Raymer

Hey there everyone! Sorry I haven't been on since the surgery. Had surgery on Wed 3/19. Surgery went fine, but recovery was rough :thumbup: Dr. O said that my abdomenal wall was thicker than most so I experienced a lot of pain afterwards. They ended up admitting me overnight because I needed to be put on more morphin. Sorry to say I was the first person they have had to admit in a long time. Anyways, came home on Thursday and slept most of the day. Friday was a little better. My husband got me up and out to walk around Walmart for a while. Today (Easter Sunday) I have very little soreness and I am getting around fine. My incisions are starting to itch a lot though! I guess that means they are healing. I have my first appt with the exercise physiologist at the hospital tomorrow morning! :wub: I will be glad when all the swelling goes down so I can see what I weigh. As of yesterday I was still 3 lbs heavier than the day I went in for surgery. I was down 11.4 lbs the morning of surgery...WOO HOO :crying: I hope everyone else is still doing well. Happy Easter

Thanks so much Bandchick 64! I can't believe the surgery is in 2 days! I have been on the liquid diet for 6 days now and I have lost 10.6 lbs already :thumbup: My surgery is at 930am on Wed morning. I'll try to get online sometime that evening and let everyone know how I'm doing.

I am with all of you. I would rather lose it slowly and keep it off versus losing it all at once and gaining it back. I guess I am lucky because the doctor that is doing my surgery HIGHLY recommends the band over gastric bypass. During their seminar they give you the stats on both but they tell really push why they feel the band is better than bypass. They even state that in the long run, most bypass patients end up with a leak or something and gain most if not all their weight back. The great thing for me is that the band is reversible, not permanent! If I get sick or pregnant, we can defill the band. That was an important sticking point for me!

I have had 2 abnormal EKG. I was sent for the stress echo and the exercise stress test. Both came out fine and the EKG wasn't an issue. As long as they check it out that is all they are concerned about. My surgery is schedueld for 3/19. Just don't get stressed out about the testing or your BP and heart rate could go up. If yours is anything like mine, they take some pictures of your heart before you do anything (resting), then they have you exercise on the treadmill. They slowly increase the speed and grade of the treadmill stopping every so often to run you over to the table to take more pictures. After that they inject you with the dye and take a few more. Takes a couple of hours but it's not too bad. Feel free to PM me if you have other questions. Good luck!

Pre-op testing is done! Not too bad. Arrived at St. Mary's at 745am. Shortly after we were registered and then off to the lab for bloodwork. The guy Eric that drew our blood was awesome! I didn't even feel the prick of the needle going in. After that we were taken to Xray. They took 2 Xrays then we had to do the barium stuff. That stuff is nasty but tolerable! Thankfully I was able to keep it down. First they make you drink this really thick chalk like liquid. They had me take 3 big gulps of it. Then they gave you this little medicine cup with some bead like things. Looked a lot like the little things in those soft squishy pillows. Once you put them in your mouth they give you just a sip of water to wash them down. You will immediately feel the need to burp, BUT DON'T or you have to do it again. Right afte that they hand you another class of thinner chalk stuff to drink through a straw while lying down on the Xray table. Then you are done....Thank Goodness! We were then taken up to get our EKG's done and talk with the nurse about our medical history. Afterwards we were allowed to go to the cafeteria to get us something to eat and drink. We were then joined by a couple of other people and Debbie from the Bariatric office explained what to expect the day of surgery. We met with the Dietician Jessica after that. She gave us detailed instructions on our pre and post op diets as well as some sample menus to follow. Last but not least we met with Kirk the exercise physiologist. He took some measurements and our weight and body fat. Then explained the exercise program and the importance of starting to exercise shortly after surgery. We left the hospital at 12:45pm. Next is the office visit with Dr. O on Wednesday! I have to start the liquid diet that day as well :tea: Ow well, Texas Roadhouse here I come. I have to get one last steak this weekend. Take care and let me know how your testing goes on the 17th!

Hey there ladies! I just wanted to update everyone! I got the call today from Dr Olsolfka's office. I go in the morning for my pre-op testing, my office visit is on 3/12 and surgery is scheduled for 930am on 3/19! I too am not planning on telling anyone from work. I just took vacations days for Wed, Thur and Fri. It's really no one's business anyways! Looks like a lot of snow is headed our way. Stay safe.

I glad to hear you are doing well. I am hoping mine goes just as well. How long did you have to "take it easy" before you could get back to normal activity? I am suppose to help a friend with her daughters wedding reception. Just refilling food etc, nothing too major. If I get a surgery date of 3/26 I will only have 4 days until the wedding. I hate to back out with such short notice. I am hoping that I will feel good enough by then. Any good advice or suggestions for items to make sure I have for surgery day once I get home?

Cerrin, Thanks for the well wishes! It didn't take too long from the point that I had my first visit with the surgeon. I was able to get an appt for 1 week after they called me. After I visited Dr Olsolkfa, the next week I had my dietician appt and psych appt on the same day. From there it was just a waiting game for all the groups to get their letters of medical necessity together to send to BCBS. They told me that it should be by the end of the week, but unfortunately the surgeons letter had to be redone so my stuff wasn't submitted to insurance for almost 3 weeks. That was the longest part of the whole process. I am hoping that my approval letter gets here by the end of the week so that I can be scheduled for my pre-op testing on 3/14, then my surgery date would be 3/26..woo hoo :shades_smile: Good luck, keep me posted on your progress.

Hello everyone! This is my first post, but I wanted to introduce myself. I live in Bardstown Kentucky and will be having surgery sometime this month. My paperwork was submitted to insurance (Anthem BC/BS Blue Preferred) on 2/26/08 and I received my approval today 3/4/08. WOO HOO :drool: I too will be having my surgery at St Mary's & Elizabeth by Dr. Olsolfka. He and his staff are so warm and friendly. I can't wait to get this ball rolling and start my new life as a thinner me! I have high BP, high cholestrol, diabetes type 2 as well as PCOS. I am so ready to lose weight and get off most if not all my medications. I am hoping to get in for my pre-op testing on Friday. Does anyone know what they do except Xrays and blood test? What is a Barium swallow??? Well, good luck to everyone. Talk to you soon.:cursing: