Kinda Newbie--Help Please

Hello Everyone,
   My name is Rebecca..I just wanted to introduce myself to the board...I put Kinda Newbie in the headline because I have been through the process of getting surgery a couple different times..You can read more on my profile about how many times and such and what happen with each process..The last time I went was 12/2008..I was approved by the psych and everything and I have been going through the same place for 1 year and 3 months as of the 26th of this month..What I am getting at really is this time I am ready to go through with the surgery and I have been under what they call Conservative weight loss for about 6 months I was doing very good until I had to go on a "holiday" from the weight loss pills that I was on(Phentermine)..I was just wondering if maybe there was someone that has maybe been through the same thing or maybe someone who knows where to go from here..They want me to go through the whole 6 month workup again even though they have been following my progress for over a year..Im not allowed to meet the surgeon until I have been through the program and lose 30lbs..I have made all the changes that they have required of me Quit Smoking,Excercise,Lost 20lbs,Attended Support Groups and Meetings,Attended Every doctor appointment scheduled..Am I just being pushed away as a patient?? Sorry about the random ranting..I hope to get to know people on here that could possibly help me on my journey to a new and HEALTHIER me..

~BrokenBeyondRepair~

Change doctors.

Is it that the DOCTOR needs you to do the weight loss thing/6mos thing or that your insurance needs it?

If it's just the doctor...switch doctors.  But before you do - make sure you request a copy of your ENTIRE file...at the very least from this past "stint" with everything.  It might cost you some $$ but it will help in the long run.  So a new doc can just "transfer" all the info if you need insurance coverage.

If it's the INSURANCE and for whatever reason  they won't accept the documentation by your doctor for this length of time, then you may have no choice but to do it again.

Congrats on all that you have already done!  Awesome!

Pam

When I have more time I will read your profile to try and understand where you are coming from. I have to say that your profile username seems so sad. I would suggest changing it. If you believe you are broken beyond repair? That is a problem. I dont believe you are. I agree with what Pam said. Check and see who wants the weight loss first. Where are you? Who is your doctor>?

I agree with the other advice you have gotten - some of us here may be able to suggest a doctor or hospital if you tell us where you are in PA, and who you are working with right now.

My own journey to surgery was 18 months...largely due to insurance requirements that just "kept on coming." It was difficult. However, by the time I got my date and was ready to go, I was truly better prepared mentally and emotionally for what lay ahead.

So the road may be long...but all for a purpose. You have taken major steps that will truly benefit you in the end.

(BTW, once I had to request medical records when I moved, and they only charged me a nominal fee for copying and mailing. If you do change docs, DO NOT leave your entire history behind! My Capital Blue Cross plan required actual copies of chart  notes!)

And nobody is "beyond repair." We are all at a different place on the road. It doesn't matter where you are, or how fast you travel....only that you move in a good direction.

Welcome to the PA Board, Rebecca.

Hello Again Everyone,
   Thanks for all your replies and support..It is great to know that there are some people who dont even know a person are willing to help and support someone...To answer some of the questions that have been asked..I live in Northeastern Pa..Near the Wilkes-Barre Area..I have not met the surgeon yet so I have no idea who it will be..I go to a program through Geisinger...The requirements to lose the weight are required from the doctor Im guessing..I guess I could clarify a bit more by saying that when I first started with this program I was 422lbs...I got down to 389 with the Conservative Weight Loss program and when they required me to go on a "Holiday" I regained weight back up to 402lbs..Over a 4 month period...I have not changed anything that I was doing as far as excerise or eating..Except when they had the recall of the Slim-Fast already made shakes...I found a generic brand and have been drinking that ever since and have not lost any weight..Anyway they are requiring that I lose another 30lbs before I can see the surgeon and I guess last night when I posted this I was a bit discouraged with myself to be honest..Does anyone have any suggestions as far as losing 30lbs again..And again I wanted to Thank everyone *****plied to my post..
  
~Rebecca

Rebecca. I am sorry that you are going through all of this! I know quite a few peoeple that have gone through the Geisinger program and haven't heard of a program like this. I would question WHY they are making you re-do everything. Is it because of your weight? Do they want you under 400 pounds? You can also call your insurance company directly and see what their terms are for the surgery.

PLease hang in there and keep coming around here - we'd love to help! There are lots of us in NE PA -  I am only about 1 1/2 hours from Wilkes Barre.

As far as trying to loose the 30 pounds - what are you eating? what are you doing to move your body? Are you taking vitamins? What about fluid intakes?

Liz

Rebecca, I am not a huge fan of the Slim Fast type shakes. They have loads of carbs. And personally, I have never lost a pound using them. Truth is, by the end of the day, I was so starved that the "sensible meal" they recommend turned iinto a snack while I was searching for what I was REALLY going to eat.

My own experience with dieting tells me that a low carb diet is the way to go to get results. I had the best success with a strict Atkins diet several years ago (lost 50 lbs. - which of course didn't stay off, but that's a whole different situation than a pre op diet). Atkins appears to be sort of extreme at first glance, but it will prepare you well for life post-RNY (which actually gives you MORE flexibility on what you can eat than Atkins does!) The good thing about Atkins is that you are able to eat high quality proteins, eat until you are satisfied, and it "trains" you to steer away from refined carbs. Eliminating sugar from your diet will clear your head too (Atkins calls it "brain fog.") - I noticed it. I'd suggest you gear up for it (you can get the book at your library or at a used bookstore, I'm sure) - read about the induction phase, clean your cabinets, and get started!

The caveat I would offer to the Atkins diet is to AVOID the Atkins protein bars and all the "net carb" type thinking. Follow the program as originally written....and avoid the stuff that came out about 10 years ago when it became so highly marketed. (Did you know that at one time, fully 10% of the American adult population was on the Atkins diet?)

Another suggestion I would make is to drop the diet soda from your diet, if you drink it now. I know...no calories at all, right? But it will help. A nutritionist I worked with pre-op educated me on metabolic syndrome, which is aggravated by diet soda intake, and makes it very hard for us to lose weight.

You mention exercise. What are you doing now? Exercise can be a challenge while we are obese, but the Leslie Sansome Walk Away the Pounds DVD's are very good. You can go one mile, or build up to 2 or 3. It will help you feel better overall, will help with weight loss, and above all will get you into a good habit before surgery....after surgery, then, you will be "returning" to exercise....not starting something entriely new.