Gastric Bypass Update

Yeah- after doing all the pre-surgery stuff,and running all over the medical world, I have decided this whole bypass thing is not for me. I was all set to cancel my appointment tomorrow, and low and behold, I just got a call from the office saying the doctor will be out of town and unable to see me...

A sign?

I won't be rescheduling the appointment.

Now I need to start doing some lifestyle change...

Sleep Study

I did my sleep study- an ordeal let me tell you- and the worst night of sleep I have had in a very long time. Aside from having jumping bugs in the bathroom (can you say fleas) which the tech denied, and being told there were no other rooms available (the one next to me was empty) I was just so uncomfortable that sleep was hard to come by.

And I just received a bill for over $300- apparently my portion of the testing costs after Humana opted to pay their rate for the testing. But they are in-network and obligated to accept the amount agreed to.

Health Care reform, where are you?

Weight Loss Surgery

I went to a seminar last night to discuss weight loss surgery. As the mother of two relatively young children, I need to consider drastic action now. I have a BMI of 51 and soaring high blood pressure. Sleep apnea is causing me to wake up at night. Now is the time.

Is it the easy way out? Some people say so. I need to get my body moving, yet I can’t exercise for a long enough period of time because of my weight. How is that for a catch-22? I can’t walk fifty yards without feeling like my heart is going to give out, and walking up and down stairs is difficult. My breathing is heavy after minimal exertion and I was sicker last winter with asthma than I want to remember. I feel like I am running out of time.

Of course, I spent a long time eating carelessly. I need to change that as well. Dieting does work to a point. Doing Nutrisystem, while successful, is too costly. Portion sizes and better nutritional choices need to be my priority.

So I took the first tentative step. I went to a Healthy Weight Solutions seminar hosted by Dr. Northup, a congenial man who did a fellowship in bariatric surgery. He talked about the band, the sleeve, and the bypass, and the differences between the three.

I love the idea of the sleeve, a restrictive procedure, because there is no foreign body, and it does not change the digestive process. However, it is not FDA approved and so is not covered by my insurance policy… so that one is out.

The band is also a restrictive procedure, but it requires the band and port to be internal, and that worries the nurse in me- what if I react to it? It can also be dislodged and there are other issues that I need to content with, like more frequent hospital visits. Not crazy about that since I work for a living. It is completely reversible.

The bypass is restrictive and malabsorptive, and changes the way the body digests food. Life-long supplements and risks, but the response is tremendous- 95% of hypertension eliminated, compared to 40% with the band.

Decisions, decisions….

I will sit down with the doctor in about two weeks, and we will go from there. I am leaning toward the band, with a more gradual weight loss, but have not ruled out bypass and the huge impact it could have on my medical issues.

I hope I am divinely inspired, cause I am not sure what to do…