Getting Ready for Gastric Bypass - A New Beginning!!

October 25, 2009
This thyme (time - my kids didn't get the play on words) last year I was sick - I was morbidly obese, had recently been diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and at 38 was on more medication than my 97 year old grandmother. My grandmother is a great example to me. Although she has been 'dying' for the last 20 years, or so she has been telling us, she has lived a long and healthy life. I on the other hand had just been put on a C-PAP machine because sleep testing had discovered I stopped breathing 77 times an hour every night ("sleep apnea") and had been for many many years. I was a mess. My doctors sat me down and discussed my options. They were few. Unless I took charge of my health they gave me as few as 5 years to live. I was devastated!

As a mother of 6 young children and with a wonderfully loving husband I had a life worth living. I set about learning what I needed to do to become a healthier person and to start living life. Up to this point I wouldn't say that I had been living life. I had been existing. Everyone has their own trials they need to overcome, I don't think mine are any harder, they just belong to me. After much prayer and research I decided that Gastric Bypass was what I needed to help me become healthy and get my life back.

I made an appointment with my doctor and he agreed that GB would be a good option for me. I put myself on a waiting list through my insurance company, knowing this could take up to 6 months just to start the process, I did what I could on my own to get a head start.

This blog will give you a 100% honest account of what I went through on my journey toward a healthier life - no dancing around - it's brutal honesty. So once I started my wait for GB I began and shortly after gave up on Nutri-System and Medifast and then just gave up all together. I stuck with my C-PAP because honestly I felt better when I used it. I stopped waking up with headaches and felt like I had more energy, but other than that any goals I set for myself soon fell by the wayside and I was back to the old me - just existing. I exercised now and then but all my eggs were in the GB basket and I waited anxiously for the phone call to come. It took eight months but eventually it came.

CLASSES

I have insurance through Kaiser Permanente. Say what you will, but I've loved it. My process began with physicals and a psychiatric evaluation to make sure I was healthy enough and mentally prepared for GB. Thankfully I have never smoked or drank so that made my process much easier. I was then signed up for some classes to prepare me for the GB experience.

Honestly, I thought this was a waste of my time. I just wanted the surgery and figured this was a way for Kaiser to get some money out of me. I was wrong. I loved the classes. They were very helpful and whether you go through Kaiser or another process if you are offered classes I would take them. There is so much people don't understand about GB. This is not the easy road to weight loss. Anyone who has been through the experience can tell you that. There are many difficult changes to your life you will have to make before and after surgery. Many changes will last throughout your lifetime. There are those who will take the classes and realize that GB is not the right choice for them, and that is OK! This is not a fix-all for everyone. The classes are there to help you decide if this will work for you, to help you understand the choice you are about to make and the life long impact it will have on you. Make sure you go to each and every class. Besides the information you gain, you will make life long friends. I did, her name is Lindsay. She understood me, she was going through the same things I was going through, felt the same things I did, she has become a close friend and a huge support to me during the really hard times everyone goes through during this process. I also am able to be there for her, to help and support her, it's a great feeling to love and be there for someone who is going through something that so closely mirrors what you are feeling and going through too. My advice for classes: speak up, get to know the other members in your class. Exchange phone numbers and e-mail address with them. They know what you're going through better than anyone else because they are going through it. Let them in your life, you won't regret it!!

SUPPORT

It is essential! I was lucky to find Lindsay in my GB prep class, I was also really lucky to reconnect with my High School boyfriend! Strange, but only a few months ago we found each other on Facebook, his name is Chad and he had his GB surgery 4 months ago. How lucky am I! He has been a huge help in letting me know what he went through and what to expect. It makes the whole experience a lot less scary. He's given me some great advice that I will pass on and has promised to send some recipes that I will share here on my blog, because we all know that good food is what it's all about after you get to eat again after surgery.

I have a huge testimony that our Heavenly Father loves each of us and know that he has given me these two great friends to help me though this experience. I also have a great family support. My husband is completely supportive, although he was concerned with the "what if you die" thing. I don't blame him though. It would not be fun to be a 37 year old widower with 6 kids. James (my sweetheart) did go with me to all my doctor appointments so he was able to ask all his questions, I think that helped to calm his fears. Now, as I write this, hours before my GB surgery, he is as excited as I am! We have also been completely honest with our kids. I have 15 and 12 year old girls and 10, 9, 7 and 6 year old boys. They know about the surgery and that it will make mommy feel healthier and lose weight. I have been surprised at how excited they are. They have been constantly telling me all the fun things they are looking forward to doing once mom "is skinny". It's fun for me too!!

Some people may choose not to tell others that they are having GB surgery and that is a choice that they will make, I on the other hand have chosen to tell everyone. Literally everyone. I figure that people are going to realize I am losing weight fast and I would rather tell them in advance than start answering all the questions when they arise. So everyone knows. I personally haven't had anyone say anything negative toward me. Everyone has been really supportive. There are those out there that think GB surgery is taking the easy road. They obviously haven't known anyone whose had the surgery. It takes a lot of work and dedication to a very strict program. It is as much as a diet as anything else out there. As I've told people I have also gained a lot of supporters and cheerleaders. I feel surrounded my "Sherpas" - this is a term that Kaiser uses to describe the people you have around you to help support you during your preparation, surgery and recovery. Right now, I feel strong and ready to succeed!

GASTRIC BYPASS VS. LAP BAND

This is a personal and medical decision. Mostly it's made by you, but sometimes the surgeon may decide that the lap band would be better because of age or significant health problems. Both help you lose weight. Some think the Lap Band is a temporary fix - it isn't - once the lap band is placed in you, it's as permanent as GBS (Gastric Bypass Surgery). It doesn't come back out unless there is a serious medical complication. I choose GBS for several reasons -
1. The weight loss is 30 - 40% vs. 20 -30% with Lap Band
2. Weight loss takes 12 - 18 months vs. 18 months - 5 years with Lap Band
3. With Lap Band you need to go in continually for "fills" by your doctor, vs. GBS, once it's
done, it's done.
4. Complications with GBS vs. Lap Band were not significant enough to outweigh the benefits in
my opinion.

HERE WE GO.........

October 30, 2009
It's down to the wire, my surgery is on November 2nd - that's only 3 days from now!!! I'm just starting to feel nervous. I weighed myself this morning - I'm 306. That was tough to write. I've always had a really hard time admitting to my weight. I've been very embarrassed by my weight gain. I started putting on weight after being abducted and raped when I was 11. The man who raped me said it was my fault because "I was so pretty". I think I tried after that to not look so pretty. (I hope you don't feel uncomfortable with this - I said this would be an honest blog). I was raped again when I was 16 by a family friend, I think these incidents attributed to my weight gain, but the 100 lbs I gained with my 1st baby didn't help either. I was on bed rest with my first two babies and my OB/GYN said the weight would be easy to loose after the babies came. He was a Man! Over the years the weight steadily came on and due to depression and anxiety it was hard to take off. I am blessed to have a loving and supportive husband who loved me unconditionally, always told me I was gorgeous and made be feel sexy and wanted. I love him.

I started my 3 days of clear, sugar free, liquid fast today. It was hard. I made it a lot harder than it should have been I think. For anyone out there thinking of GB I hope my experiences will make your GB surgery easier. First off the thought of eating jell-o and broth was gross so I put off eating. That was a mistake. It just made me grumpy. My poor husband and kids took the brunt of that. I did stay out of the kitchen. James made dinner, he made sausage and egg sandwiches and the smell of the sausage permeated the house, so that was miserable, make sure any food in the house doesn't smell good or lock yourself up in your bedroom, that's what I ended up doing. There are also tons of food commercials so watch your Tivo so you can flip through the commercial or watch movies. One day down, only two more to go:(

October 31, 2009
Day two on my liquid diet - today was much better! I started to drink as soon as I got up, I had some jell-o and soon after some beef broth. I liked it much better than the chicken broth I had yesterday. The beef broth also has a lot more protein so it keeps you fuller longer. I drank regularly throughout the day and that kept me going pretty well. I had some hunger pains but so much better than yesterday! I started to feel a little weak tonight but that's to be expected. I felt well enough to go to my parents house. I live 15 minuets from them and my brother and sister and their families came and the kids went trick-or-treating. The hard part was the pizza my parents ordered for dinner. I though I might have to go hide in a back bedroom, but my broth filled me up and I did okay. I was proud of myself - I decided I needed to get used to eating differently that the others. We go over to my parents for dinner every Saturday night and I'm going to have to start bringing my own meals for awhile. After the surgery I won't have the hunger pains but I will be eating differently. We learned in our classes that cravings can still come to you from your mind, not your tummy. I can understand that.

Before I started this fast I went through a 'good-bye' process with food. I picked my favorite foods and over the last month ate my last meals and literally said good-bye to them. I think this was a healthy thing to do. I've researched people who didn't go through a mourning process with food and had a much harder time after surgery. We had a big snow storm for the 3 days leading up to my fast and I didn't get to my last 3 foods, I wonder if I may still crave those for awhile.

The reason you fast before your surgery isn't to empty your bowels, although you should stay close to the bathroom during this time;) - it's to shrink your liver, it's a heavy organ and they need to move it during the surgery and your intestines are covered with a membrane that will become more stretchy after your fast.

Today has been a very good day, much better than I though it would be, only one day left:)!!