It's a Date!

We met with my Surgeon, Dr. Jared Speakman, yesterday and he gave me the go ahead for surgery.  We set the date for January 16th!  Wow all this time waiting and now it will be here in a flash.

Next step --- Pre-Op diet!  Starting Friday, January 2, 2015 I'll be on a liquid protein diet. Options include Slimfast, Aitkens, Kirkland etc type of Protein drinks along with water and coffee.  This is a two week deal, right up until surgery.  The goal is to keep the Protein close to 60 grams a day and the calorie intake around 900-1200 calories a day.  I thought the reasoning behind this so interesting.  I'm finding I know little about the inside goings-on of my body!  By sticking to a High-Protein diet for two weeks prior to surgery I'll be eliminating a large portion of the fat from my liver.  The liver is lifted up and out of the way of my stomach during surgery.  Without the diet the liver is full of fat and heavy the end result of which can result in complications, possible extended hospital stay and longer recovery.  It amazes me how these organs work, that in two week period you can purge a large portion of the fat from the liver and shrink it resulting, usually, in a smoother surgery outcome.

I have to admit I'm a case of nerves.  I've been having lots of self talks with myself trying to keep myself focused on the positives and the whys of what I'm doing.  After all these years of battling the fat demon I'll now have a tool to help me not only loose the weight for good but also to continue to keep it off for the remainder of my life.

Don't get me wrong, I'm really not delusional.  I do realize this is a tool not a cure all.  It's only as good as I use it and continue to use it on a daily basis as the days roll into months and then the months to years.  

It's the old adage, one day at a time and then if that doesn't work keep moving it downward until it does, one hour, one minute.  For Heavens sake I can do anything positive for one minute?   

The idea of being able to move around so much more freely,  breathe without constantly feeling like there's not enough air, fit comfortably in a seat (like on an airplane, a friends house, a theater or sporting event, or a folding chair at a b-b-q), buy clothes like normal people do - OMG the list goes on and on and is so the leading factor of this whole process, besides the big one of course - I'm not ready to die yet.   I know I have no control over unforeseen events but this is controllable and can make such a difference in how my life continues.

One last thing for this post, what is it with people, why do the people who surround me or my family's living circle have to always find the gore and the negative?  Why is it you have to hear the negative 'well did you know this can happen' and  ' have you heard of the complications you can get from this' and 'did you know so and so had to have this this this done'. You know I think I'm a fairly intelligent person, I wouldn't have opted for this drastic of a solution if I hadn't explored (and failed) at all other options over the years.  I also am smart enough to know there are risks and there can be complications, but it's life people there are complications in all aspects of life!  

So it's with a nervous smile I tread forward!  Wish me well.

Positives that I might experience from surgery, taken from Obesity Help

Benefits of Weight Loss Surgery

• High Blood Pressure can often be alleviated or eliminated by weight loss surgery
• High Blood Cholesterol in 80% of patients can be alleviated or eliminated and in as little as 2-3 months post-operatively.
• Heart Disease in obese individuals is certainly more likely to be experienced when compared to persons who are of average weight and adhere to a strict diet and exercise regimen. There is no hard and fast statistical data to definitively prove that weight loss surgery reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, however, common sense would dictate that if we can significantly reduce many of the co-morbidities that we experienced as someone that is obese, we can likewise that our health may be much improved if not totally restored.
• Diabetes Mellitus can usually helped and based upon numerous studies of diabetes and the control of its complications, it is likely that the problems associated with diabetes will be arrested in their progression, when blood sugar is maintained at normal values.
• Abnormal Glucose Tolerance, or Borderline Diabetes is even more likely reversed by gastric bypass. Since this condition becomes diabetes in many cases, the operation can frequently prevent diabetes, as well.
• Asthma sufferers may find that they have fewer and less severe attacks, or sometimes none at all. When asthma is associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease, it is particularly benefited by gastric bypass.
• Sleep Apnea Syndrome sufferers can receive dramatic effects and many within a year or so of surgery find their symptoms were completely gone, and they had even stopped snoring completely!
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease can be greatly relieved of all symptoms within as little as a few days of surgery.
• Gallbladder Disease can be surgically handled at the time of the weight loss surgery if your doctor has cause to believe that gallstones are present.
• Stress Urinary Incontinence responds dramatically to weight loss, usually by becoming completely controlled. A person who is still troubled by incontinence can choose to have specific corrective surgery later, with much greater chance of a successful outcome, with a reduced body weight.
• Low Back Pain and Degenerative Disk Disease, and Degenerative Joint Disease can be considerably relieved with weight loss, and greater comfort may experienced even after as few as 25 lost pounds.