Tuesday July 12th 2011 - Another bipolar episode

First, the good news; the surgeon's office called my insurance to start the approval process again and my health insurance, Anthem BC BS, told them that the date of operation just had to be changed and everything was ready to go. So, the hospital/surgeon pre-operation appointments are set for July 29th and the surgery stands at August 3rd. Just twenty-two days away!

Last night I sent in my loan paperwork and I'm going to the cemetery this afternoon to close the final deal on the sale of the last two plots. The loan is $3,000 and the plot sale is $2,200. Combined with the $2,000 plus in savings and I easily have my rough $6,000 covered plus I can pay off all of my credit cards. My credit cards were nearly paid off until I had the car repair and my son dropped coffee into his laptop.

So, I thought I had my father's death anniversary under control, but I was wrong. On Saturday, my wife and I had a nice lunch with friends and then went to see the new movie "Horrible Bosses." The movie was hilarious and returned home in a good mood. And then it hit me. I'm not sure what set it off, but I started snipping at anyone and everyone as soon as I entered the house. I knew I was being irrational and no one deserved my attitude so I left the house and drove into the mountains by myself.

My attitude was quickly slipping into a panic attack so I took the appropriate medication (a mood stabilizer and an anti-anxiety pill). By the time I was 20 minutes into my drive I was feeling better, but not well enough to go back home. Instead I drove up to a National Park just north of Evergreen Colorado. It had just rained so the air was crisp and the park bench was a bit wet.

As I sat next to a beautiful mountain meadow the only noises that interrupted complete silence was the occasional dart of a bird and the incessant call of a mother Elk to her baby Elks. There were so many Elk around me that at any given time I could watch young Elk frolicking about 30 yards from me and many female Elks grazing in the meadow right in front of me. I sat real quiet and four Elk walked within 10 feet of me. It was beautiful and it knocked me back into shape. I returned home a changed man and the rest of the weekend went well.      

Saturday July 9th 2011 - Weight gain associated with Bipolar medications

Weight gain is one of the most common and difficult side effects of many of the medications used to treat bipolar disorder and other psychiatric illness. The most common types of bipolar meds are atypical anti-psychotics, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, anti-manics or “Mood Stabilizers” and anti-seizure medications.  

When I was initially diagnosed as Bipolar in 2001, my psychiatrist put me on a combination of anti-psychotics including Seroquel, Lithium, Depakote, and clozapine. All of these drugs are in the highest weight gain risk group. I was already obese, but these drugs made it impossible to lose weight. True to the claims, I gained weight like a sumo wrestler. 


Through the years I have adjusted my bipolar "menu" to Lamictal, Hydroxyzine, Seroquel, and Lorazepam. Lamictal is an anti-manic mood-stabilizer. Hydroxyzine and Lorazepam are anti-anxiety meds. Seroquel is an anti-psychotic. I've been on these drugs for over four years and they are very effective. I still suffer from the symptoms of being manic-depressive and I still have panic attacks, but I'm not totally incapacitated by them. I'm sure that I would be incapacitated and a puddle of useless poop without these medications. 


I have borrowed the following quick reference guide from a Candida Fink, MD's blog article at http://blogs.psychcentral.com/bipolar/2008/10/preventing-and-reversing-weight-gain-associated-with-psychiatric-medications/


Atypical Antipsychotics

Almost all of the atypical antipsychotics are notorious for causing fairly significant weight gain in most (but not all) people who take them. Here’s the list of culprits ranked from most to least risk for causing weight gain:

• High risk: Olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel), risperidone (Risperdal), aripiprazole (Abilify), and clozapin (Clozaril)
• Little to no risk: Ziprasidone (Geodon) and older first-generation antipsychotics such as perphenazine (Trilafon)

The weight gain from antipsychotics appears to come from increased appetite (“hyperphagia”) and some changes in metabolism. This family of medicines also has varying degrees of risk of certain health risks such as diabetes and elevated cholesterol, which may be related to the medication’s effect on metabolism.

Antidepressants and Antianxiety Medications
Antidepressants and antianxiety medications all have some risk of weight gain, although not typically in the same severe range as the antipsychotics. The risk seems to be more individualized – some people notice a lot of change in appetite and weight and some notice little. Occasionally, some people actually lose weight on these meds. In addition, these medications do not carry specifically the risks of diabetes and high cholesterol.
The most common antidepressants and antianxiety medications are the SSRI’s and SNRI’s (the weight gain risk really depends on the individual):

• SSRI’s: Fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), and citalopram (Celexa) are some examples.
• SNRI’s: Venlafaxine (Effexor) and Duloxetine (Cymbalta) are the most common.

Bupropion (Wellbutrin), which is in a class of its own, is the only antidepressant without any risk of weight gain – but it is not particularly effective for anxiety.

Anti-Manics or “Mood Stabilizers” and Anti-Seizure Medications

Mood stabilizers and the anti-seizure medications often used to treat or prevent mania may also carry the risk of causing weight gain, but the risk varies depending on the medication and its effect on the person taking it:

• High risk: Valproic acid (Depakote)
• Moderate risk: Lithium
• Low risk: Lamotrigine (Lamictal) and carbemazapine (Tegretol)

Curbing Weight Gain via Medication

When medication triggers weight gain, one of the more obvious solutions is through medications – either selecting a different medication that’s less likely to cause weight gain or adding a medication that has a track record for negating the weight-gain side effect.


The most important factor here is good communication with your prescriber and regular monitoring of the medications and their effects – both good and bad. Some weight gain may be unavoidable, but try to be honest with your doctor about what you will and will not live with in this department.

Thursday July 7th 2011 - Financing the bariatric surgery

Try as I might, after two more auto repairs and a laptop repair, I'm not 100% sure that I will have the $6,000 on time for my July 20th appointment with the surgeon, so I have elected to accept the $3000 medical loan with the high origination fee. It comes with a "First year interest free" payback clause, so I should be able to dodge the 19% interest rate. I really don't need the full $3,000 but I wanted to have some money left in savings in case something else breaks. Of course, I always have credit cards, but I don't like to carry more than a collective $500 of credit card debt.

Based on the amount of paperwork and verification needed by the finance company, I believe that Medical Financing dot com usually makes loans for much higher amounts. I received via email a loan application with about six pages of gobbly gook. Not only do I have to provide proof of income and two forms of identification for both my wife and I, I also had to have our signing of the financing agreement notarized. I should be able to file the application tomorrow if I can get a signature from the surgeon's office. 

Of course, as soon as I receive the loan, the sale of our extra grave plots will close. At the very least I can pay off the medical loan early. Either way, I wanted to guarantee that I would have enough for the surgery by July 20th. I'm sure that if I had to raise $12,000 I would have found a way. I know this because God has always given us just what we need; never more and never less.

Tuesday July 5th. 2011 - Independence Day weekend

The July 4th US Independence Day is full of BBQ's, picnics, family, friends, and fireworks. Yesterday, the weather in Denver Colorado was smoking hot. I believe it was in the mid-90's and the sun was blazing down until around 4PM when some welcomed clouds appeared.

My brother was initially going to have a relatively small BBQ at his house, but some more people got invited and he decided to have it at Delaware Park in Littleton. The park was hosting a huge fireworks display so there were at least a thousand people with picnic blankets and overhead tents. Children were running freely between the families. Frisbee's and footballs were being thrown around all over the park. We had about 20 people in our group.

My brother had brought his huge gas grill to our spot and we had hamburgers, hot dogs, bratwursts, baked potatoes, broccoli salad, chips, soda, beer, and a 40th anniversary cake for my parents, plus someone brought a cherry pie. Out of those I had a bratwurst, broccoli salad, iced tea, and then I had cake. 

The fireworks were great as usual, but my wife complained of stomach pains when we were finally headed to bed and then I woke up with an emergency diarrhea situation. After I was relieved I fell back to sleep. I still have a stomach ache, but it can't be from the BBQ. Actually, it could have been the mayonnaise. I'll have to compare notes with anyone else that got sick.

As I was sitting watching my cousins twins chow down on bottles I realized that this would be the last 4th of July picnic where I could eat anything I wanted. And my second thought was GREAT! Still can't wait!

On a sad note; On July 8th 1993 a good friend of ours found my father, Paul Sharits, dead in bed in Buffalo New York. He had told his friends that he was heading to Toronto for the July 4th weekend with his girlfriend and then he cancelled with her because he said he was sick. So most people assumed he was taking a bit of a vacation when he was really committing suicide.

While he was found on the 8th, I think he started the process of overdosing on July 4th because it was his favorite holiday. He was 50. I mention this not only because I get sad between July 4th and July 8th, but also because it was one of the events in my life that caused some considerable weight gain.

Some people have strained relationships with their father's, but I did not. I was his only child and he treated me like an intelligent young man. I miss him deeply. He is a famous artist and filmmaker. He was also bipolar and an alcoholic. His work can be found at PaulSharits.com . Have a good week.

Sunday July 3rd 2011 - Anticipation

I keep looking at the calendar. August 3rd couldn't come fast enough. It may be the biggest life changing event in my life. It's just below August 11th 1984 when I married my wife and high school sweetheart. It would also fall below the births of my three sons, but that's about it. I hold my education, both formal and in life, in high esteem, but definitely below bariatric surgery. None of my professional feats can even compare. If I won the lottery, it would still be below bariatric surgery... maybe.

Think about it. I am going to time travel back to the days when dieting was something that other people had to do. As a young man I had a physically demanding warehouse job and I could eat like a bear and not gain weight. I looked great in a speedo. Sexy muscular legs. I miss my sexy legs. But, then I entered the ranks of supervisory management at age 20 and never went back to blue collar work. Back when I was thin I could buy clothes off the rack of any store. Back when I was thin Ronald Reagan was president. I'll be going clear back to B.C. (before children).

But life is about to change in other ways. I will never be able to chug water again (drinking too fast will cause a biological backup and could possibly stretch the stomach) or drink carbonated drinks of any kind (they stretch the stomach). I will have to stop caffeine once and for all. No more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This one's huge for me: NO more bread. No rice. No expandable grains.

I am a little nervous about taking all of bipolar meds. They suggest that you get your meds in liquid form, but mine are not available. I will have to split them into small enough pieces to pass.

My eating will be restricted to less than a half a cup of food in any sitting. Actually, the goal is 1/4 cup or 2 US ounces. The type of food is dictated by texture more than calorie content which means I can pretty much take a bite of anything that isn't too thin like cream of wheat or greasy like fried chicken.

The reason bariatric surgery works is the same reason it can be blown. The purpose of the Realize band is to restrict the volume of food consumed. It also decreases the stomach acid that makes you feel hungry. When maintained properly, the opening can only be controlled by filling and draining the saline lining of the band.

The way that many people blow the surgery is by cheating. Eating unhealthy food or overeating. When you overeat it stretches out your stomach. I actually know some bariatric band patients that tried to expand their new stomach pouch. It primarily because their still addicted to food. If you stay fat in your head you will probably become fat again regardless of the surgery. It's a tool, not a cure.

Right now I avoid airplanes. I should correct that... I avoid flying economy. I can't fit into those tight chairs in coach. Starting in November of 2011 I will be flying around a lot more. I will have art related travel to NYC, Buffalo, Toronto, London, Paris, Berlin, and Italy in 2012. It is going to be much nicer after I lose my first 60 pounds. I can't wait for this surgery. Only 30 days of regular eating left! Yeah!!!

Thursday June 30th 2011 - Happy Two Year Anniversary Blog!!

On June 29th 2009 I decided to start a blog about my trek through bariatric surgery. Shortly after I started the blog I had determined that I had not "tried" everything to lose weight so I stopped the surgical process and went vegan. I indeed lost weight and then gained it back. 


When I was originally researching bariatric blogs I was very disappointed to see the bloggers dropping out of their blogging shortly after surgery. Most of the blogs I found had less than 20 posts. This is my 336th post. I pledge to continue my blog until I reach my ideal weight and even then I will continue as a sounds board for bariatric patients.


This month is my best readership month yet with just shy of 1,000 visits. In the last year I have had 7,500 visitors. My stat program got changed in June 2010 and I lost track of my visits in 2009, but, according to my notes, I had at least 3,500 visitors making my grand total 11,000 to date.


The following is my very first "Welcome" post from June 29th 2009. Surprisingly, my goals for the site have remained the same:

Welcome

Hello, welcome to my first blog. This blog is intended to encourage obese people and friends of obese people. I wanted to create an honest and frank website about losing massive amounts of weight. This is not about "losing 40 pounds in 60 days". This is my trek to good health. You can join me, post responses and questions as I enter the next chapter of my personal weight loss. I will be reproducing this blog site in the third part of my new book about "Morbid Obesity: Eat to live, not live to eat". It will follow my past path from young and fit to 44 years old and fat. The second part will be leading up to and life after bariatric surgery. More than an autobiography; the book and this site, in cooperation with medical professionals and trusted resources, will answer many of the medical questions about obese complications and the steps necessary to obtain your ideal weight and live a long and happy life.

Wednesday June 29th 2011 - The Dangers of Diet Pills

I have a friend who is starting to take some very powerful diet pills. I can't express strongly enough how much I despise diet pills. I think they are dangerous. They may work for a while, but the long term effects of the medications can be horrible and permanent. The biggest problem with diet pills is that once you stop taking them your body goes into overtime to restore the previous weight. And, mind you, I have tried several with temporarily successful results until I stopped taking them. Instead of helping me, they just contributed to my long term yo-yo upward spiral.

Back in 2009 when I was first preparing for the Realize Band surgery I wrote the following article. You may also find this article at http://ezinearticles.com/?Dangers-of-Diet-Pills&id=2571489

Dangers of Diet Pills
by Christopher Sharits

American's spend more than 6 Billion dollars a year on diet pills. There are literally hundreds of diet pills. At any given time there are dozens of "lose weight quick" schemes in the media. They usually involve some "miracle" drug or supplement foods. Whether the pills or ingredients are over the counter or prescription, they can be very dangerous to your long term health.

Remember fen/phen or Ephedra. Both caused heart trouble and were banned by the FDA. That's two out of hundreds of pills, many of them unregulated. Most diet pills contain caffeine (a stimulant added for that "burst of energy"). While almost everyone drinks or takes caffeine, it can be dangerous in large quantities. Caffeine stimulates adrenaline which increases blood sugar and begins to emit cortisol which destroys the nervous system. Imagine a person who drinks coffee all the time and takes diet pills. They would have greatly increased their risk for cushings disease. Other common ingredients are Xenical (which can cause unexpected fecal discharge), Adipex, Phentermine, and Merdia. The side effects from these drugs can be chest pain, racing heartbeat, depression, heart problems (even failure), high blood pressure, dizziness, tremors, diarrhea, and nervousness. Even "organic" diet pills are dangerous and, for the most part, unregulated.

If you still believe in these "short cuts" you should consult your doctor (especially if you are taking prescription drugs). If you insist on taking diet pills you will probably need to stay on them for a long time to maintain the desired results. Like any conventional diet, once you stop, the weight may return. Long term use of diet pills greatly increase your risk of permanent bodily damage. There is simply no substitute for a moderate balanced diet and exercise. Forget about the ingredients in foods and watch your calories. As I continue to argue, morbidly obese people need to have a balanced diet, exercise, and strongly consider bariatric surgery.

Bariatric surgery is for the morbidly obese. It is not the solution or a quick fix for weight loss. Rather, it is a powerful tool for the morbidly obese to finally obtain an ideal weight. Like any tool, it requires a balanced diet and exercise. There are two basic types of bariatric surgery performed today. There is the traditional Roux-en-y gastric bypass for the super morbidly obese that actually redirects food around the stomach. It is an invasive surgery. The more popular weight loss surgery is the "Lap-Band" or "Realize Band" that simply reduces the size of the stomach through an adjustable ring. It is performed laparoscopically and is much less invasive. Both of these bariatric surgeries have proven to be very successful for permanent weight-loss. There are pros and cons to both surgeries. You should find an experienced surgeon to find out if bariatric surgery is for you. If you do chose bariatric surgery, you will avoid nearly all of the organ damaging effects of diet pills. As with any successful weight-loss program, the common variable is life long balanced diet and a regular exercise program.

About the author: I am super morbidly obese and currently jumping through the hoops to have the "Realize Band" installed. I write articles about my journey to my ideal weight. You can follow my trials and tribulations on Twitter and my "Super Morbid Obesity" daily blog at http://lose250.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2571489

Tuesday June 28th 2011 - Dieting in the mean time

I was pretty upset about the surgical delay. It definitely didn't help my week long bipolar depression. Yesterday was a better day emotionally and I feel pretty good today so I must be cycling back up. At least I hope so.

Good thing because I am trying to finish writing part two of my book "Night in Positano." If you're new to my blog here's a two liner about the book... "Night in Positano" tells the story of a young man from Boulder Colorado who is struggling with onset bipolar disorder and psychosis. While visiting his father in Positano Italy Nick has a major bipolar episode and attempts suicide. You can read a free preview at NightinPositano.com.

The last few months have been marked by overeating and sneaking sweet snacks. This weekend I started to really crack down on my diet. Just for this week I am eating oatmeal with nuts and raisins for breakfast and lunch. At dinner, I am only eating one small plate of food. Hopefully that will help me feel less bloated and uncomfortable.

My downfall is peanut butter and jelly at night. I get so frick'n hungry if I stay up past eleven. On Sunday I did great until my 15 year old's birthday BBQ. I only ate one plate, but I had cake and ice cream. I felt so bloated I thought I would burst. As much as I hate feeling hungry, I really hate over eating.

I am also going to return to the gym... this afternoon. I am going to renew my six month membership because I feel guilty not going four or five times a week. I want to be in as good of shape as I can be when I get my surgery so that I can really hit it like I am on the "Biggest Loser" television show.

Before I go back to writing the book I wanted to briefly address a disturbing issue. Okay, maybe two parts of an issue. First, my wife has a friend who is also losing the battle against morbid obesity and she feels horrible, defeated, and ugly. She is not ugly. As for her other thoughts, I completely understand. My wife told her that I was embarrassed to go out into public because I feel like everyone is judging me based on my weight and that I just look disgusting. That part is true. She said that she couldn't believe I thought I was hideous because I don't look that bad. I think I do. I can't wait for the surgery. But, it brings up an important point; fat people usually have a negative opinion about themselves as if their self-worth was based on their weight. I always think people has a negative opinion of me until they hear me speak and realize that I am more than a fatso.

Second, fat people are routinely picked on. The politically correct world says we can't use words that offend people, but it seems like there is an open season on making fun of the fat guy. We don't actually eat people... unless we have some good BBQ sauce. Oh and hide your babies cause we'll eat them. Oh yeah, we are so stupid and weak because we can't put the fork down. You know what  I say to all that crap? F%*#$ you! No one wakes up says, "Hey, I feel like getting fat today." And becoming obese doesn't happen overnight. It is a gradual process that reaches a point of frustration where people just give up. But, why can we accept that celebrities actually need to go to treatment for being horny and we can't accept that many fat people, like me, are dealing with an addiction to food. Oh yeah, I am going to eat the next kid that snickers when I walk by.

Saturday June 25th 2001 - SURGERY DELAY!!!!!!

Our insurance is through my wife's employer and it crossed its annual renewal date July 1st. Since my surgery was scheduled for July 11th the insurance told the surgeon's office that they would have to refile the packet that had already been approved. It took the insurance eight days last month and, considering the July 4th holiday, we don't think they will be able to get the new approval before my surgery date.

Considering and estimating the timing of events, we have rescheduled my pre-op appointment for July 20th. By then we will have the new approval. The actual surgery is now scheduled for August 3rd.

While I am disappointed, I believe it was God taking care of me. For one, I'm taking a working vacation to Santa Fe, New Mexico the week of July 24th. It was never a good idea to travel so soon after surgery, but I wanted the surgery so bad I was willing to ignore the obvious red flag.

In addition, it gives me more time to formulate my funding strategy. I've marked down my cemetery plots to the point that I undercut all of the competition so I am sure I will sell them soon. Losing the previous sale was near disastrous for the July 5th pre-op meeting where I needed to pay my portion of the bills. I could have done it, but it meant maxing out three of my credit cards.

As I had written previously, the peer to peer loan wasn't working because most people are unfamiliar with the lending practice. However, I did receive an approval from a medical financing company for $3,000. The loan is fine, but the origination fee is $1,000. Their justification for the huge fee is that my credit risk is too high and the fact that they would have nothing to re-possess like a tangible item like a car or a house. So basically, this company would be loaning me the money without any security. I don't like it, but I get it.

I have until July 8th to accept or decline the loan. Hopefully I won't need it, but I would rather accept the fee than max out my credit cards or borrow money from family. If you look at the whole picture, I am saving $2,000 because the hospital classified my surgery at the lower rate plus I can save $1,800 by paying the anesthesiologist and the surgical assistant early. And, of course, its just money and I would have gladly paid far more than I am actually going to pay to have the surgery. If they had told me I needed $12,000 it would have been a challenge, but I would still do it.

The main thing is that I am frustrated and seriously depressed by my weight. I do not like being fat. No one does. This surgery will literally save my life by weight loss and increasing my potential ability to have a liver transplant. I hate the delay, but it is probably a good thing.

Wednesday June 22nd 2011 - And some days just suck

Today sucks. I'm wired different than most people. Bipolar suffers are wired differently than others. We take chances and hang ourselves way out on a limb. We go for broke and fail to see the barriers of normal life. That is why so many bipolar people do such fantastic over the top things. That's why some of our greatest bipolar leaders like Lincoln or Churchill have done the impossible. Its because they fail to recognize impossible.

I'm that way. I can't do anything half way. I'm all in or not. When I'm manic nothing is impossible, but, when I'm depressed, nothing works. Today sucks. It seems like everything is working against me. I do so many positive things. I know that. I do things that other people wouldn't even consider trying. I genuinely think there is nothing I can't do if I apply myself. Of course, that's silly. Everyone has limitations, I just don't recognize mine.

But today, I just feel defeated, frustrated, lonely, and hopeless. On the bright side, I'll probably bounce out of this despair when I cycle up. Just have to hang one until then.

Oh yeah, remember that great idea about the peer to peer financing? It only works if other people care. Even though I sent out info to my friends on facebook and my family and friends via email, no one that I know has even invested $25. So I guess that's what my life is worth. Less than $25. Being bipolar sucks.

Tuesday June 21st 2011 - A better way to fund bariatric surgery!

I thought I was all set, but my financial plan needed the sale of two cemetery plots that I thought I had closed, but, on Father's Day, the elderly couple's grown children told them not to worry about pre-planning. Someone else could buy the plots, but I can't rely on that payment by July 5th when I need to pay the hospital. 

I could use my credit cards or a personal loan, but I decided to try a different route to close my $3000 gap. I have listed my loan request on Prosper.com which facilitates "peer to peer" investments. The idea is that any site registered investor could go to my request and invest as little as $25 or more towards funding my loan request. The collective investments will quickly fund my request in days. 

Unlike Kiva.com micro-loans, peer to peer loans generate a strong return on their investment. It's really a smart way to help out a friend without all the personal crap.

My loan request is for : This loan will be used to... prepay balance of $3,000 from a $16,000 Realize Band surgical procedure on the 5th of July for the surgical procedure on July 11th, 2011. 

To see my loan listing and hopefully invest in my request, go to https://www.prosper.com/invest/listing.aspx?listingID=512627&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=system_event&utm_source=borrower_listing_created&utm_content=view_listing

June 19th, 2011 - Bipolar panic attack

I really have no idea why this happens other than to say that it is a symptom of my bipolar disorder. About a month ago I had several unexplained panic attacks. They happen the same as today's did.

You'd think I was happy about father's day and the surgery approval. Plus, yesterday I went with my wife and 20 year old son to Breckenridge Colorado to tour the Country Boy Gold Mine. It was awesome. I should post some pictures. I will definitely post on my facebook account. You can become my "friend" if you add a note that you are a lose250 blog reader. I think you can find me as Christopher Sharits (Lakewood Colorado) or by my email address csharits@comcast.net. After the long tour into the bowels of this picaresque rocky mountain we panned for gold. Cheri and Jeff found gold. Well, some flakes.

So anyway, I've had a great weekend and there was no reason to have a panic attack. It happened in the grocery store. I do almost all of the shopping, but today I had my wife with me. It was only a $100 trip and I was finding everything I needed on my list. All was good and then in the laundry soap isle I started to sweat. By the end of the next isle my heart rate shot up and I started to lose my breath. I told my wife we had to hurry and get home because I didn't have any lorazepam with me.

Everything became, well I think I was hyperventilating, so everything looked bright and flashy. I could hardly mask my distress. We got out to the car and I was nearly in tears. My wife tried to talk my off of the ceiling and I got back to the point where I was just hyperventilating. I slowed my breathing and we made it home. I got a huge glass of ice water and took two lorazepam. I sat and tried not to show my emotions because I knew I was irritable and could easily transfer my distress towards someone else who obviously didn't deserve it. I chilled in my bed and fell asleep until dinner. Now I feel better, but I still feel as if I was in a marathon.

Sunday June 19, 2011 - Insurance approval letter

I did a mental cartwheel when I received this letter from my insurance company approving my Realize Band procedure and I thought I might share it.

My favorite sentence is "Based on the information provided to us, we are pleased to authorize your admission for the service(s) list above." Procedure listed above: "Lap place gastr adj device."

June 17th, 2011 - READY TO GO: Surgery date July 11, 2011 !!!!!!

I just received the call from the surgeon's office! My insurance has authorized the surgery!


Important Dates:

• Meet with Swedish Hospital on July 5th for pre-surgery blood draw and medical review. It will take at least one hour. Apparently, there is a lot of paperwork and review of my doctors notes.
• Meet with Dr. Tillquist (surgeon) after I finish with the hospital on July 5th for final prep. It is at this time that I will pay the hospital $4500 and pre-pay the anesthesiologist $1080 and pre-pay the surgical assistant $270 (for reasons unknown, the assistant must be paid in cash or check).
• SURGERY DATE : JULY 11, 2011 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will find out the exact hour next week. It will be in the morning and I should be on my way home before evening!

At this point I have the $4500 in cash as well as the $270. I may have to use my credit card for the $1080, but it is a green light. It is going to actually happen. I'm so excited I could eat an entire cheese cake! (kidding) Actually, now that it is real I am going to hit the gym everyday (starting Monday) and try to lose a good 10 pounds before the surgery. YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-))

Thursday June 16th, 2011 - Final cost of Realize Band Surgery

Finally!!! Quick note: Costs in the United States vary according to insurance stipulations and contracted cost controls with the hospital and the surgeon.

As stipulated by my insurance, I had to use a surgeon who has been awarded "Center of Excellence" status. My surgeon, Richard Tillquist with Swedish Hospital in Englewood, Colorado, was awarded this recognition through a history of great patient outcomes from the operation and a clear commitment to comprehensive, high quality bariatric care.

My healthcare insurance is Anthem Blue Cross/ Blue Shield PPO. Our particular plan is on the high end of our choices because we wanted the extra coverage's and smaller deductibles ($1,000 per person). Plus, the pharmacy coverage is great. It is a group policy through my wife's employer and I believe the healthcare insurance premiums cost our family of five about $1,300 a month.

After the hospital did some research, they decided that I qualify for the contractual lesser amount of $9,000 for the surgery. My insurance will pay the hospital $4,500. I will have to pay the hospital an additional $4,500 before the surgery.

The contractual insurance limits my surgeon to $1,800 for his cost which includes the first three post-op appointments. The insurance has $3,000 limit for the surgeon so the remaining $1,200 will go towards additional office appointments. I do not need out of pocket money until the $1,200 is exhausted.

The anesthesiologist costs around $2,000, however, if I pay in advance they will reduce that to $1,080. The only other cost is for the surgeon's assistant. I believe it costs $800, however, if I pay in advance they will reduce that to $270.


In conclusion, due to insurance contracts with the surgeon and the hospital, the total cost of the operation is an astoundingly low $13,350. That's compared to the estimated cost of $17,000 to $20,000 that I found online for the larthoscopic Realize Band surgery. Overall, I am responsible for $5,850 which is lower than I ever imagined.

Now I am waiting for the surgeon's office to call me once they have the final insurance approval. Then I can pick a date for the surgery. I will pick the earliest available appointment.