Let's Get This Ball Rolling!

Well folks- it’s officially begun.

I met with my surgeon (who is incredible by the way) and have gotten the ball rolling.

Here is the breakdown of my appointment/morning:

8:00- Complete necessary paperwork and give them my insurance information.

8:15- Get “Before” picture taken and meet with nurse to discuss “The Study” (“The “Study” is just that- a

          study that collects data from people undergoing bariatric surgery and tracts their progress)

8:20- Meet with surgeon, Dr. Slikkers at Grand Traverse Surgery, to discuss different types of surgery

           and to hear his recommendations. He thinks the best option for me is the vertical sleeve

           gastrectomy, which is what I wanted anyway. He says I should be able to lose 85-100 pounds if I

           strictly follow post-op instructions. He tells me that I need an upper GI Endoscopy to check for a

           hiatal hernia; this is due to my heartburn and possible GERD which can get worse sometimes with

           the sleeve procedure. I also need to get a full lab work-up and a chest x-ray.

8:40- Meet with scheduler to get a date for my endoscopy and get my lab slips for blood-work and

          X-Rays.

10:00- Meet with a few people in a group with the nutritionist to discuss pre & post-op diet as well as

             changes to make now, while we are a few months out from surgery.

10:30- Meet with the nutritionist individually to discuss my concerns and questions. As it stands I am

            getting about 36 grams of protein/day and I need to bring that up to 80-100 grams/day… YIKES!

Overall I am super excited that the first step is out of the way but I am also so frustrated because this whole process is very expensive. The endoscopy alone will cost about $750, plus the x-rays, labs, protein powder, co-pays, and surgery costs. I am starting to feel more guilt regarding this whole process. My husband is so incredibly supportive but I know that it has to be frustrating to see so much money going towards this. He just keeps saying “it’s OK- really. It will make you happy.” What about his happiness? What about the kids? In the grand scheme of things I know this is nothing, especially in comparison to what my family and I will gain from me being healthier but still…for a young family like mine with 2 kids and daycare expenses- we are going to feel this for a while. We haven’t even paid off the hospital expenses from delivering my second son! I just feel selfish.

As promised here are my stats from my first appointment:

Weight: 229#

Height: 5’ 4-1/2”

BMI: 38

BP: 110/70