037 Jimmy's Surgery Day in Pictures

Hello, everybody. How do you do? My name's.... Oh wait I think I just ripped that off a song. Oops :) Anyway, today Jimmy is going in for his first post-op appointment. We are really excited that Dr. Hornbostel wanted to see him on Wednesday (because of the Thanksgiving holiday) instead of making him wait until the following Monday. Friday will be one week since Jimmy's surgery. Obviously I don't have any information about his appointment yet so I wanted as this point so I thought I would share all the surgery day pics with  you instead. I hope you enjoy Jimmy's surgery day in pictures.

             

028 TESTING. TESTING. TESTING 1-2

Good morning, everyone! I hope that you have enjoyed hearing about Jimmy's liquid diet. Rest assured you will be receiving more details about that as time goes on BUT today I am going to jump back to the chronological storyline we were following.

So let's see…

Insurance requirements…Monthly appts…Exercise…Dieting…Dr. Appt. Blitz… Now I remember, we were getting ready to talk about Testing Day!

Ok, so it's not really called Testing Day but that's what I decided to nickname it since Jimmy had to undergo a bunch of tests :) In all reality this was the day that if Jimmy could pass all his tests then he would be able to schedule his surgery date.

TEST #1:
Our day started bright and early at Heartland Medical Center. First stop was to the lab. Let me tell you Jimmy is not jazzed about anything related to drawing blood or giving blood. Then you match that reluctance up with an early morning appointment and I was sure that disaster would ensue.

Thankfully I was wrong! The lab technician was awesome! She got Jimmy on the first try which kept him in a good mood too. Not only that but I was also relieved when we later found out Jimmy's cholesterol and blood sugars looked good. One set of tests down and passed.

TEST #2:
Next we had to go the cardiology section of the hospital for an EKG. The technician hooked everything up, took his readings, and sent him on his way. When we talked to the Nurse Practitioner we found out that the anesthesiologist would want further testing because his results were not clear. She also said that this was normal for a person JImmy's size.

TEST #3:
The final test was with Cindy Roberts the Nurse Practitioner. She wanted to check that Jimmy knew what was expected from him as far as diet and exercise. She also checked to make sure he knew his vitamins and medications for post-op. She also re-assured us that we would be able to schedule the surgery date but that we would still have to go see a cardiologist for further heart testing.

PASSED!!!

Jimmy and I took the first available surgery date. Bright and early on Friday, November 16, 2012.

021 Gotta Have Support!

This post is going to stray a little bit back into our chronological storyline and then come back to the present…

Ok, so back to the Dr. Appointment Blitz day. One of the things that was really emphasized to us was the need for support, and I know that we have talked about Making New Friends but here is where the rubber meets the road…

Now jump back to the present. Jimmy and I have been slowly building a great network of people that we can talk to and rely on for support. They have been amazing! Some of them are regular people that we see regularly, others are old friends, and still others have undergone weight loss surgery themselves.

These people have been encouraging us to eat healthy and exercise, but they have taken support a step further than just using their words! On Friday (Nov. 2nd), Jimmy will be starting his two week liquid pre-op diet, but he won't be alone. In order to support and empathize with Jimmy during this time, our support team has taken it upon themselves to arrange a rotation schedule so that at least one of them is doing the liquid diet with Jimmy every SINGLE day!

He will never be alone in his hunger or frustration. He can look at his list and he can see who his "diet buddy" is for the day and he can call them up and talk it out. We are super excited and touched by this amazing outpouring of support and love that Jimmy has specifically received in this area.

A BIG thank you to all our friends and especially to our support team as we prepare to enter the hardest two weeks in our lives to date.

Thanks again,

019 Jimmy's 3 Week Pre-Op Update

Hi, everyone! Today marks three weeks to the day out from Jimmy's surgery (November 16th). Yesterday Jimmy had to go for a check-up with the cardiologist to get the ok for surgery. Needless to say we had A LOT of waiting at the Cardiologist's office so we decided it would be a great time for Jimmy to record another vlog for you.

Hope you enjoy!

005 Insurance, Money and the Kitchen Sink

Last time we talked about the four main types of weight loss surgery (WLS) available. If you interest has been piqued then I am sure you are starting to wonder how much it’s going to cost you and what you may or may not have to do to get insurance coverage for a WLS. I can only answer these questions from our perspective and give you tips on how you can find out how these things are going to apply to you.

Let’s just go ahead and get the easy question out of the way...

Q: How much will a WLS cost me?

A: No one has an exact amount. It varies from person to person and hospital to hospital. However, for an estimate of the cost you will incur you should contact the WLS program/center/doctor you are planning to use. They should have a pretty good idea of how the money will come out in the end because they do this all the time.

Keep in mind that there are many factor that will determine the cost of your WLS:

• Surgeon performing the surgery
• Time spent recovering in the hospital
• Complications or lack of complications
• Number of care providers overseeing your case

Q: Will my medical insurance cover WLS?

A: Each insurance carrier is unique. Be sure to check with your insurance provider before undergoing surgery as the types of surgery covered and the requirements for coverage vary widely from one provider to the next. A good surgery program should help you to file your insurance paperwork and receive pre-authorization of coverage for your surgery before you ever schedule your operating room time.

Q: What are some common insurance requirements for WLS coverage?

A: I can’t tell you for sure about your insurance company but I can tell you about ours. But I am not going to do that until next time...

So stay tuned.

002 Why Consider Weight Loss Surgery (WLS)?

I would hazard a guess that if you are reading this then you may have either had or be considering some kind of WLS. Therefore you are not the person that says “They can’t lose the weight because they are lazy” or “Why do surgery when you can lose it naturally” or “They are just looking for a ‘magic’ fix to their problem”. Those people DRIVE ME CRAZY! In some cases their questions might be valid but in the vast majority they are just wrong and their questions are inappropriate. Let me explain...

Most people are not aware that there have been medical studies conducted that have concluded that most morbidly obese people (anyone with a BMI 40+) are physically incapable of losing their weight naturally and keeping it off long term. These studies are the reason that insurance companies have decided to provide coverage for WLS surgeries such as the gastric bypass and Lap-Band. They realize that many of the people they insure will never be able to lose their excess weight without surgical assistance.

However, surgery never has and probably never will be an easy or magical fix. You MUST WORK to change your eating and exercise habits in order to receive the benefits of the surgery. “Failed” surgeries are the cause of many of the snide and demeaning comments like the examples I gave above. Really it is not the surgery that has failed but the people who have failed to commit to a lifestyle change that have failed to receive the results they were hoping to achieve. More on this later.

Jimmy and I decided to consider WLS because we realized that he needs help to achieve his weight loss goals. We are committed to making lifestyle changes that will make us healthier and will help to achieve and maintain long-term health and weight management. We are ready and willing to start putting in the work it will take to make those dreams happen. Join us!

Other Resources:

Calculate Your BMI

Learn More About Obesity

Tools to Help You Plan Your Food & Fitness Standards

001 Getting to Know You

Jimmy making funny faces at a youth event.

Hi there! My name is Christiana. You may or may not know me, but if you are visiting this blog then there’s a pretty good chance that you are thinking about Weight Loss Surgery (WLS).

I’m not personally planning on going through WLS--even though I could stand to lose a few pounds--but my wonderful hubby is. My hubby’s name is Jimmy. Yep, that's him there on the left with the funny look on his face!

So you may be wondering why I am writing the blog if I’m not the one going through the WLS. Well the answer is two fold: First and foremost Jimmy and I are a team. We love and support each other no matter what and I am in this with him even though I am not having surgery. Secondly (and probably more importantly to this question), Jimmy doesn’t like writing/blogging very much so if you want the scoop then I guess you are stuck with me :) *sigh* But I will encourage him to get on here and post his thoughts in his own words but I can’t guarantee that it will happen or that it will happen often.

Anyway, I look forward to getting to know you and I hope we can be of some help and/or assistance to you. Feel free to post questions and comments you may have. We will do our best to answer from our own personal experiences (remember that we are NOT doctors and our advice should NOT be taken as the medical gospel) but we are happy to share. Please join Jimmy and I as we go through this life-changing experience.