Within days, I had my psych evaluation with their in-house psychiatrist Linda. Linda's job is to make sure that you have your head on straight about losing weight, your over all expectations of living a life with the band, and to make sure you aren't too depressed or too extreme in any facet of your thinking. If you are in touch with the reality that is being obese and what it takes to overcome that hurdle, you are typically ready. She recommended that I was an excellent candidate for the band, and that I be open to receiving additional counseling, should the need arise.
My nurse's consult with Ethel/Edith, e-something (sorry, she's really sweet, I just can't remember her name) went very well. She took my vitals, went through a short questionnaire and then went over the high points of the booklet they give you that is essentially the "Bander's Bible". It's a guidebook that covers all the things that you can typically expect before surgery, right after surgery, 1 week post-op, 2 weeks post-op, and onward. It also addresses the behavior adjustment aspect of living with the band and making weightloss a priority.
My surgeon's consult was with Dr. Michaelson. He showed my husband and I actual photos of the operation, described what would happen, and then talked to me about reducing the size of my liver before surgery. He stressed that I must lose 7-10 pounds prior to surgery in order to shrink the size of my liver. This makes the surgery much easier to perform, and ensures that the placement of the band and the few sutures they must place in the stomach to secure the band, are tight and in the proper place. Losing that much weight in a week is expected by going on a mostly liquid diet of protein shakes, and one Lean Cuisine for your evening meal. The Dr. then lead me to the examination room, where he listened to my lungs, and poked around my belly to make sure there was nothing weird going on there.
We were then lead to the administrative people to schedule the surgery, schedule payment, and have a "before" photo taken. They sat me down and proposed a surgery date that was one week out! I was stunned, excited, and madly calculating in my head how quickly I could get the funds to pay for it! I agreed on the 1 week date, and got additional directions on my liquid diet. The administrative person and the surgeon recommended going out for a "Last Meal" that evening as I would be starting on the liquid diet the next morning!
I had Matt (my hubby) take me to The Melting Pot on Queen Anne that evening. It was a lovely meal, but I was SO full that I couldn't possibly do dessert. Which is why I wanted to go there in the first place! It was disappointing, but I got a card for free dessert next time we go there. So maybe for a b-day or something we'll try it again... JUST dessert though- I won't be able to eat anything more than that!
I went out and picked up several packs of EAS Protein shakes in the requisite vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry, and then picked up 7 Lean Cuisine Entrees. That was it. This was my world in terms of food for the next week. The shakes weren't too bad. They stuck with me pretty well, but I needed to drink a LOT of water, crystal light, and iced americanos to keep from being hungry. And I mean A LOT! I was in the bathroom more often that week than I was at my desk at work! In the afternoons, I had the hardest time, feeling lightheaded, really shakey, nauseous, and run-down.
It turns out I misunderstood the directions of the diet on how many shakes to have per day. I thought it was 2 shakes a day, and one Lean Cuisine at night. I was ingesting a total of around 400 to 500 calories per day- which is QUITE a drop in calories! I called up the clinic about half way through the week and asked how many calories I was supposed to have per day because I felt like crap. I was straightened out when they said I was supposed to have 3-4 shakes a day plus the meal! So I was elated to be able to have a little more to eat!
After the misunderstanding with the amt of food, getting extra exercise whenever I could, and working my tail off at home over the weekend, come the day of the surgery when I got on the scale, I got the HUGEST surprise! I had lost 16 pounds in 7 or 8 days! It was completely crazy. I was really happy and the surgeon was as well. It was the best start to this journey!
jh
No comments:
Post a Comment