Counting Down

I am so excited.  The countdown has begun.  I have surgery on Nov. 25th!  I have been reading this forum and others for the past several months and finally joined so that I could share my experiences with others.

I am excited for you and your countdown!!  It is amazing to see the stories of everyong on OH. 
Knowing that there are others out there that can get new chances at a healthy lifestyle, well.... it just is reaffirming that you can do it too!!
Blessings to you and your healthcare providers so your surgery goes as planned - and know that there are your cyber support pals out here cheering you on!!

Thank you Monica.  I also just found out that my wife's insurance approval has come through and she will do her surgery  on Dec. 11th.  It looks like we will go through this together which will make the whole thing easier as we will be able to support each other and know what each of us are describing and talking about.

I can't wait to see the effects it has on our lives!

That is going to be so great for the two of you to be in this together! What a support system!
My date is 12/10...getting excited!
Good luck to you and your wife.

Alice,

Thank you for your kind words.  My wife and I will be out shopping this weekend to get our supplies like powered egg whites, powered nonfat milk and baby spoons.  And of course a ton of bottled water like fruit2o, propel and crystal light.  Not that we won't drink regular water, but the other may be a treat for us i nthe short term!

Well, it is one day before surgery.  I am beginning to get nervous but excited at the same time.  I am really looking forward to changing my life and hopefully get off of the drugs and CPAP for the first time in 5 years.

Everything is set.  MY wife and I did some shopping to prepare for the return home from the hospital on Thursday.  You know, for a big guy I sure do not want any pain.  I sure hope that the pain killers work out!

I will check back in when I get out of the hospital!

 

Good Luck and I will say a prayer!!!!!!!!!

What an experience!  I had my surgery on Tuesday around 1:30 pm and I arrive home yesterday at 2:30pm.

What was the experience like?  I can honestly say that the pain associated with the incisions was minimal.  I was truly expecting pain in the stomach region.  I must say however that I had quite a bit of back pain.  Some suggested that it was due to the way I had to lay during the actual surgicial process due to the breathing tubes they inserted while others say it is due to the gas that they pump into your abdominal cavity during surgery moving around.  All I could say is thank god for the great nursing staff who supplied me with cold compresses I could lay on and it seemed to be the only thing tat help with the back pain.  On Wednesday morning the pain was much more tolerable.

My surgeon, Dr. Wallance was a great confort to me in explaining everything in great detail.  He came by while I was waiting to be carried into the operating room, stopped by in the recovery room to tell me everything went perfectly and stopped by on Tuesday to ensure that I could continue asking questions and also allowed him time to provide coaching for me to keep up with drinking water and walking.  He made it clear that my only job in the hospital was to drink water and walk, everything else would be taken care of my others.

The nursing staff was great at the hospital.  Each of them were specialist in handling gastric bypass patients and know what I was experiencing.  They were very supportive and let me pretty much do what I wanted, when I wanted and were there when I asked for pain medication when needed.

Now that I am back home, I have already had one dinner (last night, pureed turkey) and I just finished breakfast.  I am having no issues with drinking water.  Getting my protein in will take time and Dr. Wallace does not expect me to hit my goal of protein intake until about one week out.

Overall, I am excited at the moment since it was way less tramatic than I was expecting.  I just  hope everything continues this way for the next several months and I find myself dropping the weight.  I have already lost 10 pounds just over the last few days, but this would be mostly water loss I am sure.

Thanks for the well wishes.  I will try and keep things updated.

 

Hope things are going well and you're feeling good. Each day will be a learning experience. Keep us posted on your progress. Good Luck.

Shari
Oak Creek, WI

Things are going so great at the moment.  I have had no issues with pureed meats, beans, and other soft foods.  I am taking little baby bites and still chewing like crazy!

I was approved today to add milk products.  I hope they still agree with me post-surgery.  I will find out tonight.

I have also been getting in my 1 hour of walking each day thanks to having a treadmill.  I would not be wanting to walk outside today with all of the snow and wind.

I still can not believe this.  I was expecting some issues/pain, but nothing so far.  I must admit that I am sticking strictly to the doctor's orders so perhaps if I get out of line I would be singing a different tune.