Pray!

Hello everyone in Jersey October 30th is my surgery date. I am excited but scared. Please send some courage my way. I have had surgery before But this one is really freaking me out. I have to stop reading the horrors of this surgery. But I want to know what to expect. Thanks for the support Liz

Hi Liz, Let me tell you 8 days ago I was so scared, more scared then anything before, then last wednesday I walked into the hospital with a sense of calm that was unbelieveable, that was more disturbing to me that I could be so darn calm. I was pushed into the OR smiling and making jokes with the OR team not to look at my butt. My surgery went amazing. I woke up in recovery and was so relieve that it was over, after about 3 hours I was up and walking the halls of the floor I was on. I had very very minimal pain. Everyone told me that after surgery there would be lots of pain and to take my med's. I really didn't have pain at all honey, discomfort, but not pain. I even posted from the hospital a few times. The only thing that was pretty yucky was the GI tests the next day, the liquid you have to drink really is aweful, nasty tasting. I gagged through the whole test which put pressure on my stomach and incisions, so that was pretty painful, but only for a minut I had my drain removed today (THAT WAS A BIT PAINFUL) but it was over quick and my staples removed(painless). My overall experience for this surgery was so excellant, I honestly thought it was going to be worse then it was. ARe you going open or LAP? I had LAP and that makes a big difference, I can''t say how open is. I have had many surgery's before and always pretty much breezed through them. How did you do on you past surgery's. It's much easier said then done, but please Liz, try to relax, I was so stressed out before that it was all for nothing. God is with you honey and he is gonna pull you through just fine. I had everyone I know praying for me and I bet that had something to do with my sense of calm. We are here for you. If you want to know more, you can email me at [email protected]

Elizabeth - I had the surgery three weeks ago, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I'm not going to tell you there was no pain - two hours after waking up in the recovery room when I went to stand up and take my first walk, those incisions made their presence known loud and clear. Still, a wonderful nurse's aide and my wife helped me along, I made the journey around the nurses station, and from then on, the pain was a little less each time. By a week ago - two weeks after the surgery, I was pain free. There were other small challenges along the way - drymouth for the first couple of days (who knew you could fall in love with a cold wet mouth swab?), trying to get comfortable to sleep in between all the "oops, that not a good idea" positions, etc. But there were great pleasures along the way as well. For instance, after days of nothing passing my lips but those aforementioned mouth swabs, when I was allowed my first ounce of red jello, I was sure that it gave me more pleasure than heroin. And, the various acts of kindness from the hospital staff and friends and relatives when you need them most give you such a warm and fuzzy feeling of being cared for and cared about. And, your own sense of achievement, of meeting all the challenges and coming through stronger as a result, is very gratifying. But, the best of all, is the end result. I'm not even talking about the weight-loss, because after three weeks that is only just beginning for me. What I treasure already is the awareness that I made a wonderful decision for myself, for my life, for my health, and for the sake of my being able to be there for, and with, the people I love. And then to discover that, not only am I no longer able to overeat any more, but I am no longer consumed by even the compulsion to do so - to realize that I now have complete control over something that in the past had complete and horrendous control over me - that is what makes the surgery, for me, worth a million times the effort and endurance it requred. So my prayers are with you, and I hope you will walk into the hospital on the 30th with excitement and confidence and the serene knowledge that you are taking a wonderful and brave step towards a new and better life.