Seen Dr. Savoie

First of all I want to say that I met Casey .....she was with her hubby ..such a good looking couple. We didn't have time to talk , she went in right after I came out . Let me know how you did , OK.

Well, Dr S is so sweet & kind & So easy to talk to. I think he is great. He explained about the surgery & how its done . He has a band on  the desk & showed me how it worked. . I thought it was small especially the port.
He really thought that I should of had the vertical sleeve done for my height & BMI , but it was just too invasive . He thinks I should do good anyway with the band . The first thing he is doing is taking me off of my insulin.  I can harldy wait to get rid of that .  
Dates...I asked him for when should I keep my fingers crossed , he said "This Winter". 
I have to have a sleep apnea test done , ASAP.    Then  someone  will  call &  I get the instructions on what to do before & after the surgery . Probably another trip to Bathurst.  Its a long drive.  Yes , because I have to sign the consent form for the surgery. I did sign something today too.
I forgot to ask him about the fills & where I could have them done , but there will be lots of time for that .
I' m glad that the wait is over to see him.  Now the wait for the REAL call !!!!

Good for you and Casey too! It sounds like he is more informative than Dr B. We are the same age, Cat, and Dr B wouldn't consider anything other than the band. I have chosen the band, but I would feel more confident if he had evaluated me independant of my age, so I could be sure the band is the best choice, not just the only choice he will consider. as for insullin, Dr B said that I would come off the insulln when I started the liquid diet and I would not have to take it again as long as my blood sugar stayed under 10. According to research I have looked at, the with more invasive surgeries the diabeties is "cured: with the surgery but with the band, you improve as the weight comes off.  So I am not counting on never giving myself another injection, but I know that eventually I have an 82%  chance that the band will eventually cure me.

Okay Charline the race in on!
I'm seeing you lose weight and it's making me very very very edgy!

I've been watching what I eat but I don't have a scale?

Boo!

My weight goes up, down maybe even sideways!!  LOL I weigh myself daily. I'm a bit obsessive!  My weight really goes up and down but the trend is down. It seems that  my weight drops 2 or 3 days in a row then bam, I'm up up 3 to 5 pound, . I stay up for a couple of days, then I drop and stay there and the cycle starts all over again. The strange thing is, Ithe pounds will drop of after I've eaten more than usual. It is like my body says, Oh we aren't in a famine after all! & I loose the pounds I have been suffering for!

Sounds like it went well Cat!  I am really looking forward to my consult next week - as Patsy would say ... only 7 more sleeps, lol ... and it is just the consult!

Those of you that need to have the Sleep Apnea test - is he just asking for the Ozygen level testing you do overnight at home with the machine or the full fledge overnight testing in Saint John at the special clinic?  I am hoping for your sake it is the self test or that you doctor gets you in quicker due to special cir****tances as the Saint John wait can be lengthy.  Good luck.

One of the things I am looking forward to as a result of the surgury is to no longer have to wear my CPAP machine.  Hubby might miss the "Darth Vader husky talking" but I certainly will not miss having a face mask and tube limiting my movement - although I must say it does improve my quality of sleep.

Was you appt the 30 minutes?  Are the other appts scheduled very closely?  I can be a very detailed and inquisitive person (hubby simply hands me any forms knowing I read all the fine print, lol).

Thanks for the update,

From my reading, it is the at home test. I want to chuck the machine too, but mostly because I hate lugging it to the cottage, on airplanesd etc. Using it doesn't bother me, I sleep so much better with it.

HI Cat!
Glad to hear things went well.  I like that you got an opinion, but as you have decided on what surgery you want, you could choose.  I think that is a key to success....one has to really believe in what they choose.

And "this winter" will come pretty darn quick!  Best of luck in your journey!

Take CAre,
C

Yes it is the at home test. I saw my lung specialist this week and now I have to wait for Vital Aire to call for that machine. I guess I'm going to have to call them excessivly!! lol

I can't wait to have this done! 

Good for your Cat!!! You're lucky you saw the actual band. When I saw the Fabulous Dr. S he didn't have one on hand, I believe it was one of his first days.

Winter time here we come!!!

Thanks for stopping in everyone .   The reason he thought the vertical sleeve was a better choice for me , was that my BMI was so high for my height.   He also said that it would cure mostly everything that was wrong with me .  The band like Charline said will do it , but more gradually as the weight comes off.  I told him that I have had 2 sleep apnea tests done at the SJ Regional . Dr. Joshi couldnt confirm that I had it because I didn't sleep long enough. They tried it  by my staying overnight & then staying up all night & sleeping in the day .....the last time he did write me out a script for the cpap , I never bought one .
So he (Dr S.) gave me a recq to have one done .He said to call Dr. Joshi &  make an app. I asked him if I had to have the one done being all hooked up &  He said yes.  If I have sleep apena , to bring the machine  the day of the surgery.. The crew that is with you at recovery get all scared if we quit breathing & they dont know we have sleep apnea.
I got to make a couple of calls , one to Blue Cross & one to Dr. Joshi. If he did determine that I did have sleep apnea ....I won't have to have the test again ....I will just get the machine !!!

The appointments are 1/2 hour long with Dr. S....it seems longer, it goes pretty fast. Mostly everything is covered .

So you are getting the Band after all Cat?

When I saw Dr. S he seemed to think that I should try the band. He even said that if it didn't work, he would then do the DS but it won't go that far because I will make this band work!