FRUSTRATED!!!

I have fought every hurdle they have thrown in front of me try to get to the point that I can get a surgery date and get this done!! Now after going to the cardiologist to get clearence, I have to have a heart cath. What more can they do to me??? I am getting way past frustrated, angry and dishearted about all of it, that I could just bawl. I want this so badly and it seems like they don't want me too. Why am I being punished?

You are not being punished, you are being well taken care of.  I felt the same way when 2 days before my pre-op appointment Dr Walton called and told me I needed to see a hematologist. In the end I realized he wanted nothing more than for me to have a safe and successful surgery -- and I did! I have a bleeding disorder and the hematologist and Dr Walton worked together to ensure my safety. 2 weeks post op I was in the office and another patient who had surgery the same time as I did told me he had to go back to surgery a few days later for bleeding. That could have been me! As hard as it is, keep jumping through the hoops and venting away!

I know when we want something badly that it seems there are always 10,000 bridges to cross and many many miles and tears to fight through.  Think of the issue Nancy mentioned in her case - her bleeding disorder - that could have caused her a plethora of issues with a major surgery and recovery period, but didn't because all of the t's were crossed and the i's were dotted. 

Dr.s B & W and the WeightWise program only want what is BEST for you, the patient.  Look at their success rate, their complication rate, their infection rate and then compare them to other programs.  It is a HUGE HUGE difference!  I believe the use of the ICU over the past 3 years has been a TOTAL of about 4-5 patients!  This is a credit to the pre-operative testing and planning that the docs do / require / conduct to ENSURE the safety of their patients!  Is it annoying - dear goodness YES!!  But in the long run, it is the best thing for YOU!  Both docs only want YOU to be successful and to share your success!!

This IS NOT about making more money, because they are not! It IS NOT about punishing you.  Our obese bodies can only take so much!!  Throw on top of that the stress of surgery, the pre/post diets, the emotional stress we go through, and it just makes sense to have you prepared - heart, mind, body - so that we can get on the road to healing even before we are actually IN surgery!

Keep your eye on the prize!!  The myriad of tests may be some of the LAST medical tests you have to jump through!  I see a doctor 10 times less now without my extra 200 lbs than I did prior to surgery!!  I take only OTC med and my vitamins now where before I had to care for ALL the issues and take loads of medications just to get through the day to the next!  It is WORTH IT!!  AND even with the ulcer that I enjoy having (not) and the initial issues I had with stricture, I would do it again in a heartbeat!!!  And I HAVE a heartbeat!  I truly believe if I had stayed on the path I was on - at over 360 lbs - I quite possibly could have had a heart attack, stroke or worse by now!! 

Hang in there!  If you need emotional help, schedule another appointment with Dr. Keller.  He understands the needs that we have and can help you! And KEEP COMING HERE!  Some of my biggest (not size wise either) supporters are my FAMILY here on OH!  In fact I see some of them more often than I see my own family!  But that's another story altogether!!

Big hugs and wishes for speedy testing and scheduling!  Ruth

It's not all that easy just to call and schedule another appointment with Dr. Keller. I live almost 2 hours away from them . I am just gettig so tired of fighting this. I am not going to believe it is going to happen unless I see a surgery date on paper and they are rolling me in the room.

I will step in here and say, I know personally how hard this is to wait..I want a date on paper too........I was ready in June to do this! I have been stopped at every turn! I got closer and then last month, my heart Dr. put a restriction of one year from my last stent to do my sleeve. That would bring it to Jan 24th before I can do this surgery....He will not release me to do it one day before that time!!!!  It is not my choice, but I have no choice but to honor and trust that my doctors are doing what is best for me....In the meantime I am working on losing my pre-op weight and focusing on the future.  In the process..... they have increased the fee as of Dec 31 up to $2500. I am out of pocket and no insurance anyway. This is huge and to me not fair!!!  My mother had the $10,000 but no more, and I have paid 5,000 of the fees, I thought I would be locked in, as that is what Dr. Walton said at the Seminar....now it is a battle to see if they will honor that locked in price.I am waiting as I type this for an answer..... I feel like I am swimming upstream in a fast moving river....So many friends on here have gone on before and are losing so quick...Here I sit just praying for a break some where!  I am not giving up on it....I am looking at it as...I have been this way for years, what is a few more months? I have no choice but to look at it as that....I am also reading these boards and learning what the experience will be like...what can I eat....what to look for or look out for.....I have no choice but to do this. I can not change one thing about the path it is taking me on, so I will just walk a little slower along the way...I will reach the end soon. I am trusting in that.  Good luck.....Sher

I HOPE YOU HAVE ALLTHE LUCK IN THE WORLD. i KNOW ALL TO WELL HOW FRUSTRATING IT IS. aNYTHING MORE HAPPENS, i MAY JUST GIVE UP.

I'm so sorry you are frustrated and disheartened.  Most of us have been there right with you.  Dr. W is so very cautious and only wants the best for us.  Just think if it had not been for all these pre-op tests you might not have found out that you need to have a heart cath.  That could have been so dangerous and especially so if you had been in the middle of surgery and found out your had a heart issue.  It will happen when the time is right for you.  You are going to be stronger and healthier soon.  Hang in there.  I will remember you in my prayers that all goes well and soon you will have a surgery date!!  Take care! 

I'm sorry it has been such a ride for you, but there is no punishment here.  They only have your best outcome at heart, so take a deep breath, punch your pillow a couple of times and pull up your big girl panties and keep on trucking.  It will happen, all in due course.  It didn't take 3 months to get in the position you're in, you can't expect it to be resolved in three months.  Keep your chin up.

Thanks for the encouragement.  I hate to be a doubting thomas. But I am tired of being dissapointed. I will believe it when it happens.

I totally understand the frustration.  Once we decide we want WLS we want it yesterday!  It is so much better that you deal with any heart issues now before you get general anesthesia.  Drs B & W don't lose folks on the table or after surgery because they DO make you jump through all the hoops.  It is for your safety and longevity.

Several of the folks on here have had to have heart caths and still proceeded pretty much on schedule to get their WLS.  Don't give up- you have come to far.  Keep your eye on the prize.  This surgery is such a miracle!  Your life will change in ways you cannot imagine.