Surgery Complete!

Well, yesterday was the big day and all went really, really well. We arrived at the hospital a little before 6:00AM and it wasn't very long until they took us back to the pre-op area. The pre-op nurse, Ally, was super nice. We told her about the horrible experiences that Chris has had in the past with IVs and she promised that she would look, and if she didn't see a vein that she thought she could get, we would wait for the anesthesiologist. She checked his arm, found a vein in his hand that she really liked and...one shot...she had an IV! That was awesome...that in itself was Chris' biggest worry of the whole thing! She had to shave his belly, he got a patch behind his ear for nausea (which we actually did good and remembered to remove it this morning when we got up, as instructed). He had a pepcid, a shot of blood thinner (to help prevent blood clots) and an antibiotic in his IV. We met his anesthesiologist, the nurse anesthetist and assistant and the OR Nurse. Dr. Strickland made a quick visit and shook our hands...we really, really like him. At about 8:00 they gave him a "happy shot" in his IV and rolled him off to surgery at 8:03.

By 8:55 my pager went off and they took me back to the consultation room to wait for Dr. Strickland. He came in and let me know that everything went perfect. I asked him if Chris had a liver to be envious of and he said yes, everything looked very healthy. He was indicating that I could go ahead and find out what room he would be sent to and I reminded him that we were self-pay and therefore not expected to spend the night. He was glad I reminded him! He said Chris would spend about an hour in recovery and then they would call for me once he was moved to the observation area. It actually was at least about an hour and half when they paged me...Chris said he was ready to move in about an hour but his recovery nurse had another patient coming out of surgery that she was waiting for before she could move him. Anyway, when I got back to the observation room, he had a team of about 3 nurses trying to figure out how to get his leg "massages" to work. They finally got that figured out...his nurse in observation was just wonderful! Super nice lady and she took the time to explain things to us better than anyone ever did during all the surgeries that we both went through back in 2006. She was very clear about what we should and/or shouldn't do when we get home, things to watch for and be weary of, how to contact the surgeons if anything was questionable...just very thorough. And she was a big animal lover so she was perfect for us! LOL But...he did really great. She had him eat 3 oz. of ice chips, we got him up and walking (which she really just praised him at how wonderful he was doing, that most patients don't get up and walking as soon as he did or as well as he did). He just kept going down the hall and she was thrilled...she had to tell the other nurses how far he walked when we got back to the room. Guess she just didn't realize that was really because he wanted to do whatever he had to do to go home! LOL I think they had a minimum requirement of 2 hours to hold him for observation and that was all used. By about 12:45 we had his dressed, his IV was out, he had met all of his requirements for observation and we were ready to go. At 1:00 I went down and got the truck, pulled around to patient pick-up and we were out of there! We went by the CVS drive thru and dropped off his prescription for pain pills and went through the Sonic's drive-thru and got a bag of ice (we knew that would be perfect for him to munch on). I got him home, set-up in the recliner with his CPA machine (sleep apnea) and once he was asleep, I ran back up to CVS and got his prescription...and...I made a quick run to Subway. (I did not eat supper Wednesday night and by the time he went to surgery, I was about sick with hunger. I did get 1/2 a multi-grain bagel with some cream cheese down if the cafeteria...so...by now...2:30...I was getting hungry!). So...when I got back to the house, I guess the dogs woke him up. He took the CPAP off and said it was really drying him out. But...he went right back to sleep so I sat in the kitchen and had my subway sandwich. Sneaky, sneaky. (He did ask me last night when we went to bed if I ever did eat anything.) So...the rest of the afternoon and evening went very well. He really slept most of the time. I did make sure that I got him up a few times to walk around (blood clots)...once even out to the mail box. And I made sure he was eating the ice too..although he really did not have as much as he should have.

So far this morning he has sipped on some water, taken his AM meds and ate a Sugar Free Jello. No problems. He is in the recliner now...1/2 watching a movie and 1/2 sleeping. I am going to go get him up and get him into the shower. His instructions were to bath after 24 hours, washing the wounds with anti-bacterial soap and put on fresh bandages (large band-aids). I changed one band-aid as we went to bed last night because it had a larger spot of blood on it than the others. The would looks weird...small cut with two staples in it...but it looked good...no redness. We will be on high alert for infections after the ordeal he had two years ago with MRSA. I think the nurses thought I was funny at the hospital...every chance I got I was rubbing his hands and arms with the anti-bacterial "gel" that they have in each room. I'm not taking any chances!!!!

So...as of now...everything is really good. I'm not sure when his hunger will kick in but I know it is coming. We were told to expect him to feel hungry during this first 6 weeks until he can have his first adjustment. Week One...all liquids (water, broth, sugar free beverages - NO SODAS for a year -, sugar free Popsicle, sugar free jello, liquid protein drinks, etc. He has to try to get in 40g of Protein per day. Week Two and Three...he can add runny mashed potatoes, runny grits, low fat cream soups, etc. Week Four and Five...add canned chicken and tuna (soft meats) and any food that we would want to puree. Week Six begins lifetime maintenance...he can eat what he wants which will be an experiment to see if there are foods that he cannot tolerate. Also, this is where it is important to remember, the choices that you make in your food means everything! Healthy food...not junk food.

Okay...I have seen his wounds now and posted a photo to this blog entry. One is bigger than I expected. I think that is where they put the port, where they will insert the saline when they adjust/tighten the band (lower right abdomen). I think we counted 17 staples. The staples are a little freaky...I think I prefer stitches...

Until next time...

The Big Day is Almost Here!

Okay, surgery is the day after tomorrow. Wow...finally getting there. I have to say that it seems like we have been building up to this day for an awful long time!

Monday afternoon we met with the surgeon, Dr. Strickland, for the last pre-op appointment. Chris' official weigh-in was 299. He has lost 22 lbs. on the pre-op high protein diet! Dr. Strickland was VERY pleased with his results. He looked over the results from the blood work that Chris had done earlier this month at the hospital and was pleased with all of those results as well. Chris discussed Gout with him. He came down with a terrible case of what we have been told is the gout late last week...even missed a day of work which is just absolutely unheard of for Chris! The doc said it is common with the high protein, most often after surgery. He was concerned that it might get worse so he told Chris to go ahead and back off of the high protein...we are close enough to surgery not to worry about it, the liver should be super skinny! LOL Chris told him that he has come to far to back off now...Dr. Strickland laughed and said "we have created a monster." :) Chris asked him about when he would be able to bowl...we had planned he would miss this Friday...obviously...and next Friday. Doc said that should be fine, he should be ready to go by then.

We asked the doc about the complication of SO many pills that Chris has to swallow every morning and every night. He said to cut the big pills in half but that everything should be just fine. He explained that the opening will be about the size of a quarter for now...and the pouch is the size of a golf ball...just don't take so many at one time that you would fill the pouch up. So...I guess until we can reduce some of these meds, he will just take one at a time while he sips on his clear liquids! Hopefully the amount of meds will be decreasing...that's the goal here!

So...we have had calls and emails from lots of friends letting us know that they are all thinking of us and praying for Chris. I know everything will be just fine...the worry wart in me wants to kick-in every once in a while but I am fighting it off bravely. Too far gone to start worrying now! It is in God's hands and we have no control at this point. We have the utmost faith in this doctors, the whole outfit just seems to be super outstanding. They are a certified center of excellence for bariatrics so what more could we ask for!

We are scheduled to be at the hospital at 7AM Thursday morning and surgery is set for 11:10. Dr. Strickland indicated that he thought we would go into surgery early but I am not counting on it...I have learned to expect surgery to be later, not earlier. So...I guess my next post will be post-surgery. Stay tuned!!!!!

It is only what you make of it

We had a phone call earlier this week from my brother and his wife. She had her Lap Band surgery on August 25th. When we fist spoke with her a few days after surgery she was doing really well...not hungry, etc. As of now it seems she is eating anything that she wants...including a burrito and re fried beans! I am somewhat concerned that maybe she has not received the full extent of counseling that Chris has received. The number one thing that comes to my mind is something that I have heard the dietitian, Emily, say at least 3 or 4 times...Just because you CAN eat something doesn't mean that you SHOULD. We have been told 1,000,0001 times that this is not a miracle...this is a tool to help you. You still have to do your part. Okay, so if Janice can manage to eat more than she should be eating right now, why is she not eating grilled chicken and vegetables...or salad...or something much healthier than a burrito and re fried beans?!?!? You have to fix your mind...there is nothing that anyone can do to help you with the mental aspect of it...that is all up to you. You have to want it bad enough. I am not saying you can never go have a burrito again...but three weeks after surgery when you are still supposed to be on mushy, creamy foods?!?!? I have said before that this is a concern of mine for Chris...the mental aspect of it...and the ability to sustain that mental determination for the long run. This is for the rest of your life. One advantage that I think Chris might have is the fact that he has so many health issues...that is our goal. We want the diabetes to go away, the blood pressure, the high cholesterol, the high triglycerides, etc.

By the way, Chris has already seen an improvement in this blood pressure. He had several appts. at the hospital this past Friday for pre-op stuff. They did an EKG, an ultrasound of his legs and and ultrasound of his carotid artery. The ultrasound of the legs is so that if he has pain in his legs after surgery and they suspect a blood clot, they can do another ultrasound and have something to compare it to. Interesting... So, no more appointments until Monday the 22nd. That is when we meet with the surgeon for the last time prior to surgery on the 25th. We have a list of things that we need to get together for the hospital so I'll be working on that this week and next weekend I guess.

We went to GNC yesterday and picked up some of the liquid protein drinks that he will need after surgery. Wow...they are pricey. We also got a liquid multi-vitamin...again, expensive. I will continue to do some more on-line searches to see what we can find at better prices since this will be a life-long expenditure.

PS: As an after thought to the way I started today's blog, talking about just because you can eat something it doesn't' mean that you should. In the support groups they have talked about people who "out eat" the band and/or try to push it to see what they can get away with eating without getting sick. WHY??? What is the point in doing all of this if you don't plan to change anything about your eating habits? One example was a guy who was just having a fit to have something sweet so...he went to McDonald's for a Vanilla Shake. Okay, they might not be so bad if you drink about 1/4 of it and toss the rest. Nope...he took the shake home and put it in the blender...with a twinkie AND a Reece's Peanut Butter Cup!!!! Why, why, why would you do something to blatantly stupid. I'm sorry, Chris and I are both fat but it is not from nonsense like that! Good Lord people!!!!!

Moving right along...

(WOW...how about that 1984 photo!)

Sorry I have not posted in so long. Sometimes it seems that life gets so busy that I just can't keep up!

Chris' surgery date was rescheduled. It now will be Thursday, September 25th (11:10am). He has a couple of appointments this week for some different tests and registration issues at the hospital. Then we meet with the surgeon on the Monday prior to surgery.

I have to say that the protein shakes are SO much better than either of us thought they would be. We bought American Standard (whey) at GNC, Extreme Vanilla. Chris favorite way to flavor the shakes is with the individual Crystal Lite flavor packs. He likes the Sunrise Orange in the morning and usually has Fruit Punch for lunch. In addition to the two protein shakes a day, we (okay, I) fix dinner at home each night...a grilled meat, grilled vegetables or a salad, one starch. Chris' new best friend is sugar free popsicles. He can have all he wants and that makes a nice "tv snack" for him. I am not doing the protein shakes...I did that for one week and where Chris lost 10 lbs., I lost nothing! So, I am tyring to follow more of a Weight Watchers diet. It worked very well for me a few years ago so I am counting on it to work again! Now, after 3 weeks, I think the shakes are become more of a struggle for Chris. I am trying to encourage him to keep focus because we have been told that the last 2 weeks before surgery are the most crucial for the high protein/low fat/low card diet. It is, I am sure I mentioned before, to shrink the liver. In class they illustrated how the liver lays right across the part of the stomach that they have to work on. If the liver is a "fatty liver," it is brittle and they can cause damage to it. They have actually sent people back home and told them to reschedule after they complete the required time on the pre-op diet. I sure don't want that to happen!

We attended a class last Tuesday (September 2nd) in which they discussed more information about what to expect the day of surgery and they discussed the "meal plan" for post surgery. I wish I had the information in front of me to share some of it but Chris has it in a notebook/binder riding around in his truck! The first week post-op will be all liquids. Week two and three are puried foods (that does not sound good), low-fat cream soups, watered down mashed potatoes, water grits, etc. From there it is hard for me to remember the different steps. By week 6 he will be eating "real food" but in VERY limited amounts. The goal is to get to the point where he can eat about 1 cup of food per meal, 3 meals per day. That should be the max he ever reaches. If he gets to the point that he can eat more than that it is a signal that he needs an adjustement (they insert saline into the band to tighten it around the stomach). There is a specific requirment for the amount of protein that he has to consume (forever and ever) and most people will not eat the right amount so he will need to drink his protein...either in the form of the shakes or they have some "flavored water" I'll call it with protein in it. They gave us taste samples in the class for a couple different drinks and a protein "jello." They were all actually very good.

My hope and prayers are that Chris will be able to keep his focus, really for the rest of his life, and not forget why we are doing this. This is for his health. It has nothing to do with weight loss or looks, the weight loss is just a great benefit of the deal. I want for him to remember to make good food choices, pick the healthy stuff 9 times out of 10 and save the "good stuff" as special treats once every blue moon. It will be a hard road and I ask for lots of support from all of you...please issue reminders to either of us along the way if we don't seem to be doing the right thing. I hope the fact that we had to pay for this without the benefit of insurance will be a good "push" for him to continue doing the right thing.

So...until then, thank you so much for your support! It means a lot and we will need it for some time to come!

We have a Surgery Date!!

Whew, whew....this is finally real, we have a surgery date. September 24, 2008 at 10:40AM.

Chris had an appointment at 9:00 this morning with the Pre-Op dietitian, Emily. She was cool. She went over the pre-op diet...which is pretty simple. A protein shake for breakfast, a protein shake for lunch and a sensible meal for dinner...and yes, she outlined what is sensible. And it is. She actually had some great ideas for flavoring the protein shakes...sugar free - fat free jello pudding mix. Just mix whatever flavor you want into a vanilla protein mix (made with water). It will not only flavor it but will also give it more of a texture like a milkshake. Drinking that many protein shakes over the next few weeks...and likely in part for a long time...we will be experimenting for sure. There are strict guidelines for the nutritional guide on the protein mix so we will be visiting GNC this weekend. If I calculate correctly, we can start the pre-op diet this coming Monday and that will give him/us 5 1/2 weeks on the pre-op diet. Emily said it is ideal for 3-6 weeks so that should work out just right.

From Emily's office we were ushered over to the business office where we forked over all of our money! Seemed really strange writing that large of a check!!! But I feel SO blessed that we were able to come up with that money relatively easily and did not drain our savings. Chris signed the contract which confirmed everything included in the monies that we paid. They have been telling us that with the Lap Band he will in all likely hood go home that same day...day surgery if you will. I noticed that the contract indicated that the monies included up to 23 hours at the hospital. When I questioned that, they indicated that you are kept for observation for up to 23 hours...but you are not admitted to the hospital. Wonder where they stick you for that long?!?!? I'll have to remember to bring a book and some magazines for Chris. And lots of antibacterial gel....hospital germs...

Getting the surgery date was next. The girl that usually does that was on vacation. We originally thought we were going to get September 3rd as the date but she started mumbling something about the regular girl has been trying to reschedule the time for some surgeries that day, etc. Come to find out, that day was just about booked up. So...the next week the doctor is on vacation...the next week Chris had something that interfered and, we ended up with September 24th. Yay! :)

We will be contacted at some point concerning a class that we need to attend...well HAVE to attend. They will review in great detail the Stages of food consumption for post-op. The paperwork that they gave us today has all of the information in it but they require that you meet with the dietitian (Emily again). We will have the opportunity to meet other people, get their contact information, etc. Everyone there will be in the same boat as Chris...preparing for the Lap Band surgery.

I am going to try to "play along" to the absolute best of my ability. I asked Emily if she thought it would be okay for me to do that and she said absolutely. I do have an appt. with my doctor later this month so I will discuss it with her but I am sure it will be just fine. Hopefully I won't feel starved all the time!

So...we are on our way! Will post more as we get any new information! Thanks to everyone for all of your support!!!!

Some Good News

Chris finally got confirmation back from his doctor that his echocardiogram (spelling?) a couple of weeks ago came back normal! Yay! That is a huge relief...I was really worried about it since they have not been able to figure out why his legs stay swollen even with the "water pills." It's nice to get some positive news in the medical arena for a change!

PS: Having trouble uploading a photo this evening so will have to try again later! :)

We are Making Progress

Okay, the missing money from my 401K account finally showed up. Apparently HR forgot to put a stamp on the envelope when they mailed it so it was returned to them by the post office. Someone then had the good sense to just send it to me via our inter-office mail courier.

Chris finally got a call back from the surgeons office, I think it was on Monday of this week. He has an appointment set for August 14th. We will first meet with the dietitian to review the pre-surgery diet. Then it is on to the financial office to review the contract and hand over our money. They did confirm that the doctor's notes indicate he does not need the filter so that saves us $4,800 and keeps us just under $14,000 for the cost of the surgery. After the monies are settled, he will be given his surgery date. Yay! I am guessing mid-September at this point.

Hopefully from now until his appointment on August 14th it will be smooth sailing so I might not have anything to post until then! By then, I will be the big 4o!!!! WOW. What happened to 18?!?!?! LOL

Thank you to everyone for all of your support through this process. We have a long road ahead but I am predicting it to be VERY worth while!