Being discharged today

It's a good thing no one reads this since I never got around to updating ;).

I'm leaving the hospital in a few hours. It's a good and bad thing. Nice because I am going crazy in here. I miss my family terribly & the bed is NOT comfortable. But on the other hand, the quiet, sleeping in, and 'relaxing' I'm going to miss.

The pros outweigh the cons, here I come home :D.

My belly is still pretty swollen but the only pain now if from the incision sites ( small amount) and the gas.

I hope to be back to normal in a week or two!!

New hospital/Surgeon

http://austinbariatric.com/default

AIBL is a sole Bariatric facility. I called them today after speaking with the General Surgery nurse at Darnall.

She told me to find a place with a Shorter wait time then call tricare. I did and found Dr. Ganta. They told me that there is no wait list & since I already have some of the pre-op stuff done that they'll accept i should be able to start my 2 week pre-op diet before June is over.

Called tricare and it was super easy to get it switched! So now I just play the waiting game for the new office for all of my insurance paperwork to be done. (she said to expect a call within 4 days).

I'm still not 100% on which one I want yet. Sleeve or bypass. Why can't the decision be easy? Lol.

Amanda
-- Post From My iPhone

At the S&W seminar

I attended the Scott & White Bariatric Seminar this evening. I'm a bit dissapointed to say at the least.

On the phone I was told I would most like have the surgery at the end of the month or the first week of July. After the seminar the staff told me there already booked up until mid August.

Also, he went over all of the types again. Lap-band, sleeve, bypass and I'm leaning more towards the sleeve or bypass now.

The lap-band is ideal except for the lifelong doctor visits.

I'm going to call the surgery clinic on post tomorrow and see what the wait times are for the sleeve and bypass.

I'd like the sleeve since it's only cutting the majority of my stomach. We'll see. Lots more research to do.

*sigh* I had high hopes of having it done before my daughter's 2nd Birthday.

I feel like I'm back at step 1.



Amanda
-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Killeen Civic Center

So is having lap-band cheating?

This is a question I'm sure a lot of people think of often when choosing weight loss surgery. You may even get remarks from friends and family about it being the "easy way out". So tell me, what exactly is easy about major surgery and changing your lifestyle? Well to me, not a damn thing.

I'll admit, when I first went in to talk to my doctor about weight loss surgery I felt SO guilty. It was like I was asking to cheat on an exam. I actually started to cry when I told her I felt like I was failing and I was a cheater for considering it.

Then my amazing, yes I love this doctor, explained one very simple truth to me. Not everyone is the same. That really struck a cord for me. No, not everyone is the same. People grow up differently, have different metabolisms, are taught eating habits different ways, some have medical problems, and some don't.

There are people with no obesity in their family line and people with a very long mine of obesity in their family. So when you break it down some people have more advantages over other people.

Can I lose the weight without the lap-band? Yes, is it effective? No. While I've lost weight in the past it wasn't by any means healthy. About the only healthy thing I was doing was exercising like crazy. Other than that I was eating little to no food.

So why am I having WLS? To be healthy. It will help me with portion control so I can still eat and enjoy life. Lap-band is a TOOL, just like any other tool, it's not effective unless you use it correctly.

So are people who have WLS cheating? No. You've found a medical advancement that is going to change your life, for the better, and you're ready to step up to the plate and relearn your life with food.

When someone treats you like it's cheating, remind them, not everyone is the same. And don't forget, you're doing this to become a healthier YOU. Don't let anyone try to tear you down for that.

Set back...

I took my mental evaluation to the hospital's General Surgery clinic yesterday afternoon to be put on the waiting list my final step before my pre-op diet) and got some good and bad news.

Good news , I'm number 10 on the lap-band list. The bad news.. all of the surgeons that do the lap-band are deploying until September. So I'm either at a stand still until September when they start taking patients again, or I can try my luck off post.

So I asked if I could be referred off post to Scott & White in Temple, Texas. They will put the referral in on monday, but there is no guarantee that I will be approved or denied since they use different standards. (Height and weight & co morbidity) vs. BMI & co mobility. Pretty much after the referral is submitted I wait 2 weeks. If i do not get a call from them, I call Tricare and see what's the hold up. If' I'm approved I go along with that, and I'm not sure if i have to start over what I've done.

If I'm declined, I'm still on the waiting list for September. So here we go..

Weight Loss Seminar

So it’s been a little bit since I updated. The hospital called me for a WLS Seminar that all TRICARE patients have to take when being considered for WLS. On April 21st, 2010 I attended the Seminar. When I got there they took my height and weight information. They used the special scale that calculates your BMI, weight, fat mass, etc. I’m still very uncomfortable about doing this, and I wish the numbers on the paper were just a lot lower. I think I’m coming to terms with it more and more everyday though.

Honestly, the numbers don’t bother me as much as the health and appearance. If I was healthy and looked amazing, I wouldn’t care that I weighed 250 pounds. But alas, numbers play a huge role in all of this.

During the class they covered the three kinds of weight loss surgeries they do at the hospital. The three were Lap-Band, gastric bypass and the gastric sleeve. After all of the information I was defiantly set on the Lap-Band. It’s the least invasive and safest WLS to have. Different people are good for different surgeries for different reasons.

They also held a nutrition class after the surgeon was done talking. It was pretty much what to expect for your pre-op diet and what to expect post op. It was really informative thankfully. After the class was over I asked how soon it would be before I could go back to the gym. 2 weeks then I can start working out anything that doesn’t require a lot of ab work. So that’s pretty exciting.

My to-do list after the class was pretty simple. I have to get a psychiatric evaluation for treatment. Something everyone has to do. So I have to see my PCM to put in a referral for me to see one.

So that pretty much wraps it up. I came home from my class and was a little scared to tell my husband I had pretty much been approved. I mean, I still feel like a failure. No matter how many times I replay my doctor’s words in my head, I feel like I’m cheating. I had to keep reminding myself, that this isn’t a new thing in my family. My family has struggled with weight issues for generations.

I’ll try to update again soon :).

The Beginning of my Journey

I've been heavy most of my life. Most of my family has a history of obesity and obesity related health problems. Recently I weighed in at 247 pounds. The highest weight I have ever been in my entire life (Including my pregnancies). It was a huge shocker when my doctor mentioned I might have developed diabetes. I was confused, scared, and angry at myself for letting this happen. After I stepped back and looked at the situation and talked to my doctor I've finally come to accept that it might just be genetics. I attend our local Gold's Gym on a regular basis and eat healthy on a usual basis (of course, I do eat bad things or out too sometimes).

My doctor put in a referral for Weight Loss Surgery on April 15th, 2010 and this is where I start my Journey.

Here are my Stats:

HW: 247.0 lbs
CW:242.7 lbs
GW: 130 lbs

I'm a 21 year old mother of two. A 4 ½ year old boy, and an almost 2 year old girl. I am also a 5 year and counting wife to the most amazing man in the world. He's a U.S. Soldier in the United States Army.

I want to be healthy for my family.