A little update and a question

Two more appointments finished! Last week I had my lung function test; no problems there. This week I saw the nutritionist - very nice person. We had a great chat, she said I don't need to make any changes in my diet, all I have to do is maintain my weight until the next appointment in mid May. She also said she would approve me for surgery, I thought it would be more complicated than that, so nice surprise. The next steps, as far as I know, will be some blood tests, an upper GI series and a consultation with the surgeon. Am I missing something here? Arline

Hey Arline, Welcome to the OH family. Looks like your on your way like the rest of us. Your doctor is different from many of the others, it sounds like he is covering everything as far as tests are concerned. If you have concerns or questions there are alot of his patients on this board too, they may know what to expect. Congrats on your steps to your journey to the losing side. Welcome to the family. Hugs KimC

KimC Thanks for your response. It's nice to know this is such a great place for information and support. I've been working toward having surgery since February, so it's been a long haul with even more to come. In Feb and March, I also did sleep apnea, psych, cardiac so I think preconsultation testing is next. I'm thinking of having a colonoscopy also,, because I'm due anyway. So I hope that's it. Having all these tests has been scary, but I've been pleasantly surprised that it's been all good so far. Maybe I'll actually make it to surgery! Arline

Great Arline -you are heading down the home stretch - you will have to go to two classes with your support person -one is right after your second nutritionist appointment - they review the post op diet and other things to know - the next class will also be with your support person and is about a week or so before your surgery - it's a review of the first class and also tells you things to expect in the hospital...... Best of luck to you! Tammy

Tammy, thanks so much for the information, I wasn't aware that there was another session with my support person before surgery - I'll have to let my DH know he'll need to arrange to take more time off work for that. He won't mind, he's been very supportive. One more question - Does Dr. Barba's office wait to send the insurance request after my appointment with him or will they do it sooner than that?

Arline, You are almost there! Have you had your insurance approval yet? Once you have that, you are in. I called my insurance provider myself to find out if I was covered. I wanted to make sure before I started the testing. Once they said "yes" Then I made all my appointments. Its a piece of cake. I just wish I had thought about doing this when I was younger. But really never considered it. But I had my surgery on Nov.7,2005 and I was 55 at the time. I am doing well. I have so much energy, I feel like a kid again!!. My 14 year old grand-daughter wants me to go roller skating with her. And you know, I just might go!! Well good luck to you Arline. Dr. Barba is wonderful! You are in great hands. Hugs, Sarah

Sarah. I'm also 55 and wish I could have done this sooner, but I'm a wimp, so I wouldn't have considered it because they weren't very good at it until recently. The rate of complications was very high 20 yrs ago, and it was usually done only in extreme cases, and not often covered by insurance. I did check with my insurance (anthem blue cross) before I started testing, and they do cover the surgery because my BMI is >40 with co-morbids. My daughters haven't gotten around to settling down and having children yet, despite my relentless encouragement. But, what a nice thought it is, that some day I'll have the energy to play with grandchildren. Thanks for your encouraging post, Sarah, and I'm glad you're doing so well. Arline