mswisdom

This is to test the PH balance throughout the day. Whether I've ate or not, to see how it changes and does it affect the throat. They told me I have reflux, which I have no symptoms at all for so my GI ordered this along with the Mammo and EGD. I had to drive to the office to get my appt. since they were taking my time calling me back. I have no time to be waiting on them. I'm in the home stretch with my last PCP appt. Oct. 8th and my nutritiounist appt. Oct. 9th then I should be getting my Dummy Date and my insurance papers will be filed. I will say, eating is a trip! Once you swallow the tube moves and be wanking on your nose. I have to hold it to swallow. Anyway it'll be over soon. That's the way I have to look at it or I'm likely to pull it out myself....which wouldn't do me any good cause then they will make this test a requirement and I'll have to do it all again. Come on 10:50am lol

I had the pleasure (ha ha) today to get a PH test and mammogapghy(spelled wrong) done for the G.I. doc today. First I learned that a tube was going to be inserted down my throat and left there and I had this box I wear with it for 24hrs and get it removed tomorrow. This comes problem number 1. They scheduled me for an EGD tomorrow at the same time I'm suppose to get this removed....and its at two different hospitals at different times. So they called my doc and canceled my EGD. Then we get in the room, do the test, strap me up...and the man looks at the computer and it says in his notes that I should have a Mammo too! I am hot right now. He goes out and tries to get it done for tomorrow,That fell through, so I told them to take this thing out my nose, run the other test and put it back (they already messed up and I have to remake one appt. I'm not about to let it be two). So that's what they did. It drove me crazy! To say the least, had a newbie sticking these tubes down my throat not knowing where da hell she's going). Anyway it gets done, they put other one in and send me home. This thing is soooooooo uncomfortable. I don't see how I'm going to do this for 24hrs. I took a nap and now I can feel my throat swell up from all stuff they did. I know it'll be worth it in the end nut right now I sure am feeling some kind of way. P.S. I sat at the computer and almost dropped the box on the floor which surely would have ripped this tube right out of my throat. Now, how was your day? Ha ha [ATTACH]18724[/ATTACH]

I'm going to keep this post in mind when I buy my nectar. I'm using the sample packs now and enjoy the two that I tried so far. I tried lemon tea (which I mixed with a Walmart lemon tea shakers stick). I was feeling that. Today I tried Fuzzy Navel (which I mixed with a peach green tea stick from Walmart) I was surprised that I hardly tasted the whey in that one, definetly a keeper for me. Hopefully after I get mine and get a discount someone can use my referral and 'pay it forward'. I'll let you know when I order to make sure you get credit.

I immediately received the criteria letter from PCIP for wls. It came in handy because the so scheduler said that they didn't pay for the sleeve, but I was able to pull up the paperwork and show that they did. Don't know which one I'll be having but Insha Allah (God willing) I'll have one by the end of the year.

I've been on the boards a few months and noticed that a lot of people use My Fitness Pal.com I've been a sparker since 2006 and am very comfortable with it. Ice learned so much from that site and can't bring myself to change it (spent years pluging in my own recipes to see what my calories are when I eat at home: like homemade spagetti). Just looking for people that use sparkpeople so we can stay in touch through this journey.

I was told by my new surgeon that my iron levels won't be a problem. Just continue to take them as I'm taking them and I'll be fine.

I went to the doctor today and found out I was 378lb *sigh* I started this process at 374 and went to 360lb the first month....so disappointing is an understatment. My surgeon said that he can perform the surgery anyway.

Wow....I was just about to make a post on this topic and opened up the forum and saw this. I was told today that I had H. pylori infection and that it came back on the labs I took in July. I was upset because the prior surgeon I had never brought it up at all (good thing I'm changing surgeons). He put me on a Prepak but my insurance doesn't want to pay for it so they are getting a preauthorization for it. If not he will have to switch me to something else. I did some reading and found out that 2/3 of the population is infected with it (most don't have any symptoms, like myself). Glad to know that I'm not alone on this.

I emailed my surgery scheduler and she talked to the surgeon. She said they do have a person and she'll get back to me on that. I'm wondering how many infusions does it take to get your iron up? Time is really of the essence right now. I'm not going to worry though. Oct. 1st you can go in and look at other ins. plans and I'll be sure to pick one that has wls as a ryder (if they have one). That way all of this work I've been putting in won't be for nothing. I'm back in the gym now after months of depression and I'm going to do this....surgery or not!

Glad you reminded me about not taking it with calcium. That could have been one of my problems since I was trying to get my albumin levels up at the same time and drinking Protein shakes to do that (I make mines with milk or yogurt). Going forward I'm going to have to time it so my iron and my calcium aren't near each other. I did start to take my iron with OJ. I hope I can get these numbers up in the next month. I feel the time ticking now that my insurance will expire at the end of the year.

You can get an iron infusion from my PCP? I thought that was something I had to go into the hospital to get. Shoot 130mg has been stopping me up, oh 148 cuz my Multivitamin has 18mg in it. I was reading that you shouldn't go over 600mg due to toxic poisoning. But I can't be getting enough. I mean the lady told me I went down from 46 to 39. The range is 50-115. I was really taken back by that. I don't have a lot of time to fix this, due to the insurance, but I don't want to poison myself either. I'll figure it out.....I guess.

I got a call from the dietician yesterday telling me that my test results for albumin and Iron were still low. I told her she was mistaken about the albumin because I was holding test results in my hand that I took August 27th that read 3.9 g/dl (range is 3.5-5.0 g/dl). I was upset about the iron because I have been taking 65mg of iron twice a day religiously for the last seven weeks. The constipation has been killing me and I have (TMI) an anal fissure that I've been trying to heal this whole time. I really want to cry cuz nothing seems to be going right. I also found out that the PCIP insurance that I have will expire Dec. 31st 2013 and I'll have to pick another plan. The new plan may not have weight loss surgery as a ryder and then all of this work will have been done for nothing. So I feel like I'm in between a rock and a hard place. I'm bumping my iron up to 65mg 3 times a day in hopes of getting these labs straight by next month (Oct. 8th will be the last of my PCP visits and everything will be ready to be submitted). I just needed to talk about it.

I looked up all my Vitamins at Walmart. I had to go into the store to read the labels though. I'll be buying my Calcium, Vitamin d & Multivitamin from there. I'm doing Citracal calcium citrate plus Vit. D 150 chewables $14.99 Centrum Complete Chewable Multivitamin 100ct. $9.49 Vitafusion Vitamin D3 2,000 IU funny vitamins, 150ct $8.99 (2 a day. 1,000IU each) Was looking at Ddrops at Walmart.com it a liquid formula for $28.97 but its 2,000IU's per drop.....so 1 bottle will last you a whole year. I just went and did the math, the funniest will wind up costing me about $45 dollars over a year so its cheaper to buy the liquid one and be done with it. I have a high potency B-12 that I bought. It's 2500mcg's. I just don't remember where I bought it from...lol. I will though because with me having to take 500mcg a day or 1000mcg 3 times a week I could take my 2500mcg once a week and be done with it. I'll get back to you when I find out the cost and where I got it from. All & all Walmart will be my new best friend as far as vitamins go. Oh, and the best part of what I found is the calcium & Multivitamin are 1 a day so one bottle will last a few months.

I'm trying to get this G.I. test done to see if my surgeon will change her mind about the sleeve due to me having reflux (which I don't even feel). I feel that her scheduler has gotten offended because I requested another surgeon ( the surgeon I now want is the one I've always wanted but I thought I had no choice when I went to the seminar). Anyway, I'm trying to get a second opinion with a doctor another surgeon had talked to, but I've yet to hear back from them.....yeah....yeah call me impatient but how long does it take it look at a computer screen, see what the doctor has available and let me know the next opening? I asked My current scheduler did they pick a G.I. yet because I don't want to wait until everything filed then have to take this test. So I called my insurance and found out that I can go to any doctor so I decided to call my old G.I. doc who did my colonoscopy. I learned that he doesn't have an opening until November....Uuuuugggghhh!!!!!!. I was expecting for the surgery to be done by then. The way it looks, I may not have surgery until 2014. Since I feel the scheduler took offence when I aided to switch surgeons, I've decided to sign up for the weight loss seminar that he speaks at and plan to explain to him myself situation after the seminar. I feel since they are both from Bon Secours Hospital systems here in Hampton Roads that all my records are in the system anyway. The curve balls and alternate things I have to do is driving me nuts.....like the surgery its self isn't enough to worry about. Thanks for letting me share.

I posted my concerns about my doctor not wanting to do the sleeve do to reflux (I don't even get heartburn). Well I called another surgeon and I'm waiting for a call back so he can fit me it. The lady said she may get me in by Wednesday. I always got in touch with my scheduler and told her that I'm not sure about the bypass. She looked in my folder and said that the test showed that I have moderate to severe reflux....what! If that's the case wouldn't I have some idea about it? She said that Dr. Salzberg will be in the office tomorrow and she'll talk to her about it. They may send me to a G.I. doctor to run more test..."They May!?".... really? Like if they don't I just have to deal with that? I didn't get upset, shoot my six month PCP visits isn't over til Oct. So I have time to make other plans if need be. I'm just glad for the feedback from this site.

Well my 6 month pcp visits will be over in Oct. (Would have been Sept. But my doc stop airlift fridays the date if my July appt which made me miss that month). The scheduler will be pulling my PCP records and submitting everything in month 5(Sept.) I should have a date by then. I left a message that I need to talk to my surgeon beforehand because I want the sleeve. To me she has some explaining to do to why she won't do it and I have no signs if reflux until she said I had it. There was another doctor I was looking into in the beginning and I may have to goto him for a second opinion. He's head of the board of directors for surgery and he performs them in another town. I don't want all this work to be for nothing. Bon Secours health system is the only one I found in the Hampton Roads Virginia area that has No program fees. I just paid $120 for 6-1hr personal training sessions. Surgeons affliated with other hospitals here feel that the sky is the limit on what they can charge you for their 'package'.....Obesity is a Billion dollar industry these days isn't it? Plus I'm leaving the state in May 2014 and I don't have time to jump through all these hoops to get approved again....mind you I have more than enough ailments now, two stents in my heart....at 31yrs, bmi of 61, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and just found in March that I'm a diabetic. So I really need this. Not saying I'm going to take anything they give me but we will have to talk. I didn't even know that people can revised the sleeve to the bypass until I started coming here. Just wish me luck! No matter what I'm going to be okay.

I don't feel anything. I never even had heartburn. That's why I was stunned when they said I had reflux. I'm going to push the issue about the sleeve because that's what I really want. I saw my surgeon in April, don't know when I'll see her shin but I'm about to make a call.

Thanks. I think I will talk to her when I go back to see her. Right now I'm at the stage that once I retake some labs (my iron & albumin was low) I'll get my date and I'll sit down with my surgeon for the second time and we can discuss it then. I really want the sleeve.