Lots and Lots of Questions

OK where to start...I have my first Appt. next week with Dr.H to see if he will do the RNY...But Ive been reading the posts that you all have been putting up for at least 2 weeks or so and I'm wondering if this is the thing to do?  Do you ever get to eat real food again? Is everything that I get eat going to have to be pureed for the rest of my life? How much can you take in a time? I mean I already am miserable and have been for most of my life I dont want to make it any worse than it is. Could someone go through what happens after the surgery. I know its up to your surgeon and he will tell me what i need to do...but would like to have some sort of idea of what I'm getting in to...Ive been all over the web..but you all have done it first hand and would rather hear it from someone that's gone through this...Do any of you regret do it? Has anyone ended up with more problems then they went in with..How do you Deal with The head issue?...OK enough for now....Thanks for your help

Cor

If you have been miserable for all your life then you really have nothing to lose but weight.  :)  Yes some ppl have some issues afterwards but many do nit, like myself.  No you will not be on puree'd all your life.  It depends on your surgeon.  You could leave the hospital on softs already or have to wait 2 weeks.  Nevertheless it's not a big deal.  I only pureee a few things right now.  If it is soft I can tolerate it.  It really is an individual thing.  We all are different in that sense.  Yes you will eat real food again but will be making better choices.  Instead of reaching for that candy bar you will want something more healthy or less fats and sugars.  Because that one time you reach for the candy bar you will most likely dumo and won't wanna do that again lol.  I would say the biggest thing is when you see the weight coming off you will be happy and wanna do right.

I am two years out and can eat anything that i want to really i guess but if you eat anything then you will start putting the weight back on, what i do now is eat healthy. no sugar, no bread no whites,,,,basicly, i still use my protein drinks cause i cant eat a ton of stuff and need them to get in all my protein for the day. and they help me get enough calories....
Like Jen said you reach for more healthy things.
instead of cookies and soda pop you would have some grapes or other fruit and water or milk if you can stand it.
I have never had a minutes trouble out of my surgery. i hit the ground running so to speak and havent stopped yet. i would do it again in a new york minute how ever fast that is. and i have never had a regret one.
basically by the time you are about 2 months out you are eating most of anything except for red meat but others you can have.
i know you will really like Dr. H. tell him i said Hi. and Margie too. that is his nurse/wife. 
welcome to the MO OH board. 

Hi Cor,

Welcome!.... I have not had surgery yet (Sept 22nd!) but have spent the last two years reading studying.... meeting people that have had the surgery... going to some support group meetings... etc. and I have yet to find one person that says they wish they had not done it (I'm sure there may be someone "out there" that will say that but it sure is NOT anywhere near the norm!).. yes some have "buyers remorse" out the gate but when they get it worked out and get past the problems and on to losing they usually always come around and say how happy they were they did it..... 

I don't know of another  group of individuals with a "common bond" that is as genuinely happy as weight loss surgery patients!!! You can come here nearly ANY time and find someone that is just thrilled with their life!!!  In a world where there is so much sadness and heartache it is thrilling to me to see so much happiness!

Going into this surgery....I know full well that I may be one of those that has complications but you know what?  That's ok... I also know that with all the health issues I have now, if I don't do this.... I am head'n right for some major issues too! So it is not a hard decision for me to make.... I have NOT ONE doubt that I am doing the right thing! 

This journey is not for the faint in heart....my best advise to you is research all you can.. talk to as many people as you can, read all you can, find out all the pro's and con's you can... and know that if you decide this is what you want to do and "if" you have complications know you are a strong woman and can deal with it... you know yourself.... and you will know after you educate yourself if you are willing to live with the new lifestyle..... I have no doubt I can do it..... but then that's me.

I wish you the very very best in whatever decision you make!  Stick around and let this great group of people tell you their experiences! I've learned so much from them and been incredibly blessed by so many! 

bec

 TO: my momma hen... how did I do?

Yes,  you do get to eat real food again. I am almost 10 mpnths out and I can eat almost anything.  I still have trouble with some breads and fried things, but mostly milk and Ice cream.  I had trouble with those things before surgery, so it was no surprise that they bothered me after. Good luck and if you have any more questions feel free to send me a message and I will be happy to answer any that you have.  Good luck in your journey,  Layla

Thank you all for rep ling so quickly to some of the questions that I had....I'm sitting at about 70/30 percent that I'm going to do this if Dr. H will do it and of course good ol insurance(TriCare for all you militaryians..lol). But after reading and looking I think I got nervous about what to expect after wards. I too have health issues that are not going to get any better. Just worse if I dont do something about it...And I really want to feel human again. So I guess will see what Wend brings and go from there. Thanks again...

Cor

Cor,  I won't lie.  I am 2 1/2 wks out & its been pretty rough.  Like everyone else has said, you will be able to eat real food again, just after your new pouch has healed & can handle it.  And like Jen said, if you're already miserable, you've nothing to lose but possibly the misery.  Wouln't that be GREAT!!!  I've had a couple problems, nothing major.  Alot of nausea, but come to find out my gallbladder is bad & is probably causing most of that.  I am also tierd & weak alot, but everyone is so different after surgery, some people bounce right back & others take a little bit longer.  I've always done really good "bouncing back" after a surgery, but not this one.  It is hard.  Harder than I thaught it would be.  But ya know it's only a couple months out of our lives that we have to be on liquids or soft foods & we have the rest of our lives to reap the rewards of the surgery.   Would I do it again?  Even tho I've been sick most of my post-op recovery, I would still say definitly yes.  Because I know better things are ahead of me.  You got to look at the BIG picture, the great things to come.   OH, as far as medical problems, I had Hypertension, Diabetes, Depression/Anxiety and Heartburn.  In the hospital,they still gave me meds for my bloodpressure, but was sent home without meds for that, my sugars got a little outta wack in the hospital, they said that sometimes the stress of the surgery causes it to do that, but that has always been controlled by diet & I haven't had ANY heartburn since surgery.  I'm still on my depression/anxiety med, but probably will be for the rest of my life.    Good Luck to you!   You are the only one that knows what you need to do & what you're ready to do.  But don't worry about the unable to eat real food after surgery.  It's only temporary & believe me at this stage, I don't even want to eat.  It's hard enough just to get the liquids in.

If you have any more questions ask away.  Everyone on here is so nice & always willing to answer any questions you might have.   By the way, you are going to one of the best surgeons in Missouri.  I have NEVER heard even 1 bad thing about him or his office, so you should feel very secure with that.

(((HUGS))) Angy

Hi, I had Dr. Hornbostel as my surgeon also, also have tri-care. It is a breeze to get authorized compared to other insurances, as long as you have the bmi you are ok. You can go to the tri-care site and get the info.

Here was my journey for you. I have not posted too much on my progress, because quite honestly I feel a little guilty (probably one of the reasons I was obese to begin with, and I'm working on that :>)). I have had a great experience. I went in for my egd, which you will have to have done, it was a breeze, loved the meds, didn't even see Dr. H. because I was out before he got in there, no sore throat, nothing- it was excellent. I then went to see Dr. Azan, who is a local doc who covers you in the hospital if you need anything beyond the surgery. He did an echo because I had taken phen-fen. It was done in his office and took about 10 min. I did both of those things on the same day.

I could have had surgery 2 weeks after my consult with Dr. H but we were going on vacation and I wanted to wait until we got back. So I went in for my pre-op assessment on the 28th, had labwork, xray, met the anesthesiologist and nutritionist and Maggie the OR nurse went over everything they would do with me. Again, it was excellant, everything went smoothly, and I was out of there in a couple of hours.

I came home, started my liquid diet and kept telling myself, I can do this because my liver will shrink and it will make the surgery easier. Now, I'm not going to tell you I didn't slip up some, but stuck with it pretty well. I got the ready to drink slimfast (because it is a couple ounces more than the boost.) and a magic bullet (which I would highly recommend) and would make myself icy milkshakes. I mistakenly used cocoa butter lotion one day, and swore to my husband that the choc. was starting to seep out of my skin because it was all I could smell. I later figured out what I had done and we had quite a laugh. Anyway,. ..

Day before surg. you drink Mag citrate, which wasn't awful, but you need to drink it all at one time and just get it over with. Proceeded to Poop alittle, not much in there since all I had had was liquids. and had clear liquids for the day.

I was first case and had to be there at 6:30, we left at 4:00, I was pre-registered from the pre-assessment day, went in sat down and they came and got me. I changed into gown, she put on socks and some cut little compression things on my feet to keep me from getting clots and started my iv. They had to stick me twice but that was ok. They gave me a shot of something in the iv and took me back, the anesthesist and nurse anesthesist came in and did their thing for about 15 min. I had the "oh my gosh, am I doing the right thing"  come out of my mouth. They were so nice, reasuring me that what I was feeling was normal et.c. then gave me some meds and took me to the or. I remember moving over onto the table and that was it. Next, thing I knew I was in my room, don't even remember the recovery room, and was drowsy, had a pain pump. I did have the pain in my shoulders from the gas they use so i got up in the chair early evening and then took a walk with the nurse that evening.

next morning, I needed to go home if possible because my hubby had work on Wed. I went down about 7 am for the leak test, which was just standing there and drinking a couple of sips of stuff, not the best tasting but ok. Those folks were awesome also. The radiologist told me that it was fine and by the time I got back to the room I had a clear liquid  tray waiting for me. Margie came in about 9, went over the diet etc, said he probably wouldn't let me go home since we lived so far away, but that I could ask. The aide came in (I won't mention her name because Margie and Dr. H lurk here and don't want to get her in trouble  :>)))Told me if I took a shower and was sitting there dressed he would probably let me go. So I did, and was actually walking when he came by. He dismissed me, hubby went and got meds and we were out of there by about 4:00. Got home about 6, took pain meds and went to bed.

I haven't had any problems except some gas pain, and getting some food stuck twice. Thought I was going to die, but thankfully from this board I knew what it was.

I used the whey bullets and isopure clear drinks from the first day home and think that helped me because I got protein in quickly. I haven't had problems with taste issues, haven't been hungry, took pain meds for about 3 doses and switched to tylenol liquid blast. Would I do it again, yes and wish I had done it 5 years ago.

I had high blood pressure, bmi of 52 (I think). I was fairly healthy and didn't have knee, back issues , did have stress incontenence and my blood sugars were starting to creep up, but not on meds yet. I had panic attacks and really feel like it was due to claustraphobia due to my weight. and have thyroid problems. I was 145 pounds in 1986 and weighed 314 on the day I started the liquid diet.

If you have any questions let me know and I hope this helps. Like I said I have been so lucky, but I have followed the rules and researched it to no end. I was on this board several times a day and knew it was what I had to do.

Hang in there, you are starting on a great journey!!!
Liz

A few more things I would like to ad, Cor.  You mentioned you have health issues that will never go away.  I had diabetis so bad I was taking 2 differnt insulins (more than 200 units per day) and 3 oral meds.  I now am off all insulin and only take 1 pill.  The surgeon says I will be off that 1 pill soon.  I was taking 400 mg per day of blood pressure meds.  I am now off all meds and my BP runs about 110/65  :)  I have severe neuropothy in my feet and legs.  Many of my nerves are damaged badly.  They now do not hurt near as bad and the surgeon said to expect it to get much better.  I had high cholestrol which I do not now.  I had high tryglicerides which are normal now.  So there is some proof that this surgery can and will eliminate alot of health issues.  I cry when I think to myself my diabetis will NOT be the dealth of me now!

Jen love the new picture ,,,,way to go girl...and isn't it a miracle that all of that stuff went away almost immediately????Praise God....and you arent alone almost to probably 99.9% of all diabetics are cured....with the RNY, they arent with the lap band but for some reason the RNY stops it before there is even any weight loss. ..