Brand new and awaiting my Surgery

Hi everyone, My name is Holly and I am eagerly awaiting my surgery which has been scheduled for April 5th. I will be having my Lap RNY surgery at Boston Medical Center by Dr. Donald Hess. I have only met with him once so far but I have heard nothing but good things about him. I am following in my sister's footsteps (she had hers done in Florida) and hope I can be as succesful as she has been. She is not quite six months out and has lost 70 pounds thus far. She feels and looks wonderful! Is there anyone else out there who has Dr. Hess as a surgeon? Any suggestions for post-op care? Holly

Holly, Welcome and best of luck on your upcoming surgery. You could not be in better hands. Dr. Hess did my surgery on August 4 of last year and I am down over 110 pounds since surgery and 125 since my original appointment. The care I received at BMC was excellent and I wish you the best of luck. Just follow all the advise of Dr. Hess and the nutrionist and you will be fine. Ginny M 8/4/04

Good luck Holly! Your date will be here before ya know it!

Thanks Kimberly. It seems so far away to me, but I know the days have a way of flying by. Do you have any tips for me?

Hi Holly, My best advice would be to use the time you have during your "honeymoon period", while the weight is coming off more quickly, to change your eating habits. As you travel further and further postop, this becomes very important. Also, build yourself a good support network. A group of friends that you can call upon when you are struggling with the changes that this surgery brings to you. Good luck. It is worth every minute of work!

Hey There, I also have Dr. Hess. I do not have a date yet though. I have heard very good things about Dr. Hess that's why I chose him. Have you lost any weight yet? I am trying but I have not lost a thing yet? I was so excited when I saw that Dr. Hess would be your surgeon. It is nice to talk with someone who has the same Dr? Do you happen to know if Dr. Hess uses a drain tube, I am kind of freeked out about that? Are you local, I'm in Braintree. Kelly

Hi Kelly, I am so glad to hear from you. I had been told I needed to lose ten pounds and had an appointment to see the dietician on April 2nd. I thought I could do it in that amount of time (although I was going to Florida for two weeks vacaion on March 15th). Anyway, I got a call from Maria at Dr. Hess's office on Feb. 8th saying I had been approved and did I want my surgery performed on March 8th. I was so excited about the surgery date but upset because we had a two-week family reunion planned in Florida. I thought of cancelling the trip, but my Mom is 89 and I need to get to see her when I can. So, we set my surgery date for the 5th of April. She then told me that we would have to change the dietician's appt. to an earlier date and how was I doing losing weight? I had only just started "trying" and told her I might have lost a couple of pounds. She asked if I thought I could lose 5 pounds by Feb. 28th. I was leaving for another mini-vacation for five days with friends the next day, however, I said, "No problem!". ..I did not do well while on vacation but I did a great job for four days just prior to my appointment and lost 4 pounds!!! No one was more surprised than myself. Just keep a food diary of everything you eat and keep the calorie count of each thing. I kept the calories under 1800 calories. I had 2 protein shakes a day plus vegies, eggs or chicken, yogurt and chix boullion. I also drank 8 to 10 galsses of water a day. Good luck!!! I can't say that I haven't gained it back since then, however. I am planning to walk everyday from now on for at least 15 to 20 minutes and to work on maybe losing a little weight before surgery. Well, I do go on!! Anywaaaaaaay, I believe that Dr. Hess does put a drain in while we are still in the operating room and it is removed maybe the next day. He doesn't send his patients home with the drains still in to the best of my knowlege. My two friends who had Dr. Hess did not have the drains when they came home. Yes, I am local, I live in Quincy. I will keep you posted as to what happens with me, and good luck on getting a date. Have you finished your pre-testing yet? Holly

Holly, Congards on the weight loss. I am so glad that Dr. Hess does not send us home w/ the drains. I get grossed out very easily. I was a canidate for the surgery w/ Dr. Hess over a year ago, chickend out half way through my testing, now I am back and NOT changing my mind. I start the new round of testing in 2 weeks a QMC and Maria says that I may be having surgery in June if all goes well. Kelly

Kelly, Congrats on your decision to have the surgery. I know I haven't had ther WLS yet, but I know you will be sooooooooooo glad that you did it. Good luck with all your testing. Wow, June is coming up real quick. Please know that I will support you all the way and if you ever need or want to talk or ask questions I would be happy to be there for you. Maybe we can meet at a support group meeting. Keep up the positive attitude!!! Holly

Thanks Holly The same go's for you. Kelly