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Not feeling so sassy at the moment.  My belly is sore and I have been burping like crazy all day.  I could go take some more pain medicine, but I have also had a swimmy head all day.  It has been the weirdest sensation.... as if my head is a helium balloon or something.  Weird.  So, I am debating going in there and taking something or not.

Have a weird taste in my mouth... like plastic.  ick.  Its gross.  Who knows what that is from... perhaps I ate some plastic in my sleep.

Other than that, I feel pretty good.  I slept most of the day today.  I guess I needed the rest.  I keep reading other's advice to get out and walk... but I swear.... I might pass out if I did.  I am sooo dizzy.   I don't want to be taken for the new town drunk or anything.  I guess maybe when I am able to take in some food this will get better.

I ought to lose some weight this week, that is for sure.... I havent had anything but a total of about 8 oz of broth since Monday night... and its now Thursday night.  I did manage to get a full 16 oz of water down this evening.  That was a big feat!  It feels strange going down the hatch.

I get to start on full fluids on Satuday... wonder what I will have?  Right now I can' stomach the thought of a protein shake, but milk does sound pretty good.  Here is some advice..... DO NOT WATCH COOKING SHOWS AT THE HOSPITAL!  It will just make you hungry and miserable... and hunger pains with a brand new band does not feel good!

Well, gotta get in the bed.
wj

Well, the day is here.  Can you believe it?  I can't.  I am so nervous that I feel physically ill this morning.  I couldn't sleep this morning after about 4am... so I just got up.  At least that has helped me to clean the house!  

It didn't help that the dog barked most of the night right outside my window. We have a gate that isn't locking exactly right.  Worried that he might get it open, we put the BIG rolling trash can against it.  The dog is so AFRAID of that trash can.  I never thought that he might BARK at the trash can all night!  As the Dog Whisperer would say, "he is unbalanced"!  

I am wondering if I should take some stuff to the hospital with me to do?  I have some school work due on Wednesday (I know I should have done it ahead of time... but I swear I havent' had time).  I might stick it in my bag and see if I have time.  

Well.... later!

Well, here I am.... tomorrow is the day.  Yikes!  Actually, last week I asked the prayer warriors to pray for me... they did (and what beautiful prayers were sent my way).  Since then, I have developed a real peace about the whole thing.  Peace is an unusual thing for me!  

On Friday the person who was supposed to go to surgery with me backed out.  I didn't know what to do.  I asked the prayer warriors for some prayers about that... and miraculously, by Saturday night I had someone else to go with me.  

I had an NSV on Saturday night as well... I was able to walk down the High School stadium steps like a normal person.  Wow!  Besides that, I was able to walk all the way to the top of the stadium without being totally winded.  Amazing! 

This weekend I saw the lady I know who has a band.  She was at a festival that I was at.  She had on the cutest jeans and looked GREAT!  She used to be my size... what a boost for me.... all I could think was... maybe next year at this time I can be in cute jeans too! 

I am still nervous about the surgery.  I am still worried that I won't wake up from the anesthesia.  Why do I worry so much about that?  I am a nurse and know that it is very rare that this happens.... but its what I am worried about.  

The pre-op visits last Thursday were kind of crazy.  They got blood and pee... and did an abdominal ultrasound.  The ultrasound lady scared me to death.  She had a problem getting pictures of my left kidney.  She snapped a few and abruptly jumped out of her chair and said, "I HAVE to show this to the radiologist".  She was gone from the room for a long time.  When she came back in I asked her if everything was ok.  Her reply was that she couldn't share that with me, I would have to discuss it with my surgeon.  That appointment finished at 9:30am... my appointment with Dr. F. wasn't until 11:30.... that was an agonizingly long 2 hours.  Did I have cancer, did I have a failing kidney, was there a mass?????   I asked Dr. F when I saw him and he pulled the results up on the computer... it didn't show anything out of the ordinary.  crazy.  Why didn't she just say that?  

So, my visit with the doc went well.  I liked him better than the first time we met.  I don't like the fact that it is a teaching hospital and that there are always some kind of students listening and looking morbid while you talk.... no privacy with the doctor.  I guess I was one of those students once too.  I hope I acted like I had a little more personality than that! 

Well, that is all of the nervous banter for now.  I guess the next time I post on here I will be banded.  We will see what happens.  

Later,
wj

Today was my pre-op visit to the NUT.  It went fine.  Thanks to my reading on here, I already knew most of the stuff that was coming.  My doc orders a 4 day clear liquid diet post op.  Three weeks of full liquids.  One week of pureed foods... THEN... and this is GOOD news... its time for a fill!  So, my doc fills 4 weeks post op.  I go to do all of the pre-op stuff tomorrow... Gallbladder ultrasound, lab work, pre-op history and physical with the doc.  I dread missing the half day of work for it... cause I have so much to do at work.... but, I am worth it.  

I plan to find out about his theories on fills tomorrow... not something I knew to ask about at my first appointment with him.  So far I am very pleased with him.  I was DYING of hunger at the start of my second week of liquid diet... he called in some appetite suppressants for me.  

Here is something amazing.... I have been checking my blood pressure and it is WAY DOWN!  My blood pressure has always run 140/80+ on meds.  Yesterday it was ... get this.... 110/60.  Amazing!  I called the doc and he said I could start cutting my BP med in half.  

This is how crazy I am.... what if the low pressures have been a fluke... what if its not really low.... what if that causes a problem during surgery next week.  (See how very paranoid I am?).

Well, its time to get out and do some life now.

Later,
wj

In a little more than a week, I will be wheeled into surgery.  I am scared to death!  I am trying to not be scared.  What if something happens while I am out on the table.  What if something happens while I am out of work.  What if I am too sick to take care of myself after, I don't really have anyone else to look after me.  What if I can't take care of my children.   Oh Good heavens.... I will let it run completely away with me.  I need to shut up now.  

Good night all,
Wendi

Today (August 20, 2007) I got the word that insurance had approved my surgery.  Wow, I don't know whether to excited or scared.  I have been reading the OH board like a religion the past month +... figuring that my insurance would not approve me... and figuring that it just wouldn't happen.  Now, that thought is almost gone.  I say almost because the nursing coordinator at my docs office submitted RNY to the insurance company rather than Lap-Band.  I am glad that she clarified it with me today instead of being wheeled out of surgery with an RNY rather than a lap-band.  So, she says that the surgery will be approved "for sure" considering that it is less invasive.  I am going to keep my "glass half full" attitude and wait and see.  Anyway, I am experimenting with the liquid diet thing.  My doc requires a 3 week pre and post diet... Ughh 6 weeks. 

Hello.
My name is Wendi.  I have been "lurking" around the OH pages for about a week.  I am in the first stages of trying to get approved for a band.  The webpage for my doctor is depressing;  stories of people waiting months and months to get surgery.  In the mean time, I am dieting with the plan that I can lose weight while I wait just so long as I know that when I do finally lose weight, I will have a tool to help me keep the weight off.  

I have been overweight/obese my whole life.  I can remember always being the biggest kid in my class.  I remember watching the Miss USA pagent in the 4th grade and thinking, "I am not so fat because I only weight a little more than the USA ladies" (4th grade I weighed about 125 lb).  I have never been a snacker or had a sweet tooth.  I simply like to eat, I get hungry and I eat a lot when I eat. 

Regarding my surgery, I have BCBS NC.  According to my surgeons staff, this is the easiest insurance to get approval through since they are a "center of excellence".  I have completed all of the things they require before submitting for approval from the insurance company (i.e. psychological evaluation, nutrition evaluation and initial appointment with the surgeon).  My surgeon said during my visit with him, "You will go fast, you know that, right, you are ready?".  I asked how fast.  He said that I should go in the next month to 6 weeks or so.  I find this hard to believe because others waiting on surgery in his practice wait sometimes a month for the paperwork to be sent to the insurance company.  So, we shall see what happens. 

I have to say that what I have read on OH has been an inspiration to me.  I love the before and after pictures.  Especially of those who started at about my size.  Reading stuff here has helped me stay on a diet.

When I went for my second appointment regarding this surgery, I went to see the nutritionist.  I was SHOCKED to find out that I weighed 271.6!  That is outrageous!  I have never weighed that much in my life!  I hadn't weighed at home in a while.  I am down to 259.5 as of yesterday am on my personal physicians scales.  Yeah!  So that is a start!  

Wendi