BeccaG

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Hi everyone- I guess I haven't updated my posts in a while, so here goes.

On March 1, I went to meet Dr. Robert Brolin (in Princeton) and decided to use him for my surgery.. They got me a surgery date of March 22, and we were ON OUR WAY!

I did PAT on March 6, which was a pain, but thankfully very uneventful. The hardest part of planning for the surgery was arranging my professional life; Although I am protected by NJ's stringent privacy laws and my company's strict policies on Short Term Disability, I have a very hectic job and I had to bear the news to my boss that I wasn't going to be around for a couple of weeks.  I have to say, she took it graciously.

I worked very hard during the weeks leading up to the surgery, both to get my job done and clean up loose ends, as well as leave clear documentation for my department so that they would be able to do my job for me while I was gone.

The only time I really freaked was the night before surgery-- I got nervous that there would be terrible complications on the operating table and that I wouldn't survive. My husband was really patient with me and I spent alot of time on the phone with my parents, friends, etc. to distract me.

Thankfully, I was scheduled for 7:30 AM surgery, so I didn't have too much freak-out time on the actual day of surgery. 3 hours, RNY done Laporoscopically, and before I knew it, the nurses were waking me up in the recovery room. MAN. I felt like a piece of crap that had gone through the blender. 

The first 2 days in the Hospital were a little rough- even with the pain meds, which really helped, I was a wreck. but, on Saturday, the last day of my hospital stay, I woke up with new energy, got dressed, and sat in a chair.. and felt really good.

We got home from the hospital on Saturday night. Armed with my Tylenol with Codeine Liquid, I was ready to face the world.

For Sunday and Monday, I sat on my couch (I've started calling it my throne..) reading books, watching movies, dozing, and entertaining a few visitors. Tuesday, I got dressed.. and went out for a little while with my hubby. Today, (Wednesday), I was able to get dressed, get made up, and I went out with a friend.  Since I can't drive, (until 1 week post-op, no driving..) my friend picked me up.. we went on a couple of quick errands and  and to Starbucks. It was great to be out and about, and although I was really beat after 2 hours when she dropped me at home, i was in good spirits.

The hardest part of this whole experience has been eating/drinking. Until today, it was very difficult for me to eat anything, even soup, even 0 miles per hour.. I forced myself to do it, because I need protein in me, and I forced myself to drink, but every sip of water made me feel like I was going to explode.  Today is the first day that I don't feel like that, and.. WHAT A RELIEF!!  I had a scrambled egg, and some mashed sweet potatotes, and a couple of drinks (drunk at a relatively normal pace) and I did not feel the need to groan with misery after!!

I also felt HUNGRY for the first time since surgery.. it was different than the old kind of hunger, I guess because it's masked by the ache and painkillers.. 

So far, I have not gone on the scale. First time will be at my follow up appointment on Friday.. with what I've been eating, I"M SURE i lost weight.. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for how much.. 


I'm out, 
Becca

Hi... Although I've been an active visitor to Obesity help.com for many years, I have just this month activated my profile and began truly interacting on the site. I have to say, I have learned so much over the years from this site, and have gotten alot of strength from reading people's pages, posts, and seeing the before and after pics.

I looked into Bariatric Surgery in October 2000- I was 22 years old at the time, I forget what i weighed but I have this funny memory of my BMI being 41. I met with Dr. Steven Krall at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn. Dr. Krall was willing to perform surgery for me.. at the time, I was unsure whether I would prefer RNY or Lap Band.  I was dating my (now) husband at the time, and we were both very wary of the surgery. We talked about it, and decided to give it some time, get married, and start a family before deciding about WLS.  It was a good decision- We got married in february 2001 and I had my son on 12/28/2001.  

Things have sort of spiraled out of control since then.. my weight has been inching up, and none of my (admittedly pathetic) dieting attempts have ever amount to much, either in quantity lost or staying power.

In October 2003, My husband and I decided we wanted to try for another baby... that's when reality hit. I was diagnosed and had surgery for a dermoid cyst of the ovary. The effects of that surgery, and my morbid obesity  (doctors have not been able to determine what the real problem is.. regardless, the weight adds layers and layers of difficuly and risk..) have left me with a case of secondary infertility.  

At that point, I needed a plan. In April 2006, I went to a WLS information session with Dr. Alan Brader in the Barix Clinics Langhorne facility. My husband and I decided on an approach. I would pursue WLS, and wait through and work through the weight loss together. After a year or so, when (hopefully) I will be at the tail end of the weight loss, I will agressively pursue fertility treatments. My hope is that I'll be a better candidate for both treatment AND the subsequent pregnancy at that time, and I know for a fact that losing even part of my excess weight will change my health outlook significantly in the years to come.

I have AETNA, and although I have a good plan, their requirements for approval are stiff. After a couple of months of not being aggressive enough in doing what I needed to do (documented weight attempts with my primary care physicians for 6 months, nurtritionist visits, etc.) I buckled down and finally received my insurance approval on 02/13/07

My chart is sitting at Barix now.. going through what they call a "benefits verification". I have to tell you, I 'm starting to lose patience.. I worked for a very long time for the insurance approval, and I can't stand it that now they are dragging their feet. I don't want to seem like one of those people that hears about WLS and shows up at the surgeon's office demanding to be cut open RIGHT NOW, but I have a life to live after this weight is off, and I'm sick of waiting. For this reason, I have made an appointment for a consult with a different surgeon. He is not affiliated with Barix, and although he seems to be extremely good, he is not as busy as Dr. Brader (his credentials are actually better than Dr. Brader's, but I would be comfortable having either of them do the work). At this point, I'll go with the surgeon that can fit me in sooner.

 I'm ready, let's get this party started!!

My consult with the second surgeon is on Friday 03/02/07.. I won't hear from Barix Scheduling until the week of 03/05.. I'll keep y'all updated!