Well, I went to see Dr. Nusbaum yesterday for a belated 6 month check up. The good news is all of my labs came back just fine, with all of my vitamin levels where they should be and nothing showing deficient. According to his scale, I am down 126 pounds – although according to mine, it’s more like 130. But I was fully dressed with shoes on at the doctor’s office. I wanted to strip naked and get weighed, but it’s a co-ed place, and I didn’t think it was appropriate.
The bad news is the huge scar I have down the middle of my stomach from the small bowel obstruction repair didn’t need to be there 🙁 Dr. Nusbaum said that was a procedure that could have been attempted laproscopically. By doing the surgery with an open incision, the surgeon left me at greater risk for developing more adhesions, and then having the same thing happen again 🙁 He said that the old school of thought was to never let the sun set on an obstruction like mine, but there was definitely enough time for me to be transferred to St. Barnabas in North Jersey for Dr. Nusbaum to operate. He even told me that if something like this ever happens again, he will send an ambulance here to pick me up so we don’t even have to drive up there. He gave me his cell phone number and said if I ever needed him, the only time he does not answer his phone is if he’s in a non-service area or in surgery, and then his office can get to him if I need him. I thought that was really nice of him to do. I’m pretty pissed that I have this huge scar that could have been prevented.
I learned that I have about 15 pounds of excess skin, and he told me to try and encourage the rash that sometimes forms under the hanging skin. That will help convince the insurance company that having the plastic surgery to remove the skin is medically necessary. Now if I can find a way to convince them I NEED breast augmentation, I’ll be all set.
All in all, it was a good visit. He asked me to walk in the Walk for Health he is sponsoring to benefit the Center for Bariatric Care at St. Barnabas. I think I’d like to do it, but with Jim traveling and only weekends to spend together as a family, it’s hard to plan stuff that will impact everyone for a whole day. It also takes place on one of our busy days – drama class and swimming lessons.
So, I’m good for another 6 months without having to worry that the surgery isn’t working. Apparently it is 🙂