Pre-Op Surgeon Visit Done

I had my final visit with Dr. Hoehn yesterday.  Had to wait for ever for a 10-minute visit.  Oh well.  I'm just glad to get that done, since now I am less than a week away from my surery.  Can't wait!  Hope this time passes quickly. 

Liquid diet is going well, through boring.  Man, there is food absolutely everywhere I look.  No wonder people in this country are so fat. 

My daughter has started practicing recipes from that cook book, Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery.  I have had a bite of each thing (lean meat only).  So far, everything has been really tasty.  Everyone in my family really likes it too.  This is going to be good for all of us, because we all have to make some big, healthy changes in our lives.

Wish the 14th would get here faster.  Oh well.

Hi! My pre-op is tomorrow...and I have to drive two hours for that 10 minute visit and I was just there yesterday. Oh well, such is life I suppose! =/

I also cannot wait till the 14th, but I am nervous about it too

Hi Paige,

Wow, we are the same day. I'm excited but not really nervous.  I really like my doctor and feel comfortable with him.  Plus I had a hysterectomy/ooforectomy with extensive repair back in May.  That surgery turned out to be a big deal, but everyone took really good care of me.  It just makes me more comfortable with this upcoming surgery.

The only part tht bugs me is that it is kind of weird to loose a part of your body.  I had that with the hysterectomy.  It didn't bother me too much, it was just strange.  But I got used to it.  I figure this will be similar.

Hope you are doing well.  Drive carefully.

 The time will fly! Your day will be here before you know it! 

Thanks Courtney.  Wow!  Look at all of the weight you have lost. 

Eleanor and Paige,
My surgery isn't until the 18th of next month. I am looking forward to hearing about your experiences! I am studying the pre-op diet...was thinking of trying out some of the things now so I won't be in shock when the time comes! LOL!

I wasn't aware of the book Eleanor. I will go look for it now. I can use all of the help that I can get! Cooking was never my strong suit, unless you count dry grilled chicken breast! 

Good luck to you both, I will be watching and waiting!

I finally found another Hoehn patient! Mind if I ask you 20 questions? What was the time frame from when you went to the seminar, had your first visit, had your EGD and when they finally gave you your surgery date? I go for my EGD, psych and diet consult on the 15th but this seems to be taking longer than i first thought it would. Are you self pay? Can you have other protein shakes other than the bariatric fusion shakes preop? Everyone talks about how crazy some of the post op diets are, what is Hoehns like?
Feel free to ignore all my questions...after re reading this, I sound like a nut!
Hope the next few days go by fast for you and you have a safe and speedy recovery!

Hi,  Please feel free to ask as many questions as you want.

I really like Dr. Hoehn.  He is friendly, profesional, very cool and collected, and up on all of the latest research.  He has performed thousands of these surgeries, which is good.  The more surgeries they have done personally, and tht the facility does every year, the better the outcome and the fewer the complications.  I feel very comfortable with him operating on me.  Also, all of the medical people who have taken care of me so far have been fabulous.

I am a self -pay patient, so some steps in the process are much faster than for an insurance-pay patient.  It took me about a month from the time of the first seminar to when I actually got into the office.  Part of that was that they didn't actually realize that I was self-pay and they had to check with my insurance company.

My EGD was July 21st.  And I have seen Dr. Sabopathy twice (I see him again on the 13th).  From some of the things Dr. Sabopathy said, I gather that they have an internal screening process, to decide when/if a patient is "ready' for surgery.  I wouldn't be surprised if this was a multi-part evaluation.  Also, they probably have this kind of meeting only once a week.  So, it can take some time.  But, I'm sure they have difficulties with people who have eating disorders.  You would want to get those treated and stabilized before proceeding to surgery.

Anyway, at the conclusion of my second visit with Sabopathy they scheduled my surgery.  I took the first available date.  Since then, everything has gone very smoothly, with every step being taken care of with efficiency.  All of the staff has been great!

With regards to the shake, you can have any other Bariatric shakes you want.  Nancy gave me a booklet that outlines the diets, and there is a page in there that lists a bunch.  I guess you will get your booklet with you see Nancy on the 15th.  I am trying out some shake samples from BariatricPantry.com, but apparently there is a place called Manna over at 95th and Nall, that caters to bariatric patients.  I plan to visit there soon.

Once you start your pre-op diet, you will quickly realize that food is absolutely everywhere.  It's really annoying too.  And some times my fingers and toes start looking pretty darned tasty.  But you just have to stick it out. 

That's all I can think of for now.  If you have more questions, please ask.  Hope you are doing well.

So exciting! I just downloaded the book you referenced on my kindle. I'm excited to start. My surgery is in less than two weeks. :)
Congrats! I know you must be thrilled.

You will like the book.  It is pretty easy and everythig tastes great.  Also, they tell you what to do with it at different stages post op, like puree, mince, chop, etc.