mikes
03/21/05 - First visit with Dr. Macdonald and Staff. Received a very brief (too brief) assessment by the doctor. He did tell me I would be a good candidate for Lap, which was a question I asked. Sent for some testing same day, Chest X-ray, ABG and EKG. To be honest, not even sure what next step is. I suppose they will be contacting me.
04/08/05 - Have begun to take a precscription anxiety medicine to help me deal with these nerves. :)
04/12/05 - Two things today, The anesthesia consult and the nutritionist consult. 149.00 Be ready to pay for that. The anesthesiologist said it was 95 percent I would not need a trach. So that is good news. it was also noted on my chart that I would not need an upper endoscopy.
04/20/05 - Abdomen Ultrasound, not bad at all..Also had to do the Upper GI today (dual contrast). That wasn't too pleasant but is behind me.
04/23/05 - Realized today that my BCBS plan year ends on June 30. This is gonna really suck because there is no way they will have me a surgery date by then. Which means I will end up having to pay 2 Deductibles. Bummer.
05/15/05 - Well, the Cardiac portion is completed after a little scare. The EKG with the treadmill showed something a little strange so they had to do the Thallium injection to rule it out. In the end they said it was a false positive. Good News. So all that is left is the Psyche Consult. I understand there are several ahead of me so it is wait and see time. On a side note, I am having a hard time dealing with this CPAP, which I am kinda new to. Maybe 3 months now. I still hate it and I have come to the conclusion that this surgery would be worth it if only to get rid of my sleep apnea and this damned machine.
06/22/05 - Have not updated in a bit. I have completed the Psyche evaluation and the doctor's office is working on getting all my records and test results together. Next will be decision meeting and insurance submittal. I see all these folks becoming losers and I start getting frustrated at how long this process is taking. I understand now why getting a date is such a BIG deal.
08/26/05 - 285 pounds - Was approved for surgery almost immediately by insurance. Just now got around to updating this profile. I have had my final History and Physical visit. Surgery is scheduled for Sept 9th. Will update again as a loser.
09/21/05 - 263 pounds - Well, I made it. Had surgery on 9/9/05 and am 12 days out with out any signs of trouble. I got my staples out yesterday and was advanced to the soft foods diet. Was getting tired of liquids. Lost 21 pounds so far. Have had no vomiting or upset stomach. One incision site got slightly infected but that was no big deal. I had a pounding headache for about 3 days after surgery but that is long gone too. Feeling better about this as time goes by.
10/06/05 - 253 pounds - I have advanced now to seafood and chicken. The chicken is a little tough to deal with but it is coming along. I am having no difficulty other than a sore abdomen. Docs say it will probably be that way in a certain spot for several weeks. I am down 32 pounds now and walking about 1.5 miles a day. Weight loss is now noticeable and I have gone from a tight 46 inch waist to a comfortable 44. I call that progress. I have yet to experience any hunger.
11/08/05 - 236 pounds - Now eating everything I want to. Have to be careful to chew meat very well. Not eating sweets or drinking carbonated beverages. Almost at the 50 pound mark. Things are going great. My tailbone sure does hurt. I believe I could wear some 42's if I owned any. But I think i will try to hold out for some 40's at Christmas. I get compliments all the time and that is a good feeling. Intimate relations have improved considerably ;)
12/28/05 - 212 pounds - I am doing pretty good these days. Joined the gym and have started working out to see if I can make the most of this "honeymoon" period. Looking forward to 199. Had my blood levels checked recently and everything is in order. Doc told me to try to get more fiber into my diet so working on that. Happy New Year!!
9/9/2007 - 174 pounds - Well that's 2 years under the belt. Today is my 2 year anniversary and i though I would revisit to give a long overdue update in case anyone wants to read this.
It is no big revelation really. I just wanted to let you know that, as of today, I am 24 months out and living normally with no complications. I lost a total of 119 pounds and have gained 5 of that back. I don't do all the things I should still be doing. I drink beer sometimes...sometimes several. I love my coffee. I really don't drink sodas much but I CAN without problem. In fact, there are only a couple things I cannot eat well now. I have become somewhat lactose intolerent. So I don't drink much milk or eat ANY ice cream. I can eat all the cheese I want though. I don't do too well with rice for some reason (feels like pebbles in my pouch)
I guess that is about it as far as stuff I cannot eat. Like I said, I eat alot of stuff I shouldn't. Fried Chicken comes to mind.
I have been lucky to have not experienced any complications. I went from a 48 pants to a 36. From a XXXL shirt to Large and some Mediums. I don't have enough loose skin for Plastic.
A good Surgeon is the KEY in my humble opinion. After that, it's up to you.
Yes, there can be pitfalls but there are alot of us carrying on with life as we had hoped it would be and that deserves reporting along with all the complications you hear about.
Good Luck to you All!!!