My Journey To The Gurney - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

ARealWildChild · 04-30-2009, 12:32 PM

Ok...

I've decided to move my thread over from the "Introductions" section to this one... I didn't want to lose track of what I'd written already though so I'm inserting a couple of "clippings" from the original thread... Just the background really so that when I look back at this virtual journal there aren't TOO many holes...

Here we go!
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Originally Posted: 09-02-2008, 11:26 AM
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Here we go...

ha ha! Ok, so thats clearly not me but i thought it was an amusing illustration just the same...

So! This morning I had a follow up weigh in at the Doc's office...

Out of the pre-op requisite of 24lb. I have shed 21 !!! Wooo hooo!!!!

So this means that they have scheduled all of my pre-op junk.... labs, EKG, chest x-ray etc. for this Thursday and another follow up in 3 weeks to see if i've lost the last 3. (i can move that up if I get there quicker I think)

It kind of stinks that they won't give me a date until i drop the last 3 lb. I mean, its not like they are going to opperate the day the scale reads 218, but what can ya do?? *shrug* ugh!

i'm just thrilled to have made it this far!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Originally Posted: 10-29-2008, 12:02 PM
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ARGH!!!!!!!!!!

I'm just so INFURIATED!!!!!!!!!!!

So i finally made it. The doc sent my clinical data to Blue Cross (from here on out refered to as "BCBS") for review - They faxed back thier approval... for the SURGERY... NOT for the hospital.

Apparently the ratbastards decided that Morton Hospital was no longer "approved" under my particular plan. I could have a different plan with BCBS and they would say "Go ahead! Cut her open!!" but apparently they decided to drop them off of mine.

So the doctor was clearly shocked and voiced as much. BCBS tells him that they sent him a letter... and one to the hospital too (neither of which have ever been received at either location).

He tried to get his rep to reverse the decision but he said no. I called and yelled at them - they still said no.

So here I am 7 months out from my wedding... too fat for the dress that i already bought... and too "thin" to start over from scratch!!!

So I sent and email to a friends surgeon begging him to slice & dice me since my doctor cant... withOUT making me jump through all of the hoops that I've already jumped through.

I'm so stressed!!!

I need some cake!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------Originally Posted: 11-13-2008, 4:06 PM
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Yeah, thats kinda how I felt... only it was at the phone (or rather at the Blue Cross rep on the other end) and not at some duck with a cell (which is what appears to be standing on the stool in that sketch).

Wondering why??? Probably not but I'm gonna tell you anyway because ranting about it is cathartic...

Anyway, so yesterday I get a call from the center for weightloss surgery at Newton-Wellesley Hospital telling me that they've spoken to my existing Doc and are willing to try submitting his clinical data as my "history" and seeing what happens. HOWEVER - I need to go through thier "program" which means going through the psych and nutritionist again... and going to thier group meetings, etc.

Ugh!

Anyway, if that's what it takes... fine.

So today I called Blue Cross again and I was fighting with them for an hour and a half and in the end, all I got for my anguish was another phone number. All I wanted was for someone to send me a letter that says exactly what they told me on the phone on October 29th which is that I was approved for the surgery and the doctor was approved to do it but that the HOSPITAL was the reason that I was refused.

I also wanted them to say that my data could be resubmitted and, providing nothing had changed, I would be good to go.... but apparently they aren't willing to say ANYTHING.... and APPARENTLY all of the info that I was read on the phone has been erased from their system!!!

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!

I swear to god, if I go through all of this again and then they won't honor the data that my original doctor collected and transfers to the new one I am going to explode!!!!!!!!!

Ok, end of rant. Thank you for listening.

Totals as of this post:
Highest / Current / Goal
242 / 221 / 150

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This concludes our historical tour of my story... Onto the present!

ARealWildChild · 04-30-2009, 12:42 PM

Here's a little recap:

Step one: Morton Hospital

Pushed my way into the program (was just on the cusp of eligability), satisfied requirements re: presurgical weight loss and psych evaluation. File submitted to Blue Cross for approval. Denied due to the hospitals bariatric program being dropped form Blue Cross coverage.

Step Two: Newton-Wellesley

Pushed my way into THIS program as I no longer met the criteria having shed the required 10% of bodyweight for the previous program. Talk staff into submitting my medical records from Morton. Gain Blue Cross approval. Good to go.

Step Three: Morton Hospital and the Attack of the Angry Gallbladder

Just days before Christmas become violently ill. Cart myself over to Morton Hospital ER (only because its local) and wind up incarcerated for 6 days. Have gallbladder removed. Use all available vacation time and am out of work for a month.

Freak myself out and reach the conclusion that some mystical power obviously does NOT want me to have bypass surgery. Give up completely. Eat lots of junk. Regain 15 of the 23 pounds lost.

Change my mind.

Step Four: Newton-Wellesley, again.

Call doctor and schedule appointment. Explain what happened and take whipping from dietician and doctor. But back on course!

Surgery scheduled for August 17th. Yay!!!

The Catch: There Always Is One...

Must shed that 15lb. first.

....So then! Here I am... Starting over.

mistymee · 04-30-2009, 12:47 PM

Hey sweetie, nice to see you back. Was just thinking of you the other day and wondering how things were going for you. Has the wedding happened yet???

ARealWildChild · 04-30-2009, 01:02 PM

Hey Kel!!!

So good to hear from you!!!

No, the wedding hasn't happened quite yet... June 13th. So we're on the 6 week countdown now! Woo hoo!!!

The other half basically had to bitchslap me back to the doctor but I'm so glad that I went! I just needed to get motivated again! I had totally psyched myself out thinking that brickwall after brickwall meant that I was doing the wrong thing.

But its NOT the wrong thing... it was just the wrong time!

I'm definitely going to need a cheerleader or two though, if anyone's feeling like volunteering! *grin*

This morning I feasted on one of those prepackaged bowls of Cheerios (ok, so they were honey nut - Could have been worse). I ate them with 3 small stawberries, sliced and skim milk. I had 6 cubes of watermellon on the side.

A colleague took me out for Mexican as a birthday treat. I opted for a pork fajita burrido with no black bean (yuck) and only very little cheese & sourcream. ... do you think that was a bad choice?

Gwrenchgal · 04-30-2009, 02:16 PM

Hey! I am glad your back. I was wondering what happened to ya!

Stay the course and get those last pounds off, its definately worth it!

ARealWildChild · 04-30-2009, 02:27 PM

Oooooo GW!!!

I want my scale to look like yours does!!!

ARealWildChild · 05-06-2009, 10:40 AM

Ok, so it has been a week and I've been mostly good which is quite excellent in my opinion... I stepped on the scale yesterday and I was down 4lb. YAY!!

Thats almost 1/3 of what I regained durring my emotional rebellion! Excellent!!!

Soooo hopefully, that will still ring true tonight when I step on the scale for an official 1 week review.

I need to go to the gym! However, a few months ago I received a letter in the mail from my bank informing me that I had used my debit card someplace that had had a security breach (or something to that effect) and as a result they were cancelling my card and sending a new one.

Fine. Sure. Whatever.

It didn't occur to me that my gym membership was tied to my debit and not to my ACCOUNT and so, apparently, thier direct debits of my monthly fees were refused for a couple of months. SO! Now I have to pay them the missed fees (and despite the fact that I didn't ATTEND the gym during that time, they refused to retroactively freeze my membership - ugh - fine.) PLUS some bounce fees which I will then have to despute with my bank for reembursement.

Its not that big of a deal really.... its just a headache. I've wanted to go but I just haven't had the spare cash recently to square things with the wedding coming up so fast. But perhaps I'll take care of that this weekend...

Who knew just GOING to the gym would be such a WORKOUT!!!

mistymee · 05-06-2009, 11:59 AM

Glad to hear you're getting back into things, there honey pie... can't wait to see those pics of the wedding!!!

Good luck with the dreaded scale tonight!

ARealWildChild · 05-07-2009, 07:36 AM

Thanks, Kel!

Well --- Its official! I stepped on the scale last night and confirmed that I have officially lost 4 lb. in the past week! This makes me very happy!! I'm a third of the way back to where I left off... That is a big stride in the right direction, i think!

High --- Low --- Last --- Current
243 --- 222 --- 236 --- 232

Oh! And that isn't the ONLY good news!!!

I received my golden ticket in the mail yesterday!

The yellow sheet of paper that confirms, in writing, that my Lap RNY is officially booked for August 17th at 7:30am!!! Woo hoo!!!!

I have to spend the whole day at the hospital on August 6th for pre-op testing and a 2-3 hour blended diet review... ugh!

Now i just need to figure out what i'm going to tell my boss !!! I don't really feel comfortable enough to say "hey I decided to have WLS" because I know she will run her mouth and make snarky comments to my coworkers behind my back... Regardless of whether or not I ask her to keep it quiet.

Maybe i'll just be vague and tell her it was suggested to me by my doctor to treat a related condition or something... I don't know.

Any thoughts??

mistymee · 05-07-2009, 07:49 AM

First off, it is *illegal* for your boss to say *anything* to anyone about your health care and if you do say something you might just want to remind him/her of that little fact.

Some people have simply told their work that they're going in for a hernia repair, 'female' trouble (leaving to the imagination over what that might be), I've even heard some say 'gall bladder' problems but I wouldn't use that one, given that the risk of legitimate gall bladder problems post op is rather high... that is, unless your surgeon is also removing the gall bladder at the same time- some do, some don't. Some just say vague "stomach" or "intestinal' problems and leave it at that.. if pressured to divulge details, just say you're uncomfortable discussing your personal health issues at work and that your doctor is taking care of the matter.