OHIP Update!!

Dr. F @ BMI Medical just called - he talked to OHIP and they screwed up. Paperwork has now been corrected to show I'm approved for the VSG!!!

I'm very pleased and to boot, I still made good food choices at lunch even though I wanted to demolish a bag of chips! So a double woot!

Now the dreaded wait for a surgery date....

Bloody bureaucracy - another roadblock..

Damn damn damn - OHIP approval is here (yippee) but approved me for the wrong flipping one (approved for RnY) so I have to start the paperwork AGAIN which means I'll miss my window for surgery in January. Seriously - I am bawling here.

When I met with Dr. Pop yesterday, he is booking into mid-late January and I only have family supports to be able to have surgery in January or not again until after March Break. I called OHIP and got the voicemail - left a message to find out "what now". I also called BMI here in Ottawa - poor Stacey (the receptionist) wasn't sure what to make of the hysterically crying woman on the phone I think but I think she got the idea that having Dr. Freedhoff give me a call might be a good one.

After all the crap to get to Detroit & back (snow, black ice, almost missed my flight out of Toronto last night, my home care worker didn't show up to care for my son as planned yesterday, etc) and now this I'm starting to wonder if the fates are trying to tell me something.

Sorry to be down - i was super happy and high as a kite when I went out to take my son to the school bus 30 min ago and saw my Purolator envelope sitting in my mailbox (um - don't they ring the doorbell anymore?).

Today's BMI appointments...

Had an appointment with Shawna (the NUT - well ok, she's a dietician but saying "nut" as in nutritionist is that much faster - ok Shawna?) at BMI this afternoon. I very proudly showed off my food journal. For the first time since last fall when I first "joined" BMI, I have been much more faithfully filling out my food journal. Honestly - this has indeed allowed me a better picture of what I'm eating and being honest about when I snack, etc. It's not perfect but it's a start. Shawna was very pleased. :)

For now, my goal is to continue my food journal and making sure I eat my 3 snacks & 3 meals aiming for my 100+ g of protein a day and approx 1700-2000 cal/day. I find the a.m. snack the hardest to remember - eating breakfast at 8am and then lunch around 11:30, I don't feel I need one in between but I'm working on eating something less filling like nuts at that time.

Also got to talk off the record with Dr. F about my findings, etc. He originally was pushing (well - not pushing per se) for me to consider the DS but after doing my online reading/research, he also feels that my familiy situation does not allow for me to be out of commission for 10 weeks post-op if I have the DS (which is done as an open procedure when covered by OHIP). The lap surgery (either VSG or RnY) is a shorter recovery. I have to confirm with Dr. Pop the exact timing but it is certainly a shorter recovery in that sense.

I shared with him some of what I learned about vitamins and such from my OH Ottawa group meeting on Sunday. He is familiar with the DS procedure but I find he's always very open minded and wants to keep up with what's out there. I thought Shawna (the NUT) would also want to keep abreast of what folks are doing post-WLS.

On a personal note, I am already starting to notice that I am worried about how I will feel/look after the weight starts to come off - to the point that it's affecting my self confidence already. Not great but an early demon that's rearing it's head. I will definitely be investigating the counsellor at BMI to discuss these issues BEFORE I have surgery so I have some better coping techniques for the ups & downs post op.