Well, I lost 9 pounds before surgery and now I've lost 11 since being banded. I am so stoked and motivated. Last weekend I had tried on clothes I had purchased on eBay and on sale several years ago that ended up being too small and lo and behold they fit! One dress I bought that still had its tags on it was even too big. So Saturday I went through the closet and packed up winter sweaters and other too-big outfits, 11 outfits on hangers and a large garbage bag full of clothes and took them to a consignment shop.
As far as eating goes, I've made it through the "mushy" food stage. I decided to try eating just a little bit of solid food last week beginning with a bit of sauteed shrimp Thursday night, a chicken tender at lunch on Friday, and halibut for Friday dinner. All was fine. Saturday we met our dear friends Kim and Roger for an early dinner in Poulsbo and I had a cup of clam chowder and a crab cake appetizer. It was delicious and I was full!
And I have been so much more active! I barely sat down to relax all weekend. Last night I didn't sit town to watch TV until nearly 10:30 (we had socialized with friends after dinner) and then today we went to go through our storage unit in preparation to weed out everything to eventually give it up (after virtually ignoring it for over two years). It's full of books that I want to get ready to either sell on eBay or at a garage sale, along with several boxes of keepers. We're giving ourselves the next month to get it cleaned out for a planned garage sale on the weekend of July 18th. That is always a lot of work but I need to weed out so much of the clothes, books, and miscellaneous items stored in the attic and elsewhere. That weekend is also the weekend of our local Relay for Life for the Cancer Society. They hold the event at Middle School near our home so we've decided to give 10% of our garage sale proceeds to Relay for Life.
Tomorrow I have two appointments, one with a counselor and the other my local bariatric support group, and I have to fit in my Artist's Date for my Artist's Way class. Where did my plans for a relaxing three-day weekend go? I got very little reading done, did read a sample of Elizabeth Berg's The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted on the Kindle (enjoyed it every much) and downloaded Megan Chance's latest book, The Spiritualist that I am itching to get into. I am also reading Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo and Before the Storm by Diane Chamberlain. I am trying to decide whether I'll go do some photography for my Artist's Date or just go to the beach and do some reading. I had wanted to go to a matinee at our local movie theatre but the only movies showing are the near Indiana Jones and the animated movie about a Panda, neither of which interest me.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
"Real Food" at Last
I made it through the liquid phase of the postop diet!!! I jumped the gun by a day and a half and went to "real food" albeit baby-food consistency. Last night I had pureed tuna fish and low-fat mayo in the Mini Cuisinart to the consistency of a pate and ate it with crackers. Food never tasted so good! Today I've added cottage cheese to my regimen. I measured 1/4 cup of cottage cheese, about 2 tablespoons of the tuna fish and 3 whole wheat crackers. That should fill me up.
I am having very little pain two weeks out unless I overdo, which I am tending to do -- I have so much energy after losing only 15 pounds!
I have had so much energy I haven't gotten the reading done I've wanted to :-( We had our granddaughter, Kyra with us Saturday and took her to the Farmer's Market, to the famous Aldrich's Market, to the playground, to Henery's Garden Center to get seeds and plants for our garden, and finally to North Beach just a mile from our home.
After we took her to her Daddy's on Sunday John and I went to the historic village of Port Gamble and took a long walk there as well as visiting some of the shops.
Today I cleaned and organized our office - trying not to overdo, but it was nearly impossible -- it had gone neglected far to long! I finally relaxed while driving to Bainbridge Island to pick Kyra up -- this time alone, using the solitary hour-long drive as my "Artist's Date" for the week as I listened to CDs on "Ten Simple Ways to Raise Your Joy Meter" that I very much enjoyed; so much so that I need to listen again, this time when I can take notes.
So anyway, so far, so good. I made it through the first two weeks which are sometimes called "Bandster Hell" but since I didn't focus on that, in fact, didn't even think about it, instead kept thinking my mantra "my eye is on the prize" and it all went smoothly. That's not to say there won't be some down times (in fact, I nearly grabbed some samples of cheese at the Farmer's Market before I thought about it) but I am saying it isn't as hard as I thought it might be. I am wearing clothes that I haven't been able to wear for a while and others are getting so large I can't wear them. Tops are sliding off my shoulders, and bras are no longer supportive. Pants that were once tight are now loose. Those things are enough to keep me motivated!
I am having very little pain two weeks out unless I overdo, which I am tending to do -- I have so much energy after losing only 15 pounds!
I have had so much energy I haven't gotten the reading done I've wanted to :-( We had our granddaughter, Kyra with us Saturday and took her to the Farmer's Market, to the famous Aldrich's Market, to the playground, to Henery's Garden Center to get seeds and plants for our garden, and finally to North Beach just a mile from our home.
After we took her to her Daddy's on Sunday John and I went to the historic village of Port Gamble and took a long walk there as well as visiting some of the shops.
Today I cleaned and organized our office - trying not to overdo, but it was nearly impossible -- it had gone neglected far to long! I finally relaxed while driving to Bainbridge Island to pick Kyra up -- this time alone, using the solitary hour-long drive as my "Artist's Date" for the week as I listened to CDs on "Ten Simple Ways to Raise Your Joy Meter" that I very much enjoyed; so much so that I need to listen again, this time when I can take notes.
So anyway, so far, so good. I made it through the first two weeks which are sometimes called "Bandster Hell" but since I didn't focus on that, in fact, didn't even think about it, instead kept thinking my mantra "my eye is on the prize" and it all went smoothly. That's not to say there won't be some down times (in fact, I nearly grabbed some samples of cheese at the Farmer's Market before I thought about it) but I am saying it isn't as hard as I thought it might be. I am wearing clothes that I haven't been able to wear for a while and others are getting so large I can't wear them. Tops are sliding off my shoulders, and bras are no longer supportive. Pants that were once tight are now loose. Those things are enough to keep me motivated!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Band + Day 3
As they say things do get better. Today I was able to get up and down from the couch without help and then even got dressed!!! Woo-hoo! I am starting to feel like a real person again. I am walking without any pain at all, it's just the getting up and down, rolling into a comfortable position while lying down, bending over, etc-- and when it hurts -- well, it really hurts. Another hurdle was crossed when, to say it nicely, all bodily systems are working correctly :-) It was a warm, sunny day in the Pacific Northwest and I am one to take advantage of any chance to sit outside so I took my book, my watered down fruit juice, and sat outside. I even walked around the yard and checked out the garden. I had the most wonderful dinner -- John had made (and frozen) some butternut squash soup a few months ago so we thawed that, pureed it in the blender to make it a bit thinner and boy was it delicious! I am not yet ready for my own bed yet, so my husband is going to have to forgive me for another night as I am going to go for the couch one more time. I think I will be ready for my own bed tomorrow. I had calls today from both the hospital in Shelton and my friend, Irene, the dietitian at the hospital where I work. I feel I am getting extra support in the diet support department! I am also very thankful for the SmartBandsters List at YahooGroups where I get a lot of information and have had a lot of questions answered. I also watched two great movies: PS I Love You starring Hillary Swank, Harry Connick, Jr., and Gerard Butler and The Memory Keeper's Daughter starring Dermot Mulroney and Emily Watson. Both were made from books I enjoyed so it was fun seeing them come to life. It pains me that I haven't been able to concentrate much on reading. Maybe tomorrow.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Well I Did It
This is Band Day +2. I was banded on Tuesday May 13th at Mason General Hospital in Shelton, Washington by William Neal, MD. The hospital was lovely and the staff couldn't have been more attentive or professional. This post will be short as I am still not in that good of shape to spend that much time on the computer.
I am still not getting dressed, am finding it difficult to even walk to the bathroom, and am sleeping on the couch. Each time I move it is getting a little bit better though and I am trying not to get discouraged and am looking at the big picture. I am taking my nourishing protein smoothies quite well and getting in all my medications, vitamins, and protein.
I am getting a lot of TV watching done -- getting all my TiVo programs caught up and hope to catch up on my movies I have out from Netflix. I wish I could concentrate more on reading.
My goal is to rest and recover so that get back to work on Monday; I think I have resigned myself to missing Kathy's going away gathering tonight as well as the Rhody Fest activities. The good news is that the weather is supposed to be good -- if I can just make it out to the patio to enjoy it!
Hopefully these first few days will soon just be a memory and I can be like all the others I've heard say they'd do it all over again!
I am still not getting dressed, am finding it difficult to even walk to the bathroom, and am sleeping on the couch. Each time I move it is getting a little bit better though and I am trying not to get discouraged and am looking at the big picture. I am taking my nourishing protein smoothies quite well and getting in all my medications, vitamins, and protein.
I am getting a lot of TV watching done -- getting all my TiVo programs caught up and hope to catch up on my movies I have out from Netflix. I wish I could concentrate more on reading.
My goal is to rest and recover so that get back to work on Monday; I think I have resigned myself to missing Kathy's going away gathering tonight as well as the Rhody Fest activities. The good news is that the weather is supposed to be good -- if I can just make it out to the patio to enjoy it!
Hopefully these first few days will soon just be a memory and I can be like all the others I've heard say they'd do it all over again!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Here We Go!!!!
Today is Saturday. Yesterday I had my preop appointment at the hospital and it appears all things are a go for my surgery on Tuesday, May 13th. I have checked off everything on the list including losing 9.6 pounds on the MediFast (I call it the "cardboard" diet) since my consult appointment 10 days ago. I have purchased everything on my shopping list to have plenty of liquids to drink for the first couple of weeks including the protein and vitamins. I bought a Bella Cucina device (much like the Magic Bullet) to mix my smoothies in. It will be small enough I can take it to work. My disability paperwork is in at the surgeons office and all I have to do now is wait. That and go to work on Monday, try to get all my odds and ends caught up. On top of that I have to box up most of my office because they are planning on doing a bit of remodeling while I'm gone.
I am not going to ruminate on this or try to think too much about this over the weekend I just want to relax. I want to make this blog a journal of my journey. The title is "Help Me Make it Through the Night" as all my other blogs have been titles of Kris Kristofferson songs and I thought this would be the most appropriate one since I already had used "For the Good Times" for my main blog.
As well as taking this journey, I have started The Artist's Way Class which will last until September. This will be two hours every Tuesday afternoon, but entails a lot of homework every week including "morning pages" and an "artist's date". I decided that 2008 is a commitment to working on myself and my well being after 40 years of doing for others and ignoring myself and my own mental and physical health.
I will check in after my surgery, update my journey periodically, and hope serve as an help and inspiration for anyone else considering this journey.
I am not going to ruminate on this or try to think too much about this over the weekend I just want to relax. I want to make this blog a journal of my journey. The title is "Help Me Make it Through the Night" as all my other blogs have been titles of Kris Kristofferson songs and I thought this would be the most appropriate one since I already had used "For the Good Times" for my main blog.
As well as taking this journey, I have started The Artist's Way Class which will last until September. This will be two hours every Tuesday afternoon, but entails a lot of homework every week including "morning pages" and an "artist's date". I decided that 2008 is a commitment to working on myself and my well being after 40 years of doing for others and ignoring myself and my own mental and physical health.
I will check in after my surgery, update my journey periodically, and hope serve as an help and inspiration for anyone else considering this journey.
Finding a Surgeon
Several of my coworkers had great success with a surgeon in the Seattle area whose commercials are widely circulated on our local television networks. Since my insurance paid for this particular surgeon's services, I decided to attend one of his seminars. In February, accompanied by longtime friend, Kim, and I drove down to Gig Harbor (an hour and a half drive) from my home in Port Townsend.
The seminar was thorough but the surgeon was a bit, shall I say "pompous". He was more than a little condescending to the audience. He had a speaker who told of her weight loss success through gastric bypass. He described the different weight loss procedures in detail, never hesitating to tell us, "I devised this procedure" or "I am only one of a few surgeons in the country who does it this way and this is the only way it works". And, "I don't do fills for anyone who doesn't come to me for their surgery because I had people try to sue me". He was also very curt in responses to questions from the audience. This was my first red flag
Since I was so ready for this surgery I called his office the next day for an appointment. I was disappointed when I wasn't able to get in for six weeks. I asked to be put on a cancellation list only to be told "We're too busy to have a cancellation list. You just have to call back". Now I work in healthcare and it is my opinion that this isn't very good customer service. It wasn't just what was said but how she said it, rudely and abruptly. Another red flag.
The day finally came for my appointment (March 30th) I was taken aback at the sparseness of his tiny office and waiting room. He had only one receptionist and one gal working the back. He had about a dozen chairs (regular sized, not specially fit for the larger-sized patient) and his decor was very sparse. This was evidently "fill" day and the waiting room was full. It was really very unwelcoming. After about a 20-minute wait I was taken back to the exam room. The doctor arrived in about 10 minutes, looked at my file, checked my stomach, and told me I needed to have an EGD/colonoscopy before he could see if I would be appropriate for the procedure. I tried to ask some other questions about the procedure and he cut me off saying these questions would be answered after the procedure had been scheduled. Another red flag.
I then went out to the front desk, where a very harried receptionist (remember she was the only one available to check in al the patients coming in that day) scheduled my EGD/colonoscopy for six weeks in the future, with a followup appointment two weeks after that. That would make it May 23rd before I could even have start to have my LapBand procedure submitted for approval (and I was told it could take 3-4 weeks to have it approved and then another four weeks before it would be scheduled, so we were looking at end of July, possibly August). I asked if I could have the EGD/colonoscopy at my own hospital thus saving money and travel time and was informed that no, only Dr.______ can do this. Another red flag.
By the time I left his office, I was feeling totally uncomfortable. Within a couple days I started investigating other Lap-Band surgeons in my area that my insurance would cover. Just because I knew others who had success with this surgeon didn't mean that I had to follow the crowd.
I went on the internet and then made a few phone calls. One hospital that was a Center of Excellence was Mason General Hospital in Shelton, Washington, closer to my home. The surgeon performing the procedure there is Dr. William Neal in Olympia. I phoned his office, and they phoned me back the next day. Their office staff took time to talk to me, answer my questions including finances. I felt like I was being treated as a person who was cared about, not just another anonymous caller.
I was told, among other things whereas the first doctor charged $13,500 for his fee and it covered the first two fills and the others would be at least $150 each; Dr. Neal charges $5000 and the fills are included. Forever. I asked her to repeat this last part. The fills are included forver? Yes she says. Forever. The bad news was that he asks for his portion up front, so I would have to get the $5000 and then be reimbursed by my insurance. At first I thought that would be an insurmountable hurdle to cross. However a quick talk with my husband and I discovered we could borrow that from a relative. That hurdle jumped, I phoned the office and made an appointment for a consultation. They decided to get the insurance approval while I was waiting for my appointment. The medical records were faxed to their office on a Thursday afternoon. I was shocked, surprised, and pleased to receive a phone call the following Tuesday morning that I had been approved.
On April 23rd I had my visit with Dr. Neal. The office waiting area couldn't have been more inviting and comfortable. The leather sofas were so comfortable for the larger patient, the office staff friendly and inviting. They had several gals at the front desk, several in the back. Plenty of staff to take care of all their patients and an office large enough to accommodate everyone in comfort. They even have a large conference area adjacent to hold their seminars. I couldn't have made to feel more welcome. Dr. Neal himself called me in from the waiting room to his office. There he talked about my medical history, he explained the procedure -- even having a plastic model of the stomach and the band -- I finally understood all about the fills and why they were necessary! He then took me to an exam room where my vital signs were checked and he listened to my heart and lungs. Afterwards I went to a consult room where I the procedure and preop and postop diets were explained in even more detail and I was given a checklist for surgery (my surgery date had already been scheduled as May 13, 2008). He told me he wanted me to go on a MediFast diet for two weeks before surgery to lose around 10 pounds to help shrink the liver preop.
I left the office with a sigh of relief. What a difference between the two offices. I felt I had made the correct decision with the surgeon that fit best with me and my personality. I have even felt better as each time I have had to contact with Dr. Neal's office since then there has been someone available to either answer my question or get back to me in a reasonable length of time. When I called Dr._____ to cancel my other appointments it took me 15 minutes, they didn't even have an answering machine or voice mail and when I finally got a hold of them all I got was the excuse of "We have six lines and only two people to answer them" . I just shook by head. I felt even better about my decision. This was confirmed four days later when the hospital where I was going to have the EGD/Colonoscopy phoned to get some preprocedure info; Dr.____ office had never called to cancel the procedure even after I had called the office to have them do so.
My advice: When you look for a surgeon, if something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Find a surgeon that fits your needs but do your homework. Does the fee include fills? If not, how much do the fills cost? (you will need fills approximately monthly for the first six months, every other month for the next six months, and periodically over the second year -- this is per Dr. Neal's office, your surgeon's recommendation may differ and every patient is different). How much preop testing will you need? The first surgeon I saw wanted me to have an EGD/Colonoscopy, gallbladder ultrasound and psychiatric (MMPI) testing despite having no symptoms. Dr. Neal's theory is why go through these tests if you have no family history and no symptoms. Many times even if your insurance overs the LapBand, it may not cover these other tests, especially if you don't have symptoms. I did need to see a dietician preop, but her fees are billed to Dr. Neal and are part of his fee. And, since I live two hours away from her office, I was able to have a phone consultation instead of seeing her in person.
Next: Here we go
The seminar was thorough but the surgeon was a bit, shall I say "pompous". He was more than a little condescending to the audience. He had a speaker who told of her weight loss success through gastric bypass. He described the different weight loss procedures in detail, never hesitating to tell us, "I devised this procedure" or "I am only one of a few surgeons in the country who does it this way and this is the only way it works". And, "I don't do fills for anyone who doesn't come to me for their surgery because I had people try to sue me". He was also very curt in responses to questions from the audience. This was my first red flag
Since I was so ready for this surgery I called his office the next day for an appointment. I was disappointed when I wasn't able to get in for six weeks. I asked to be put on a cancellation list only to be told "We're too busy to have a cancellation list. You just have to call back". Now I work in healthcare and it is my opinion that this isn't very good customer service. It wasn't just what was said but how she said it, rudely and abruptly. Another red flag.
The day finally came for my appointment (March 30th) I was taken aback at the sparseness of his tiny office and waiting room. He had only one receptionist and one gal working the back. He had about a dozen chairs (regular sized, not specially fit for the larger-sized patient) and his decor was very sparse. This was evidently "fill" day and the waiting room was full. It was really very unwelcoming. After about a 20-minute wait I was taken back to the exam room. The doctor arrived in about 10 minutes, looked at my file, checked my stomach, and told me I needed to have an EGD/colonoscopy before he could see if I would be appropriate for the procedure. I tried to ask some other questions about the procedure and he cut me off saying these questions would be answered after the procedure had been scheduled. Another red flag.
I then went out to the front desk, where a very harried receptionist (remember she was the only one available to check in al the patients coming in that day) scheduled my EGD/colonoscopy for six weeks in the future, with a followup appointment two weeks after that. That would make it May 23rd before I could even have start to have my LapBand procedure submitted for approval (and I was told it could take 3-4 weeks to have it approved and then another four weeks before it would be scheduled, so we were looking at end of July, possibly August). I asked if I could have the EGD/colonoscopy at my own hospital thus saving money and travel time and was informed that no, only Dr.______ can do this. Another red flag.
By the time I left his office, I was feeling totally uncomfortable. Within a couple days I started investigating other Lap-Band surgeons in my area that my insurance would cover. Just because I knew others who had success with this surgeon didn't mean that I had to follow the crowd.
I went on the internet and then made a few phone calls. One hospital that was a Center of Excellence was Mason General Hospital in Shelton, Washington, closer to my home. The surgeon performing the procedure there is Dr. William Neal in Olympia. I phoned his office, and they phoned me back the next day. Their office staff took time to talk to me, answer my questions including finances. I felt like I was being treated as a person who was cared about, not just another anonymous caller.
I was told, among other things whereas the first doctor charged $13,500 for his fee and it covered the first two fills and the others would be at least $150 each; Dr. Neal charges $5000 and the fills are included. Forever. I asked her to repeat this last part. The fills are included forver? Yes she says. Forever. The bad news was that he asks for his portion up front, so I would have to get the $5000 and then be reimbursed by my insurance. At first I thought that would be an insurmountable hurdle to cross. However a quick talk with my husband and I discovered we could borrow that from a relative. That hurdle jumped, I phoned the office and made an appointment for a consultation. They decided to get the insurance approval while I was waiting for my appointment. The medical records were faxed to their office on a Thursday afternoon. I was shocked, surprised, and pleased to receive a phone call the following Tuesday morning that I had been approved.
On April 23rd I had my visit with Dr. Neal. The office waiting area couldn't have been more inviting and comfortable. The leather sofas were so comfortable for the larger patient, the office staff friendly and inviting. They had several gals at the front desk, several in the back. Plenty of staff to take care of all their patients and an office large enough to accommodate everyone in comfort. They even have a large conference area adjacent to hold their seminars. I couldn't have made to feel more welcome. Dr. Neal himself called me in from the waiting room to his office. There he talked about my medical history, he explained the procedure -- even having a plastic model of the stomach and the band -- I finally understood all about the fills and why they were necessary! He then took me to an exam room where my vital signs were checked and he listened to my heart and lungs. Afterwards I went to a consult room where I the procedure and preop and postop diets were explained in even more detail and I was given a checklist for surgery (my surgery date had already been scheduled as May 13, 2008). He told me he wanted me to go on a MediFast diet for two weeks before surgery to lose around 10 pounds to help shrink the liver preop.
I left the office with a sigh of relief. What a difference between the two offices. I felt I had made the correct decision with the surgeon that fit best with me and my personality. I have even felt better as each time I have had to contact with Dr. Neal's office since then there has been someone available to either answer my question or get back to me in a reasonable length of time. When I called Dr._____ to cancel my other appointments it took me 15 minutes, they didn't even have an answering machine or voice mail and when I finally got a hold of them all I got was the excuse of "We have six lines and only two people to answer them" . I just shook by head. I felt even better about my decision. This was confirmed four days later when the hospital where I was going to have the EGD/Colonoscopy phoned to get some preprocedure info; Dr.____ office had never called to cancel the procedure even after I had called the office to have them do so.
My advice: When you look for a surgeon, if something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. Find a surgeon that fits your needs but do your homework. Does the fee include fills? If not, how much do the fills cost? (you will need fills approximately monthly for the first six months, every other month for the next six months, and periodically over the second year -- this is per Dr. Neal's office, your surgeon's recommendation may differ and every patient is different). How much preop testing will you need? The first surgeon I saw wanted me to have an EGD/Colonoscopy, gallbladder ultrasound and psychiatric (MMPI) testing despite having no symptoms. Dr. Neal's theory is why go through these tests if you have no family history and no symptoms. Many times even if your insurance overs the LapBand, it may not cover these other tests, especially if you don't have symptoms. I did need to see a dietician preop, but her fees are billed to Dr. Neal and are part of his fee. And, since I live two hours away from her office, I was able to have a phone consultation instead of seeing her in person.
Next: Here we go
The Journey Begins
Ever since my first child was born I have had a hard time losing weight. Much of this I "blamed" on genetics. Although my mother was always "normal" weight (my Dad constantly reminded me she was 104 pounds when he married her, subsequently making me think at 118 pounds and a size 8 in high school, I was overweight) Dad's family was of Germans from Russia heritage. His mother and three sisters were large breasted, ample girthed women -- which worked well in the Dakota prairies but didn't fare well in the image conscious latter 20th century. I recall weighing 140 pounds after my first child was born and thinking my life was over. Even 13 years later after my twins were born and I weighed 190 pounds before they were born I thought why even bother. After they were born I only lost about 30 pounds. Despite Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, South Beach, and everything in between (remember the cabbage soup diet?) everytime I'd lost a few pounds and gain even more back. When I got so I could only shop in the Plus sizes then I really thought my life was over. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't lose the weight. All through this time I was also going through medical problems for diagnosis of continuing pain which, after six years of tests including CT scans, MRI scans, IVPs, and different meds - thousands of dollars worth - was finally determined to be fibromyalgia.
My sedentary lifestyle hasn't been of much help in weight loss that's for sure, I have an office job as a medical transcriptionist for over 30 years which has recently morphed into both doing that and patient assistance/patient advocate (think of as social work without the MSW degree) for a medical clinic. I used to get a lot of physical activity, mainly hiking our many hiking trails as I grew up literally in the shadow of Mount Rainier. And I used to always be on a softball team until the mid 70s. So I wasn't exactly afraid of exercise. Something just happened that turned off that switch. It was a "Catch-22" situation -- the more I gained the more difficult it was to exercise so the more I gained and even more it became to exercise and so on and so on.
In March of 2007 I discovered that my medical insurance finally covered the LapBand surgical procedure.This procedure is different than the Gastric Bypass in that your basic anatomy is not changed during surgery. Instead (click on link above) a band is placed around the upper portion of your stomach thereby controlling the amount of food you take in. In other words it is a tool to assist one in attaining good health. Fortunately I had not yet had any of the serious conditions that can occur with obesity like diabetes or hypertension but I did have edema of the legs, high cholesterol, and urge incontinence, on top of the fibromyalgia -- all conditions which should improve with weight loss.
My insurance had a bariatric surgical policy and I immediately did the prerequisites for surgery - physician and dietican visits with a focus on weight loss and education. I read a very good book, Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding: Achieving Permanent Weight Loss with Minimally Invasive Surgery by Jessie Ahroni I lost 30 pounds but didn't know if the surgery was for me. The surgery is a radical one and a lifestyle change that shouldn't be taken lightly. It would mean a lot of hard work.
After a year of thinking, of seeing the results of several coworkers, I decided to investigate surgeons. My search for a surgeon is in the next post.
My sedentary lifestyle hasn't been of much help in weight loss that's for sure, I have an office job as a medical transcriptionist for over 30 years which has recently morphed into both doing that and patient assistance/patient advocate (think of as social work without the MSW degree) for a medical clinic. I used to get a lot of physical activity, mainly hiking our many hiking trails as I grew up literally in the shadow of Mount Rainier. And I used to always be on a softball team until the mid 70s. So I wasn't exactly afraid of exercise. Something just happened that turned off that switch. It was a "Catch-22" situation -- the more I gained the more difficult it was to exercise so the more I gained and even more it became to exercise and so on and so on.
In March of 2007 I discovered that my medical insurance finally covered the LapBand surgical procedure.This procedure is different than the Gastric Bypass in that your basic anatomy is not changed during surgery. Instead (click on link above) a band is placed around the upper portion of your stomach thereby controlling the amount of food you take in. In other words it is a tool to assist one in attaining good health. Fortunately I had not yet had any of the serious conditions that can occur with obesity like diabetes or hypertension but I did have edema of the legs, high cholesterol, and urge incontinence, on top of the fibromyalgia -- all conditions which should improve with weight loss.
My insurance had a bariatric surgical policy and I immediately did the prerequisites for surgery - physician and dietican visits with a focus on weight loss and education. I read a very good book, Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding: Achieving Permanent Weight Loss with Minimally Invasive Surgery by Jessie Ahroni I lost 30 pounds but didn't know if the surgery was for me. The surgery is a radical one and a lifestyle change that shouldn't be taken lightly. It would mean a lot of hard work.
After a year of thinking, of seeing the results of several coworkers, I decided to investigate surgeons. My search for a surgeon is in the next post.
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