Jimmy H.
My Weight Story
Well I guess the only way to start my story, is to tell how I got to this point.
I was a big kid from birth, 9 plus pounds when I was born. "Sorry Mom I know that had to hurt".
Growing up I was always the fat kid, I was always heavy for my age.
At age 5, I had a accident with a lawnmower and lost part of my left foot. Although I was able to walk fairly normal, I am limited at how far I can walk before my foot starts hurting. It has kept me from doing things like walking or running for exercise.
During my school years, I was always 50 to 75 pounds heavier than my class mates. My teenage years were the worst. I got into way to many fights because I was the fat guy and an easy target, at least they thought I was. Kids are just cruel and can really effect your self-esteem.
At age 18, I was around 200 to 225 pounds and stayed in that range until I was 25 and I meet my first wife. After we got married, hard times hit. You could not buy a good job around here. So we moved in with her parents and lived with them for 3 years. Her whole family was loved to eat, her dad tipped the scales somewhere in the 400 to 450 pound range. I started picking up some really bad eating habits. Not that I had good ones to start with. But with them I found acceptance and I could eat what I wanted and it was ok. I did not have people on back about how much I eat or what I eat. With them, you ate what you wanted, when you wanted, and as much as you wanted. In 7 years of marriage I put on about 100 pounds which brought me up to about 325 pounds.
I also started driving a truck, which is not a real healthy thing to do. Fast food and no exercise, need I say more.
A year after I divorced my first wife, I met my second wife. We got married and moved to Ohio to be close to her family. My second wife was a excellent cook. The thing she can do with food is truly amazing. Along with her cooking and the fact I was still doing the trucking thing (fast food and no exercise), I wound up putting on another 50 pounds in 7 years which put me at 375.
But my biggest weight gain was from October 2004 until April 2006. On October 3, 2004, I got sick, I was put in the hospital and they declared me disabled and told me I couldn't work anymore. I was put on 24 hour a day oxygen and was on it for well over a year. I also quit smoking at the same time. So I replace smoking with eating. I became depressed (which I dealt with by eating), and did nothing but sit around and not get any exercise. So in 18 months I have gained 87 pounds which put me at my highest weight of 462 pounds.
The Day That Changed My Life Forever
On October 2, 2004, I came home from a run to the west coast. I had been having trouble breathing and being able to catch my breath. When I finally made it home my wife wanted to take me to the emergency room right then and there, but I refused. I told her that I was alright, but she made me agree that if I didn't get any better by the next day I would let her take me.
By the next morning I was feeling even worse, it had progressed to the point that I couldn't breath even sitting still. So I wound up going to the emergency room after all. When we first got there they thought I might be having a Heart Attack so they rushed me straight in. Luckily it wasn't. After several test and X-rays they come to the conclusion that I had Congestive Heart Failure and had retained so much fluid from it, that it had partially filled my lungs so I was unable breath. I was admitted to the hospital and they gave me medicine to drain the fluids. They also discovered that I had Hypoxia and the oxygen level in my blood was extremely low so I was put on oxygen 24/7. In the 5 days that I was in the hospital, I lost 34 pounds of fluids due to the diuretic that they gave me.
When I left the hospital, I was put on all kinds of restrictions, no stress, no exertion, no lifting more that 5 pounds, oxygen 24/7, 5 kinds of pills and unemployable for at least 1 year. Also I decided it was high time I quit smoking, after all I had already gone without them for the five days I was in the hospital, I already had the hard part done. Boy was I wrong. The hospitals smoke free environment was the easy part. The real challenges started when I got around people smoking, that is when the cravings hit. But I stuck with and the craving finally went away.
Over the next eight months I was in and out of the hospital four more times, in January for 3 days, March for 5 days, April for 4 days and June for 5 days. They found all kinds of other things wrong with me, like
Conjestive Heart Failure (CHF),
Atrial Fibrillation,
Chronic Obstructive Pulminary Disorder (COPD),
Hypoxemia,
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA),
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Insulin Dependant Type II Diabetes,
Amenia,
Metobolic Syndrome,
Hypoventilation Syndrome,
Edema
and the list goes on. Now I take 23 pills a day (13 in the morning and 10 at night), 2 inhaliers twice a day and a 4 shots of insulin. My restrictions are all the same except for the unemployable part it has been changed to undetermined.
The Chase Begins
I had heard about Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) a long time ago, but didn't really know to much about it until I meet a couple of people in 2003 that had already had it. After talking with both of them, I decided to research it and find out more about it. From what I learned about it. I wanted to do it, but just could not figure out a way to take the time off work to have it done. So like a lot of other things it got put on the back burner and as time passed I complete forgot about the idea of having it.
When I got sick and not able to work, I became depressed and my mind was in a very bad place. I started thinking about WLS again. but I figured what was the use, it was not going to do me any good now because I was going to die anyway. I had basically given up on life. I figured there was no help for me, and my doctor at the time wasn't much help either. He was one of those take two aspirin and call me in the morning doctors. He really didn't care about you, just as long as he got paid.
In January 2005 I went for my second stay in the hospital. After I was released I was set up with a new doctor. At my first appointment, we discussed what I had been thinking, he became aggravated at me, he proceeded to chew my butt out and set me straight on a few things. He told me that yes, if I didn't make changes that I was going to die, but that my health would improve if I took care of myself and lost weight. We discussed WLS and he was all for it. So the same day I contacted a WLS program and requested the info.
This is where the problems started, I was given a date for a seminar in March, which I had planned to attend. Two days before the seminar I went back in the hospital for the third time. No problem, I will just reschedule, so I did. Next seminar was in April. The day before I was supposed to go to it, I was put back in the hospital again. So again I reschedule for the May seminar. I actually made it to this seminar. At the seminar I found out they had quit taking my insurance. So it was back square one. I was at a loss, I didn't know where to turn. I talked with Barix Clinics, but found out they do not take my insurance either.
At the end of May, my father was killed in a construction accident. So I had to make a trip to Minnesota, to go to the funeral. I did not do well on the trip, by the time I got back home I went straight into the hospital. While I was there, I talked with the staff dietitian, she told me of the WLS program at the Ohio State University Medical Center (OSU). When I went home I contacted them and request information. I filled out the packet and sent it back, It had also stated that do to the volume of cases they handle, it maybe sometime before I get contacted. So I waited... and waited....and waited. About three months passed and no response, so I decided to call and check. Come to find out they had never received the paperwork or a least that was what I was told. I don't know what happened to it, it must have got lost in the mail or something. This was the beginning of October it had been a full year since I got sick, and I was still at square one again.
Third time is a charm, right??? Wrong!!! I requested the packet, again!! I filled it out, again!! But this time I hand delivered right to them so I know they got it. And again I waited...and waited... But this time I only waited two months. When I called the WLS Office she had to go look for my file, it had been filed away because they didn't think it had a chance, because my insurer had never approved WLS through them before. They had filed it away for two months and didn't even bother to let me know that there was a problem. Needless to say I was a little upset.
After talking with the WLS office, I decided to call my insurance company and requested information on what was required to approve weight loss surgery. I was told that their requirements were a BMI of at least 35 and at least two comorbidites. So I had them send me this in writing, which I took to the WLS office.
In December 2005 I finally got the ball rolling, It has been an uphill battle all the way. I did have one more set back, but it was my fault, not theirs. I miss read the letter they sent me and missed my Dietary and Psych. Evaluations. But I got them reschedule and have them done now. I did the 3 month diet that the program required, I got most of my other stuff done too. So then I was just waiting and hoping for my approval.
In April 2006 I got a letter from my insurance company. It said that they would approve my surgery if I would do 6 months of an after surgery Dietary program and 4 months Psychiatric sessions to get my head right to except the changes I was going to make.
In July 2006, I was in the process of completing my Dietary and Psychiatric sessions. I only had 4 months to go until I had completed all requirement for my pre-op. The WLS office was looking for my surgery to happen either December 2006 or January 2007.
A Strange New Twist
At the end of July 2006, my wife of 9 years decided to call it quits. We had been having trouble for a while and we both knew it would end. But we had an agreement that she would let me stay until I had my surgery. I needed to stay with her because I had no place else to go in Ohio and if I had to move the only place I had to go is back to Oklahoma and live with my mom.
On July 30th 2006, She intentually picked a fight with me and through a strange series of events. I wound up with plane tickets and a flight back to Oklahoma for the next day. I was set up, I won't go into details but it involved her, her mom, her daughter and the cops. But like they say blood is thicker than water. So now I live in Oklahoma again.
Back to Square One
When I left Ohio I lost everything I had been working on.
My insurance which was Ohio Medicaid.
My surgery plans at Ohio State Medical Center.
All my doctors that had been pushing for my surgery.
My disability case had to be moved from Ohio to Oklahoma, which caused it to be delayed even farther. And to top it all off I can't get medicaid in Oklahoma until my disability case is settled.
So here I sit with no insurance, no money, no life, but I guess I need to look at the glass half full. Thanks to my mom I have a roof over my head, food in my belly and a warm bed to rest my bones.
A New Horizon
Hopefully there is a new sun on the horizon. I got a letter the other day that said my disability case is up for review.
On May, 2 2007 I finally got my day in court. My lawyer said everything had went well and that she was very optimistic about the out come. The Medical and Vocational Experts that attended were in agreement that my health problems would keep me from the ability to work.
FAST FORWARD....... 7 months....... It is the beginning of December and I have not got my Decision Letter yet. My Lawyer call the court about 10 days ago and was told that my case had been sent to the decision writer so I should here something soon.
THE WAITING CONTINUES..... It is now January 2008, I call ODAR (Office of Disability Adjudication and Review) and was told that my file is still with the decision writer.
If I finally get to settle this case, then I will have insurance and be able to get my surgery.
I keep hoping and praying.
The Sage Continues
It has been over a year since I last updated this. I am sad to say that I am still waiting.
On January 23, 2008 I finally got my decision from ODAR. My case for Disability had been declined again. My Lawyer and I immediately filed for a review by the Appeals Council. My case file, transcription and an audio file of my day in court was sent to the Appeals Council in Falls Church Virginia. I was told by them that it takes an average of 6 months to go thru the system and get reviewed. Ok so we wait again.
In August 2008, after waiting 7 months with no word. I sent a letter to the Appeals Council, requesting a status update, No answer. In September 2008, I called and was told that the average was about 9 months and that I should hear something soon. This too passed by with no word. Over the next few months we sent several more status update request.
On March 12, 2009, after 13 months and 4 more request, I finally received an update. It said that the system was extremely backed up and that it could be another 18 months before my case was reviewed. So here I still sit waiting on the government.
The only good news I have is that during all of this I have lost 43 pounds all on my own. I know it is not much but every little bit helps. Still looking at that glass half full.....
To be continued.... someday
