i'm back from the hospital now after an overnight stay (required by the insurance company). here is a brief synopsis of my experience.

i was scheduled for surgery at the nix weight loss center in san antonio, tx with dr. keith wright at noon. i was asked to check in at 10:00 for admission to the hospital. i got there at 9:30 to check with the surgeon's office to let them know i was there and see if there were any last minute things i needed to do. i also bought some "bariatic advantage" chewable multivitamins while i was there. around 10 i went to the admissions office and checked in. after that i was taken to a waiting room and told to take everything off and put on a hosital gown. i waited there while a nurse went over disclosures and paperwork. they also drew some blood. after about half an hour, they took me to a hospital room and lay me down, put in the IV and i waited there for over an hour. the surgeon apparently had 6 surgeries that day and i was number four, i can only imagine he was running behind. they finally came to get me and rolled me to another waiting area where they administered antibiotics through the iv and i met the anesthesiologist. after another hour or so, they finally wheeled me into surgery.

the room was much bigger than i expected. i haven't had surgery since i was 12, so i had no idea what to expect. i did learn something though about the actual operation. apparently, it is performed with the patient hoisted up on a vinyl type table almost standing (at about a 45 degree angle). when i moved onto the operating table, there was a team of about 5 people that went to work. everything was so fast paced that i'm surprised i remember anything at all. they had me breathe pure oxygen for about 2 minutes and then injected the anesthetic, which was warm in my veins and knocked me out in about 10 seconds.

when i woke up, i was in the recovery room. i think it took me a good hour to regain my senses and i don't think i regained them fully until about 5 hours after surgery. i lay there in a big room with several other patients and nurses milling about. every once in awhile someone would ask me something, but i have no idea what they were saying. after awhile, they wheeled me away and took me to do the barium swallow so they could do a video xray of my insides and see if the band and port were properly placed. i was scared to swallow the barium because it was pretty thick. it tasted like lemon antacids mixed with chalk. i could only get a small amount down and they kept telling me to drink more. i briefly saw a picture of my band and port but couldn't really tell what was what.

then they took my to my room. luckily they were able to arrange a private room so my wife could stay with me overnight. the rest of the day was spent trying to keep liquids down and trying to stay conscious long enough to watch an episode of family guy. they kept me well stocked with crystal light, jello, and veggie broth. the warm veggie broth was the best on my throat.

the staff was all very helpful, friendly, and professional and though i had very little actual contact or communication with my surgeon, i think he was the best person for the job. i spent one night there... the nurses came in every so often to check vitals and blood sugar. i woke up around 7 am for good and had a veggie broth, tea, and jello breakfast and checked out soon after.

the hardest part of the whole process for me was being so out of it for so long because of the anesthesia. the pain is completely manageable and causes the most problems when i use my abdominal muscles. my throat is very sore from intubation and the gas pain doesn't seem to be a problem for me in the traditional sense. the gas seems to have travelled through my body and into my joints and muscles, causing my whole body to ache as if i had the flu or a bad cold. it's been about 24 hours since surgery now though and really starting to subside. the only really noticeable pain now is aching from the incisions.

i did take a look at my incisions and after comparing them to so many other pictures on this board, i have to say i believe my surgeon did an excellent job. i have 4 very small incisions (less then 1 inch) and one larger one (maybe 1.5 inches). dr. wright is top notch!

it has been almost 48 hours since i last ate solid food, and the hunger has just start to hit. the broth seems to be the best thing to hold it at bay. i weighed myself today and i'm about 5 pounds heavier than this time yesterday. i imagine it's all the fluids and i'm sure i'll be dropping it pretty quickly once i get into ful liquids and mushies.

my goal now, having the week off work, is to relax, recover, and move around as much as possible. 160 lbs, here i come!

Thanks for sharing Tony. This was a great description of what to expect. Sounds like your incisions are tiny! I've been wondering about that tilt table...someone had a photo of patient on one...I'll have to ask my surgeon about that next week, thanks for the reminder. Hope you're feeling better soon. -BG