October 3, 2005
I went to an RNY seminar tonight and I begun to think about why I want to have WLS. I have so many reasons. Let me start with my background...
BACKGROUND:
I am 38 years old and have a wonderful 11 mos old son, Jarrod. I have adopted him after 11 years of infertility and extreme longing to have a child. I was fortunate to know his birth grandmother and it was a simple adoption. I got to take him home from the hospital. This doesn't happen too often.
When I was a child and teenager, always heavy, btw, I had the white picket dream of husband and 2.5 kids. It didn't happen for me. I had a miserable childhood and I have put off living because of my weight all these years. I am a free spirit under all this weight.
I am a strong-willed person. So I was determined to have as much of the picket fence as I could. I tried desparately to have a child. My best friend went through the process too. She got pregnant. I didn't. The doctors kept telling me to lose weight. The more they prodded, the more desperately depressed I became (Infertility patients are rated higher on depression than cancer patients, btw, so be really nice to your infertiles).
When My friend got pregnant and I didn't, I was so angry with God. I had suffered the problems of a fat person for so long and missed out on life so much that I felt I had a right to a moment of happiness, and even that wasn't going to happen.
Needless to say, I had some major issues. For years I struggled to find a new dream. I finally found that I could travel and do other things that my other friends could not do with kids. Regardless, I was always hampered by my weight.
And then a miracle...Jarrod literally fell into my life, and the experience has been a blessing from God (sorry for not trusting you, God). I have watched all these people have great things happen to them and I sit on the sidelines and continue to buy wedding and shower gifts. We all blossom at different times, and I believe it is my turn!
My parents put me on my first diet in third grade. I was then put on a super diet when I was 13. I became bulimic through the end of highschool to please everyone. That period is a blur to me. And I have ever since dieted in a punishment mode. I feel I have to starve myself and deny myself everything to be doing well. I have watched the scale go up and down.
At 38, I have now been diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance syndrome, high blood pressure, depression, high cholesterol and a fatty liver. I was always an active young person, kinda breaking the 'fat person' stereotype, but it is getting harder to be like that.
How much longer can I go on like this? Will I see my son graduate? I am his only parent and I feel the responsibility. I feel great shame that I cannot 'naturally' lose weight for him. So I am doing the next best thing. After I read that only 1% of the population can lose and keep weight off naturally, I knew that I had to do WLS.
I thought it was brave but crazy when Carnie Wilson did it. I just didn't feel that we knew enough long term information, so I have waited and watched. My doctor and family have prodded me to do something all along. I have fought them. I just knew their suggestions, like Optifast, were bunk, and I am glad that I trusted myself. I am tired of dieting myself up the scale. Now, I just feel the time is right and I have read enough information to know that it is not a crazy idea to consider WLS.
CONSIDERING WLS:
At first I began researching RNY. It is advertised here in IL as the "gold standard". So I eagerly began signing up for seminars, like the one I attended tonight. I was concerned about long term effects and they were not good statistics. I then found out about the Sapala Wood Micropouch. I liked that the chance of revision was less likely, so I changed in that direction. I was nervous and could not resolve myself to believe that I could do their rigorous expectations for life. Regardless, I was a bit desparate feeling and whatever I changed my mind to do, I was ready to do the surgery the next day.
Luckily, while I was in a research frenzy, I gave DS one more look. At first, when I read about gas and diarrhea, I was like, no way am I doing this crazy thing. I also personally think that the way OH presents it, it seems to be not so accepted. It is one of the last surgeries they mention and there are many holes in the information about the surgery...at least when I was researching it. I then stumbled on the DS forum on OH and credit them with the best advice I have ever received. I posted my first stupid questions about gas and diarrhea that everyone seems to ask the forum. They patiently answered that it was not a big deal. They referenced duedonalswitch.com, and that was incredibly informative.
Okay, I began to look at it more seriously. It was not as drastic as I first perceived it to be. Ater weeks of further exploring, I built a list and came to the conclusion that the DS was right for me. It was the first time I felt comfortable about doing WLS and now I am going in that direction. I found a couple surgeon options.
Here is my list:
1. lapband is not even a consideration for me. I have too much to lose. I also have mental hangups about having something artificial in me.
2. I do not like that RNY has dumping syndrome and patients vomit. DS does not, because it keeps the pylorus intact. I would rather risk gas and diarrhea. I already know what that is like!
3. I want to eat like a normal person and do not like that an RNYer has to mush their food and eat tiny quantities. I also don't like that you cannot drink while eating. In DS, neither of these are issues.
4. I am concerned about the stories I read about RNYers having a two year honeymoon and then having weight regain issues. The pouch tends to stretch quite a bit and have heard of need for revision. Although DS too has a honeymoon period, the statistics are much better for avoiding weight regain. The stomach does stretch in a DS but does not appear to be as much of an issue.
5. I need to lose a lot of weight, and the RNY does not have good stats on ability to lose what I need to. The DS is perfect for people who have more weight to lose
6. Both techniques are referred to as tools. After a while, you are the one who has to make some changes to make sure both are successful
I have nothing against the RNY and have seen wonderful stories that have changed peoples' lives. I just had too many doubts about it for me. Maybe some people need that dumping syndrome, but I just think I am tired of being punished for being obese. I have decided that the DS fits my lifestyle better.
Like everyone, I am nervous and excited. I cannot believe I will lose a pound and part of me wants to sabotage it because of fear of failure and comfort of being fat. Does that make sense?
INSURANCE APPROVAL:
October 7, 2005
I am in a self-funded insurance coverage. Legally, they can write out WLS as an option, and there is nothing legal you can do about it. My company excluded it as an option. I knew that my only choice was to appeal to my boss. At first, this was very frustrating. He kept telling me to go ahead with my consultation, that there was nothing to worry about. What does that mean? I cannot get a consultation without knowing where I stand with my insurance. But he came through and rewrote our policy. Can you believe it? My boss changed our policy so that I could have the surgery. He also opted to keep it in so that others could also. What a WONDERFUL boss I have. I guess I am lucky sometimes.
MY CONSULTATIONS:
So when I discovered that, I immediately called a wonderful surgeon, Dr. Alverdy in Chicago. His group is my only option close to home, and even that is three hours away. It is hard to find a DS surgeon in the area.
Immediately, I had some issues.
1. The beginning of the program was very impersonal. You don't even get to talk to a person. You fill out this huge application on the internet. And you are committing to pay $125.00 post-surgery for the priviledge. Grrrrrr.
2. Today I called and thought, "Hey, I got through to people. And they were very nice." So I was feeling more comfortable about the program.
I already have an apptmt regardless. I couldn't believe it. It will be next Wednesday. It will be at 7:30 a.m. so I will have to stay at my aunt's , who lives in Chicago, the night before.
I still am not sure what I am getting myself into, but I will reserve judgment until I see them.
It turns out that my first consultation with Dr. John Alverdy in Chicago was okay. I got diarrhea so bad in anticipation of going that I had lost ten pounds by the time I stepped on their scale.
Dr. Alverdy does not have any seminars to attend. He has you meet with some other WLS patients and a nurse. She gives a very basic discussion of the surgery and then you are wisked off to an exam room. Marguerite is the nurse in charge of the program and she comes to meet you. Then Dr. Alverdy talks to you.
I liked Dr. Alverdy right away. He was a wonderful man to patiently sit and talk to me about my questions. After I left, I was positive I would chose him.
I then had a nutrition and psychological evaluation the following week. It was once again very cold feeling. I failed the psych eval. I was very frustrated because they were T and F questions and I wanted to clarify, but they wouldn't allow me. Once again, I was back to feeling like it was a cold approach. I left feeling very disheartened.
After speaking to people on the DS forum here, I was encouraged to seek a second consult. I was becoming more open to traveling if I felt more comfortable, and I decided to try Dr. Gary Anthone in Omaha, NE. It would mean a seven hour drive, but I felt it was important to see someone else. He is a busy man. The appointment would not be until November, so I really had to want this consult. I waited patiently until it arrived.
I learned a very important lesson in the waiting. I was too eager at first, and I felt a bit of desperation. I want to feel in control. I think I make better decisions that way. By waiting, I felt I was not jumping through hoops with the 'only game in town'. I became the shopper instead of the desperate WLS hopeful, looking for someone to accept me.
My appointment with Dr. Anthone was very positive. I liked his staff very much--it was a much warmer environment, one that I feel I need. Then I met Anthone. He did not spend nearly as much time with me as Alverdy did. He did answer my questions, however, and seemed to rush out. Later, I learned that he had a patient he was concerned about in the hospital. I liked that he was more concerned about that person than me. Afterall, nothing was wrong with me now and I wanted him to really care about his post-surgery patients.
I left not sure of what to do, so again, I made a list. I felt both surgeons were very good possibilities.
1. Dr. Anthone and Alverdy had different pre-op testing requirements. Dr. Anthone wanted blood tests, EKG, chest x-ray, upper GI test and psychiatric evaluation. Dr. Alverdy wanted a sleep apnea test--which I took and was negative, and he wanted a nutritional and psychiatric evaluation.
2. Alverdy required a greenfield filter because of my high BMI...Anthone did not
3. Both required the same amount of post-op visits
4. I liked Alverdy very much but felt his staff was not warm. I questioned whether or not I would feel comfortable working with them. What if I had problems post-op? I had trouble getting in touch with them pre-op. I did not have these problems with Anthone
5. I liked the drive to NE. I am not a big city girl and found the drive to Chicago, although four hours shorter one way, to be more stressful
6. Alverdy believes in doing surgery lap and Anthone believes should be open. Both believe their methods are safest.
7. Alverdy staples and then glues. Anthone staples and then hand sutures. Alverdy admits that his last glue choice did cause leaks so he changed. Anthone hand sutures to avoid that possibility
8. Alverdy has done 200 DS and Anthone has done 2000. Alverdy taught himself and has student doctors doing some of the surgery. Anthone learned from Dr. Hess and he does the surgery with another surgical assistant (but told me he wished it was a learning hospital)
9. Most importantly, Dr. Alverdy believed in a small common channel, 75 cm and a larger stomach, I believe around 6 oz. Anthone believes in a longer common channel, 150 cm, and a small stomach, around 3 oz. He based this on the data from his 2000 surgeries
I eventually chose to go with Anthone. I believed more in his theory of a smaller stomach and a longer common channel. i liked that he trained with Hess. I liked that he has done almost 2,000 of these things. I knew that if I was wrong about the channel size, the surgery would be far easier than correcting the stomach size, so that is what I decided to do. I don't know how I felt about him insisting the surgery be open instead of lap--a much bigger scar. I also knew that he required more pre-op testing and it would not be the easier decision. I was happy to arrange for another psych eval--with doctor of my choice.
I coasted through Christmas getting these things done, but once I heard that he was scheduling surgery through Feb., I wanted things to get moving. My family had a trip to Disneyworld planned on April 8, and I wanted that to be my reward for having done the surgery.
When I finally got my results all to Anthone, there was a glitch. My EKG came back abnormal. They said that I had a heart attack in the past. That freaked me out royally.
I had to do a full blown stress test, which was time consuming and not so fun, but I plodded through it because I had no choice. To my relief, it turns out that I just have a funny little skippity do in my heart beat, and for me, there is nothing abnormal. I did not have a heart attack. Whew! But it was a long weak.
The day that result came in, January 26, Dr. Anthone's office called with an opening on February 1. Did I want it? Gulp! Yes, I did. This left me with only three days of work to get ready for a medical leave. I also raced to get packed and get my son ready for my departure. I decided that I would pack very little and it worked to my advantage because I did not need much there.
Here is my packing list for five days in hospital, a day pre-op and some possible days post-op:
two nightshirts
three changes of clothing
brush
toothpaste and brush
deodorant
chapstick
body spray
a pair of tongs for bathroom hygeine
portable DVD player and DVDs
deck of cards
small folder/briefcase with some medical records and paper for journaling
purse with 1 credit card and photo id...took out check book and other nonessentials
framed photo of my son (had it taken two days before left so current)
My son and cat both got sick before I left for Omaha. I knew my son would be okay, but I was not sure of my cat. I had to leave him in boarding with my vet, and I was afraid that I would have to come back to put him to sleep. Luckily, that was not so.
The day I left, I had to hand off my son to my daymother. My aunt would pick him up that evening and then take care of him the rest of the week. I was devastated saying 'goodbye' to my son. It was one of the hardest things I have had to do. But I continued to remember that I was doing this for him. Unbeknownst to him, we were entering a phase in our lives of self-sacrifice.
Feb 14, 2006
I am already post-op. I am in shock that I have come this far. I would like to post what it was like to get to this point.
Time raced as I quickly got ready and before I knew it, I was in Dr. Anthone's office a day before the surgery, getting my final prep information.
That night, we went to Boy's Town, NE Applebee's for my final supper. I had chicken quesadillas and raspberry cheesecake. For once, I did not feel guilty or embarassed about eating in public. I was like, hey, tomorrow I won't even be able to eat, so I am going for it. My mom requested that two forks be offered for the cheesecake and I glared at her. Get your own!
I went to the hotel room and quickly drank the bowel prep--nasty stuff. And then the rest of the night was spent drinking water and watching Walk the Line and North Country. I highly recommend watching movies that you have not seen. It really took my mind off things, and I was amazed that I was not really that nervous or uptight. When the bowel prep took effect, I just paused the movies and returned once the intestines were squeaky clean. I also took part 1 of my showers. YOu are given an anti-bacterial soap to clean all over and you have to do one the night before and one the morning of.
My surgery was scheduled for 7:30 a.m., so I had to be there at 5:30. I woke up at 4:30 and took part two of my shower. I was too tired to register what was going on. By the time I got to the hospital, got registered and sent to the surgery waiting room, I was whisked back to my prep room. There was not a nervous bone in my body. I couldn't believe it. I was just so ready. They took my blood pressure and it was like 120/75--perfectly normal.
I remember that they did an epidural, and I was not particularly fond of holding the position to have them insert it, but it was shortlived. It is set much higher than for one used for labor pains.
I then remember being wheeled into the OR. It was cold. I don't remember anything after that. I felt like I woke up very easily from surgery. I had another outpatient surgery a couple years back and just made all kinds of deals with God to wake up. I had felt like I was in such a fog, but I did not feel it this time. I did not wake up with pain. I just felt peaceful and thanked God I woke up alive.
I woke up with no surprises. I was catheterized. I had an NG tube in my nose which drains your gastric juices. I had a Jackson Pratt drain on my right side to drain after the removal of the gallbladder, and I had a J tube on the left side. This tube removes bile and then evenually becomes a feeding tube. I also had an iv in my hand and an iv in my shoulder. They used the latter for blood tests.
I was sent to ICU and just remember that I used my morphine button but I don't remember counting the minutes in pain or anything. I noticed that the NG tube bothered me immediately and I wanted water all the time. You can only have ice chips until you pass your leak test a couple days later.
I laughed because while I was out, my parents got to know Dr. Anthone much better than I had. They knew his whole life story. He also told them that I had done well. The surgery was three hours as expected and there were no great surprises. He did remove my gallbladder as he expected to and did a liver biopsy. He said that my gallbladder was in bad shape. I guess I have had many attacks. I had complained about pain under my ribs, but my doctor wrote it off as fatty liver inflammation.
My parents left, and I continued to feel relaxed. Then, late at night, things started to go a bit downhill. A nurse noticed that my blood pressure was almost non-existent. Prior to this, another nurse was having trouble taking my blood pressure. The cuffs just weren't quite right and she was blaiming them for the low readings (I have a bigger upper arm and elbows that are narrow, so cuffs fit me weirdly). I didn't quite understand all that was going on, but I do remember at one point that my bp was very low--like 60/20. And then there was a bit of commotion. The nurses called my doctor, he consulted a renal specialist and they kept taking readings, pumping meds in me, and measuring my urine.
Now I know that the anesthesia was making me too relaxed and making my blood pressure almost non-existent. This lack of blood flow was not allowing my kidneys to function and there was hardly any urine output (you are catheterized for the first couple days). That freaked me out a bit. I was monitored for several days because of this, and I did stay in ICU for 3 days due to this.
I developed a good routine of bribing nurses for mouth swabs. They have mouthwash and a lotion lubricant for your mouth. You can also use them to suck in a bit of water. And then I also wanted lots of ice chips.
By the next day, I was required to walk. I was dizzy and they needed to bring along oxygen, but I was happy that I could walk down the hall and back. It got much easier to walk by the next day and then it was all downhill after that.
The second day I had a nurse who was not mean, but she was not very gentle. I begged her to be careful in moving my NG tube as she was cleaning other things, but she would not. That hurt. I also remember having one moment where I did feel pain and I did count until the morphine button could be punched, but that was about the only time I can remember having that much discomfort.
Another patient was dying in the next room, so the nurses really were not around that night. By then, I was already feeling pretty independent, so it was not a huge issue.
The next day, my third, I was sent to a regular post-op room at night. It was hot, and much smaller than the ICU room. They were also much busier and the nurses were in more of a hurry. I remember feeling down when I got there...and a bit miserable. I had a male nurse. He came in and gave me a fan. That helped a lot. I used it for the rest of my stay.
That night was not good. I did not sleep well. YOu don't get a lot of sleep anyway, but if you add moodiness to it, wah! Then I realized that I must be getting my period. Grrrr. I had to ring my male nurse and he had to give me a pad and a sponge bath--oh joy. But he was nice and we took it in stride. The nurses were all wonderful in dealing with anything that came up.
By the next day, for sure I had my period. It disgusted me because I also had a catheter in too, so blood seemed to be just everywhere. I was also fighting PMS feelings. I needed my anti depressants for this, and I could not take them yet. In a vulnerable moment, I started to cry. I asked the nurses for help and they said they would talk to Dr. Anthone.
Then it was time to take my leak test. I get really annoyed with this, because I weigh too much for their table, but they insisted I try to fit in this tiny chamber. I wasn't able to, so they had to do it the way you should with a heavier person, standing up. The liquid I had to drink was terrible...much worse than the bowel prep. It was not the usual stuff you drink for upper GIs.
When I got back to my room, I found out that I passed my leak test. This meant that I could drink water. Hallelujah. I could also get my NG tube out and I could get the catheter out. It also meant that I could take a shower. Oh, glory be. I couldn't get my oxygen removed yet because my napping/sleeping blood oxygen levels were only at 85%. So I had to do a lot of breathing exercises to avoid pneumonia. I also had to continually get my blood pressure and temp taken. My bp continued to remain very low and my temp was high. So I never got to sleep through the night for this monitoring.
That shower was wonderful. I only had one problem. My nose exploded. I guess the ng tube had created such bad blood blisters that they exploded. It freaked me out for a moment until I realized what had happened.
Dr. Anthone walked in and asked me about my tearfulness. As it turns out, he explores the ovaries and uterus and that starts a period. Now he tells me! He also said that around the third day, there are a lot who get weepy. Now he tells me! Needless to say, he gave me back my antidepressents.
This passing of leak test allowed me to be able to eat liquid lunch. It was broth, juice and a popsicle. AND I COULD FINALLY DRINK WATER! Ahhh...heaven. I could barely eat any, but it felt good to see what I could do.
Later that evening, I passed gas. I have never been the type to boast of this, but it was a good sign in recuperation, and I was delighted to tell them. Dr. Anthone immediately had a more solid dinner sent. The Methodist Hospital served a wonderful meal. They pureed carrots and then piped them out to look like baby carrots. I could only eat a tine full, but I will never forget how cute it was.
By day five, I was ready to be discharged. I thought I would be dying to get out of there, but to tell the truth, it was not that bad. But don't get me wrong, I did want to get released. It would allow me to go home, get some sleep and see my son.
Dr. Anthone came in the early evening and gave me the okay to go home. He pulled out my Jackson Pratt, and here is a warning...it hurts! You really do have to close your eyes and hold your breath. It doesn't take too long to do, but I was just a little unprepared for it. He also gave me pain med, acid reflux and anti nausea presriptions.
The flight back home was a piece of cake. I was weary and in some discomfort, but it wasn't bad. I moved my feet and legs all the time as I promised Dr. A I would, and I had no problems with clots. For those of you who are heavier, like me, with a BMI over 60, I did not have a greenfield filter put in and ran into no problems.
February 27, 2006
I am now almost a month post-op. I am having very little problems post-op, but some things have come up. I was painfree and coasting along to a wonderful recovery for the first two weeks.
Eating was a much bigger issue than I thought it would be. The sad part is that you cannot tell a single soul how they can get through it, because unless you experience it, you cannot understand what the post-ops are telling you. I also think that you are so focused at getting to the surgery, that you figure eating will happen later.
I am amazed at how little I can eat...or want to eat. I am living on cottage cheese, sliced deli roast beef, cheese and potato chips (they are the only thing that keep my tummy settled). I have discovered that crystal light in the water helps so much. But it is a real chore getting in proteins. I have read others say to try proteins supplements pre-op so you know if you can handle it. The problem is that your taste buds radically change after surgery. I think my only advice is to expect to be creative after surgery.
I did make two mistakes right away. Eating was far harder to get used to than I thought it would be. My doctor allowed me to try what I wanted, and I love spaghetti and meatballs, so I decided to try them. I threw up immediately. Since then, I have discovered that some of my old favorite meals do not sit well, and I will avoid them until my stomach settles down a bit more. Carbohydrates are a big 'no' for me now. They expand too much in the stomach and I have chest pains from the food sticking in my espohagus.
On my two week anniversary, I was prepared to go back to work, and I woke up not feeling well. I decided not to go in. Then, for the next twelve hours, I could not stop vomitting. I also had bad pains in my abdomen and lower back. I finally had to call my doctor. He had me drain my j tube. He checks to see if there is a gush of liquid...a sign you might have a block. He also wants to know what color it is. If it is dark colored, he also fears a block. Mine was pale yellow and only about two teaspoons. So he felt it was okay. He told me to go to get a catscan and an Upper GI the next day.
I could not wait. I got weaker and I started to feel faint. My parents could no longer take care of me, and I couldn't get out of bed, so my mom decided that I better go to the ER. It was a slick night and the ER was crowded. They took one look at me, and I moved to the front of the line. I did have to wait for a bed, and that was exhausted. I was in more pain and nausea than I was right after surgery.
They did do x-rays and blood tests and everything came back normal. Eventually, I did get relief from an iv, pain meds and anti nausea (I had tried to take them orally but threw them up). And by the next morning I felt pretty good. I am not sure what happened, but my general physician said that sometimes things like that happen as you are trying to heal.
Since that point, I have been more tired and recovery has been slower. I have not returned to work yet. And my whole family, including me and my son, have developed bad colds. During a regular time, that would be yucky, but now I am even more tired as I try to get rid of it.
At three weeks, I went for my checkup in NE. Dr. Anthone removed my feeding tube. It did not hurt a bit. He also told me that I could lift my son. YAY!! I did promise to take it easy. I also stepped on the scale and found out that since my first visit, I lost 27 pounds. Since surgery, I lost 18 pounds. So I am at least losing something.
I have seen others who have lost a lot more, and it made me panic a bit. I am afraid that I am going to be a slow loser.
March 4, 2006
I am now down 33.5 pounds. Things are getting easier. Today, I was able to eat a meal. It was easier to get my proteins in. I also am having no problem getting liquids in.
I still feel tired and it has been a slow recup time. I did return to work part-time, and everyone kept telling me I looked weary. And you know what, I was!
June 10, 2006
So much has changed. I am doing great. I have now lost 90 lbs. Can you believe it? I feel greaT. Physically, there have been so many changes. Either my car is bigger or I am smaller. All of my knee and hip pain is gone. I am much more physically active. And I am now starting to see the difference. My clothes are super baggy.
I am developing a hernia and my hair is falling out a bit. Those are the only negatives I have noticed. My doctor also said that I am showing a slight calcium deficiency, so I am on additional Vitamin A and D.
I am still so glad that I had the DS. I just love not having to worry about food anymore.
March 11, 2007
I swore I wouldn't be one of those people who would stop writing in my profile, and here I am trying to catch up. I used to think people stopped writing because the surgeries didn't work, and that made me nervous. But the truth is that we are healthier people who go out and live our lives. And boy, have I been living.
I am now ten pounds from my goal. I never really had a goal, but I feel that 185 is a sane place to stop.
The most monumental things I have done lately are a recent pursuit of adoption and having just had plastic surgery.
After I lost my weight and became healthy, now completely off medication related to my obesity and having no joint pain any longer, I began to think that it was now or never to adopt my second child. After much research, I picked Guatemala. It has been a long journey and the details are not relevant to this site, but I am happy to report that I do have a little girl selected for me and I have been to Guatemala to meet her. By the end of this summer, I am hoping to be able to go pick her up.
The flight to Guatemala was a miracle. I fit in the seat! I had avoided flying commercially for years to avoid being charged double for seats and all the other horror stories you hear. Years ago I flew to England. I could barely fit in the seat and the tray table would not drop down because I was too fat. I told the stewardess that I had wisdom teeth taken out and could not eat or drink--that was my excuse to avoid the embarrassment of having to tell her that I could not put the tray down. This time, I sat in the middle seat and had plenty of room. I took drinks whenever they were offered just to be able to put my tray down. I had a big smile on my face the entire journey.
Only a week after I came back from Guatemala, I was in the OR getting my very large hernia repaired. For kicks and giggles I threw in breast reduction and tummy tuck surgery. I was having problems. My guts kept pouring out, and I was getting tired of holding in my stomach. I also had such sagging skin that I was getting all kinds of infections. it was very uncomfortable.
It has been a bit of deja vu because I am with my parents as I recuperate from another surgery. I am able to update my profile because I am just not moving around much. I am off work at least a couple weeks.
I did have the same kidney problem that I did for my WLS, so at least I know that is how I react to anesthesia, it doesn't really have to do with obesity. But it is no fun to have no blood pressure and no urine output. But it was not as bad as last time.
Ironically, this surgery lasted longer than my WLS by an hour. It was mainly because my hernia was so huge. The surgeon told me that the mesh was the size of a dinner plate. Oye.
So as I recuperate here, I am trying to think of all of the other wonderful things that are happening. For one, public seating is just not an issue for me. I have regained a love for baseball because I am able to go to the games. I went to seven last season. it was a blast.
I also never worry about what seats we will have at dinner. I fit in every booth. I can squeeze by anythinng. I don't have to come up with mental plans to think of what to do in case I don't fit or can't get by. I know you know what I am talking about. It has been such a freeing of my mind.
People tell me how much happier I look. My daycare lady told me that I used to be pleasant, but I am now just downright fun to be around. My surgeon told me that in my BMI start class, I am in the top 5% in success as far as my appearance, labs, etc. That made me happy to hear as well.
If you are reading this because you are contemplating surgery and just are not sure what procedure you would like to do and whethr you want to do any at all, I can only tell you my story and what I am feeling. Everyone's experience is different. But if I am the norm, boy is the DS a wonderful experience. I cannot tell you how much better my life is. The sun shines so much brighter now. And I hope you find the solution that is right for you to have this same feeling of contentment.