I was putting this under pre-op, but it got kind of lengthy, so I thought I would just start one of these now..
Will be interesting as things progress..
I had my initial consult with my surgeon today.
It was all very fast paced! Appointment at 9:20, got there about 20 minutes early, and they got me started on the paperwork. I had to answer 3 pages of true false questions, and fill in the blank questions.. I was like YAH!!!! A test I can ACE! Questions like "Weight loss surgery is a guarantee that I will lose all my excess weight"... and fill in the blanks like.. "Describe in your own words the procedure" and "List the possible complications". I took my mom with me.
They ushered us in at exactly 9:20 to a waiting area where 2 other new patients were. Dr. Kim came in and introduced himself, and went through his stats. The practice has done approximately 1000 surgeries (he gave a length of time, but I dont remember!!). They have had a total of 4 deaths. 2 were preventable (one lady had a hot sore red area on her upper leg post op, didnt call the doc, finally went to the ER, and she had a clot that broke off and ended up in her lung).. (one had a belly button hernia, that wasnt noticed during surgery. The autopsy ruled that this wasnt a complication of the surgery. They figure that the patient thought the pain was normal from the surgery, so they didnt do anything). (one guy they said they shouldnt have operated on. He wasnt a good candidate for surgery, and had heart issues pre-op that ended up being fatal after surgery.) (the other one was something else but I CANT remember (ARGH), and the lady was over 450 pounds, and probably would have died anyway)... He hasnt had a leak in over a year, cant really remember the last time he had one. He said it would be about 4-6 months from now until the actual surgery. And that the time would go fast because of the appointments. They are booked 6-8 weeks out, and dont schedule for 3 months. He talked about some other general stuff, and then we all seperated.
I went to the nurse that will follow me through surgery and beyond. Her name is MiMi.. She did a work up, weight, BP, discussed the paperwork I sent in, updated my meds etc. She gave me a prescription for lab work from my PCP.
Then I met with Dr. Kim, and he wanted to know what my questions were. (He had answered half of them in the general session thing). He said that none of my drugs would change directly after surgery. They would have to watch some of them because the strengths will probably go down as I lose the weight. He also said the pill was ok after surgery.. so now I am confused about that! Guess I'll just have to be extra careful. He said his practice is thinking of starting to have patients fill out a release saying they wont get pregnant for 18 months. He said there was a lady there that would help answer any questions my PCP would have after surgery (Im kind of worried cuz I am her first gbs patient that she will be clueless!). He also said he doesnt think the fact that I had my gall bladder out, and that there was adhesions, will affect the laproscopic-ability. He is confident he can do the procedure lap.. I am WAY excited about that. There is also no required weight loss. No 10%, no 10 pounds, no 15 pounds. There is an expectation of behavioral changes, and without them, they wont schedule the surgery. He wants me to see a cardiologist and get their blessing.. and a stress test, because of my episode Monday.
Then I got to meet with the nutritionist. This was my favorite part of the day. I really enjoyed this. She gave me "homework". I have to record all my foods and beverages consummed in a day, and the amounts (even just tastes). The behavior modifications I have to conform to for surgery are:
1. Eat 3 meals each day. Do Not skip meals
2. Do not snack between meals
3. Chew each bite 20 times
4. Put fork down between each bite.
5. Wait between each bite, start with 1 minute between bites and work my way up to 5 minutes between bites.
6. Eat slowly. Meal times should be 20-30 minutes.
7. No liquids with meals
8. Stop eating when you are no longer hungry. (She explained there is no "full" feeling, that being "full" is just the absence of hunger. If you "feel" full you have over-eaten.. This was my epiphany for the day.. blew my mind! But makes sense.)
I start doing this tomorrow. I do not see the nutritionist again unless I ask to at the appointments, or if I gain or do not lose weight. She said she kind of forgets that peole have surgery and lose weight, because she rarely had much to do with us after.
This is it.. I really feel like.. its happening now!!
Jen's Journey
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