Approvals, Dates and Negative what???

I was finally approved for the Duodenal Switch by my insurance company and my surgery date has been set.  Surgery will be on June 17th at 7:30am at Spectrum Healths Blodgett Campus and the surgery will be performed by Paul Kemmeter.  I am not happy at all that the surgery cannot take place at Saint Marys as that is the hospital that has handled all of my previous medical issues and it is the staff I am most comfortable with.  I guess new adventures should start at new places??  Knowing that Dr. Kemmeter is coming over to do the surgery is definitely a blessing to me.  He is an amazing surgeon and he is someone that I feel good about putting my trust into.

If I was to say that I am not completely terrified would be a complete lie.  I know the risks that are involved and I have never been much of a risk taker in my life so the fact that I am even doing this surprises even me.  I guess when so many aspects of your health and well being are being affected by something that can be fixed, you have some decisions to make and I am confident that I am making the right one.  There are a couple of people that I would really like to have at my surgery that likely will not be able to attend and although their absence saddens me, I know they will be with me in spirit.  One of them I have designated as a patient advocate that would be part of the decision making process to carry out my wishes if something should go wrong during surgery.  I have made the decision to leave her as an advocate in hopes that in the event that her presence is needed that she will be able to carry out my wishes.  If I was a betting woman, I would say that I wont be needing an advocate....positive thinking is suppose to help :)   So that is where we are at for right now.  I have an all day appointment on Wednesday June 1st that is considered my Pre-Op   appointment and that is also when I will be starting my 800 calorie a day food regimen to prepare myself and my body for surgery.  I have a feeling that these next couple weeks are going to fly by.  I have alot going on with birthdays, celebrations and appointments that hopefully time will not linger slowly.  I have not told my brother Donny about the surgery and I am not sure that I will until after the surgery.  I cannot justify having him worry about me when all he should be thinking about is Nascar and baseball.  I will likely still be in the hospital the day of the race which means I will hopefully have someone with me to keep me company either at the hospital or at home as all the "boys" will be at Nascar.   The closer I get to the surgery the more and more I realize how much I hate how my current weight makes me feel physically and how that affects me emotionally.  Reality is an amazing beast when she slaps you across the face.  This is all that I have for now as the sunshine is calling my name outside.  I will be posting more frequently as I am getting closer to the surgery.  This blog is now public as I was asked to share my journey with others that are currently going thru the process or considering the process.  If you are reading this and you fit into this category or you know someone that does, feel free to share this link with them.

"If you always do what you have always done.....you will always be what you always were"

My Body is Super Pissed Off

This machine of a body that I was blessed with has been fueled by Nicotine, Caffiene and Narcotics for the last several months.  Now it is being fueled with lime water, Decaffinated Tea, Injections that are NOT working and no Narcotics (until tonight).  Last night my body went into a state of withdrawal that was incredibly intense and uncomfortable.  I could not get my legs to stop jumping and my body was shaking and I was sweating....I was filled with frustration not knowing what was causing it until Neil came in to check on me and mentioned it was probably symptoms of drug withdrawal.  I have litterally taken away every chemical that my body has been dependant on and it is super pissed off.  At any rate it was a very uncomfortable night but I got thru it and I am hoping that tonight will be better.  I am physically and emotionally exhausted from all that surrounds me as of late.  The energy that I am putting into making myself better seems to just keep back firing on me.  I am still awaiting authorization for the surgery, the pain injections are not working.  The Doctor said that it takes 7 days to see the full affects but it seems that the pain is getting worse and worse instead of better and better.  I had to take my vicodin and my Neurontin today and I hope that tonight I will sleep.  I dont remember the last time Ive actually had a great night of sleep.  The dreams are keeping my mind to busy and anyone that knows me knows that I hate remembering my dreams. 

On a positive note, I have been smoke free for 4 weeks and I will have my Nicotine screening on Monday :)  I am very excited that I have made this accomplishment.  Once again I will be starting the week anxiously awaiting my surgery approval so that I can aquire a definite date.  I have had so many people voice their concern about me having such an extensive procedure done considering my history with anesthesia and a prior surgery.  My response is that I CANNOT live in this pain.  With that being said, its worth the risk of the procedure.

If it brings you to tears...its a "10"

So it goes....I met with the back surgeon today and I was totally expecting to get some type of releif and when I was told that they had to refer me to a pain clinic for the injections I about lost it.  Well I did lose it actually but I waited until it was just Neil and I in the room.  The Doctor obviously recognized my frustration as he returned shortly after and said they could get me into the pain clinic at the hospital today at 1:30.  I had never been so excited about anything as I was about getting those injections.  My pain in my back and my hip and leg area have been a consistent "10".  The reality is, nobody can live in this kind of pain and one can only pop so many vicodins before that just isnt fun anymore either.  So they took me into this little room at the pain clinic, laid me on my belly and injected a sedative in my hand and my arm.  I wasnt totally out of it but the experience wasnt terrible by any means.  The pain I felt when I started walking is a different story.  I am now resting at home and Neil is not allowing me to do ANYTHING but sit here and I am sure you guys all know how much I love just sitting around.  Dont tell Neil I said this but hes doing what is best for me.  I am super craving a lettuce and tomato burger so he is going to get me some hamburger and tomatos.  Hes such a trooper and I still have no idea what I did to deserve such an amazing man but I am sure glad I did it.  I also heard from Nettie who is working on getting authorization for my surgery with my insurance company and she called me today and told me that she has them putting a "rush" on it.  If all goes well, my surgery will be scheduled on June 13th.  that is NOT a definite date but its promising.  I started my protien diet yesterday to try to get use to eating those things regularly and that is going well so far.  I would like to drop at least 30 pounds prior to surgery so that I can be as healthy as possible for the surgery.  Some people wonder, well Spring if you can drop 30 pounds in a month than why in the world do you need the surgery.  The answer is simple, I can lose weight like an expert but I can also gain it back like a champion.  The surgery for me is a tool to keep me on track to healthy living.  As soon as I get a surgery date I will be launching this blog publicly so that people that are considering the surgery can follow along and hopefully I can help them by sharing my journey.  So many of you have been supportive and understanding of this process and I am grateful to have you all by my side whether it be physically or spiritually.  I have also decided to start ending each blog with a quote of the day and I hope you enjoy that as well.

"If a person does not bring something into your life that makes it better, then they should not be there"

Are You At Peace With Your Decision?





Me with the Behaviourlist Dr. Scott at Grand Health Partners





Has it really been 11 days since my last posting???  Wow my entire life has changed since then...lol  Not really but it sounded interesting and might have caught your attention.  Although my entire life has not yet changed, I am certainly feeling like I am on a journey heading in that direction and I am ready for this.  First of all let me tell you that it has been officially 3 weeks since I smoked my last cigarette and I am very proud of this accomplishment.  If nothing else, I have discovered what I am truly capable of if I want something bad enough.  I have done alot of soul searching and have made some pretty serious decisions and changes in my life over the last month.  One of the very first questions i was asked by the behaviourlist was "Are you at peace with this surgery and yourself, knowing the risks that are involved in this decision?"  Let me just say this, I love living and I am not ready to die but I am willing to take this risk so that I can live a longer and healthier life.  I am having the Duodenal Switch which is the most dangerous of all bariatric surgeries.  It has a death rate of 1 out of every 300 patients.  I have my ducks in a row and anyone that knows me, knows that as long as everything is planned out and organized "just in case" then I am at peace.  My will has been written and my wishes have been given in regards to the important people and things in my life.  Those that have walked beside me during much of my lifes journey will feel my love long after I have passed.   Quack Quack, lets move on to something not quite so sad.  I am going to do this and I am doing it while being surrounded by love.  There is alot of power in that statement.  At any rate, I passed the psychiatric evaluation with flying colors and those were the actual words out of the doctors mouth.  I am a very fortunate person because I have an incredibly strong support system of friends and family that will be my strength along the way, I am financially comfortable and fortunate enough to have some great insurance, I rated my overall happiness as an 8 out of 10 and I only lied once and that was when he asked me if I had ever been married.  I simply said "No", not because I dont recognize my previous marriage but because I didnt want to get into the psychological twist my previous marriage would have put on the interview.  Its as if they search for a reason during the interview process to determine a root cause for my morbid obesity.  I assure the world it wasnt because I was treated pourly as a child or did not feel loved, it isnt because I was picked on as a child or rediculed by my parents, and it isnt because I was in love with a woman.  I eat to much of the wrong stuff and I dont get enough exercise....its that simple.  Dont get me wrong, I am sure there are some genetic factors and family history that plays a roll in my obesity but the bottom line is that I was never taught to eat right as a child and I never learned as an adult.  I think the Doctor was shocked that I implied that the blame was all mine, no excuses from this fat girl....now lets get on with the solutions!!!  So at any rate, that went very well and Neil was with me the entire time.  I greatly appreciate the support, the love and the unconditional friendship that he is giving me during this process.  When I made the decision to have this done, the Doctor told me that I would need to have someone with me from beginning to end and I am so fortunate to have Neil as that person.  After meeting with the behaviourlist we then met with Dr. Kemmeter who is the surgeon as well as the Medical Director of Saint Mary's Health Care weight management program that will be doing the Duodenal Switch procedure.  Dr Kemmeter is by far the finest of all doctors to do this surgery.  I have done my research and I assure you, my life is in very capable hands.  He asked alot of questions and we discussed the differences between all of the procedures that are available and he agreed that the Duodonel Switch is the best option for my situation.  I was really worried that he was going to try to talk me out of it and into something less evasive but I was greatful that he did not do that.  The next morning we were on the 6th floor of Saint Marys Hospital getting an EGD done.  That procedure is when they put a camera down your throat into your stomach and your bowels to determine that everything is healthy.  They took a couple biopsies while they were in there to test for bacteria but I wont have those results until this week.  Other than waiting on those results, everything else looked great, there are no ulcers or any other concerns with my insides.  I also received the results of my lab work and the only thing that needs work is my Vitamin D.  I started taking 5,000IU of D3 today and hopefully that will be enough to get my levels to where they need to be.  I am excited that tomorrow is Monday because I am hoping to hear from my insurance company as well as the scheduler to get the surgery scheduled.  Tomorrow I will be starting my new eating regimen to get my body use to a high protien, low carb, no pop, no candy, no junk food, no fast food diet.  I ate my last piece of pizza and licorice today!!!  It isnt going to be easy but it is going to be worth it.  Yes, I am at peace with my decision. 

Drug induced sleep....

Its been a few days since my last blog.  Alot going on in my little world right now so I may not be blogging daily like I had planned but I will definitely try to stick to a daily blog after the surgery so that I can look back on how things change for me from day to day.  I have not had a cigarette or any type of nicotine replacement for 5 days!!!  This is the longest stretch I have ever been on and I have no plans on going back to smoking.  It isnt easy by any means but it is absolutely the right thing for me to do.  It is very helpful that no one in the house smokes and Donny and Neil have been so patient with me.  I havent lost my temper or anything like that but there was a day when I was getting irritated super easily and then I had another day that I was an emotional nightmare.  Neil got me thru that night with alot of patience and understanding on his part.  I have to admit that sometimes I worry that this amazing guy is going to run out of patience and understanding with me.  Beleive it or not, I can be very difficult to deal with sometimes....lol  I hope the good outweighs the bad.  I keep saying once we get thru this surgery it will all be good and well worth the struggles of getting there.

I have an appointment on Wednesday the 11th with the behaviourlist and the surgeon Dr. Kemmetter.   The behaviourlist will determine if I have the right mindset to go forward with the surgery and determine that I am of sound mind to make the decision as well as the dedication needed to be successful with this surgery.  I beleive that I am very ready for this committment.  I feel like it will be the beginning of new and wonderful journey for me.  Dr. Kemmetter and Neil and I will then discuss which procedure is best for me by determining which risks and benefits fit into the needs of my body.  On Thursday the 12th I am having the scope procedure done at Saint Marys Hospital.  The surgeon will be putting me under during this procedure which is scarier then the procedure itself to me...I have my reasons for not enjoying drug enduced sleep.  I dont imagine it will be anything like the sleep they put you in during the actual bariatric surgery so that is a good thing.  I am having blood work completed this week to determine if anything needs to be addressed prior to surgery.  I cant have the Nicotine test done until the 21st but we are hoping they will split the tests for me so I dont have to wait until the 21st to do all of it.  I am on the fast track and I am being told by everyone invloved that I am moving thru the process very quickly....keep your fingers crossed that I keep moving at that pace.  The only bump we are dealing with right now is that I bought Nascar tickets for me and the boys for the Fathers day race at MIS and there is a really good chance that I wont be attending that race.  I will either be at home recovering or I will still be in the hospital.  There is a good chance I am going to need to have someone spend the day with me that day, any volunteers??  I'll let everyone know when we get closer to that date what the plan is.  I wonder who Neil will take in my place?  big sigh...  That is all for now, I have a beautiful yard full of sunshine awaiting me!!  Thanks everyone for your continued support and involvement in this journey.