RachelHackney

Update: 12/5/17- Today I am 8 days away from surgery. I have been on my 2 week pre op diet for 6 days. When I weighed myself this morning I was 243.4 which means roughly 18.6 pounds down from my consultation weight with my surgeon. I am so nervous and I have been emotional the past few days. I keep questioning if the benefits outweigh the risks. I’ve only ever had one surgery & it was earlier in the year. The only problem I am having as of right now is my tolerance for the vitamin regimen. I am getting so nauseated with the thiamin. Anyways, my last visit with my surgeon prior to surgery should be soon! I hope everyone else is doing well! [emoji4]

Hey y’all, My name is Rachel. I’m 22 years old & a RN! I have struggled with my weight since I was about 9 years old. I made the decision to have VSG because I truly felt like it would make a vast improvement in my quality of life, how I interact with others & my work performance. I absolutely love what I do & I have worked really hard to get where I am now. So at the age of 22 I should not be coming home from working 12’s and be hurting in my knees & legs. I work night shift & it never seems like I can get enough sleep. I had been doing tremendous research but on November 1st I decided to take a leap of faith & call our bariatric surgeon at the hospital I work at. He got me in very quickly. On November 8th I had my pre op consultation & he thought I would be a great candidate. That same evening I had to meet with one of our hospital nutritionist. It was very informative!! I came home that evening & bought all of my vitamins & things I would need after surgery. I also had to attend a support group that the hospital hosts. It was great to see results from the surgeon I was going to be using. Today November 17 I had my psych eval & that was a great experience & I was recommended for surgery. The only things I have left at this point are medical clearance from my primary care doctor (nov 28th) & a follow up appointment with the nutritionist (nov 20th). I have already started the pre op diet of high protein low carb. I am managing to get all of my protein & water goals met & I am on day 5. I have decided to use this thread as a journal during the rest of my pre op & hopefully post op. Does anyone else have a surgery date 12/13 or around then? Stats: Height: 5’7 Age 22 HW: 262 CW: 256.9

Update: 11/21/17- Yesterday I had my follow up appointment with my nutritionist and I had lost 5.1 pounds since I started my preop diet on 11/13/17. I go for medical clearance from my PCP on 11/28/17 and then start my 2 week preop diet on 11/29/17. I’m so excited! 22 days until surgery!

I am praying for the same results lol! I’m so happy for you & your progress. I will definitely listen to my body & rest up! I’ll keep you updated on my progress [emoji4]

Thank you! You’re right, nursing is very flexible! That’s why I love it! Sounds like your son has a very exciting career ahead of him! [emoji4]

You aren’t alone in being afraid of hair loss! I’m already taking biotin 10,000U just for that very reason. I thought about switching to the barimelts. Especially if these keep making me so nauseated.

I would almost prefer to stay two as well. I’ve never looked at slim fast. Is it the whey isolate protein? I tried the bananas and cream protein day before yesterday..so not good lol! I don’t mind the chocolate or caramel of it though. I went by the hospital handbook that they gave me for vitamins. I take a multivitamin, thiamin, b12, iron, vitamin C, calcium with d & K & biotin. It’s several different pills and you take them at separate times a day. It is supposed to be divided into 4 times a day. I was supposed to go ahead and start them & I have tried but they make me incredibly nauseated.

I 100% agree with the struggle of meal prepping lol. How long will you stay in the hospital after surgery? My surgeon says only 1 night but I have read most hospitals require 2. I can only take 12 days off because I have to work Christmas day. I will be off from 12/12/17-12/24/17. I’m very nervous about the short recovery period especially in such a strenuous job. I just pray for a quick recovery & im able to return to work as planned. My surgeon didn’t seem phased by it when I asked him..he said you will be fine after 1 week just some abdominal tenderness. What protein supplement are you going to use?

I definitely was concerned at first. Not because I particularly cared if people knew because I’m a pretty open person..but just because I feel as if I will be blocked in at functions with the hospital... if that makes since.. for example I have already started my preop diet but I will switch to a different diet on 11/29... but my hospital had a community bingo where ALOT of the staff & their families gathered at the police department. The kitchen cooked all kinds of goodies & I didn’t want to eat anything there...well maybe besides a brownie lol...but I didn’t I literally ate an apple & drank water. I ran into the nurse & receptionist from my surgeons office and I was scared I would run into the nutritionist. Idk why considering I didn’t do anything wrong lol... maybe it’s totally irrational. Shew, I’m glad you’re finding time to do it in such a busy schedule..nursing school is not easy! I can’t remember if I mentioned above or not but I work in the ER! I absolutely am an adrenaline junkie..once I lose the weight I would love to do flight nursing..lots of hurdles before I can get there though! They require a lot more additional educational classes plus they have a weight limit also [emoji85] however, I will probably stick with ER for awhile because that’s where I started out as a new grad & almost 1.5 years later I still love it.

Wow! Yes we do! How much longer do you have in nursing school? Do you know what area you want to work in when you graduate? Lots of good things to come for you in the future! New career and a new you! You go girl!

Awesome! I’m getting mine done at Clinch Valley Medical Center.. it’s in a small town in Virginia! Good luck to you!

I’m scheduled for December 13th too! Where are you having yours done at?

Ibelloso, I’m sorry to hear about your complications but happy to hear that despite your scar tissue that you are doing good! Hang in there [emoji4] also, I appreciate the encouragement! Niseys4, thank you!! Wow, you are doing great so far! I really enjoyed the support group at the hospital but I also wanted something at home to journal because I live alone and wanted some accountability! Well wishes for you & keep me updated!

I agree with you. I have let a few coworkers know. 1 of the girls in ER registration will be having it 2 days before me & her boss has had the surgery too & one of my coworkers has had the duodenal switch. So I feel okay telling them but I didn’t want it to spread like wildfire when I don’t even have an exact surgery date (surgeon says “we are aiming for December 20th). Haha. Do you have a surgery date?

Hey! I’m 22 & I am in the pre-op stage. I am really excited. My mom had gastric bypass while I was growing up and she had a great recovery. I am mainly concerned that I am having it done at the facility that I work at.. I’m afraid that I will not be able to keep it a private matter. Also, I’m a RN in the ER... so I’m very nervous about my recovery time & when that will allow me to truly go back to work. What are y’alls thoughts? Best of luck to everyone [emoji4]