My RNY surgery Oct. 13,2014

[layknee 357]

Hi

My name is Helene and I am scheduled to have gastric bypass surgery in Oct. 13,2014. In the past j have tried to get lap band but was not allowed due to my nutcracker esophagus. I couldn't not have the sleeve either due to the same reason. I've had to think long and hard in order to come to this point.

I'm to be starting the liquid diet in Sept. 29,2014.

I'm hoping it won't be as daunting and my mind is telling me it will be.

I wonder if I should stop dating while I am on this weightloss journey.

I went on a date last night with this nice guy who is looking for a BBW.

I am thinking that next year this time I may not have this body type and

that's when a relationship will fail. Guys that I go out with like a certain body type.

At this point I have no idea what I may look like. I've never been an average weight as an adult.

Whether that has to do with me weight training in my 20s or not.

I am 5'4". At this time I am 289lbs. I was 303 when I first visited the bariatrician. I had always said when I was younger that if I was to ever to get to over 300 lbs. that I would have to do something drastic.

I had a density test done at the gym and the measuring tool said that I am 153 pounds of just muscle and bone. So it looks like my ideal weight would be somewhere around 185-200.

Still having hesitations about the surgery. I think it has something to do with my profession. I'm an Operating Room RN and I know what goes on after the patient is lights out. I joke with my friends that even if your having surgery on your knee. You will still be in the table naked. Some refer to this fear as Nurses Curse.

Well maybe I have rambled enough for to day. Nice to meet all of you.

[gahannagal 31]

Hi I am 5 weeks out. I have had little problems since my surgery. I would do it again for sure. I have followed the diet restrictions closely. I have heard of many issues when you don't. I am not going to tell you that it is easy. It is hard work making sure you get the Water and Protein in. Especially after my bypass I didn't want to eat or drink anything for weeks. I am starting to want to drink my Water. I am just now getting the required amounts of Protein. I have had to try all kinds of protein to get here. I will say remember they give you anti nausea medicine for a reason. I had a great support team praying for me and still are. I would make sure you have a good support team helping you. I will say a special prayer for you. I hope you have a positive experience as I have.

[layknee 357]

I've only been doing the liquid diet for a day and a half and I'm having horrible heartburn, headache and nausea.

[Beckyyb93 225]

The liquid diet is hard but you will get through it! Make sure to take medicine for the symptoms, I know as a fellow nursing student and from nurses all throughout my family that sometimes we just "deal with it" as far as pain goes and that isn't the right thing to do here. If you have heartburn take Tums or Zantac, take Tylenol for the headache, and if you are having a lot of trouble with nausea, let your surgeon know and ask for medicine to help with that. My two favorites (I've had a lot of experience with nausea as you probably know from reading my thread) are sublingual Zofran and Phenergen suppositories, the Phenergen is far more effective but it makes you sleepy and usually isn't used unless your nausea is pretty bad. (Okay I wrote this and then remembered you are a nurse so I really don't have to explain these medications lol!)

I did my due diligence in researching and I'm sure you have as well since that's what us nurses as patients do so I know you are going to do great! As far as your heartburn, it will be 100% magically gone when you wake up from surgery..totally amazing. There are a dozen different hypothesized reasons for the spasms we get and for some if they are from bile reflux, the surgery significantly reduces them. I didn't have spasms at all before I had the sleeve though so they were brought on by that surgery and are still causing me grief even after revising to the bypass which we thought would help because we thought they were due to bile reflux. Since you bypass the portion of the stomach that has the bile ducts, you have no bile or acid reflux coming up your throat which significantly helps the pain. I'm hoping that your Nutcracker Esophagus will get better with surgery but it's hard to tell.

Try not to think about the OR too much because you will work yourself up over nothing. As you know, we nurses and even the doctors don't judge people too harshly on being on full display in the OR because we realize that they are doing something drastic to get healthy and we can respect that. Hopefully you aren't having this done at the hospital you work at because that just seems like it may be a little awkward but as I said before it's really no big deal unless you let it bother you. You will get through this and become more healthy on the other end and just think, you have an edge over others being a nurse because you know exactly what to do to win. Plus, you have all of us now!!

I'm rooting for you and you will be in my thoughts throughout this pre-op diet and throughout your whole post-op journey!

[layknee 357]

Thank you Becky and gahannagal. My dad, who is also a doctor, told me to drink more Fluid because it's the ketones needing to be washed out. I lost 5 pounds in one day. It's crazy. Same scale same clothes.

[Beckyyb93 225]

Yeah, staying hydrated is EXTREMELY important when you are doing liquids. If you get dehydrated, the headaches will get worse so push push push those fluids! It also helps you stay a little more full which is an added bonus. It will get easier as you go along and you will lose a lot of weight pretty quickly but remember to not stress about the scale at all until you are at least one week post op because you gain in the hospital and that's totally normal so it's better to not even look at the beginning.

[layknee 357]

I'm starting with this vegan Protein Meal Replacement mixed with almond or rice milk. Because maybe the dairy protein is what was making me ill.

[layknee 357]

I'm starting with this vegan Protein meal replacement mixed with almond or rice milk. Because maybe the dairy protein is what was making me ill.

[MisforMimi 760]

@@layknee Are you having surgery at the hospital you work in? If not, you don't have much to worry about. You don't Sr most of the staff again. But you are right, their is a prejudice against fat people in the medical field. Doctors talk about patients on the table all.the.time. Not all, but some do. Not only on the table but in the clinic, behind closed doors, too. This is probably not the case in bariatrics, but I work in Ortho and sometimes folks are insensitive. I chose a different facility/network for that very reason. Yes, there is HIPAA but that doesn't always stop gossip, ppl just cant look in your chart. I'm not keeping my surgery totally a secret but I didn't want everybody knowing all my business. Good Luck to you!

[layknee 357]

Thank you and fortunately not in my hospital.

[AuriP 420]

I'm not as educated as you all (CNA here) just wanted to put out one word of advice. Don't try to do it all by yourself right off bat. We tend to do that in this profession because people are always looking for help and we are the ones to help them. Good luck on Surgery later today! Congrats!

[layknee 357]

I'm not as educated as you all (CNA here) just wanted to put out one word of advice. Don't try to do it all by yourself right off bat. We tend to do that in this profession because people are always looking for help and we are the ones to help them. Good luck on Surgery later today! Congrats!

i know that's going to be one of my biggest issues.

[MisforMimi 760]

Good Luck, today!

[dark n lovely 70]

Good luck on your surgery today. I will say a prayer for. Im sure you will do great!

[bellabill 253]

Layknee

I know what you are saying about working in the OR and seeing everything! I am a senior tech in SPD and often have to go in the room at times so I have the same fears. Thankfully I will not have surgery in my OR, I'll be on another campus!