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March 3rd, 2008 - Surgery Day

My morning started at 4:45am. I had a hard time actually falling asleep the night before, mainly because of jitters. Doctors orders were not to have anything to eat or drink after midnight. Normally, I wouldn't be hungry so early in the morning but for some reason, upon waking, I was famished. We picked up my mom at 5:15am and headed to Plano Presbyterian. Mom had her little bag of goodies with her, which included some apple turnovers - "in case anyone gets hungry". *smirks* We were supposed to be at the hospital at 6am and we actually got there 15 minutes early. We'd pre-registered when I came in for my pre-op exams, so after charing the ol' credit card for our portion of the surgery, we were good to go. We sat around waiting for 10 minutes or so and then I was ushered into my surgery prep room. My husband, Jeremy, and my mother sat in the room with me as I laid on the bed. First round of business was the surgery gown. Shortly after, they tugged these super tight footless tights on my legs. At first, they couldn't find a pair that would fit on my mega-calves. Luckily, they finally found some that worked. I was poked and prodded relentlessly. Another blood test to check for pregnancy was first. After that came back negative, the drugs were administered. Blood thinners, something to numb me up, etc. Ironically, the shot to numb me burned like a mother f'er. The last thing I remember is a mask going over my face and someone telling me it's vallium to relax me. The next thing I knew, I was coming to in the recovery area. I didn't experience any nausea or excruciating pain. The nurse that was attending jokingly told other staff that I should be watched since I was so stoic. The truth is, I guess I was in comparison to the other patients in recovery with me. The lady to my left kept crying out, "I'm shaking! I'm shaking!". She was pretty dramatic. The guy across from me kept trying to sit up and was kinda freaking out like he didn't know where he was. There was another woman and I know she was a bit dramatic, too. Then there was me, very quiet and obedient. I did as I was told and only spoke when spoken to. I did let them know that if I was hurting or in any trouble I *would* be vocal. I just wasn't in that much pain at the time. When I was finally wheeled to my room, I was told that I was in recovery for over an hour. My husband, one of my best friends and my mother were waiting for me when I arrived. It was a wonderful feeling to see them after such an ordeal. I was in pretty good spirits and I guess cognizant enough to interact with everyone. After an hour, I took my first lap around the floor went to the bathroom. I was to have 2oz of ice chips every hour, so I really wasn't urinating much. Every attempt was a trickle, which had my nurse, Sharon, worried. By the time I left, though, I'd released 200cc's, which satisfied her. I was sore but I had some great drugs, so I wasn't feeling much pain. I was determined to go home that day. This surprised the entire staff but I knew that I'd get much better rest at home. So, I did my best to prove how well I was doing. I walked as often as I could. I peed every chance I could. I took in as much fluid as I could. My surgeon, Dr. Stephen Hamn, was surprised that I wanted to go home. He reminded me that I'd get the better pain medication if I stayed overnight. I told him I understood that but I preferred to go home. He gave his blessing as long as my follow-up swallow test results were good. Ugh. Drinking that nasty barium was a chore and a half. But I did it and everything was fine - no leaks! So, by 6pm that evening, I was on my way home. 12 hours in the hospital - not bad at all. I went home with my On-Q pump ( http://www.askyoursurgeon.com/ ) still attached. So, I didn't really have much pain UNTIL the On-Q finally ran out. For the first 3 days, I was on clear liquids only. I was told to sip water all day and to have 2oz of clear liquid every hour. My surgeon stressed that caloric intake was most important to him during this stage. He suggested I drink juices, such as apple or grape, during this time. I found that I wasn't really hungry or thirsty, so at times it was difficult to get all the fluids in that I should. The fourth day, I began my full liquids stage. This will last for 5 weeks. This is when my protein intake becomes crucial. I must have at least 60 grams per day. I have 2oz of my Unjury Protein Shake every other hour since it gives me about 9g of protein each time. It's the best tasting protein shake I've found so far and comes in a variety of flavors. Initially, I bought sample packs of vanilla, chocolate, unflavored and chicken soup to give them a try. Then I bought a jug of the vanilla and chocolate. I'm about to order a jug of the unflavored since it can be added to just about anything. ( www.unjury.com ) I also bought some capella flavor drops ( http://www.capellacoffee.com/flavordrops/index.html ) to add to my protein shakes. So far, we've added the Strawberry Cream to my vanilla protein shake and it tastes just like strawberry milk to me. Yum. I'm 5 days out and I'm not feeling much hunger. I'm still just having 2 - 3 ounces per hour. We've stocked up on pudding, SF (sugar-free) jello popcicles, soups, broth, cream of wheat, oatmeal, crystal light, Kellog's protein water, etc. I just finished my "lunch" which consisted of 2 oz of spaghetti sauce with about a tablespoon of riccotta. It reminded me of a lasagne soup and I loved it. My first day on "full liquids" I had cream of wheat and it went down just fine. I also had some mashed potatos mixed with that packet of unflavored Unjury protein powder. The powder made the mashed potatos a little creamier but I was still able to eat them without problem. I'm really loving my decaf iced green tea with splenda. It's because of this that I do not miss my sodas quite as much. I thought it would be harder but thankfull, it's been fairly easy. I'm waiting for my hunger to kick in, though. I'm sure it'll be rough but I'll make it somehow. And for the record, the focus of the next 5 weeks is healing, not weight loss. Many bandsters freak out during the week or two after the surgery, expecing the weight to just melt off right away. Each of us handles trauma - and surgery is definitely trauma - in different ways. This is the time to recover, so be patient. And while healing is most important right now, any weight loss is an added bonus. I'm happy to report that as of this morning, I've lost 6 pounds since the surgery. (Possibly 10 pounds - our scale is a bit off)

whimsy

March 9, 2008

The Lapband Journey Begins

My desire for lapband surgery began in the fall of 2006. I'd struggled with being fat for over 10 years and had many health problems including: PCOS, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, sleep apnea and depression. By doing my research and speaking with my doctors, I'd learned that it was the PCOS that caused my massive weight gain of 100 pounds in a year. It was also PCOS that made it damn near impossible for me to lose weight. My desire to be healthy and to be able to have children further cemented my resolve to have lapband surgery. I'd done the research and knew all the risks involved. These risks were nothing compared to the ticking timebomb of a heart attack that I'd surely have if I stayed at the weight I was. We went to a seminar and shortly after I was already done with my surgeon consult, nutrition class and psych evaluation. My family doctor and cardiologist were both on board and had written my letters of support for the surgery. Now the only road block was our insurance company. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of California had a BMI restriction in their policy. My BMI had to be 49 or less in order for them to approve coverage. Well, needless to say, my BMI was over 49. I struggled to lose the 15 pounds necessary to qualify for the surgery. If it was easy for me to lose weight, I wouldn't have been trying to get the surgery in the first damn place. After almost a year, I'd just about given up. Thankfully, my husband checked the insurance policy again and discovered that they had amended the restriction. So, in November of 2007 we called our insurance company (whose named changed to Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield) and they confirmed the restriction had been lifted. We then contacted our surgeon to get the ball rolling for approval. We explained to them that the policy had changed and we should now meet approval for coverage. They stated they would submit the paperwork right away. But...instead of listening to what we told them, they simply reviewed the printed policy they had in their office and sent us a letter stating the BMI requirement. So, we had to call them and reiterate the amendment in the policy. Due to their lack of attention, this set us back two weeks. Finally, they submitted the paperwork as they had originally promised and we got our approval. My surgery was scheduled for March 3rd, 2008. In preparation, I had to spend 4 hours at the hospital for various exams: Upper GI, barium swallow, chest x-ray, blood tests, etc. The week before was spent gathering everything I would need post-surgery. We also cleaned out our fridge and cabinets, tossing out most everything that would not be allowed on my menu. My pre-op consult was on February 28th, only a few days before the surgery. He asked if I had questions. I really didn't. We had done so much research that I felt fully prepared. The truth is that for the two weeks prior to the surgery, I was crying every other hour. I was so worried that something would go wrong. I was envisioning the worst - that I would die during surgery. My concerns revolved around leaving my husband and parents behind. My father has emphysema and COPD and my mother is not as strong as she used to be. I wanted this surgery so that I could be more help to my loved ones - not leave them behind. My hugs lasted longer. Late at night, tears would roll down my cheeks as my husband slept. I made a point to tell my friends how important they are to me. I tried to make sure everyone knew how much I loved them. I had a wonderful time saying good-bye to the foods that I loved. T-Bone steaks are one of my first loves. I was also a Coca-Cola addict. Being asian, jasmine rice was a staple at every dinner...this is probably one of the most difficult habits to break. Luckily, I'd become tired of food, so saying good-bye wasn't difficult. Ultimately, I knew that this was what I needed to do in order to take control of my life and my health. As scary as it was, I was ready.

whimsy

March 9, 2008

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