PBREARD
So my story begins..........I am writing this not just for me, but for anyone interested as I was in everyone's story I read on the incredible website. I have just started my journey. I plan to have WLS with Dr. Bonanni at Abington Hospital, in Abington, PA. There is so much to do prior to even seeing the surgeon. I have completed all the blood tests, chest xray, ekg, abdominal ultrasound and stool sample (Yucky). I have met with the Nutrionist for 2 hours. She gave me much insite on how to eat healthy prior to surgery and how important that is. You want to go into surgery with healthy organs, you don't want a fatty liver. She said a lot of people see this time before surgery as their last meals and gorge. Not a good idea. Yes, I think you can enjoy some of the things you might not get to eat for awhile, but moderation is the key. She made a lot of sense and I am doing pretty well following a healty eating plan. Notice we are not calling it a diet (hate that word and all that comes with it). I must say since I have been eating healthy I do feel better. I also met with a physical therapist for an exercise evaluation and plan to follow. Dr. B's office wanted to send me to one of their P.T. people, but over the years with my back problems, I have my own P.T. He is Larry Pastore and I can not say enough about him and what he has done for me, for my back and my ability to do things. I met with him today, saturday 1/27/07. I am the first person who is having WLS that he has had to put together a execise plan for. I think I am his new project. He is doing research on the internet and speaking with physicians and fellow P.T.s on how to put this together. He is going above and beyond to help me and to be a great support person I can turn to. Larry you are the best and I truly appreciate you! So far the plan he outlined is working great. I need to do 5 min. on the eliptical and walk .5 miles a day. I started today and made it. I haven't done much regular exercise since I stopped doing karate over a year ago, I was still over weight, but I had much more stamina. I would love to get back to karate, but I have not found a school I like since they closed the one I was going to. I made it to Brown Belt and would like to get my Black Belt some day. So here I am on the road to being thin and healthy for the first time in my life. I still need to meet with the psychiatrist on 3/5/07 and I will meet with Dr. B on 3/2/07. He will determine at that point what physical things need to be worked on and set up an appointment for an endoscopy (a piece of cake). Hopefully, the insurance approval will not take until doomsday, but all I can do is wait and then we can set a date. I hope since there is so much time until the actual surgery, that I can prepare my body and mind for what I am about to do. Wish me luck and I will keep you posted. Until next time. :)
1/30/07
Hello again. Today I saw my G.I. Dr. for my reflux. Well I brought him the blood work I had done for the WLS and I am have anemia. He is a bit concerned why this is and would like to do a colonoscopy. Had them before, the test is a breeze it is the prep you need to do before the test that sucks. Anyway, since my WLS would do a endoscopy prior to surgery, my G.I. is going to do both procedures the same day. So I will have them going into both ends to check things out. Whoopee! Well, it is better to know that all is in good order. The tests are scheduled for 2/14/07 I expect flowers and candy when I wake up from the anesthesia. Bye for now.
2/8/07
Okay, I am nervous now. I got a call from Dr. Bonanni's office and they moved up my consultation with him from 3/2 to this Friday 2/9/07! Now I really have to think about it. I think I want to do the Lap Band. I thought about my situation and felt that I didn't need to have my insides re-arranged. I do not have high blood pressure or diabetes. I do have a CPAP and back and knee pain. I think that since I am not in a situation where I need to get rid of heart or diabetic meds, that I can take the longer route of the Lap Band. I will talk to him tomorrow and see what he says. Many of my friends are concerned out the bypass and asked if I would reconsider. Well it all comes down to my decision anyway, so I will add the decision to the installment.
2/12/07
I saw Dr. Bonanni on friday, 2/9/07. I could not have met a nicer man. We discussed my options and he answered all my questions. He said that I was an intelligent and informed patient. I try to get as much info as possible from website and people. I think I know more about Dr. B than he does about himself. He said I was a good candidate for either Lap Band or RNY. He preferred the RNY for me. The finally decision is relying on the results of my endoscopy and colonoscopy. If I have a hiatal hernia, which I know I have a small one, they can not do the Lap Band as the hiatal hernia would slide which would cause the band to slide up into your chest. That didn't sound to good to me. He made me feel more at ease about the RNY and that he had done 1,000 of them. I told him that I was getting all kinds of suggestions, good and bad, from friends and family that were making me nervous. He suggested to tell everyone, because not everyone is informed properly and can give you incorrect advice. It made a lot of sense, since one person I told basically had me corner and asked me to promise her that I would not do the surgery because I could die. I was in tears and have decided not to discuss any of this in her company, even though I still care for her has a friend. I will let you know the outcome of the studies to be done.
2/20/07
I had my endoscopy and colonoscopy done yesterday at Doylestown Hospital. The actual tests are a breeze, but the prep for the colonoscopy is a mess. Anyway, they had me there for about two hours, most of it I do not remember. The Dr. removed a small polyp from my colon and a small polyp from my stomach. He saw no evidence why I have anemia. Otherwise the tests were normal. He did biopsies and I will get those results next week. I ended up spleeping most of the rest of the day and finally felt like eating about 9:00pm. Dr. B the WLS surgeon is anxious to get the results and we can proceed further with the WLS. I will probably need another blood test to determine if I have some other reason for this anemia. See ya next time.
