After having completed all of the prerequisites, I was told I would be submitted to insurance for pre-approval. That was a week and a half ago. Last Wednesday, I followed up via email, but received no reply. So, I called today. Evidently, they didn't get the Medical Clearance from Dr. Schneider, my primary care physician. Kim told me that they submitted without the clearance, and as expected, insurance called looking for the clearance. She got something today from Dr. Schneider, but it apparently wasn't what they were looking for. I call Dr. Schneider's office and she doesn't have time to call Dr. Krohn's office to find out exactly what they need. Sheesh.
I asked Kim if she'd take that next step, and hopefully they'll get on the same page. I'll have to call again tomorrow though.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Getting the list checked off
Today, I got a couple more items checked off the pre-surgery checklist. I had the Gallbladder Sonogram and got a chest x-ray this morning. Good news: only one heartbeat was found!
The sonogram was probably the most uncomfortable thing I've done so far. It took a while, maybe 30 or 40 minutes, with most of that time, having that little sensor thing being pressed into my side and ribs. I'll be surprised if I don't have any bruising.
I called the Gastro doctor yesterday to follow-up on those polyps, and they made an appointment for me for next week.
I have one more appointment with the nutritionist, the psych evaluation and finally, the medical clearance. My only concern at this point is the polyps.
The sonogram was probably the most uncomfortable thing I've done so far. It took a while, maybe 30 or 40 minutes, with most of that time, having that little sensor thing being pressed into my side and ribs. I'll be surprised if I don't have any bruising.
I called the Gastro doctor yesterday to follow-up on those polyps, and they made an appointment for me for next week.
I have one more appointment with the nutritionist, the psych evaluation and finally, the medical clearance. My only concern at this point is the polyps.
Monday, November 12, 2012
My EGD Experience
Friday, I went in for my EGD, after having my preliminary consultation with the Gastrointerologyst on 10/30. I've seen lots of questions about the EGD on here, so I thought I'd just share my experience, top to bottom.
The first thing that surprised me was that when they called me to schedule my date, they told me the hospital would call me the day before the procedure to let me know the time. I thought that was a little strange, but apparently, that's par for the course. I actually got the call on Wednesday afternoon, for the Friday appointment time. Then I got a follow-up call on Thursday from admitting to get me pre-registered. When I got done with the pre-registration, I got my second surprise: my portion was going to cost me $606. I guess I should have expected it, because it's not exactly a copay office visit situation. That was my 20%.
The hospital was pretty efficient. They are notorious for bad parking, and now they have valet parking, which was very convenient. I signed in at the information desk, and they gave me a little pager like the one's they use at restaurants. About 5 minutes later, I got called in to admitting, got checked in and paid my fee. I was then sent down to the GI waiting room. In probably less than 10 minutes, they called me in to get me prepped. I only removed my shirt, leaving on the pants, socks & shoes. The IV was started, they took my BP and temperature, and they wheeled me into the hallway next to the room where they do the procedure.
Seeing my doctor, I said hello and commend on how good he looked that day! In fact, I gave the same complement to each of the hospital staff. I don't know if it helped, but it certainly didn't hurt!
Maybe 10 minutes later they wheeled a woman, passed out, from the room and another 5 minutes later, wheeled me in. After a little light discussion, the doctor had heard enough and told the dope guy to put me out. The last thing I remember was a slight lucid feeling and asking the dope guy, "you gave me the juice, huh?" He confirmed, and I was out. Just like that.
During the procedure I recall a brief moment of the bite thing in my mouth. I'm guessing they were finishing up. I think I remember being wheeled out, but can't quite be sure. Seemingly moments later, I woke up, sat up, put my shirt on, and I was on my way to go get some soup.
Overall, on the day of, I had a little discomfort in my throat, not unlike when you have a cold and you get a sore throat. I napped a bit after getting home, then in the evening, I was a little tired, but managed to busy myself and stay awake. My throat continued to be a little sore on Saturday, but less so, and by Sunday, I was fine.
The doctor, apparently found some polyps in my stomach and took samples for biopsy. I'm not sure when I'll hear back on that. Does anyone have any experience with this part?
Monday, October 29, 2012
Not as much progress this week
Another week down, another pound down. Actually, not even quite a pound. Weighed in at 279.2, just .8 pounds less than last week. Maybe this week will be better? I didn't drink at all this weekend, like I had last weekend. Not that it was excessive, but it adds up. Is it time to start exercising already? Maybe I'll wait until my appointment with Dr. Krohn's office next wee.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Losing some weight
I guess you could say that officially, I started my dieting on 5-October. That was when I went to Vitamin Shoppe and picked up that big jar of Isopure. I think the day before, I had also picked up a case of RTD Premium Protein from Sam's Club. Not following a "named" diet such as Atkins or South Beach, my approach is simple: keep total calories under 1800, and carbs under 200. So far, my average has been 1513 per day and I'm down around 10 pounds.
For the most part, it's not too hard. There are times when I'm hungry and there's bad stuff to eat laying around the kitchen; cookies, etc., but so far I've been pretty good overall, except having had alcohol over the weekend.
A typical weekday is consisting of:
6:30 - protein shake
8:30 - hard boiled egg
11:00 - turkey & swiss sandwich
1:00 - hard boiled egg
5:00 - dinner.. varies.
I'm getting my 6-8 glasses of water in with the help of Mio flavoring. I can't say I'm feeling any better at this point, but I do think my shirts are a little less tight around the stomach.
I'm scheduled for a consult with the stomach doctor on 10/30.
For the most part, it's not too hard. There are times when I'm hungry and there's bad stuff to eat laying around the kitchen; cookies, etc., but so far I've been pretty good overall, except having had alcohol over the weekend.
A typical weekday is consisting of:
6:30 - protein shake
8:30 - hard boiled egg
11:00 - turkey & swiss sandwich
1:00 - hard boiled egg
5:00 - dinner.. varies.
I'm getting my 6-8 glasses of water in with the help of Mio flavoring. I can't say I'm feeling any better at this point, but I do think my shirts are a little less tight around the stomach.
I'm scheduled for a consult with the stomach doctor on 10/30.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Friggin Insurance
This is a little late in the posting, but I figured I'd better document it.
I had read a post on a VSG forum that was about one particular person's surprise at the amount of their financial responsibility - their out-of-pocket, as it were - for the procedure. The amount she indicated was in the $4k range, and it got me to thinking about what mine might be. Knowing my policy has some sort of 80/20 thing going on, I figured mine might be as much as $6k or more. So I called Cigna. BTW: the poster on the forum also had Cigna.
The guy from Cigna told me that my policy does not cover any bariatric surgery. He said it would cover any and all of the pre-op stuff, the dietitian, psych, etc., but not the surgery itself.
Wednesday, last week, I finally had my consult with Dr. Krahn's office. Of course, before you even get the appointment for the consult, they have done their due diligence and vetted insurance. I was/am assured that my insurance covers this option. Better still, my out of pocket can't exceed $2,200 annually. Since my surgery is likely to be in January, I'll be all in at that amount.
I had read a post on a VSG forum that was about one particular person's surprise at the amount of their financial responsibility - their out-of-pocket, as it were - for the procedure. The amount she indicated was in the $4k range, and it got me to thinking about what mine might be. Knowing my policy has some sort of 80/20 thing going on, I figured mine might be as much as $6k or more. So I called Cigna. BTW: the poster on the forum also had Cigna.
The guy from Cigna told me that my policy does not cover any bariatric surgery. He said it would cover any and all of the pre-op stuff, the dietitian, psych, etc., but not the surgery itself.
Wednesday, last week, I finally had my consult with Dr. Krahn's office. Of course, before you even get the appointment for the consult, they have done their due diligence and vetted insurance. I was/am assured that my insurance covers this option. Better still, my out of pocket can't exceed $2,200 annually. Since my surgery is likely to be in January, I'll be all in at that amount.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Innocent Question From My Son
Well, if you've gotten this far, hopefully you'll start to leave a comments!
Yesterday afternoon, as my youngest son - age 7 - was wrapping up his homework, he asks me the following question, out of the blue: "Daddy, did you eat a lot of candy when you were a kid?" I had no idea where this was coming from.
I said, "Oh, I don't know... maybe more than I should have. Why do you ask?"
"Well," he says, "because you're fat."
And he doesn't say it in a mean way. In fact, I took it as quite the opposite. He's trying to make the connection, I guess. There wasn't any more to the conversation beyond that. After the exchange, he went about his business and I mine, but it's something I keep thinking about. Obviously, it doesn't take a road scholar to know that I'm fat, but what struck me was that it's the first time either of my kids had said something about my being fat. My older son, turning 9 in November, has never said a thing. Not that it's forbidden or anything... it's just never come up.
It's interesting to me, because it's not like we make a big deal about candy, sweets & desert. My wife makes a deliberate effort to ensure that all of their meals are balanced with protein and veggies... not just Mac & Cheese every night. They rarely get soda, and generally, only milk with dinner. They only get desert if they finish their meal, so really only about once a week when they both finish AND remember to ask. Usually when they get candy, like from Halloween or a birthday party or something, it mostly just sits. Like I said, it's just not a big deal. I, myself, rarely eat candy - I save it for Ice Cream!!! LOL.
So, what's your experience with your kids?
Yesterday afternoon, as my youngest son - age 7 - was wrapping up his homework, he asks me the following question, out of the blue: "Daddy, did you eat a lot of candy when you were a kid?" I had no idea where this was coming from.
I said, "Oh, I don't know... maybe more than I should have. Why do you ask?"
"Well," he says, "because you're fat."
And he doesn't say it in a mean way. In fact, I took it as quite the opposite. He's trying to make the connection, I guess. There wasn't any more to the conversation beyond that. After the exchange, he went about his business and I mine, but it's something I keep thinking about. Obviously, it doesn't take a road scholar to know that I'm fat, but what struck me was that it's the first time either of my kids had said something about my being fat. My older son, turning 9 in November, has never said a thing. Not that it's forbidden or anything... it's just never come up.
It's interesting to me, because it's not like we make a big deal about candy, sweets & desert. My wife makes a deliberate effort to ensure that all of their meals are balanced with protein and veggies... not just Mac & Cheese every night. They rarely get soda, and generally, only milk with dinner. They only get desert if they finish their meal, so really only about once a week when they both finish AND remember to ask. Usually when they get candy, like from Halloween or a birthday party or something, it mostly just sits. Like I said, it's just not a big deal. I, myself, rarely eat candy - I save it for Ice Cream!!! LOL.
So, what's your experience with your kids?
Monday, September 10, 2012
Surgery?! Why??
In the words of David Burne, how did I get here?
Well, part of getting here, the weight, was not an over night process. That part you already know, if you read my history post. Clearly, there's more to it than that; there's the mental aspect.
I've thought about it from time to time. I'm a researcher when it comes to new things. When I thought about shaving my head, I consulted the internet. I found videos, recommendations, etc. By the time I started, I had something new to share with a colleague who had been doing it for years, having turned him on to a great shave cream. So, when you research "gastric bypass" or the like, the first thing you discover is that the patient is on a liquid diet for a month, post-op. I would think, "of course you're going to loose weight like that!" So I never really looked further.
When I began seeing my PCP, Dr. Schneider, when we discussed my weight, I more or less got the old, "move more, eat less" response. Which, at its core, is really what it all boils down to, right? The problem is the old, "easier said than done" when it comes to keeping the weight off. Sure, anybody can drop 20 pounds, but keeping it off... that's where it's not so easy.
Medical factors
About 6 years ago - before I started seeing Dr. Schneider, I developed acid reflux, and have now been on Prilosec to keep that in check.
About 3-4 years ago, my wife really started complaining about my snoring. One time, she said she thought I was pretending, it sounded soooo over-the-top. Then I found that I was just tired all the time. Finally, I spoke with Dr. Schneider who referred me to Dr. Rai for a sleep study. Sure enough, I have sleep apnea. It's been a while now, but he said I was stopping breathing over 40 times per hour. Wow! No wonder I was always tired. Now, I sleep like Darth Vader, wearing a CPAP machine. Sexy!
Most recently, a little over 2 years ago, after a routine physical, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It's well under control with only one medication. Maybe too well under control. I actually find that I'm fighting to keep my blood sugar high enough. That's right. If I don't eat well enough - especially at breakfast - by 11 or 12 o'clock, I get nauseated and jittery from my blood sugar being too low.
Medically speaking, that makes me "morbidly" obese. Lovely.
So, I go to see Dr. Schneider for this back problem I'd been having. While I'm there, I start a new topic like this: "I know you're not... and advocate of weight loss surgery, but do you think it's something I should be considering?" It turned out to be a good way to go about it, I think. He got a little defensive in saying that, it's not that he's against it, but rather, it's not his go-to solution. He said he'd be happy to refer me to a bariatric surgeon.
A couple of days later, I got a call from someone at his office referring me to Dr. Krahn. I called the office and the woman I spoke with had my info all there in front of her.
And so it begins. I've started to do more research, and I got a great opportunity to speak candidly with a friend who is now around 4-years post-op with VSG. In a couple of days, I will be attending one of Dr. Krahn's required seminars.
Well, part of getting here, the weight, was not an over night process. That part you already know, if you read my history post. Clearly, there's more to it than that; there's the mental aspect.
I've thought about it from time to time. I'm a researcher when it comes to new things. When I thought about shaving my head, I consulted the internet. I found videos, recommendations, etc. By the time I started, I had something new to share with a colleague who had been doing it for years, having turned him on to a great shave cream. So, when you research "gastric bypass" or the like, the first thing you discover is that the patient is on a liquid diet for a month, post-op. I would think, "of course you're going to loose weight like that!" So I never really looked further.
When I began seeing my PCP, Dr. Schneider, when we discussed my weight, I more or less got the old, "move more, eat less" response. Which, at its core, is really what it all boils down to, right? The problem is the old, "easier said than done" when it comes to keeping the weight off. Sure, anybody can drop 20 pounds, but keeping it off... that's where it's not so easy.
Medical factors
About 6 years ago - before I started seeing Dr. Schneider, I developed acid reflux, and have now been on Prilosec to keep that in check.
About 3-4 years ago, my wife really started complaining about my snoring. One time, she said she thought I was pretending, it sounded soooo over-the-top. Then I found that I was just tired all the time. Finally, I spoke with Dr. Schneider who referred me to Dr. Rai for a sleep study. Sure enough, I have sleep apnea. It's been a while now, but he said I was stopping breathing over 40 times per hour. Wow! No wonder I was always tired. Now, I sleep like Darth Vader, wearing a CPAP machine. Sexy!
Most recently, a little over 2 years ago, after a routine physical, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It's well under control with only one medication. Maybe too well under control. I actually find that I'm fighting to keep my blood sugar high enough. That's right. If I don't eat well enough - especially at breakfast - by 11 or 12 o'clock, I get nauseated and jittery from my blood sugar being too low.
Medically speaking, that makes me "morbidly" obese. Lovely.
So, I go to see Dr. Schneider for this back problem I'd been having. While I'm there, I start a new topic like this: "I know you're not... and advocate of weight loss surgery, but do you think it's something I should be considering?" It turned out to be a good way to go about it, I think. He got a little defensive in saying that, it's not that he's against it, but rather, it's not his go-to solution. He said he'd be happy to refer me to a bariatric surgeon.
A couple of days later, I got a call from someone at his office referring me to Dr. Krahn. I called the office and the woman I spoke with had my info all there in front of her.
And so it begins. I've started to do more research, and I got a great opportunity to speak candidly with a friend who is now around 4-years post-op with VSG. In a couple of days, I will be attending one of Dr. Krahn's required seminars.
My History
Hello. My name is John, and I'm quite overweight. I guess that's an understatement. I'm obese. actually, morbidly obese. On 28-August, I saw my primary physician, Dr. Schneider, for some back pain I had been having, and weighed in at 294.
Before I get into what this is all about, first I'll share some information that I think is pertinent to my current weight. I want to be clear, however, that I am NOT placing blame on anyone else, but simply stating relative information. It is what it is.
Growing up as a child to a single mother making her own way, we didn't have a lot of money. Mom did the best she could all along. My most clear, early memories begin when we moved out of my grandparents house, into our own place in Alhambra when I was in the first grade.
As mom worked, I had to go to a baby sitter. The first one wasn't far away, but my memories are very unpleasant. I remember getting to her house after school and being made to sit outside on the porch steps all day, alone, every day until I got picked up by my mom.
The second sitter was better in some respects, but not so good in others. Mostly, it wasn't bad, but she had children of her own, one of which was maybe 3 or 4 years older than me. As such, I got picked on quite a lot. I have lots of memories in being in what is described in MMA as being in the full-mount position - on the receiving end, of course.
Subsequently, around 4th or 5th grade, I became a Latch Key Kid. If you're not familiar with the term, I'd go to school, and come strait home afterward. I would let myself in to the empty house, and lock the door behind me. I would immediately call mom at work to let her know I made it home, and from then until she got home, I was to stay inside. Period. By the time I was in the 8th grade, I'd become quite pudgy. I guess I should go on to say that during this elementary time (my elementary school went from Kindergarten to 8th grade - no "middle school"), it's probably worth mentioning that I did one pass at a bowling league and at around age 11 or 12, I did a season and a half of little league. Other than that, I didn't do anything organized.
It's probably worth mentioning here that during this Latch Key period, I'd save my $1.25 per day that mom gave me for lunch, skip lunch at school, and after getting home and calling mom, I'd make a super-quick trip to the neighborhood market that was a block away and buy food I wanted to eat, which was nearly always either Jell-O instant pudding, or Hostess mini doughnuts.
We did go to the beach on weekends. Most weekends, as far as I can recall... probably more than we didn't, anyway.
Before my sophomore year of high school, we moved to Fontana. The house we lived in was in the Rialto school district, which was less desirable than Fontana, so through some hocus pocus, I went to Fontana High School, which was both far away, and none of the other kids in my area went there. I didn't end up knowing anyone in the area I lived in. I made friends at school, but they all lived far away and were only friends at school.
I wasn't involved in activities in high school. No sports, or other clubs. I didn't go to a single dance or football game, even though the team was CIF Champions. I took a bus to school and back, and once I was home, I pretty much stayed inside. No longer because it was required... it was just what I was accustom to by then. Go home. Watch TV. Commercial break? Time for a snack.
Despite riding my bike everywhere in the later high school years, I was still pudgy. After high school, I worked at a major warehouse distribution center, having productivity standards of more than 400 cases per hour loading cases from a conveyor onto several trucks. Still I was pudgy.
At age 27, I got married, and my weight was maybe 200-210 pounds. Still, not quite fat, but still pudgy. Overweight. Four months later I broke a bone in my left foot; the "fifth metatarsal," at work. I remember the Worker's Comp doctor telling me that this particular bone is quite dense and thus would "take a little longer than normal" to heal. I didn't ask for specifics, but in my mind, I thought, okay, instead of 6 weeks, it will take 8 weeks to heal. Nope. Week after week after week, month after month, I'd go to get checked and x-rayed and it was clear to see that the bone just wasn't getting any better. Long story short, it was about 18 months before the bone had finally healed. Even after it was healed, I still wasn't exactly what you would call comfortable being on my feet. I mean, I could walk, but for example, I tried to hit the tennis ball around with my wife and experienced some serious pain in my ankle and foot that had been immobilized for so long. Also at the end of this time, I had gone up to over 250 pounds.
In the past 14 years since then, I've dieted. I've exercised. The lowest I've gotten was 225 when I tried Atkins, but that didn't stick. I was around 280 when I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I had gotten down to around 255 shortly thereafter, but I couldn't sustain it.
Now that all of that is out of the way, I can get to what I'm looking to do to reverse this now. More to come.
Before I get into what this is all about, first I'll share some information that I think is pertinent to my current weight. I want to be clear, however, that I am NOT placing blame on anyone else, but simply stating relative information. It is what it is.
Growing up as a child to a single mother making her own way, we didn't have a lot of money. Mom did the best she could all along. My most clear, early memories begin when we moved out of my grandparents house, into our own place in Alhambra when I was in the first grade.
As mom worked, I had to go to a baby sitter. The first one wasn't far away, but my memories are very unpleasant. I remember getting to her house after school and being made to sit outside on the porch steps all day, alone, every day until I got picked up by my mom.
The second sitter was better in some respects, but not so good in others. Mostly, it wasn't bad, but she had children of her own, one of which was maybe 3 or 4 years older than me. As such, I got picked on quite a lot. I have lots of memories in being in what is described in MMA as being in the full-mount position - on the receiving end, of course.
Subsequently, around 4th or 5th grade, I became a Latch Key Kid. If you're not familiar with the term, I'd go to school, and come strait home afterward. I would let myself in to the empty house, and lock the door behind me. I would immediately call mom at work to let her know I made it home, and from then until she got home, I was to stay inside. Period. By the time I was in the 8th grade, I'd become quite pudgy. I guess I should go on to say that during this elementary time (my elementary school went from Kindergarten to 8th grade - no "middle school"), it's probably worth mentioning that I did one pass at a bowling league and at around age 11 or 12, I did a season and a half of little league. Other than that, I didn't do anything organized.
It's probably worth mentioning here that during this Latch Key period, I'd save my $1.25 per day that mom gave me for lunch, skip lunch at school, and after getting home and calling mom, I'd make a super-quick trip to the neighborhood market that was a block away and buy food I wanted to eat, which was nearly always either Jell-O instant pudding, or Hostess mini doughnuts.
We did go to the beach on weekends. Most weekends, as far as I can recall... probably more than we didn't, anyway.
Before my sophomore year of high school, we moved to Fontana. The house we lived in was in the Rialto school district, which was less desirable than Fontana, so through some hocus pocus, I went to Fontana High School, which was both far away, and none of the other kids in my area went there. I didn't end up knowing anyone in the area I lived in. I made friends at school, but they all lived far away and were only friends at school.
I wasn't involved in activities in high school. No sports, or other clubs. I didn't go to a single dance or football game, even though the team was CIF Champions. I took a bus to school and back, and once I was home, I pretty much stayed inside. No longer because it was required... it was just what I was accustom to by then. Go home. Watch TV. Commercial break? Time for a snack.
Despite riding my bike everywhere in the later high school years, I was still pudgy. After high school, I worked at a major warehouse distribution center, having productivity standards of more than 400 cases per hour loading cases from a conveyor onto several trucks. Still I was pudgy.
At age 27, I got married, and my weight was maybe 200-210 pounds. Still, not quite fat, but still pudgy. Overweight. Four months later I broke a bone in my left foot; the "fifth metatarsal," at work. I remember the Worker's Comp doctor telling me that this particular bone is quite dense and thus would "take a little longer than normal" to heal. I didn't ask for specifics, but in my mind, I thought, okay, instead of 6 weeks, it will take 8 weeks to heal. Nope. Week after week after week, month after month, I'd go to get checked and x-rayed and it was clear to see that the bone just wasn't getting any better. Long story short, it was about 18 months before the bone had finally healed. Even after it was healed, I still wasn't exactly what you would call comfortable being on my feet. I mean, I could walk, but for example, I tried to hit the tennis ball around with my wife and experienced some serious pain in my ankle and foot that had been immobilized for so long. Also at the end of this time, I had gone up to over 250 pounds.
In the past 14 years since then, I've dieted. I've exercised. The lowest I've gotten was 225 when I tried Atkins, but that didn't stick. I was around 280 when I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I had gotten down to around 255 shortly thereafter, but I couldn't sustain it.
Now that all of that is out of the way, I can get to what I'm looking to do to reverse this now. More to come.
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