jamie2377
Pre-op Appointment (May 18, 2010)
May 28, 2010
Yesterday, I attended my pre-op appointment. It wasn't exactly like I thought it would be, but it was still a pretty great experience. Mom and I started out the day in the pre-op "class". I had no idea it was going to be an actual class. I thought I was going to meet with the doctor, get weighed, talk to him one-on-one about the actual surgery, and be done with it. But the class turned out to be even better than that. I got the chance to meet other people who were about to go through the same thing I'm going to go through. A couple of them are even having their surgery on the same day as me. I'm hoping we can somehow keep in touch throughout this process since we're all starting our journey together.We got the chance to talk to one of the nurses for Dr. Houston (pronounced House-ton, like my favorite TV doctor, lol) who not only conducted the pre-op class, but had also had the surgery about 7 years ago. She lost over 100 lbs. and looked great. She was so informative and very funny. It was great to hear about her experiences and her outlook on the whole process. There were a few parts that made me a little nervous, but I got over that as soon as I got home. The nutritionist was also very informative. The whole pre-op class was really great.
I was fully expecting to be weighed and either praised or scolded for my weight-loss attempt. However, Dr. Houston was out of the office this week so I didn't get to see him or be weighed. I did, however, have my first EKG. That was pretty interesting. I thought all I was going to do was have some blood taken, but as soon as I went into the lab, the nurse started placing those little round, sticky things on my skin. I had no idea what was going on. Then she explained what she was doing. I know she thought I was crazy because I asked her if it was going to shock me or anything. I guess that's what I get for watching House. =)
So, my surgery is 2 weeks from today. It's amazing to think about. Sometimes, I can't wait for it to come. Other times, I really dread it. I keep asking myself, "Am I ready for such a drastic change?", "Can I do this?", "Will I be okay?". I'm sure everyone who has gone through this same situation has asked themselves those same questions. But I'm just going to have to "put on my big girl panties" and do this. There's no other way. I've come too far to turn back now. I know I'll be okay. I know I can do this. And I know I'm ready for a change. It's like my pastor has said for years..."If you always do what you've always done, you'll always have what you've always had." I'm ready to have something different than what I've had for the past 20 years. I'm ready to have a long, healthy, happy life.
