Hi!

Jennie1980

Active Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2016
Messages
35
Hello,
I'm Jennie. I live in the hills of Northeast Tennessee. I'm 35 years old, married to a great man, mother of 5, yes 5 daughters. I have 3 grandbabies. That is not a typo, nor is my age.

I guess I'm what I've seen referred to as a lightweight. I'm 200 lbs at 5 feet 3 inches tall. My BMI is currently 35.3. I am in my pre-op educational and dieting phase.

My PCP is on board. She's educating herself as I go. She's great. There's a bit of a language barrier so getting her to understand specific language required for insurance purposes can be a challenge but she supports me, is a great doctor and wants me to be better, so we work together on that.

My surgeon is absolutely amazing as is his staff,the hospital and the staff there. The hosptial is a Center of Excellence. My husband and I attended siminar. I've had my initial consultation with him but I've interacted with him before because my sister had him do her RNY. I can not sing his praises enough.

He will not do RNY on me because I recently quit smoking. Even though he appreciated my willingness to do that for myself after 25 years, he explains that the risk of ulcers is too great and he will not do RNY for any current or previous smoker. He doesn't do Lap Band. He suggested a sleeve or DS for me. After a lot of learning, I've decided on DS. With my BMI, I know some people may consider that extreme. I have many comorbidities. So, to me, it is worth the risks and responsibilities.

I have private insurance but excludes bariatric surgery. I have medicaid (Tenn Care, Blue Care) that covers if medically necessary. My surgeon and office staff are certain I will be approved after I finish my insurance required six months of supervised dieting. My 4th monthly visit is this Monday.

My required psychological evaluation, blood work and metabolic testing are scheduled for May 5, 2016.

The required comorbidities for approval by my insurance are: Obstructive Sleep Apnea, which I have. Hyperlipidemia, which I have, diabetes, I am on metformin for fasting impaired glycemia, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy, I have neither of those (Thank God), and debilitating musculoskeletal disorders. I have arthritis and fibromyalgia that cause chronic pain. Medication is not controlling the cholesterol after over a year on it and with dietary changes. The metformin isn't controlling the pre-diabetes. Two of these six plus a BMI of 35 or greater are required for insurance approval. I have 3. Possibly 4, depending on the insurance company's classification of impaired fasting glycemia.

I have a long list of other things required for insurance approval. I am jumping through the hoops and here is why:

People in my family tend to drop dead in the 40s of sudden cardiac related deaths. 4 paternal uncles who had no clue they had heart disease. I don't want to do that. I do not wish to have a heart full of stints like my mother. I don't want to take cholesterol medicine forever, like my father. I'd rather skip the heart attacks, strokes and quadruple by pass surgeries all together.I loved my grandmother and I am proud to be like her, but I don't want to celebrate my 30s with 2 heart attacks, quadruple bypass or insulin dependant diabetes. I don't want to be like my maternal uncle with a pacemaker after heart attack. I don't want to be like mom's youngest brother who celebrated his 30 birthday with a heart attack, has 19 stints in his heart, has had bypass and is on a heart transplant list because he stopped counting after his 23rd heart attack. At 48 years old, that will not be me. I will still be rocking! I don't ever want to take ineffective, make you feel like crap, diet pills ever again. I'm tired of feeling bad, constantly. I'm tired of diets that don't work.

Here is what I do want! I want to play on our playground equipment with the kids. I want to run, skip and jump with the babies. I want energy. Oh how I covet energy. I want to get off the pain meds. I want to have a pain free day, on the regular! I live in one of the most beautiful places, at the foot of the mountains. I want to walk and explore! I want to dance again. I love to dance. It makes me feel good even though I have no talent for it lol! I miss it. I want to ride a horse again. Every weekend like I use to. I want to go on adventures with my husband and be able to keep up with him. I want to sleep comfortably. I want to get out of the house and feel good. I am a recent licensed cosmetologist. I can't work. But I will. By the new year! I want to throw my CPAP mask in the trash. I want off the yo-yo. I want to learn about my new life. I want to go get it. I'm willing to work for it. I am willing to take responsibility for maintaining my vitamins, minerals and protein. I am ready to get my body moving again.

Gaining quality of life is worth every risk and every responsibility to me. It is going to happen and I am blessed to have people to share the life changes with.
Thank you for allowing me to join your group, read your stories, and go through the education, struggles and triumphs with you.

Oh, I do want to fit in those piles of clothes I have too!
 
Hi and welcome! With your comorbidities and genetics you have more than enough reason to have the DS as a "lightweight". Who is your surgeon?
 
Welcome! The DS will do amazing things for your glucose, body pain and cholesterol. I couldn't take statins -- I was one of those who developed dementia and got lost in my own neighborhood from statins -- and even when I did take them my cholesterol barely budged. When I had the DS my cholesterol was in the 300s. When I had my first follow up labs 3 months later it was 167! My joint pain and swollen ankles were gone before I left the hospital. My fasting glucose was instantly normal. Good luck!

PS: Please make sure your surgeon is doing the REAL DS with two anastomoses and not the SIPS or SADI. Only the traditional DS has the data to show that it is successful in resolving your co-morbitities.
 
Hi @Jennie1980 glad you are here! IMHO you have made a wonderful decision for yourself and have the journey planned out well! I suspect your diabetes will be cured before you leave the hospital!
I am in East TN and had Dr. Boyce do my DS. I was a revision from crap band - I went to Dr B to see what my surgical and non-surgical options were and here I am.
now, I see the 35 years old and 5 daughters and 3 grandbabies. Lord Help! That right there is super woman mode. I have 1 whole daughter and tried to get my dad to adopt her for the age 13 to 19 year time frame. He wouldn't . :) Not sure I would have survived 5!

Welcome to the site - lots of good info here - I used the bookmark function save stuff I thought I might need later - makes it easy to find it. read, read, read, and don't hesitate to ask questions.
 
I appreciate the warm welcome! How cool that I'm already meeting others who had Dr. Boyce. I will double check to make sure it is indeed a DS that I'm getting. I'm fairly certain he only does Sleeve, DS, RNY and lap band though I think he is getting away from lap band entirely. He also does this Ballon thing called Orbera, I think I spelled it right. It's a cool concept. I am one of those folks who cannot live with idea of a foreign object in my body. No lapband or baloon thingy here lol I'd never sleep again haha. In all my reading, the only thing that's concerning right now is getting and keeping my labs in good order. Other than that, I'm tired of waiting and ready to go! Thanks again for the warm welcome!
 
Hi and welcome! With your comorbidities and genetics you have more than enough reason to have the DS as a "lightweight". Who is your surgeon?
Dr. Stephen Boyce is my surgeon. The responses I get from some people about DS are so funny. It's been just like life. Too skinny to hang with the chubby girls and to chubby to hang with the skinny girls lol. I've wrestled with this so much. I feel it's best. And the more I read, the more I feel that way.
 
In all my reading, the only thing that's concerning right now is getting and keeping my labs in good order.
Best place to start for keeping labs in good order is stay AWAY from his bariatric vitamins and follow the Vitalady list found here
I get heartburn with his office pushing HIS vitamins. He should not be making money that way. And they aren't adjustable. IF I had used his, I would be toxic on A, E, and all the B's or severely deficient on D and K. Plus they are expensive. Just find a way to avoid lining his pocket.

And I suspect that with your starting BMI, you will avoid his pre-op diet. Made the staff nuts but he told me not to lose any weight pre-surgery as I was too close to the cutoff. Normally he says 2 weeks of pre-op diet for those under a 50 BMI and 4 weeks with those over a 50. BUT at a 35.2, he was afraid, I would slip too much under the 35 and then be too small according to insurance.

As far as the diet and education classes...they are focused on RNY NOT the DS. So just learn to smile and nod...and then listen to the people who actually LIVE with the DS.
 

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