[rebelg66]

Hi there! I am new to this forum and have been dealing with my insurance for 3 years trying to get gastric bypass surgery. Lots of problems, some with insurance and some with changing Drs midway through approval process. I am going through UCSF for the surgery and I have finally completed their requirements for pre-tests. I have an appointment on May 20th to go over all my pre-tests and hopefully schedule surgery. It is sounding like it may be as soon as June (most likely mid to late June) for the actual surgery, from the assistant I have been dealing with on the phone. It will be laproscopic and a Rou en Y proceedure (not sure of the spelling there). I would very much like to join in your discussion here to get any help I can in dealing with this HUGE change I will be going through.
I weigh 228 and I am 5' 3" (so about 100lbs overweight) I am currently on blood pressure meds and have a CPAP for severe sleep apnea. I am not really seeing any help with the CPAP. Anyone else out there with the same results with their CPAP? I was really hoping to see an increase in my energy levels and feel more rested in the morning. I have been on it for about a month now. (they just discovered the sleep apnea when I was going through the pre-tests).
I have done a LOT of research on the surgery. I have visited sites that promote it as well as one site I found where the woman who had the surgery apparently had a VERY bad experience and has pages and pages of things that have gone wrong and that she has problems with. (www.wlssideeffects.com) I have gone thoroughly through the site at UCSF and Stanford Univ. regarding their processes and requirements. I also have gone to Web MD and many other links in my search engines.
While I believe the woman that had so many problems and feel very sorry for her that her experience was so bad, I must say that EVERYONE I have talked to that has had the surgery would do it again in a heart beat regardless of some of the VERY serious complications they have had. One lady I talked to had the surgery and after 18 months was so malnurished that her skin was turning black and she had to have the surgery reversed or she would have died. Still she said she would do it again with no second thoughts. One of my best friends had the surgery and had to have an open incision from just below her ribs to her pubic bone and got an infection that took months to heal and once again, she would do it all over again with no hesitation.
While I am very optimistic about going through with this I would like to be as prepared as I can be for something going wrong or what to expect. They have a support group at UCSF that meets once a week in San Francisco, but it is much too far for me to go that often (I live near Oakland in the East bay) so I am trying to find as much support as possible. I would LOVE to hear from anyone that knows of a support group that has meetings in my area or at least closer to me than SF.
Well now that I have rattled on and on I should put on here that any and all tips, suggestions, advice etc... would be VERY welcome and I look forward to hearing from everyone that has anything to say regarding this very exciting and scary event in my life!
God bless all and have a WONDERFUL Mother's Day!!!!

[eyesthatkissu]

Welcome to the nuthouse!!!! So glad to have you! I don't really have advice yet since I'm still not a "loser". But like you, I don't know of a single person that has had WLS even with some very bad outcomes, that wouldn't do it again! I'm so excited for mine! The best thing I think we can do is get as much info as possible and know exactly what we are getting into! Much luck to you!

[rebelg66]

Hey THANKS SO MUCH for the reply!!!! I am sooooooo excited too!
Not that this is the total MAIN goal for me in having the surgery, but I keep looking at all the little cute dresses in stores thinking to myself NEXT YEAR!!!! YEAH!!!!
Where are you in the process?

[eyesthatkissu]

I had to find the right surgeon first. Which I did... Dr. C... then I had to switch primary care docs... which I did... The insurance requires 6 months with her. And I have 6 weeks left before she can refer me for surgery. But she was clever. She already had all my tests dont that are required for the surgery. SO it should go pretty smoothly as soon as I get that darn referal! I look at the clothes too. But mostly it's the little things I long for... go read the TOP TEN THINGS thread under General Discusions, and you'll know what I mean!

[CJ Skinner]

well they wont let me look at the dresses any more but I do have a pair of pants from my college days (30 years ago) that are the same size as i wore in high school. I am looking at them every day trying to imagine me fitting into them when i loose all my weifgt. I will get in them and hope when i do they are too big. cj

[rebelg66]

No dresses, those brutes! keep the faith and you WILL get back into those pants from college and they WILL be too big!!! Thanks for the post CJ!

[rebelg66]

Hi Eyes!
I was pretty lucky in the dept of having to be with my PCP for a certain amount of time before they could refer me. My ins. says 2 years! But I had changed Drs because of conveniece (HORRIBLE parking and 3 weeks to get an appt for ANYTHING) then a year later the second Drs office quit taking my ins. I am now on my third Dr since beginning the process in 2002. My ins has never said a word about any of those changes though, so I was lucky, like I said.