My Surgical Weight Loss Journey

Good Morning, it is Sunday October 2, 2011. So much is going through my head, It is a beautiful morning, the temp is 52, blu sky's, the sun is shining, I can hear the birds singing :-) I am thinking about taking a bike ride, or going for a walk or just heading to the gym, I have been pretty sedentary the past couple months :-(

Yup that's "ME" on the left, in the pink, That photo was taken on July 2,2011. Rite now I am at my heaviest last time (some time last week) I stepped on the scale & saw 188.2 OMG YUCK! :-(

On Aug. 9,2011 I attended a Weight Loss Surgery Seminar, Something I have been interested in for quite some time but my PCP kept telling me my BMI isn't high enough. Well Hello self referal! After the Seminar I scheduled and appt. to see one of the Weight Loss Surgens, Dr. Eric J. Hanly, MD

(Dr. Hanly completed medical school at The Johns Hopkins University and his general surgery residency program at The John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He also completed a fellowship in minimall invasive and bariatric surgery at Duke Universit, Durham, N.C. Dr. Hanly served five years in the U.S. Air Force and was on the surgical faculty at Duke University and at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. He serves on the faculty at the University of Colorado Health Science Center and is board certified in general surgery. He has a special interest in surgical oncology and advanced laparoscopic surgery and performes laparoscopic weight loss surgery as a member of St. Mary's Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Center team. He is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Dr. Hanly joined General Surgeons of Western Colorado in Grand Junction in 2010.)

Dan joined me for the Seminar, I wanted him to hear what I was hearing, know what I was going to know, see what I was seeing & have the opportunity to ask questions. At the end os the Seminar, I might add to my surprise the clerical staff was available and ready to schedule appts. Dan asked me what I wanted to do, I told him I wanted to look further into this & asked him what he thought, he told me it was up to me. So YES I scheduled my appt. to see Dr. Hanly.

My 1st appt. with Dr. Hanly was on Aug. 31,2011. I am 60.5" (5' 1/2") WT. 184, BMI 35.4.

WOW what a process! Psychological Evaluation, Upper GI, EKG, chest X-Ray, EMMI On line computer education program, Nutrition Consult, Labs, Pulmonology Consult, Weight Loss Support Group, & Read the book by Garth Davis, The Expert's Guide to Weight Loss Surgery.

I had my Upper GI on Sept. 9,2011, hope I don't have to do another one of those! Saw Dr. Gustavson for my Psychological Eval on Sept. 22,2011, He gave me the green light! Saw Anna for my Nutrition Consult on Sept. 29,2011, WOW what an EYE OPENER that appt. was! Basically the Nutritionist is there to help with the before & after process. My insurance does require a 6 mth. medically supervised weight loss diet, so Tuesday Oct. 4,2011 I will start Weight Management Solutions, it'a a program the insurance will accept & from what I can see very educational. I will have my Pulmonology Consult on Oct. 13,2011 & attend the Weight Loss Support Group on Oct. 14, 2011. I do have a feeling as far as the Pulmonology Consult I am going to need to do a sleep study, I had on done in 2007 & I was diagnosed with Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea. So after that is complete, my Labs, EKG & Support Group are complete I will see Dr. Hanly again, & hopefully have gotten the green light from my insurance company & can schedule surgery.

For now, I need to read ALL the material I was given from Anna & start preparing myself for before and after surgery. My eating life as I know it TODAY will be forever changed, but I am willing to give it 150%!