I was at the hospital from 8:30 to 3:30 getting all the tests done and seeing the doc who is taking care of my meds before the surgery. I thought I was all done with the tests & the doc ordered another x-ray. The results he could get right away were all okay. My hubby went in the exam room with me as he wants to know everything that is going on. He even got to demonstrate how I stop breathing @ night & then snore real loud.

We took 2 hours out at noon & had lunch & went vitamin & supplement shopping.) I now think I have everything I need to get started. Several brands & flavors of protein supplement & all the vitamins, etc. the dietician ordered. I figure I have 2 wks before the surgery to taste all the different kinds, so I'll keep a record & know what is good. Course I realize that some of my tastes will change after surgery. I got samples whenever possible--ordered some from a website. I was concerned about getting such a variety & the cost & my husband said that the cost was not the important thing, but having a variety to try to find what I do & don't like so I could be successful with this.

Tonight was my regular hair appt. I had been trying to grow my hair out. It was almost shoulder length. I decided with the probability of hair loss to get it cut short again so I wouldn't have to blow dry or put up--also got some good shampoo. I am READY TO GO & EXCITED! (Course I'm sure that my mood will change multiple times before 3/1)

They are having you go for a Sleep Study, aren't they? If you do have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (which it sounds like is a real possibility, given your husbands observations), do some research into autoCPAPs that adjust as you need them to through the night...and through out your weight loss as your pressure needs will usually decrease along with your weight. If you get diagnosed with the more rare form of sleep apnea called Central Sleep Apnea, where you litterally just 'forget' to breath- let me know...I've had to learn a lot since I was diagnosed with it a little over 2 years ago and its treatment can be more complecated. Also, make sure you get a comfortable mask if you end on CPAP or other form of xPAP therapy...I've been through a ton and can let you know what my favorites are...and which ones would probably not be affected by weight loss as much.

Loodoe! You are just so, so positive and prepared! Your husband sounds amazing btw. I think you should look into cloning him!

The hair sounds practical if nothing else. It also sounds like you're set for the journey of a lifetime!

Big hugs!

*** And Christineu is right, I hope you're getting that sleep study done! ***

The doc said that from the hubby's description, I more than likely did have Sleep Apnea, but at this time, there would be no sleep study. He felt that the weight loss would solve that problem, & if it doesn't then the sleep study would be a good idea. He was going to be sure to have a bipap? oxygen mask on me when I was out of surgery and leave me in intensive care for the 1st night because of the oxygen. I didn't mention before that the gal who was the technologist for the EKG was 3 years post-op & had gone from 320 to 160. She was very willing to share the good & bad experiences she had. She had some post-op problems with ulcers & lots of throwing up. Said that she has never regretted (even when she was having problems) having the RNY done.

And yes, I did get the grand prize for a husband--That is not to say that he is perfect 100% of the time, but then neither am I.

The being positive is good as long as the majority of my family doesn't know what is going on. The siblings (B & S) are very distant (miles & mind), so I'm waiting til the last week, then sending a letter so they won't have a chance to cal me to tell me what an idiot I am for taking the "easy way out"--that's assuming they would even care enough to call! The in-laws & step-children will get their letter with their valentines. Those could go either way, but I am planning on making it clear in the letter, that if they aren't going to make positive comments, I don't want to hear any comments at all. Good thing my hubby & daughter are strong supporters. The odd thing is that I am more comfortable telling the people I work with, than I am my own family. Go figure!!

I'm not sure I understand putting off getting a sleep study done and not getting treated for it. Too many doctors still think of apnea as a inconvenience or just an annoyance, like simple snoring; instead of a potentially life threatening condition. The effects of untreated sleep apnea are not good- besides the lack of quality sleep for both your and your partner, there is high blood pressure, increased night time urination, stroke, enlargement of the heart, irregular heart beats, lack of concentration/memory, increased risk of auto/work accidents- and most importantly, it makes it harder to heal/recover and to lose weight. Losing weight can sometimes help reduce the severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea, but it doesn't necessarily stop it- otherwise there wouldn't be anyone of normal weight with apnea...and there are plenty of people who are not overweight who have, even babies can have it. To give yourself somewhat of an idea what your body goes through during an obstructive apnea event, try holding your breath for 15 seconds. Can you do it? Did your body start to fight your and feel panicked after just a few seconds? Did you gasp for air when you finally took a breath? Imagine that happening every time your airways gets blocked- except now you're asleep and the only way to open it back up is for your body to struggle & strain so hard that you are aroused out of whatever stage of sleep you're in so you can gasp to breath.

I happen to have a much more rarer kind of called Central Sleep Apnea, where somehow the brain 'forgets' to tell me to breath or the message gets garbled along the way. No amount of weight loss is going to change that and its not uncommon to have a combination of both types. And with central apneas, there is usually no snoring or other easily noticeable noise to clue someone in that you're having a problem like there is with OSA. You mention you have RA- do you have a lot of pain from it? That can also affect your sleep quality in general and cause what they call Alpha Wave Intrusion or Alpha Delta Sleep. Its common in people with Fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions- mine is so severe that I literally don't get enough restorative sleep, no matter how much I sleep- even with the various medications they've tried me on.

I guess I would want to go into WLS as healthy as possible, if it was me. I would recommend using a autoCPAP, since it could adjust to your needs as you lose weight. Now there is even an autoBiPAP available, if you need it. Also, depending on the type & severity of the sleep apnea, the anesthesiologist will tailor the meds to your needs. In my case, they have an anesthesiologist & an nurse anesthetist both monitoring me, they will not give me any medications ahead of time until I'm in the OR & ready to be intubated and they wake me up in the OR as they remove the breathing tube, and the anesthesiologist stays with me until I am completely breathing on my own and my oxygen levels are high enough to go to recovery were I am assigned to 1:1 monitoring (instead of the typical 1:2 or 1:3). They don't necessarily go to that extreme with the more common, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, but they do take more precautions then they normally would, even with a morbidly obese patient. I've also heard of surgeries being canceled if the anesthesiologist thinks someone has undiagnosed/untreated apnea too- when it comes down to the actual surgery, its the anesthesiologist call in the end, not your surgeons.


At the very least, ask to have an overnight oxygen level monitoring ordered now, before the surgery. You should be able to ask your regular doctor to order it for you- its just a small little machine and one of those finger clip thingies that you would wear overnight and then they can download the information to see if your oxygen levels go below 90% and for how long over the course of the night. Its not the most accurate way to determine the severity of apnea, but at least it would let you know if the OSA is causing your oxygen levels to drop too much.

I've been a bit absent in posting the last few days--I have been sooo busy. I have been reading some though. I've been doing my pre-op diet since 2/15 and to date have lost 7# (now why wasn't it that easy before ). Had my final pre-op appt on Thurs. & all is go. My tests all came out pretty normal--surprisingly. An indication of fatty liver (pretty common) but they will probably do a biopsy while I'm. under. I told the nurse that that was the only way I would ever have a liver biopsy done again. (The last doc who did one, went in 4 times before she got a sample-Very painful!)

Anyhow I report to the hospital 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday to get everything signed, etc. I really like my dietician, she listens and hears--great combination. I had been keeping a spreadsheet of the 45 different protein supplements (brands/kinds) & as I tried them rated them. She was really interested & wanted a copy to give to other patients, so I sent her an electronic copy.

I worked my last day on Friday. I'm taking 6 weeks off (since I have the paid leave time) so won't be back until 4/10. I may not need all the time recouperating, but I needed the time to de-stress myself, before I get thrown into another big project--besides that it might give me time to get my baby quilt done for the 1st grandbaby that's due in September.

I am no longer nervous--just excited!

loodie, will there be anyone around who can tell us how you're doing? inquiring minds will want to know..

and WOW on trying 45 different protein supplements!!!! DOUBLE WOW!!!!! that's amazing!!!! what were the 'winners'????

I asked my hubby if we would sign in for me and let you all know how I did with the surgery. He agreed--he's new to forums so it should be interesting.

Yeah, I was fortunate enough to find sample packs in a few places. I would be happy to share the spreadsheet with anyone who wants it. Send me a private message with your email address & I'll send it.

Tomorrow is clear liquids for me, so I'll have to see how I hold out all day.

ok. be brave. and we'll be nice to hubby - promise!!!!

what time are you scheduled???

the clear liquid day is boring, but you'll be ok. i was so excited it didn't matter!!!

Linda had her surgery this am. We got there at 5:20 and her surgery started at around 7:45. They had a hard time getting her IV started. Other than that it went real smooth. It took a little songer than I expected but it went well. The Doc showed us a picture of gall bladder, pouch etc. She was in pain for a while afterwards till they got her clicker set up for morphine. She had some chicken broth and jello at about 4:30, and sat up on the edge of the bed. Then she got up for a short walk at 5:00 which was ahead of scheldule. Usually they wait till the next day for the first walk. She slept most of the afternoon. She is in very good spirits.
Thanks for your support and answering questions.
Linda is so ready for this, I am very impressed with her.
blessings
Karel