New news...

Well, it has been a very busy week. Back a few posts ago I mentioned a meeting that Bruce and I wanted to go to at the Methodist hospital. Well it was the same night as AWANA for the kids. Needless to say, we didn't get to go. But...
Tuesday night they had another informational meeting at the hospital. Come to find out, they have these meetings twice a month. So, Jeanie and Tim came over to watch the kids, giving Bruce and I the chance to go this time. It was a very interesting meeting. I came away both excited and afraid at the same time.
I was excited because I got to meet some of the woman that work in the weightloss clinic. People that I will be able to go to for the rest of my life for advice and help. That is very comforting. They said that "if you keep up with them, they will keep up with you". I found out that I will be talking to a dietitian about meals before and after surgery. She will be able to help me figure out meals for me and meals for the family. They also took us thru the surgeries (Lap-Band and RNY Gastric Bypass) step by step and let us ask questions along the way. They talked about insurance, psychological evaluation, post operative procedures and depression.
I had already gone out on the internet and researched as much about these procedures as I could. But it was nice to hear from the surgeon and nurses that will be taking care of me. Yes, I said surgeon. Dr. Stanish, my surgeon, was not there it was his birthday. But his associate was. It seems that one of the two of them, if not both of them, attends these meetings .
That night there was a woman there, Gloria, that had bypass surgery done 2 years ago. She was 320 pounds at her heaviest. Today she is 180. She went from a size 28 to a 12. It was good to get a chance to meet her and ask questions. She said that she is so happy with her surgery. That she would "do it again in a heart beat".
The meeting also left me feeling a little fearful. They talked about how if you are a real sweets eater, than the bypass may be a better option for you. The reason being that if you have the bypass done, and then eat something that is very sweet, then you may experience what they called dumping (intestinal cramps, sweating, diarrhea). They said that some people see this as aversion therapy. That "if I eat this sweet, then I am going to have that, and I don't like that, so I am not going to eat this". Oh, and it's not just sweets. It can happen with high fat foods, as I sit here eating sausage links for breakfast, and dairy.
For the bypass surgery they talked about protein shakes, supplements, leaks around the incisions in the stomach, having to go back in to stop the leaks, clots, vomiting, malnutrition (because of the way they re-route the intestines your body doesn't get the opportunity to absorb the nutrients that you need. If you don't follow the post operative diet, then this may become an issue), stretching the stomach back out, death (it is surgery. There is always a risk).
The Lap-Band surgery has it's own list of complications. You do not have the dumping. So you have to watch every little thing that you eat. You can stretch the stomach back out. If you don't follow the post operative diet, you may/will not loose weight. If you don't keep up with your post operative check ups, then the band may slip. If you eat too big a meal, you may/will vomit. If you do this too often it could cause the band to slip. If that happens then they have to go back in and reposition it. I will have the band for the rest of my life. There will be a port under my skin just below the rib cage. With this port they can adjust the tightness of the band. The nurse said it is like giving blood. One needle stick and it's done. I told Bruce, one needle stick may be, but the needle is 18 inches long :-)
No matter which surgery I have, I have to be on a full liquid diet for 2 weeks before surgery. I don't know what full liquids are, but I don't think they are talking about the state of my stomach. I did ask about the possibility of having children after surgery. They said that yes, you can have children after surgery usually. They said that with the bypass, it may not be possible. Just because you are having to work so hard to get all the calcium, iron, protein and vitamins that you need for yourself. Let alone for an unborn baby. With the Lap-Band they said that you could carry a baby to term with little problems. They would just have to remove all the saline from the band allowing the stomach to take in more food. Then the band would have to be adjusted , tightened, after the baby is born. Which ever surgery I have, the nurse said that it would probably be a year or two after surgery before I could even think about getting pregnant again. Now, just for the record. Bruce and I have been talking about having a third child. I started talking about it first. Then I stopped because of the idea of surgery. Now Bruce is talking about it. So, we will all just have to wait and see.
You can see why I came away feeling both excitement and fear. I am still leaning toward the Lap-Band. I think I can give up the sweets in order to not go thru the leaking, dumping, and malnutrition. I also think that the Lap-Band is the best option for me when I think about maybe having another child. I wouldn't want to have the bypass and then get pregnant and have complications, for me or the baby.
Yesterday I got THE CALL. Chris, from the weightloss center, called me. She contacted my insurance company and found that the procedure, Dr and hospital are all covered. YIPPEE!!!
Today I have to call my doctors office and ask them if they will release my medical records to the weightloss center. You see. Just a couple of months ago we switched doctors. Chris said that the new doctor may not release the records from the old doctors office. If they won't release them, than I have to go back to Westchester and ask for a copy of my file. The insurance company needs the records to obtain a 5 year record of my weight.
Once the insurance company has my medical records, and a letter from the doctor saying that this surgery is medically necessary, then my file goes before a medical review board to determine if they think I should have the surgery or not. 30 business days later, I should have an answer from the insurance company. If they agree that the surgery is medically necessary, then it will all covered under our insurance and we will only be responsible for deductible and 10% of the cost of surgery.
So, there you have it. The new news as of today.