NY is tickin me off!!

What is up with this weather?! I thought for sure we are done with snow :`( We got about an inch in just under an hour tonight, right before my weekly trip to Wally World. (That is not something I postpone for anything!!) We shopped for about an hour and when we got back to the car everything was ice..................... I wish I lived in Florida!! On a brighter note, how is everyone doing? Where are you all in your journey? Best of luck to everyone, LeeAnn

leeann i know it driving me nuts my husband call and said don;t go and where its nastey out we did not even have school yesterday it sucks lets run away !!!!!!!maybe i,ll go tanning have a good day kelly

LeeAnn, I am also fed up with winter and dream of the warm southern weather although it is milder here on Long Island than it is up your way. I have been following all your posts so closely cause I am exactly a week behind you in everything that you are going through. I am also a patient of Dr. Gagner as well and my date is March 23rd and it seems for the past month or so every step you take I have to follow the very next week. I am now just waiting for approval. Finally all the testing is done. Anyway I just wanted to say hi and to tell you I agree Dr. Gagner seems wonderful. Janet

Hi Janet! Glad you decided to drop me a line! I just got my approval earlier this week so your must be coming too!! Now, how far is Manhattan from Long Island? I get so lost when I even THINK about the city! It took us 6 hours to get home from Manhattan, crossed the GW bridge twice! What a nightmare! Not to mention that as soon as we started to get low on gas, the weirdest thing I've ever seen happened. A HIVE of little yellow taxi's literally SWALLOWED up every gas station we could find. It was nuts!! Dr. Gagner really is awesome and I'm so glad you chose him. So, this week you can start your final tests. Have you been given a list of them yet? Let me know how things are going! LeeAnn

LeeAnn, Thanks for answering back, Its nice to be able to chat with someone going through the same thing. I only live about 40 minutes from the city by train and I have never had to drive in so the gas station thing never occured to me but when I think of all the times that I have gone into Manhattan I have never even noticed a gas station. I guess I wasnt looking either. I am not brave enough to try to navigate through the traffic and always have used taxis to get around once the train gets me to Penn station. We are even hiring a Limo to pick us when I leave the hospital. Hubby is going to drive in the day of surgery but plans on leaving late at night so he wont be in lots of traffic. I guess being that you live as far away they gave you a list of tests to get done, I just have to go into the city to the hospital and have them done all in one day so I have an all day appointment at NY Presbyterian for March 11. Did you have to go for a sleep study, that was the worst part of my testing . I cant sleep well in unfamiliar places which is what made this so difficult for me but I did it and I am now wearing alien headgear to bed at night. I am very comfortable with choosing Dr. Gagner so I guess that is why I havent really had any second thoughts and I am really not nervous about having this surgery. I have never had major surgery before and I am more concerned with recovery. well I have rambled on long enough. Thanks so much for listening to me and sharing what you are doing. Janet

Hey again Janet I didn't have to go for a sleep study. But then, I never thought I had sleep apnea. The DS will help with that. So take comfort in know the CPAP machine doesn't have to be a permanent appliance in your bedroom! I'm about 3 hours from the city (providing I don't get lost again). My story is a little screwy. My ins wouldn't cover anything with Dr. Gagner BUT the consult, which I had to have prior approval for. From there, it was totally up to me to either pay for all the tests he required OR have my PCP write the orders. I'm lucky, my PCP likes me... go figure. And, I hit Exceptional luck, in that, I got my orders and appt with the gastrointerologist within 2 weeks. (that was the appt I was sweating) Since I was just told earlier this week that my ins approved me, I had already made the arrangements with my PCP for the orders, tests etc to be done locally. He just copied Dr. Gagner's Rx and put his name on it. So I will be going to our local hospital all day Monday for my echocardiogram, chest xray, urinalysis and bloodwork. My appt for my physical is on the 9th, exactly 7 days before surgery. Diana, Dr. Gagner's PA, said she wanted me to be their movie star, so they will be using me as a teaching aid. (HEY MOM, LOOK, I'M GONNA BE ON TV!!! lol) I'm very excited. I'm making all kinds of plans. The friends that I've had since I was 12, and have always been so much smaller than me... Well now, I say hey when I get down to 130 lbs, want my jeans? It feels good. I can't wait to live it! As far as the recovery process, I'm not concerned. I posted a poll awhile back on the yahoo DS msgboard. I asked women to compare their c-sections with the Lap DS. Most women said it was not as bad. I made it through 2 c-sections, I can do this!! I hope it helps you to know, that the Lap approach is less painful recovery wise and takes less time. I've heard the worst part is the immediate post-op gas and nausea (sp?) Look at what we have lived through. We can handle being sore a week or so. Just think, the soreness would be SO much worse, if you had to exercize it off at the weight we are. Right?! Keep in touch Janet and let me know how everything is going!! LeeAnn

Hey LeeAnn, You are just terrific and your outlook is just so great. Your optimism on the future is really amazing. I think the thought of not being the "BIG" girl in a group will be great but I really just reached a point where I stopped liking myself and would look in the mirror and not even recognize who I had become (full length mirrors are avoided at all costs). At work I know that some aspects of advancement are based on appearence and I want to be as eligible for advancement as any other girl in the office or even if it is time to move on I would like to be noticed for my ability and not my size. I am following you exactly a week behind cause I have my physical scheduled exactly a week before surgery, my appointment will be on the 16th. That is so cool that your procedure is going to be filmed, do you know if it is for a documentary or a teaching aid? The recovery thing is still frightening but I am going to keep an open mind and pray that good drugs will make it as easy as possible. Keep in touch. Janet

Goooo Morning Janet Looks like this is gonna be our private little post I know what you mean about the mirrors! Unless I stand a couple yards away from the full length ones, I can't even get my whole self in em... so whats the point?! The mental anguish is just not worth making sure I'm presentable. Besides, if I do look in the mirror, it takes me 10x as long to get ready becuase I'm so unhappy with what I see, I keep trying stuff on! My husband says our closet has perpetual nausea cuz it always looks like it threw up my wardrobe when I'm done!! Dr. G's office told me the video would be a teaching aid. Someone on the DS board posted awhile back about being in one of those. The responses were great, someone mentioned if her Dr. was going to be filmed, he'd do his VERY VERY best not to make boo boo... (that wasn't verbatim) The only REAL thing I'm concerned about it this; my ins company approved me for admission to NY Presbyterian hospital on March 16th and Dr. G's PA said they might need to reschedule for earlier. That's the first time I've said that aloud (or typed it anyway) for fear it might come true. I'll have to call the ins co then and ask for a date change. Ewww... Have you seen my profile? If not just click on my name up there I'm not sure if I have told you about the conversation I had via email with Dr. Gagner this week. He answered some last minute questions I had about many things including pain management. I've copied it to my profile page. Your physical is with Dr. Gagner on the 16th? I'll have to slip him a note to give you after surgery. He will probably do the surgery in the AM, so your physical is in the afternoon?? I don't have a time yet for surgery. I have to call the NIGHT BEFORE!! (oyvey) Between 4 and 6pm and IF my surgery is early in the morning, I'll have to leave the night of the 15th. As I'm sitting here thinking about what to type next I realized I don't I've seen your profile... so I'm gonna go peek! LeeAnn

Theres nuffin there!!! Get busy girlie

Hey LeeAnn, I know, I am terrible with journaling and I just havent put much effort into that part of it. I may try to get a little something in there this week if I have a light week at work and dont end up doing mega overtime. As for my physical on the 16th, unfortunately it isnt with Dr. Gagner it is with my PCP. So dont give him any notes... he will think your crazy. LOL Talk to you soon. Janet