep in a little bit!"
Sure enough, they took me back. I remember getting up on the operating table and then...........................NOTHING. I don't remember giving me the meds, NOTHING. The next thing I remember is the nurses saying "wake up Marcie". Just like that I was in recovery. I was so groggy and my throat hurt so bad. But what I couldn't get over was how bad my shoulders were hurting. My entire chest was KILLING me. I remember them saying something about getting me some liquid loritab, but I was just in agony over my upper chest. (come to find out, they fill your body with gas, so I was experiencing gas pains).
They took me back to Tim. Dr. Bagnato came in and checked in with Tim and told him that while in there he had to fix a Hiatal Hernia, which is pretty common. After that I got my liquid loritab and before I knew it they were getting ready to send me home. I really didn't stay long.
I remember Tim trying to give me my bra to put on and I told him "I don't want that damn thing!" My chest and stuff hurt SO bad! When I went to get my clothes on I discovered an incision in my armpit area close to my left breast. I had no idea that was going to be there. I knew to expect the others but this one caught me off guard. As it turns out, this is where they put the port for the band.
That day I slept, and slept and drank a little bit of Gatorade. The girls were happy to see me, but really didn't bother me too much. Grandma was there and they were happy to be with her. Everyone pretty much let me just rest and recover!
Friday, July 27, 2012
Say What????
The phone rang one day in June (I don't know when... sometime in the middle of the month...) and it was Dr. Bagnato's nurse, Terry. She said the insurance company approved the surgery... ON THE FIRST TRY!!! I was sure they were going to give me a hard time and deny me for some reason (because come on.. nothing is ever THAT easy!!!) But no, they approved me and said I could do it whenever I was ready.
Of course I was ready to do the surgery the next day, but that's not exactly allowed! So, we set up the surgery date for July 19th. I was going out of town for 3 weeks to my parents' house, so I had to do the pre-surgery diet (the "Sugar Buster" diet) while I was there.
After enjoying my last few days of eating whatever I wanted, it was time to start the Sugar Buster diet. What is that? Well, basically it's a diet designed to shrink your liver to make surgery easier. The guidelines were basically:
1) no refined sugar
2) no carbs (okay VERY FEW carbs) ouch... what's food if it isn't carbs???
3) protein, most veggies and most fruits.
I thought this was going to be so hard, but really it ended up being okay. Did you know they make sugar free brownie and cake mixes? (and YES, they were allowed!!) I did give in one morning to enjoy my favorite pancakes from the diner by my parents' house. But other than that I was a good girl and stuck to the diet.
I also thought for sure I'd lose about 20 lbs on this diet... but nope. Only lost 3 lbs.
Okay, so now I'm approved, time to get ready for my new life!
Of course I was ready to do the surgery the next day, but that's not exactly allowed! So, we set up the surgery date for July 19th. I was going out of town for 3 weeks to my parents' house, so I had to do the pre-surgery diet (the "Sugar Buster" diet) while I was there.
After enjoying my last few days of eating whatever I wanted, it was time to start the Sugar Buster diet. What is that? Well, basically it's a diet designed to shrink your liver to make surgery easier. The guidelines were basically:
1) no refined sugar
2) no carbs (okay VERY FEW carbs) ouch... what's food if it isn't carbs???
3) protein, most veggies and most fruits.
I thought this was going to be so hard, but really it ended up being okay. Did you know they make sugar free brownie and cake mixes? (and YES, they were allowed!!) I did give in one morning to enjoy my favorite pancakes from the diner by my parents' house. But other than that I was a good girl and stuck to the diet.
I also thought for sure I'd lose about 20 lbs on this diet... but nope. Only lost 3 lbs.
Okay, so now I'm approved, time to get ready for my new life!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Jumping Through Hoops
The first thing the insurance company required was a 6 month physician supervised diet. At first I was really losing weight... and my doctor advised me that I really didn't want to lose weight! Plus, by losing weight I was lowering my BMI which would lower my chance of being approved for the surgery.... OOPS. I wasn't losing A LOT of weight (not as much as I WANT to lose anyways) only a few pounds. I don't want to lose a few pounds I want to lose like 100 lbs!! So I decided to continue to eat healthy, but not "diet".
Tim (my hubby) decided he was fed up with his weight as well, so he began a diet. He was restricting his calories, cutting out Coke, and making healthier choices. (Of course he dropped 50 lbs in a matter of months... darn men!!!) I was following along with his diet as best I could but making sure to stay at a steady weight so I wouldn't sabotage my chances of being approved for the surgery.
In April I met with Dr. Bagnato. He wrote a qualification letter to the insurance company and said he'd see me soon. A few weeks later the insurance company replied with the following hoops to jump through:
1) Nutritional Assessment
2) Psychological Assessment
3) 2 year weight history (wait, what?? That's what I liked about my doctor!! She didn't make me get on the scale!!!)
4) that dreaded 6 month diet supervision documentation.
Time to jump-
#1 was easy. There was a guy here in town that performed Nutritional Assessments (in other words he printed off a diet plan from the internet and told me I need to eat healthier... duh) for the low price of $85.
#2 wasn't quite as easy. Come to find out there are only a handful of psychiatrists here in Middle Georgia that do the assessment for bariatric surgery... and most of them don't accept my insurance. Dr. Tillitski to the rescue! He is hard as heck to get up with... but when I finally did, they took my insurance with no problem and submitted his report to Dr. Bagnato's office in lightening speed.
#3 well, lucky for me I had regular check ups with my OBGYN during the past few years... and he DID check my weight (and get onto me for being too heavy) every time I went. They sent me my records for my NON-PREGNANT check ups and viola- there's my weight history!
#4 I've been doing this... this should be easy. BUT OF COURSE it wasn't. They needed Dr. Bagnato's office to officially request the documents instead of me just taking them to his office. No problem. Dr. Bagnato's nurse, Terry, had that under control.
Now, time to wait....
Tim (my hubby) decided he was fed up with his weight as well, so he began a diet. He was restricting his calories, cutting out Coke, and making healthier choices. (Of course he dropped 50 lbs in a matter of months... darn men!!!) I was following along with his diet as best I could but making sure to stay at a steady weight so I wouldn't sabotage my chances of being approved for the surgery.
In April I met with Dr. Bagnato. He wrote a qualification letter to the insurance company and said he'd see me soon. A few weeks later the insurance company replied with the following hoops to jump through:
1) Nutritional Assessment
2) Psychological Assessment
3) 2 year weight history (wait, what?? That's what I liked about my doctor!! She didn't make me get on the scale!!!)
4) that dreaded 6 month diet supervision documentation.
Time to jump-
#1 was easy. There was a guy here in town that performed Nutritional Assessments (in other words he printed off a diet plan from the internet and told me I need to eat healthier... duh) for the low price of $85.
#2 wasn't quite as easy. Come to find out there are only a handful of psychiatrists here in Middle Georgia that do the assessment for bariatric surgery... and most of them don't accept my insurance. Dr. Tillitski to the rescue! He is hard as heck to get up with... but when I finally did, they took my insurance with no problem and submitted his report to Dr. Bagnato's office in lightening speed.
#3 well, lucky for me I had regular check ups with my OBGYN during the past few years... and he DID check my weight (and get onto me for being too heavy) every time I went. They sent me my records for my NON-PREGNANT check ups and viola- there's my weight history!
#4 I've been doing this... this should be easy. BUT OF COURSE it wasn't. They needed Dr. Bagnato's office to officially request the documents instead of me just taking them to his office. No problem. Dr. Bagnato's nurse, Terry, had that under control.
Now, time to wait....
The Decision....
It was the summer of 2011 when I was fed up with my weight. I have always been a "big" girl, but my weight was at an all time high and I just didn't have the motivation/determination to make lifestyle choices that would lead to a healthier me. I began researching bariatric surgery. I was elated to find out that our insurance company would cover procedures such as gastric bypass, lapband, etc. I was ready to go forward and learn more about weight loss surgery.
I went online and used resources from my insurance company to research different weight loss surgery options. After lots of reading and reflection, I chose the Lapband. My reasons were:
1) it's reversible
2) it's adjustable
3) it's the safest form of bariatric surgery available
4) it's the least invasive.
That's it! My mind was made up! I was on the hunt for a doctor! AND.... that's where I hit a roadblock. There weren't any doctors in the Macon area that performed the surgery. My closest options were Atlanta and Albany... both of which are over an hour away and would be VERY hard to get to the pre and post operation obligations. It was like someone took the wind out of my sails... maybe bariatiric surgery wouldn't be an option for me.
In January of 2012 a friend called me and told me she heard a commercial on the radio about a new doctor in our area who was conducting seminars on the Lapband at Coliseum Northside Hospital. I went online to look further and found out that Dr. Bagnato (who used to be located in Albany) was coming to Macon and was starting to see patients. I went to the seminar on January 9, 2012 and that day I made my decision... I was going to do this!!!
I started out by going to my primary doctor and talking with her. We discussed the Lapband procedure and if I would be a good candidate. We talked about my options, my history and my goals and together we decided that this was a good road for me to take.
Thus began the "6 month wait...." (Or as the insurance company would like to call it... my 6 month physicial supervised nutrition and weight loss period)
I went online and used resources from my insurance company to research different weight loss surgery options. After lots of reading and reflection, I chose the Lapband. My reasons were:
1) it's reversible
2) it's adjustable
3) it's the safest form of bariatric surgery available
4) it's the least invasive.
That's it! My mind was made up! I was on the hunt for a doctor! AND.... that's where I hit a roadblock. There weren't any doctors in the Macon area that performed the surgery. My closest options were Atlanta and Albany... both of which are over an hour away and would be VERY hard to get to the pre and post operation obligations. It was like someone took the wind out of my sails... maybe bariatiric surgery wouldn't be an option for me.
In January of 2012 a friend called me and told me she heard a commercial on the radio about a new doctor in our area who was conducting seminars on the Lapband at Coliseum Northside Hospital. I went online to look further and found out that Dr. Bagnato (who used to be located in Albany) was coming to Macon and was starting to see patients. I went to the seminar on January 9, 2012 and that day I made my decision... I was going to do this!!!
I started out by going to my primary doctor and talking with her. We discussed the Lapband procedure and if I would be a good candidate. We talked about my options, my history and my goals and together we decided that this was a good road for me to take.
Thus began the "6 month wait...." (Or as the insurance company would like to call it... my 6 month physicial supervised nutrition and weight loss period)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)