Ramona B.
My gastric bypass journey began in January 2005 when I saw my PCP to review the results of the sleep study I'd had done the month before. Prior to this visit, we had discussed the need for me to lose weight and my doctor agreed with my desire not to have weight loss surgery. The office wound up having to get my results faxed, so I was sitting in one of the examining rooms when the nurse knocked on the door and gave the doctor the faxed results. He took one look at the paper and said, "I urge you to reconsider your decision not to have weight loss surgery. The consequences of your kind of sleep apnea can include sudden death." Those words are etched on my brain permanently. It still took me 3 months before I was able to accept what he said and then go back for a referral. After that, I had to attend one of Dr. Blackstone's seminars and then follow through with a 6-month physician supervised weight loss plan. Once that was completed, CIGNA "never received" the first two preauthorization requests that Scottsdale Bariatric submitted. I finally got my approval letter in January 2006 and my surgery was scheduled for March 21, 2006. On surgery day, I weighed 263 pounds. As of March 24, I weigh 149 pounds, for a total weight loss of 114 pounds. I've had some struggles along the way, but overall I would definitely recommend this surgery (roux en Y) to anyone who has a significant amount of weight to lose.
