pamhansen
have high blood pressure, take a fluid pill and generic prozac for depression. I have been on diets all my life and nothing works, have other family members that have had weight loss surgery. Thru much research and study, my family carries the obesity trait. Out of a family of 7, all are overweight, some morbidly, me included. I have tried unsuccessful in the past 6+ years to get a gastric and I now have Health Partners Insurance and know of some that have it gastric with it, so I am hoping that this is my turn to get it done.
06/16/2006 I am approved!!! I don't have a surgery date as of yet, but my insurance company called and said I was approved. Just have to wait for a date and I am way ready!!!
06/23/2006 I have my surgery date. July 10th, 2006!! This is a journey I have waited for so long a few more weeks will be a snap!
07/07/2006 I had my pre-op today with Dr. Harris. He is so awesome!! He wanted to know if I was as excited as he was for me. Told me he would see me with bells on early Monday morning. I am so excited for this, a new birth day!! My husband is so supportive, he said that whatever makes me happy, makes him happy. He makes me happy, but being healthier will make our whole family happy. Just 3 more days!!!
07/09/2006 Wow I cannot believe it is the day before already. Just working on getting things lined up for while I am gone and for when I get back home. I am so ready to start on the new way of life.
07/12/2006 Hello from the other side. I got home from the hospital today. I totally impressed the staff at the hospital, up and walking within an hour back to my room. I will keep you posted on how things progress.
07/21/2006 Things sure progress fast. I am feeling super. The first few days to the first week were tough, but I would do it again in a heart beat!! I amazed myself. Everyone I talked to that had this done said, oh the pain the first few days. I didnt have much pain. The only real pain that I had was in my ribs from the spreading me open to get to everything. But that has gone away. I still have my staples, get them out on the 27th, cant wait, they itch bad. I have not stepped on a scale, I want to be surprised with the 17 days since surgery. For anyone who is considering this, prepare yourself. I wanted this so much, that what I went thru, was a breeze. No complications thus far from the surgery. I will post after my staples are out.
07/27/2006 Well finally the staples are out!! It feels so much better! I about fainted when I got on that scale.......-27.6 pounds gone forever!!! I am so amazed. I feel wonderful. If anyone has any questions or concerns about doing this, I would be happy to answer any questions. My journey to find the new me has begun and I am on a natural high!!!
08/09/2006 Went back for my 4 week checkup and I am now down 28.8 pounds. But if I use my discharge weight, I have lost 34.8 pounds. I will use that one. I feel so much better, best thing that I ever did. Now I just need to get the protein in. I am not getting in enough and feel sluggish. I don't go back now for 3 months. I am finally on my journey!!
09/11/2006 Wow it has been awhile since I updated this. Sorry. Well I am 2 months out and I am down 48 pounds now. Hurray. I feel great. Still need to get the energy level up there, but feel much better. Sometimes I think that I am not losing fast enough, even that I am eating too much. I have only thrown up twice from eating too fast or something didnt agree with my pouch. But I am still giving it my all for the new me!!!
10/27/2006 I had my 3 month checkup today and I am down 66 pounds. I feel awesome. I cant wait until the next 40 pounds are gone, that is one goal that I have set for myself. Tiny steps will get me to my goal!!!
12/11/2006 Wow time flies!!! Here I am 5 months out and I am down 78 pounds. I know I should have more off, but I feel on the frosty walkway and broke my tailbone, so I was unable to the exercises that I needed to. Walking was horrible, let alone exercising. It is doing much better now and I have resumed my regime once again. I am hoping to have 100 off by the middle of January. For those that are thinking of having this done, go for it. It was the best thing that I did. I would do it again in a minute!!!!
01/12/2007 Sorry I haven't updated in a while. We have had such sickness in our home. Thank goodness I havent gotten it, YET. On the 10th I was 6 mos. post op and I am down 84 pounds. The only downside is that I am getting a hernia. But the goodside is that when I am 2 years out they can call it a hernia repair and I can get a tummy tuck. So I guess that is one good thing. I am no longer on my blood pressure medicine. Hurray!! I feel awesome, I would do this again in a heartbeat!! I don't go back now until I am one year out. I hope to have 150 pounds off completely. Each day is a blessing of a new life!
04/11/2007 Wow people are right, once you start losing and feeling better, you just don't have enough time to get everything in. I am now 9 months out and I am down 115 pounds. I cannot believe it. I still see myself as the extremely fat person in the mirror. But then I put on a pair of the pants that I wore that many pounds ago and I definately see the change. I would do this again. I havent had any set backs other than the normal sickness, colds and flu, but other wise doing great. I am only taking my supplements now, I am off all other medication that I was taking. HURRAY! I encourage any one who is struggleing with weight, to research weight loss surgery and the doctors that perform it, and make your decision that is right for you.
07/11/2007 Wow, I am so sorry, it has been a long long time since I was here last. Well I celebrated my re-birthday on yesterday the 10th. I havent gone back to my surgeon for that one year yet, not until September 7th. He is extremely busy. But according to my scale, I am down about 130 pounds. I feel so great. I have alot more that I would like to get off in the next 12 months, so I am not giving up the battle, even though the weight loss has slowed down. I have gone from a size 4x in shirts to a size 1x depending on the style. I still have the bossom area that I havent lost much in. In pants I have gone from a very tight size 28/30 to a very lose 22. I think that I could probably get into a 20, but still don't feel comfortable in form fitting clothes yet. I know that I will be having surgery next year sometime. I am having a hernia fixed from previous c-sections that he didnt fix with the bypass and then at that time he is going to do a tummy tuck. I am lacking collagen in my body, so my skin does not bounce back, it just hangs. But I will take the lose skin over the extra weight any day. I would go back and do this again in a heart beat. I used to live for food, now I eat to live. I absolutely love that feeling!!!!!
Hospital Reviews
Surgeon Info:
Surgeon: Fredrick Harris, M.D.
Precise and to the point. He tells you how it is and doesn't hold back. I like that. He knows what it is about, he has had gastric bypass himself. So he has lived both ways, overweight and lighter. I encourage others to see him, he is great.
Insurer Info:
Health Partners, PCP
Health Partners was awesome. They let me know exactly what I needed and they called me the afternoon that I was approved and then I called my surgeon and got the date all set up. So once everything was in, it was no time at all that I was approved.