Initial Doctor Visit

Nervously, I went to go see the doctor/surgeon for the weight loss surgery.  Going in, I knew I was going to have to do a three month diet plan (doctor supervised) for the insurance to pay for the procedure.  Three years ago, I went to another surgeon to discuss the same things.  I was afraid that this place was going to be the same - cookie cutter talks from the surgeon, pressuring for surgery.  This was not the case.

I saw Dr Primomo at The Davis Clinic in Memorial City, TX.  The lobby itself was vastly different from my prior experience, and I was instantly comforted.  The colors were all natural and soothing, and the chairs and benches available were all made for larger people.  The front desk ladies were sweet and had no problem rechecking my insurance, as I had reached my deductible since they had last checked.  Instead of a $230 office visit, I paid $23 because of that.  *whew* The ladies up front had also taken the time to email me a few times before my appointment, and I had my paperwork ready.  I had also listened to a webinar that Dr Primomo had done, so I was up to date on what he offered and how to use the surgery as a tool for weight loss.  I was also very impressed at the detail he went into, and how he made the vast array of information available in bite sized pieces for laypersons.

Dr Primomo was just as awesome in person as he was in the webinar.  He asked me questions about myself, listened to my concerns and hopes and history of diet and exercise.  He comforted me in that he said that once a body has been at a high BMI for so long, the body will do anything to stay there, and so diet and exercise won't work as well.  Since I have been overweight since I was 12, it certainly explains a lot.  In addition to having the polycystic ovarian disease and insulin resistance, of course.  He assured me that the weight WILL come off, and it will be up to me to keep it off.  He explained that the way the RNY surgery is done, it bypasses the entire Duodenum and attaches straight to the Jejunum, which for some reason (hasn't been figured out yet) cures diabetes, insulin resistance, and the basic fat-related inflammatory process that makes the body hold onto the fat.  I have a hypothesis on that, in that it's because it bypasses the pancreas and bile duct, which is where fats and proteins are broken down.....but that's just me.

Unfortunately, due to insurance, I have to wait 30 days from my initial consult with the surgeon to start seeing the nutritionist and getting my supervised diet started.  So the earliest I can have surgery is sometime in September, presuming everything goes well.  That means that the kids will be back in school by the time I bite the bullet and need rest and a special diet.  And by Christmas, maybe I will be small enough to fit in an airline seat without spilling over to the next one....