Katherine S.
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2/1/06 I went to the Barix Clinic today and met with the doctor. He says that everything looks good and they will go ahead and send in the paperwork. My weight today is 344 lbs. That makes my starting BMI 59.0. Yeah I am super obese.

2/18/06 I heard back from Barix today after calling them a couple of times for updates. They told me that they are not a in-network hospital and that the doctor is not in-network either. I asked her what that meant and she said that to have the RNY there I would have to self-pay for the entire surgery. So I get to start over finding a new doctor as that is not even an option.

3/3/06 Ok so I went online with my insurance and pulled a list of doctors and hospitals that are covered in my area. I found Dr. Meyers at Medical City and I am going to his seminar today.

3/17/06 I found out I am approved. I am doing the happy dance.

3/20/06 Well my world just came apart. I was talking to the doctor's office and she told me I would need to pay $2500 before they will even schedule surgery. This is supposed to be my ded. and my 20% coinsurance plus they have a $600 program fee that has to be paid. I realize that $2500 is not much money (for some) but with the way my job has been going (no sales in 4 weeks) it is a lot to me. I literally broke down on the phone and could not even talk to her anymore.

4/4/06 I got back on my insurance website and pulled a list of general surgeons and started calling. I know that God was looking over my shoulder because the first doctor's office I called said that they do the surgery, bill your insurance, and then bill you for the remainder. I have to go to Dr. Nicholson's seminar on 4/25 but I hope that since I already have the approval from the insurance it will go quickly. The nurse said that the only thing he normally requires is an upper G.I. so I am going to get more information and get that done before the seminar so I can hopefully get this done quicker. I am getting so tired starting over and of the wait I have to do each time. I know that some people have to wait years and I really don't know how you do it. I am starting to eat like a post-op and I have lost some weight but not as much as I had hoped to by this point.

4/19/06

Nothing really going on but I am waiting to go to another seminar on 4/25. I figured I would post something else that I never thought would be public...my measurements.

Neck 16.5

Bust 47

Waist 56

Hips 68

Left Upper Arm 23

Right Upper Arm 24

Left Lower Arm 14

Right Lower Arm 14

Left Wrist 7

Right Wrist 7

Left Calf 21.5

Right Calf 21.5

Left Thigh 33.5

Right Thigh 33.5

Total Inches 386.5

I hope one day for my waist to be somewhere between 24-34 inches but I guess for now I can stare at my thigh and dream.

4/24/06

Nothing much going on. I am still waiting for the seminar tomorrow night. I called my insurance company on Thursday and gave them the new doctor and hospital information. He said that they will have to review the file again to verify that the doctor and hospital are in network but since I already have the approval it should not be a problem. I have lost a little more weight but not as much as I had hoped. I will let everybody know what happens at the seminar tomorrow.

4/26/06

I went to the seminar last night for Dr. Nicholson and I now know why God put the other obstacles in my path. I really like Dr. Nicholson and believe that with him I am going to get the best results I can get from this surgery. He has been doing this for 5 years and has done over 400 cases and he seems to really like what he does. It does not seem like just a job for him. I hope that since I already have my approval this will move forward quickly as I am so tired of waiting. I have made up my mind now let's get it done.

5/1/06 Well I measured myself today just to see if I am really losing anything because the scale keeps going between 327-332 and even though I know that, I can not gain that much in one day it is a little upsetting to see. The following are my new measurements and to say the least I was shocked.

Neck 16

Bust 44.5

Waist 52

Hips 66

Left Upper Arm 20.5

Right Upper Arm 22.5

Left Lower Arm 13.5

Right Lower Arm 13.5

Left Wrist 6.75

Right Wrist 7

Left Calf 21.5

Right Calf 20.5

Left Thigh 33

Right Thigh 33

Total Inches 370.25

Yes as hard as it is to believe I have lost 16.25 inches in just 12 days. I can't say what I am doing other than lowering my calories to 1400-1600 per day and upping my protein to 125 and up but it is working I guess. I can't wait until I have surgery and it comes off even faster and will actually stay gone this time.

5/3/06 Ok so this has not been the best week. I really want to call the insurance and find out what is going on but I have lost my voice and can't do it. On the plus side I am now at 326lbs. The bigger problem I have is me. I keep looking at the pictures on the bottom of this page and even though I recognize my face I don't recognize the body I know that I can not possible look like that. I don't look that awful in real life no way. I wonder why I can't sell anything and I keep thinking that it is my fault and I guess I can say yeah it is my fault who wants to purchase anything from somebody that looks like crap. I will be so glad after I have this surgery. I keep telling myself that it is going to improve my life because people will not judge me just for walking in the door. I don't really know how much of that I believed but after seeing these pictures I believe now that there were probably some sales I could have made if I was not written off the second I showed up. I hope that after this is over I can become more outspoken and I hope that I can learn how to tell people to treat me as if I am a human being and not a piece of trash. I know that I am f-a-t but I never thought I was obese until I saw those pictures.

5/5/06 Okay still no voice. I have not been able to call the insurance or the doctor to find out status. I am not happy about that. Good news I have lost more weight and I am now down to 324.5lbs. YEAH!!!

5/9/06 Okay so many people may find this crazy but since I have nothing else to report on I just wanted to mention that I have lost another 1.5 lbs. YEAH!!!! I am now at 323 lbs. I still have no voice so I can not check with the insurance and my mother called the doctors office on Monday and I still have not heard back from them. I am so ready for this to be done so that I can get on with my life. At this point I feel that everything is on hold. I need to find a new job but if I take a new job how can I ask for time off so soon after starting and if I mention it during the interview I never hear back. I am beginning to wonder if this is not to be at this time.

5/11/06 I woke up this morning with the mother of all migraines. I have though found a cure for my voice. If you can believe, it throwing up 5 times in about 20 minutes with nothing in your system will bring your voice back. I am going to lay down now and if I get lucky, I will sleep this day away.

5/12/06 So great I just found out that my previous approval has been cancelled as you cannot transfer information from 1 doctor to another even with the same procedure code. UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! I so want to scream. I am so tired of living like this. I want to start my new life and live instead of just existing. I called the insurance company myself and started up a new file with a new reference number and the called Ms. Weaver back at the hospital and gave it to her. Priscilla said that I could call back on Monday to check status that since I already had an approval it should not take as long as what she told me but dang if I am not going to become the squeaky wheel.

5/17/06 Well I did it I hit my first goal today. I am at 320lbs and just received the call that I my approval has been reinstated and that it never should have been cancelled to start with. Now if I could just speak I would be able to jump and shout and do the happy dance again. Okay so I did the happy dance anyway and the dogs ran for cover as my stomach beat against my thighs and they had no clue where the noise was coming from. I hope to hear from the doctor soon but I really have to work on the $$$ know as I don't know where it is going to come from. I know that since God has put me on this path he will see it through in his time and not mine but it is still hard not to worry since Cassandra told me the approval is only good for 90 days.

5/18/06 Okay so the doctors office called and I have an appt. with them 5/25 @2pm. I am so excited and I can hardly wait. She also said that it is entirely possible to have surgery by like 6/9 which would be great. It would give me some time to recover before Aaron's wedding on 7/1 plus I would be able to lose some more weight. Please God bless me with the money I need. My mother asked me how I was going to pay for this if I get it done that fast. I told her that I would skip the rent payment if I had to. I have a very good landlord and I think he would understand that the surgery had to be done.

5/25/06 So I am set to go to the doctor for my consult today at 2pm. I woke up in such a good mood since the office had told me on the phone I could possible be scheduled as early as 6/9. At 12:30 I get a call saying, they are having problems with my insurance and that I could come in but they would not be able to schedule a date. I decided to wait on the appointment mainly because at that point al I wanted to do was cry and scream. I called my contact at UHC and she said that she would try to find out what was wrong and then get back to me. I have not heard from her but I have heard from the insurance coordinator at the doctor’s office and she said that the head of care coordination has told them that I have to provide a 5-year history of being MO. I also received the good news that when she received this we have to start all over again and that it could be another 5-8 weeks before we hear anything. All I want to do right now is cry, especially since it is that time of the month, but I am on the phone trying to get all of my records together. Sorry I just needed to vent and I know that everyone here knows the hoops but dang I had the approval why did this have to happen now.

7/6/06 Okay so I know it has been awhile since I have updated but really, nothing has happened. I did take my 6/1 measurements but to tell you the truth I lost the sheet of paper before I got back to the office with it and until just know I did not even think about taking measurements for 7/1. I guess I will do that and post them a little later. I have had to fight with one of my doctors to get them to release my records so I can prove that I have been obese for 5 years. The miracle happened Vicki, insurance coordinator, received them on 7/3. I hope that everything goes okay. She told me she was so happy that she had received them that she ran downstairs and put them directly into the mail without making a copy. I hope UH does not lose the package in the mail. She says that if everything goes smoothly I should be looking at a mid to late Sept. surgery date. I am keeping my fingers and toes and eyes and and and whatever else I can cross crossed.

7/21 So I get called into the HR office at work today and I am told that because everything has slowed down they want to cut why hours. Now normally they say they would just fire me but they really like the work that I am doing so they are just going to cut my hours back so that when the mail picks back up I can go back to full time hours.

7/31 I had a letter from the insurance company when I got home from work today that said we are pleased to inform you that coverage is available for the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery. Now after everything I have been through I am not about to get excited.

8/1 So I got the call at 8:00 am that they have decided to let me go from the job after all. I can stay in touch and maybe in a month everything will pick up and I can come back. Yeah right like I am going to hold my breath and wait for that to happen.

(Later that day) So I faxed the insurance letter to Vicki at the hospital and she confirmed that this is the letter that we need so it is official I will be having surgery. She says that I can get excited now but I think I will wait until I get a date.

8/2 I got a call at home on my voice mail from Denise to set an appt. to come in for my consult and to set my surgery date. I called her back on my cell phone and she said that the first date available is 8/10 at 2:45pm and she wanted to know if that was okay. I told her if there is nothing earlier I guess it will have to be. I got home about an hour later and had a message from her so I called her back and there was a cancellation for the next day at 1:45pm and she asked me if I wanted it. I said yes I would be there.

8/3 I went to my consult with Dr. Nick today. My official pre surgery weight is 312.7lbs. We also set a surgery date. My surgery date is August 25, 2006. I can not believe it this month my live will change forever. When I think about it I get nervous and excited and nervous and nervous and okay I will admit it I get a little scared. I mean I am only 29 how I know that if I don't keep fighting this that I can't beat it. I mean science is always changing and coming out with new meds. Who’s to say that if I do this to myself in 1 year or 2 years that there want be some pill that will actually work that will allow us to get control over this disease as well as this surgery will. Do I have my doubts? Yes. Do I know in my heart and in my mind that this is really the only way to get in semblance of a life back? Yes. Does the thought of not being able to hide in my "fat suit" and actually having to face what life throws at me scare the hell out of me? Yes. Does the thought of actually living and having a life excite me? Yes. Do I hope my husband joins me for the journey? Yes. Am I afraid that he want? Yes. Do I think that I will be divorced within 18 -24 months? Yes.

8/4 I was already to get out of the house I mean literally like 2 minutes from walking out of the door when I got a call from the hospital wanting to schedule my Upper GI. I had been talking to my temp office about a new job that I am starting Monday so I asked her half way kidding anyway that I can do it today. She put me on hold and then came back and said can you be here at 1pm. It was 12:25pm and the hospital is 30 minutes away with no traffic but I said sure no problem. Well for those of you in any major metro area what do you think happened on the freeway a wreck, of course. I called the hospital and told them that I was coming as fast as I could but I was stuck on the freeway in a wreck backup but I was going to be there. I got there at 1:15 and they went ahead and did the test. The radiologist said that he would send the report to Dr. Nick but he saw no problems and no reasons to delay the surgery. YEAH!!! One hurdle down. Now I just have to do the blood work and the chest x-ray closer to the surgery date as well as talk to the nutritionist and we are good to go. This should be interesting with the new job. I don't plan on telling them anything until 8/23 if I can get away with it. In the state of Texas we are what they call a right to work state so you can quit or be fired from a job for no reason and with no notice and it is not supposed to count against you. But this is just a temporary job so if they don't take me back when I am cleared to return to work I will just look for another job. This year on the job front for me as not been the best so after this it can only get better.

8/20 I really hope that it is getting to be that time of the month. On Wednesday, August 16 I was at 305 and as of today I am at 313. Please, someone explain this. I am eating around 1500-2000 calories daily so how in the heck did I gain that much weight that fast.

8/21 I know that my surgery is on Friday and I so hope that my life changes after that. I want to be the cute girl. I don't have to be the sexy girl but I want to be acknowledged in a room at least and not totally ignored or overlooked as if I am not even there. I am crying as I write this and it is not because I am sad but because I am pissed. I am tired of being treated like this but it is at my job and I don't want to start a fight and get fired before my surgery since I really need the $$$. Now to tell you what happened, the supervisor brought his TV in tonight to watch the Cowboys game on and some of the people here decided to order pizza. Now let me clarify that everyone here but I ordered pizza because unlike everybody else I was not even asked if I wanted to order and I be danged if the fat chick is just going to help herself. I know that there is one guy here that has already done the pig snort at me and I am sure he's just waiting to see me eat some pizza that I was not even offered. Now I guess I should not be so pissed about this but this was not the first time. On Saturday they ordered ribs and one other day they ordered something I don't even remember now what it was. I have only been on the job 10 days but you would think in that amount of time they would go Hey Beth would you like to order with us and leave it up to me to say no. I am so tired of be ignored for being fat. I know that is what it is because there was a girl hired 2 days after me that is 5'10 and 150lbs and she is included in everything. I will be so happy if I can not come back after surgery. Since this is a temp job I can always go somewhere else. This place is full of $hit.

9/28 So a lot has happened in this first month. I can tell you I am not where I thought I would be because of the problems after surgery and not being able to move around much I am very weak and I find it hard to do very much. I am just going to re-post here the message that I posted on the board as of right now I am to tired to type any thing new.

***I just wanted to drop a little note to say hi to everybody and I am going to apologize for the length of this in advance.

I also wanted to send out a warning to any pre-ops about another surgical complication that I found out about the hard way. I am sure that everyone that has done the research on the RNY has read about leaks and all of the other complications that can happen. I swear I did my research but I don’t remember reading about this one. Did you know that you can get a leak from the leftover portion of your stomach? I swear I never read that before and if you are wondering how I found out about it. Well let’s say the month since my surgery (8/25/06) has not been the best.

I went into surgery on Friday morning and I was in a room by 3pm. I don’t really remember much about that day other than a lot of pain but I do remember that they did not make me walk that day. On Saturday the doctor came in and said that everything looked good and I was clear to go home. Sunday afternoon my pain started getting worse and I started running a low grade fever. The fever by Sunday night was over 102. So Monday morning I called the doctor and he told me to get to his office. I went in and he started running tests well needless to say by Monday afternoon I was in ICU. I spent Monday and part of Tuesday in ICU and then I was moved to the telemetry floor where I stayed until Friday. Yes that’s right I spent a week in the hospital. When I went home on Saturday I had what they called a PICC line. This is a super IV line. Mine was inserted in my left arm and ran to just over my heart. The reason for this wonderful thing I could have nothing by mouth (no water or food). I was getting all of my nutrients via this PICC line. I only started eating (full liquids) as of 9/15/06 but I was still taking a bag of nutrition each night. I just had my JP drain removed on the 9/19 and my doctor was not real happy. See he did not get to approve the removal and he said that he probably would not have removed it that day but I was in the office to talk to him about taking it out and it fell out. I think that the place he had it stitched to my stomach on the outside healed and the scab fell off so the tube fell out, but he was not happy with he.

Now depending on your doctor and if he leaves a JP drain in and where it is placed there could be a few different things happen to you with this kind of leak. My drain was placed between the leftover stomach portion and my new pouch. I also was not putting out very much drainage (25cc and that started going down) but if there would have been more drainage or if my drain would have been in a different area I would have been back in surgery. My doctor said that this surgery would have been the full 6-8 inch stomach incision and that I would probably have been in ICU for 2-3 weeks. So I am grateful that I did not have the worse case scenario but I wanted to warn everyone about this because I swear in all of my reading when I heard about a leak it was from the pouch never from the leftover stomach.

Please don’t let this information scare you. I just wanted to let everyone know about this and what could happen.***

I will go back and update this later. Good luck to all of you out there just getting started on you journey.

On a positive note I have lost 22.6 inches and 26.2 lbs in my first month.

11/26/06 Not a lot going on. Today was my 30th birthday. I had a good Thanksgiving and even though I was worried about it everything seemed to go okay. I am down a total of 45 lbs and 45 inches since surgery and a total of 75 lbs since I started this journey in January.