Carrotstick
Nutritionist meeting.
Aug 14, 2007
Two meetings down now - I had the nutritionist's appointment yesterday.
Fortunately I was the last appointment of the day and so we went through the meeting at the speed of sound, and she basically told me everything was in this packet of info she was giving me and sent me on my way. Her office was awesome and full of colorful plastic foods. I had no idea what an ounce of food looked like visually so she showed me in the form of a small rubber chicken, small rubber bunch of green beans, and so forth.
Eating weird for the rest of my life will definitely take some getting used to. It'll also require explanation, most likely, whenever I eat in front of anyone else, or else I'll seem like the pickiest eater ever. Since I find fussy eaters annoying, I may have to come to terms with this somewhat.
Other new learnings rattling around in my brain:
-having this surgery means I will never ever be drafted into the military. I won't qualify for military service because of "dietary issues". I consider this an excellent thing, but sadly for some here on OH it is a terrible thing.
-the surgery has a chance of making me lactose intolerant. Huh. Seems most people here experience this only temporarily, which is good. I guess they have pills for that now.
-My concepts of what are considered good and bad foods are going to change quite a bit. I don't eat packaged chicken soups (Lipton, etc.) because of the salt content, currently. However, after surgery, they will become a staple of my diet since they have protein and are a clear liquid. I'm slightly delighted because my love of soup knows no bounds.
-sashimi is also awesome, because it's all protein. I can totally live on good sashimi. Fortunately I love all things crab, fish, and crustacean.
-I am crushed to find that I can never have fruit juice after surgery (too much sugar, no fiber). Oh, Jamba Juice. I will drink you dry between now and November when we part ways.
-oh, god, I have to kick caffeine as well as carbonated beverages. Caffeine prevents my migraines from taking over the world. I'm gonna have to get a weekend to detox and slam my head against a wall, because I can't do that and handle post-surgery pain at the same time - I'm not that brave. The jury is still out whether I have to go off migraine meds entirely for the few weeks surrounding the surgery, but if so, I'll want to get through the caffeine detox while I can still take the pills.
For all of the little details inconvenient and strange, I'm starting to picture a life after the surgery stuff is passed, and I like what I see. I could get a personal trainer and have it actually work! I could take a dance class again! I will be thin enough to skydive and parasail! I could sign up for that walking tour of Costa Rica! These things all seem better than food.
I hope I get to keep my boobs, though. I am a wee bit terrified about that. A size down is ok, but...I hope they don't go away. They're pretty.
Psych eval tomorrow morning.
Fortunately I was the last appointment of the day and so we went through the meeting at the speed of sound, and she basically told me everything was in this packet of info she was giving me and sent me on my way. Her office was awesome and full of colorful plastic foods. I had no idea what an ounce of food looked like visually so she showed me in the form of a small rubber chicken, small rubber bunch of green beans, and so forth.
Eating weird for the rest of my life will definitely take some getting used to. It'll also require explanation, most likely, whenever I eat in front of anyone else, or else I'll seem like the pickiest eater ever. Since I find fussy eaters annoying, I may have to come to terms with this somewhat.
Other new learnings rattling around in my brain:
-having this surgery means I will never ever be drafted into the military. I won't qualify for military service because of "dietary issues". I consider this an excellent thing, but sadly for some here on OH it is a terrible thing.
-the surgery has a chance of making me lactose intolerant. Huh. Seems most people here experience this only temporarily, which is good. I guess they have pills for that now.
-My concepts of what are considered good and bad foods are going to change quite a bit. I don't eat packaged chicken soups (Lipton, etc.) because of the salt content, currently. However, after surgery, they will become a staple of my diet since they have protein and are a clear liquid. I'm slightly delighted because my love of soup knows no bounds.
-sashimi is also awesome, because it's all protein. I can totally live on good sashimi. Fortunately I love all things crab, fish, and crustacean.
-I am crushed to find that I can never have fruit juice after surgery (too much sugar, no fiber). Oh, Jamba Juice. I will drink you dry between now and November when we part ways.
-oh, god, I have to kick caffeine as well as carbonated beverages. Caffeine prevents my migraines from taking over the world. I'm gonna have to get a weekend to detox and slam my head against a wall, because I can't do that and handle post-surgery pain at the same time - I'm not that brave. The jury is still out whether I have to go off migraine meds entirely for the few weeks surrounding the surgery, but if so, I'll want to get through the caffeine detox while I can still take the pills.
For all of the little details inconvenient and strange, I'm starting to picture a life after the surgery stuff is passed, and I like what I see. I could get a personal trainer and have it actually work! I could take a dance class again! I will be thin enough to skydive and parasail! I could sign up for that walking tour of Costa Rica! These things all seem better than food.
I hope I get to keep my boobs, though. I am a wee bit terrified about that. A size down is ok, but...I hope they don't go away. They're pretty.
Psych eval tomorrow morning.
First of many steps down.
Aug 09, 2007
I've picked a surgeon! There's quite a lot of hurry-up-and-wait in this process, isn't there? I'm going to have to practice some patience.
My dad owns ambulatory surgery centers and endoscopy centers for a living, so I asked him to speak to a friend of his, a risk management guy for bariatric surgery, for a recommendation. He came back with Mitch Roslin's name, a surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital. After doing some research (this site is so helpful) I set up an info session and, then, a meeting. He's definitely my guy at this point.
At the appointment yesterday, he kind of eyeballed me and said, "It actually looks like you're in pretty good shape" and I said yeah...going to the gym is not my problem. I've always been an active person - not an athlete by any stretch, but active. Food is my problem. Due to my weight distribution (very female - hips and legs, lots of boobs) and my general health, he feels I would be in the lowest risk group for surgery, which I figured but was nice to have confirmed. This means that the risk of death in surgery drops to 1 in 500 instead of 1 in 200 - not exactly numbers to inspire huge confidence, but certainly better.
I like Dr. Roslin - he's straightforward and no-nonsense, and friendly and to the point. So am I, so we seemed to unserstand each other pretty well. I had read other reviews where (though they all agree he's an excellent surgeon) some wanted him to be touchy-feely and more of a coddler, but honestly I'd rather not have that, anyway. Just be excellent at the surgery, don't screw up, and encourage me to get back on the horse as soon as possible, and we'll be just fine.
So, next up is more meetings. I have the nutritionist Monday, and then the psychological evaluation Wednesday. After that, I need a colonoscopy (Dr. Roslin requested it) which means for the first time I'll have a reason to be a patient at one of my dad's facilities - weird. And then it's back to the surgeon's office with the results of all this and hopefully to set a date (I'm angling for November - if not, then February of next year.)
My dad owns ambulatory surgery centers and endoscopy centers for a living, so I asked him to speak to a friend of his, a risk management guy for bariatric surgery, for a recommendation. He came back with Mitch Roslin's name, a surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital. After doing some research (this site is so helpful) I set up an info session and, then, a meeting. He's definitely my guy at this point.
At the appointment yesterday, he kind of eyeballed me and said, "It actually looks like you're in pretty good shape" and I said yeah...going to the gym is not my problem. I've always been an active person - not an athlete by any stretch, but active. Food is my problem. Due to my weight distribution (very female - hips and legs, lots of boobs) and my general health, he feels I would be in the lowest risk group for surgery, which I figured but was nice to have confirmed. This means that the risk of death in surgery drops to 1 in 500 instead of 1 in 200 - not exactly numbers to inspire huge confidence, but certainly better.
I like Dr. Roslin - he's straightforward and no-nonsense, and friendly and to the point. So am I, so we seemed to unserstand each other pretty well. I had read other reviews where (though they all agree he's an excellent surgeon) some wanted him to be touchy-feely and more of a coddler, but honestly I'd rather not have that, anyway. Just be excellent at the surgery, don't screw up, and encourage me to get back on the horse as soon as possible, and we'll be just fine.
So, next up is more meetings. I have the nutritionist Monday, and then the psychological evaluation Wednesday. After that, I need a colonoscopy (Dr. Roslin requested it) which means for the first time I'll have a reason to be a patient at one of my dad's facilities - weird. And then it's back to the surgeon's office with the results of all this and hopefully to set a date (I'm angling for November - if not, then February of next year.)
decisions, decisions
Aug 01, 2007
So far, I have met with Dr. Christine Ren at NYU Medical Center for the info session. While I haven;t learned anything research wise that I didn't already know - which I guess is a good thing - I did find the experience helpful. They do a LOT more bands than they do bypass there, which is something to consider.
I am going to the Lenox Hill info session tonight, which I am particularly interested in. Dr. Roslin was recommended to me by a family friend who does risk assessment for bariatric surgery,a dn he knows a lot about who the country's better surgeons are. I am curious to see how this session will differ form NYU. I've been taking copious notes and saving them in my journal as private posts to refer back to later.
I also plan to check out Columbia Presbyterian, but they only have sessions one day a month, and I can;t be there for August's date, so it'll wait until September, by which I may have already made a decision. Ah, well.
I think I'm going to start going to a shrink again regularly, since I suspect that without my protective layer of fat between me and the world, I may have some issues that need sorting out. However, I'm optimistic and though cautious, feel really invigorated by the prospect that there may actually be a solution for me.
I am going to the Lenox Hill info session tonight, which I am particularly interested in. Dr. Roslin was recommended to me by a family friend who does risk assessment for bariatric surgery,a dn he knows a lot about who the country's better surgeons are. I am curious to see how this session will differ form NYU. I've been taking copious notes and saving them in my journal as private posts to refer back to later.
I also plan to check out Columbia Presbyterian, but they only have sessions one day a month, and I can;t be there for August's date, so it'll wait until September, by which I may have already made a decision. Ah, well.
I think I'm going to start going to a shrink again regularly, since I suspect that without my protective layer of fat between me and the world, I may have some issues that need sorting out. However, I'm optimistic and though cautious, feel really invigorated by the prospect that there may actually be a solution for me.
Beginning of a journey?
Jul 13, 2007
I am turning 30 next week. I am really excited about that.
I have my first informational meeting about weight-loss surgery on the 26th of July at NYU Medical Center. I am really excited about that, too.
I also want to make an appointment with a doctor at my home hospital of Beth Israel Medical Center, but currently they never seem to answer their phone, so it's been difficult.
I will try to record my thoughts here as things progress, since it seems to be a good forum to learn from each other.
All advice welcome.
I have my first informational meeting about weight-loss surgery on the 26th of July at NYU Medical Center. I am really excited about that, too.
I also want to make an appointment with a doctor at my home hospital of Beth Israel Medical Center, but currently they never seem to answer their phone, so it's been difficult.
I will try to record my thoughts here as things progress, since it seems to be a good forum to learn from each other.
All advice welcome.
