Weight Loss Surgeon #2

After getting amazing news that my insurance company would cover weight loss surgery, I didn't waste any time. There was a weight loss surgeon right in Marquette and so I called and made an appointment right away.

I attended the group meeting and an informational seminar. This is when they really make you think about whether or not this was the right decision for you. I had NO doubts. This was going to turn my life around in so many positive ways. I just knew it.

I had private appointment with the surgeon. We went over my health issues, what I wanted out of this surgery, and he answered any questions I had. I told him I was beyond sure that this is what I needed. I was then scheduled to meet with a nutritionist, a psychologist, a cardiologist, and my general practitioner. 

The nutritionist and I went over what kind of diet I was currently on. All carbs! HaHa! With PCOS and insulin resistance, you crave carbs because your body is not processing them properly. We then went over what kind of diet I needed to be on before surgery. Low carb! :-( I needed to focus on watching how much fat I was eating, how many carbs I was eating, and limiting my portions. No big deal. Then came the diet restriction for after surgery. 2 ounces! OY VEY! First of all, even with a smaller stomach, how can 2 ounces sustain anyone? Well, she explained it in great detail. She then explained that I would only be on a 2 ounce diet for a short time, thank God. It was just a small reality check that I needed to make sure I was still game for this great change that was going to take place.

The psychologist was basically to make sure that I wasn't crazy. Well, I was kind of worried that I wasn't going to pass that one :-p Really, they needed to make sure that I was going to be able to handle the changes emotionally (and now looking back, boy is this a very necessary step in the process). I had to answer questions about my past that I had never really thought about anymore. I had to be aware that this had to be about more than just my fertility. Surgery may not fix my fertility and I needed to be ok with that. I wasn't, but I had to suck it up.

The cardiologist had to run a stress test and echo on my heart to make sure that I could withstand going through surgery. Let me tell you, that stress test made me so very glad I was pursuing wight loss surgery. Walking on a very high incline treadmill with wires strapped to me was not my idea of fun! Despite a heart murmur and a bicuspid narrow aortic valve I passed and was given clearance. 

My last and final appointment was to see my general practitioner to have some blood work done. No surprise there that they found elevated hormones, elevated liver enzymes, high blood sugar, and so on... but this was why I was pushing forward with the weight loss surgery, right? To change all these things. He thought I was a good candidate and gave his approval. 

All was done and I was ready to schedule my surgery. My emotions were all over the place. I had never had surgery before, this was a big deal. This was also something I had been working toward for so long. I NEEDED this. I called the surgeons office to schedule the BIG DAY and that was when I was told that insurance declined my request. They were not going to cover it. 

What? I didn't even know that could happen. Why did I go through all this just to be told no, again? Once again I was hurt and confused. I was told that I could appeal it. I had to write a letter to the insurance company explaining why I should be approved. So I did. When I got my response, I was told that I needed to undergo more testing to prove that this was medically necessary. At this point, I dropped it. I was overwhelmed and figured God was saying no.

What now? I felt like every corner I turned I was always asking God "What do you want for me? What do you want from me?"

I wanted to know what God was trying to teach me and I wanted to know it right then!

Reproductive specialists: Round one!

The first time that I was told I was going to have to see a "specialist" freaked me out! My OB/GYN telling me that she wasn't able to help me kind of gave me low hope right off the bat. It just so happens that a couple we went to church with were going through some fertility issues themselves and had referred us to a doctor. A call was made and an appointment was set. We were officially seeing a specialist.

Our first appointment was the basics... how old are you? How long have you been trying? What kind of "trying" have you done? (How do you answer that one?) What tests have you already had done? (At that point, just my initial PCOS testing when I was 14) What kind of health issues do you have? What kind of health issues run in your family?  We had very basic answers. Outside of my PCOS, neither one of us had any health issues (that we are aware of). The doctor ordered a round of blood work for myself and a semen analysis for Chad. (Sorry babe, I know this can be embarrassing)

My blood work showed what I expected: elevated male hormones, elevated blood sugar, and elevated liver enzymes. Typical blood work results for someone with PCOS. The doctor then ordered a hysterosalpingogram or an HSG to check to make sure my uterus and tubes were in good shape. NOT my favorite test to have done, but the results showed everything to be in working order.

Chad went in for his semen analysis. Due to the location of the doctors office and our home, Chad had to produce a sample in the office rather than bringing in a sample. It was really hard on him and myself. I wasn't able to go with him because I had to go to work, which was an hour in the opposite direction of the doctors office. Neither one of us was comfortable with the idea of being thrown in a room filled with pornography so he could fill a cup, but at this point being as young as we were, we weren't aware that we had any other option (and there are other options!). God knows our hearts and I believe that if we were truly headed in the wrong direction, that the door would be closed. 

It took a week or so to get the results. With one phone call, we were told that his analysis showed low count and low motility. WOW! Really? We knew that I had some issues that were going to make this difficult for us, but neither of us expected that Chad would also contribute to our difficulties. We were both in shock and it definitely was a hard reality for both of us.

It wasn't long before we both were getting overwhelmed and feeling a bit beaten down. We felt God leading us in a different direction. We decided to take a step back from the specialists and try some natural and homeopathic measures. Chad and I prefer to live a more natural lifestyle and I prefer to resort to homeopathic measures when it comes to our health and our ailments. I have seen a lot of good come from this.

 I started on a PCOS diet that helped some. I was able to lose a little weight and feel better. My cycles didn't come back and I was still showing all signs of PCOS. I also started a Fertility Cleanse. With this, I also didn't see any real changes with my PCOS. Disclaimer: just because I didn't see results with the diet or the cleanse, doesn't mean that they don't work or that they won't work for you. 

We weren't sure if there was anything that Chad could do. For the time we were just praying that everything would be fine with him. The doctors had told us that being nervous can affect the sample that you give. I held on to hope that this was the reason.

It's all for a reason and only for a season!