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.

Next hoop

Tomorrow morning I have my upper endoscopy. The purpose of this is to check for any problems with the esophagus or stomach which would contraindicate the surgery. Any ulcers, erosion, scar tissue or possible cancerous or pre-cancerous areas would need to be treated before the Roux-en-y could be done. I have been treated for gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD for several years with Protonix. Since I have been on disability I have not had any symptoms of the GERD . I attribute this to the lack of stress which usually is present at my job.

another hoop today

This afternoon I am seeing the psychiatrist. I'm sure he will be clearing me for the procedure since he has been very supportive so far.

I have been on antidepressants for some time now. There have been days when I have stayed in my bed with my covers over my head. I have turned to chocolate for comfort. I have felt angry at myself for my lack of control. I can blame no one but me for what I have done to my body.

My doctors, family and friends tell me to stop being so hard on myself because I am doing something about the problem. I appreciate the support and encouragement. I will need to accept a lot of changes. My birthday without cake. No more carbonated beverages or Godiva chocolates . I feel ashamed that these sacrifices are nothing compared to people suffering with cancer or wounded soldiers missing limbs.

Laparoscopic Roux-en-y surgery

This picture shows the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Basically the surgeon creates a tiny stomach and connects part of the small intestine directly to the new stomach.

There are three reasons this increases the potential to lose weight.

1. The tiny stomach doesn't hold much food.
2. A feeling of fullness will be reached very quickly.
3. Less distance traveled through the small intestine means that less of the calories will be absorbed.

In addition, all of the secretions to aid in digestion will still be present as all of the original gastrointestinal structures remain. In other words, if the surgeon just cut out the old stomach and threw it away things wouldn't work as well.

All this is done via laparoscopy with 3 or 4 small incisions.

Where I am in the process.

I am currently jumping through the various hoops that the insurance company requires before approving the surgery. I have completed my four months of dietitian consults. I have had a stress echocardiagram. I have met with a psychiatrist, gastroenterologist and a pulmonologist. I have a upper endoscopy scheduled for next week, I have some blood tests that need to be drawn and then I meet with Dr. Choi, my surgeon. At the surgeon visit if all the hurdles are cleared then we will set the surgery date.

In the meantime, I need to stockpile the various vitamins and protein supplements which will be required after surgery. I will not be able to have any large pills so supplements must be liquid or chewable. I will be on pureed food for some of the time. I plan to get a new blender because the one I have takes a while to get things pureed. I am taking extra calcium and protein supplements prior to the surgery to help build me up.

So that's where I am. For my next post I will include a description of the surgery I have chosen.

Bariatric. Where did that word come from?

Bariatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity.^[1] The term bariatrics was created around 1965,^[2] from the Greek root bar- ("weight," as in barometer), suffix -iatr ("treatment," as in pediatrics), and suffix -ic ("pertaining to"). The field encompasses dieting, exercise and behavioral therapy approaches to weight loss, as well as pharmacotherapy and surgery.

Overweight and obesity are rising medical problems of pandemic proportions.^[3][4] There are many detrimental health effects of obesity:^[5][6] Specifically, individuals with a Body Mass Index or BMI exceeding a healthy range have a much greater risk of a wide range of medical issues.^[7] These include heart disease, diabetes, many types of cancer, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic musculoskeletal problems, etc. There is also a clear effect of obesity on mortality.^[8]

People may find it difficult to lose weight on their own.^[9] Indeed, it is common for dieters to have tried a variety of fad diets only to find that they return to their original weight or potentially see a weight gain after a period of time.^[10]

Although diet, exercise, behavior therapy and anti-obesity drugs are first-line treatment,^[11] medical therapy for severe obesity has limited short-term success and almost nonexistent long-term success.^[12] Weight loss surgery generally results in greater weight loss than conventional treatment, and leads to improvements in quality of life and obesity related diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.^[13] The combination of approaches used may be tailored to each individual patient.^[14].

What is a blog anyway?

I don't really get the whole blog thing just yet. Perhaps it is because I was born in an era when ball point pens, dialing your own phone calls and frozen dinners were cutting edge technology.

Anyway, I plan to chronicle my sojourn to a new life. I have finally committed to something I have refused to consider for too many years, gastric bypass surgery.

I have battled with weight for many years. I have been a lifetime member of Weight Watchers since I was 21 after losing over 70 lbs. I kept going back to Weight Watchers many times over the next 20 years. I would lose weight and gain it back plus more.

I was successful with Fen-Phen in my 40's and lost 100 pounds in 9 months. I felt wonderful and had no side effects but the drugs caused some people to develop pulmonary hypertension and subsequently were withdrawn from the market by the FDA. Again I gained back what I lost plus more.

I have tried running, bicycling, gardening, walking, weight lifting, tennis, bowling, roller skating and swimming for exercise. Usually any athletic activity leads me to some form of injury. I once tore my posterior cruciate ligament in my left knee at a roller disco in the 1980's. After three years of bowling I needed shoulder surgery. I have developed both tennis and golf elbow. At the time I was not doing either of those sports. I told the doctor that it was probably caused by smacking my kids. (LOL) The first time I used the rototiller in my garden I developed a radial nerve impingement and olecronon bursitis. I've had multiple ankle sprains. I had a meniscus tear in my knee that needed arthroscopic knee surgery.

I've counted carbs, fat grams, calories and Weight Watcher points.

I am at the point now where I cannot walk a short distance without becoming short of breath. I have to rest for a minute or two and let my heart rate get back to normal. I am on short term disability from my job because it was physically too demanding.

I want my life back. I want to be able to shop without back pain. I want to be able to sit in a chair without worrying if it will hold me. I want my lap back so I can hold my grandchildren on it. I want to be able to tie my shoes and breathe at the same time.