One last hurdle before surgery

Today will be my final doctor visit with my local doctor for a preop heart and lung check. Yesterday Joyce and I went to Grinnell for my preanesthesia appointment, a little exercise consultation, and also meeting with Stef, the bariatric coordinator.

Again a very full day. The exercises with the theraband will be great for me to do, especially with the knee bothering me with the weather changes. I am so out of shape I could definitely feel the muscles working. Good deal! They need to work. Then we went on to the hospital for a preadmission appointment. The surgical nurse met with us to go over everything possible about my surgery including how I will be if I have the surgery laparoscopically or if I have it open. She also did my EKG, which was normal whew!, and my blood work. I was suppose to meet with an anesthesiologist but they were both tied up in surgery and I am not really worried about that aspect. I had a chest x-ray. Then we were off to see Ms. Stef.

Finally I saw the one thing I had wanted to do for weeks since I started this starvation process, the scale. There was a new nurse which took us back to the room. Then out to the scale, yes!!!!! I was down 18 pounds since my original visit. This would be my prediet weight, 329 pounds. Yup I put the actually weight down in writing, which boy is really hard for me to do. I have to do this as a definite this is where you are and each time I can see how far I have come.

They will not give me a definite weight loss goal, except for a healthy weight. That is okay. That is why I am doing this. Will I be model weight or even 150 pounds? I don't think so, but I think I will be healthy. I think I will not have to walk in a restuarant and see a chair that I can't sit in and have to find another, or wait an extra 20 minutes for a table because booths are just to iffy. I think I will be able to buy clothes in my own community and not have to drive to a specialty store. (although I am going to look pretty weird for awhile, I have no small clothes in my closet because I had figured I would never get thinner.)

Stef went over the statistics. Dr. Coster has been doing this surgery for 18 years. His training was done by a doctor who was originally trained by the doctor that invented the RNY gastric bypass. He has had 3 deaths that have been reported due with this surgery due to the fact that these people died within 90 days of the surgery. One was a woman who flew 2 months out from surgery developed a blood clot, local doctor treated her for cellulitis; a gentleman who had a heart attack 90 days after the surgery, and a woman who was 780 pounds and was at the University of Iowa given only 2 weeks to live. Her family thought this might be a last saving effort. She died 2 weeks out from surgery. He has a 2% leak ratio, which is extremely below the national average. I knew most of this going into the first appointment as I had been trying to figure out where I wanted to go. The other thing that really brought me to this man is that he has a very strong faith. He actually had a degree in theology and was thinking of ministry but felt his calling to be surgery.

Any way signed my consent, paid the remainder of my out-of-pocket to them, and we came home. Joyce is an angel, she listens to me rattle on, I am sure she must be bored out of her mind.

So today I go see Lark, then the count down, and waiting. I have enough to do that the time will fly by.

Oh yes the MIL issue....I am not getting involved....I feel bad....but I need to be calm and relaxed before my surgery....this time I am using self preservation and thinking of me.