Angie_M

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Today was a tough day.  I weighed in at 428.  My surgeon said that I'll be one of the highest BMI patients he's worked on.  He also stressed the higher risks associated with the surgery.  Due to my BMI, I have to have the open procedure - it cannot be done laparascoptically.   Since this is a revision to a VBG, I already knew that, but it still complicates matters.  He'll have to deal  with scar tissue and it probably raises the chances of having a leak.  I also have a hernia which he can fix while he's in there.   Because of my weight and the fact that I've had cellulitis before, I HAVE to stop smoking.  This will aide not only the anesthiesiologist but reduce my risk of blood clots and helps the blood bring more oxygen to the wounds to heal quicker.  Last but not least, he wants me to get below 400 pounds before I have the surgery.  I knew I would have to do 2 weeks of the liquid diet pre-surgery because it helps shrink the liver and gives him more room to operate.  Because of this new 30 pound goal, I'll be on the liquid diet for 5 weeks.  HOPEFULLy I'll be able to lose that and still schedule surgery for the week of April 10th. 

Once you decide to enter into the program, prepare for LOTS of appointments.  
1)  I've had my psychiatric evaluation and hopefully passed.  
2)  I've had my first meeting with the physical therapist and dietician.  The PT didn't say much I didn't expect - excerise.  I did learn that fat is burned 25% faster with muscle.  Also that your organs/muscles store about 20 minutes worth of energy.  So in order to tap into your fat storage, you need to make the workout last longer than that.  The dietician gave us an idea of what portion sizes we'll be eating after surgery.  She told us to start working on chewing your food and drinking 64 oz. of water a day.  She also gave us a diary to track food and exercise.
3)  I attended my first support group.  This was a good experience.  You have a mix of pre- and post-op people and it gives you a chance to ask a lot of questions.
4)  I've had 1 behavior modification class so far, and 3 more are scheduled.  The lady that runs it has also had the surgery so that helps.  She suggested that we start keeping a journal and said studies actually show that people who do get better results.  Probably because you have to keep facing the problem.