Dr. Smith just stopped in. Angela is doing fine and he's writing the discharge papers, so we'll be headed back to the hotel this afternoon.
She has a follow-up appointment Thursday at 9:30 AM, and then we'll be headed back to Durham.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Friday noon
Sorry for not updating sooner. Angela is doing great! She's up and walking the hallways and working on taking in enough fluids. There's a constant stream of nurses and techs coming in and out to check on her progress and they all say she's doing well, and progressing right on schedule. She'll probably be discharged from the hospital tomorrow afternoon.
She says to tell everyone that she's not up to typing right now but she is up for phone calls. Her cell phone is charged up, so give her a ring.
She says to tell everyone that she's not up to typing right now but she is up for phone calls. Her cell phone is charged up, so give her a ring.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
3:15 PM
We're in a room! Angela is sleeping right now but she woke up and smiled when I came in. She's pretty sore and still drowsy from pain meds and anesthesia after-effects, but the nurse says she'll be up and walking tonight.
12:40 AM
At 10:00 the nurse called to say everything was going fine. I haven't had an update since then. I hope everything is still going well.
8:30 AM
They've taken Angela to the O.R and I'm settling in to the waiting room for a long wait. The nurse said it will take a half hour to prep her for surgery and about four hours for the actual procedure. They gave me a pager and said I'll get periodic updates.
Wed. 6:30 am
We're here in the pre-op area. Angela has changed into a hospital gown and the nurse will be here soon to get her ready to go.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday 1/27 12:38 PM
Gerald here, in the waiting room of the medical imaging department of Wellstone hospital. Angela is having her PIC line installed. Then it's back to the hotel, where at 2:00 PM she starts bowel prep.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Last Meal
Starting Monday, Angela is on a liquid diet leading up to Duodenal Switch surgery on Wednesday. And she'll be on liquids for a few weeks after the surgery.
For her last meal, we went to Copeland's. She had shrimp etouffe' and I had crab stuffed catfish. It was delicious.
For her last meal, we went to Copeland's. She had shrimp etouffe' and I had crab stuffed catfish. It was delicious.
Brunch with Karlene
Karlene was the appeals specialist I hired to help me with appeals for surgery. She used to work for Dr. Smith. I never dreamed while she was doing all these appeals that she would turn out to be an angel in my life, and someone I plan to have in my life for a long time to come. She helped me in more ways than just getting my insurance denial overturned. This journey has already brought such wonderful new friends into my life - I am SO grateful.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Ignore this post
Hi. Gerald here, getting ready for the big day. This post is just to make sure everything is set up properly so I can post to the blog from my cell phone. You're reading this, so it must have worked.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
17 Days and counting....
First, let me apologize for the random order of my thoughts as I get this set up and get ready for surgery in just 17 short days. I find it completely incomprehensible that just 2 weeks ago, I was still wondering and waiting for the final word from BCBS of NC.
Now, for a little history...... I thought long and hard about WLS some 4-5 years ago. I had met several people who'd had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and were doing quite well. At the time, I decided that I couldn't live without the ability to drink alcohol after asking some pointed questions about day-to-day life with that form of surgery. So back to Weight Watchers I went, and yet another attempt to lose more than 20 pounds. I battled it hard, and stayed at it for over 2 years in WW, only to lose a grand total of 29 pounds. I kept it off for a while, but it gradually crept back on.
Fast forward to Summer 2007. I saw an acquaintance at a cookout and she looked as if she had literally melted away! Bless her, Kris told me all I wanted to know and then some about this wonderful surgery of which I knew nothing - called the Duodenal Switch, or DS for short. Literally, I played 20 questions that turned into more like 200! And she was SO gracious to entertain all my stupid questions of minutiae. (Thank you, Kris, for changing my life!! I hope you one day know what an angel you have been!) I left there with the name of her surgeon and his web address. So the research and the journey began....
I started out with her surgeon, Dr. Hazem Elariny, in Vienna, VA. I really like Dr. Elariny, and he is a great surgeon. I just could not afford his fees, so I sought and found Dr. Dennis Smith, Jr. in Marietta, GA. I began with his office in March 2008, after waiting on a change of insurance at my old company and then a change of jobs to yet another insurance. I did all the required tests for both Dr. Smith and BCBS, and we filed for approval in early May. I was denied. Flat-out denied. I'll always remember standing in Logan Airport, getting the news and being so heartsick and yet livid at the same time. Oh no, the fight was on. They just didn't know I have the tenacity of a bulldog and was not about to give up and go away!
So I hired an ERISA appeals specialist who handled my appeals for me. Karlene Dittrich is an angel and a hellion all rolled into one!! I love her SO much, and I have never met her face-to-face. But you can bet that when I go to GA in 11 days, I will get to meet her and hug her neck!!! Karlene filed appeals and fought with insurance through 2 appeals. But her bigger job was to talk me down from the ledge as often as I'd climb up there! Which was often, let me tell you. She was the one person who told me time and again that "Patience and Persistence make you POWERFUL!" And now I'm a believer. For 2nd appeal, I got letters of support from my spine doc (I ruptured yet another lumbar disc in March 2008) and the PA of my orthopedic surgeon who scoped my right shoulder in October 2007. She filed that appeal the week before Christmas. I was sure it would be mid-January before I'd hear anything and that surely I would have to go before the grievance panel at BCBS to plead my case. So imagine my surprise when I got the approval letter in the mail on December 30th! It was approved on Christmas Eve, and once I stopped hyper-ventilating, screaming, and crying, I realized what a wonderful Christmas gift I had indeed been given.
Now, for a little history...... I thought long and hard about WLS some 4-5 years ago. I had met several people who'd had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and were doing quite well. At the time, I decided that I couldn't live without the ability to drink alcohol after asking some pointed questions about day-to-day life with that form of surgery. So back to Weight Watchers I went, and yet another attempt to lose more than 20 pounds. I battled it hard, and stayed at it for over 2 years in WW, only to lose a grand total of 29 pounds. I kept it off for a while, but it gradually crept back on.
Fast forward to Summer 2007. I saw an acquaintance at a cookout and she looked as if she had literally melted away! Bless her, Kris told me all I wanted to know and then some about this wonderful surgery of which I knew nothing - called the Duodenal Switch, or DS for short. Literally, I played 20 questions that turned into more like 200! And she was SO gracious to entertain all my stupid questions of minutiae. (Thank you, Kris, for changing my life!! I hope you one day know what an angel you have been!) I left there with the name of her surgeon and his web address. So the research and the journey began....
I started out with her surgeon, Dr. Hazem Elariny, in Vienna, VA. I really like Dr. Elariny, and he is a great surgeon. I just could not afford his fees, so I sought and found Dr. Dennis Smith, Jr. in Marietta, GA. I began with his office in March 2008, after waiting on a change of insurance at my old company and then a change of jobs to yet another insurance. I did all the required tests for both Dr. Smith and BCBS, and we filed for approval in early May. I was denied. Flat-out denied. I'll always remember standing in Logan Airport, getting the news and being so heartsick and yet livid at the same time. Oh no, the fight was on. They just didn't know I have the tenacity of a bulldog and was not about to give up and go away!
So I hired an ERISA appeals specialist who handled my appeals for me. Karlene Dittrich is an angel and a hellion all rolled into one!! I love her SO much, and I have never met her face-to-face. But you can bet that when I go to GA in 11 days, I will get to meet her and hug her neck!!! Karlene filed appeals and fought with insurance through 2 appeals. But her bigger job was to talk me down from the ledge as often as I'd climb up there! Which was often, let me tell you. She was the one person who told me time and again that "Patience and Persistence make you POWERFUL!" And now I'm a believer. For 2nd appeal, I got letters of support from my spine doc (I ruptured yet another lumbar disc in March 2008) and the PA of my orthopedic surgeon who scoped my right shoulder in October 2007. She filed that appeal the week before Christmas. I was sure it would be mid-January before I'd hear anything and that surely I would have to go before the grievance panel at BCBS to plead my case. So imagine my surprise when I got the approval letter in the mail on December 30th! It was approved on Christmas Eve, and once I stopped hyper-ventilating, screaming, and crying, I realized what a wonderful Christmas gift I had indeed been given.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)