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.

Second Support Group Meeting

I attended my second lap band support group meeting tonight. A nurse was there from a surgeons office in another city. She not only knows the surgery medically, she is a patient as well. She had surgery in 2001, (she looks too young to have had surgery that long ago).

We just did a lot of Q&A tonight. We had one girl there tonight who was five days post-op. It was good to see her doing so well. She was still on clear liquids, but tomorrow was going to be able to have full liquids. Frankly, she didn't look to me like she needed surgery. I imagine she will be pretty successful.

I did get confirmation that I'll be okay going to France 4 1/2 weeks after surgery. In fact the nurse, as well as the rest of the group said it was the perfect time to go because I would be mostly healed and not had a fill yet. They all said enjoy myself, moderately mind you. They even gave me the thumbs up for some wine tasting while staying in the Burgandy region of France.

I'm getting excited.

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Brandy
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Headaches & New Cell Phones

I've had a migraine headache since yesterday afternoon. It sucks. It hurt so bad last night, I could not sleep. Finally, I crashed and this morning it was better. However, about noon today it came back with a vengeance. I left work and came home to medicate myself. As of right now it is working.

I also got a new cell phone. It's one of those cool RAZR phones, a black one. I downloaded AC/DC's Back in Black for my ring tone. Reminds me of Junior High School, good times.

Better Attitude

Several people have asked me over the past few weeks if "everything is okay". Apparently I have been wearing a scowl for quite some time. Well, I guess I have felt like I must have looked. But today, I feel better. It is amazing what a little good news can do to a solemn face.

Going away for the weekend with work/church.

Peace out,

Great Day

It has been a great day. My surgeon's office faxed my paperwork off to John Deere yesterday for pre-op certification. To my surprise and elation, my surgeon's office called me this morning to say that I had been approved. That's right, one day approval. Can't beat that.

I've been scheduled for lap-band surgery on March 27.

Anxious

I've been waking up at weird hours with a tightening in my gut and the thought, "Will this ever end?"

Will the blob of my body ever end? Will the waiting for insurance approval ever end? Will my love affair with food ever end? Will the cravings, which I am powerless over, ever end? Will the sideways looks and hushed comments of well meaning, and sometimes not, people ever end? Will my physical dependence on regular meds ever end (legal ones I might point out)? Will the dependence on this damn Cpap machine ever end?

I'm ready for these things to end, and a new beginning to commence.

Until then...

Goals for WLS

So I've got some reasons I want to have WLS. I thought I might list some of them.

1. Start off with the obvious. I'd like to loose weight. I currently weigh 350 lbs. I'd love to get down to 200 lbs. I would be content at 225 lbs. That's what I weighed when I got married 16 years ago. I am 5' 11" so that isn't unrealistic.

2. I like to be forever ridded of my cpap machine. Boy would I ever.

3. I'd love to have no hint of type II diabetes.

4. I'd love to have normal blood pressure and get off my meds.

5. I'd love to be able to wear my original wedding band. I think it is a size 11. I currently have a cheap replacement that is a size 17 I think.

6. I'd love to see if being lighter might help lessen the chronic mild depression I have had for the past 6-7 years.

7. I'd like to continue coaching my daughter's soccer team, but do so without gasping for breath during the easiest drills.

8. I'd like to take up mountain biking.

9. I'd like to take some form of martial arts.

10. I'd like to weight lift again, I did a good bit in high school.

I have some other life goals, but the ones listed above are all weight related. I think they are do-able, and I will give them my darndest if insurance will approve my request.

Keep praying!

Not all the steaks fault

So in my last post I whined about how my tummy hurt from a delicious Outback steak. Yeah...later in the week I discovered it wasn't the steak, but was in fact a kidney stone. I passed it today at 4:30 PM while standing in front of a urinal at work. Can you say OUCH!

I have had kidney stones all of my life, since I was in junior high school. I've had surgery three times to have them removed. I guess I was lucky that this time it only hurt like hell and then passed quickly.

It did make the presentation I had to do for a church committee tonight MUCH EASIER.

Peace out, and the stone is too.

Off Topic - but just a bit

I don't usually eat steak. I really like it, but my wife doesn't really and frankly it is too expensive for me most of the time. If I do get to have steak, I either like to grill it myself or eat at Outback.

This past Sunday we went to Outback. I got a gift card for Christmas and thought I'd use it with my lovely family. We had the works. I had a 14 oz. Rock Hampton Rib-eye. It was amazing...at the time.

About 4 PM in the afternoon I began to feel uncomfortable. It progressively got worse. Just a really nasty stomach ache. And today...it is Tuesday and I still have the remnants of that stomach ache. YUCK!

Perhaps this was preparation for the life I am choosing with WLS.

A late addition to my new years resolutions for 2006 is to lay off the steak...well at least 14 oz. at a time.

1st Support Group Meeting

I went to my first support group meeting the other night. It is a group specifically for those who have had lap band surgery and those who are interested.

Overall it was a good experience. I was a bit nervous because I never do well with small talk and meeting new people. I tend to be pretty introverted a good bit of the time.

The folks were very supportive of one another. The facilitator told her story and was very open and honest about her journey. She is a friend of my wife's and I imagine will be a great help in my journey.

I must admit, I was a bit surprised at the number of folks that had been banded some time ago and still appeared to have a good ways to go. Of course, I don't know where they started or what there journey has been like. It was a misconception on my part. I came away with a better understanding of how different the journey is for each individual. This was important for me to realize.

On the way home...I blew it. Like Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby, blew it. I have much to learn.

Until next time...

Initial Consult Today

I met with Dr. Boyce this morning and all went well, for the most part.

I have decided that the lap band procedure the is right surgery for me. Dr. Boyce is fine with that. However, he did say that about a year ago, John Deere Select set a policy that they would only cover lap band if there were contraindications to performing the traditional bypass surgery. For example, you had previous abdominal surgery that resulted in much scar tissue. Then they would approve lap band. Dr. Boyce didn't know if this was still the case. I hope not.

Anyway, I told Dr. Boyce that I wanted to go ahead and try for lap band approval. We'll see what happens.

"last everything" syndrome

I haven't even been approved for surgery. But somehow I have convinced myself that it is all going to work out and 2006 will be the year of new beginnings for me.

Consequently, I've been eating most holiday meals like they are my last. It is a psychological battle, one that I loose more often than I win.

I know it is a much better idea to loose weight in preparation for surgery. I'll be glad when the holiday eating season is over.

Peace out!