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9/8/07 - Holy Gas Pains Batman

Sep 08, 2007

  Oh My God!  These gas pains are killing me!!!  It's 4 days post-op (yeah, woohoo, surgery was done) and I can't believe I still have these pains.  I walk and I walk and I toot and I toot and nothing!  Well, it gets a little better but still.  I started Gas-X yesterday and it helped but this morning it's back to the same pain.  Why was I not warned of this?  I never remember the surgeon mentioning this!  From what I've gathered though, it's not the same for everyone.  I've had some doubts about having this surgery the past few days.  I know it will all be worth it, but right now it doesn't seem so.  I get these bad pains in my stomach and can't tell if they are gas or bad hunger.  And belching is totally weird and painful now with my new little pouch.  But on the bright side, I don't have much incision pain at all, which I am very, very thankful for.  I started full liquids yesterday, so far it's ok.  I think all will be better when this gas goes away!

9/3/07

Sep 02, 2007

  Well I still don't feel well...big surprise!  We called the surgeon this morning and he said that he would call back tonight between 5 and 6 pm to see how I was feeling.  He also said that if we needed to reschedule it wouldn't be a big deal and there would be no work needed on our part.  Yeah...no big deal except for the fact that I cannot stay on this liquid diet for another week!  OK so the day goes on and the cold is moving more towards my nose which is a good thing.  But then the "evil fat chick"  inside of me rears it's ugly head and says "heeeyyyy...if you put off the surgery you can have a real meal with real, honest-to-goodness food tonight...wouldn't that be super special???"   Well, let me tell you that it took all that I have and all that I am to say...NO...I feel better, let's do this thing.  That was so hard.  So freakin' hard!  Anyhoo...the surgeon said he'll let the anesthesiologist decide tomorrow.  So surgery is at least partially on for tomorrow.

9/2/07

Sep 01, 2007

I woke up feeling soooo sick today.  My husband has a cold and as much as we tried to keep me from getting it...I got it.  I can't believe that it's 2 days before surgery and I got a chest cold.  Of all things...why not a head cold?  Anyway, I felt crappy all day.  We don't even know if Dr. Powers can do the freakin' surgery now!  Well...we'll see how I feel tomorrow and then call him. 

9/1/07

Aug 31, 2007

 Today was a really good day.  I felt good and went shopping at Wal-mart for little containers for after surgery and other stuff that I didn't need.  Probably to keep my mind off of the upcoming surgery.  I think that if I think about it too much I'll start to freak out  so we're just rolling with the punches right now.  When I got home I spent the rest of the day and night lining my kitchen cabinets.  Did this need to be done...no...was it therapeutic...definately!  Just me and my Blaze of Glory CD and we were good to go.

8/31/07

Aug 31, 2007

So much has happened recently.  I started the full liquid diet on 8/28 (Tuesday).  It's going ok.  I'm hungry at times but it is getting better.  Yesterday I didn't even eat everything I was supposed to.  I had my Pre-surgical Testing on 8/29 (Wednesday) which went very well.  Then I had my appointment with my PCP yesterday (8/30 - Thursday).  That went well except while I was waiting the 1 1/2 hours to get into the office it was getting quite warm in the waiting room.  Then a patient was yelling at one of the office workers and the TV was on and people were talking.  It felt overwhelming.  And at that moment I realized that I was getting so frustrated and that to cope with that I would normally start planning my next meal.  But what do you do when you can no longer do that?  So that's a new thing that I need to deal with.  I guess that's one of the reasons I'm having this surgery...to help me figure out why I eat so much.  It sounds so weird when I read that back.  So silly, but when I was in the office it was so real.  Guess I have alot of learning and discovering to do.  Anyway, I called Pre-surgical Testing yesterday to see if they got the Medical Clearance from my PCP.  They did not.  I knew I should've asked my doctor to fill out the form right there and drive it to the hospital myself, but he said everything looked good and he'd have it done that day.  So I figured I had nothing to worry about...yeah, right!  The woman from PST said she would follow up on it the next morning (which is this morning) because "that's her job".  Well my surgeon's office calls this morning because (guess what?) they haven't received the Medical Clearance (shocker!).  So I call my doctor's office and the girl who answers the phone tells me that they're waiting on the blood work.  I said, "No, the doctor had the results yesterday, I saw them."  Anyway, that was a hassle.  I explained that my surgery is on Tuesday and everyone is closed on Monday (Labor Day) and they need the clearance right now.  I finally got someone on the phone, explained the problem and she said she'd take care of it right away.  Well after a few more phone calls, at 1:07 pm the surgeon's office has the clearance!  Hallelujah!!!  So now we wait for the call from the Nurse to find out what time the surgery is on Tuesday.  Oh, and the insurance company called and said they approved the surgery but not the hospital stay.  The surgeon's office assured me that that will not be the case.  Right now, I just want the freakin' surgery.  I don't care what is or what is not covered!  Cut me open and change my life!

P.S: The Nurse called and told me my surgery time is 10:00 am and I'm to be in the lobby at 8:30 am.

8/9/07

Aug 09, 2007

Well the date is set...9/4/07 is my BIG day...hopefully it will be the last day of being BIG.  As I sit here I'm thinking of the things I do and do not expect from this surgery.  I do not think this surgery will a) be a magic bullet b) be the easiest thing I've every done c) be painless d) end all of my eating problems, because part of it is mental.  I do think this surgery will a) give me a wonderful new tool to work with b) make me look at the portion of food I'm eating c) teach me to eat less d) teach me to enjoy food more e) encourage me to exercise.  I'm excited about this surgery.  Am I nervous?  Yes.  Am I hopeful?  Yes.  I read profiles that state people have lost 50 lbs. and profiles that state people have lost 150 lbs.  I want to be the latter.  And I am continuing to tell myself that it's all up to me.  If I want to lose that much I can.  But can I?  What makes me so different from the others that have lost so little?  I'm not sure, really.  But I cannot go thru with this and not be successful.  Why does research state that Lap-Band patients can lose 50% of their excess weight?  Why not 100%?  I don't understand.  The band has got to work for me and I will work for it.  And that is my final answer...

7/14/07

Jul 13, 2007

Well it certainly has been awhile.  All of my pre-op tests are done and all came back normal.  I've since graduated Nursing School and have my date for my state boards which is July 24th.  I got tired of waiting for something to move forward with the surgery.  I had been trying to lose weight to get to below 50 BMI as this is my insurance companies requirement for Lap-Band surgery.  So on Monday, July 9th I picked up the tests from my PCP and my cardiologist and dropped them off at my surgeon's office.  I felt like when I called the surgeon's office I would get rushed off the phone and figured it was harder to brush someone off if they were in front of your face...guess again.  When I got there I was greeted with "Last Name?".  I said, "I'm not here for an appointment, I need to drop off some paperwork and I have a few questions about what else I need for the surgery."  Ms. Personality's answer was, "I can take the paperwork but I can't answer any questions...I'm on lunch."  Sooooo, I called when I got home, got some descent answers about what I was missing and headed to my pulmonologist's office to pick up the remainder of what I needed.  I also went back to my cardiologist's office to have the clearance letter corrected because it said I was having and needed gastric bypass.  (The lesson here...check all letters before leaving any office!)  I headed back to the surgeon's office and this time everyone was super nice (different girls).  Well low and behold I find out that my insurance company has DROPPED the less than 50 BMI requirement and we are on our way.  The PA called me when I got home to tell me that all I needed was a true clearance letter from my cardiologist.  Apparently, the letter he wrote was dependent on a few tests that have been done but were done after he wrote the letter.  So that is our next quest and hopefully our last before getting a date for surgery!

1/25/07

Jan 25, 2007

My consultation went very well I thought.  My husband came with me (he couldn't be anymore supportive...he's the best!).  Dr. Power's is great.    He's so nice and understanding.  I don't love the blonde chick in his office (sorry I don't know her name).  She sped through all of the pre-op requirements so fast that my head was spinning and wouldn't slow down either.  She has terrible listening skills!  I have a ton of pre-op testing to get done which is quite a bit overwhelming.  I just hope I can get pregnant after this surgery (after a few months of course).  I know it's too soon to be thinking about that, but lately I have BABY on the brain.  The good thing is I weighed less than I thought so that was nice.  I'm all over the place right now.  I think getting all of the pre-op stuff done while I finishing my last semester of Nursing School is going to be tough, but I'll give it my all!  I have my first appointment with my PCP on Monday 1/29.  I can't stop reading everyone's profile on here.  I just hope I'm as successful...well time will tell!

12/06/06

Dec 06, 2006

Well I went to the seminar last night.  It was great.  My husband came with me and we met the two surgeons, Dr. Geiss and Dr. Powers.  My husband clicked with Dr. Powers right away and he answered all of our questions after the seminar.  He was so nice and informative.  I feel comfortable with him and will definately choose him as my surgeon.  My next step is to make an appointment.  I have some concerns about quitting smoking and exactly when to have the surgery, but all will be figured out I'm sure.

11/14/06

Nov 14, 2006

I'm going to a WLS seminar on 12/5/06.  That was the soonest available.  I've been thinking about the surgery for a few weeks now.  I'm just starting my journey so I know I have ALOT to learn!  Thank God I have such a wonderful and supportive husband and sister!  I'm a little nervous about the whole thing, but excited as well.  I need something to stop me from eating as much as I do.  And I really think this is the answer.
About Me
Oakland Gardens, NY
Location
52.0
BMI
LAP-BAND
Surgery
09/04/2007
Surgery Date
Nov 14, 2006
Member Since
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9/8/07 - Holy Gas Pains Batman
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