Two days to surgery. Mon Oct 19 and Tue Oct 20

The diet continues. I am getting things lined up for the short hospital stay and the 2 weeks at home afterwards. The diet immediatley after surgery is pretty strict, but from what I hear I will not be interested in eating anything at all for a while. I have a followup visit on 10/30 (one week post-Op) and prior to that visit I am to have eaten one egg, scrambled, and to do so in very small bites. Prior to that, no solid food at all! Lots of liquid, but no more than one ounce at a time for the week after surgery. From the material, I understand that my new stomach will essentially be a pouch the size of an egg - one ounce. This pouch will expand over time, but care has to be taken not to overeat, or face possible hernias and "strictures" (narrowing around the suture area?) So I will be taking it easy and enjoying my new lifestyle.

Mon Oct 19 1050 caolries; 141 carbs, 89 protein
Tue : in process

Surgery is Thursday 10/22/09 at 9:50am.

back material part 3

The application packet became more of an endeavor than I thought it would:

* The sleep apnea study that I did in Feb 09 was acceptable, but if you snore or think you snore, a sleep study will be required – if for no other reason than to document that you don’t have sleep apnea. In my case, I have been using a BiPap machine for over five years (BiPap machines are similar to a CPap machine, but force air both into and out of the lungs.)
* I needed to write a “Letter of Understanding” to the doctor’s office outlining my understanding of the pro’s, con’s, lifestyle changes, medical monitoring and such required – and also have my ‘support group’ to write one.
* I was surprised at the different requirements that different insurance companies have: some require a weight-loss program for the six-months prior to applying for approval. Some require a loss of 10% prior to approval. Aetna requires a physician-monitored weight loss program for 2 years. One thing for sure – check with your insurance program early early early. In my case, United Healthcare required: a BMI 40 or greater or a BMI 35 to 39.9 with at least one related “co morbidity – cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia (cholesterol), type-2 diabetes, hypertension, moderate-to-severe sleep apnea.
* I needed a 5-year medical history from my family doctor. Luckily his office “went digital’ over the summer of 2009, and he had my records right at his fingertips. He was able to document our discussions, my weight at various points during the five year period, and his comments encouraging me to “do something about” this.
* The psychological test took about 4 hours. Written exams, multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank, and an interview. Interesting. Took 2 weeks to get an appointment.