Midgie67

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I met with Dr. Pratt today.  SHE IS WONDERFUL! She was not your typical doctor.  She didn't act like I was stupid and fully explained everything and answered all my questions.  She wants to push me through the next 6 weeks and possibly get me a date as early as the end of June!  I can't believe it!  I think what helped is that I am on a school schedule. Meaning I have the summers off.  I can leave for the summer at any time, but my office opens back up the 1st week of Sept.  So she wants me fully healed before I go back in Sept. if she can help it.

I am now waiting AGAIN for Marshella to call me back.  (and we still have yet to resolve the Sleep Clinic issue!) I spoke with her when I was in the office today, but she was doing someone elses job today and wouldn't be able to even look at her scheduling until Monday.  She needs to book all my pre-op testing, appointments with the Nutritionist, Psyc. & another one with teh surgeon.

Keep your fingers crossed she gets back to me on Monday :-)

Have a great weekend!

OH MY! 

I went to a PTA meeting tonight and when I got home, my husband said (like it wasn't a big deal LOL)  "Your surgeon called."  WHAT?  I have yet to meet her (I have an appointment with her on the 21st)  He added "Oh ,yeah, she left her home # said to call her when you get home"  ok...as I dial, I have the jitters, not sure why :-)

She was very happy I called her back...Does she think I wouldn't??? LOL  She said she got my medical file today and said that everything looks really good and she is not happy with me waiting until Aug. 21st for my surgery!  She wanted to know if I could come in tomorrow to meet with her to get the ball rolling to move my surgery to the middle of JULY!  I was like YES OH YES!  She said she couldn't guarentee me moving to July, but she said she would do her best!  

So I have my nutrition class @ 11:30 and meet with her immediatly after!  WOOHOO!  I will post again tomorrow.  Keep me in your prayers that she can move the date!

TTFN!

Well I called Marshella @ 4 pm on Tuesday and she was shocked the lady from the sleep center didn't call me.  That is the last I heard from her.  I left her a message yesterday and today.  I just want to get the ball rolling and I don't want to go backwards.

In other news, one of my oldest and dearest friends had WLS 4/5 years ago.  We keep in touch, only a few towns away from each other, but you know how that can be...life gets in the way.  I e-mailed her to let her know I was having the surgery.  She is being very supportive (I knew she would!) She told me her and her family were joining a gym in the local area and found out it is the one I go to!  I was very excited.  So hopefully we can work it out in our schedules to be workout buddies.  She has always been a great motivator for me.  Very supportive and just an all around great friend.  So the thought of actually seeing her a few nights a week (even though it is EXERCISE LOL) it will be so nice.

Let's hope I get a call today from Marshella...starting to really depress me...I just want to have the surgery.

Thanks for listening

TTFN!

When I saw my internist on Apr. 2nd, she was concerned about my sleep apnea test.  Not that I have it bad, but that I couldn't use the mask, due to a cold so my nose was blocked.  When I asked the nurse that night if they had a mask that covered the mouth, she said no. Also, I am very clostiphobic (SP?) and just couldn't handle the mask plus all those wires coming out of me. 

So anyway, I talked to the doctor again on Apr. 3rd and she said she talked to the person in charge at the sleep center.   They do have a mask that covers the mouth! And they are willing to work with me on the clostriphobia of it all.  They wanted me to come in for a 'desensitation' (whatever that is) and then follow up with another sleep study (great).  She said they would be calling me.

Well last week (a month later) when I hadn't heard, I called the weight center.  They refered me to my surgical coordinator.  (Marshela ~ Wonderful girl...very busy, she needs and assistant..I shoudl volunteer LOL) I left many messages for her and she finally called me @ 12 today.  She wanted to confirm I spoke to the sleep center this morning...I was like NO...they never called.  I guess she called over there 1st thing this morning (9 am) and the lady assured her she would be calling me as soon as she hung up.  I told Marshela I had been home all day.  So she said if I didn't hear from them by 4 pm, to call her back.  She said that the doctor wants it moving along, or my surgery date may have to be moved to Sept.  I will be PISSED if that happens.  The doctor (not surgeon) said that IF I had sleep apnea, it was very minor, she just wanted to make sure.  So now I am in a wait and see pattern.  It is now 3:25 and I am ready to call Marshela back...I want to know what is happening.  

Does anyone know what a desensitation is?  Marshela didn't know.  When my doctor was explaining to me back on Apr. 3rd, she was talking very fast saying something about me taking a machine home with me and then they can take readings off the machine, but that could be something totally else she was talking about.  

Anyway, I am frustrated!  That is my news for the day.  Hopefully I will hear from them in the next hour and be put at ease.

TTFN

I went in for my 2nd class with the nutritionist.  I really like these classes...they get you thinking.  I thought I was in for..."You can't eat this, you can't eat that!"  But it is nothing like that.  Just helping you eat what you like, but not too much of it, and making better choices.

I also asked if the results of my ECO was in.  They were!  Everything was "Within normal limits"  I hate when they say that...what is normal limits???  I know it means I am ok..but I would have love to hear..."She has the heart of a 20 year old!"  Or something LOL  

I have been batteling with my smoking.  I have not fully quit and that bothers me.  I am not smoking every day and not 1/2 as much as I was before.  For a few days I will wear the patch, feel really good about it, then I will wake up and forget to put a patch on, get stressed out and buy a pack of cigarettts.  A pack use to last me about  1 day. (If I was lucky)  Now it is lasting me 2 - 3 days...but of course I feel compelled to finish them once I buy them. LOL  I will get there, I just want to be there...you know?

I also haven't told my in-laws about the surgery or anything that I am doing.  My mother in law is miss negative and even after 20+ years, she still dislikes me for stealing her baby boy! LOL SO in her eyes I reside on the island of misfit daughter in laws LOL She has said to me in the past "If you want to lose the weight, you will, I don't know why you spend my son's hard earned money on gym memberships, weight watchers and slimfast when all you have to do it just stop eating so much."  Well wait a minute lady, I work too, so it is my hard earned money also...of course I can't say that to her face.   Is she overweight?  Yes, but only recently.  She was very thin up until she turned about 64-65 (she is now 70) and when I say "well why don't we go on a diet together and you can show me what I am doing wrong"  she gets mad and says she knows she needs to lose a little weight, but she just doesn't want to...and is she did she could.  Who is she kidding?  

So when I thought out WLS two years ago, she was all over my case saying that I was taking the easy way out and I should be ashamed of myself, considering having a surgery that I didn't need, risking my life so her baby boy would be stuck raising out daughter!  She told me if I ever had the surgery I would be being selfish.  So I stopped persueing it.  She has even told my husband he should just leave me, since my weight is getting so bad!

Well last year a good friend of mine (Hi Anna!) had the surgery and she is doing great.  I just had to look into it again.  So I am doing all these appoinments and she knows nothing.  She is my main babysitter, so it has been tough, because she is so nosey, if I was going for a test of an appoinment with the surgeon she has to know exactly where you are going etc. So I have had to either lie to her or find someone else to watch my daughter. My husband is behind my decision not to tell her and the rest of his family (they are all gossip hounds and will not keep the secret)  I am just not sure if I will ever tell them.  My family is on board.  My parents will come for the surgery and my sister in law will care for my daughter...but I feel weird not saying anything.  This is a biggest thing I have ever done and I see my husband's family on a daily basis...Any advice on negitive family members?

Thanks for listening.

Ok, so it has been awhile.  Sorry about that.  After several calls to the surgical secretary she finally called me back last Thursday.  We set up a few appointments and I got my surgery date!!!  Aug. 21st!  She doesn't expect me to have to wait that long, she really feels with cancelations and the doctor usually adding surgery dates over the summer I may go in July.  But I am very happy with Aug. also.

I had my Ecocardiogram this week and have been taking my pre-op nutrition classes.  So it is all coming together.  I have an ultrasound scheduled for the end of May (of my liver and gallbladder).  I also have an appointment with my surgeon on May 21st.  (this will be the 1st time I get to meet her!)  

That is about it.  The stop smoking is going ok.  It has been a month and I have been a bear and want one everyday...Now I am trying to work on cutting the diet pepsi out of my life.  My two biggest vices...but I know I will do it.

Until next time TTFN!

Today I met with Dr. Stein.  My 'team' got together and decided the bypass was my best option.  My blood tests all came back wonderful.  She was very impressed considering my BMI is so high.  

I would have made an appointment with my surgeon today, but the secretary that does all that was at lunch and I had to get to work.  So they said to call tomorrow and I can make my 1st appointment with the surgeon and also find out when my 1st group session will be with the dietician.

My doctor is booking surgeries for Aug.!  I am very excited.  I will post more tomorrow after I know when my appointments will be.

Just on a side note...day 7 without a cigarette!  I am so proud of myself.  I still want one, but it is getting easier and easier by the day!

Well today is day 4 without a cigarette.  I am barely getting by.  It is a lot harder than it has been in the past (but then again I always failed in the past, there is no failing this time)  I was hoping the welbutrine and patches would be working better by now on my cravings.

I can say I do see a difference in my health.  I am already sleeping better (not sure if smoking effects your sleep patterns) and my breathing is much better.  So I hold on to that when I think I want a cigarette. 

Well Monday is the big day...I meet with my 'team' over at Mass General and see what their big plan is for me.  I am hoping we can get the ball rolling on this and schedule me to meet with the surgeon soon.  I get all school holidays/vacations off and I would love to take care of this over Summer Break.  Then I wouldn't have to take any time off from work.

I will post again on Monday.  Keep me in your prayers, this quiting smoking is so hard!

I still have a little under a week until I see the doctors again.  It has been a long wait.  

Yesterday I quit smoking.  It has not been as hard as I thought it would be.  Do I miss it???  Every second!  But with the help of the stop smoking meds my doctor gave me, I know I can do it.  

I also met with my pastor last night.  Very important step for me.  He is not only my pastor, but my boss and my friend.  So it was very easy to tell him how I have been struggling with this both emotionally, physically, and spiritually.  He assured me that my faith would get me through.  It helped so much with the decisions I have ahead of me. 

 

Monday Apr. 2^nd is the next time I see the doctors…I can’t wait! 

 

 

I went for my sleep study and the driving into Boston was not that bad (ok don't tell DH LOL)  I didn't sleep very well...how could I?  All those wires hooked up to me! LOL  But it is done.  

I took another big step today.  I contacted my primary care doctor and asked her to perscribe some medication for me to quit smoking.  Although the weight loss center has not said I have to stop smoking in order to have the surgery...I feel I have to stop.  I am starting over and don't want the cigarettes part of my new life.  She just called to say she sent the perscription to the pharmacy.  My quit date is 3/24/07.  Wish me luck!  I need to do this, I have to do this...I WANT to do this.  In the past it has always been the need and have, but never the want...with everything...food, cigarettes...you name it.  I guess God was just waiting to help me when the WANT came into my life.