The countdown

The ticker says 29 more days till the surgery.  My family is very supportive and will be there with me when I need them. 

My daughter was worried that I wouldn't get to have any blueberries before my surgery because I look forward to blueberry season every year.  I love them with evaporated milk and a little Splenda.  She found some on sale yesterday and bought them for me.  I know I will not be able to have fruit until I get to the puree stage of the post-op diet. 

We've had a few hot, humid days this spring.  When it is really sticky it is hard not to guzzle the fluids.  I will really miss Diet Coke.  I've got a lot of adjustments to make. 

I went to Manhattan the other day and I was delivered to the door of my destination.  At lunch, I went outside and walked a mere two blocks and was short of breath and exhausted.  Walking in Manhattan is one of my favorite things to do.  I look forward to when I will be able to walk like I used to.  The sacrifices will be worth the rewards. 

The die is cast

I saw Dr. Choi on Thursday.  She spent a lot of time talking to me about the surgery.  She even gave me homework.  She wants me to start changing the dietary habits of my whole family.  In her words, I gained weight eating at my dining room table.  She feels I will have more success if the whole family eats healthier.

Other homework was an online teaching program called EMMI.  It addressed in more detail some of the things Dr. Choi discussed with me.   I can also have my family watch this so they know what to expect. 

Today the scheduler called me and my surgery will be on June 28th.  Dr. Choi does the LGPs (Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass I will use this abbreviation from now on) Mondays and discharge is on Wednesday.  Wow!  So the countdown begins.

and another hoop.

The previous post refers to appts. on Tuesday.  Today, Wednesday, I saw Dr. Chronakos, the pulmonologist.  Like the other doctors, he approves of the steps I have taken and is clearing me for the surgeon. 

I am starting to get excited because the doctors all keep saying "you will be losing a lot of weight very quickly".  It is becoming a reality.

I am really tired of dragging this load around.  Imagine if every step you took, every thing you did,  night and day included carrying another  large person piggyback.  .  There are so many things I can not  manage to do now but soon that will change. 

Getting there

Today I saw the psychiatrist and the endocrinologist.  My A1C is 7.2 which is better than last time.  Dr. Landman has already written and sent her recommendation letter for the surgery.  Dr. Herrick has also approved.  Tomorrow I see the pulmonologist.  I don't anticipate any problems in that area.


So far most of the responses I have gotten from friends and family have been in personal emails.  I appreciate the concern for my privacy and even more important I am really grateful for the words of encouragement. 

Today while waiting for the pharmacy to fill my prescriptions I ran into a friend and coworker who is having health struggles of her own.  I admire M's courage in facing the many setbacks she has had during the course of her illness.  I realize that we all have different struggles.  I don't know anyone with a perfect life.  I've known people who on the surface seem to have it all.  When you peel back the layers of their onion sooner or later you find that they had challenges of their own.  I have been shocked to find that some people I'd always envied had, in fact, wished they could be like me. 

I am lucky enough to be able to use my free agency to choose the path I want to follow to improve my health and well being.

To close this post I will quote from a fortune cookie I opened today.  "Feeding a cow with roses does not get extra appreciation".  I have absolutely no idea what that is supposed to mean.

Marlena of Mohegan

Two steps forward and one step back.

Well I was all set to see Dr. Choi tomorrow.  I scheduled three appointments with three different doctors for the same day to cut down on my gas consumption.  I got three separate calls on Friday confirming my appointments.

Today I get a call from Dr. Choi's office.  "You know your appointment with Dr. Choi has been canceled don't you?"  No, I didn't know that.  They couldn't imagine why I got the call on Friday to confirm when the appointment was canceled on May 5th.  "Nobody told you it was canceled?"  Hmmmmm.

After several phone calls I was able to get rescheduled for 5pm on Thursday the 20th.  After I accepted this I realized that the 20th is my mother-in-law's birthday.  Great.  I'm sure to hear complaints about this.

So even though I tried to "think green"  I have two appointments tomorrow, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday.  So I still need to drive to Danbury (a round trip of 52 miles) three times this week.

My homework.

Today I reviewed the book that was given to me at the initial Bariatric Surgery Seminar. I wanted to make sure I haven't forgotten to do anything before I see Dr. Choi. I found I need to be taking calcium three times per day instead of twice. I also have to find the Vitamin B-12 that is in little sheets that dissolve under the tongue.

I need to get my butt back to Planet Fitness and see if I can do some weight training without getting short of breath. I won't be able to lift weights for a while after surgery so I probably should get some muscle now while I can. Planet Fitness is great place to work out for anyone. I see people there of all ages and conditions. They have a sign that says " Judgement Free Zone" and the staff is very pleasant. Check out the link.

ABOUT PLANET FITNESS http://www.planetfitness.com/

As the most innovative health club brand in the United States, Planet Fitness is known for a lot of things - our absurdly low prices, our lunk alarm, and most of all perhaps, for our Judgement Free Zone® philosophy, which means members can relax, get in shape and have fun without being subjected to the hard-core, look-at-me attitude that exists in too many gym

Ready for Dr. Choi.

OK. Hoop completed. Endoscopy was fine. I see Dr. Choi for the first time on Tuesday. Hopefully we will set the date. It can't come quickly enough for me. My blood sugar is getting more difficult to control and my sleep is irregular.