1 Month Away!!

I'm amazed that my surgery date is now just 1 month away! Although my original plan was to have it done in November- latest December-- that's not happening. BUT I'm ok with that :o)

I did wake up this morning with the thought - what if my insurance denies me?! Ugh. Terrible thought. I can't think that way.

In MY plans - I had hoped to have surgery this week (around Dec 14th) but God has other plans. About 3 weeks ago I got a cold- finally started to get over it and got another cold. Yuck. Then today (it's actually Monday the 13th) I woke up at 3am-- catapulted out of bed and have been sick all AM with a stomach bug that's not easing up. SO I have to believe that God's in control of this- every detail. If my surgery was scheduled for this week- it just would not be happening with his cold & bug to boot.

7 weeks from today......

I will have gastric bypass surgery!!

Thats's right!! I have a surgery date!!!
January 12th, 2011

Woot! Woot!!

3 week Pre-Surgery Diet

Why a diet before Gastric Bypass Surgery? To help reduce the size of you (fatty) liver and improve other conditions that may make surgery
more difficult.

My nutritionist said I should expect to lost another 3% on this diet.

Requirements:
1. Drink 2 protein shakes (women and 3 for men) each day.
Mixed with 8oz skim milk or water.
Must be in these guidelines:
80-100 calories
0-4g fat
1-7g carbs
17-15g protein

2. No caffeine

3. One serving of each of these per day. ( don't have to eat it but no substitutions.)
- 1/2 cup dry oatmeal with water
- 4oz sugar free jello
- 6oz light nonfat yogurt
- 3oz fresh fruit OR 4oz unsweetened applesauce
- 2 cup raw OR 1 cup cooked non-starchy vegetable
- 3 oz very lean protein (chicken, turkey, or white fish)
- 1 tbsp light salad dressing.

All Systems Go!

Everything is set to go. I have done everything I need to do to get GBP. Last Tuesday, Rich and I had our appt with Amber - our nutritionist. We passed :o) actually we both did well on the 1st 3 week diet. Rich lost 17 pounds!!! I lost 6.

TODAY is the day I call and schedule a surgery date. Well-- of course it's 9:30a and I've already called Mrs. Johnson and left a message. If she doesn't call me by 2p, I will call again.

I did find out that they have no openings in Dec- unless someone cancels. So the "plan" is to have surgery in January.

I'm not looking forward to the 3 week pre-surgery diet. I'll have to post details about that later.

Saying a prayer that my surgery date is scheduled today.

1 on 1 Nutritionist Appointment

Today we ended our 3 week diet, and went to our 1 on 1 appointment with Amber, our nutritionist.

(This is me waiting)

My husband... RICHARD... lost 17 pounds!!! Holy Cow! That was 17 pounds in 3 weeks!!
I lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks. I'm pretty stoked too!

Amber approved both of us, and was very pleased with our success. Richard now has 6 months with a regular doctor before our insurance will pay for his surgery.

I should get a call next week to schedule my SURGERY DATE! WOOT!



That seems like a random picture of a chair... but I was amazed at how big these things were! Then I realized how good I fit in them --- stink. Oh well, one day this chair will be able to fit ME & RICHARD in it at one time :o)

and so it begins...

Today we went for our "Initial Nutrition Appointment." I don't know what I was expecting but I don't think it was that. But that's not a bad thing at all!

{we got a little bored waiting for it to start so here are some random pictures I took while playing with my phone}

This class was taught by Amber, the Bariatric Coordinator and Nutritionist. There were about 15-18 of us in there.

We learned nutrition 101 and were given 3 weeks of homework. Yep-- 3 week diet to see if we're ready for life after surgery. (And by the way- once a surgery date is scheduled, then I start another "Pre-Surgery Diet" that consists of primarily liquids for 3 weeks.) If anyone dare says to me that I'm taking the "easy way out"... I just might bust 'em one in the nose ;o)

(ah, Hungry Sharks is a game for winners.)

For the next 3 weeks, we will be following our new "lifestyle" of eating. We'll be counting the number of carbs we consume, protein, and fat. As well as limiting our sugar intake, cutting out all sodas (including diet soda), drinking 64 oz of water each day, and exercising 3 days a week. We have to write it all down and it must come with us to our appointment on Nov. 16th (3 weeks from tomorrow)

(me saying "Rich, did you take my picture?" ha!)

This class was really informative, and I enjoyed learning. BUT because we weren't expecting a "lifestyle change" so soon... tonight was a hodgepodge dinner consisting of pizza, sausage biscuits, and hashbrown casserole. **I knew if I left that pizza in the freezer, I'd be tempted to bake it in the next 3 weeks... so that's actually Rich's lunch tonight. Rich bought sausage (which we rarely have) and I didn't want it to go to waste. I also didn't want the temptation of the hashbrowns in the freezer-- those I had never even had before, until Rich bought them to fix for breakfast last week so they were left over.

Anyway... that was our "Last Supper"

I'm ready for this. SO ready for this.

Dr. McNatt & the cute PA

Today we went for our 1st appointment with our gastric bypass surgeon. The PA came in first, and about 1/2 way into the questions about me- Dr. McNatt came in and took Rich to the next room. Some take aways from this appointment:

1. Stepping up on a scale that looks like a forklift is intimidating.

2. I'm 5'7 and 1/4" tall. {Way to go 1/4th! Woot!)

3. Most embarrassing moment of the day went something like this:
"Mrs. Snipes, if you will hop up on that table for me, I'll take a look at your belly." - the PA. I ever so gracefully lift up my shirt to expose my belly... then I realized I had to roll down my Spanx. The minimizer I had poured myself into this morning had to be peeled off... in front of the PA. Nice.

4. Bummed that Dr.McNatt said it will be December before surgery BUT I'm still excited about what's to come.

5. I have to wait 2 years before we start trying again to have a baby. This is so my weight will be stable and I won't have to battle maintaining wait if I'm growing a baby inside. Good news about all that too... I have researched this to some extent. There's overwhelming evidence that mother's who have GBP do better during pregnancy than mother's who are obese. This is so good!

Insurance??

I still have a little over a week before I go in with my 1st visit with Dr.McNatt (my surgeon.) I won't find out until after this appointment if my insurance will approve me for surgery. I'm getting nervous about it... really nervous.

I don't think there's any reason they should deny me, but that's not saying much. They can be having a bad hair day and say that's the reason I shouldn't be approved. Ugh. I don't like not having control of this. I'm just praying it all goes well... and quickly...

I'm NOT crazy :o)

Had my 4 hour... err... 2 hour psych appointment today with Dr. Smith. I passed.

I was interested to learn that research shows that only 8% of people who are moderately overweight (meaning 20-50 lbs) actually lose weight on commercial diet plans and keep it off. EIGHT PERCENT. That's low.

It's so low actually that the Federal Government has NEVER done or attempted mass research on people who are 100+ lbs overweight. (Thinking about it, these guys want to keep their job and if you only have 8% success in moderately overweight people, then you're not likely to have a fraction of that for obese people.) Oh stats. They intrigue me.

Poopy fact: Dr. Smith is the only psychologist I'm allowed to see in the WFU Bariatric Center Program. He does not take United HealthCare (aka: my insurance) so my appointment today was out of pocket. Psychologists don't discount. Boo.

All in all though, I had a pleasant experience at my Bariatric Psychologist Appointment. I had to fill out a bunch of questionnaires on paper and a really long one on the computer. Questions like "Are you suicidal?" were thrown in with "Do you pray daily?" and "Do you overeat?" Oh and my favorite question was, "Have you in any way made yourself seem healthier than you are in answering these questions?" Funny.

I think an hour of the time was spent on me, and an hour of the time was spent on him :o)

Dr. Smith said that I should expect to lose approx. 95 lbs in about 12-15 months, with 1/2 of that occurring in the 1st three months after surgery. That gets me excited! I'm so ready to do this!

2 weeks from today... I meet my surgeon. Dr. McNatt.

what a weird call!! (but good!)

it's 8pm on Friday night, and I just received a call back from my gastric bypass psychologist...

at 8pm.

it gets crazier! He said he has a cancellation on MONDAY... as in 60 hours from now! So I'm going in to be assessed on Monday morning, 10/4 at 8am. WOW. I'm nervous as heck now. Just called our friend Kevin to get the low-down on Dr. Smith. I'm freaking out (a good freaking out!)

more on Monday....

Appointments!!!

Rich and I BOTH have all our nutritional appointments set now. WOOT!

Now I am just waiting for the psychologist to call me back with an appointment and we'll be set. (He's in the clinic yesterday and today. Boo.)

So now as it's set, our appointments are:
Oct. 18th Dr.McNatt
Oct. 25th Amber (Nutritionist)
Nov. 16th Amber (Nutritionist)

I've decided to document my (our) journey online, because this is something that I have personally battled all my life. It seems crazy to me that I wouldn't give anyone a glimpse at what is going on in the process of changing my life. {This is not something that we are ashamed of or feel like needs to be kept secret. If anything, we're excited to share what God is doing in our lives as we lose weight.} We also live an hour from family, who we see as often as possible, but it's not weekly. I feel like Richard and I both would benefit from the support, even if it's from a distance. So as the time grows closer, I'll be posting pictures, possible videos and such to document our gastric journey.

I've got the golden ticket!

I can't even believe it. I have been waiting (not so) patiently the past 2 weeks for some word from Dr. Fuzz's office. And nothing.

I got REALLY ticked last week when Richard got 2 calls from Amber (the nutritionist) about stuff for GBP, and she didn't even remember my name.

BUT all that was gravy when I got my letter in the mail Monday morning.


Can you see it?! October 18th at 10am is the big day. I have my appointment with Dr. McNatt. I'm can't begin to tell you how excited I am to start this new phase of my life. And now, Richard has decided that he also wants GBP so we'll be doing this together. (Ironically, he got his letter today, and his appt is at 9am on the same day. Funny, huh?!)

Learned tonight that Obesity just surpassed Tobacco use at the leading cause of preventable death . It's time for a change. I'm ready.

Waiting Game

I'm not good at waiting. I like to get things done now, not later.

I've got all my paperwork in to Dr. Fuzz (at Baptist), now I'm just waiting on some medical records to be sent over. Then it's more waiting... they must deem me a candidate, and then my insurance must approve me.

I'm not too concerned about me being deemed a candidate; however the insurance thing... it's makes my stomach hurt with nerves. I'm praying that God will just make this process go smoothly, and with no hiccups.

May the wait be short :o)

1st step - PAVE

Today could potentially effect not only the next 18-24 months of my life, but the rest of my life. How crazy is that?

We'll be leaving at 4pm today to head to Winston-Salem for the first step in this gastric bypass journey. I'm required to go to an informational seminar (called PAVE) where I will turn in my packet, and then the waiting game begins. I must be "deemed a candidate" and then my insurance must approve to cover me. Those are my biggest prayers right now.

Last night I watched the Dr. Oz show where he had a colonoscopy on tv. The entire show reminded me of my Memaw, and how sick she was for over 6 years with colon cancer. This is just one of the many reasons I want to go forward with gastric bypass-- I want to eliminate "obesity" as one of my risk factors for colon cancer.

So I'm looking forward to today with nerves, but excited to be on the road to a healthier me!

I'm at Cupcake's end...

I'm doing it. I've decided to jump in with 2 feet & everything else that follows (hopefully my flabby arms, butt, and gut.) I'm beginning my journey of gastric bypass.

{Random side note: I'm sitting here looking at a whole slew of cupcakes. That's how I came up with my blog name.}

I just can't do this anymore. I'm 'at Cupcake's end'.

After being heavy, chunky, plump, fat, overweight, obese, morbidly obese (medical term for a BMI >40) for almost the last 20 years, I'm just done. I need a serious, harsh and brutal divorce from food. I need a fighting chance to be healthy.

I remember going on my first diet when I was in 2nd grade. 2nd GRADE. Who does that? Maybe I'll write down my "how I got here" story later.

At this moment I have fears, anxiety, and an excitement about the future that I don't remember having in quite some time.

My fears include...
-- people thinking "she's taking the easy way out." For these people, I will ask you to read this. I see GBP as a tool. I have the choice to use that tool wisely and make it effective or I can throw away my chance to get healthy.

-- how will people treat me different if I'm 150 pounds than 290 pounds? will it be a good or bad difference?

-- will this change my marriage? Rich is planning on having GBP at the beginning of 2011 :o)

-- what if my PCOS symptoms don't subside?

-- how will I manage when I literally CAN'T eat, and my brain tells me I'm hungry but my body aches from being stapled?

ALL IN ALL though... I know this will be the best decision I could make for myself. I have to give myself a shot to be who God has called me to be, and to do what God has called me to do. I can't let fat be the obstacle that prevents me from living the life that God has given me.

So I go Sept 8th for my first meeting at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center... Bariatric Surgery Seminar.

Specific prayers:
I will be able to get all the paperwork in order for the surgeons and the insurance quickly.
That I will be deemed a candidate for the surgery.
My insurance at United Health Care will approve me for coverage.
I would like to have the surgery at the beginning of November.