Post 2 (for the lack of a good title)

Well here it is, my second post. I had planned on doing a little "blogging" yesterday, because now I am a "blogger" but was highly involved in a political campaign in my area and couldn't break away. For you Yanks, yesterday was our election day in Canada, my candidate didn't win, but my party gained a little ground but has a long way to go... But enough about that, I could talk politics all day, and then you would all leave:)

So where was I? Okay, I told you quite a bit about myself but I did leave out my stats, and I guess to appreciate the journey fully you should know them. I am 36years old, 6'1" tall and my Weight is around(so many puns, so little time)375lbs and I would like to be around(here I go again) 230lbs when all is said and done. This goal Weight would still have me as overweight according to a BMI chart, but sure would make me happy. Oh yeah, BMI, I guess it's right around 49.

THE PROCESS

So I looked into Weight Loss surgery the first time about a year and a half ago. A Dr. from Henry Ford hospital set up a seminar in Windsor and advertised in the local paper so I thought I would check it out. The seminar was okay, well informing and the like, but at that point in my life I really just wasn't ready to accept that I needed help with my problem. Another year and a half of overeating and Weight gain later and I find myself wanting to take care of myself for the first time in my life. I have an Aunt that went to Henry Ford last year and has lost 135lbs, to me that was amazing to see. I also met a couple people from work that had it done and are doing very well. Then the icing on the cake, my sister, the one who I didn't get along with as a kid, whom I now adore btw, has a friend that went to a place called Barix Clinics in the states. I call up this friend and talk to her, she even gave me her "Barix Bible" a nutritional book to prepare for pre and post surgery, to look over. She told me everything she could about Barix and I liked what I heard. Then I started to do a little research on my own and found that Barix has the lowest complication rates in the country, that sounded good to me, as it would to anyone looking to "go under" I'm sure.
On Sept. 8th I attended a consultation at Barix Clinics of Ypsilanti Michigan, about an hour from where I live in Canada and was really impressed with the facility and the staff. It is a hospital set up only for bariatrics, to me, that is important, I want someone who does this procedure all the time, not someone who uses it to supplement their income. A nutritionist talked to us, it was a group consult in the beginning, then we were shuttled off to a waiting area and saw the Dr. individually.
When I met Dr. Nunn, I was impressed with his quiet confidence and his straightforwardness, I found it refreshing to have a surgeon just lay it out there instead of sugar coating things for me.

After the consult my wife and I talked and I made the decision that this was for me, and the facility was great and Dr. Nunn was who I wanted to perform my surgery.

NOW THE TOUGH PART

September 9th I went to see my family Dr. We had discussed many things in the past regarding my health but had never brushed this subject before and I was not sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised when he readily accepted my reasons for wanting surgery, in retrospect I know that he based that on my extensive research and thought process to getting here. He knew I didn't just come up with this idea but that I had actually been looking at it for quite some time. I had downloaded the OHIP forms that I required for out-of-province medical care that needed to be filled out and we actually filled them out together. Dr. Nunn had wanted an EKG and a sleep study so my Dr. did the EKG right there and set up my sleep study with a sleep study specialist in my area. Once I got home, I called the sleep study specialist and explained my situation and that I wanted to get it done ASAP as I was needing to get surgery done. They were so accommodating and filled me in to a cancellation spot on September 13th, that was only 4 days away! Fantastic, great, I'll take it, thank you so much, is what I said to the Dr.
My forms were sent away to OHIP on the 10th of September and it felt like things were coming together.
I went for my sleep study, boy that was a lot of fun, NOT! If ever you have gone for one of these you feel my pain, if you haven't, trust me, they are not fun, and I don't know why they call them a "sleep study" 'cause it sure didn't feel like I was sleeping:) But alas, I was and I did get some sleep, because they came in the room in the morning and unhooked me from a gaggle(that's right, I said it, a gaggle)of wires, most connected to my head, leaving behind a bunch of lumps of wax(yummy!) that took about 20 minutes extra and alot of hot water to get out. But it was done, yeah! They said they would call when they had the results in a few days. a few days past and they did call, imagine that, they did what they said they would do. I have sleep apnea they said, in fact I stop breathing 72 times per hour when in REM sleep cycle. Now, I'm no math genius but to me that means more than once a bloody minute, no wonder I'm always tired, I never sleep!
At this point I am thinking, Okay, here's the kicker, I am going to have to wait 3 months to get back in, because at this point I get to go back for more! Oh joy! It just so happens I have a horseshoe where the sun doesn't shine and she can get me in on the 21st which is only 8 days after my original date, woohoo!
About this time I receive a call that my family Dr. wants to see me. Oh oh, maybe they didn't approve me, maybe he changed his mind and thinks I should start yet another diet to change my Weight, so many things run through my mind. When I arrive at the Dr. office the receptionist puts me right in his office to talk to him and he has a fax from OHIP saying they don't have enough information to make a decision on my case. First I'm fat, now I'm a case!(fatcase:)
I love my Dr. but he has never dealt with OHIP on an out of province surgery request and apparently eight years of medical school doesn't prepare you for the bureaucratic bull of a government insurance plan. We go through the questions together and can answer a couple but they want results from tests, test results my Dr. hadn't sent them the first time. At this point he says to me, Wayne, I don't want to screw this up for you, I am going to give you all these papers and when your test results are in I am going to give you copies of all those and have you send it all away, just bring me what I need to sign. So that's what we did. I took over as my primary health care provider.LOL!
Anyway, boy this is another long one eh? Have I lost ya yet? Stay with me, we're almost there.
I go for my other sleep study and have loads of fun again, thanks for that guys, and head home to wait for my results. Wouldn't you know it, my luck with the sleep specialist continues and I have my results from him on the 25th. Look out fax machine, here I come. I get everything in order, all my test results, my original application, the request sheet they sent me from OHIP for more info, I make out a cover sheet and fax OHIP 15 pages of material, there take that! Then I take out the non pertinent info sheets and fax another copy to Dr. Nunn, my Dr. at Barix, better safe than sorry I figure, heck I would have faxed it to anywhere and anyone just to get this approval.
Dr. Denys, my sleep specialist sends me to get a CPAP machine, if you have one, again, I feel your pain, if not, it kind of makes you feel like a fighter pilot/darth vader. There is no easy way to describe it, but basically it just forces air into your lungs constantly so you can't stop breathing in the night, therefore stopping the apnea. My appointment at the dealer to get my machine(that's what we CPAP'ers call them, there our machine) is set for Oct. 2nd at nine am.
That appointment comes and goes and I arrive home with my brand new shiny machine, complete with hose and sexy mask! I see we have messages waiting so I call to check them... Bill collector, would you like to be part of a survey(NO!), BARIX Clinics, solicitor. Oh wait, Barix Clinics? What the heck are they doing, I just sent my stuff away and haven't heard anything so there must be a problem. Nope, no problem Wayne, we just received your approval from OHIP.
Now I should state something here, I am a baby! A great big baby! I cry at touchy feely commercials for gods sake, this, this sent me over the freaking edge. I couldn't believe I had gotten approved. And yet here it was. So, after verifying that my new machine was not electrically damaged from the tears I told them that yes indeed I wanted to go through with the surgery and that I just in fact received my CPAP machine. She told me to wait for a call from scheduling. Okay, I'll wait, I've heard this can be hell as sometimes it takes a week or two for them to call you. Nope, again, horseshoe, butt, I get a call a couple hours later from Scheduling, do I want to come in for PATs(pre admission testing)Nov. 14th and surgery Dec. 4th. DUH! of course.

MOVIN' ON UP

Two days after I got my glorious call, scheduling calls me back and want to know if I would like to come in November 19th for surgery and November 4th for PATs, again, DUH, yeah! So these are my dates now, and it's really happening, in a little over a month I will have my surgery and I can't wait.

Sorry it was long again, and I hope not too boring, they should be shorter now as we are all caught up I think.

Thanks for paying attention to little(huge)old me, I appreciate it.

Wayne