janiebow
The Beginning
Nov 16, 2012
This is a blog to chronicle my weight loss surgery journey. After a lifetime of struggling with my weight I have decided to undergo a partial gastric sleeve.
This all began back in the Summer when, after two separate doctors within two months suggested weight loss surgery, I contacted my insurance company and they sent me a list of programs that were Centers of Excellence in the area. After some research I chose Frye Weight Loss Surgery program and within a few weeks I had my first educational seminar and my psychological evaluation.
After a few months I was notified of the acceptance of my case by Hickory Surgical Associates and my first appointment was scheduled on October 23rd. After a physical, talking to the doctor and the financial people they submitted my insurance for approval. They said it would probably be 10 business days or more, but it was more like seven. They called me on November 2 to tell me I had been approved and scheduled my preop workup for November 7th, my 50th birthday. My surgery will performed on November 19th and I have to be in Hickory (which is about 1 to 1 1/2 hours from home) at 5:15 a.m. I do not think I will even go to bed that night, maybe just take a long Sunday afternoon nap! We will have to leave at 3:30 a.m.!
It was an interesting day for my postop. I went in and did the paper work at the hospital and then underwent blood work, EKG and chest x-ray. I then went to a class where we looked at the diet I will have to follow preoperatively, immediately postoperatively and then for the rest of my life. I had a followup physical and then signed the final papers for consent, etc.
I have been on a liquid diet for the last few days and it has been hard, at times. Preoperatively they want you to undergo this liquid diet to help shrink the liver to aid in the surgery. Right now I am on four protein shakes per day but they are only partially made with skim milk since they want to limit the carbs and the mix is either with water or half water/half milk. I can also have sugar free drink mixes, V8 juice, chicken, beef or vegetable broth or sugar free Jello. I can no longer have carbonated sodas as the carbonation expands the stomach. Oh how I miss my caffeine free diet Sun-Drop already!!!!
This was a difficult decision and one that I did not make lightly. It is NOT the "easy" way out. What it is is a tool to help me make the changes to become a healthier, slimmer person. It will help my health in multiple ways including dealing with my hypertension and help to ease my back and knee pain and, also, if not to alleviate my back pain totally, maybe to give the doctors more alternatives to help treat my back pain.
What is a sleeve gastrectomy? It is a procedure that will be done laparascopically in which about 75% my stomach will be removed.
For those of you who might be interested here is my before picture, taken in July of 2012. At this point I was 452 pounds with a BMI of 72. At my preop I was down to 429 with a BMI of 69. I will post again at various intervals and keep you all updated. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I am going to be a grandmother in April and I want to be able to be here for my grandchild, as more than a big old lady that they see for a short while. I want them to know me as more than my son did. I want to be that grandmother that they dance with, play with.
