Jake397
Upon my arrival at the hospital, I needed to go through a series of tests. I was interviewed by a psychologist, a cardiologist, a nutritionist and the surgeon who reviewed every aspect of my medical history ....as well as the usual blood work, blood pressure and EKG. The surgery was performed on Monday, August 2 from 2:00 pm to a bit after 4:00 pm. Everything went very well. The small hospital (only ten patient rooms) was very clean and the staff was very professional. I think I got better service than when I was in intensive care after my heart surgery in Houston, Texas. The nurses and nurse aids came to check on me every two house round the clock. The first five hours after the surgery were the worst. I guess it should be expected to have a little pain after 80% of your stomach has been removed. The really amazing result of the surgery is a complete loss of appetite. I have not had solid food for over a week and do not feel any hunger. Of course, I can only hold half a cup of anything in my stomach right now. ….and I do get thirsty. The few negatives for the ‘gastric sleeve’ surgery are that I will never again be able to drink anything that contains gas…….coke, beer, champagne and any carbonated beverage. I will be on a total liquid diet for the first week….then advance to more solid foods like oat meal and yogurt for the next few weeks……and, finally to very small portions of solid foods. But, even then I must take care not to eat anything that produces gas in the stomach (like collie flower or broccoli). I must be careful for the first few weeks to not put a strain on my stomach muscles. I cannot lift anything over 20 lbs…. I must walk slowly……take care on getting out of bed….and not climb stairs too fast. There is a big empty hole where my stomach used to be…..it will take time for the other organs to fill in the space. I cannot say enough good things about my surgeon, Dr. Ramos Kelly. He is not your typical proud and distant surgeon. He did everything to make me comfortable and he has a warm and friendly personality. He had me meet his family…his wife is a professional nutritionist who spent over an hour explaining exactly what I must eat… and what foods to avoid. I also must mention that every step of my trip was handled by Trish (who is my concierge). She handled all the little details….making certain that everything was perfect. I think this surgery was the exact proper thing for me to do. I look forward to losing weigh over the next 12 months….and losing as much as 100lbs….which is very do-able. John
