my gastric bypass story

Four months ago today I underwent a laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery to aid in weight loss. This was a decision I had made more than a year prior, when I attended my first informational meeting in January of '07. It took several months of dietician meetings, going over my diet history and weight-loss attempts in the past, and meeting with the surgeon before our insurance finally approved the surgery eleven months later. At that point they were scheduling three months out so I was scheduled for February 6th. However I ended up with a whopping UTI (bladder infection) and got very sick, so the doctor decided to postpone the operation. I was disappointed but also very miserable - and to the point where I didn't care, I just wanted to go home and rest. Anyway, the surgery was scheduled for the following week and I was fine by then, after having gone on antibiotics. The prep for surgery included inserting an IV, which they had a tough time doing. They got one in a precarious spot, but taped it up and decided to leave it. They planned to give me just enough meds to knock me out, then they were going to go "digging" for a better vein. I was glad they decided to do that after I was asleep! When they wheeled me into the operating room and had me lay on the narrow table, with my arms out to the side, it was a little scary. I didn't like the smell of the room and I saw some scary-looking instruments on the tables. The nurses were good about trying to distract me from all that and they gave me something to "relax" me right away. Well, it knocked me out. The next thing I remember was the recovery room and a nurse sternly telling me to "slow down your breathing!". I think she had just removed my breathing tube and I was hyperventilating. Things are very foggy after that, I have brief glimpses of remembering the recovery room, and being wheeled to my hospital room. Kyle was there and I was glad to see him. My pain was under control with morphine and a pain-pump for me to give a little extra as needed. I slept a long time and then decided I needed to go to the bathroom and wanted my catheter out. The idea of this scared me a bit, I guess I thought it would hurt. But it didn't at all, and getting up to the bathroom was a slow process - and uncomfortable. I don't remember overwhelming pain, just discomfort. I spent two more nights in the hospital, gradually went from ice chips to water to broth, then jello and watery hot cereal. I slept the majority of the time I was in the hospital - that morphine wiped me right out. The first night they even had to give me oxygen because my sats kept dropping so low when I would sleep. I think I scared the nurses a couple of times. Hee hee.

All in all the surgery went beautifully and my recovery was so much better than I had anticipated. I did not have out-of-control pain, I did not have vomiting or other complications, but I did follow the protocol quite closely as to how I was supposed to eat post-surgery.

Since last November, when I first began to lose weight to prepare for surgery, up until now, I have lost 55 to 60 pounds. I'm exercising more than I have in years and I feel SO much better. I'm off two of the three blood pressure medications I had been on and I am very pleased with that. My energy levels are much higher too.

My goal with the surgery was to become healthy again, not necessarily get "skinny". I haven't been skinny since the fifth grade so I'm not going to kid myself with some unrealistic illusion of thinness. I come from tough polish, german, irish and french stock - the women in our family are built like barrells - so there is no thin waif that exists inside of my body. My body was meant to birth children, clear a field, milk a cow and churn butter. And my ancestors probably did all those things in one day!

So, if there is anyone out there who is considering this surgery, most of all I suggest you seek the Lord and ask Him to guide you. The weight loss battle is a very difficult one and it is different for everyone. I can only tell you of my own experience with it so far. This can be a very controversial subject with some people too. I had to do a lot of research and studying, and mostly praying, before I even considered going through this. But I don't have any regrets and I am looking forward to getting down to a healthier weight and getting off the final blood pressure medication I've been on. And I plan to be around a long time to continue to share my sad, strange sense of humor with whoever reads my blog!! :)