My WLS Journey

Hi my name is George Hollo but my friends call me "Stompy." I was always a "husky" kid but I was never really "fat." I was pretty fit in Junior High but I started to gain weight in the 12th Grade-that was the year we no longer had to take gym. I started to gain about 20 pounds a year. Every 10 months or so I would go up a size as my old clothes got too tight.

Being big was a bother but it didn't really scare me until I had to have surgury to remove a hernieted disk in my back. I recovered but wasn't as active afterwards due to my back hurting all the time. During the summer of 2001 I had trouble breathing while walking and attributed it to the heat. Later that Fall I still had difficulty even though the heat was gone. I started walking again in the evenings but my pesky back flared up again and I was flat on my back, unable to move, in incredible pain as the disc pressed against the nerves in my spine. I was on bedrest and tons of medications for 6 weeks and luckily the disc went back in place.

I guess things started to get bad when I could no longer buy clothes at the "Big & Fat" stores. I had to special order socks! Planes were really tough to get on and I always felt bad for people who had to sit next to me. Day to day activites were difficult to perform. I made my son do things around the house for me like a slave. I considered buying a new car because I couldn't fit into the one I was driving. I stopped going out (except to eat). I finally decided I needed to do something before I ended up dead.

I researched Surgical Weight Loss Methods. As I read about super morbid obesity and it's symptoms and effects I realized that each one of the symptoms was something I had. I had trouble breathing, my ankles had thickened, I wasn't getting enough oxygen and actually stopped breathing while I was sleeping. If I had the symptoms, then it was only logical to conclude that all the health risks such as stroke and heart attack were just around the corner. I went to my PCP in September and he thought WLS was a great idea and looked at my Insurance. Bad news... My insurance company didn't pay for WLS. Dr. Naberhaus looked over my Healthcare choices for 2003 and suggested UHC. I had to wait until Januray to go to Dr. Naberhaus again but went armed with a really good "Approval Request Letter." He rewrote the letter from his perspective and got approval for a Surgeon for me. I was elated. I then called the Surgeon's office and was told they were taking appointments for 2004 (this was in Feb 2003 mind you). I sighed and said, "Okay-sign me up..."

I went back to my PCP's office to see if someone could see me sooner-they gave me a big list of folks to call but weren't about to help me with anything. My PCP is a great doctor but his office staff stinks! I called everyone on the list myself and complied a notebook of all the hoops I would have to jump through for each one.

I selected two doctors off the list who seemed like they'd work with me and set up appointments to see each. Both were set for August-not as fast as I wanted but better than a year later as the first guy had been.

Dr. McCarty's office contacted me and said they were adding additional seminars and wanted to know if I'd be interested in attending on May 22, 2003 rather than the one in August. I started jumping for joy in my kitchen and quietly answered them, "Sure I think I can make it." I cleared my calendar and prepared for the next step.

May 22nd came and I braved highway backups, parking nightmares, building mazes, an interminable hike, but actually made it to the meeting on time and in one piece, gasping for breath. The doctors and post-op patients came in and told their stories. They answered questions and seemed very sincere. I submitted my paperwork and waited. And waited. And when I was done waiting, I waited some more. I called Megan and pestered her for a month. She had submitted my Insurance letter June 12th. I then switched gears and began to pester the nice folks at UHC. I was actually surprised that on my first call I made it through to a real person and that she found my file and that she had Megan's letter in my file and that someone was actually "reviewing" it. I called every week and was told "they're still reviewing your case." I sadly went home one Friday afternoon after no luck at the Insurance Company that week and there was a letter from United Healthcare in my mailbox. I sat down and carefully opened it. I read the letter very slowly to make sure I didn't misunderstand anything-I was approved!

I attended my first "Baylor Buddies" meeting July 10th and went in with an open mind. One of the best things about the BB Meetings is that it gives you something to focus on rather than sitting by the phone waiting for a call. It also gives you the opportunity to meet other folks who are in the same situation as you are. You realize you are NOT alone, other people are also experiencing what you are going through, and there are people to go to when you need help. I was amazed that people knew who I was just from a few posts I had made on the message board.

One great thing about the website is that it gives you the opportunity to focus on something other than yourself. A great many people are going through a lot of things in their lives and it is amazing how much you can help just by saying something like, "I hear you, I know what you're going through."

I got "the call" from Dawn July 22, 2003. She scheduled me for a consultation with Dr. McCarty on September 8th at 1030AM. I am a huge Star Trek fan and it is ironic that September 8th is also Star Trek's 37th Birthday. All my life good stuff has happened to me on 9/8 and this was just one more example of a good thing.

I have stopped drinking carbonated beverages, I try not to drink with meals, I am trying to eat healthier choices now, and I am participating in the website.

In August there is usually not a Baylor Buddies meeting. However, there are so many people in the program and they are moving people through the program pretty quickly that some folks never get the chance to attend a pre-op meeting with Amber. She took it upon herself to set up a pre-op meeting, get a speaker, get BB's to help direct traffic, send out directions, and do all the other things to put the meeting together. I attended the pre-op meeting August 9th and enjoyed hearing from Debbie Burns. She lugged in two huge bags of pet food, dropped them on the floor with a thud, and said, "This is how much weight I've lost!" It was a pretty impressive sight.

We took a pre-op test and I'm happy to report I scored 100%. I've researched this procedure and I think I have a pretty good understanding of the whole thing.

the saga continues