Twas the Night Before Surgery, and all through the house
The stress level was rising, no meditation could douse.
The hospital bag is out, packed yesterday with care
In hopes that the surgery time would soon be there
The linens ‘ve been washed, all fresh on the beds
While visions of “after photos” danced in our heads.
Wish us luck tomorrow morning! My surgery is at 7:30am, my wife Tia at 9:45am. Yikes!
Showing posts with label pre-op. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pre-op. Show all posts
Monday, February 25, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Final pre-op appointment
Yesterday was yet another milestone - our final pre-op appointment with Dr. Lauter (our surgeon). Tia, Tedi, Rick, Deborah and I all piled in the car for the trip to Bellevue. Along the way we pointed out the directions to the hospital because they'd be picking us up and driving back after surgery.
Dr. Lauter was great, as usual. He's always very patient and has the ability to explain things very clearly. We talked about the final details, how our surgery day will go (hopefully) and life immediately afterwards.
So we're all set. It all feels very "real" now. There's that voice inside that's screaming "OMG I'm completely changing my life in 5 days!". A definite mix of fear and excitement. I get so motivated looking at before and after pics on some of the WLS site, it just gets me so excited about all the possibilities. My (Mark) biggest fears are still the anesthesia and the internal healing (I'm a slow healer due to my diabetes).
After the meeting we all went to TGI Fridays. Great meal, lots of fun. No strtict pre-op diet by Dr Lauter - just no big pig-outs or buffets. Love it!
Dr. Lauter was great, as usual. He's always very patient and has the ability to explain things very clearly. We talked about the final details, how our surgery day will go (hopefully) and life immediately afterwards.
So we're all set. It all feels very "real" now. There's that voice inside that's screaming "OMG I'm completely changing my life in 5 days!". A definite mix of fear and excitement. I get so motivated looking at before and after pics on some of the WLS site, it just gets me so excited about all the possibilities. My (Mark) biggest fears are still the anesthesia and the internal healing (I'm a slow healer due to my diabetes).
After the meeting we all went to TGI Fridays. Great meal, lots of fun. No strtict pre-op diet by Dr Lauter - just no big pig-outs or buffets. Love it!
Monday, February 18, 2008
The Nutritionist
On Sunday (yes, Sunday) we had our appointment with the Nutritionist - Minh-Hai Tran of Nutrition Works Seattle. She was very nice and answered a lot of our questions. She met with each of us individually, then together for the final 20 minutes.
I liked the fact that she gave us specific suggestions based on our eating/working habits and tried to fit our needs into our lifestyles.
Later on Sunday, we had a family meeting - Mark, Tia, Tedi, Rick and his girlfriend Deborah. Our family support system. We just went over what the surgery will entail, allowed them to ask any questions, then went over the schedule for the surgery and what we'd be asking their help with. It was a good meeting, I thought. Deborah had made us little Valentines Day gifts which were very cute. The remainder of the evening was spent watching Eddie Izzard!
So, we're down to just over a week before surgery. How am I (Mark) feeling? Well, the eating plan is now coming into focus, which is good. We're trying out protein shakes/powders to find the one we like best (keeing in mind out tastes will most likely change after surgery, based on what I've read). I'm still nervous about the surgery itself, having never had one before.
Next up? Pre-op meeting with the surgeon on Wednesday the 20th. The whole family support group is planning to attend, so it should be fun!
I liked the fact that she gave us specific suggestions based on our eating/working habits and tried to fit our needs into our lifestyles.
Later on Sunday, we had a family meeting - Mark, Tia, Tedi, Rick and his girlfriend Deborah. Our family support system. We just went over what the surgery will entail, allowed them to ask any questions, then went over the schedule for the surgery and what we'd be asking their help with. It was a good meeting, I thought. Deborah had made us little Valentines Day gifts which were very cute. The remainder of the evening was spent watching Eddie Izzard!
So, we're down to just over a week before surgery. How am I (Mark) feeling? Well, the eating plan is now coming into focus, which is good. We're trying out protein shakes/powders to find the one we like best (keeing in mind out tastes will most likely change after surgery, based on what I've read). I'm still nervous about the surgery itself, having never had one before.
Next up? Pre-op meeting with the surgeon on Wednesday the 20th. The whole family support group is planning to attend, so it should be fun!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Just a little nervous
Mark posting:
Thought I'd share what's in my head at the moment. I'm a little nervous. Not about the decision to do the surgery, just about the hospital stay mainly. While Tia has had a few operations where she's been "under", I never have. I've never even been in a hospital unless it was to visit someone. My main concern, I think, is the anesthetic. You hear the horror stories about waking up during surgery, or being under and feeling things, but not being able to speak. Stuff like that. Yes, I read all the statistics about it, and I know it's extremely rare, but it still runs through my head.
I told my best friend Mike about the surgery on Friday. He was extremely supportive, as expected, but he has also never been under. No help there!
Being a research-aholic and planner, I'm also nervous because I don't have a super clear picture of what a typical day will be like after surgery. I'm studying like hell, and know quite a bit, but you can never predict which (if any) compliations will hit. The eating picture is coming into focus now, but from what I've read, all the pre-planning in the world can't predict how our tastes will change (and from what I read, that happens to the majority of people).
Maybe this is all meant to teach me how to go with the flow more? Hmmmmm.
Thought I'd share what's in my head at the moment. I'm a little nervous. Not about the decision to do the surgery, just about the hospital stay mainly. While Tia has had a few operations where she's been "under", I never have. I've never even been in a hospital unless it was to visit someone. My main concern, I think, is the anesthetic. You hear the horror stories about waking up during surgery, or being under and feeling things, but not being able to speak. Stuff like that. Yes, I read all the statistics about it, and I know it's extremely rare, but it still runs through my head.
I told my best friend Mike about the surgery on Friday. He was extremely supportive, as expected, but he has also never been under. No help there!
Being a research-aholic and planner, I'm also nervous because I don't have a super clear picture of what a typical day will be like after surgery. I'm studying like hell, and know quite a bit, but you can never predict which (if any) compliations will hit. The eating picture is coming into focus now, but from what I've read, all the pre-planning in the world can't predict how our tastes will change (and from what I read, that happens to the majority of people).
Maybe this is all meant to teach me how to go with the flow more? Hmmmmm.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Psych Eval
One of the things that Dr. Lauter requires is a psych eval (along with a nutritionist visit). Yesterday was the psych eval.
I (Mark) was pretty nervous about it, since approximately 20 years ago I had looked into one and failed this part. I have no idea why I failed, but they thought I wasn't suitable.
Tia and I had back to back appointments, starting at 9:00am down in Seattle with Jackie Leibsohm. We figure it would take us about an hour and a half in rush hour traffic to get down there, but we left 2 hours early just in case. Boy, it was lucky we did. There was a massive traffic accident in Everett that completely closed I-5. We jumped off at Everett Avenue and made our way on side streets around the problem (maybe a 5 or 6 mile backup). We made it to the psychologist with 5 minutes to spare.
I went first (get it over with). Jackie was very nice, and reassuring (which I needed). We talked about family history, expectations around the surgery outcome, depression, why we wanted the surgery at this point in our lives, etc. It went well and we both passed.
A trip to Dick's Drive In for one last time on the way home was nice.
Oh, before I forget, we bought one book on the recommendations of others regarding weight loss surgery - Weight Loss Surgery For Dummies. I never thought I'd buy something from that series, but the book is excellent. I found it on eBay cheap. Highly recommended.
I (Mark) was pretty nervous about it, since approximately 20 years ago I had looked into one and failed this part. I have no idea why I failed, but they thought I wasn't suitable.
Tia and I had back to back appointments, starting at 9:00am down in Seattle with Jackie Leibsohm. We figure it would take us about an hour and a half in rush hour traffic to get down there, but we left 2 hours early just in case. Boy, it was lucky we did. There was a massive traffic accident in Everett that completely closed I-5. We jumped off at Everett Avenue and made our way on side streets around the problem (maybe a 5 or 6 mile backup). We made it to the psychologist with 5 minutes to spare.
I went first (get it over with). Jackie was very nice, and reassuring (which I needed). We talked about family history, expectations around the surgery outcome, depression, why we wanted the surgery at this point in our lives, etc. It went well and we both passed.
A trip to Dick's Drive In for one last time on the way home was nice.
Oh, before I forget, we bought one book on the recommendations of others regarding weight loss surgery - Weight Loss Surgery For Dummies. I never thought I'd buy something from that series, but the book is excellent. I found it on eBay cheap. Highly recommended.
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