All has gone well

Well, I am four days out from surgery and feeling remarkably well.

Surgery day went without a hitch. IV's went in correctly, shots were minimal, and most important, the catheter came out quickly after I came to. My stomach hurt pretty badly after surgery. It was much like someone had punched me in the stomach several times and then forced me to do about a billion sit-ups.

I was surprised by how tired I was. I must have taken a nap about every other hour. Sleeping was initially uncomfortable because I usually sleep on my side and because of my incisions I had to stay on my back. I'm doing better now and can sleep on my sides.

Today I have begun to deal with some hunger issues. I haven't had any trouble getting liquids in. I haven't been overly hungry and frankly it is difficult to tell is I am physically hungry or just wanting to eat out of habit or for comfort. When I feel like I am actually hungry, I try a protein shake and that seems to knock the edge off. I am also eating sugar free pop-sicles, sugar free jello, soup broths, and drinking water. I have to do liquids until next Friday, that is one more week starting tomorrow. I'm going to have to branch out for some flavor. I may ask my wife to stop at P.F. Changs and get some hot and sour soup. I love their hot and sour soup.

Tomorrow I am going to have to get out of the house. I may go crazy being off for two weeks. Being home also makes me want to eat more frequently. Perhaps I'll go see a movie, walk the mall, or take the dog to a park.

Overall I am pleased with my progress. I'll keep you updated as I can.

I did it!

I'm a loser now. I've always wanted to be a loser. I'll write more later.

peace out,

Today is the day

Wish me luck, and say a prayer.
Surgery day, 341 lbs (down from 351 lbs.)

One more day

Tomorrow is the big day. I wish I had chosen the earlier surgery time. I don't have to be at the hospital until 11 AM. Since I've been waking up so early, it will be a long wait until surgery time.

Since yesterday I've had a steady stream of family visiting. My brother and his family arrived early yesterday morning. They are fun to hang out with and I'm glad they are here. My dad and stepmother came for dinner last night. I grilled steaks. They were amazing. It may be the last full steak that I ever eat. It was definitely one of the best I've ever eaten.

Today my mom and grandparents arrive. We're grilling hamburgers for lunch. Then we'll just hang out for the rest of the day. I'm glad I get to see everyone before surgery, but truth be told, I don't want to see anyone after surgery.

I guess I am getting a bit anxious. I have been short tempered with Darla. I hate that I am. It is sad that most often those who are closest to us receive the brunt of our anxiety in stressful situations. She is a God send in my life. She has been very supportive and I can't imagine going through all of this without her.

I must say I am looking forward to my two week off of work. I plan to get outside and walk as much as I can. I may also catch up on some movies that I have been wanting to see. There is work to be done around the house. I doubt I'll get too any of that. I don't want to risk screwing up the surgery. I do wish I had gotten the yard mowed before now, oh well...

On TV they are covering the Knoxville Marathon. Who knows...perhaps some day I'll be on the starting line with all of those runners.

Until tomorrow...

Pre-op Testing

This past Monday I went for my pre-op testing. It was pretty uneventful except that I had lost 10 lbs. I told the nurse that she was lying. She showed me the records and believe it or not I had indeed lost 10 lbs, making me weight an official 341 lbs.

So today I thought I'd post my measurements. For me, the change in these will be the real test to see if I am successful or not. Prepare yourself, this is not for the faint of heart.

Stomach - 56"
Waist - 49"
Neck - 22.5"
Bicept - 18"

I tried to measure my thy, but due to the "cone" shape I couldn't decide where to measure. Let's just say their huge and be done with it.

I'm leaving tomorrow for Mississippi to help rebuild homes over spring break. When I return I will only be days away from surgery. Finally.

I do have a "health club" story to tell, I'll save it for another post.

Peace out, Marc

New Drug

The new drug, not NSAID, the MD gave me yesterday seems to make a big difference. Yeah for narcotics.

Off NSAIDs

So, like I said, I went to my diet class last week. They said we all needed to get off of our NSAIDs, anti-inflammatory meds. I had begun this process previously, or shall we say the FDA began it for me. I had been on Viox for years for joint pain (interestingly enough, I was originally put on it for headaches). When Viox was taken off the market, I switched to Celebrex. It worked great.

When my wife changed jobs, and insurance companies to the one that approved my lap-band procedure in one day, I got new prescriptions for my meds and took them to the pharmacy. Well-well, John Deere wouldn't cover Celebrex for me, grrrrrrrr. So I stopped taking Rx NSAIDs. I went to taking over the counter naproxin. It worked okay.

After my class last week, I decided I give them all up. Cold turkey. ........ Excuse me, but DAMN I hurt from head to toe! I ache all over and my joints feel like there is rust in them.

I went to my PCP today and he prescribed a mild narcotic to ease the pain. He says it is not addictive. I hope not, but frankly I don't care. I'm ready for some relief. I'll let you know how it goes.

I have my pre-op testing Monday. Only 18 days to go from today.

What to do?

Dr. Boyce's office called yesterday to say that someone had cancelled their surgery and that they could bump me up to March 13.

Actually they left that message on my machine and my daughter forgot to tell me after she checked the messages.

So, I called them back today and told them that I really wanted to go ahead on the 13th. However, there was a caveat. I would need Dr. Boyce to release me to travel to Mississippi the following Saturday, the 18th. I am leading, along with two other adults, a group of 95 people to Biloxi over spring break to work on homes ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. I have already been twice, and our church has been going once a month since October.

Well Dr. Boyce wouldn't release me that soon, and I understand that completely. Then I had to decide whether I would bail on the trip and opt for the earlier surgery, or wait for the later date. I called my wife, a few friends, and my trip co-leaders. It became clear to me that I need to go on the trip. It was a tough decision, but I believe the right one.

So, after working for the better part of a week hanging sheet rock, I'll come home and have just a few days to prepare for surgery. I feel good about it.

Pre-Op Class

Today was nutrition class day. From 8 AM until 12 noon, Johnnie filled us in on what to expect before, during, and after surgery. Most of the people in the class were RNY bypass patients. I was the only lap-bandster. I would say 70% of the information presented was bypass specific. I must say, I am even more sure of my decision to have lap-band after today. She would start a topic and then say to me, you won't have to deal with this. No after surgery tubes, no daily vitamin packs to keep you from dieing, and far fewer surgery risks in general.

I do generally feel better about choosing Dr. Boyce. They said today that he will be fills after 6 weeks. Someone recently told me that he wouldn't do them until after 12 weeks.

I bought my starter pack of protein shakes, powder, etc. I also scheduled my first post-op appointment for April 6.

Johnnie gave us a pretty extensive to-do list before surgery. It is good to be busy; it helps the time pass until I become an official loser.