My First Appointment

Feb 21, 2010

Well I finally had my first appointment in Guelph. What an adventure. I was so scared and nervous going in, but I had my husband with me and he is a great support. Linda at the front desk is great. She has a smile for everyone which made me feel more at ease.

My first appointment of the morning was with Audrey, who is the nurse.  She explained everything and then answered any questions that both my husband and myself had. When we first walked in her office I noticed that she had play dough sitting on a shelf and wondered just what she was doing with it. Well I got the answer to that a little while into the meeting. She used it to demonstrate how the surgery works and what my stomach will look like inside. Isn't it great that as adults we can still get away with playing with play dough as long as we are using it to demonstrate something...lol

My second meeting was with the dietitian.  There was a new girl was starting and they asked if it would be all right  if she sat in on the meeting.  We had no problem with that. Out where we live we are used to having students (doctors,nurses etc). This was a fairly quick meeting. She was being strict but she has to be.  I was given a bit of homework to do for my next appointment. I want this to work so I am going to have to change a few things in my life style.

My last appointment was with the social worker. I really wasn't sure what was going to happen with this meeting. I walked in thinking that this was going to be nothing but a hassle, but it really wasn't that bad. We came up with a few different was for me to counter act my stress so that I wouldn't be turning to chocolate (I have a BIG BIG chocolate problem when I am stressed). She is someone that I feel I can talk to and not be judged.  I am actually looking forward to speaking with her again.

So my overall experience was pretty good. For the most part I felt comfortable with everyone. I have to now go for more blood work and have an upper GI and an ultrasound done. My next appointment is April 15th. I hope that the time just flies by and all my tests come back with the proper results so that I can be on the shorter waiting list for surgery.

I now have the biggest part of this journey to do. I have to tell my family. Some of them are going to be alright with it and I know that others are not going to understand why I am doing this. I know that I am doing this for myself and if they can't understand that it's okay. This is something that I need to do. I want to be around to see all my kids getting married and to be here when it is time to have grandchildren. Being and staying the way that I am right now is not going to let me do those things. I need to change how I live my life and the style of life that I am living.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life!

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