Consult tomorrow for WLS

Hello everyone,  I called Dr Jossarts office in SF monday morning and they scheduled me for a consultation appointment for tomorrow morning. I was supprised they would have an appointment so soon. I was thinking would be a couple of weeks out at least. I am kind of nervous,scared but also a bit excited about talking to a Doctor about my options.  I have been over weight since I turned 30, I am 42 now and my health is starting to suffer from it. I was diagnosed with PCOS and insulin resistance 7 years ago. MY worry is that the Insurance will think I am not overweight enough for WLS. I am 5' tall and weigh 200lbs.. but some days 205lbs.. I seem to have a 5 lb fluctuation. I really don't have any documented co morbidities. I do have insulin resistance do to the PCOS and take 2550mg of glucophage. Don't know about my cholesterol lately.. Need to have it checked.. but it was high 7 years ago when I was diagnosed with PCOS then improved with taking the glucophage. All the other symptoms I have are heart burn/acid reflux and general aches and pains from being overwieght but since I am not a complainer I have never gone to a doctor for it.. I guess I should have complained! lol. anyway. wish me luck..  Dona

Good luck with your consult!  With your height & weight your BMI is right on the threshold of qualifying.  If they get you on a day where you're 200 then your BMI is 39, if it's 205 than your BMI bumps up to 40 which qualifies you.  Your IR & GERD should qualify as 2 comorbid conditions. Good luck! Kristy

Hi Kristy, Thanks so much! My consult went very well. I just squeeked by the BMI @205. Was so funny though. I had to pee so bad and I didn't want to lose one once from my body so I held it till the appointment was over. lol.  He recommended the Rn Y gastric bypass for me even though I am what he called petite for being heavy and could go with a gastric sleeve which my insurance wont pay for(sigh). haha.. I never have heard petite and heavy in the same sentance before but was nice to hear. His reasons for not wanting to do Lap Band on me was do to woman with PCOS having better long term results with traditional gastric bypass surgery. I am scared but I trust his judgement and I do want LONG TERM results.  They also did my nutitional consultation while I was there with there in off nutritionist and I have my psychiatric evaluation next weds also by someone at his office. He gave me a list of Doctors I could see for this but I desided to just go back and have it all done in one place.. Love one stop shopping! lol.  Wow.. this is all happening so fast.. he said that it might just be a month before the insurance approval and my surgery.  My goal weight is set at 120-125.. but was told will be adjusted as we see how well I am doing. 

Have your goal being a happy and healthy weight not a number. My surgeon and doctors have never labeled me with a number to obtain and I have been very happy for it. We don't have to be perfect...we just have to try and be better. My doctors suggested gastric bypass too because of being PCOS w/insulin resistence. One year after my gastric bypass I have gone from being morbidly obese to overweight. I've gone from taking 3+ pain management medication for a bad back to none. My endocrinologist (doc for PCOS) wanted to see me after a year to see how my blood work is coming out for the PCOS so I guess I need to set that appointment up. Good luck. ~ Christal

Thank you Christal. Good way to think of it! I have always been a very goal oriented person and I think this has hurt me more than help when it has come to dieting and weight loss do to that I get very discouraged and depressed when I don't make those goals! So it's almost like setting myself up to fail. The doc actually asked me what weight I felt I would be most comfortable and I right away fell into my old pattern of setting a goal by saying 125lbs. He said.. "ok, but you can go 10 or 15 pounds either direction and it would be ok" So I am going to have to just start thinking  differently about this so I don't set myself up for failure again. No more numbers! :) I am so glad I found this website and discussion board.  Dona

Well you sound very determined and positive so I think your going to do just fine. Maybe a good idea for a goal setter like yourself would not be for the actual weight on the scale but a checklist of other realistic goals to accomplish. Put shoes on easily, walk up a flight of stairs without running out of breath, feel like a more normal size, shop in the "normal" size section of a store...these were some of my goals...but they are small and realistic goals but still made me feel wonderful and sucessful when accomplished. I look forward to reading about your many sucesses! ~ Christal