Profile: Lorrie D Surgery: Post Op Pine Grove, PA, USA Personal Comments My BMI is 60.5 and I'm pre-op. I have a physician I am comfortable with...after a long process my physician along with his nurse/assistant has gotten me approved for surgery. I will be having the DS done on August 26, 2002...and I am thrilled! It's been a long time since I wrote anything, but I'm here to update my WLS journey. I had my surgery on 8/26/02. Recovery was a long process and I have to admit that it took several months before I could honestly say that I was happy I got the surgery and that I would do it again. I suffered a few weeks of intense depression and exhaustion that took my last bit of energy I could muster. I asked myself many times over the course of those rough weeks and months if I actually did the right thing. I was depressed and I think a lot of it was due to the fact that I couldn't eat the way I was sooo used to eating. I would have food dreams, much like a drug addict has drug dreams when it's taken away from them. Because of my health the surgery was a little rough with both of my lungs collapsing on the operating table. I had to be put on lifesupport for a number of hours. But through the grace of God and the talent of my surgeon, I pulled through. I can now say whole heartily that I would do it again in a heartbeat!!! My starting weight was 330 lbs on 8/26/02. As of right now, 10/28/03, I weigh 200 lbs! I lost 130 lbs in just a little over 1 yr. (and still losing). I went from a size 32-34 down to a 16-18. I have never felt better in all my life! I can finally do all the things I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would be able to do again! I'm able to run, walk stairs without feeling like I'm going to pass out, work out and exercise, I actually enjoy walking...something I hated before the weightloss because I couldn't breath when I walked. Now I "want" to walk...I deliberately park my car far from my destination so I can walk, because I enjoy it. This past summer I was able to take my 3 yr. old daughter to the amusement park and ride with her on the rides!!!! Before the weightloss I had to ask friends to ride with her and all I could do was sit and watch someone do the things with my daughter that I so badly wanted to do myself. I was soooo heavy that all I could do was walk from one bench to the next. This summer was totally different and the best summer of my life! I got into a bathingsuit...I haven't worn a bathingsuit in yrs before this summer (and I actually looked good in it!!!) I can get down on the floor and wrestle with my daughter, play tackle football and it's not a struggle to get back up on my feet. I can go on and on and on and on with all the things I can do now. I'm just so thankful that God and Dr.P were able to make it possible for me to get this surgery so I can live the life I was destined to live. I'm not saying that everyday is 'just peachy' because it's not. At times I still struggle with not be able to eat myself to an oblivion like I used to do. Food was my biggest joy in life. But, those struggles are few and far between and don't last long. On most days I am satisfied and happy with the amount of food I can consume. I never thought I would ever be happy with just taking a bite of this or a bite of that. I could never just have a small slice of cake before, I wanted to eat the whole damn cake and then some. Now one small slice is all I really "want" to eat. It's wonderful to be sooo free. One of the best benefits of the surgery is that I am no longer the invisible woman. (I don't know how in God's name I could be invisible at 330 lbs, but I was)...no one ever took notice that I was "there". I felt like people avoided me, ignored me so they didn't have to see the fat lady. Now people look me in the eye, hug me and I can't help but to beam! It feels so good to look people in the eye and have them look back. And I smile a whole lot more than ever before! Thank you sooooo much Dr.Peters, for giving me the life I always wanted! Surgeon Info: William S. Peters (Peckville, PA) First Appt was on Feb 7. The first person I met was Dr.Peters assist/wife. She was absolutely wonderful and very sweet. Dr.Peters was not feeling well that day and he kept apologizing for not being his usual self. He was very nice and explained the surgeries to me. Because stomach cancer runs in both sides of my family he said he thought the best surgery would be the DS. Which I also agreed would be best. Even though Dr.P had other patients waiting to be seen he did not rush me, he made sure he answered all my question and I understood the risks as well as the benefits of the surgery. Robbie immediately went to work to find out if my insurance would cover the surgery. She found out that it would cover the WLS but not a physician that is out of my county. Dr. Peters is quite a ways from my county so I am in the process of changing insurances so that Dr.P will be the phys. to do my surgery. My next appt is on Feb 21 and although I won't have my new insurance by then I am able to keep my second appt so when my new insurance goes into affect Robbie will be able to process the paper work immediately. I'm hoping if all goes well to have surgery before summer. I will write more after my appt on 2/21/02. I had my second appt. on 2/21/02. Dr.P and Robbie were great, they are so nice. Dr.P tested me on the info he gave me...first he gave me an oral test and then a written test. I was so nervous trying to tell him what I learned but he understood my nervousness and told me to not to be nervous he just wanted to know what I learned. The written test was not hard at all, he just wanted to make sure I understood the possible complications as well as the great aspects of the surgery. Robbie told me that the new insurance I got will require me to have a psych eval and few other tests that Dr.P doesn't require, but the my ins. co. does. So, it's going to take a little longer for me until I get the surgery than I was hoping, but I will get it. I made appt. to get these additional tests done, but I wasn't able to get appt. for another month yet...this waiting part is the hardest! July 24, 2002: After many months of waiting and jumping through hoops and over hurdles, I finally have been approved for my surgery by my insurance company!!! WoooHooo!!! My surgery date is Aug.26th. Insurer Info: PA Access (MA card) My doctor's medical secretary said they are very slow to return calls and they require many kinds of proof that this surgery is medically necessary. I get the impression that they require more than other insurance companies require. A friend of mine is also going to get the same surgery done from the same doctor as I am and I started the process 2 months before she did. She has different insurance than mine. She was approved before I was and she didn't have to provide as much paper work or reports from previous physicians as I did. I also had to undergo more testing than she did. I think once my insurance saw that this surgery is medically necessary, they didn't stall at all. Up until that point there was a lot of redtape that held things up. I also heard complaints that this company is slow at paying the surgeons and as a result some surgeons are hesident about taking patients that have medical assistance. I don't know how well they responded to persistence, I didn't have much personal contact with them. The few times I did call to talk to them they would not tell me anything. They said they needed to talk to my surgeon or his staff directly. My advice to anyone needing to get this surgery and is on MA, is to stay in weekly or biweekly contact with your surgeon's staff. Make sure they know you are still waiting and not only wanting the surgery but also needing it...I think the more persistant you are with the medical staff the more persistant they will be with the insurance company.