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minpinmom

LAP-BAND Patients

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Blog Entries posted by minpinmom

  1. Nationals or Bust

    · minpinmom · 02/06/2008 20:39

    I am so freakin excited. May 10-16th, I will finally get to attend the Miniature Pinscher National Competition. I can't freakin wait. I will be taking my chocolate girl, Piper and showing her in the Best of Breed Competition and possibly handling one of the Top 20. A lady that has one of the top 20 dogs in the nation called ME, (blushing) and explained that her Handler isn't going to be able to make it to Nationals and wanted to know if I (still blushing) would be interested in taking him into the Top 20.
     
    The Top 20 is a gala of sorts for recognition for the 20 Highest ranked dogs in the Nation for 2007 - it is very snooty and all the best are there, normally, I wouldn't even consider going - it is formal attire. But here I am, thinking about actually HANDLING a Top 20! Wow. I am so excited. A couple of my show friends are getting together to drive up there - we are all located near and around Houston and the Nationals are being held this year in Oklahoma City. What fun.
     
    An entire week of Min Pins. Hopefully I will be banded and everyone will be able to see a difference in the way I look. I was creating a budget, and put 30 a day for food - then I thought wait a freakin minute! I will be banded, hmm, food budget is now MAD MONEY!


  2. CSI Houston

    · minpinmom · 02/04/2008 04:42

    I just got back from the Houston Museum of Natural Science, they has a VIP party for members to view their new CSI exhibit. It was really cool. If you are in the area, you should really go. They had dinner, drinks, deserts and a cash bar. Then we went into our Crime scene - it is a fake crime scene complete with body. You take your pad and paper, take notes and then test your evidence. They had VERY cool hands-on tests and such, they even had an autopsy. Anyways, it was worth going, so much so, we will probably pay to go again to one of the other crime scenes. (3 total).
     
    I am hoping tomorrow the Dr.s office will receive my approval, it is amazing how something so freakin simple as a fax is so difficult to do. Hell, if I knew where there office was, I would drive there, get a copy and fax the dang thing myself. Oh well, it was mailed out last Tuesday, it will arrive by snailmail soon enough. I didn't realize how freakin impatient I am, until this.


  3. My Psych Eval

    · minpinmom · 01/28/2008 17:57

    I remember how nervous and excited I was about the Psych Eval, so I want to share my experience.
     
    First off, everywhere I called to make an appointment for my Psych Eval there was a 3 month wait. I had called probably 15 places, on my 16th try, when I asked if they have anyone that does WLS determinations, she said yes, but we are booked out 3 months, then, she says, hold on a second. I hear someone else on a different phone, talking about a cancellation. Sure enough, the lady comes back on the phone and asks how soon I can get there? Are you kidding me? I am about an hour+ away, . . . I can be there in 45 minutes!
     
    I made it. I was very excited, I have worked in the Mental Health field for about 5 years, and I was super excited about having a one on one evaluation from a Psychiatrist. So I fill out my paperwork, they call me back. He begins asking me questions.
    Do you have a support system?
    How much weight do you want to loose?
    What do you want to look like?
    Who is your support system?
    Who are you telling about surgery?
    Support system
    Support system
    Support System. So, then I figure I will get to take a Millon, or some type of personality test. Nope. That was it. It took maybe 35 minutes, he said he would have his recommendation faxed by the end of the day. I was a little disappointed. I was kind of wanting to have the whole lay on the couch and tell me about your life experience, but whatever. He approved me and I am off to Insurance.
     
    Oh, come to find out, my insurance company doesn't even require a psych eval. oh well. :-)



  4. Another day down

    · minpinmom · 02/01/2008 00:45

    Well, I was so freakin ready to call this morning and see if my Coordinator is back to work from being sick - she was! Yea, thank you for being there today Brandi! The bad news, she still didn't have a hard copy. So, I call Tricare and get a smart ass named Tiffany. Well Tiffany says that they are not allowed to fax to the Dr.s office by request of a patient, it has to be by request of the Dr. I asked her to look up the 29th and check the notes, she said, yes, it shows they were supposed to fax the paperwork. So, still being OH SO diplomatic, say, my Dr.s office has misplaced it, can you have the referral dept refax. She repeats, I am sorry, we can't fax on your request. I say, OK, then fix what was supposed to be done on Tuesday - She puts me on hold for freakin EVER. Comes back and says they are contacting the Dr.s office to get the fax number, mind you, this is the fax number that I GAVE them on Tuesday, and tried to give them again today. But Tricare thinks I have cooties and refuses to take the Fax number from me. She gives me some load of camel crap about they can't fax to a number without the number being given to them by the Dr.s office . . So, I HOPE, beyond hope that the stinkin fax got freakin faxed today! Brandi said as soon as she gets it, she will call.
     
    Come on Brandi, pls call tomorrow!
     


  5. Stinkin Flu

    · minpinmom · 01/30/2008 19:19

    I called my Dr.s office today to make sure they received the referral and to see what I do next, scheduling, pre-op, etc. Brandi, my Patient Coordinator went home sick. Stinkin FLU Bug!
     
    Maybe she will be in tomorrow I have my fingers, toes, legs and eyes crossed.


  6. I AM APPROVED

    · minpinmom · 01/29/2008 16:49

    I can't believe it, I checked the online referral site and sure enough, it is approved! So I called my Dr.s office and they need a hard copy. So I called Tricare and the lovely lady Novel, says it will be faxed to their office by end of day today!
     
    Woo Hoo!
     
    I am on my way to Bandland


  7. Red Lobster

    · minpinmom · 01/27/2008 21:22

    My parents came down and took my husband and I out to Red Lobster. I sat and thought about everything I was eating and how soon, I would eat just a little and be full. I just can't believe it will really happen. I mean, come on, I ate like 4 of the cheese biscuits, a lunch size fried shrimp/shrimp scampi with a baked potato. Yum. It was so freakin good. I can't imagine not eating that much and being full.
     
    I really can't wait. We talked about it all during lunch. - the surgery. My family is totally supportive of me. My mom is saving money for incentive gifts. Her first incentive (50lbs) is that she is taking me to have my hair completely done - BLOND. :-) That is her choice, she loves me blond - my hair was almost white when I was little - a total cotton top. It slowly got darker as I got older. (right now I have it colored almost a burgundy). My dad is a Gunsmith and owns Bell Alley Gunsmithing - he said that his shop was going to buy 100 worth of clothes at my first 25 lbs. I told him maybe we should wait till 50 lbs (25 lbs doesn't' make much of a difference on me.) You have to admit, they are so sweet and super supportive. I can't wait.
     
    Well, we are off to the Circus, my husband and I have never been before, so we are super excited.
     
     


  8. Ok, so I am impatient. I keep watching the online referral site to see when my referral for surgery goes through and nothing. Now usually, the notes show up within a few hours and my paperwork was submitted on Tuesday (supposedly). So I called Tricare. They have not received the paperwork. So, of course, I say "wow, my Dr.s office is NOTORIOUS for not sending paperwork in", the gal, says, "Oh honey, here, have them fax to this number and I will make sure it gets done" with a sly smile, "Oh Thank you so much, I will call them right away!"
     
    So, then I call my Dr.s office, and say " Oh My Gosh, I started getting worried when the paperwork wasn't showing up online and sure enough, they SAY they haven't received the faxes. Can you believe that, my Insurance is NOTORIOUS for not getting things." Brandi says, "I will re-fax the paperwork right away for you, I hate to deal with insurance companies some times." I give her the new number, she thanks me and all is well in my world yet again.


  9. Seminars

    · minpinmom · 01/25/2008 19:22

    As I sit here, patiently awaiting my approval for Lapband, I started thinking about all of the questions and concerns I had in the beginning. One of those was what to expect at the Seminar. I was so worried they would ask our weight out loud and be judgmental. I know, I know, this is what they do, deal with "heavy" people, but being a "heavy" person, makes me worry about things like this all the time. So I am going to share what my Seminar was like.
     
    I attended Dr. Spiegel's seminar in the Houston Office. I was a freakin nervous wreck. My husband, who wasn't yet convinced about surgery, attended with me. We got there and it was setup similar to a Dr.s office. I checked in with the front desk, paid my $12.00 copay (I also had a consultation). They took a copy of my insurance card, handed me a packet of paperwork, smiled and said go through these doors, down the hall and to the right. You will see a room with a projector and a lot of chairs. So we went. The room was kind or like a college classroom. The walls were covered with life-size before and after pictures of clients and employees. The pictures were amazing. There was a Power Point Presentation going on the projector with more before and after pictures and testimony of the clients.
     
    When I walked in, there were a few people all ready there - and they looked just like me. I was, under the impression that everyone there would be HUGE. I was wrong, there were a few people bigger than me, and a few people smaller than me, but mostly, just like me. Most people had someone there with them. Friend, spouse, mom or dad, you could tell when it was a relation, their sizes mimicked each other.
     
    We all sat there in complete silence, filling out our paperwork. One by one, a nurse would walk to the door and call a name, a few minutes later, that person would return to the room. Still in silence. When my name was called, I took the walk of shame to the door. The nurse smiled, touched my arm and said we just want to get your weight and ask you a few questions. I guess she could see the fear on my face. They had a HUGE scale, it made me feel better, I started realizing that this place was setup for people like me. The nurse took my weight, (never saying it outloud) and then cleared the display (so no one else could see my weight) wow, I wished they did that in my regular Dr.s office. She asked me a few questions, such as, do you have heart problems, breathing problems, typical questions. It took maybe 3 minutes. She told me to finish filling out the paperwork, and Dr. Spiegel would be in shortly to start the Seminar.
     
    When Dr. Spiegel came in, he immediately made you feel at ease. He began by doing a Power Point Presentation, and talking you through the entire process. He went through everything from who does it, why it is needed, how to do it, his statistics, and even explained why dieting hasn't worked for us in the room. I wanted to cry, it was as if he was chronicling my life. He then answered questions - and we had a lot. Once everyone was done, he brought in his staff, who had all been banded by him so that we could ask them questions about their personal experiences. I thought I knew everything when I went in, but I felt even more knowledgeable when I left.
     
    The nurse came back and called us one by one again, this time the people didn't return to the room. My turn came, I went into a typical waiting room. There was a nurse that asked if I had any other questions and explained that Dr. Spiegel would be in shortly to evaluate me.
     
    He came into the room, shook my hand and my husband's. He was so kind and gentle. I instantly liked him. He too asked if I had any questions. He looked at my chart, asked me how much weight I wanted to loose and what I expected. I said about 100 lbs, but I just want to look normal. Maybe a size 12. He smiled and said within a year, but I have higher expectations for you. I think you will probably loose 120+. He also said that I carried my weight well, which means I will see a huge difference in a short amount of time. He looked at my questionnaire and asked me some questions about my medical history.
     
    He asked me to lay back on the table, he felt of my tummy and said you will have scars here, here and here. Your port will be here. Sat me back up and asked me and my husband if we had any other questions. Of course, we didn't. He smiled and said, next time I see you, hopefully will be the day of your surgery. Shook our hands and left.
     
    The nurse escorted us out and said that a Client Specialist will be calling in about 3 days. We left. It was an awesome ride home. I was on cloud 9. I really don't think I would have changed anything about the process. I have read on this board, and others, that Dr. Spiegel's office is a "Cattle Call". I think that comes from the fact that he does group seminars. To tell you the truth, I was much more comfortable being in a group. I don't want to be the center of attention and there were so many questions that others asked that I hadn't even thought of.
     
    My experience with the seminar was great and my husband walked away totally supportive and excited about the surgery. Don't be nervous about the Seminar, it was a great experience.


  10. ahh, the wait

    · minpinmom · 01/25/2008 05:19

    No word today on the approval process. The wait is such a killer. My insurance company has an online approval site, where I can check and see the status of the request - it isn't even in the system yet. I check it like every 10 minutes. I guess you can say I haven't been getting much work done these past few days. I was sure hoping I would be one of the cases that was approved within a few days. My fingers are crossed for tomorrow. :-)
     
    I died my hair today - red, or burgundy, maroon, purple, something like that. I like to have my hair a bit wild, and I love dark reds, they just fade so freakin fast.


  11. Who I am

    · minpinmom · 01/24/2008 04:10

    Hello Blog World!
    Well, I thought I should write about Who I am and why I am here. I am 32 years old and have been overweight since about 3rd grade. I hated the way I looked, but I came from a small, ok, tiny dot of a town, and had lots of friends. I was always afraid of being the fat one, but no one really treated me like "her". I don't know why - I guess I was just lucky. I remember a girl in our school who was heavier than me, she got picked on relentlessly. I am so ashamed to say this, but I was so glad she was there and fatter than me. It was her that everyone was making fun of and not me. I was happy to not be the center of attention.
     
    I have always been "happy, friendly, outgoing, fun, funny" yep, thats me, I will be ANYTHING but the fat one. I can't wait to be just Wendy, not, OMG, you have to meet Wendy, she is such a riot. I don't want to have to be a riot. I have always been afraid to not be liked. I have a need to be overly nice to everyone, I guess so they won't say anything mean to me. It is odd, I am actually very outspoken and opinionated once you get to know me. The real me.
     
    I have been on every diet, meal plan and pill you can imagine. I have been partially successful at loosing weight many, many times. It is the keeping it off that I have trouble with. I really think, once I am banded, I will re-join weight watchers, I really like their plan, it helps me keep track and hopefully once I am banded, I can do it for more than 3 months!
     
    I am married to the most awesome man in the world. He has loved me through it all. We actually went to school together off and on since elementary. (he moved a lot, but always cam back) We hated each other in school. He was the trouble maker, low truck, loud music, in and out of trouble. I was the preppy "Oh My God, we have a pep rally in 15 minutes . . ." pony tail, swinging in the wind. We were complete opposites. Come our senior year, something clicked, ok, I was in LOOOVVVVEEE and stalked him till I got him! Well, it wasn't that creepy, but looking back, lol, I was such a dork. We dated since then 1994. We were married in 2000, and moved from Texas to Utah. He was in the Air Force. Loved Utah btw. He was medically retired in 2004, after a failed back surgery, which caused RSD in his foot. In 2005 they diagnosed him with Multiple Sclerosis. So we have had a rough time of it. Medically wise. Did I mention he is HOT? LOL, he is a total hottie and has no idea.
     
    I show, rescue and breed Miniature Pinschers. That is my true love in life. I have my own website, that I created (blushing) www.BeldwinKennels.com
    Please feel free to look, I really don't breed much, 2 times in 3 years, and only one of the breedings resulted in puppies. It is more about helping others that are interested in Min Pins, along with a gazillion pictures of my babies. I am truly a dog fanatic. My life revolves around them and I wouldn't have it any other way.
     
    Off to sleepy land . . .


  12. Introductions

    · minpinmom · 01/18/2008 02:40

    I constantly read all the blogs about weight loss - they are so inspiring. I never really imagined I would have the opportunity to become a wls blogger. Life changes fast. I have been trying to get Lap Band surgery for 3 years. My insurance company, Tricare Prime, excluded the procedure. Of course, I didn't find this out until I had done all of the leg work . . . let me take you back a few years.

    The year was 2006, I had been researching Lap Band and knew I wanted it. I checked with my insurance and the manual said wls is covered if you are . . . then it listed the types of surgery. One of the ones it listed was vertical banded gastoplasty. I just assumed that was lapband. I went to my PCM, he said that he thought it was a great idea, gave me a referral to the Dr. (Dr. Spiegel), who was in Network. I went to the seminar, met with Spiegel, he said that I was a great candidate. They said I need to have a psyh eval and to meet with a nutritionist. I waited forever for a psych visit. Finally got in. I tried to find a Nutritionist that was in network and couldn't find any - so I called my insurance company, I explained that I was trying to get a consult for lapband. They quickly informed me that lapband isn't covered. I was devastated. I couldn't believe it. Sure enough, I hadn't done my research well enough. It was an excluded procedure. (They quickly approved me for Gastric Bypass) So, I decided I would either change jobs to get medical coverage, or try to be self-pay. After talking with all sorts of people on lapbandtalk, I realized that most of them were under the impression that our insurance would change come January 2007. I waited with baited breath. January, February, March, . . . nothing. I made the decision that I was going to wait till the first of the new year, then go self-pay. Come December 10, 2007, the word came down fast - it was going to be covered. I had never been happier.
     
    I had to make another appointment with my PCM, to get another referral to see Dr. Spiegel. I met with Dr. Spiegel on December 20, 2007. I brought all of my paperwork with me, gave it to the nurse to put in my file with instructions how to progress with my Insurance. I should have been suspicious when she didn't write any of it down. I waited until January 3 to call back (Christmas and New Years). They had called, asked if it was covered, got a NO and sent it back. I explained that the change wasn't in the system yet. Explained again how to deal with it. Finally, they got it.
     
    My paperwork was submitted to the Insurance January 22, 2008 :eek:
    I am waiting ever so patiently for the approval. Please, please come fast.

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