Our surgeon does botox?

I was shocked to see a sign for "a different kind of adjustment" when I was at the doctor's office Monday. It turns out that our surgeon and one other doctor are both doing botox injections! I was actually shocked by this, but Alex didn't seem phased by it.

I guess it just makes me take her a bit less seriously. I'm surprised the NYU Program would go for that in terms of professional reputation. What do you guys think?

Alex is out of surgery and all went well!

I'm happy to say Alex is doing well. He was really out of it when I saw him in the anesthesia recovery unit, but he was okay. His biggest complaint was the pain in his shoulder. That hit me when I woke up too, but they've got him on a morphine drip.

I've also already been to the pharmacy to pick up his hydrocodone for tomorrow.

I'll be back to see him later today. I was surprised that visiting hours are only from 2 to 8pm at NYU (Tisch Hospital). Right now, he hasn't been assigned a room yet.

He also had a hiatal hernia repaired in addition to having the lap-band put in.

The most motivating thing was that they weighed him right before surgery, and he ended up losing 25 pounds in his two week pre-op liquid diet. Shocking and impressive!

Post-Op Follow Up with Surgeon

So today was my one-week, post-op follow up with my surgeon at NYU. First was the esophagram which was fine and then the appointment with my surgeon.

When I saw the surgeon present at the orientation, and when we talked to her briefly afterward, she seemed fine. She also seemed fine when I had my pre-op appointment with her.

However, I did take note in my pre-op visit when she asked me to remind her later where she was suggesting putting the port (It's different for me since I'll want to get pregnant later).

I guess I assumed I had a file for that kind of info.

I tried to just forget when she asked me immediately before surgery to remind her how she had said she was going to do the surgery (as in the placement of the incisions). I asked her if she was kidding, but she just asked the question again. So no, she wasn't kidding. Again, don't I have a file with that info?!?

So all of that I was able to forget about. However, today, I was definitely put off. I had a few concerns and she just rushed through them and cut me off when I was trying to talk. I thought through it again because I was cranky, but I stand by my position on this. Her bedside manner is LAME. Plus she never seems to remember me. Of course, that's a common thing with doctors.

I was most irritated when she kept poking the incision over my port trying to prove a point about where the port is. First of all, I know that's where the port is. Second of all she could tell me instead of poking around the incision. I asked her three times to stop because it hurt, and she just said I'm trying to show you where the port is.

DUH!

Anyway, I didn't get much help with the pain I've been having in my stomach. Finally, I got her to suggest Prilosec. Originally, she just said it's impossible that I'm having heartburn.

BUT, the x-rays were fine and I'm doing fine physically...now I just have to figure out what's up with all my anxiety!

Can't wait until Saturday

This week just sucks. How's that for a positive attitude?

Was rather emotional after my appointment with my surgeon today, so I ended up taking the day off. I think I'm just all messed up with not eating. I cannot WAIT until Saturday when I can eat at least mush. This thin liquids diet is killing me.

It's not temptation or anything, it's mostly just how i feel. At first i was high energy before the surgery but I feel like I need some sustenance to feel better. arg.

Can I just sleep until Saturday? That'd be ideal.

I've already been thinking about what I can eat this weekend. Hummus, egg salad, Greek yogurt, pudding, and more. That's just off the top of my head. I can eat anything that I can put in the food processor and make into a smooth texture.

I'll still be good calorie-wise, but I'm definitely going to be experimenting!

More on my appointment with my surgeon in another post...

Another not-great day

Today was another difficult day. I hope this is the hardest part because this week has been difficult. Today I was just in the same bad mood from yesterday, and i had a knot in my stomach all day.

Tightness around the port/diaphragm; it felt like the fluid wouldn't go down -- but it did. Then later in the day I got the worst heartburn and the incisions felt hot again and I wasn't as mobile as usual.

At that point I was done with my meetings at work, so I just packed it in for the day and came home and slept.

I feel better now. I have an appointment with the surgeon in the morning as well as another esophagram to check on the band. Not looking forward to that commute over to NYU however!

An inspiring quote

Just came across this great quote on a message board today and thought I'd share.

"I will view this band like I do my wedding rings. It is my commitment to losing the excess weight and living the rest of my life in ONEderland."

Love it!

Weight Loss Goals

Just added some weight loss goals to the side panel on the right.
So I can consistently keep track of where I am and where I'm headed...

Small goals are attainable, and I've already got one crossed off the list. Yay! For the foreseeable future, I'm most eager to reach the 40 lb goal as that'll get me into a bunch of clothes that haven't fit for a while.

I'm happy with the 2009 goals. Though I think my 2010 goals may be too ambitious, so I reserve the right to adjust those come next year!

15 pounds lost
by surgery date (8/4/09)

25 pounds lost
by end of post-op diet (8/25/09)

40 pounds lost
by bridal shower (9/26/09)

50 pounds lost
by 35th birthday (10/16/09)

60 pounds lost
by wedding! (11/7/09)

75 pounds lost
by New Years 2009

85 pounds lost
by honeymoon (Feb 2010)

100 pounds lost
by TESOL (3/23/10)

110 pounds lost
by June 2010

125 pounds lost
GOAL!
by Aug 2010

I've been using visualization techniques and these small goals are useful for that as I can see myself and how I'll be at each stage of weight loss.

I should put pics of myself at each of those weights over the years as an extra added bonus! Except this time I'll be moving forward...

Post Op Recovery has been a series of TV Marathons

I rented a handful of movies, but instead post op recovery has been a series of TV marathons. First Monk, then In Plain Sight (which i hadn't watched before, but like), NCIS, and now Law & Order Criminal Intent. Looks like we've basically just stayed put on the USA network.

The TV is fine and I'm not overly tempted by the food commercials as I don't have much of an appetite, but I must admit I'm bored. (I've been at home for five days!) And being bored does make me want to munch, out of lack of anything to do rather than anything else. What I'd really love are some nuts or popcorn or chips.

Mom left this morning, I slept half the day, and I'm back to the computer and TV.

Physically, I feel fine even without any of the hydrocodone they prescribed me. I've surprised myself that I do get tired when we went on walks with the dogs this weekend. So my stamina isn't back yet, but I'm not in pain at all. The gas pretty much was gone after the first day (That was worst in the hospital). I had some soreness into day two and since then the only bother has been a little bit of heartburn. I have a twinge here and there at the incision site if I overdo it but otherwise I'm all good. Just waiting for my full on energy to come back.

Tomorrow I have my daily commute which involves a walk and stairs on both ends on the subway, so we'll see how that goes. Definitely taking the local train rather than the express so that I can be sure and get a seat, plus, less stairs.

My Lap-Band Procedure

So I had my Lap-Band put in yesterday, and so far it's a success! These pics are of me in the hospital afterwards.

As I've mentioned it was through NYU's Program for Surgical Weight Loss. I had an appointment to be at Tisch Hospital at 6am, and my surgery was at 7.30 a.m.

It was a bit weird because I actually walked into the operating room rather than being wheeled in. Mostly, I was super excited beforehand. The only thing that made me even slightly nervous was all the people in the OR and the medical student who asked if he could observe.

I wasn't entirely comfortable with that, but I said okay.

And I do have a weird thing about the IV in my hand, and it didn't help that they had trouble getting the needle in. The last thing I remember before surgery was saying "no, no, no" and shaking my head as they tried to get the IV in, but the IV had the medication so that kicked in pretty quickly.

Then I woke up with some pain from the gas they pump in for the surgery. One of the doctors said some of my pain was likely from a bundle of nerves that were probably disturbed near the where the lap-band was placed. (NOTE: The surgeon strongly disagreed with the other doctor's assessment when I had my check up...)

That secondary pain has lessened a lot. I'm also pretty horse from the tubing they put down my throat. My stomach isn't very sore in general.

But I was up walking around after a few hours and can get up and down on my own. I'm probably one of the few people who would've preferred to stay in the hospital. The bed was just easier to maneuver. But I could've gone home as early as 4pm that day since things went so well. Instead I opted to leave around 8pm.

I've mostly been sleeping since I got home.

More later.

One more day!

It's Sunday night so only one more day until my surgery!

I really really wish I didn't have to work tomorrow, but I do. However, I have the rest of the week off after that. I did agree to work from home Thursday and Friday if I feel up to it. At least just to check in on email.

I'm partially looking forward to this week because I get to stay home! I won't be having a proper vacation for a while, so I'll take what I can get. Everyone at work is taking vacations, and after the last few very hectic weeks at work, I'm happy to have the down time. I know I wont feel the same way post-surgery when I'm in pain and bored though.

As for today, I'm just trying to get stuff done before surgery. It rained today and that seems to have been all the excuse I needed not to do a bunch of stuff!

After surgery I wont be able to lift more than 10 pounds for more than a month as at least one of the incisions will cut through the muscle (to get the lap-band and port in place), so I had wanted to refinish a table but it rained.

Originally I was told that I could call Friday to find out my surgery time, but that was incorrect. I have to call after work Monday night to get the time. So I'll email friends and fam then with details.

I've just been rereading my surgical materials this weekend. On Tuesday I can't have any fluids or solids after midnight. Then I'll begin the thin liquids diet for 10 days. At least two protein shakes a day after the first day or two.

The countdown has begun!

Pre-op doctors appointments are finally a thing of the past

I can officially now say I've completed all of my pre-op requirements in regards to doctors appointments! Hallelujah!

As I mentioned in my last post, I squeezed in two appointments today between sales mtg meetings -- a serious trick in itself. The esophagram was first thing in the morning, and then a standard Rx refill at lunch to make sure I'm covered while I'm out of commission post surgery.

A highlight of my day however was being grouped with other bariatric patients when I went to have my esophagram. All three were in various stages of post-op. Two lap-bands and one gastric bypass. It was interesting to sit and chat with them about their experiences. The woman who'd had the gastric bypass was maybe a year out and was thin! Always a big motivator.

She said she chose the bypass, which is less popular these days, because there is less intensive follow-up (no fill every month) and because her mom had done it and been successful. People with the bypass do statistically lose more weight.

Otherwise, a few general impressions from our conversation...

First, it was very supportive as it was an open group of people willing to talk about their experiences.

I was surprised that they all mentioned that the 5-year requirement was a challenge. Most if not all of the insurance plans require that you have been a certain amount overweight for five years. So that this is a major, ongoing problem and not just something new someone is looking for a quick fix for.

I guess I just take for granted that the people having this surgery are mostly people who have been overweight most of their lives. Since there are so many of us! But for this group, I don't think that was the case...

They all also talked about being happy with their decisions, although the other two band patients were less than a month post-op.

One had trouble throwing up post surgery, the other didn't. They both had trouble with the gas they pump into your stomach during the surgery. It's supposed to cause quite tremendous shoulder pain. Fingers crossed I dont have such a bad time with that...

Overall, I'm still optimistic about the surgery itself and counting down until Tuesday! 5 days left...

Stress and Anxiety

I'm definitely an emotional eater, and I've heard that a major issue that some lap-band patients have to deal with is finding an alternative way to deal with stress.

One of the major challenges of this liquid diet has been dealing with the crankies (poor Alex!) It's one thing if I'm legitimately hungry because then I can just have a shake and be fine. And since I'm doing the Glucerna shakes and they are low sugar, I'm not having mood swings from my sugar/carb highs and lows. In the past, I could often blame my moods on that.

However, some days since I've been on the liquid diet, or more often some evenings, I'm just a big 'ol crankpot. That of course colors my perception about everything.

The sales mtg at work this week has been stressful, but adding in running around today for doctor's appointments that were literally squeezed in between breaks in the sales mtg didn't help my cause at all. Getting up super early and dragging my butt in the sticky humidity, transfering 3x and then having a LONG walk to the radiology dept at NYU in shoes that gave me blisters, and wearing a suit, didn't help either.

So at the end of the day, I ended up just backing out of the sales mtg dinner entirely. There wasn't anything I could eat anyway given the restaurant, and I wasn't easily able to hide my mood from my coworkers, so I decided to avoid the situation entirely. Of course that won't always be an option!

I went for a group dinner yesterday and decided that it was just too tricky for me to try and eat just plain lettuce while everyone around me was eating bread and butter and lavish meals, and drinking, and then awesome desserts. Other meals haven't bothered me in my mtgs last week and this week, but yesterday and today I just didn't want to watch people eat foods I want to be eating!

The difference between just being in a mood though and this is that I have a short fuse in general now and I find that I'm anxious. Not always, but more than usual. I may be cranky and moody often enough, but anxiety isn't always the norm for me. And I'm not anxious about anything in particular. I can't say I'm even stressed about the sales mtg. This year's was waaay easier than usual. It's just my general state of being right now given that I don't have that food outlet.

Got Paid Today!

That means I was able to cross off a ton of things from my to-do list, like a couple of hundred dollars worth of protein shakes for the next month! Plus tons of supplements including the Juice Plus shown above, to help with the fact that I won't be eating fresh fruits and veggies for a month...

This weekend is also my final weekend of normal food. While I'm not going to utterly pig out, I do plan on a "final meal" out. I'm thinking Italian food. Plus I'm sure I'll order a pizza for dinner tomorrow and have a big 'ol NY bagel for breakfast one morning.

This is it. I'm up to the final countdown!

Woot! Just scheduled my surgery!

I'm super excited. I got such a rush surprisingly when I actually booked my surgery today.

I'm scheduled for Tuesday August 4th!

More details to come later...

NYU's Program for Surgical Weight Loss

NYU's Program for Surgical Weight Loss is the program I am going through for the Lap-Band procedure.

So far I've been very pleased with the staff and the surgeon. And their materials have been quite thorough. However, if you're a patient, please note that their website is not up to date (at least not as of this posting) in regard to what you need for your procedure. I had a few problems with that.

I've been doing this list-thing on my other blog Dabble, and it's remarkably effective, so I thought I'd do that here too.

1. Order Juice Plus fruit and vegetable supplements (waiting for 7/17)
   


2. Buy chewable or liquid multivitamins (7/17) (Centrum Adult Chewables) The "Silver" has extra supplements
   


3. Attend support group before surgery (Mtg date 7/15)
   


4. Sign up for a "heal faster" seminar Call (Mon 7/6)
   


5. Send replacement insurance card (Found it! Mon 7/6)
   


6. Call surgical coordinator Tuesday to confirm she has my paperwork


7. Follow up with surgical coordinator Friday
   


8. Make an appt with my GP for a B-12 shot (unrelated to surgery)
   


9. Arrange with GP for esophogram


10. Get esophogram
    


11. Arrange ride home


12. Arrange care post surgery


13. Pass along hospital info to family / friends


14. Go shopping for pre-surgery 2 week shake diet (70 shakes for 14 days) (7/17)


15. Go grocery shopping for post surgery thin-liquid diet (7/17)


16. Order low sodium, vegetable broth (7/17)

Also just realizing that I'm going to have to wait until my post-rent-pay day for a few of these things. Some of the expenses related to the surgery have me pinching my pennies. Though I think I have it better than many in regard to insurance coverage.