Final approval and last couple weeks pre-op

Sep 05, 2012

 So, I got through the 90-day diet, easily flew through a psych eval (I actually sold the doc a security camera system during the appointment) worked with the sleep center and business admin to get my results from eighteen months earlier in a presentable format, and made an appointment with my regular doctor.

I get to the doc's office and check in and told the receptionist that I had an urgent call to address and please stick her head outside when the doc was ready for me - small town, small office, no problem. I went outside and started pacing the parking lot as fast as I could while having a fake phone conversation. That 15 minutes was the most exercise that I had consciously participated in in months and, of course, resulted in my BP being the highest it ever had been during a checkup. I got a script for Zestril and took it directrly to the the bariatric practice.

I had my approval, finally. It was June 1st, they could schedule me for August 15th. My wife planned some crazy summer for my daughter which included a trip to CA from the 11th until the 19th. I already had to postpone my surgery... turned out they had a case opening on the 22nd, the following week so we grabbed the appointment and I tried lke heck to enjoy my summer.

Funny, though, somehow I never really did. I was always thinking about my weight, trying to enjoy food since it would surely be a while and doing the things that I could before S-Day, but everything just whizzed by. We never went anyplace for the sake of eating a nice dinner, never went to any BBQs, we even went through CA on some kind of bizzare dietish plan because we jammed so much activity into our trip a nice dinner was never an option and my daughter and her 11-yr old friend, collectively ate like a small bird. I went hiking and kayaking and swimming and despite my weight preoccupation, I stayed pretty upbeat, looking forward to returning and getting the VSG over with.

I got home on a Sunday night, and had a quick visit to my GP for a final surgical clearance, it was the 20th of August and surgery was scheduled for 2 days later, Wednesday the 22nd. My appointment was at 1045 and he asked me to quit eating at midnight on Sunday so he could check my triglyceridess, lipids and cholesterol levels. I complied, he approved and that was that. My wife and daughter took me to get an ice cream cone on Sunday night, a kind of last, sacrificial indulgence. I liked the idea and went. It was the last thing I ate for 17 days. I weighed 297lbs.

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