So tired of waiting for surgery!

[Mimi K]

Hi everyone. Uhg! I am so frustrated with this whole process! I started my journey in January of this year and it has not gone smoothly. I still don't have all of my clearances and I am working with several doctors to get them. I have been trying to get an appointment with psycology for months (still haven't found a doc who takes my insurance), still waiting on a cpap machine, and need to have 3 more appointments everytime I see a doctor. I think they just want to milk it. I have no idea what the sleep apnea treatment involves, but how many surgeries are done everyday without going to such lengths?

I don't think I will be cleared for surgery before the end of the year and this weight is killing me. Every day is a miserable struggle of pain, fatigue, sickness, and sadness. I even tried going to my regular doctor for a percription weight loss med because I am so desparate to feel better. It's been over a month since she requested my bloodwork from my bariatric hospital and they still haven't sent it. I have been trying everything in my power to lose weight through diet and exercise and I am getting nowhere.

 

[Mimi K]

Welcome Mimi! Sometimes things that are important take time. I was pregnant for 10 months! I was so pissed when I passed my due date and the next week and the next week and the... you get it.

You'll find all those people, but is there some resource you can reach out to to ask for assistance so you can get it all done? In Seattle, we dial 211 and all kinds of resources become available because real people answer that phone. I'll bet if you have something like that, you can get hooked up pretty fast. Do you have a Crisis Line? We have one here for non-fatal fear called The Warm Line, and again, there are people there who can help you with suggestions.

I don't know what town you live in where a doctor won't take insurance to do this surgery, but you need to broaden your search, because there are surgeons who would jump on this like a grasshopper on an ear of corn.

Don't take weight-loss meds! Ultimately, those will get in the way. They may even prohibit you from having surgery. Your problem can't be cured with a pill. Close your eyes and go back in time and allow yourself to see all the things you've eaten, all the walks you haven't taken, all the tv you've watched instead of being active, and just let it be the truth. Don't beat yourself up. Don't be self-critical.

I have a CPAP machine I'd sell you if I could. I don't need it anymore, but there are many reasons people need help breathing, though they may be mysterious. I've had two sleep studies and in the first one, where they hooked electrodes up all over my head and chest, I stopped breathing dozens of times. The longest time was for one minute and 20 seconds. I couldn't do that consciously if I tried. Even my skinny little sister had to get a CPAP machine.

I don't know what resources are available in your part of the world, since I don't know where you live, but you can walk into an ER or urgent care center any time and tell them what you've just told us. It's their job to help you stay alive and well. Maybe you should get a different doctor, but again, I don't know. I'm super-stubborn, as most people here will wholeheartedly agree. I would just sit in a waiting room, even without an appointment, and announce that I'm not leaving until I get the answers I need. If you're being prescribed CPAP, you probably have a potentially serious problem.

We can't advise you medically, but we can advise you to persist. Don't stop until you understand what people are telling you. And don't be afraid to ask a dozen different experts until you find out.

Welcome and best of luck.

Thank you very much Diane! I am just so sick of being sick! My surgeon is through University Hospitals here in Cleveland. They do take my insurance for surgery, just not the pyscologists. I have a navigator who is my main person to contact, who is very far behind. I put in a call to her weeks ago, along with several others in the bariatric department.

I am 48 years old and I have been dieting since middle school. Always a little overweight as far back as I can remember. Diet and exercise has always been a part of my life, but it has been extremely painful this last year due to sciatica and swollen ankles. I like to exercise and I go to the gym, but I am not able to do 1/4 the workout that I used to. I cant wait to lose some weight so that exercise will be easier. I am a very active person, so being down is killing me.

I owned a cleaning business for several years. I cleaned houses full time and ran a business and a househould. I ate healthy and still clocked in around 195. I use my fitness pal and a fitbit to track. Today I work full time in a very active environment and I weigh 210 punds. I am 5'2. At the end of the day, I take in too many calories. This has been a lifetime struggle and I want it to end now.

I didn't want to go the diet pill route, but I know a couple people who have lost 20 or 30 pounds in a couple of months. My surgery is not going to be happening for quite some time, and I need help now curbing my appetite. I have a lifetime of failed attempts and I don't know what else to do. I am getting very depressed carrying all of this weight. I was desparate a year ago when I reached out for help, so it has only increased since.

I learned early on in this process not to make waves. The team here is not easy to work with. If you want the surgery, just follow the orders. If you refuse, you will not be cleared. I feel like I have no say and need to do what I am told. And if you haven't noticed by my posts, that is not easy for me! That is why I am venting here! I cannot tell my team that they suck because it will only prolong things.