Hello Everyone
I posted my story on the "Main" board, and a couple have requested that I re-post it here on the "Men's" forum.....too long to retype, so my appologies for the "copy and paste" version:
Hello, I am new to the board.....I hope each and every one of you is doing well. What I would like to say is that I had roux-en-Y surgery on April 7th, 44 days ago, and it has been the single most positive change in my life EVER, and I'm only at the beginning of my journey.
So, my story, for any who might be interested: I turned 46 on May 1, and have had an ongoing problem with weight and weight-related issues for a large portion of my life. I've never been a huge "binge"eater, just got "lucky" with the genetic end of it, I guess. My father was, like me, a big guy who fought with his weight most of his life, generously leaving to me his hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, and sleep apnea when he passed away in 1990 at the age of 47. As I grew into my 30's, all of these problems surfaced in myself as well, even having a mild heart attack in 1996 at the young age of 34. Anyway, like I say, I've always been a "big" guy, former offensive lineman who can carry 240-250 pounds easilly. But in 2001 I quit smoking for good, and it was all over. I gained and gained and gained and NOTHING I did was successful. Atkins? Gained weight. Slim-Fast? gained weight. I watched every bite of food I ate, exercised daily and gained weight what seemed like daily. I got up as high as 370 pounds at one point, somehow managing to get down to around 350 but never being able to lose much more than that....it WAS NOT the "yo yo" thing you hear about, it was a simple inability to lose weight. I'm sure that many of you, since after all you are reading this forum, know exactly what I mean.
In 2005 I made a life decision...I was miserable about my weight and felt physically awful, plus was taking 3 medicines for cholesterol (NEVER getting it down below 270), 2 for hypertension and 2 for diabetes as well as sleeping with a CPAP machine...like I say, I felt like hell. I decided that if I wanted to stay around this world for much longer, I was going to have to have barriatric surgery. I began, that summer, doing all the correct things, weighing in each month with my family doctor, follwoing his diet and exercise recommendations (they were LESS stringent than those I'd been following anyway) because my medical insurance has a policy of monitoring one's weight for 6 months before they will approve the surgery (and don't et me wrong, I have VERY good insurance).
Amazingly, I was turned down, on Christmas Eve '05, no less....the "reason" given by my insurance company for the denial: in the 6 month period, I had LOST NO WEIGHT. Well, duh, you might say, if I could lose weight by conventional means, WHY IN THE HELL WAS I APPLYING FOR BARRIATRIC SURGERY? (by the way, I swear to GOd this is the reason they gave. I still have the paper they sent and show it frequently to non-believers)....I appealed the decision, which was also denied in June 2006. My insurance has a rule that if denied one must wait until two years following the intial attempt before one could try again. This, then, put me at June 2007 before I could begin another attempt....
It is most fortunate for me that I had no serious health issues during that period, and in June 07 I began the process again. My family doctor, who was livid over my insurance carrier's original denial, vowed that this time he would get me approved, even if it meant he had to "bend the truth" a bit....anyway, as "luck" would have it, I got a wicked case of the flu in September, worst one I've ever had, and lost 14 pounds....it would be the only weight loss I would experience during the 6-month evaluation period. Enough?
In December, it was time once again to submit everything to my insurance company for approval. On December 12, I made the 1-hour drive to hand in all my paperwork/documentation at the Barriatric clinic PERSONALLY instead of faxing it. The young lady I handed it to said "it will be sent to your insurance tomorrow". The literature from this particular Barriatric Center stresses the importance of NOT phoning them to check upon the status of your claim. We are experts, it says, we will contact YOU when it is approved.
Six weeks went by and I had heard not a word. Still, i abided by their instructions NOT to call and check. I had to go and get put on tranquilizers because my nerves were so shattered. One thought kept waking me up at night...what if they misplaced my paperwork and never submitted it? Nah.......
Sometime early in February, my wife insisted that I call them and check on the status of my claim as I was driving her and our son crazy with my stress and worry. When I did, guess what? Uh, they misplaced my paperwork and never submitted it. Unbelievable.
Aftter all this, once the paperwork was submitted, it was only a couple of weeks before approval. On the Saturday before Presidents Day, I arrived home from my son's basketball game to find an envelope in the mail from my insurance. I couldn't even open it, made my son do it. "Dad, it's approved!" he yelled out......I was stunned, beyond stunned even...really didn't day much for a couple of days.
I couldn't schedule the surgery in March because we had already planned to take a trip to Arizona to see my Mother which we do eveyr year when my boy is on spring break,, so a date of April 7th was arrived at. Of course, I ahd to go on the 10 day "liquid diet" prior to surgery, and I thought that it was brutal, one of the harder things I've ever had to do.....often I wondered how many who do this "cheat" during the liquid diet? I did not........
On April 7th, early in the morning, I was admitted to Grandview Hospital in Dayton Ohio to be operated upon by Dr David Bruce. Scared? No, not really......I've never had much surgery, an angioplasty and a bunc of oral surgeries, but scared? No. Much, much more scared of NOT getting it done. When I woke up, the first thing I asked was "Am I dead?"
The hospital staff were just incredible, can't say enough about them. I was up walking around that same night, and the pain was very minimal (the self-administerd morphine pump is a blessing)....I watched the NCAA championship basketball game that night, while "dining" ont eh one ounce of ice chips per hour I was permitted. Never that night, or the next day, did I once fell "hungry" or even feel like eatting. By Tuesday late, I was doing laps around my hospital floor...the staff said they were amazed with the speed with whcih I seemed to be recovering. That first day post-surgery was the worst, pain-wise, I was so bloated but walking relieved most of it. I was released Wednsday April 9th, in time to get to my son's baseball scrimmage.
Seems like it was so long ago. And, in one sense, it was....a different life. Amazingly, my diabetes and sleep apnea BOTH were cured immediately....haven't taken the first pill for diabetes and my blood sugar level is consistently around 100-120. Haven't touched the CPAP since I've been home either. Cholesterol checked last week and was 201, never been anything close to that in my adult life (I've had them in the 500's before). I have not had even the first problem or complication, not ONE.....I'm eatting 5-6 times a day, small amounts of course, but really enjoying my food. I am HAPPIER than I've been in years, and feel simply wonderful. My weight, as of the day before yesterday, was 313, a loss of 37 pounds from my weight at the time of surgery.
SO what now? Well, I'm determined to make this work. My surgeon, who has done over 2000 of these, calls me one of his MOST successful patients, something in which I take pride. I want to encourage ANYONE who is on the "border' with regards to actually DOING this, please please please youn owe it to your family and much more to YOURSELF to do it. Please don't be afraid, it's a routine surgery in this era. Done laparosciaplly (sp?) there aren't even painful incisions to heal, just tiny "laser" openings. Short of my marriage (20 years to the lovely Carla) and my son (my pride and joy 10 year old Grant) I can honestly say that barriatric surgery has been the absolute best thing that's EVER happened to me, and I'm only at the beginning of the trek.
I figure maybe I can live to be 90.......if so, hell, it's only "halftime"
God bless you all and if any of you wish to talk email me at [email protected], I'd be happy to talk toa ny of you.
Scott M
So, my story, for any who might be interested: I turned 46 on May 1, and have had an ongoing problem with weight and weight-related issues for a large portion of my life. I've never been a huge "binge"eater, just got "lucky" with the genetic end of it, I guess. My father was, like me, a big guy who fought with his weight most of his life, generously leaving to me his hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, and sleep apnea when he passed away in 1990 at the age of 47. As I grew into my 30's, all of these problems surfaced in myself as well, even having a mild heart attack in 1996 at the young age of 34. Anyway, like I say, I've always been a "big" guy, former offensive lineman who can carry 240-250 pounds easilly. But in 2001 I quit smoking for good, and it was all over. I gained and gained and gained and NOTHING I did was successful. Atkins? Gained weight. Slim-Fast? gained weight. I watched every bite of food I ate, exercised daily and gained weight what seemed like daily. I got up as high as 370 pounds at one point, somehow managing to get down to around 350 but never being able to lose much more than that....it WAS NOT the "yo yo" thing you hear about, it was a simple inability to lose weight. I'm sure that many of you, since after all you are reading this forum, know exactly what I mean.
In 2005 I made a life decision...I was miserable about my weight and felt physically awful, plus was taking 3 medicines for cholesterol (NEVER getting it down below 270), 2 for hypertension and 2 for diabetes as well as sleeping with a CPAP machine...like I say, I felt like hell. I decided that if I wanted to stay around this world for much longer, I was going to have to have barriatric surgery. I began, that summer, doing all the correct things, weighing in each month with my family doctor, follwoing his diet and exercise recommendations (they were LESS stringent than those I'd been following anyway) because my medical insurance has a policy of monitoring one's weight for 6 months before they will approve the surgery (and don't et me wrong, I have VERY good insurance).
Amazingly, I was turned down, on Christmas Eve '05, no less....the "reason" given by my insurance company for the denial: in the 6 month period, I had LOST NO WEIGHT. Well, duh, you might say, if I could lose weight by conventional means, WHY IN THE HELL WAS I APPLYING FOR BARRIATRIC SURGERY? (by the way, I swear to GOd this is the reason they gave. I still have the paper they sent and show it frequently to non-believers)....I appealed the decision, which was also denied in June 2006. My insurance has a rule that if denied one must wait until two years following the intial attempt before one could try again. This, then, put me at June 2007 before I could begin another attempt....
It is most fortunate for me that I had no serious health issues during that period, and in June 07 I began the process again. My family doctor, who was livid over my insurance carrier's original denial, vowed that this time he would get me approved, even if it meant he had to "bend the truth" a bit....anyway, as "luck" would have it, I got a wicked case of the flu in September, worst one I've ever had, and lost 14 pounds....it would be the only weight loss I would experience during the 6-month evaluation period. Enough?
In December, it was time once again to submit everything to my insurance company for approval. On December 12, I made the 1-hour drive to hand in all my paperwork/documentation at the Barriatric clinic PERSONALLY instead of faxing it. The young lady I handed it to said "it will be sent to your insurance tomorrow". The literature from this particular Barriatric Center stresses the importance of NOT phoning them to check upon the status of your claim. We are experts, it says, we will contact YOU when it is approved.
Six weeks went by and I had heard not a word. Still, i abided by their instructions NOT to call and check. I had to go and get put on tranquilizers because my nerves were so shattered. One thought kept waking me up at night...what if they misplaced my paperwork and never submitted it? Nah.......
Sometime early in February, my wife insisted that I call them and check on the status of my claim as I was driving her and our son crazy with my stress and worry. When I did, guess what? Uh, they misplaced my paperwork and never submitted it. Unbelievable.
Aftter all this, once the paperwork was submitted, it was only a couple of weeks before approval. On the Saturday before Presidents Day, I arrived home from my son's basketball game to find an envelope in the mail from my insurance. I couldn't even open it, made my son do it. "Dad, it's approved!" he yelled out......I was stunned, beyond stunned even...really didn't day much for a couple of days.
I couldn't schedule the surgery in March because we had already planned to take a trip to Arizona to see my Mother which we do eveyr year when my boy is on spring break,, so a date of April 7th was arrived at. Of course, I ahd to go on the 10 day "liquid diet" prior to surgery, and I thought that it was brutal, one of the harder things I've ever had to do.....often I wondered how many who do this "cheat" during the liquid diet? I did not........
On April 7th, early in the morning, I was admitted to Grandview Hospital in Dayton Ohio to be operated upon by Dr David Bruce. Scared? No, not really......I've never had much surgery, an angioplasty and a bunc of oral surgeries, but scared? No. Much, much more scared of NOT getting it done. When I woke up, the first thing I asked was "Am I dead?"
The hospital staff were just incredible, can't say enough about them. I was up walking around that same night, and the pain was very minimal (the self-administerd morphine pump is a blessing)....I watched the NCAA championship basketball game that night, while "dining" ont eh one ounce of ice chips per hour I was permitted. Never that night, or the next day, did I once fell "hungry" or even feel like eatting. By Tuesday late, I was doing laps around my hospital floor...the staff said they were amazed with the speed with whcih I seemed to be recovering. That first day post-surgery was the worst, pain-wise, I was so bloated but walking relieved most of it. I was released Wednsday April 9th, in time to get to my son's baseball scrimmage.
Seems like it was so long ago. And, in one sense, it was....a different life. Amazingly, my diabetes and sleep apnea BOTH were cured immediately....haven't taken the first pill for diabetes and my blood sugar level is consistently around 100-120. Haven't touched the CPAP since I've been home either. Cholesterol checked last week and was 201, never been anything close to that in my adult life (I've had them in the 500's before). I have not had even the first problem or complication, not ONE.....I'm eatting 5-6 times a day, small amounts of course, but really enjoying my food. I am HAPPIER than I've been in years, and feel simply wonderful. My weight, as of the day before yesterday, was 313, a loss of 37 pounds from my weight at the time of surgery.
SO what now? Well, I'm determined to make this work. My surgeon, who has done over 2000 of these, calls me one of his MOST successful patients, something in which I take pride. I want to encourage ANYONE who is on the "border' with regards to actually DOING this, please please please youn owe it to your family and much more to YOURSELF to do it. Please don't be afraid, it's a routine surgery in this era. Done laparosciaplly (sp?) there aren't even painful incisions to heal, just tiny "laser" openings. Short of my marriage (20 years to the lovely Carla) and my son (my pride and joy 10 year old Grant) I can honestly say that barriatric surgery has been the absolute best thing that's EVER happened to me, and I'm only at the beginning of the trek.
I figure maybe I can live to be 90.......if so, hell, it's only "halftime"
God bless you all and if any of you wish to talk email me at [email protected], I'd be happy to talk toa ny of you.
Scott M
Yo Dx! wake up! serious contender here for longest poster!
welcome aboard scott.....it's an inside joke. don't worry, not being mean. you'll get it after a while. as for the surgery, same thing here. off all pills and ten shots a day of insulin. not bad! great job and welcome to the locker room......carbonblob
welcome aboard scott.....it's an inside joke. don't worry, not being mean. you'll get it after a while. as for the surgery, same thing here. off all pills and ten shots a day of insulin. not bad! great job and welcome to the locker room......carbonblob
Yes,
My Post
is often the longest!
But frequently,
The thinnest...
Best Wishes-
Dx
What a great story and even greater outlook. Seems you must be in the right place because the story sounds very similar in a lot of ways to the ones we have all told.
Great to have you around and best of luck.
Lou
Great to have you around and best of luck.
Lou
***************************************************
WARNING!! Lie Detectors Tell the Truth!
Lou
WARNING!! Lie Detectors Tell the Truth!
Lou
Welcome Scott,
It is great to have you here, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. Everyone here is wonderful, not near as catty as on some of the main boards. Like others have said, ask any question you might have, you will get an answer from someone. If you need anything, the guys will always be here for you.
Jim
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