33 Years Old and Ready to Get my Life Back. - Durham, NC

Hi guys I am Heather. I am a 33 year old single mom of 2. I have been stalking you guys for months now LOL and finally decided to start my journey. I have been overweight my whole life and about 4 years ago decided to change my lifestyle. I dieted and exercised a hundred pounds off of my body and was able to maintain that weight loss for 2 years. After February of last year when I had a hysterectomy, I started gaining weight and put back on 50 pounds in a period of about six months. I have been to several doctors who have checked everything and I am fine. One doctor said it was hormonal and that it would eventually balance out the other doctor said basically that I ate too much. So here I am a year post op for my hysterectomy and still gaining weight. I am tired of the body aches and pains from carrying this extra weight that my body got used to not having. I am tired of taking these diet pills to help me and all they do is give me headaches and makes me thirsty and irritable. So I have decided to jump on the sleeve train. I have already contacted a surgeon who referred me back to my insurance company. My insurance company is practically making me consult with 3 different parts of the insurance company to make sure that I am eligible. Yesterday I finally got approval from them to find a doctor. Luckily the insurance covers 90% up to $3,200 and then anything after that out of pocket max they cover 100%. So now the question is to find the right doctor. I currently live in Durham North Carolina and I have read some reviews from Duke about the surgeon there but I have also read that he has accidentally nicked several patients bowels during the surgery... so needless to say I am hesitant about seeing him. I am excited to finally start this journey and I am hoping to be sleeved by the end of the year. Any advice or recommendations on surgeons would be greatly appreciated.

So today was very busy. I had a follow up appt from veing in the ER last month with an URI and gallbladder problems. I knew when i went to him i was going to inform him of my intention to get sleeved and i wanted his opinion. When i went...i was floored. He was absolutely amazing and very understanding. We discussed the need to get my gallbladder out asap..and he did tell me that alot of people who get sleeved have issues later on with their gallbladder. He is very concerned..as am I. Well.. while there he recommended a surgeon there. While waiting for him to come back in my room..i researched him. Seems like he has great reviews. Well...the dr came back in the room and told me he contacted him and he said he could remove my gallbladder and sleeve me at the same time. I was FLOORED!!!! They are sending me the packet to fill out but since my dr is referring me to him for the gallbladder issue..i think this may be happening quicker than i initially thought. They are going to call me with the appt and i was told today that after my appt with him. .i will meet nutritionist, nurse practitioner,and the psych all at the same time. After i see them they will submit the info to my insurance company. Omg...this is soooo exciting! On the dowside...my weight today was 260. But not for long#!#

Got these babies yesterday. I already filled them out. Im off today so im gonna take them back to office today. I cant believe i finally made it to this point.

I waited and waited and finally took it upon myself to contact the surgeon since they never called. I have my psych eval and first visit on june 6th. I will be seeing the nutr.. the psych and the nurse practitioner. I need to have my gallbladder removed as well but right now that takes priority... I am hoping they will schedule both surgeries fairly quickly. Fingers crossed!!

I went this past Monday and had my initial appointment with the nurse practitioner, dietitian and my psych eval. I was there a total of 5 hours. I think everything went well... all three people I saw signed off on the surgery stating that they felt like I would be a good candidate. I already eat kind of healthy and they did say that most women after they have hysterectomies gain weight for no reason. I guess it's just the changes in the hormones or the lack thereof. I have decided to not tell my boyfriend that I am going to have the surgery. We have talked about it before and he says he feels like it is the lazy way out and that I should just work out the old-fashioned way. I explained this to the psychiatrist and she asked me if he would be supportive. I told her no and that I really did not care. I am doing this for me and my kids...not for him. We have been off and on for about 4 years and if he wants to exit to the left he can be my guest. LOL. I was good until the nurse practitioner told me that I had to completely be nicotine free prior to my surgery. So they got nicotine levels on me and even though I have reduced the amount that I am smoking I went from a pack a day to half a pack a day my nicotine levels were really high. I was pretty bummed that they are making me completely quit smoking in the next 4 weeks. :(
On a good note I was told that my insurance does not require 6 months of dieting attempts and that it should take them about 2 weeks to get the approval. I was also told that because my BMI is right at 40% that I do not have to do the 2-week liquid diet prior to surgery... they did do a lot of blood work and it did come back that I was vitamin D deficient and my bilirubin levels were very elevated. We already knew about the bilirubin levels being elevated because I have gallbladder disease but they did tell me that they would take out my gallbladder and sleeve me in the same procedure so I'm excited about having both of those things done at the same time. The only people that know I am getting sleeved is my kids godparents and my father. Everyone else thinks I am just having my gallbladder removed. Fingers crossed that my family care doctor can get me some meds to help me stop smoking and that I get my appointment within the next month. I can't believe this is all happening so fast!!#