Surgery & Post Surgery

I never spoke of my surgery and what I went thru. I had the surgery on February 1, 2010 at Brooks Army Medical Center, Tx. I had a terrific surgeon that was both compasionate and truthful. I had the best care while there, and I couldn't be happier with how I was treated. I was in surgery for 9 hours. It was long! I was the biggest patient that my surgeon had ever worked on. Of course knowing that was a little embarrassing, but it made me feel good that he took a chance on me and felt confident that he could help me out. I had it done laproscopically, and ended up with 8 holes as a result. The biggest site was about an inch and a half long-the others were fairly small. I was sent to PCU for 2 1/2 days, post surgery, where they monitored me very well. Because I had Sleep Apnea, they had to monitor my breathing closely, and being in PCU meant more one on one attention. I had such wonderful care there, with the most terrific nurses. I took my first swallow test the following morning, and this was the first I ever got out of bed. I was hooked up to monitors, a pain pump, a drainage bulb and a foley(UGH!), and had to stand while that test was being administered. After a while I felt very weak, so was carted off back to PCU. From what they saw, it looked like everything was ok. I was told later that they had to remove 4" of my intestine during surgery, as it didn't look very healthy, and felt it needed to be taken out. No biggie-we have tons of intestine, so I wasn't worried about that. They warn you about how you will feel in the briefings, and boy were they right. The first day you feel like you've been hit by a train. You are very sore in your abdominal region, and rightly so. Your insides are being juggled around, so you'll be super tender. The following day you feel like you have been hit by a bus. The pain is less than the day before, but there is still a great deal of soreness. By the third day you are feeling so much better than the first, and you're able to breath deeper by this point, as breathing deeply on day one is very difficult. The whole while, you have to practice your breathing to strengthen your lungs. You'll have a little gadget to breath in and you'll have to do this every hour. By the 3rd day I was wheeled to the floor with 3 other room mates. I was on ice chips the 1st and 2nd day, and by that afternoon I was on liquids. By day 3 they put me on full liquids and it was then that I noticed that my taste for chicken flavor went south. They warned us that this might happen, and I fell victim. Dang!!! By day 4 I was released to go home. My surgeon stopped by to check on me, ordered the drainage to be removed, and that was it. By 6:00 that evening I was released and headed to home sweet home-and boy, was it wonderful to be home. I went to sleep early that night as sleeping in the hospital on the floor with others was near impossible, with all the racket. I stayed on Full liquids for 2 wks, and then went for my follow up. I tell ya, that liquid diet was tough and was beginning to get monotonous. That was a good solid 4 wks of liquids because I did 2 it wks prior as well. Well, we're 2 months in since my surgery and I'm noticing some changes. I lost 20 lbs on my first 2 wk follow up. On my second follow up-1 1/2 months post surgery I lost another 25 lbs. So, so far 45 lbs---but, from my heaviest I've lost 88 pounds. It's feeling good. Of course I've had my ups and downs. I've gotten sick a handful of times and that's because I either ate too quickly, or because I was unable to sit straight up while eating, due to a back injury. That story is for later. All in all, I've been recovering well, and fortunately have not had any complications. I have to keep reminding myself to eat, and to drink. I just don't have the appetite I once had. It's amazing, but I never thought I'd see the day that I would have to remind myself to eat. Who knew? Anyhow, physically I'm seeing differences. Of course I have a long way to go, but I'd say I'm off to a great start.

I think what is difficult is retraining the way I think about food. I am eating healthier, but I have to say, when those commercials come on with all sorts of yummy food, I do miss being able to eat anything and everything. But this is why I'm in the situation that I'm in now, for that very reason. Knowing that my eye is on the prize of getting healthier, this is the reason for sticking to what I'm supposed to. You do go thru a mourning for what you used to be able to eat. You do miss it, and you do wish you could have those things you can not eat. That's just normal. But seeing it and actually eating that are two different things. Besides, with bypass surgery, you just can not eat anything and everything. Your body will not allow it, especially in the early stages. There is not getting around it. If it doesn't agree with you, it will come up faster than a bullet. So if you want to get sick, do what you're not supposed to. I, personally, am not a fan of vomiting. If I can avoid it, I will. Your success will come if you follow your doctor's orders, and do what you're supposed to do. Why have the procedure if you're going to cheat?

I have to say, if anyone tells me that having Gastric Bypass is the easy way out, they are out of their minds, and are ignorant. They do not know what a person has to do to have this surgery nor do they know what they have to do to make this surgery be successful. They just have no earthly idea how much of a commitment it is, and what a huge sacrifice it is. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose, but there will always be someone out there that will say this. Not just that, people will feel the need to tell you that you have to change your habits...DUH!!! We all know this and have to know this going in to this surgery. Oh well-you will always have people out there that don't think you did your homework, and research, and classes/briefings towards this surgery. They think they may know more that you and that you're having this surgery to get a quick fix. I just think of it like water off of a duck's back. I know what I did prior to this surgery, and what I have to continue to do to make this work, not just for a short period of time, but for the rest of my life...and quite frankly, that's all that matters to ME.

I have a date

Well, my 7 months of preparation has paid off. It looks like I have a surgery date for my gastric bypass. I received the long awaited call at about 2:30 or so today. My surgery date is officially February 1st, at Brook Army Medical Center(BAMC). I will meet with the surgeon on January 27th, and go over the details at that time. In the meantime I will start my liquid diet on Saturday, and will have to incorporate 30 minutes of walking a day. It's my last task for this procedure. I need to drop by the store and get some Flintstone's multi-vitamins. I'm excited, but I'm also a bit nervous about it. My dream is coming true, and it feels a little surreal at the moment. This is what I've wanted to do and now it is soon becoming a reality. Now that I have the date, I hope once people know, I will be greeted by a "Hello" rather than "Do you have a date yet?" LOL! So tomorrow is my final day for a serious meal and I'll be looking forward to it.

Looking back, I've done a lot to get to this point. Let me reflect a bit. I've had a consultation with a nutritionist for 6 months. I've had an Echo Cardiogram, an Endoscopy, a Colonoscopy, a Mammogram, a GYN annual exam, I had to attend a mandatory support meeting, had lab work, Psych evaluation and I'm sure I've left something out. I'll have to check my paperwork, but it has been a lot. At least now I know that everything is working great and there are no complications. I've only run into one bump in the road, and that was that I wasn't able to do the UGI because there was an issue with my weight and the weight limit of the table. Other than having to wait on what to do with that kink in my plan, everything else ran smoothly. I waited a good month before I was instructed further in regard to the UGI, as this was my last exam to complete. At first they had talked about sending me outside the military hospital into the civilian world to have it done. The explanation was that they would have more current machines that would facilitate my weight issue versus the old machines that both Wilford Hall & BAMC have. I waited and waited, but nothing ever developed. Finally they came to the conclusion that I would, instead, get an endoscopy at Wilford Hall Hospital, at Lackland AFB. Since I was scheduled for my colonoscopy at Brook Army Medical Center (BAMC), my doctor decided to kill two birds with one stone and get them both done at BAMC. So that took care of that.

All in all, it hasn't been that bad. Although my appointment book has been filled for the last 7 months, it's been pretty breezy. God willing I will survive this liquid diet and breeze thru this surgery and be on my way to a thinner and healthier me. I'm looking forward to it with excitement.

The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

This is what I will be having. Let me start from the beginning. I am 46 year old female. I am 5'8" and my weight...well, when I get more comfortable with myself, I will reveal that. Suffice it to say, I am what is called, "Morbidly Obese." Although that doesn't bring music to my ears, I am what I am. When I found out thru my family medicine physician, Mbue, that I was diabetic, she asked if I had ever considered the Gastric sleeve. I explained to her that I had never heard of this, but would be willing to learn about it. That was the catalyst-that is what got that ball rolling. My doctor submitted a referral to General Surgery/the Bariatric clinic at Wilford Hall, at Lackland, AFB.

Step one was to go to the first briefing. At this briefing, they spelled out all the procedures that Wilford Hall does, along with the benefits and the possible complications that come with each procedure. They offer 1 Lapband 2 Gastric Sleeve & lastly 3. Gastric Bypass. It was a basic overview. It was enough for those attending to be able to make an educated decision as to what they were leaning towards. It was at that time that I found out that I was not a good candidate for the sleeve because I have a diagnosed case of acid reflux. The program will not allow you to have this procedure if you have been treated and are currently taking meds for reflux. It will make your reflux a lot worse. That was a bit of a disappointment, as I thought the sleeve would be a better route. So, now it looks like Bypass is the way to go.

Step 2 was to attend a 4 hr briefing on Gastric Bypass. This is where you will learn everything you need to know about Gastric Bypass, but were afraid to ask. There was a quick discussion as to the papers that we needed to sign & initial, and then a Nutritionist came to speak to us. She was very open with us and was very blunt as to what we are going to have to look forward to. She didn't candy coat anything. On the contrary...she was very clear. We were then visited by the Sleep Lab. They explained their purpose, and afterwards scheduled all those that needed to get this study. I set up my appointment with them, and then waited until I could go up to the Director of the program (Nikki) to give her my paperwork. It was then discussed that we would be needing some referrals from her, and that they wouldn't be availble for scheduling for about a wk. Step 2 done-onward to step 3.

Step 3 I had my Psych. test. I went to the office, she asked a few questions. She also shared with me that she had the surgery back in November of last year and has lost 110 lbs. She offed to assist if I had any questions for her. I think through conversation, she knew I meant business, and wasn'[t wishy washy about this procedure. I spoke with her for about an hour. She also encouraged the group meetings that are held once a month. She said that if Arturo had any reservations, that he should ask the questions here. There would be plenty of people answering his questions.

Journey to a healthier me

I know I need to make changes in my life. Getting healthy is important to me, and now is a better time than any. Of course I can't do flexible yoga poses like the above, but one day I aspire to. First thing first...

I noticed that my body was doing things it normally doesn't. You know how it is when you know something is very wrong with your body? Well, this is what happened to me. I noticed that I was getting up several times, during the night, to go to the rest room. I was having a heck of a time going to sleep without these frequent trips. Something told me to start checking my glucose levels. I had a gut feeling that things were taking a turn for the worse---my sneaky suspicion that my sugar was on the high side, meaning the inevitable---DIABETES. I decided to test my glucose for a week before scheduling an appointment. By doing this, I would have something to show my Primary Care physician, to assist her in what action to take. I knew I'd have to get some blood work, but didn't know any more than that. After checking my levels, it became very apparent that my numbers were high at 150-174 without even eating in the morning. It should be 90-120. So I knew the levels were just too high.

With my glucose readings in tow, I went to my scheduled appointment. This was the first time I saw this Primary care physician, so I was a little nervous. As it turns out, I did well by bringing in my readings, as this shed some light for her. She sent me to lab, following my appointment, put in an order for the following: A referral to the foot doctor, nutrition, and she gave me meds. for the diabetes, as well as refilled my other meds.

We spoke of other options, since my BMI was pretty high. She was concerned about my weight. One of the options was to send me to Nutrition. I told her that I had been already, but it had been back in 2005. She said that since it's been over a year, she would send me again. No problem. Next, she explained about the foot doctor-it was necessary for me to get my feet checked out and that Dr. would give me a referral to get diabetic shoes and get custom fittings for 3 inserts. That was a bonus for me, since I haven't had shoes to fit me right since I had my accident with my foot, back in June of 2005. Taking care of your feet is so important when you have diabetes. She then asked me if I had ever considered getting a Gastric Sleeve. I told her that I had never heard of this procedure. I explained that I had been thru all the process of getting gastric bypass, but since I had my foot accident, I couldn't get it done. She was glad that I was open to it, and would consider it. She explained that I had 3 options-Gastric bypass, Gastric lap band, or Gastric Sleeve, if I wanted to go this route. She recommended the sleeve, saying that she thought I'd be a great candidate for that particular procedure. She put in a consult for the Bariatric clinic, at Wilford Hall. Now I'm not all that thrilled about having to make this trip to Wilford Hall, but I will do what I have to do. I'm only hoping that I can do all the other appts at BAMC, and bring the reports to Wilford Hall. I'm not sure whether or not I'll be able to do that, but we'll find out after my appt on July 24th.

The ball has begun to roll. The first step is the Nutrition, which I found out will be 6 months. I've already gone to my first appt, and turned in my 2 wks worth of food diary. She requested another weeks worth of food diary again, and to email this to her. My nutritionist will review it, and let me know what changes I need to make, and whether or not I will need to get my thyroid checked. I can say that I have lost 10lbs from the time I went to my primary care physician the first time, which was a couple of weeks back. The nutritionist says I have to lose 40-45 lbs while on this 6 month program. I think I can do it with no problem. I'm actually shooting for more, if I can. She explained what I'm going to be doing-they'll incorporate an exercise program, for which I will have to set my own goals. I'm trying to walk now-but it's been so dang hot lately. I need to go in the mornings and not make any excuses. The nutritionist says that towards the end, I will have to do the pre-surgery diet and the post surgery diet. So that should be interesting. She also said that I will have to encounter several other appointments prior to the surgery. I will have to have a gastric study, EKG, psych, sleep study, etc...all the stuff I had to do before. It's a drag that I have to do all this stuff over again, but I understand why-things change from one year to another. She said that after the 6 months of nutrition, it may take a month or 2 to finish the other appointments and then I can have the surgery. She says, ball park time to have the surgery will come in January or February. That'll be here before you know it. I'm glad it will be after the holidays. It will be so much easier to deal with after that passes.

So I am well on my way to a road of healthier eating, and a healthier lifestyle. I do feel like I am making some progress already, but I do have a long way to go. My goal is realistic, and ultimately, I want to feel good about myself and feel as healthy as I can be. I want to get rid of the diabetes, and lose the risk factors for heart disease that both run in my family. It's not going to be an easy road, but I'm up for the challenge. I can't wait to live the life that I am supposed to live, and not miss out on another world of adventure. I've missed too much as it is, and don't want to miss anymore.