Katrina B.

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

Well I am Soooo HAPPY to say my surgery date has come and gone now.  

I got home late last night after being discharged early since I was doing so well.  My surgery was on Thursday 6-28 and a little more than 24 hours later I was home and in my own bed.  I am lucky enough to have a 13 year old self reliant son, so making the decision to come home was a no brainer.  Clearly the constant disruptions from getting woke up every other hour at night and being poked, squeezed and prodded to death was not inductive to healing and relaxing for me.  So when the Dr said I could go home early, I texted my sister and said "When can you be here?"    Now after a wonderful night of sleep, with little pain at all; I feel more relaxed and refreshed.  My son is happy cuz he is not having to worry about me being in the hospital where he can't see me (since I was outta town) and that is a huge relief to my mind as well.  

Two weeks before my surgery, one of my doctors changed a medication of mine so that it was Post Op approved and dissoluble.  To my utter disbelief I watched the scales climb higher and higher as my body reacted to this new Med.    After all but starving myself to get it to come back down to near starting point he then increases it and the scales rise again.  Agggghhhhrrrrrrr.  So my Surgery day Weigh In was at 405 pounds.  Bummer cuz my last preop appointment was 6 pounds less than that.  But I tried not to be discouraged, but did have lots of explaining to do as to why my weight was Up and not down before surgery.  Then when I left the hospital it was 408.  I had read some where that some peoples weight rises after the surgery due to swelling and retention so I am trying not to be discouraged yet again.  So I walked more at the hospital and hoped for the best.  

Today 6/30 now my weight is 405 so I am back down to my Surgery weigh in and that is at least a little bit of good news.  I had some chicken soup Unjury for my lunch and have been sipping my water.  Wow the noises my stomach and intestines make now are something I will have to get used too but boy are they strange.   It's 90 degrees outside but I went for a short walk around my apartment complex and broke a sweat but figure that's more from heat than exhurstion ~ but I got out there so that's the important thing.  My goal for tonight is to get out and do the stationary bicycle for 30 min.  

So daily goal is set, water is filled and ready for sipping.... so lets get this party started and let the pounds come off... 

 

On the 6Th of June I attended my Results visit with my surgeon and also got  ((Drum Roll Please!!) MY SURGERY DATE!!  I am so happy and finally have a date that I know will change my life for the better. 

Alot has changed since I first joined this site.... I know some of my other blogs speak of my husband.  But I think that is the biggest change.  I am no longer with him and had some difficulty with changes after the separation.  I moved from Florida and thus was not able to have the surgery.  I moved to Oregon for about four years before moving back out East to North Carolina and starting the process of finding a surgeon and getting back on track with my WLS goals.  

I have to say I am very happy with my surgeon choice.  Dr Jon Bruce is very nice and upbeat and told me up front with out sugar coating it what I was in for on my first visit.  I appreciated that honesty and cemented in my mind that he was the right surgeon for me. 

So a little over 7 months has passed since that first meeting and now here I am a little over 3 weeks till my surgery date.  I am so excited and nervous too.  I know the nerves will pass but for now I am just enjoying the ride....

Be Safe and till next time.... 

Woo Hoo!!!  I have my cardiac clearence FINALLY!!!!!  
I am sooo very happy and have been flying high all day!  Deb called me today and said I could even cancel my appointment tomorrow as she was faxing over the paper work today.  
And I got my endoscopy moved up to this Friday so I will have that done soon too.  Only thing I know left after that is the ultra sound of my gallbladder.  
Things are looking up for me finally.  Only thing left for me to worry about is the final payment of the fee's and how much the hospital is gonna want for thier fee at the time I register... 

Yeah Me!!!   

Okay well a few days ago on Tuesday I got a call from Meghan telling me that my H-pylori test came back positive.  Meaning I would have to do an endoscopy and also since I still have my gallblader, a scan of that too... Of course I didn't take that allllll too well.  A referal to another physican to get more test done.  Whew.... Well after much venting to a good friend, thank you JC; he reminded me to think like Dory in Nemo movie.  Keep on swimming..

So that got me thinking.. many moons ago I would go surfing with my friends on the beach in Oregon.  The water is cold there and most of the time you have to wear a wet suit to keep from getting hypothermia.  Well I wasn't very good so when I would get up I would eventually fall down.. One time stands out in my mind in particular...  I had just been knocked down and was swimming for the surface when a huge wave grabbed me and pulled me back under... I was tossed around and didn't know which way was up.. Even in day light it is hard to see under the water there and then your eye balls get soooo cold cuz the temp of the water is really cold.   So seeing for long periods of time just really isn't possible.. So I swam.. And I am sure if someone was filming me it woulda looked really funny, cuz I had no idea where I was at direction wise.. I am sure I went down and side to side but eventually, thank god, I came up... Air never tasted sooo sweet.  (I have a Huge fear of suffication and this is a major contributor for why.)  

If I hadn't just keep swimming around I probibly would have never made it back up.. That's scary in itself.. But thinking about what JC said made me realize that right now I am swimming, not necesarly up, but I am going side to side and eventually I will make it to the top,  And when I do the air on the loosers bench will be just as sweet!!  These ongoing test will eventually make sure I come out of this alive.  And being that I have a son and husband that really want to see me again, that is important.  But I desided while talking to my friend that I wasn't gonna let a set back pull me back down.  So here's to the sweet air I know is coming.  Wheww.. 


Well today I had my Cardiac Stress Test and Echocardiogram done at the hospital where I will have my surgery.  Started out by admissions saying I didn't have an appointment, then them telling me that I did but everything was under my maiden name.  So after and hour + of straiting out insurance info and documentation I finally had the test done.  

I am glad they are over and hopefully I will get the good news tomorrow from the doctor that he will sign off on the surgery clearence.  But I also see it as now they have all my updated information correct in their computers so it should go that much easier for check in.  


See I am swimming!!  Have a great day, and remeber to keep swimming too!!

                 
                   

Just wanted to appologize for yesterday.  It was a rough day all around and I normally don't like to let the little things get to me... It just all added up.
I am much better today and am back on track and working twords my WLS goals.. 
Have a great journey!  And keep your chin up to anyone who may read this.  We all have our weak days, but it helps to keep the bigger picture in mind when those days happen.  

                         

Today was one of those days that make this process just soooo hard to take.  With so many bummers I wonder some times why I put myself through this...  
It started a few months ago when my surgery of choice was going to be the Vertical Sleeve.  Mind you that I was ready for the surgery and had all my ducks in a row pretty much.  Then I was told by my insurance company - no way.  So we did a peer to peer review for an appeal.  No way again we were told.  
So we switched the surgery to the Gastric Bypass.  So then, I had to redo some of the precert appointments.   This also entailed getting a Cardiac clearence for surgery.  Since I have had 23 other surgeries in my short life, some with a cardiac clearence; I thought no big deal.  That is easy.
Boy was I Wrong with a capital W!  My first physican repulsed me and freaked me out in a way I will not go into here.   He then desided even though my EKG is perfect and I have no co-morbities that I should do an Echo and Stress test.   However, I couldn't see the medical necesity in the request so I declined.  Besides, did I say he freaked me out?!?!?  
Then today I went to see another cardiac physican and was told that because of my BMI that the same test were going to be a requirement in order for them to sign off on my surgery.  Then the Doctors office had the galls to tell me it was required of my insurance.  Not!  My insurance has already given me a letter of approval.  So why am I doing this!!!  I have a bad knee and ankle injury that prohibits me from doing the standard treadmill test.  So I have to do the chemical.  My percentage on that procedure alone is $$$$!  
It just bums me out sooooo bad that everyone that I talk to has gotten thier clearence so easy, and my past clearences have been easy; so why is this one so hard?!?!?!?    
Today was just a rough day for me... But on a good note I lost another 3 pounds.  When I started with this WLS center, I was 456 pounds.  I was told I needed to get down to 399 in order to have my BMI low enough for the gastric bypass surgery.  Last week when I weighed in I lost 11 pounds so in 2 weeks time I am down 14 pounds and just 15 pounds away from my surgery goal weight.   I am told that the last 15 will be no problem since I have to go on the Atkins diet 2 weeks before surgery anyway, and part of that is the liquid diet.  So I am not worried about that.. 
Just happy I have lost 14 pounds in 2 weeks.. Whew... Gotta keep my chin up and happy about something, right!?!?!?!