Dr. Appointment today...huge news!

Since my last post here, I'm down another 9 pounds. I haven't been posting on my blog like I should, but that'll be changing after today's news.
This will probably be a little long, so get comfy if you read this. It's huge huge news for me though, and need to vent about it

Anyway…

I had my first appointment today with my new bariatric surgeon in Akron.

A little background: I haven't followed up with the surgeon who did my gastric bypass surgery in 2001 since I found out I was pregnant in 2002 (actually I did go to see them once in 2005 and since I'd had a gain the male doctor of the male and female surgeon team blew me off and only spent about 5 minutes with me after me driving all the way to Dayton for the appointment..about a 3 ½ hour drive so I stopped going then). I saw a nutritionist in Akron in August and she recommended this bariatric surgeon she works with at the hospital in Akron and said I should make an appointment and followed up at least once a year to monitor my pouch and nutritional deficiencies regularly.

Ok…up to date now: So…I had my first appointment with this new doctor today and found out big…huge news.

He started out by asking me questions in general about my health and weight history, nutrient deficiencies and complications since the surgery (in my case, multiple kidney stone surgeries). Then he gave me an order for an Upper GI (I'm scheduled for that next week) to see what's going on with my pouch and intestines, etc. He ordered some lab work to check out my thyroid function and nutrient levels and general blood work. Then he had me lay back on my back and unzip my pants so he could examine my incision and the stomach tissue around the incision and that's where the big news comes in.

I've known I've had a small hernia that developed after my surgery, but my regular doctor didn't think it was problematic enough to worry about. Today, this doctor had me cough and push out my stomach and when I did, there's a large rounded-cone-shaped area that pushes out from my stomach about three inches above my belly button. The hernia is now quite large. He wants to do surgery to repair it and wants me to lose another 40 pounds before that surgery.

He said if I put it off much longer it could create serious problems and if they had to do an emergency surgery there would be a lot more complications and they wouldn't be able to put this mesh in to make sure it didn't reoccur and if we did it soon, before it became bad enough to have emergency surgery, they could do the proper job and ensure it would not come back and be a problem in the future, so he wants me to get down another 40 pounds and have it done as soon as I can.

What makes it huge news is that he thinks my insurance company will be able to cover a panni culectomy and do it all at the same time.
He said the rationale is that the excess abdominal fat could create problems with the healing after the repair of a hernia that large. He's having me see a plastic surgeon that he works alongside who will do the surgery with him and is going to send the plastic surgeon a letter explaining it all to get the ball rolling with the insurance company while I get started losing another 40 pounds. He said there's also signs of a mild infection under the abdominal apron that will give another reason for the insurance company to approve the procedure.

So…in the meantime…I have to get on track big time with my weight loss and get another 40 pounds off. He wants me to lose at least 2 pounds a week (he said more is even safe) and I see him again on December 4th when he wants me to be down at least 8 pounds. Then I'll keep seeing him once a month till I'm down the 40 pounds and then he'll schedule the surgery. I'll be going to his support group once a month as well.

This is blowing my mind. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever have any kind of plastic surgery. I gave up on the idea of ever being at a "normal" weight a long time ago and have been pushing just to get smaller in weight to be healthier, but not to be a real normal weight. Now the possibility is there and I'm nervous… excited, but nervous and hopeful that I can pull off this new 40 pounds off. For someone who started out weighing 166 pounds more than I do now to get down to a small enough weight to and have plastic surgery just blows my mind…

I've seen people on TV have it done, but I never thought I'd ever be doing it myself.

Whew…

Well I'm also going to be seeing the psychologist who works with the bariatric patient s and am scheduled for that sometime this month as well. I also saw the nutritionist again today and we went over ways to avoid grazing (which has been my biggest issue all along).

So, they are SUPER thorough there. I'm impressed with their bariatric unit. This doctor is really young, but it may just be that I'm not as young as I used to be and he seems super young lol. His whole staff keeps telling me how good he is. One thing that impresses me too, is that he comes to the support group every month himself (and doesn't get paid for his time there). My surgeons in Dayton had a kinda sorta support group, but it was headed up by their secretary and they never went to the meetings themselves, and there were only about 10-12 people there (and they were mostly pre-op patients learning about the surgery). This surgeon has one support group for pre-ops and another one following that for us post-ops.

So…wish me luck…

I'm currently re-evaluating the whole Christmas baking and parties thing as I'm going to be "dieting" throughout the holiday season after all.

Whew…like I said…I'm completely blown away…

I'm REALLY going to need extra support big time for this next 40 pounds
________
From: http://www.herniaoptions.com/dtcf/components/faq


What is a ventral hernia?

A ventral hernia usually occurs in the abdominal wall because of a weakening due to a previous surgical incision. The result is a bulge or tear in the abdominal wall that allows a balloon-like sac to form in the weakened area.


What are the symptoms of a hernia?

Some hernias are quite bothersome or painful. Others cause no symptoms. A hernia may cause tenderness and pressure or discomfort when you bend over, cough or strain. You may notice a lump or bulge at the site of the hernia that moves inward when you push on it.

Why is it necessary to have a hernia repaired?

Left untreated, a hernia will not go away. It will frequently get bigger. Without surgery, complications are possible. Tissue that is a part of the intestines may become stuck in the hernia, cutting off the blood supply to that tissue. The result can be very serious, and emergency surgery may be required.


What could happen if a ventral hernia is left untreated?

Like other hernias, a ventral hernia may become worse if left untreated. And ventral hernias can be dangerous, because abdominal structures, like the intestines, can become stuck or twisted in the hernia, leading to a more complex and riskier operation. While the only known treatment is to have the ventral hernia repaired through surgery, it is generally considered to be a low-risk surgical procedure associated with few complications.

One type of surgery performed to help with this condition is Minimally Invasive Procedure (MIP) for ventral hernia repair.