Going to see Dr Baker (H & P finally)!!

Yeehaw, I am finally going to meet Dr Baker for my H&P.  My appt is at 9:40.  SO what the heck am I doing on here and not in the shower getting all prettied up?  I am just to excited, I just have to come and tell you all before I start getting ready. Hopefully all goes well and I will be coming home with a bunch of pre-op shakes, yum yum. Becky called me Tuesday to ask me a few questions.  And then a little while later I got an email to watch a presentation about surgery on a site called Emmi.  It was a good presentation, about 30-40 minutes long. Talk to you all when I get back home.

How did you get the appointment?  Are you self pay or did you have to wait for your insurance?  How soon after you/they called did you get the appointment?  I am waiting on insurance precerts before I can get my appointment, that's why I'm wondering.

Wendy, I called Dr Bakers office to see if they had gotten all my labs in and they gave me my appt to see him.  The appt for today was made last month, the day I went to the support group at Baptist, so that was the second thursday of last month.  I have Medicare so I had certain criteria I had to done for this (2 years failed diet attempts with my dr).   Have you done all the labwork (bloodwork, psychiatric evaluation, sleep study tests, etc..)  You will have to have all that done, plus the conference diet call, support group meeting and the seminar/class before he will see you.  I started doing this for Dr Baker in February so this is how long it has taken me.  Depends on your Dr's and how fast they can get everything done.  If you have to do a sleep study that may take a bit, I had to wait a month to get scheduled for a sleep study then I had to come back 2 weeks later to do it again with a cpap machine.  And if you get a cpap machine, Dr Baker wants you on it atleast 2 weeks before surgery.  But it is all worth it, so just be patient, and before you know it you will be getting ready for surgery.

I followed your advice and called today.  (I had been emailing all correspondence prior to that.)   I spoke to Vicki and got an appointment for a consultation on July 19th at 9:30.   WOO HOO!!! Thanks!

Congrats!

Hey Ev, So glad to hear you are now at your appointment, please let us know surgery date and everything~!!!!

Rhonda

P.S. Hope to see you next Thursday

Dr Baker postponed my surgery, so instead of Jul 23rd it is now Aug 15th.  He wants me on the shakes for 4 weeks instead of 2 weeks.  I have to go back to see him again on Aug 3rd, and after that I will do my pre-admit at Baptist.  I was upset, I didn't want to wait longer.  He doesn't think I am walking enough, and if I don't lose any weight on the shakes he will not do my surgery.  Those shakes better work.  I told him I am trying, but when your back and legs hurt constantly, where even walking around the house can make me cry, it is hard to get in a lot of walking. So I have to walk like 15 times a day down my hallway, which is really long, because I live in an old hotel so all the doors are on the inside of the building, and I am at the end of the hall.  I will start my shakes on the 13th of this month.  5 a day plus 64 oz of water/juice as well.  And a vitamin that comes with the shakes.

What reason did he give for wanting you on the shakes for 4 weeks instead of 2? 

Wendy, he wants me on them for 4 weeks because of my weight.  I weighed today at 400.12 lbs and since I had gained weight recently he felt I needed to lose more.  He doesn't feel comfortable performing surgery on me at 400 lbs, he says I am too much at risk right now.

Well, that will surely give you a great headstart.  You will already been a "loser" before you even have your surgery!  That will probably help encourage you through the post-op pain in the butt hospital stay, etc.  You go girl!  You can do it.  Keep your eyes on the prize!