Learning to eat post-op is like learning to walk again

I'm definately tolerating soft foods better today then when I started but not without some painful lessons. I guess part of the issue is that my body is in complete shock. It went some 20+ days on liquids then I introduced solids again, my new pouch was not happy about that. I also have to eat VERY slowly with my new pouch. That is exceedingly difficult for me because as a pharmacist, I pride myself on being able to eat without chewing. I had to to get any food down while working but guess what, that won't work anymore. I must, must, must learn to take small bites very slowly and chew until the food disintegrates in my mouth. A girl in pharmacy school did that, maybe I need to get with her for lessons:)

My menu today has been:
1. Cream of wheat for breakfast. I ate about 2/3 a cup with very little distress.

2. Pizza for lunch (no meat). I ate about 1/20 of a digiorno's pizza and tolerated it well. I did eat it super slow in anticipation that it would hurt me but didn't.

3. 1 piece of string cheese for a snack. No problem with that!

3.5. 1 multi-vitamin and b-12 (that's like a mini-meal).

4. Protein shake this afternoon. No problem with that. I have a new recipe that tastes like snow-cream. Yummy.

5. Baked potato with no skin for dinner tonight. I added butter, cheese, and sour cream. First few bites convinced me I was going to die. It was just so stinking good that I slipped back into old habits and ate too quickly. Way too quickly. When I do that it makes me feel like my stomach is going to explode. Not a burning pain but a very uncomfortable fullness, like it won't go down. Then I burp a million times but it is a slow, painful burp.

So, what does this do to me mentally? Freaks me out. I guess it's great from the standpoint that I physically cannot overeat but then it scares me that I'm stretching my pouch. It reminds me of when I was nursing and everything revolved around keeping my milk supply up. Now everything revolves around not stretching my pouch. Remember, this surgery can be defeated but I'm not aiming to defeat it after all the pain to get to this point. So I must learn, to eat small bites, eat them slowly, and chew them well. That process is a monumental change for me and I think it must be like what a stroke patient feels like learning to walk again. As for the baked potato, I got down about 2 TBSP and I'm done.

I hope to get some more water down before bed but other than that...I'm done eating for this date. I'm sure I will tolerate foods tomorrow better than today and will learn to enjoy each bite rather than the whole course seeing as how I won't be eating whole courses anymore...and that is just fine with me.

Good Reports

Today was a good day in the bariatric surgery patient world! After suffering, and I do mean suffering, last night I needed some positives and got them. I had hoped for some weight loss but the scale didn't reveal any but my jeans sure did. Another clue was that when I sat in the chair in Christy's office, my thighs did not touch the sides of the chair. That was one of my short-term goals so I was really excited.

On the food front, I tolerated food a little better today. I had some apple sauce for breakfast and ate about 2/3 of the cup without any intolerance. I wanted a potato for lunch but they were out so I got chicken tortilla soup and ate around the chicken. It was tasty and good. Dinner tonight was soft tacos. I can't have meat yet so mine consisted of the tortilla, beans, cheese, and sour cream. I figured if anything was going to be distressing the beans would...but they weren't!! I have chewed more and eaten more slowly today and I think that made a big difference. I am also excited that by habit I pulled out 2 tortillas for tacos but then I came back to my senses, no way I can get 2 down. I didn't even get 1 down but am COMPLETELY satisfied. That is such an awesome feeling. One of my biggest frustrations pre-surgery was eating my mini-portion then trying to conquer the hunger pains +/- hypoglycemia. I love that that is gone now. I've not been hypoglycemic since the surgery, thank you God.

I walked 8 blocks today and tolerated it well. Don't think I will be walking tomorrow courtesy of the cold and rain but I've done more this week than in the past 6 months so I'm pleased with that. My next goal is to lose 1 more lb by Sunday. I just think 20lbs will be a nice round number to go to bunko on. Got to get my protein and water in tomorrow. Truthfully, just shaving my legs would prob get me that pound. Haven't been able to really bend over without distress since the surgery so we've got 2 weeks growth going on. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Finally food I can chew

Well today was the official big day. I made it past the midnight snack and then didn't even have solids for breakfast. Sweet Pudge woke up not feeling well and very, very needy this morning. I think it was probably gas but he was whimpering like a wounded puppy and wanted mommy so I spent my time snuggling him and had a protein shake for breakfast. I went to the canteen at lunch and got mashed potatoes and green beans. I ate about 1/4 of each and was as full as a little tick. I tolerated it pretty well, better than the rice last night and grits and eggs tonight. Advancing to solids feels like the liquids did right after surgery. It feels like they just get stuck and I need to burp. If this progresses like liquids did, it will get better everyday. Right???

Well, Pudge has taken his goldfish and intentionally crushed them into the living room carpet while his attentive mother was distracted by blogging and GI distress. I will have to cut this post short to clean it up before dad gets home:(

I admit, I cheated

I just could not take it 7 more hours. I'm weak and I broke...I admit but have hardly a regret. When I got home tonight mom had made chicken yum-yum and rice. Full confession is that I had a table-spoon of rice and about 2 tsp of the yum-yum but no chicken. I am a little bloated and a smidge uncomfortable but overall, it was good to chew. I must say that I chewed the rice into at least a million tiny pieces.

Beyond that cheat I did do one thing good today. I've got to start incorporating exercise but don't have 100% stamina yet so I parked at the 4th AVE UAB deck. This was about a 4 block walk to work and back. I also walked up to the VA Annex building which is a block away so that was 2 more blocks. So, over the course of the day I walked 10 blocks which I think is a mile. I'm pretty proud of that. I'm going to start taking a lunch break and walk at lunch. A co-worker told me you can walk 2 miles all indoors at UAB so we are going to work our way up to that and when it gets nice we will walk outside. The hardest part will be making myself break for lunch. Strange how in Tusc I lived for lunch and now can't make myself take one. Probably has something to do with mounds of work but also being downtown does not leave a lot of options and it's hard to get anywhere, eat, and get back in a strict 30 min.

Tomorrow I will be official. I think I'm going to have some oatmeal in the morning and we are having breakfast for dinner tomorrow night. I will let you know how it goes...I sure can't wait.

No rolls for me

There is really not much to blog about tonight but I'm bored so here I am...blogging to cyberspace. I came home from Atlanta today and we stopped at O'Charleys for lunch. I resisted the rolls and it was not too hard which was sooo strange to me. I'm wondering if they took part of my brain out with my stomach. I ordered a cup of loaded potato soup then scooped out the bacon and cheese on top. That was a smidge painful I will admit. However, a lunch bill of 3.89 was not bad at all. I must say I will probably make money off this trip cause the gov't gives you so much to eat on and I didn't even put a dent in it. Gets that is my compensation.

I am glad to report that I can get down a normal size drink now without discomfort. Initially I could only get down about 2.5mls per drink and that was frustrating. It was slightly painful going in and bloated me..even water. Now I can take a normal size drink without discomfort...yay. I am 13 days without a carbonated beverage and am learning to really love my water. The thing about water is the more you dring, the more you want. I'm really glad to be off carbonation and how great has it been to NOT have a caffeine headache in the afternoons. Wahoo!! I've definately not gotten in enough protein y'day or today but will truly, truly make up for it tomorrow. I intended to make a shake tonight but I developed a mystery pain and have just been on the couch taking it easy since I got home. It's significantly better now.

So Thursday is the big day....soft foods. I cannot believe I have made it without permanent injury but I have. I may have to set my clock at midnight to have some cream-of-wheat...is that splitting hairs? Guess your answer depends on whether you have been drinking broth and soup for 2 weeks, 1 day:) I am nervous about introducing foods. Just b/c I am allowed to advance to soft foods does not mean I will tolerate them. They recommend that if you don't tolerate something the first time you try it to try again at another time. Intolerance would present as bloating, nausea, or an uncomfortable full feeling. For me it would most likely be bloating. I'm going to keep things bland to start out and hope for the best. I've done so well to this point, I hope adding foods is just as smooth.

McKenna Poodle is requesting tea which is now unsweet in our house. More to come tomorrow on my mystery pain and menu prep for Th.

Would some mashed potatoes kill me??

So I'm here in Atlanta at my quarterly VISN meeting. I typically look forward to this meeting cause we always eat good. Let me tell you, this hotel has the BEST cheeseburger I've ever eaten. This has definately been an opportunity to test some new strategies and brake old habits. I've had to think ahead and be very prepared, even moreso than usual because of my liquid status. That considered I've done pretty well, I think. It truly felt like I was packing a diaper bag this morning preparing liquids for 24 hours away from home but here is how it has gone.

Woke up and started drinking a bottle of water (instead of back-to-back DDP's)

Around Pell City I mixed up my Carnation Instant Breakfast (no sugar). I had put my skim milk in my/Liz's shaker bottle and just added the powder.

We stopped in Anniston at the Starbucks where we always stop-->I got hot tea. The last time through I got some breakfast sandwich that was oh so good and very filling. It had ham, cheese, and egg on it...Monica got that today.

When we got to our room I packed my bag for the afternoon. I took a Special K protein shake to the meeting. Although it does not meet the protein guidelines perfectly, it is ready-to-drink and thus very conducive to this arrangement. I had also started on another bottle of water so I alternated sips of that. I brilliantly (ha) had packed a coffee cup and lid from the my room along with a tea bag. When we broke for a caffeine refuel, I got hot water from the coffee pot in the conference room.

Now dinner...remember I usually really get to splurge for my VISN dinners so tonight was a bit stressful. Our resident is also with us so I didn't want to impose my dietary restrictions onto her experience and networking opportunities, but I did:) She promised she was perfectly ok with not going out with the group. It is super cold and the wind is unbelievable here so the 3 of us were content staying in the hotel. We went to the high-end restaurant here where I've eaten before and it was DIVINE. Tonight proved to be great too...french onion soup but I ate around the cheese and bread. Honestly, I did not feel remotely deprived. It was so flavorful. The girls got salads that I would have loved to have and can't for 5 more weeks but I could totally resist the scallops. No one got dessert...wahoo I'm home-free except I REALLY WANT SOME GARLIC MASHED POTATOES. Seriously, I can "legally" eat them on Thursday. How much difference would 3 days make? Seriously, please answer me and talk me off this ledge cause I'm trying with all I have but it hurts. The dresses these girls on The Bachelor are wearing are hurting me too. Is this an 80's flash-back? Sorry, I digress. Anyway, I am going to look through my little bag of goodies and see if I can overcome this Mashed Potato Desire (MPD). It's time for my carafate and prilosec, maybe that will fill me up and get me over the hump.

Tomorrow I'm planning a Special K protein drink for breakfast. I've got another tea-bag for the meeting and certainly I will have water at all times. I also came prepared with an extra cup and ramen noodle packets if the need arises. Oh that Th would get here quickly and God would give me the will-power to hold on a little bit longer (that's the part where you say a little prayer).

To tomorrow and mashed potatoes on Thursday.

So this is what it feels like to over-do it

What a weekend it has been. After completely over-doing last Wed back at work, I tried to regroup at home on Th and worked Fri. Friday night we had a family movie night and watched Up. I was a little worried about feeling deprived over the pop-corn but had a protein shake before I went and took some with me. Since I was full from that, I had no trouble at all resisting the pop-corn. The cokes...well, that was a little painful. Sweet Cayce, who can drink ANYTHING if it is carbonated, is switching to diet coke for me. I don't like diet coke so I can totally resist that but diet dr. pepper is hard. Thanks hun! Sorry to digress, back to Up. I made it through about half the movie before I started hurting. Liz got me her office chair which reclines ever so slightly so I was good for the rest of the movie and left having resisted all temptations but Saturday was to be more!

Cayce let me sleep to 10:00---SWEET! I really needed a little extra rest. Cayson and I fought over my carnation instant breakfast and ultimately he won. At least that was less to be wasted cause I cannot get it all down yet. Cayce and McKenna went to Target for a bday gift and then my shift came. I took the kids to a bday party by myself. I know what you are thinking...it's too soon post-op, how did she chase them both. Well, that was not a problem. Recruited me a little help in the parking lot getting them safely inside-- can you imagine me trying to chase Cayson if he decided to bolt in the parking lot? They behaved well so I didn't have to do too much chasing but the issue was...can you guess...oh yeah, the cake. This was my first post-op exposure and I considered diluting some butter cream frosting so I could count it as a cream of soup! Somehow I managed to fix plates for both Cayson and McKenna to include cake, ice-cream, chips, and M&M's and yet never snuck even a bite. I suggested to the other moms that they skip cake too, you know to support me. I'm pretty sure they choked on their cake while laughing:) We went to WM Saturday night. I must say it was difficult making a meal-plan and grocery list for the family when my personal menu is so small. I let Cayce get the drinks and dog food (>10 lbs) and made it through pretty well except for the usual delay at the Bessemer WM check-out. Don't be mistaken that they are going to use even 1/4 of their 30 or so registers. 5 at a time will be more than enough. Needless to say I came home and collapsed.

Mom had made spaghetti for the family - mom. I had a bright idea that if she left the meat out of some and I didn't have pasta, it was kind of like soup, right? OUCH. I'm not sure if it was so good I ate too fast or just that I'm not used to anything with actual flavor but it about killed me, seriously. I had some pretty intense cramping and bloating with a hint of reflux. We'll save the spaghetti re-challenge for a time far, far away.

Today I missed Sunday school but made it to church. It prob worked out well b/c I was really hurting by the time church was over...would have never made it to sit through both without reclining. Cayce and McKenna went to the boat show but that was way too much walking for me. Cayce dropped me off at work to print some things out caust tomorrow I get yet another challenge...heading to Atlanta. I typically really enjoy this trip b/c Cayce and I found a Provinos there last July and I've eaten Provino's on every trip since...until tomorrow. Granted I did consider this trip when I scheduled the surgery. It came down to 2 things, have the surgery early enough that I would be able to eat by the time I got there OR have the surgery where I could use MLK as part of my recovery without having to take leave. Well, courtesy of my CPAP issues, the latter won. It's for the best though. Just b/c I may be freed to start soft foods next Th and "experiement" after that does not mean that I will tolerate it all. Look what Prego did to me. I will be much better off to wait until the April meeting to challenge myself with Provino's.

So, now you are all caught up on my adventerous weekend. One thing I left out was the meal-plan for next Th. That will be my first day to start soft foods. We will be dining on BREAKFAST!!! I specifically will be having some scrambled egg-whites though I'm not sure if they tell you to avoid the yolks b/c that is healthier or b/c something about them will be "distressing to my pouch". Regardless, egg beaters are calling my name. I'm going to have a side of grits too, I hope. Don't get me wrong. I am not so desperate to eat that I'm going to go berzerk when I get to eat food again but I've not even had the opportunity to eat in moderation since 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I am just ready to have some flavor back in my life, in moderation. After 6 weeks I can attempt some salads. Funny that the early foods are primarily carbs and salads and meats are the last to be added back. But that is ok...I will be tickled to advance to anything beyond broths, soups, yogurt, and protein smoothies.

Pictures

Might I say that it is very awakening to look through old pics searching for the perfect fat pics, thin pics, and the journey back to fat. None-the-less, you cannot appreciate the whole journey without seeing the whole journey so here you go.

Might I also say that in hindsight, we really needed a new camera.

Learning the hard way

I definately over-did it yesterday. I woke up this morning and felt like someone had beat me. It hurt to move and even not to move. I think I probably should not have picked up papers out my office floor...3 times. As a result, did not make it to work after having my staples removed. I'm really trying to listen to the signals my body is sending so I've been trying to stretch out and heal this afternoon. The staple removal was a non-issue!! Literally she had them out before I even realized it. I asked about chewing sugar free gum to which she answered a big, fat NOOOO. Guess it makes sense but it results in air getting in your pouch (that is what my stomach is now called, a pouch). It can make you feel very uncomfortable...hmm, kind of like you have been beat? Guess I will have to convert to tic-tacs for church or institute a "mint" ministry.

Cayce got me some bananas to spice up my protein shakes. Can't wait to try that out. I am also encouraged with the ease of putting on my jeans today, wow. I've been pouring myself into them for the past couple of months refusing to buy the next size up. No kidding, I have truly pulled a muscle on more than one occasion getting into these babies. I think I may have damaged the the zipper somehow from all the stretching cause it just felt weird today. It was really nice not to have lacerations in my belly from them cutting into me and yep...I wasn't too worried about covering my pones. I was, however, ashamed of my meth-using looking arms. The attempts for IV access one year ago are just not pretty now. Cayce asked if I thought people would think he had hit me...I assured him no. They are clearly track marks but considering my size, I bet folks are scratching their heads about what drug I've been using. Meth users are usually rail thin.

I don't have to go back to the surgeon for 3 months. They said the expected weight loss during the first 3 months is 50 lbs. That seems lofty to me. I'm not going to focus on the numbers other than the 60's....64 oz water per day, 64 grams of protein per day. That is vital because again, this surgery is only a tool. If I don't do my part, I can defeat this opportunity God has given me. I do not want that to happen and with HIS help, I it won't....HIS help and having Cayce move the Diet Dr. Pepper to the down-stairs fridge. Seeing them in the fridge bothered me a little bit today...as in, I would like to have one of those. I don't think it will be too big a deal once I can move to soft foods and then on to meat. Liz had spinach and chicken quesadillas the other night. I can't get them off my mind. I can't have chicken next week and don't think I can have the tortilla either so for now I am so excited about having some spinach and cheese next week...yummy. When I can advance the diet I will also be able to reduce the protein shakes a little b/c I will get protein from food. That will be great. To risk sounding like a broken record, I don't like these protein drinks.

Thanks for listening. My best friend is having her 3rd baby by c-section as I am typing so this has been a nice distraction...thanks. Jenn and I have been friends since we were 13. She knows me better than almost anyone and loves me unconditionally...thick or thin:) I can't wait to meet baby Jillian Grace. No doubt she will be beautiful and full of life like her momma. Brothers Joey and Jake are going to be pretty proud too.

Back to reality--back to work

Well, I survived! I really did not expect to make it through the whole day but I did, wahoo! And without lortab, wahoo again!! Today was my heavy meeting day, Peer Review Committee, Medical Records Committee, Residency Committee Meeting...lots of meeting. I should probably just be excited I stayed awake through all of them except the residency committee which was very enjoyable, truly. I had 4 ounces of protein shake for breakfast, a pineapple juice mid-morning, more protein at lunch, water throughout, an unsweet tea, and finally somemore of my protein drink this afternoon on the way home. For dinner...brace yourself, broth from chicken flavored ramen noodles. If I can lament, I will really be struggling to continue with these liquids another whole week. Prayers are sooooo needed to help me through this part. I'm already dreaming of some cream of wheat next Thursday morning for breakfast...may even have some cottage cheese. That will be my "soft diet" which I continue for 1-2 weeks (can't remember) and then I will be able to advance to a normal diet, just less of it. I was also pumped to realize today that I can get hot water in the physicians work room across the hall from my office. I've been making a hike to the ground floor to the canteen for to make my hot tea and if you have any experience with the elevators at the VA, you know that takes too long. So now I can just waltz across the hall and take care of business. That is VERY important cause hot tea has replaced my diet dr. pepper in the morning.

I must say that I've not really had hunger pains until yesterday and I was truly hungry but the last time 4oz filled me up was probably at about 2 days old. I know it could not have been any later cause E started me on cereal within that first week of life. Hmmm, could that have been an underlying cause to my adult obesity? Something else to discuss with the therapist, wait, this blog is my therapy so I guess you guys should chime in on your thoughts on that!

Well, I'm down 14 lbs and I could tell this morning in my pants that my pones have shrunk. I usually have to really watch that my shirt covers the pones but was not worried about it as much today. Oh the little details that overweight folks deal with. What will I do with all the extra time in my life when I don't have to worry about pulling my shirt down to cover my pones? Maybe I will balance my check-book.

I had hoped to make it to church tonight but that was a little optimistic. I have taken a dose of lortab (first of the day) and am going to snuggle up with my broth. Cayce is taking the kids and I am sooo greatful to my RMLBC family for covering TeamKid for me. You guys are the best.

Tomorrow I am getting my staples out and that is not 1 day too soon. They are itching and on my nerves. Hope it is not painful, really hope it is not painful. Anyone know if it is painful? I am so thankful that pain to this point has been minimal. Truly the pimple on my face that greeted me this morning was more painful than what I've had to deal with during this journey except immediately post-op. If you recall, I woke up in severe pain but the nurse was all over it letting me know that "yes, it's going to hurt".

My pones are shrinking....

Wahoo! It is official that when you see me you will see less of me. I am wearing my most comfy but least flattering jammies tonight and E pointed out that she could tell I have lost weight. I asked how cause my belly which I usually keep sucked in is sooo bloated. She said in my butt. I went to the bathroom mirror and I'm not even kidding, they pones have dropped by about 1/2 in size. To men this means nothing as they don't know what a pone is but most southern women KNOW what a pone is. It is that ugly appendage that grows between your butt cheek and hip and at it's worst, will dimple with cellulite and yes, I had two. One of the pics from disney that was my all time most hated was of me at Animal Kingdom and the appearance of my pone in my jeans. It was bad.

Well, I go back to work tomorrow. It will be the first time I've gotten up in the dark to do something more than look for pain meds in several days. Tonight has also been rough just from wanting to eat. I've not had all my protein today so that is why but quite frankly, I'm sick of protein. Thankfully I filled my belly just with evening meds, 10mls of carafate, 5mls of lortab, sips with my synthroid, sips with my prilosec, and a sip with my ambien. Yep, I'm full and turning in. Bet tomorrows post will be a hoot as I will have lots to tell from being back at work.

Love you guys and sweet dreams.....

Down 12 lbs and heading out

McKenna got her report card Friday and the teacher always requests parent-teacher conference so I snagged this morning while I was off. I thought it would be a great trial-run to getting dressed and out the door before I go back to work tomorrow. I wore none other than my black velour...can't wait to burn that thing. We stopped by church on the way there to send a fax then off to MES. Thankfully I got to sit in a big chair, not sure I could have gotten back out of a McKenna size chair. I must say that I was ready to get home and lean back. I definately cannot stand for very long or sit straight up for any length of time. I'm thankful my chair at work leans back some and that I can sit for the majority of my day if I absolutely have to.

In my quest to decrease my lortab use I ground some tylenol tablets in my morter and pestle...yuck. I got it down but did NOT like it. Cayce may have to go get me some chewable tablets or capsules b/c I am quite the pro at swalling the contents of capsules these days. I'm going to try and do a little VA work today. I've got some minutes from staff meetings to type up and Monica is supposed to be sending my our latest report card we got today. She said there was a lot of RED, grrr. I'm going to be really frustrated if it is from the back-order issues and having to buy off-contract.

Wish I had some humor to give today but alas, none. I can report being down 12 lbs, wahoo!

discharge and homeward bound

Two blogs in one day, I'm obviously getting bored! Before our velour tangent we were up to the point of Saturday morning and nurse Tina. She went through the copious amounts of discharge counseling, pulled my drainage tube (without my assistance to strip it), pulled my IV, and we were pretty well all set. Of course Dr. Miles came in at some point that morning and eye-balled the incisions. I asked him to write me an Rx for venlfavaxine ER tablets so I would not have to continue the effexor capsule issue but he told me to follow-up with my PCP, he would not even know how to write that. Hmmm, take out the Rx pad, write the drug name which I will spell for you, etc, etc, etc. Whatever, I called Dr. Real's office today and the venlafaxine ER tabs should be waiting at the pharmacy now. I can swallow them and not worry about swallowing granules.

I was scared I would get nausaus on the way home but thankfully didn't. I sent Cayce in when we got home to again remind the kids that mommy had boo-boos and not to attack her. Also to remind them I could not lift them. Bless their hearts they stood on the porch and McKenna gave me the most gentle of hugs. She declared that I would go to her room and that water would make me feel better. Actually, she was kind of right cause I wanted a shower in the worst possible way and shower I did. Next I napped and later transplanted myself to the recliner. I showed the lil Brookshires my boo-boo's to emphasize the don't jump on mommy rule. That has gone relatively well with only 1 Pudgy elbow in my belly to date, and I'm still paying for it:)

Since then I have been ingesting as many fluids as possible with a goal of 64 oz per day. I'm dining on protein shakes (whey protein isolate), carnation instant breakfast, creamy tomato soup, and water. I added my bariatric vitamins yesterday and got one dose down. Today I got two doses down. Seems like most of my available stomach room is being taken up by meds but that will decrease in time. I've not had a sincere hunger pain yet...yay success!! I had one episode of weakness before my first protein shake and after E made me laugh today. Otherwise, I would say I am doing GREAT. My discomfort at this point is less than that I suffered after child-birth, especially since I am not having to sit on the angry area. Sleeping on my side is difficult but will improve with some time.

Tomorrow will be my first attempt out of the house. Parent-teacher conference so surely I can pull off 15 minutes, you think? It will certainly be the 35 min before of making myself presentable that will be the hard part. Maybe I could borrow E's shower seat or walker with a seat. So lucky to have all the adaptive equipment I could ever need right downstairs. Guess my next post will be about my adventure away from home.

black velour

I think it is notable to take a step back and discuss what I wore to the hospital. Every heavy person I know can boast of at least 1 black velour jogging suit and probably another in a dark color too. At our house it is referred to as the go-to outfit. It's terribly comfy, hides all blemishes, and lets a heavy person still feel somewhat stylish. I've been sporting my same black velour for several years. When the pants got a little too snug and faded, I replaced them with 1 size up and kept on wearing it like I like it. Looking at pics over the past decade, I really liked that go-to outfit. I had one in a lighter color blue but after seeing myself in it in pics I retired it...black is just so much more flattering.

I took the black velour to the hospital to wear home after having McKenna. It looked cute with a pink t-shirt underneath. Pics also reveal that I wore the same outfit when she was 6 weeks old and we went to our first weight-watchers meeting together. I wore it throughout my pregnancy with Pudge...the jacket stretched a bit but that just made it even more comfy. I wore it home from the hospital with a blue t-shirt underneath... a trend had started for sure.

Well, I found myself looking for an outfit to wear to the hospital Th and wouldn't you know, I went to the go-to black velour with the pink t-shirt..again. I thought it would be memorable for sure. I also packed clothes to come home in, a pair of black pants and an Alabama t-shirt. The t-shirt has memories too. I wore it the football season of 2002 and it literally hung on me. I remember having trouble getting it all stuffed into my jeans. Baby G had been born that year and I remember thinking to myself how nice it was to care for a baby while being thin. Sadly I would never care for one of my babies while being thin. If you recall, I was at my goal weight and then gained 55 lbs while pregnant with McKenna and added another 35 while pregnant with Pudge.

I'm looking so forward to BURNING the black velour. I may replace it but it will be with a pastelle, even if I have to wear a pair of spanx underneath it! As for the Alabama t-shirt, think it is time to retire it for a National Championship one. Another underlying thought here is that the Brookshires could stand to replace our wardrobes a little more frequently lest we be hoarders:)

I'm feeling a little better today than yesterday. I'm trying to wean myself from lortab to plain tylenol and that is laughable quite frankly. The pain is not unbearable so I am going to try and stick it out. I praise God that I have not had ANY nausea since getting home. That is awesome. I also saw a number on the scale today that I have not seen in over a year, woohoo. I wish I could be the person who could wait to weigh weekly but no chance. I'm sure I will revert to my obsessive self and weigh in the morning, after work, and before bed. Whatever keeps me on track though.

Hospital Course

I know I'm running a few days in arears but we will be all caught up soon. My first night in the hospital was really uneventful. I got my precious dilaudid and zofran on a scheduled basis + phenergan in between. I can handle pain but nausea I cannot. The bulk of my discomfort was from the bloating left behind from the laparscopic procedure itself. Awesome intervention the laperscopic procedure provides but the huge down-side of it is they have to blow you full of air to visualize what they are doing. Apparently they do not "burp" you afterwards because it was certainly all left inside of me with pain in my belly and neck. The only means of relief, I'm sorry to say, is to "pass the gas". Well, as unattractive as that sounds, I would have paid some good money to pass some gas but couldn't. I was out of the bed within 2 hours to go to the bathroom...the other part of that is that moving around decreases your risk for blood clots and I had NO intentions of a blood clot complication so up I came. I also wore inflatable balloons on both legs to prevent clots. I still had my IV as they were infusing bag after bag of fluids plus some antibiotics...flagyl and avelox. I was pleased with this selection because I too had no intentions of getting an infection.

Ok, so onto some humor. Natzi nurse came on duty at 7:00 Friday morning and I immediately new that I did not like her. She asked me about my pain and I told here it was primarily the bloating pain, she immediately went into a full sermon about walking and that was the only way to get past the bloating. She wanted to see me up and moving all day long. She checked my drainage tube and showed me how to "strip it". She said she wanted me to be stripping it...no thanks. Then came the administration of my effexor. I cannot have capsules, for that matter no tablets larger than the size of an aspirin. She hands me my effexor XR and I remind her tha t I cannot have a capsule...she looks at me like she has never encountered such a predicament in her career. I ask about putting it in apple-sauce but my diet does not allow apple sauce yet. She commences to tell me I will have to swallow the granules plain...ok, well that will take some mental preparation and at that very moment I needed to potty, BAD. I'm trying to get up and Cayce had just walked in. He's trying to get settled, I'm on a mission, and all she is worried about was that effexor dose which she had now mixed into some water and was panicking they were going to dissolve into mush. I had already snapped at Cayce, sorry honey, and curtly told her I would take the effexor after I used the bathroom but she would not let it go. I'm not even kidding she brought me the slurry of effexor + water to take while sitting on the potty. Wow, I knew it would be a rough day. On her way out I'm sure she reminded me I needed to go walk.

The day goes on and she comes to check my drainage bag asking if I had stripped it...no and am I'm not going to. No other nurse had asked me to strip it myself so I'm pretty sure it is not on my list of patient responsibilities. At one point she fussed at me before giving me some Lortab saying she didn't want to give me pain meds for bloating pain....I needed to walk to get rid of that (I got my lortab by the way). Thankfully she was not overly attentive so I did not see her too much through the day but then she came in for hand-off to the next nurse. The next nurse was the sweetest thing. She was indian with a slight accent AND a southern drawl that I loved! But until we got started, I had to endure the hand-off from natzi nurse. She was going through the list of my care and came to the CPAP. Can you believe we are back to the CPAP after coming so far? They had told Cayce to take the CPAP back to the car before my surgery so he didn't have to carry it all over the hospital. Granted he was supposed to bring it back and didn't but still, come on. She blew a gasket about me not having my CPAP so I called Cayce to see if he had left yet. He was in the parking lot heading out...he brought the CPAP back.

My sweet nurse helped me set it up me knowing all along I had no intentions of using it. I asked if I still have dilaudid on my profile b/c I was having some trouble choking down the lortab. I doubted it was still on board but someone messed up and it was!!! She brought my cocktail of dilaudid and zofran and off I went. I woke up to go to the bathroom and she came in. She asked about the CPAP, considering the mask was on my belly. I told her apparently I had not put it on before I went to sleep. Got more zofran...back to sleep. Later in the morning the nursing assistant came in for vitals...why do they need my vitals in the middle of the night when they have been 100% wonderful the whole time. None-the-less, she checked my vitals which were again, perfect. She helped me up and fixed my bed-head. No one else had fixed my bed-head which Cayce pointed out made me look like E so I was tickled she did. I had planned to go walk a few laps before settling back in but then I realized that she was a smoker. Geez-louise. Bionic nose kicks in and nausea starts. Her uniform and hands smelled like a smoker and now it was stuck in my nose. No laps, please bring me some phenergan as it was not time for zofran. Sweet nurse brought the med and asked if I was ok, I told her yes that I thought the assistant may be a smoker and it had made me sick. She confirmed what my nose had already told me and bless her heart, they did not sent her back to help me the rest of the morning. I would not want to hurt her feelings for anything but seriously, the smell made me some kind of SICK! Sweet nurse said that i had not worn the CPAP all night but she had monitored me and I was not ever in any distress, no gasping, no snoring, no apnea. See, this is what I've been trying to tell them...my disease is super mild.

So this brings us to Friday morning and nurse Tina. Of note, sweet nurse had stripped my drain tube all night without any need for my assistance. I was confirming hours before that natzi nurse would NOT be back. Here we go with the effexor again. She hands me my capsule in a cup. I remind her I cannot have the capsule and again get the deer in the headlights look. I ask for some apple sauce since my diet had been advanced. Not even kidding....she brought me a teaspoon of apple sauce with the capsule laying on top. Kind of like a cherry on top. Bless her heart. I asked her to open the capsule and sprinkle the contents into the apple sauce and she commences to tell me it was controlled release...yah, da, da, da. I finally pulled the I'm a pharmacist card, I'm not going to chew the granules and we got past that. I made a mental note at that very moment that while my surgeon practices in a nat'l center of excellence, the post-op nursing staff is not necessarily part of the program having been offered a capsule twice and carbonated beverage, both of which are 100% no-no's for the sleeve patient. I will have to alert the bariatric program coodinator of these issues and I bet there will be some posters hung on the 6th floor by the end of the week.

Enough for today, we will be all caught up by tomorrow but not sure I will ever be able to beat the cherry on the top presentation of my effexor dose.

Sweet, sweet dilaudid

Well, I made it through the surgery without a hitch. We arrived Th at the crack of dawn. The surgical staff was soooo wonderful. The bariatric program coodinator, Veronica, was there and spent about 20 min with us answering questions and encouraging us. That blew me away that she was there at 6:00 in the morning to encourage me. She called me on Friday too which was her day off. She offered to come in if I had any questions or problems, again I say wow.

So, E had told me I would not be able to have my toe-nails painted or wear make-up so I was rather plain jane looking when I got there. Seeing as she is certainly the surgery queen I figured she knew what she was talking about but didn't in this case. I debated sending Cayce to the car for my make-up bag but in the end didn't. Kept my socks on through surgery so no worries about my toes either. A very notable detail was the size of the gown they had me change into...definately bariatric in nature. I'm here to tell you, even when I was thin, thin, the gown at my OB's office did not begin to fit me and this one would fit 3 of heavy me. Dr. Sharp should look into these and I will certainly be the one to recommend it.

On to the holding area. Reality kicked in when I had to give up my crackberry. The one and only negative of the procedure was that it took 3 CRNA's and 5 attempts to get venous access. I look like a pin cushion, no lie. But once they got access and gave me the good stuff I was out of there. When I woke up I was in some excruciating pain. All I could say was hurt and nausea. The nurse was all about some compassion telling me that yes, it was going to hurt. I can't help but wonder did she not want to give me pain meds there b/c of some pyxis issue cause as soon as they got me to my room the nurse was waiting with a syringe of dilaudid. Sweet, sweet dilaudid.

And we're off.....

My CPAP letter was accepted by Dr. Schmitt's office and I am to report tomorrow at 5:30. I am the first case of the day so considering prep and the ~2 hour procedure I think I should be out of the OR by 9:00ish. I have started my prep right on time....yummy miralax + 32 ounces of Powerade. You know you are jealous!

I would be bold-faced lying if I said I wasn't scared cause I am. Throughout this prayerful decision one thought has hung over my head, that being that I am the sole bread-winner for our household and am about to undergo an elective surgery. Does that make sense? Well, I may never be 100% ok with that thought so I increased my life-insurance policy and off I go:) Just kidding but not a bad idea. I did my homeowrk. I've researched many programs, procedures, and doctors. I've weighed risks/benefits both short-term and long-term and keep coming up with the same conclusion, I've got to do something and everything else has failed. I am excited about a new lease on life starting tomorrow and know beyond all that God is sovereign and if it is my time I could be hit by a truck tomorrow.

Tonight will be busy...have my prep cocktail and still have to give myself a pedicure and complete all other tasks as though I were heading to the beach. I'm fat but still have some dignity afterall. Since we have to get up at 4:00 AM I probably won't be able to sleep much tonight but am armed with 4 VA Directives to lull me to sleep if need be. As soon as I get my crack-berry back tomorrow I will be posting and updating you all. Until then, Cayce will be with me with his cell. I'm going to ask him to call and update folks as well. Bet I will post some more later tonight as my anxiety mounts but will surely meditate on Phil 4:7 till I'm on solids 2 weeks from now!

Pre-op

I went for my pre-op today. I could not resist the temptation of asking the girl processing my paper-work if they ever referred to the bariatric patients as "herding the cattle". She laughed out loud but denied it...I still can't help but wonder:)

I saw Dr. Schmitt for any last minute questions and to sign my release. That was a bit daunting to have to sign an acknowledgement that was was an elective procedure that I had selected and that, as with all major surgeries, there were risks of complications that could prove fatal, hmmm. That puts things in perspective now doesn't it? They processed me through regarding insurance and details and will call me tomorrow to tell me what time to report. They reminded me to bring my CPAP or they would cancel the surgery in a heartbeat. They are so stinkin serious about this CPAP thing. Cayce is taking mine in to be read tomorrow and they will fax over the confirmation to Dr. Schmitt to clear the final hoop.

So...with all this perspective what am I thinking. I can tell you that I have been guilty of discounting someones weight loss knowing they had had surgery. To me being unaware they "took the easy way out". I've also been puzzled in the past by people who have had bariatric surgery but maybe didn't look like they had had bariatric surgery. Well, I now understand a whole lot more. There will be a lot of work involved here. I'm still going to be counting points, counting protein, journaling my blt's, water, etc. but the difference is I will have a tool to help mute the hunger pains so I can "stay on program". I'm really excited about this tool b/c I can tell you, if I am not hungry, I don't just eat to eat, except the occasional stop at Edgars of course. So, I have compared the risks vs. benefits and particulary my long-term risks of obesity related illnesses and am at peace this is the route I need to go, particulary after 8 days of drinking fluids and having the daunting reminder of the hunger pains and hypoglycemia.

Tomorrow will bring clear fluids and the dreaded prep then Thursday is the big day!!!! Please pray for peace of mind and no complications.

Jumping through the hoops...

So I had made the decision for bariatric surgery. Bariatric is the medical term for FAT! The first step in the process was to attend an informational seminar. Virtually all bariatric surgeon practices require this. The seminar goes through the good, bad, and ugly of obesity itself, the different kinds of surgical options (bypass, banding, or vertical sleeve), what to expect after surgery, the risks of surgery, and ultimately the hoops you have to jump through to be approved.

Dr. Schmitt was the speaker the night I went. Honestly, considering it was an evening seminar and the audience, I truly thought they would offer snacks but I was disappointed. Truthfully it kind of felt like we were cattle being herded in there. Dr. Schmitt said a lot of things that everyone in that room could relate to regarding all the diets and weight loss attempts we had each made before coming to that seminar. He went into detail about the co-morbidities that go along with obesity...diabetes, sleep-apnea, depression, reflux, joint pain, loss of skin integrity (that means fat bumps between skin folds), and the list went on and on. Once he finished, I went to schedule my initial office visit.

When I arrived at the office for my first visit I can say I was actually the smallest person in the room. A lady sitting by me actually asked how long it had been since I had had my surgery. Wow...that is what I pass for these days, the bariatric patient not reaching her goal yet. A few laugh-lines ago I was mistaken for pregnant! The visit was quick and included my weight, calculation of my BMI (boo hoo) and before pics. Then I got all the requirements to complete before I would be scheduled for surgery. There were so many requirements it kind of felt like looking at the credits required for a bachelor's degree. I would have to have a psych evaluation, medical clearance from my primary care provider with a multitude of labs, clearance from my pulmonologist for my sleep apnea, attendance of a 3 hour nutrition class, attendance of a support group meeting, and the most difficult of all...documentation of 14 days compliance with my cpap (boo hoo hoo).

I set out to complete all the requirements. The psych eval was my favorite. Truly they should have a seperate one for folks in the medical field. The session went something like this.....
Q: Do you ever hear voices or see things that other people do not see?
A: No, I'm not schizophrenic
Q: Do you ever go for days without sleeping or go on spending sprees?
A: No, I'm not manic
The questions went on and on to cover all mental health diagnoses in DSM-IV.

The nutrition class was very enlightening. There I sat with my real coke while she was stressing that carbonated beverages were a no-no after surgery. That may be my biggest hurdle to over-come! I didn't realize there were different kinds of protein but sure enough there are many. I guess it is kind of like steak, there is the filet, ribeye, sirloin, and in the world of protein supplements there are isolates, concentrates, etc.

So far none of the requirements were too difficult. I was anxious about what my primary care doctor would say but he was very supportive noting that I was facing short-term risks of surgery vs. long-term risks of obesity if I didn't succeed at losing weight. I checked each one off until I got to the last one...CPAP compliance. I thought of every way possible to find a work around it but to no avail. I guess the reason my doctor's office has such low compliacation statistics is that they dot every I and cross every T, including CPAP compliance.

Regarding sleep apnea I am disgusted. I cannot believe that we can put a man on the moon but the best treatment we can come up with for apnea is a darth vador mask. I really, really tried to be compliant when I got my machine in 2006 but just could not pull it off. I am a mouth breather so the mask I had to have covered my whole face. In the middle of the night, without fail, the condensation from the humdifier would build up, I would lose suction, and wake up with air blowing my eyes wide open. It's miserable to have to go to the bathroom but be attached to a hose. Finally, the masks are hard enough to get on and off when you are wide awake, much less in the middle of the night. After 3 different kinds of masks I gave up and put the CPAP away. I asked the doctor about the sleep apnea surgery but he said my obstruction was not enough for insurance to cover the procedure. He continued my ambien to help me sleep at night and added a stimulant to take during the day....great, now I'm on the Elvis regimen.

My CPAP compliance would be verified by taking my machine to the medical supply place and letting them read the data card. Well hurdle number 1 was that my machine is 3 yrs old and does not have a data card. To upgrade my machine would be several hundred dollars out of pocket. I thought of using mom's but she threw her data card away...didn't need it. After much anxiety I was to a point of irrational panic so Cayce got involved. He started looking at the owner's manual to my machine and how about it does keep up with usage, just not on a data card. Why in the sam-hill didn't they tell me that? I called the office and sure enough they confirmed that yes, they could give me what I needed from the hard-drive memory on my card so now I just had to start wearing it. My plan was to use the last mask I had been using which I had tolerated the best. However, somewhere between it being under my bed, up to the attic, over to my sisters and then to her attic I had lost the clip for that mask. I had no choice but to revert to the very first mask...the worst mask. I took a full 10mg ambien and a swig of nyquil. I figured if I just knocked myself out I could make it through the night and thankfully I did. My surgery date is contingent upon receipt of this CPAP compliance letter on Wednesday this week but last Tuesday night I checked my usage log and it only registered 3 sessions. What??? I woke up at 2:00 in the morning and the machine was off. That had happened Monday night too. I have too much at stake so I took it in on Wed to be checked. It is set to automatically turn off if you are not breathing into it so when I was losing suction it was turning off. The machine only registers sessions >4 hours so when it was turning off due to suction loss or when I went to the bathroom I was not getting credit for my time. They re-programmed the setting to not turn off and I got the missing clip for the preferred mask. One more week to go with the pesky mask.

So...here we are just a few days away. I have been on liquids since last Monday with the goal of shrinking my liver. The surgery will be laparascopic but the most common reason they have to convert to an "open" procedure is due to an enlarged liver obstructing the view. All obese people have fatty livers so they encourage weight loss before surgery to shrink the liver. I must say that the last 3 days have been easier than the first 3 when I was certain I was going to die. I've lost 6 lbs on the liquids but am irritable! I had a horrific headache Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday but thankfully not the last few days. I have even found a protein shake I can honestly say that I like. It contains the filet mignon of protein and with a little ice, frozen strawberries, and equal is quite tasty. Carnation instant breakfast is also pretty good so honestly it hasn't been nearly as miserable as it could have been. My goal over the next few days is to further wean myself off my diet dr. pepper and increase my water.

Alright...I know I promised these will get shorter but we are current so now I will just be blogging about my daily experiences. Like my strategy for resisting bday cake tonight was holding baby Isaac...granted I did almost nibble on his shoulder:) Or about how E asked me to buy some brownie mix...and she wasn't kidding. I told her that my NOT buying it would be a great example of how she is going to lose weight as a by-product of my surgery. Don't misuderstand, after the first 2 weeks of surgery I will be able to have bday cake and brownies, just small portions. So while I am trying to prepare for surgery the least she can do is not tempt me, especially when I so successfully resisted my favorite thing in the whole wide world...bday cake.

Here I go again...

Pictures to come when I figure all this out but I need to start writing before I forget my thoughts! If you know me, you know I am verbose but stick with me. All the posts will not be this long but for your to really walk with me you need some history!

My first journey down this weight-loss road started soooo many years ago during my teens when I wasn't even heavy. It's sad now to look back at pictures of how thin I was knowing how "fat" I felt. I guess it is almost a standard to think you are fat as a teen. Band and flags were probably my saving grace in high-school to actually being what I felt and to help off-set that first job at Chick-fil-A. I accomplished the freshman 15 in college and steadily gained some tonage in pharmacy school. I was mortified at the size of my wedding gown which I will not share but that was about 60 pounds ago. By the end of my residency in 2001 I was so disgusted with myself. Big sister Michelle declared she was addressing her weight once and for all and joining weight watchers. Never one to be left-out, I found a meeting in Tuscaloosa and jumped on that band wagon. It would prove to be a very successful journey! I remember the first meeting when the leader told us all she knew we would leave and go directly to McDonalds so to please take off our WW name tags. I went to Chick-fil-A...and took off my nametag.

Weight watchers is an awesome program and I highly recommend it. Over the next 1.5 yrs I shed 88.5 lbs generally losing 0.5 lbs per week. When I had lost 55 lbs I entered a WW success contest and WON!! I had had to submit before and after pics and a few months after winning I got a call about using my story and pics for WW advertisements. Since Cayce was in my pics they needed a release from him....wouldn't you know he said no at first! My poster hung in WW centers all over the country and ran on the internet. Someone said I was in the magazine too but I never saw it. To think now that I was a WW poster child....and now they want their poster back (ha).

My story is so similar to so many others who struggle with weight. I achieved my goal weight in April 2003 and maintained the weight for 6 weeks to achieve status of a life-time WW member in May 2003. We went to the beach and stayed at my favorite place, the Henderson Park Inn Bed and Breakfast in Destin. I wore a bikini for the first time since I was a young teen...and haven't worn one since:) You guessed the next milestone....PREGNANT. Sweet McKenna was on the way and my very disciplined lifestyle of counting grapes, weighing foods, journaling every BLT (bite, lick, taste), and almost obsessive workouts went out the door. I succombed to the pregnancy cravings...particularly sweet tea, sausage balls, and cheese grits from the Tuscaloosa VA. Pregnancy was the perfect excuse to essentially make up for lost time. I gained 55 lbs but took McKenna to her first WW meeting when she was about 6 weeks old. I was ready to jump back "on program" but how about you don't have time to count grapes with a baby. Nursing was also an excellent excuse to eat...can't let that milk supply drop. That mentality helped me maintain that extra 55 lbs and in 2005 guess what...PREGNANT. Dr. Sharpe told me he wanted a flat-line pregnancy for weight...that meant I didn't need to gain anything. Well, I apparently laughed at that and gained the remainder of that 88.5 lbs I had lost. When I delivered Cayson I was back to where I had started in 2001.

Isn't that the same story so many tell? You lose weight then you gain it back + 10 lbs. I've got a new WW kit every year since 2001. How about WW does not look kindly on you selling them on ebay either. It seemed I was able to focus and conquer those hunger pains pre-children but after children there was no will-power to overcome the hunger. When I was hungry and stress would hit, I went straight to the pantry every time. I can always find a reason to buy an Edgar's cake. Have even been guilty of eating my cake by the slice in the car so I wouldn't have to share it with the kids. That is sad but the truth. Actually, I'm pretty sure that I know what an alcoholic in a bar must feel like because that is me in Edgars.

So...here we are in 2010. I'm turning 35 this year (boo hoo). I've gained 10 lbs since E moved in. I'm pretty sure I'm knocking on the door to diabetes and I'm at that place of utter disgust with myself again. Being overweight is not pretty physically or mentally. I am great at finding humor in my weight but the reality is that my hip touches the door in the Camry. Rides at Disney were not comfortable, when I flew to Orlando in May I made two poor guys really miserable, my clothes are tight, I sweat when I shop, my joints hurt to the point I'm taking NSAIDS everyday, and I could go on and on. I've got to do something but wow the fear of failure again is overwhelming.

Last January I had planned to attend a bariatric surgery seminar but someone at work had bypass and it was not a pretty site. I am not a fan of nausea and the description of "dumping syndrome" made my decision to abandon that idea 100%. Went back to WW, bought a new kit for 2009 and had a buddy to go with me, it was going to work this time, right? We rejoined the Y in April. I walked with some girls from church...once. I did aerobics with girls from church...once. I gained 10 lbs.

I learned of the lap-band and that was somewhat appealing but then I learned that you have to have adjustments and insurance does not pay for them. Wouldn't that be great...having a foreign device in me serving no purpose just waiting for a clot to adhere to it or for it to slip? No thanks.

So...now what. I learned of a procedure option around September called the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy and started doing some research into the procedure and practices that offer it. It is a happy medium procedure that falls between the lap-band and bypass. It is considered a restrictive procedure in that part of your stomach is removed reducing the volume of food you can eat. Nothing is bypassed or rearranged so absorption problems are not an issue nor the incidence of "dumping syndrome". There is no foreign body involved like the band so that was appealing too. The part of the stomach they remove is the part that stretches and secretes the hunger hormone. The surgery was actually used as a lower risk option for super obese where bypass was not an option. After weight loss from the sleeve procedure, they could move on to bypass more safely. Now the sleeve gastrectomy is an option offered as an alternative to bypass or banding. Now that was an appealing option.

I think that definately gives some history....the true humor and entertainment can start with the next post. Stay tuned b/c this is going to be a fun ride. My pre-op is Tuesday and surgery is Thursday of NEXT WEEK! I'm hoping this blog will serve many purposes. One will certainly be as therapy for me during this journey but may hopefully serve to encourage others too, whether thick or thin.