Hi, I'm Julie (or imp, or whatever) and this is my second post - my first was like ten minutes ago in the Intro section. So hi
I am scheduled for Mini-Gastric Bypass surgery on May 17 - two weeks from tomorrow. I'm excited, and nervous, and ready to get my health and my life back on track.
I haven't seen much on the MGB surgery here, so if you're not familiar, it's restrictive (the pouch is cut on the lesser curvature of the stomach, so it's similar to the sleeve) and malabsorptive (about six feet of small intestine bypass.) My father had this procedure done at the end of February and is doing very well with it.
Right now I'm 232 pounds, 5'4", with a BMI of 38. I have hypertension, asthma, and sleep apnea. My lung function is such that exercise is not an option for me right now - but I am a former ballet dancer and hope to be able to work out again soon after surgery. I think even a 20-30 pound weight loss might allow me to get active. And, at 42, I'm a little nervous about the loose skin issue - but it's a great trade off to still be here in five years, or ten, or twenty.
So that's me. I'm really enjoying reading your experiences - I've already learned a lot.
Not many surgeons do the MGB. I considered it briefly when I was initially researching options, but I was pretty bombarded with warnings and horror stories, so I crossed it off my list. I'm glad to hear your father is doing well with it.
I'm nervous about surgery and excited. My surgeon, who has done over 800 MGB surgeries in the last decade, is very careful about education and the process pre-op. My patient packet is over 50 pages long - I had to write essays. My hubby had to write an essay. I had to meet with ten post-op patients of varying lengths, chosen by me, and I will be expected to meet with future patients.
I also had to do a psych evaluation and get my primary physician to write a letter stating that he will continue to care for me after surgery, plus labs, plus histories and physicals and weight loss journals and and and. Probably that's not different from any other surgeon, but since mine is self-pay I was surprised by the thorough approach. I've already had a Skype conference with my surgeon, which he did for over an hour on a weeknight. I asked him a lot of questions and he answered them honestly, which I liked. I didn't feel like I was being "sold" on a procedure.
Fortunately, my primary physician is very supportive of my decision to have WLS and the MGB in particular. I don't think Mini is an appropriate name for this surgery, since it is a complete bypass and it's still five scopes into the belly. But after researching all the types of surgery, it was this or the sleeve for me, and this one can be done semi-locally (2 hours away) by a surgeon who I already know.
What I have noticed is that weight loss with this surgery seems to be in the 60-75% of excess weight lost. It's not probably going to get me as thin as a DS. But for me, that's okay. I'm doing this for my health. My surgeon is only taking me because of my co-morbidities - for me it really is about saving my life.
So.. tomorrow, primary care doc visit - maybe my last pre-op. Friday is my last psych visit pre-op. I'm already caffeine-free (gahhh) and I have to meet with Dr. H., my surgeon, for two hours the day before surgery. It's really happening. I'm kind of freaking out right now. YAY or OMG YAY or jittery, nervous YAY? All of those. Thanks again for the welcome!
Last edited by imp; 05-02-2012 at 02:09 PM.
Reason: typos are bad, mmmkay?
WOW!!! sooooo, when you're on your feet and feeling better, could you share some ballet moves we could do to help us stretch and get moving? i took ballet when i was young, and it was the BEST workout, but needless to say, it's long forgotten.
you sound like you've done a huge amount of preparation - and you'll be well-cared for after [really important! ] much sympathy on the caffeine-free. it hurts. really hurts.
Thanks for the support! And yes, I can teach ballet online, but I can't guarantee proper technique I plan to do a lot of dancing and yoga for the isometrics post-op, and add weights as I recover. I have this fear of losing tons of muscle mass and ending up a lump of body fat in a tent of skin, so as soon as I can breathe, I will be up and moving.
My hospital (in Joplin, MO, post-tornado) called today to get me pre-registered for surgery. Somehow that really made it feel real. OMG, I'm getting WLS! I immediately called my dad and started asking questions about post-op nausea and other stupid things I'm a little afraid about. He was very helpful
It's really great to have my dad around, just a couple of months ahead of me on this journey. But I kinda feel like there are going to be girl-centric questions that I will have as I lose weight, stuff my 66-year-old father doesn't think about so much: hair loss, skin issues, how to keep my boobs off the floor, etc.
Howdy neighbor right back! Raven is the coolest name ever. My favorite drag queen is named Raven. That Raven isn't from MO though
I'm not in Joplin, I'm a couple of hours down the pike, but if you ever get lost and end up in Branson, wave down the road a little. I might see you and wave back!
Don't mind me if I use this thread as a mini-journal, although I welcome everyone's input. It's just there isn't a lot of action on this board lately, so I don't want to be annoying by journaling here. Let me know if it's a problem
I am set for surgery in less than two weeks. May 17. Everything's done - the pages and pages of essays, patient contacts, and letters from me and my primary doctor and my husband. The multiple doctor visits, psych eval, tests, and labs. The hotel in case I don't feel like riding home in a car a day or two after surgery, and so my mom has a place to sleep. I'm preregistered at the hospital.
All I have to do is pick up my preop meds, meet for my long preop visit with my surgeon, and... get WLS. OMG.
I'm happy. I'm nervous. My surgeon's office is so great about staying in touch with me that I got an email this morning letting me know I passed the psych eval. So far I have only talked to them once during "normal" office hours - they call to check on me on weekends and tend to email me early in the morning. My surgeon gave me his cell phone number and told me to use it. I have to call him every day after surgery until my first preop visit. Every day. On his lunch hour.
So I feel really good about my medical team. I'm having surgery at a hospital where I used to work and I know the quality of care there. I've talked to post-op patients who are seven and nine years out from surgery as well as patients who had it done three years ago or five, or last year, or last month. I feel like I have a good picture of what to expect and what types of complications sometimes happen and how best to help lessen my chances of dealing with them.
I'm doing really well off the caffeine. It doesn't bother me much. Yesterday was a bad asthma day - being in tornado reconstruction country seemed to stir up some stuff my lungs didn't like, so I had to hit my inhaler way more than usual. It was a long, busy day, since it's a two hour drive each way to the psychologist. I wanted to use someone who already knew my surgeon and had experience with my kind of WLS.
And this morning, hubby made me bacon. I had eggs and toast and bacon with a big glass of milk. I'm gonna miss bacon, but it's okay. I don't love bacon enough to die for it.
I'm nervous about: nausea and vomiting after surgery. Pain after surgery. Not knowing what I'll be able to tolerate when I can start eating. Losing some hair. Having saggy baggy elephant syndrome.
I'm excited about: Being able to walk without wheezing. Getting off my blood pressure meds. Getting rid of my CPAP and maybe not having to use my inhalers as much. Fitting into smaller sizes. Being able to exercise. Not being embarrassed when my husband introduces me to his new employer. Not feeling so self-conscious about my weight. Maybe being able to do a book signing without feeling like people are looking at me weird. Meeting up with old friends from school (I've yet to attend a reunion.) Being fabulous.
and for what you'll be able to tolerate, trust me, you'll know. and FAST! just be patient with yourself - what works one day won't work on another, and what made you sick as a dog one time will be just fine a few days later. just keep trying, and trying different things. you WILL be able to eat bacon again - one or two pieces - and that'll be fine. just not right away.
So, I am now T minus 72 hours from surgery. I have everything done except picking up my preop meds, housecleaning and laundry to hold my guys for a week, and packing. I'm nervous. Happy and excited, but nervous.
Hubby started a brand new job last week, so I have asked him to go to work rather than go with me. My surgery is two hours away from home, and he works kind of in the middle, so he'd be an hour away if there was a problem. I get that, but our family needs the income badly, and he needs the job. It will also keep him occupied. I won't be alone - my mother, who was my dad's support person during his WLS in February, is going with me.
My mom has been through this process already, so she has already been shopping and picked up my citrucel and pepto bismol and broth mixes and even stocked me up with Gatorade in all kinds of flavors, so she is a big help and I am glad to have her going with me since hubby has to work. She'll also stay in close contact with the family, which helps.
Things I am now nervous about: can I wear a bra in the hospital? Would they let me have surgery in my underwear? (that one is probably a big fat no.) What if I start puking right after surgery, will it jack up my new stomach? What if I'm in a lot of pain and can't tolerate the IV morphine? Oral pain meds make me hurl. Will my CPAP hurt like crazy that first night?
Blarg. I know my surgeon will answer some or all of these questions on Wednesday, but still. And from now until then, I'm hungry. I'm reminding myself that I will never feel ravenous hunger again, but in my case I think it's psychological. Like, pretty soon I won't be able to eat certain things, so I want them suddenly, even though I bet I haven't eaten those things in a year. I'm reminding myself that it's okay to be hungry, I will not starve, and that very soon, I'll have a new stomach - and I am getting a whole new body. It seems to work pretty well.
My schedule keeps getting away from me. Like today, I went to pick up preop meds and dropped by my parents' house to say hi. Three hours and several "oh you need this before surgery" errands later, I got home and had an hour to get laundry finished up before going to get the kiddo from finals week at his school. No problem, I adore having my parents one town over now. I figured I'd just finish stuff tonight, right?
FF to an hour ago - kiddo home, housework mostly done, packing in full swing, and my in-laws called to see if they could drive 40 minutes over to go to dinner tonight "before surgery". I can't eat dinner to speak of, but it seemed mean to be all "no, you cannot see me, I am trying to pack and get in a good hair shampoo and shave everything and make sure I have my world as it should be before I go out of town tomorrow to have surgery on Thursday." So I said "sure". And then mom-in-law picks the place with the best pie in town. Because why not? They're not having surgery.
So, now I have all the housework done and most of the packing, but I also have a headache and I'm pretty sure there will be nothing at this restaurant I can eat since I'm supposed to be on clear liquids and very light fare. I'm not that hungry, actually. But I am a little anxious, and tired, and what I really want is a long shower and an early bedtime and to be sure I have everything I need packed and ready to roll in the morning. Right now my brain isn't working well enough to be sure.
Still, I'm grateful that my in-laws like me enough to want to see me. It might be that they just want to make sure hubby and kiddo get actual food in them, but that's okay too. My boys need to eat. I can go be social for awhile. It's really okay if I didn't scrub the floors - I scrubbed them last week, they'll be fine. If I forget something, I bet my mom will go get it while I am in the hospital, or the hospital will have it. It's not that big a deal.
So I'm kinda freaking out, a little. I had natural childbirth twice. The only surgery I've ever had was a laparoscopic gallbladder almost a decade ago. I'm not used to being the one on the table - I'm used to being the nurse you see afterward. I've never even had IV morphine before. Fact is, I'm nervous that I'm going to be a huge baby and whine. Boo.
One huge happy thing: hubby's new job? Told him to take Thursday off to be with me during and after surgery. We were floored. It will help so much to have him there. I'm excited about that. I'm excited about this procedure (after the first 12 hours post op) and I'm excited for my new life. I'm ready to get started.
My preop intake nurse turned out to be one of my old friends from nursing school. She suggested I get a little hit of "courage juice" (Versed) to chill me out going in, and it worked well. I wasn't stoned, but my nerves calmed very quickly. So that helped with my preop jitters. I have control issues and do not like being the patient
Surgery itself went great. Recovery was a bit of a bear, because I had all this referred back pain from the abdominal inflation. I also had a four-hour wait for a room, which was caused by a computer glitch that was messing with my patient file and making it hard to get me moved. Nobody's fault, but I was ouchy, so my recovery guy just kept giving me morphine. Probably a little more morphine than I needed, to be honest. I also had a lot of nausea, and my blood pressure wasn't cooperating - it was quite high.
So, my recovery patient care tech also happens to be my seventh-grade boyfriend. I love smallish towns! His mom works for my surgeon, too. So he and my hubby and my nurse and my surgeon all got their Patient Advocacy Pants on, and next thing you know I'm in a private room, which is quite a luxury in a temporary post-tornado hospital. It was lovely, and my floor nurses were amazing. I had excellent care, and felt like I was back home again.
I had to have a fair amount of Zofran and even Phenergan IV - but once I was able to get up and walk, I didn't need pain medication at all. My incision sites look great and are healing well. My only big issues were nausea and vomiting (more like dry heaving) and my blood pressure, which finally did resolve enough to let me out under my surgeon's daily supervision. I get to call him every day and he's changing meds as needed.
I'm home now and holding down G2, light whipped yogurt in tiny amounts, and a little broth, plus my meds, so I think I'm doing well. I have five one-inch incisions with two staples each and they really aren't bothering me much. I'm tired and sometimes a little sore, that's all. And this morning, my blood pressure is down to 120/84, lower than it's been in years. I guess we'll see what Dr. H. has to say about that in an hour or so.
Oh, and my scale? Thinks I've already lost over five pounds.
Congrats on your surgery! I was so happy to hear about all the work the surgeon puts into the pre-op preparation. I think a lot of people just don't get enough counselling and aren't really prepared for what is going to happen. How are things going??
Mini-Gastric Bypass Set For May 17
I plan to do a lot of dancing and yoga for the isometrics post-op, and add weights as I recover. I have this fear of losing tons of muscle mass and ending up a lump of body fat in a tent of skin, so as soon as I can breathe, I will be up and moving. 
