Approved and Scheduled

Some of you who are reading this post already know but I had to make sure all my "faithful readers" are up to date. On Thursday, May 21 I found out that my insurance company has approved my weight loss surgery.

Yesterday, Friday May 22, I scheduled my surgery date for July 6. This means my surgery will be exactly 3 weeks from my wife's procedure. Essentially we'll be going through this whole life changing experience at the same time.

So despite the "crisis of faith" I've been going through over the last couple of months God had come through for me, as He always does. He's opened the doors which needed to be opened. Now I just have to walk through and into the place He wants me to be.

Both Paula and I would appreciate your prayers before, during, and well after our surgery dates. Any and all support will be appreciated.

A Special Anniversary

Blogger's Note: I didn't get the chance to post this yesterday but it's something that will always be a watershed moment in my life. I have to tell the story. 

I stood by the angled tilted metallic conveyor belt in the baggage claim area of the Philadelphia International Airport. I was waiting to retrieve some luggage that wasn't even mine. Standing next to me was a very pretty woman. She looked nervous, almost self conscience, as she too stood there waiting to claim her suitcase.

It was the same look I'd seen on her face not 10 minutes earlier while watching as she walked through the doorway coming from the plane. Soon I realized the reason she was so uncomfortable. I was staring at her. I apologized, did my best to control the excitement I was feeling as a result of just standing next to her and pretended to be interested in wondering where the luggage might be.

When the suitcases and the duffel bags began appearing both of us watched for the one we would claim. When she identified the bag that was hers I picked it up and we walked away together.

Our destination was the 3rd level of the parking structure. We exchanged small talk along the way. The silver blue mini van was right where I'd left it about an hour earlier.

I opened the sliding door on the passengers side and gently lifted her suitcase into the middle seat. I unlocked the passenger door and opened it gesturing for my newly arrived companion to get in.

Before she did I looked into her eyes. The spark that reflected back to me was an echo of the overwhelming joy I was feeling at that moment. I moved closer to her and kissed her for the first time.

That was Friday May 14, 1998 and I had just shared a first kiss with the woman who is now my wife. That story happened 11 years ago. While there have been many since; to this day, each kiss reminds me of the one I will never forget: the first one.

While it's not a wedding anniversary or a birthday; the anniversary of our first kiss will always be special to me because of the one with whom I shared it.

Happy "First Kiss" Anniversary, Paula. You will Always and Forever be The Love of My Life.

RH FACTOR "CATCH UP" NEWS

Good Evening I'm "RH Factor" and here's the news you need to catch up on...

PAULA GETS A SURGERY DATE & A Wii
My wife Paula has been given a date for her weight loss surgery. The procedure will be done on Monday June 15. She will be going to Centennial Hospital in Nashville. She would appreciate all your prayers for help and guides as she prepares for and then goes through this life changing experience.

In an effort to help her get into the exercise habit and lose a few pounds like the doctor wants her to before surgery I got her a Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit program. It was my idea because the best way for her to be able to exercise is to have the ability to do it at home. She loves video games and this might be the key to helping her get active again.

IS THE 3RD TIME "THE CHARM" FOR ME?
As mentioned in the last post a 3rd submission for approval of my WLS surgery has been filed. I haven't heard anything back about it yet but I'm hoping that this time I'll be approved as well.

HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT HITLER?
It's been almost 2 months since I wrote a post about the death of Spike, James' pet lizard. Well in the days since then (very much against my will) James has brought yet another reptile into his room. It's some kind of exotic Egyptian species of lizard that's already grown and is named "Hitler." This guy eats mostly vegetables and doesn't drink water at all. In fact there's not a drop ever put in his cage. I haven't even really taken the time to look at it. I really don't want anything to do with "Hitler." If I ever attempted to pet him or pick him up and he snapped at me I'm afraid I'd tie his tail into little "Knotzies".

Mother's Day & Michael's Day
This past Sunday, May 10, was Mother's Day and, my son, Michael's 28th birthday. The family got together here at our house in the early afternoon for some grilled burgers and some apple cobbler for dessert. James' fiance, Brandi, was here and we celebrated her birthday too.
It was a fun couple of hours but I had to leave and go to work. That was a tough thing for me to do. I really LOVE it when we all get together like that. It brings me great JOY!

Sister-In-Law Now Lives Within Walking Distance.
As of this past Saturday, May 9, my one and only sister in law, Theresa, now lives in the same town we do. She moved for the 3rd time in the past 2 years and is now about a mile away, maybe less. It will give us more opportunities to spend time with her and help her when she needs it.


Seven Days Straight and A New Work Place
Finally the only thing that's really going on with me personally is that I just finished up working 7 days straight at ShopNBC. Wednesday night, the 13th, was my last of 7 straight days. I have 2 days off now and will get back to a pattern of a 5 day work week over the next 3 weeks.
In addition to that the company officially opened their new call center on Wednesday as well. It is a longer walk to get to than the old one (oh joy!) and includes walking up a flight of stairs. However the good news is that I will now be able to sit at the same desk every time I work. Yes sir, I now know for sure that I will be going into work and sitting at desk 51. That makes me very happy.


That's the "Catch Up" News for now. I will try to start posting again on a somewhat regular basis. Look for some interesting posts in the next couple of weeks. I'm RH Factor. Good night and may all your posts be short ones.

Paula Gets Approved

Friday May 8 was a very memorable day for my wife, Paula. First of all she started out the morning by seeing herself mentioned in an online video program, "BTV." It's a short podcast produced as part of a website called "BariatcricTV.com." It's devoted to helping weight loss surgery patients. She was chosen to be acknowledged for her participation in the discussion forums on the website. She set a precedent in that she's the first "pre op" person to be honored on BTV.

Over the past 2 months or so Paul has been actively writing and communicating in the forums. She's made lots of online friends, asked questions and even "publicly" set her weight loss goals by putting them on the site. She even ordered a couple of the "BTV" t-shirts. A shot I took of her wearing the t-shirt contiributed in part to her being chosen to be honored this week. Without her permission I dare not include the picture in this post.

Later Friday morning she found out that our insurance company has approved her for weight loss surgery. YEAH!. She's very excited about it and has anxiously awaited the decision. She won't be able to get her surgery date set until Monday though.

As for me, I got a rejection letter from the same insurance company the other day denying my surgery. The reason stated is that my doctor's medical records did not contain any weight history for 2007. This seemed strange to me until I realized I probably didn't go to my primary doctor in 2007. That's when I was in the midst of gaining back all the weight I lost in 2006 and then some. I was probably embarrassed to go see him.

But I do remember going to the local urgent care facility a couple of times in 2007. I now have those records and they do have a record of my weight history for that year. I will copy and send them to my surgeon's office and have them submit a 3rd application for surgery. This time everything will be the way it's supposed to be and God willing I will be approved.

I will keep you informed once we learn the date of Paula's surgery. Please keep us both in your prayers as we pursue this personal life changing mission as part of becoming the person God wants us to be.

The Lesson Of The Quarter

What I'm about to write about may seem a little "trivial" to some but it is an example of just how deep and common the battle between righteousness and sin for our soul really is.

What I mean by that is the story I'm about tell you is probably something that's happened to everyone hundreds of times (which makes it common) but it also happened in a place where only I know about it (which makes it private or "deep"). Have I got your attention? Hopefully I do.

This past week at work I sat at work station that's in a relatively isolated part of the call center. Each of our cubicles are about 6 ft. X 6ft and some are back in the corners of the room. When you sit in those places the cubical walls, which are about 2-3 feet above your head when you are sitting down isolate you. Anyway, I sat in one of these "isolated" cubical for about 3 days in a row this past week.

On the desk in that cubical was a quarter, 25 cents, 1/4 of a dollar. It was sitting there the first day and was there every day I went back. I don't know whose money it was because no one had laid claim to it. It remained on the desk. So a quarter was sitting on the desk, big deal. Ah but here's where the "battle" part comes in.

Ever since the beginning of the year I've been putting away change as a means of saving up to buy a ventriloquist figure later this year. Not just a "puppet" but a classic figure or dummy as some refer to it. I am really anxious to get it. I'd like to have gotten it "yesterday" but our finances require that I save up for it. To that end I do everything possible to make sure I come home each day with quite a bit of change in my pocket. I break a dollar with every purchase. I even search the washer when I do laundry for loose change. Collecting change to get the figure as quickly as possible is a very selfish desire.

Now back to the quarter. It was just a quarter. I could have easily put it in my pocket and taken it home. No one would notice and if they did they probably wouldn't know who took it for sure. For 3 days I fought with myself about picking it up and taking it home to get me 25 cents closer to my new "vent" figure. If you think this is no big deal let me point out that taking it would have been stealing.

I know it would have been a "little sin". But the magnitude of the sin is not what's important. God commands us not to steal (Exodus 20:15) and desires that we be be honest from the day we are born (Psalms 51:6). Had I decided to disobey God and follow my desire for the smallest of contributions to my "piggy bank" obeying my impatient and selfish desire would have been a sin against The Lord of my life.

It probably wouldn't have even bothered any of my coworkers. No one would have missed a quarter. But as an heir of the Living God, through his son, Jesus Christ, taking the money would have been a reflection of a selfish heart and a sin against Him.

After much temptation I made a conscience decision to let the quarter stay on the desk. I'm not bragging about it to pat myself on the back. Ordinarily I would have just taken it without even thinking about it. I would have taken great pleasure in bringing it home and watching the total on my electronic coin counter go up. But what God has been teaching me over the last few months is that the depth in which the seeds of sin are embedded in my heart is a lot deeper than I have every realized before. The quarter put the issue right there where I had to face it and make a decision based on what I believe God requires of me.

So like I said this may not have been a big deal for you as you read it. But God used that quarter to illustrate and teach me a lesson through the Holy Spirit. He spoke to my heart. The requirement of total submission and obedience that God demands of me, one of His Children, extends to the very deepest parts of my heart and soul and needs to be reflected in even the simplest acts or most private moments of behavior. Not in just the "big things" in life but in "little things" as well.

I found it rather amusing in that while looking for Bible verses that have the word "honest" in them I came a cross this one from Proverbs 19:1: "Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool". And someone who willingly disobeys God for the sake of a small or temporary gain is truly a fool.

Thank You Jesus, Lesson Learned

Blue Cross pulls plug on "DS" Switch

A month ago yesterday Paula and I had our consultation with the baratric surgeon. He recommended a relatively new type of weight loss surgery called the "Duodenal Switch. " For all the details about that day and the procedure read my March 25th post.

Paula has called the surgeon's office a couple of times over the last couple of weeks to find out if there's been any word of approval or denial of the surgery from our medical insurance company.

Today she got the word from the hospital insurance clerk that Blue Cross and Blue Sheild of Alabama, our carrier, does not approve "the switch" operation. The reason given is because it's considered an "investigational" procedure.

I had no idea what that meant so I got on the BCBS website and read about it. The explanation of the BCBS policy on "the DS switch" procedure is this: The procedure "has malabsorptive properties and multiple metabolic complications have been demonstrated. A major complication in the long-term is protein malabsorption. Patients who have this operation must have lifelong medical follow-up since the side effects can be subtle and can appear months to years after the surgery."

Translated it means the insurance company won't pay for this operation because there's a good chance there will be long term complications. They will result in the need for future surgeries or medical procedures and BCBS don't want to pay for those. It may not be written in the text but I've worked for a medical insurance company. Contrary to what all they say in their public relations and advertising they are not in the business of making sure your health needs are taken care of. They are in business to make money. It's all about the money. So with all of that said the bottom line is BCBS had pulled the plug on the "DS Switch" for us.

Finding out about this decision by BCBS was a real disappointment for Paula and I. Paula said she was "disappointed but not discouraged." For me it created a momentary gap in my faith.

The reason I've gone this far with my plans for weight loss surgery is I believe that's what God wants me to do. I believe that he wants me to change my body, my life, and my heart and surgery is the first step. I had been convinced by my surgeon that the "DS Switch" was going to be the easiest way to do it.

But God doesn't always choose the "easiest" way for us. Perhaps "the switch" isn't the way He wants to change our sinful attitudes and behaviors when it comes to food and weight.

The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the procedure my sister Shari had in February 2008, is also an effective way of losing a lot of weight. The "DS Switch" provides strong physical solution to the issue of weight control where as the "Roux-en-Y" has a relatively drastic physical element to it but long term successful sustained weight loss depends more on a change in and adherence to a new life style.

So having to accept the insurance company's decision to only approve the "Roux-en-Y" will mean as Paula said "we'll have to work harder." But in addition to that we'll have to change in our minds and our hearts as well.

I believe that this is the path God wants us to take. The "switch" denial by BCBS means that we'll probably have to accomplish our weight loss goals with the aid of the "Roux-en-Y" surgery.

Today while I was praying about the situation I heard God tell me something that assures me of what Paula and I will have to do to achieve our goal of successful weight loss. Very clearly God sent me the message: "I don't just want to change just your body, I want to change your heart."

That more than anything explains to me what God's will is for us as we go through this life changing endeavour. I've been told what God wants me to do, now it's my responsibility to have faith that he's going to make a way and help me to do it.

2 Trees Leave

It happened very quickly. Yesterday, Friday, began with 2 sugar maple trees standing in our front yard as they have since before any of us lived here. Within a matter of hours the landscape of our front yard had completely changed. The trees were gone; cut down, removed by a landscaping company hired by my son, James.

Paula has wanted to trim; shape; or, ultimately; remove the trees for a few years now. A couple of times over the last year we’ve gotten estimates on the price of removal but never found one that fit our budget. This past Wednesday James, told us that he had arranged with a tree removal contractor he knows from work to have the trees removed from our front yard on Friday. Best of all, HE was paying for it.

Paula agreed to this. Problems with falling limbs, decaying leaves, and nesting birds (including an owl or two) had pretty much swayed her decision to finally give permission for the maples to be taken down.

Yesterday I woke up early because the contractor was supposed to be there between 9 & 9:30 in the morning. As it turned out they didn’t get there until after 1:30.

Once they started they worked quickly. By the time I left for work, a little over an hour after they got there, the first tree was already down. The job was finished later that afternoon.

After work, James brought home a truck load of top soil and two dogwood trees which he planted in the front yard. Dogwoods are the kind of trees Paula had said she’d always wanted in the front yard.

So now our front yard is completely open. The view of our house from the street and vice versa gives a very different perspective. I don’t doubt that there will be benefits to having a more open view of our neighborhood. But so far the only one I’ve seen is that our dogs have more to bark at when the front door is open.

James has made the regeneration of our front lawn his “pet project.” He’s added top soil, planted new trees, and is going to, hopefully, grow some grass.

Now that the view of our house from the street is completely open I’m afraid that the cosmetic flaws of the outside of the house will translate into “honey do” chores for me. Not really but it will mean the outside of the house will need some attention and fix up in the near future because now the neighbors are watching.