First Goal Achieved!

I've been setting a series of short-term, definitely achievable goals to keep me motivated. These are along with the biggies of "Onederland" (getting under 200), "Clothing sizes that start with a 1 or are single-digit", "Be comfortable in a bathing suit... in public"... That sort of thing. The first of my mini-goals was to be in a new decade on the scale by the end of January. Since I hovered around 251 most of the week, I wasn't sure that was going to happen. But it did!!!!

247.6 this morning, gang! That means almost 25 pounds since surgery and almost 54 since my high weight. WOOT! I tried on one of my goal peices, a pair of jeans I've not worn in over 3 years, to check my size progress. While they are entirely too tight for me to think about wearing them out of the house, I was able to get them on, buttoned and zipped! I expect that, by next week, I will be able to wear them out. With this weigh-in, I'm averaging about 4 pounds/week and I'm hoping to push it a little closer to 4.5 or 5 pounds/week as I start upping my exercise this week. That being said, my next mini-goal is to be out of the 230's by the end of February. It's almost 18 pounds in 4 weeks, but I still think it's acheivable. Especially now that I'm getting a better handle on balancing my fluids and protein and now that I can work out a bit harder.

Have a great week, everyone!

Exercise: the Plan (tm)

So, I've been giving a fair amount of thought of how my exercise plan is going to look after next Monday, when I'm cleared to start lifting weights again. Part of my problem is that, with classes two nights/week and one evening shift a week, it's kind of hard to schedule time to exercise. However, I know that exercise will not only facilitate the banishment of my excess weight, it will also help me keep my stress levels under control. Since I'm going to grad school AND working full time AND trying to keep my house from looking like an episode of "Horders", I definitely need some stress managment, STAT. :-) So, the current blueprint is as follows:

Monday: AM walk break; PM walk/swim/other cardio (after work)
Tuesday: AM walk break; weights; maybe some cardio
Wednesday: AM walk break; walk between quitting time & time for the bus
Thursday: AM walk; weights
Friday: AM walk break; walk between quitting time & time for the bus
Saturday: swim/cardio; weights
Sunday: random activity, probably housework for the most part

I know that life gets in the way and that I won't be able to exercise EVERY SINGLE DAY. However, I'm shooting for cardio 4-6X/week and weights at least 2X/week. I think that's realistic. I'm also putting it out to the universe and my readers that I'll start slowly with the weights, even though I used to lift pretty regularly. It's been a while since I lifted regularly, so I need to pretty much start over. So, for the first couple of weeks, I'll do 1 set of 15 reps or so, just to get used to doing it again. THEN I can kick my own a$$. ;-)

Somewhere between exercise, housework and classes, I need to fit in time for projects, reading, et cetera. Gah! Thankfully, after this semester, I have one more year. I can hold out for 3 more semesters, right? Right?

Was it -really- a stall? Hmm...

I'm trying to decide how I'd define a stall. The fact that I didn't lose each day like I had been made me want to call last week a stall. But, between Monday last and yesterday, I'm down 3.4#. If I ended up with a net loss, is it -really- a stall? I don't really think it is, to be honest. So, I think that, the next time I say I'm in a stall, what I'll mean is that I've not seen the scale move in a downward direction for at least two weeks. -Then- it's a stall for reals.

The weigh-in yesterday puts me down 20.2# since surgery (average of 4#/week) and 49.2# since my high. I'm so totally OK with that! If I average about 16#/mo, I'll be at goal in approximately 7 months. That just boggles me! Seriously! I expect as I move forward and get smaller, my banishings will get smaller as well, so it might take me a full year, but that's OK, too.

I'm definitely going to have to go buy some new clothes soon, though. I'll have to go cheap because I'll not be in them long. :-) The real shopping spree will wait until I'm at goal!

The Dreaded Week 3 Stall

I've read over and over on the message boards at ObesityHelp about the dreaded week 3 stall. I was warned about it. I knew to expect it. Then week 3 went by and I was still losing. Now I'm in week 4, and I think it's got me in it's clutches. :-( I've been bouncing around within the same pound all week. I'm sure that part of it is due to the constipation that I've just now gotten past, part of it is the fact that I started solids this week, and part is that, well, after losing almost 30# in a month and a half, my body decided to pause and re-group. I just hope that the stall isn't that long and that I can get back to losing really darn soon now.

So, for anyone who thinks that the Dreaded Week 3 Stall(tm) won't happen to them... be prepared for a rude shock. ;-)

1 Month Visit

At my surgeon's office, for whatever reason, the one-month visits are overseen by the nurse, rather than the doctor. *shrug* Whatever. His scale doesn't love me as much as it usually does in that it only weighed me 0.5# lighter than my scale at home. (It's normally closer to 4#.) Still, the nurse said I was doing about average, so that's good. My labs all looked good, too, which means I'm getting my protein and other nutrients. My blood sugar is only slightly elevated, and that's without the Metformin! My cholesterol is almost normal, too, without meds!!!!!! I can't wait to see what it looks like next time! From my baseline, I've now lost 22% of my excess weight. I'm seriously OK with that. The only "scolding", if you can even call it that, was about the mashed potatoes I've had during the mushies phase. I didn't mind that so much because she gave me the best news evah! I got to start trying solid foods yesterday!!!! I'm going slowly because I know that not everything I try will agree with Sleeva, Warrior Princess. (Okay, I'm trying out names... we'll see if that one sticks ;-).) So far, I've tried string cheese (no problems), tuna steak (didn't really enjoy it, but no problems) and imitation crab meat (no problems). Now that I can have solid food, and because I have to eat protein first, carbs from things like mashed potatoes will become much less of a problem.

Thankfully, the weather has warmed up a smidge, so I'll be able to walk some this afternoon I think... assuming it doesnt' rain. :-) If it does, I'll just go walk on the treadmill. It'll be alright.

A bit of a pity-party

So, I had myself a bit of a pity party. It was really an opportunity for an attitude change, actually. Thankfully, it didn't last as long as some of my PP's have lasted in the past and I thought about not blogging about it. But I figured that maybe someone would get something out of the lesson, so here we are.

As I've mentioned before, I am a member on ObesityHelp. (www.obesityhelp.com) This is a FANTASTIC site and it's where I did a LOT of my research regarding VSG. The thing about it, though, is that you get to compare your progress to those who had their surgery on or around the same day you did. I had my surgery on 12/20, so it'll be 4 weeks on 01/17. I've seen folks who've lost 30# in that amount of time and folks who've lost 10#. I'm comparing apples to apples here and am only looking at folks who've had VSG. RNY or Duodenal Switch folks will definitely lose faster, especially at first. I'm kinda in the middle of the spectrum at 15# but my PP this time made me wonder if I was gonna lose this "slowly" the entire time. Then I started doing the math...

From my high weight (February 2010), I'm down 44 pounds.
From my initial weigh-in at my surgeon's office (April 2010), I'm down 38 pounds.
From the start of my liquid diet (December 2010), I'm down 27 pounds.
Since surgery (12/20/2010), I'm down 15 pounds.

The last time I lost even close to 50 pounds in a year, I was in the middle of a nervous breakdown and was following Weight Watchers like it was my religion. With my sleeve (as yet unnamed), I'm fairly confident that what I take off this time will STAY off.

So, yeah. I had a bit of a pity party. At my next opportunity, I'm going to the supermarket and am grabbing 4 10-pound bags of potatoes and am carrying them around. That's usually a strong wake-up call. ;-)

I have noticed the corelation between days I actually get my protein & fluid and 20-min of exercise and a drop on the scale the next day. A big "duh" perhaps, but I'm a pattern finder. Once I see the pattern, I stick to it as long as it's working. When it stops, I look for a new pattern. So, here's to the pattern working for a while. And here's to short-lived pity parties.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Back to school tonight/SNOW!/Week 3

After about a month off (and a LOT happening), I'm back to school tonight. I'm taking IS 572: Resources and Services for Young Adults and IS 554: Public Library Management. I didn't spend as much time in "study mode" last term as I probably should have, so I'm planning to do a lot more library time and study time this term. I'm excited to get to read a bunch of award-winning YA fiction this term. I'm not sure that "excited" is the word I'd use for how I feel about IS 554 as I've only worked in Academic Libraries, but I'll be learning new information which is never a bad thing, IMHO.

Since Saturday, Knoxville has been under a blanket of snow! I can't believe how much snow we've gotten and the merry hell it's played with trying to get anywhere and do anything. I was -supposed- to go get blood drawn on Monday in preparation for my 1-month appointment next week. Hubby and I gave it the old college try, but after the 9th car in a ditch, we determined that going home and living to try another day was a good idea. We thought about trying yesterday, but saw that the roads weren't much better, so we left it to this morning. Thankfully, it was clear all the way so I was able to get my blood drawn. Since my surgeon's office is in the same building, I went up and told them that I'd -just- had blood drawn and wondered if there would be enough time between today and my appointment Monday or if I needed to reschedule. I was told that the lab was usually really good about getting results to them quickly, so it was all good. :-) Thankfully I don't have to do this again until March (3-month visit), so hopefully the weather will cooperate next time.

As of this morning, I'm down 14.6 pounds since surgery! I'm really hoping for 20 by my appointment on Monday. We'll see, I suppose. I do want to report that I'm so tired of mushies. Thankfully, I'm not on liquids anymore, but soft proteins aren't -that- much better. I have decided that I like pureed pinto beans with cheese pretty good and eggs are OK. Cottage cheese and yogurt seem to be my staples right now, and they are getting kind of old. I'm pondering trying pureed chicken or something, just for a change. I'm hoping that I'll be cleared to try solids soon. I know that the diet progressions are to aid in healing, and that's about the only reason I'm being patient. :-) I'm also hoping that my weigh restriction will be lifted so I can start lifting weights again. I've been walking as I can, but with snow everywhere and it being bitterly cold, I'm relagated to the treadmill or the mall. Bo-ring! Still, you have to exercise, you know? So far, I've escaped the dreaded Week 3 Stall. Of course, I say that now... I just hope that, if a stall is coming, that it waits until after Monday. :-)

2-week Update: Soft Proteins!

After spending what seemed like half my life on liquids, I've graduated to the soft proteins diet stage! In my BVSG days (that's "before vertical sleeve") I liked cottage cheese pretty well. Enough, in fact, that I would frequently have it and some canned fruit (in juice, not syrup) for supper during the summer. Let me tell you, though, after a month on liquids, that first bite of cottage cheese was HEAVEN!! I'm still having to do some protein drinks to make sure I hit my magic protein gram count, but it's nice being able to eat something a bit more recognizable as "food".

According to my scale, I'm down 11 pounds since surgery, which is 5.5 pounds/week. I'm trying to just keep doing what I'm supposed to be doing and not worry that I'm not losing "fast enough". I'm sure it will start to come off more quickly as I build up to walking 30-45 minutes/day and am cleared to start lifting weights again. In the spirit of walking a bit further every day, I'm planning a trip to the library after work. I may also try a 10-minute walk this afternoon if it ever gets above 40 degrees. :-)

I was a little worried about the whole restrictive part of this procedure while I was on liquids. I wasn't really ever that hungry, but I didn't ever really feel "full", either. Last night, I had what is probably the weirdest supper ever: garlic mashed potatoes, a poached egg and a slice of cheese. I handled it all really well, but I definitely felt the restriction. I thought that was pretty kewl, even if I did eat about a bite and a half past satisfied. I'm glad I'm getting a picture of what my meal size needs to be. I'm on soft proteins for 4 weeks and then I get to tip-toe into the world of "real" food. I'm collecting sleeve-friendly recipes, so feel free to shoot me links to either recipes or cookbooks. :-)

The two best things about the surgery (aside from the weight loss, obviously) is that it has almost completely cured me of my caffiene addiction and I'm only on four prescriptions! I still have a bit of tea now and again, but too much caffiene gives me a headache now (probably due to dehydration), so I don't over-do it, and I don't even have some daily now! My New Year's resolution is to do everything within my power to be off of everything other than vitamins by my 1 year surgiversary. I understand that it may not be possible to get off of -everything- because I don't know if an underactive thyroid will spontaneously fix itself, but I'm gonna do what I can.

Surgery Update

My surgery was on 12/20 and I'm sorry it's taken so long to post an update.

Hubby & I arrived at the hospital bright and early on 12/20, where I registered with them, got my sexy armband and then headed up to the same-day surgery waiting room to check in with them. I didn't even get a chance to sit down before they said that the nurses were ready for me. Thankfully, a couple of friends were there to sit with hubby so he'd not be waiting alone. I was taken to the holding area, where I changed into a gown, put a net over my hair and put on non-skid socks. The nurses then asked me 8 million questions, several times. I'm glad I'd be pre-warned about that because it would have gotten annoying, quickly, otherwise. The nurses also put the things on my legs that inflate and deflate to prevent blood clots. Then the real fun began because it took three tries to get my IV started. *sigh* They finally got it started and started some fluids and then the anesthesiologist came and talked to me. I was still concerened about the cold I'd had all the week before, but I had no fever and she listened to my lungs and said they sounded clear to her so we were good to go. My surgeon came in a little while later to see if I had any last-minute questions or concerns. Then they came and put the sedative into my IV. I have vague recollections of the OR, but only vague ones. When I came to in recovery, I was told that I'd done great and the surgery went really well! Unfortunately, I was stuck in recovery for three hours longer than usual because they were having trouble getting me a room. I felt terrible for my friends and hubby because I was sure they were worried something was wrong. I was a bit nauseated so they gave me something for that, but no real pain to speak of. Granted, there was so much pain meds in my system, that I didn't figure I'd really feel anything until it was time to go home.

I finally got to my room, and got to see my hubby and my friends who told me that the nurses had been really good about letting them know what was going on, so I felt better. I got changed into an actual gown instead of the paper one I'd worn in surgery, and got to see my incisions for the first time. My thought was that I'd gotten worse from my cat! They are so teensy! The Durmabond is off all of them except the one in my bellybutton. Since that was the largest, I'm just letting the Durmabond peel off as it will rather than trying to force it. Of course, I see my surgeon tomorrow for my first follow-up, so he may just yank it. But that's his perogotive. In my room, I was given a pain pump that I could press every 5 minutes, but that also gave me a gentle, steady stream of the pain meds. I didn't have to hit that pump at all. I did need some nausea meds, even when I was just doing ice chips, but not much. I got up and walked everytime they came and told me I needed to, and they were impressed that I went as far as I did each time.

The morning after surgery, I had my swallow test. That stuff is the nastiest stuff on the planet!!!! I'd rather drink a gallon of barium. Seriously. That's when I really needed the nausea meds. But they said it all looked good, and I got to see my new tiny stomach, which was really kind of kewl! My surgeon came in around mid-day, and told me that the test looked great and that, if I could keep down some water, broth and jello, I could go home! So they brought me a tray and I was able to keep a few sips of water, a spoonful of jello and two spoonfuls of the nastiest broth in the world down. So I got to go home! I slept off and on the rest of the afternoon, and did have a bout of nausea and vomiting later that night. I used some phenergren and sipped some water and that was the end of the nausea and vomiting.

I've not needed ANY of the pain meds my doc prescribed prior to surgery, and only one dose of the phenergren. I'm sipping, sipping, sipping and have progressed to full liquids. Assuming all is on target, I should be progressing to mushies on Monday. I'm so tired of liquids!

I attribute my success so far to being faithful to my liquid diet pre-op and to following my doctor's orders 100% post-op. I'm optimistic that he'll let me go back to work on Monday, on light duty. I feel up to it, though I've warned hubby that I may have to come home and nap for a couple of weeks.

All in all, I'm doing REALLY well!

On the Downhill Side

First, a school update: my semester is over, finally and grades are in. For IS 520: Organization of Information, I earned a B+. For IS 585: Information Technologies, I earned an A. I'm really happy with both grades and am even happier that I've got almost a month before the spring semester begins.

Now, a surgery update. My cold definitely seems to be getting better. I'm continuing with treatment and was successful in getting nasal rinse through both sides. This morning's rinse had some really gross results, but, as Hagrid says in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, "Better out than in!" Assuming I can actually get some sleep over the next couple of days, I believe it will be gone by Monday.

*gulp* Surgery is Monday. When I started this process back in April, it seemed like December (when I'd hoped to have it all along) was a LONG time away. Even when I finished my requirements and got my approval it seemed like December was far off. Now surgery is in three days. o.O I'm so excited to start my new life and actually LIVE my new life and get off some of my meds and have the energy to do all the things I want to do. Am I nervous? Yes, a bit. I mean it -is- major surgery with life-altering consequences. But any one of my co-morbidities could kill me and they are certainly not improving my quality of life. I've researched and read and talked with people who've had the surgery and read the forums at ObesityHelp.com (go there if you are considering surgery, there's lots of good stuff!). I feel comfortable with my surgeon and his entire practice. I'm at peace with my decision. I've done REALLY well with the liquid diet. The only two "cheats" in the whole two weeks have been a splash of vanilla caramel coffee creamer and an orange. Considering all the desserts I was around last weekend, I'm considering those passes. :-) In fact, I went into the kitchen to heat up water for my chicken broth protein powder and looked at the desserts. None of them even looked good to me. Later, I had my sugar free pudding, and I was perfectly content. I've actually been surprised at how well I've done. Of course, it may be because I'm a chicken and don't want anything to make my surgery any more difficult than it has to be. :-)

Right now, I have a pretty proscribed set of foods to "eat". I admit some nervousness when it comes to making my decisions once I'm cleared for "real" food. Of course, that's almost a month away, so I'll have had a bit of time to make friends with my Sleeve. I am hoping that after a month (2 weeks pre- and 2 weeks post-op) of liquids, then 3-4 weeks of mushies, that food will become the non-issue that I need it to be. Once I get used to what my portion size is and can get into a routine, I'll be good. One of the plus sides to OCD, I guess. ;-)

I don't know how much I'll update between now and getting out of the hospital. It'll depend on whether I'm allowed my laptop. :-) The hospital has WiFi, so maybe... Still, in an ideal world, I have my surgery Monday AM early (have to be there by 6AM). I'll be there at least Monday night. I am hoping to come home Tuesday, but it might be Wednesday. I'm not sure what the magic combo is for me to be releasable. So, I hope to be posting by Wednesday, at least, that I'm on the loser's bench. So, scooch over everyone and make room!

Why now?

I've been diligently trying to prevent getting sick. I'd done a good job of it, too, until Monday. My hubby and I braved the snow and cold and went to the hospital early Monday morning for my pre-admission testing, which went well. The college was closed so we went home and took a nap. When I woke up, I knew I was getting a cold. :-( I've been pushing fluids and I even cheated on my liquid diet and had an orange. The cataloging librarian at work gave me some Airborne, so I'm doing that. I've emailed my surgeon's office to see what they recommend and to see if it will cause my surgery to be postponed. I'm already feeling better, but I'm worried that I won't be all the way better by Monday. Gah!!!!!!

I have faith that everything will work out the way it's supposed to but it's frustrating to have come this far without getting sick only to get sick the week before surgery.

ETA: Received email from my surgeon's office. He said to treat the cold like I normally would and that it shouldn't cause any reason to postpone or cancel. Yay!

Pre-op Consult with Surgeon

It's kind of amazing that the surgeon I met at my initial consult and the surgeon I met today at my pre-op consult did not seem like the same man. Initially, Dr. C was quiet, reserved and almost stand-offish. Today, he was gregarious, calm, and assured. Friendly, even. Weird.

Anyway, I weighed in, of course, to see how much more weight I had to lose before surgery. His scale loves me more than mine does because it weighed me almost 4# lighter, putting me at a total of 16.5# down from my initial weigh-in. I still have 10 days left on my liquid diet, so I feel pretty comfortable about how I'm doing. During the consult, he went over the test I had to take to make me understand why I missed the ones I did. I only missed two and one was due to a decimal point. I never said that math was my strong suit. ;-) The other one had to do with nausea & vomiting. I said that it was true that VSG patients suffer from nausea and vomiting. Dr. C said that it was false because most of his patients don't even need the phenigren he prescribes them. Otherwise, thanks to my paying attention to him, to the book we had to read and to other books I've read and other web research I've done, I knew what I needed to. Yay!

He told me that my endoscopy showed a small hiatal hernia that he'll repair while he's in there so I don't develop reflux. All of my other tests show that he shouldn't have to take my gallbladder. He showed me where my incisions would be, the largest of which will be through my bellybutton. The other four will be about 5mm long. That's TEENSY! I know they'll sting like papercuts and I'll be sore, but at least they should heal quickly. The news that made my day is that I shouldn't leave the hospital with a drain and that he tests for leaks before he closes, so I may or may not have a leak test post-op.

So, now, I just keep on with the liquid diet and go for my pre-admission tests on Monday.

Counting down & various frustrations

I started my liquid diet on Sunday. It's not been as difficult as I thought it would be, but I do miss sugar. Hell, I miss fruit. But I want to make the surgery as safe and free of complications as possible and I know this will shrink my liver to do just that. The first couple of days, I lost almost 4 pounds, but then yesterday my energy level dropped to near non-existent levels and this morning, my weight is back up again. I did use some salt on my cucumber (I'm allowed raw veggies) and I am guessing that it may be due to too much sodium or not enough water. It may even be PMS for all I know because I've stopped my BCP at least until after surgery. We were hoping that DH could have his vasectomy tomorrow, but funding and timing conspired against us so that he'll have to wait until after Jan. 1. I'm not excited about that because our insurance changes Jan. 1 and I've no idea if it's even covered on the new plan. I'll have to look into it. Still, I'm hoping to not have to go back on the Pill post-op if I can at all avoid it. Even if it means three different forms of non-hormonal birth control until we can get his vasectomy, I'd rather not go back to taking the Pill. I'm grumpy today, and really tired, but I know that if I perservere, my energy will come back. I've got to walk some, regardless of how tired I am, so that will help.

Monday, DH & I went to the Post-Op Survival Skills class. It was basically a class of 6 or so pre-op patients meeting with the nutritionist but started with the RN who is the Bariatric coordinator for the hospital talking to us about the day of surgery and how things would be after surgery while we are in the room. DH seemed to be reassured with how organized the process is and that he'd be kept in the loop the whole day. Then, the plastic representations of food that the nutritionist had helped us visualize what I'll be eating once I transition to real food. I'd been trying to describe to DH what my portions will be, but it wasn't until he saw what 1/4 cup of "cottage cheese" looked like or what 6oz of "fish", "green beans" and "rice" (all together 6oz, not 6oz each) looked like did he really get it.

Thankfully, I met someone at my class who'd already had the pre-op consult and pre-op testing so I could ask what to expect. I always like to know what to expect. :-) Tomorrow is my pre-op consult with the surgeon. I'll weigh in and he'll tell me how much more I need to lose prior to surgery. He'll also answer any other questions we have and will show me where my incisions will be. I have to take a test showing that I understand everything I need to understand.

Monday, 12/13, I go for pre-op testing which consists of meeting with the anesthesiologist, having a chest X-ray, and EKG and bloodwork. I expect, given my pulmonary issues this time of year, I'll go home with an incentive spirometer. I'm doing my darndest to not get sick, too. I should also get the time I'm to arrive at the hospital on 12/20. 12/19 at 1PM I have to drink magnesium citrate (yum, yum) to clear out my bowel. Considering last year I had a colonoscopy and had all the prep for that, 10-12 oz of magnesium citrate should be a piece of cake. :-) I go NPO at midnight the morning of surgery. I wonder how much sleep I'll get...

This weekend is the first of the holiday parties I'll attend prior to surgery. I'm still on liquids and hope I can get people to understand that "one bite won't hurt you" is the biggest lie since "We're from the Government, we're here to help you." I don't mind other people eating in front of me. What I mind is them feeling like they have to keep offering it to me. I'll be on liquids two weeks post-op, as well, meaning I'll be on liquids a total of a month when all is said and done. That first bite of mushies will taste like HEAVEN.

Prayers towards a text-book, complication-free surgery and recovery are gratefully accpeted. I may be babbling incoherently before it's all said and done, so bear with me. :-)

I have a date!

Apparently the Divine Hands that have been helping my process this whole time have continued! I knew They would, but I'm human enough to have been nervous. :-) After a whirlwind of appointments for Post-Op education, pre-op consult with the surgeon and pre-op testing, my surgery is on 12/20!!!! I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it! (Apologies to The Pointer Sisters.) I start my "liquid" diet on 12/05, which means I need to get out to the office and get the shakes & instructions. 12/06 is my Post-op education class, 12/09 is my consult with the surgeon and sometime the week of 12/13, I have my pre-op testing. I'm not sure what all testing I'll need to have done. I had an Upper GI in May, along with bloodwork and an EKG. I had an abdominal ultrasound done last October. I know I have to meet with the anesthesiologist and I expect more bloodwork. Beyond that? Dunno.

Now I need to figure out what to tell my Mom. She's a worrier, so I've kept her kind of out of the loop until I was approved and had a date. I guess I need to call her now, huh? :-)

I'm Approved!

Well, I was one of the people who gets quick approval! After submission late on Tuesday, which meant Wednesday, maybe Friday and today, I got a call from my surgeon's office telling me that my insurance had approved my surgery! Now we are playing phone tag to try to schedule my post-op education class (which I have to take prior to surgery) and the surgery itself. Woot!!!! While I may be able to get the rest of the 15 pounds off, "may" is the operative word so I told her I'd go ahead and do the liquid diet so we can go ahead and schedule my surgery. She's trying very hard to get me a surgery date before the end of the year, so keep your fingers crossed for me. :-)

In the meantime, I'm keeping on keeping on and am following my pre-op behavioral plan. I'm so excited!!!! (as should be obvious by my mis-use of the exclamation points)

*tick tock*

Had a voicemail from the insurance specialist at Dr. C's office yesterday evening telling me that she'd gotten my file off to the insurance company yesterday. She followed up by answering the email I'd sent on Monday. (Have I mentioned how much I ♥ this practice???) In the email, she gave me more details in that she said she'd gotten my psych eval from the psychologist, which I'd assumed otherwise she would not've been able to send my file to insurance. :-) Unfortunately, this email left out the number of days the insurance company says they have to give her a decision but based on a previous phone call, it's 30 business days. *gulp* Thankfully, she said she follows up every two weeks until she gets an answer. I'm wearing out my knees praying that I'm one of the people who gets a quick approval because we are rapidly running out of year and 30 business days pushes us into January, when I won't be with that company anymore.

So, please join me in prayers that I receive quick approval so that I can get scheduled and start my liquid diet so that 2011 will be my losing year!

In regards to school... almost done. I've got some playbacks to listen to this weekend and a paper to write and a final to write and that's all she wrote... as it were. ;-)

Updates 'r' Us

School Update: This morning I had the presentation for my individual project in my Information Technologies class. I think it went well. It is more difficult than you'd think to give a presentation over VoIP where you can't see your audience. :-) Now, I just need to write the paper (due December 3), which I'm going to work on over the Thanksgiving holiday. Hey, if I'm working on a paper, I won't be as likely to eat leftovers, right? ;-) Our group turned in our last assignment for Organization of Information on Saturday, so all that's left for that class is our take-home final (due December 9). I still need to make a couple of discussion board posts. I hate it when discussion board posts are required and have a required number of words. I'm usually good at posting things, but when I have to? Not so much.

Surgery Update: I received an email this morning from the insurance specialist at my surgeon's office. She told me that she'd received the documentation from my Internist's office so now all she was waiting on was the report from the psychologist. She also told me that it sometimes happens that he forgets to copy them on the report. While I'm a little grumpy that he forgot, I'm glad I'm not the only person it's happened to so that she was able to re-assure me. :-) She's put a note on his desk for him to get it to her tomorrow. Once that's done, she can submit to the insurance company. Hopefully I'll know by Thanksgiving that I've been approved and what my date is! That would truly be something to be thankful for. :-)

Have a good one, y'all!

I'm comin' to join you, Elizabeth!

Seriously, it's the big one! My Internist's nurse actually responded to one of my phone calls, on the same day I left the voicemail! She told me she'd actually already sent off the 6-month diet paperwork to my surgeon's but to let her know if they didn't get it, and she'd send it again. So I emailed the insurance specialist again and told her to be on the lookout for it, and if she hadn't received it, to let me know and to give me the appropriate fax number. So NOW all we're waiting on is for the psychologist to be in the office to sign off on my psych evaluation and she can send it off to my insurance company. I did ask her if it were unusual for him to not have signed off when our visits were in July. I'll keep you posted.

Now, to learn Access... Okay, scratch the surface of Access. :-)

A Real Update This Time

Finally! After playing phone tag for a while, I decided to take one more stab at calling the insurance specialist back. She happened to be the one who answered the phone this time! What she was calling about was a follow-up to an email that I'd sent after my last 6-month visit. Apparently, she'd sent me an email that is now floating in cyberspace somewhere because I've not received it. She wanted to let me know that she'd not yet received the documentation from my Internist regarding my diet, so I have left a message with his nurse to get that sent ASAP. She also gave me my options regarding pre-op requirements for weightloss. She said that, based on my BMI, I can keep trying to get the weight off on my own or I can do the liquid diet. I'm planning on trying to lose the weight on my own until we have insurance approval, and if I've not got it off then, then I'll do the liquid diet. She said that, if I decide to do the liquid diet, then I purchase the stuff from them upon approval from insurance and she schedules my surgery, and I start the diet 2 weeks before the date. My only concern now is that the psychologist hasn't yet signed off on my evaluation. I saw him back in July and he -still- hasn't signed off? Is that weird? He's out of the office this week, so it'll be next week at the soonest before she can get the paperwork sent off to my insurance company.

So, I'll really stay buckled down for the next two weeks (hopefully we'll hear something by then) and see if I can get the rest of the 15# off (I have about 5# left). I'd like to have a good cushion, so I'd like to do 20+# if I can in case my body decides to hold on to some fluid when I get weighed. :-) My body? Surely not. ;-)

Keep your fingers crossed for me, everyone!

Phone Call Update (or Lack Thereof)

Still no word from my surgeon's office. I don't know if she called me by accident or what. :-/ I left her a voicemail on Tuesday morning. Her greeting says that all calls are returned within 24-48 hours, which means I -should- hear something back today. As an added precaution, I emailed her to let her know I left her a voicemail. :-) Paranoid, who me? As soon as I hear back from her in any regard, you all will be the first to know.

In the meantime, I'm just keeping on, keeping on. The semester is rapidly winding down and I have an exercise due on Saturday in one class, my final individual project presentation next week (paper due 12/03) in the other class, and the final for the 1st class is due the week after Thanksgiving. Then classes are done for a few weeks. I'm ready for a break, though I'm still loving the heck out of being in Grad School. :-)

Next semester, I'm taking Resources and Services for Young Adults and Public Library Management. That should be fun, especially the YA class since we get to read a lot of YA fiction. I don't know how fun I'll find PL Management especially since I work in an Academic Library, but I know that some skills will translate. Enough about -next- semester. We'll discuss that more in another month or so. :-)