Back to Waiting....

Well the excitement has turned to disappointment.  I went to the May 6th appt, all went well. It didn't take to long.  I met with the nurse, he had me sign some paperwork and then gave me a requisition for blood work, and a echo cardiogram...check my heart beat rhythm.  When we left, I had asked about the time I can expect to be waiting., and he said at least a year.  Here I thought since I've been waiting already for 17 mths, and I did the required steps of classes...that the remaining steps could take a couple months, and I'd have surgery making the whole process approx. 2 yrs.

Nope this would not be the case.  I came home feeling like my expectations of this process were all lies.  I did the blood work, and the heart test.  I was also given instructions to record all my food, which I had been doing.  Also I was told to get a step tracker, so I ordered a Fitbit One.  My next apt was 1 mth.

So I started to track the steps, and continued to track my food.  Went camping for the May long weekend.  Got over the fact I had another year to wait...still hoped it would happen before my daughter graduated so I could feel better about myself, and we'd have some new family pictures.  I was still okay.

Appt #2, I am back at the office, and this time I have 3 people to meet.  First I meet the dietician, and we discuss the calories, the journal, and some of the struggles I have faced.  Second I meet the one of the doctors, the Internist, and she reviewed my lab report.  She said everything was good, no major red flags, my cholesterol was a bit up, and my iron as usual was low.  The goal of 10% was given again., and it was her that informed me, I was looking at a 2yr wait ahead.  I was shocked...how could that be, I was first told 2 yrs from referral, then the nurse added a yr, and now she's adding 2yrs.  So from referral to surgery...I'm now being told is 3-4yrs.   I do not have to follow up with the dr, since I am in good shape for surgery, medically I am cleared for it.   Next I saw the psychologist, we talked about all things relating to food, if I am an emotional eater, boredom, bad habits.  Did I ever purge or starve?  It wasn't quite what I thought would happen, I thought maybe I'd be shrinked abit more.  Tho we did discuss some aspects of my childhood, and the progression of how I got to my weight, it didn't feel like I was being helped...but maybe I misunderstood how this would go., as I have never been to one before.

So the end of the day, I have follow ups with the dietician, and the psychologist, and see the nurse again.  I expect to have monthly appts now, until surgery to track progress.  I was told that I need to lose the 10%, but didn't have a time frame., and the flip side of that is if I gain weight I am disqualified from the program.

So there we have it, and the new breakdown:

Jan 2015----referred

May 2016---1st apt

June 2016---2nd apt

(expected surgery date June 2018)

I got the call...

So excited, I got the call I had been waiting for.  My first appointment is for May 6., and they sent a pkg of paperwork to fill out.

So this past week, still recovering from what my dr thinks is a fracture in my foot., that happened at the beginning of the month., I get started preparing for the appt.  I answered the questions, and then pulled together all relevant documents to assist me.  I called or e-mailed companies to show I had tried different weight loss strategies.  Jenny Craig still had me on file, so I got a print out of that membership, but weight watchers did not.  Thankfully I had saved a few of the booklets, it was nice to look back and see where I was, and regret that I wasn't able to keep it up.

I pulled together all the weight wise, AB health, and primary care network classes and put it all in one binder.  I also have my certificate and grades for the 3 different on line weight loss, nutrition, fitness courses I took.  They were all really good, I was able to go at my own pace, I definitely recommend taking something.  I found them on Groupon.  I also gathered the different fitness membership, boot camp classes I attended over the past few years.  All this shows is that I do try, and tho I can't always afford to keep going, I wasn't sitting around either, I kept trying. 

Now I am working on what I consider to be my biggest challenge, food journaling.  Tracking every bite does not come easy to me.  It is required, and I know it is important, so I shall do my best.  I am writing it down on paper, and then at the end of the day I enter into My Fitness Pal.  Since My Fitness Pal has a huge database to every food out there, and if it doesn't you can copy from the pkg and add it in, it makes the job easy.  Last time I tracked was during my Weight Watchers days., and I got pretty good at eyeballing the amounts.  If I am required to be exact I will dig out the measuring cups, but for now I'm using my hands as a rough guide...as learned in the classes. 

Now is the time I feel the crunch to finish up some of the house renovations, knowing that my recovery could take awhile, I don't want things left undone.  So this week the kids are on spring break, and we are getting the playroom finished.  The snow is almost gone, time to clean the backyard, and start planning for our brand new garden. 

 

Time line to date:

 

Saw family doctor and he sent referral Jan 2015.

Call to set up for 1st appt...March 2016.

1st Meeting to Bariatric Clinic...May 2016

Still Waiting, but getting closer...

Had my yearly check up and blood work done.  Everything is well for the most part, still having issue with my low iron. 

However I have learned I am approx. 4 mths away now from having my appt with the clinic.  Now I am not sure this means another set of months to have the surgery., so it is possible I could see a surgery date as early as this summer.   As 4 mths puts us at the end of the kids school year., and into summer, I have had to cancel our yearly camping trip.   Normally we have to book a campsite months in advance, and if I get called I would hate to be away, or cancel our plans.  So it looks like no camping this year, or if we can short weekend trips around the city...no nice lakes for the kids to safely swim.  So we may have to have a few trips to the pool.

I have started January with an online nutrition course.  It is so full of information, I am very happy that I chose to take it.  Thankfully it was with a Groupon, but you get a much better sense of how to do things correctly.  Being shown the way the big companies manipulate the food industry was most interesting.  If you haven't already watched the documentaries, they are worth it.  Some may be embellished to favor certain viewpoints, but overall good to make you think and take pause at what we are eating.

One series called "The Men Who Made Us Fat"...I believe you can find it on You Tube.