Pre Surgery Testing

Congrats to Jacquie http://jax0120.blogspot.com/ who was banded in Mexico yesterday! Those are the stories that keep me motivated and inspired. So thank all of you banders for sharing (new and old)

I had my presurgery testing and it truly was no big deal. It just required fasting after midnight.
Had to be at the hospital by 8 am and got there about a quarter till. They let me go in early.

A) First stop was blood work...they took five vials of blood. The nurse was so sweet and kept apologizing for poking me. Honestly, I never felt a thing. If you have trouble with needles I would suggest you ask for the "butterfly" needle. My veins are hard to find and they roll, so a nurse suggested this and I have rarely had a problem since.

B) Next stop was for the Upper GI. I had never experienced one before, so I was not sure what to expect. I dressed in a lovely (not) hospital gown open in the back and the good news is that they let me layer with another lovely (not) hospital gown in the front like a robe. At least that way I felt half way covered. I met the radiologist and technician who were both very friendly and explained the procedure. First, I had to drink (quickly toss to the back of my throat and swallow) a cup of something similar to rock pops or Alka-Seltzer. They said it could cause me to want to burp, and to try and avoid that. I never felt like I had to. There was an upright mechanical table with a little platform to stand on about six inches from the ground. They took a couple of pix and had me take a BIG sip of thick liquid (barium). Wouldn't want seconds, but it was bearable. As I lean back against the table and hold onto the sidebars, the table reclines back into a horizontal position. They took a few more pix and it was a wrap! The radiologist said everything looked great. Since that part of my anatomy is not frequently viewed, I guess it is good to know that all is well. Start to finish, the total procedure was less than 15 minutes.

C) Met with the pre-surgical nurse who was so nice. Then again, everyone I have met so far has been very friendly. She went over the meds I was currently taking, what to expect during surgery, when to arrive, etc. She also gave me an "Incentive Spirometer Exerciser" to help exercise my lungs prior to surgery. It will strengthen my lungs, so I will be less likely to get pneumonia. (See image above). At least one part of my body is starting to get exercise.

D) Finally, I met with the anesthesiologist. He explained how the anesthesia would be done and what to expect when coming out of surgery. He asked about previous surgeries and experiences.

All in all, I was out of the hospital within an hour and a half. I hope everything else continues to go this smoothly.

I did end up having to reschedule my surgery to my next school break, May 25th. It is not the end of the world, but I was hoping sooner than later. Meanwhile, I will keep enjoying everyone else's blogs and success.

Blogging Overload

I think it is official; my activity to replace eating will be blogging. It may be a bit sedentary, but fun all the same. It all started when I got surgery approval before Christmas. I began googling looking for more information on Lap Band. That took me to the LapBand Discussion forum, and from there I found Catherine's blog http://chroniclesfrombandland.blogspot.com/ , and the rest was history. I am now following over 60 blogs and I'm trying to figure out a good way to manage it all with having a life (family, work...)

How do regular bloggers do this? This is what I guess I should try to be doing.

a) Check my blog daily and respond to any comments (try to create new posts 3 - 4 x a week)

b) Check the blogs I follow on a rotational basis and comment where I can (with 60 blogs I can
break it down to about 9 blog visits a day). In the course of a week I should be able to make it through most of them and start all over again the next week. My next concern is that I keep adding new blogs, it may never end. :)

The question...is there an easier way to stay on top of all of this??? I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed...I'm loving the information I get, but I want to manage it better.

Thanks for any tips and advice.

Tomorrow is my pre-op testing (EKG, Upper GI, etc.) It is seeming more real as March 30 (surgery day) gets closer.

Insurance...Ducks in a Row

I know for me, one of my biggest concerns was insurance. I wondered if it would cover the surgery and if I would be eligible. I really expected to be turned down a few times and have to continually resubmit. My BMI is about 37 and my comorbities were marginal. I attended the WLS seminar in October and all of my paperwork was submitted to BCBS in early Dec. Two weeks later I got a call from the hospital wanting to set up a date for my surgery. I was tongue tied trying to figure out what surgery...I couldn't believe it went so quickly and smoothly. A couple of days later I received my approval letter in the mail from the insurance company.

The hospital called last week to go over my insurance and my portion out of pocket so I would be prepared and not have any surprises. Their policy is for the patient to pay 50% prior to the surgery. After deductibles, and my 20% portion...my max will be $2000 out of pocket. The good news is I will have met my portion for the year, so it would be a good year to schedule my needed knee surgery. :)

Good luck to each of you with your insurance and approvals. It is such a relief when you get that AOK.

Great Book

I got the latest book from Danielle Steel this weekend. It is a quick read and follows the journey of a young woman who has issues with emotional eating. I won't give anything away, but if you like reading I think you would enjoy this book.

Happy March-BAND month!