Ready To Live Again - Mooresville, NC

I have always been heavier, though I didn't always see myself as big as the pictures clearly showed that I was. I was just me. I tired easily and didn't like doing things outside. I never got dressed up because nothing fit me and I didn't like looking in the mirror in the first place... I've lived a life of avoidance, that is of every person who owns a camera! I have very few photos of myself. My heaviest Wt - 237 My current Wt - 232 My BMI - 39.8 with a comorbidity of Hypertension(also have Asthma) All that will soon change. I have after many years of trying every diet out there and a solid year and a half of research, decided on The Center for Surgical Weight Loss at Lake Norman with Dr. Heider as my surgeon. I am fortunate that I have BCBS insurance so my hoops to jump through are not as many as a lot of the reviews I have read here. My progress - Initial Bariatric Consultation - 4/18/2016 Nutrition Consultation - 4/27//2016 Physical Therapy Consultation - 5/3/2016 Psychological Evaluation - 5/4/2016 They are waiting for my Psych Eval. to come back and the documents from my regular Dr and then they will submit to my insurance for approval. Wish me luck! I will keep updating as things progress.

This is my first update on my journey. I am still going to Dr. Heider. By my last pretty insurance submission date I was up to 234 and my BMI was 40.1 with a comorbidity of Hypertension(also have Asthma).

I am fortunate that I have BCBS insurance so my hoops to jump through have not been as many as a lot of the reviews I have read here. My progress - Initial Bariatric Consultation - 4/18/2016 Nutrition Consultation - 4/27//2016 Physical Therapy Consultation - 5/3/2016 Psychological Evaluation - 5/4/2016
It took over a month to get my psychological evaluation back. I do not recommend Mr. Ferguson in Mooresville, NC. He told me it would take about a week and and a half because he had to request my medical records from my normal doctor. 2.5 weeks later I called to check on it and was told I was supposed to request the documents! By the time it was over it took nearly 6 weeks to get that part done. My final presentation insurance submission appt with Dr. Heider was Friday, June 17th. I called to check and make sure they had everything they needed to submit to my insurance for approval on Tuesday, June 21st and to my surprise they already had my approval! !!

Now things are moving fast I had my-
Post approval w/ Dr. Heider 6/28 and he set my surgery for 7/14
Preoperative app(lab work) 6/30
Workshop 6/30 (started my 2 week Optifast liquid diet this day)
Endoscopy 7/1

Now I am counting down the days. Only 9 more until my vertical sleeve.
Wish me luck, this liquid diet is hard!

Today I am 4 days post op. Just getting to feeling like being more mobile. I was sent home with pain meds but it hurts worse to take the medicine than it the pain itself so no pain meds for me. I have actually been very fortunate as I have had next to no real gas pains and though I have felt nauseous, I have yet to actually fail to keep things down.

Pre op - 234lbs
Surgery day - 212lbs
2 days post - 214lbs
Today - 210lbs

When I came home there was swelling and of course water retention from all of the iv fluids. The swelling is going down daily and so the extra weight it brought with it is going rapidly as well. The struggle to get in enough fluids each day is real. I am only up to getting 36 ozs in so getting in 64 oz is my current goal.

Lake Norman Regional Medical Center and Dr. Heider -
The nurses were amazing and my stay was about as good as you can expect considering the discomfort of the procedure and beginning of the healing. Dr Heider was great. I am very satisfied with my choice of Doctor and facility for my life changing Gastric Sleeve. I look forward to meeting the challenges ahead and finding the new healthier me trapped inside here somewhere. The process has already changed me drastically. I have completely quit sodas and don't even crave them. I used to live with a cup of coffee in my hand and now I have one occasionally. Foods that I remember thinking ewe about now seem interesting and when the time comes that I can add solid foods back into my diet I plan to try new things one at a time. I am not having any issues with hunger unless I am around food being cooked. Then I know it is in my head and I just remove myself from the immediate area.

I can do this and you can too!