Some of the most common things I see on the various Facebook support groups I follow include what brands of vitamins to take to save money, and what finally made people decide that surgical weight loss was the way to go.
If you've ready my story, you know how I arrived here. For those of you that didn't read it, my size was defining physical limitations that were becoming more limiting by the day, so it was time to do something about it.
I thought about surgery from the start of physical therapy for a knee and hip injury in July 2016 and applied through Johns Hopkins in October 2016. I was still not convinced when I applied, but since that twelve-page application deemed me eligible, I decided it was something to really consider. Still, however, I told myself not to make up my mind until I saw the surgeon. Even after the appointment with the surgeon, I made the first couple of appointments, which were an EGD and my first appointment with my Primary Care Provider, I still wasn't convinced. Either way though I was going to lose a little weight. I don't know exactly when my mind was made up, but by the second month of my process, I knew that surgery was the right choice for me.
To oversimplify my thought process, I'm going to break this up into Pros and Cons.
Pros:
1. I will lose weight quickly: This one speaks for itself. No other program boasts up to a 75% excess weight loss in 18 months.
2. I am more likely to keep it off: Of course everyone I talk to has a cousin that has a friend that had the surgery and then gained it all back and then some. But, the numbers tell me that more people have greater long term success due to surgery. This surgery is altering how my body absorbs food, so as long as I'm not actively seeking out all of the loop holes, I will be successful.
3. All of the other pros of weight loss: More energy, less over all pain, better fertility. All the things that other programs can offer as well as weight loss surgery.
Cons:
1. Surgery is scary: Someone is knocking you out to the point where you can't even breathe on your own and rerouting your body. Yes, its scary. But I was deemed medically necessary by the surgical team as well as my insurance, so this must be a risk worth taking.
Counterpoint: My first surgery was when I was 28 years old. It was a tonsillectomy and I needed it. Like, my tonsils touched when I swallowed and were terribly infected so my quality of life was not too good. I was scared, but I knew I had to do it, otherwise every few months I would be sick for a week at a time, and each time I got sick, it got worse. Finally one day I realized that I'm one bad turn of the steering wheel or even one bad step, away from needing emergency surgery where I would have the time to go through my own existential crisis. That actually soothed me.
2. There are no guarantees it will work: Yes the surgery makes your stomach a lot smaller, but I can just change my eating habits and get it all in. There are ways for this to fail and the surgeon and your team are not with you all day helping with your choices. One side effect of the long pre-op is you have plenty of time to think and decide if this is really right for you.
3. Possible complications: Every surgery carries risk and unfortunately these risks are multiplied for those who are overweight/obese.
Counterpoint: See con 1. You never know when you need surgery. Also, if you follow the instructions to the letter, you decrease the chance of complications significantly.
Showing posts with label Johns Hopkins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Johns Hopkins. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Presurgical Shopping List
I remember getting ready for my surgery and thinking to myself how different life was going to be as soon as I got home from the hospital. I was nervous, excited, anxious...so many emotions at once.
I was well prepared, the program at Johns Hopkins had gotten me ready and I was more excited than anything to get the petal to the metal. Hopkins even makes their guidelines available to the public, if anyone would like to read over the material.
The weekend before the surgery, I went shopping and got two sets of the below list. I got two because I was going to be spending nights at my house, but would be spending most days at my parents' apartment since my mom works from home and is an RN. This list was derived from the guidelines linked above:
The biggest key however is getting at least that 64 ounces of water in daily. Before discharge I got a water bottle from the hospital that had increments of 2 hours to get 8 ounces of water in. If I started at 7:00am, and I was consistent, I would get my 64 ounces in by 11:00pm. I still use the one from Hopkins, but I found inspiration here. But, even taking a standard 32oz Nalgene with a Sharpie would work, but you would have to remark it fairly regularly.
Finally, I made a paper chart with goals based on the timeline in the guidelines attachment. I would include all of my new vitamins and medications on this list as well. I don't have any copies of these left, but it looked something like this:
I was well prepared, the program at Johns Hopkins had gotten me ready and I was more excited than anything to get the petal to the metal. Hopkins even makes their guidelines available to the public, if anyone would like to read over the material.
The weekend before the surgery, I went shopping and got two sets of the below list. I got two because I was going to be spending nights at my house, but would be spending most days at my parents' apartment since my mom works from home and is an RN. This list was derived from the guidelines linked above:
- Protein powder
- Lowest fat cottage cheese
- Plain Greek Yogurt
- Dannon Triple Zero Oikos
- No sugar added pudding pops
- Sugar free popsicles
- Fairlife skim milk
- Ricotta Cheese (lowest fat)
- Pudding (powder)
- Jell-O
The biggest key however is getting at least that 64 ounces of water in daily. Before discharge I got a water bottle from the hospital that had increments of 2 hours to get 8 ounces of water in. If I started at 7:00am, and I was consistent, I would get my 64 ounces in by 11:00pm. I still use the one from Hopkins, but I found inspiration here. But, even taking a standard 32oz Nalgene with a Sharpie would work, but you would have to remark it fairly regularly.
Finally, I made a paper chart with goals based on the timeline in the guidelines attachment. I would include all of my new vitamins and medications on this list as well. I don't have any copies of these left, but it looked something like this:
- 7:00am: Protein Shake made with Fairlife and AM pills
- 8:00am: Water
- 9:00am: Greek Yogurt (make sure water goal is met), Lovenox shot
- 10:00am: Water
- 11:00am: Fudgepop (make sure water goal is met)
- 12:00n: Protein shake made with Fairlife and Noon pills
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
August 24, 2017: Three month post-op visit
I should start with addressing two issues: first, this appointment was 12 weeks and 1 day post op for those of you paying attention to the dates. Secondly, the three month appointment really started 10 days earlier.
On August 14, I went to the lab to get my bloodwork done for my upcoming appointment. To help anyone going through this in the future, the phlebotomist took seven vials of blood and it took two arms to get this job done. The good news is that this is not a fasting blood test so I didn't get woozy or anything. I could list all of the blood tests they did, but highlights included a standard CBC, protein checks, B12, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and electrolytes.
Between August 14 and August 24, I got to see my blood tests come back using the MyChart feature Johns Hopkins provides to all patients. Everything was coming back beautiful.
Finally on August 24, I had my appointment which, thanks to nasty traffic, I was nearly late for.
I sat down with my Nurse Practitioner and discussed how the last three months had gone. I told her about a burning sensation I had under my ribs the previous week, but changing my diet and certain routines things had gotten better. She then told me that she thought the best idea was to re-prescribe Protonix, which I would have asked for if she hadn't brought it up. We began going over my average daily diet and I apologized for my diet sounding bland, but I had adjusted my diet to address that burning sensation, which I assumed to be heartburn. She said "I'm already giving you back your Protonix!" jokingly.
I am doing one thing bad: coffee. I was completely off the sauce prior to the surgery but I found coffee to be a helpful part of my daily routine at preventing constipation. I told her this and we addressed changing my constipation prevention routing. The new routine is:
Finally the surgeon came in and she did the standard pain check by touching my stomach, which went fine.
These post op appointments are so important no matter how far out you are. I think I would be hard pressed to find someone who skips an appointment so early, but there are people who just don't want to go to the doctor when they are feeling well. However, bariatric patients, for the most part, have been trained better than this.
On August 14, I went to the lab to get my bloodwork done for my upcoming appointment. To help anyone going through this in the future, the phlebotomist took seven vials of blood and it took two arms to get this job done. The good news is that this is not a fasting blood test so I didn't get woozy or anything. I could list all of the blood tests they did, but highlights included a standard CBC, protein checks, B12, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and electrolytes.
Between August 14 and August 24, I got to see my blood tests come back using the MyChart feature Johns Hopkins provides to all patients. Everything was coming back beautiful.
Finally on August 24, I had my appointment which, thanks to nasty traffic, I was nearly late for.
I sat down with my Nurse Practitioner and discussed how the last three months had gone. I told her about a burning sensation I had under my ribs the previous week, but changing my diet and certain routines things had gotten better. She then told me that she thought the best idea was to re-prescribe Protonix, which I would have asked for if she hadn't brought it up. We began going over my average daily diet and I apologized for my diet sounding bland, but I had adjusted my diet to address that burning sensation, which I assumed to be heartburn. She said "I'm already giving you back your Protonix!" jokingly.
I am doing one thing bad: coffee. I was completely off the sauce prior to the surgery but I found coffee to be a helpful part of my daily routine at preventing constipation. I told her this and we addressed changing my constipation prevention routing. The new routine is:
- 1 colace 3 times a day
- 1 Senna at night (was 2)
- 1 serving of Metamucil at night (new)
Finally the surgeon came in and she did the standard pain check by touching my stomach, which went fine.
These post op appointments are so important no matter how far out you are. I think I would be hard pressed to find someone who skips an appointment so early, but there are people who just don't want to go to the doctor when they are feeling well. However, bariatric patients, for the most part, have been trained better than this.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
When Food gets Stuck
It happened again on Monday night.
My husband makes this dish called "Poor Man's Meal" which is basically cut up potatoes, cut up hot dogs, some tomato sauce, and cheese. Not the most nutritionally sound thing in the world, but he could make a lot worse.
So, I was under my calorie goal for the day and above my protein, so when I came home from my knitting and crocheting group, I figured I would have a little bit of my husband's creation.
As I put the first bite in my mouth, I started talking to him, and swallowed before I was done chewing properly.
Before anything happened, I knew I did something wrong.
The advice to chew for 20 seconds (or 30 times, whatever your nutritionist tells you) is not only to slow you down, but to have your food better prepared to go into your stomach. First of all, I'm only 10 weeks out so my stomach is pretty much still recovering. Second, the point where the stomach passes food into my small intestines is the size of the tip of my pinky finger. Normal people's stomach to small intestine passageway is the size of a quarter.
When I saw my nutritionist for the first time, she didn't say this might happen, but that it would happen. I was told to not drink, because that wouldn't help "de-clog". Drinking would only make the situation worse (I had to learn for myself).
And that's the point of what happened on Monday.
I wasn't careful in chewing and swallowed without thinking and completing my chewing. Immediately I knew simply not puking would be a gold star for the evening. I quickly put the remainder of my bowl away, and went upstairs to start my night time routine. I felt better after my shower, but I knew I couldn't drink or even take my last vitamins for the day.
Sometimes I have to throw up to feel better after a clog. On Monday night, I stayed vertical a little longer than usual and I was able to fall asleep without vomiting. I did however skip my vitamins which would not be recommended.
The moral of the story is that chewing is important. I find myself trying to make meal time about meal time and not about talking to someone else which does not make me the best for dinner company. That adds into my attempts at not socializing around food.
Which is another entry for another day...
My husband makes this dish called "Poor Man's Meal" which is basically cut up potatoes, cut up hot dogs, some tomato sauce, and cheese. Not the most nutritionally sound thing in the world, but he could make a lot worse.
So, I was under my calorie goal for the day and above my protein, so when I came home from my knitting and crocheting group, I figured I would have a little bit of my husband's creation.
As I put the first bite in my mouth, I started talking to him, and swallowed before I was done chewing properly.
Before anything happened, I knew I did something wrong.
The advice to chew for 20 seconds (or 30 times, whatever your nutritionist tells you) is not only to slow you down, but to have your food better prepared to go into your stomach. First of all, I'm only 10 weeks out so my stomach is pretty much still recovering. Second, the point where the stomach passes food into my small intestines is the size of the tip of my pinky finger. Normal people's stomach to small intestine passageway is the size of a quarter.
When I saw my nutritionist for the first time, she didn't say this might happen, but that it would happen. I was told to not drink, because that wouldn't help "de-clog". Drinking would only make the situation worse (I had to learn for myself).
And that's the point of what happened on Monday.
I wasn't careful in chewing and swallowed without thinking and completing my chewing. Immediately I knew simply not puking would be a gold star for the evening. I quickly put the remainder of my bowl away, and went upstairs to start my night time routine. I felt better after my shower, but I knew I couldn't drink or even take my last vitamins for the day.
Sometimes I have to throw up to feel better after a clog. On Monday night, I stayed vertical a little longer than usual and I was able to fall asleep without vomiting. I did however skip my vitamins which would not be recommended.
The moral of the story is that chewing is important. I find myself trying to make meal time about meal time and not about talking to someone else which does not make me the best for dinner company. That adds into my attempts at not socializing around food.
Which is another entry for another day...
Monday, August 7, 2017
Stigma, Judgement, Myths, and Misconceptions
I'm going to start with this fact: I applied for my weight loss surgery in October of 2016 and I was not too open about my application. I would like to think that I wasn't open about it because I honestly had not made a decision, and wanted this decision to be mine and mine alone. I told my family, but I did not tell my husband's extended family so when one of them came for a visit in the spring and I was well into preparations, it took her by surprise. After all, I had not mentioned anything over Christmas.
As the process continued, I was open with people I spoke to and saw every day. But there was an audience that was in the dark about this decision: my extended army of Facebook friends. Now, I personally know all of my Facebook friends, and I occasionally go through and delete people that I don't see myself getting back in touch with. I had a tentative surgery date of June 14, so I decided I would tell the greater Facebook community on April 14, two months to the day when I was to go under the knife.
The support I got was amazing and I wondered what took me so long to tell more people what I was going through.
Before becoming a bariatric patient myself, I always wondered why people would decide to make the decision to have weight loss surgery. As I developed my own reasons for the surgery, I gained a new respect for friends that had taken this path before I did. I never thought as surgery as an easy way out, I just thought it was extreme.
The other night I came across this article written about a woman who has had bariatric surgery and denies it when people ask her how she lost weight. The stigma that surrounds weight loss surgery patients is deep and complicated. Bianca mentions an article, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Obesity Surgery. In the study, individuals are shown before and after pictures of individuals who had lost weight and rated them based on their opinions of the pictures (Vartaniam and Fardouly, 2013). Then, the individuals are told which ones had weight loss surgery. The opinions of the individuals in the study towards individuals who has the surgery dropped dramatically. Further more, the individuals who had weight loss surgery were seen as "significantly more lazy and sloppy, less competent and sociable, less attractive, and having less healthy eating habits" as compared to those who lost weight using more traditional methods having less harsh descriptions.
I had a hard time wrapping my head around this idea that people are judging me negatively based on this decision I had made. After all, I'm still watching what I eat and going to the gym. Only rarely does my stomach dictate how much can go in, I usually stop eating well before that pressure reminding me that my stomach is the size of an egg begins.
Ultimately, the overwhelming opinion is that everyone will lose weight if you eat less and move more. Most bariatric patients will tell you that is not the case. There are nutritional considerations to make, and types of exercise to consider. The solution is not a one-size-fits-all situation.
I have surprised many with the depth my journey took me before having my surgery even scheduled. The design of the Johns Hopkins program is to get you ready for surgery by starting to develop good habits beforehand. Like most stereotypes, if someone took the time to get to know someone going through it, many misunderstandings will go away. Which is a big reason why I started this blog. If you have the time to want to understand the process, I'm hoping this blog can help.
I'm going to end this with two stories of resistance I've met in the last year:
During my pre-op diet, I found great success. But, I knew I usually lose between 40-60lbs and then maintain it for about six months before gaining it back. Several people asked me why I would get the surgery when clearly I'm able to do it on my own, and I would explain to them that I've never been able to keep it off. One person went so far as to treat me as if I were in hysterics and told me "we are going to do this together, without surgery". The message I had to tell her was that I don't think her less for not wanting the surgery, but this is a decision I have made because the time is right and it's time for a change.
The second story is from December, right after I had applied and I hadn't told anybody outside of my immediate family. My husband's family is mostly in Texas and I had strongly considered not telling them and surprising them with our next visit. When we were at one of the houses on our circuit, my husband's uncle came up to him and commented (note that his verbal filter has been eroded by years of substance abuse) "not getting any smaller, why don't you get that gastric bypass?" My husband was so mad just knowing the process, not living it as he would within two months' time.
To overcome the overwhelming feeling of stigma, attending in-person support groups as well as online ones can help a lot. There are so many people involved in those groups, when I look at my newsfeed these days, I wonder how many people on my newsfeed have not had weight loss surgery.
Like all choices in life, we are judged. I don't judge people who don't get the surgery because insurance and time off can make that tough. I just hope that my decision to get the surgery warrants the same respect.
As the process continued, I was open with people I spoke to and saw every day. But there was an audience that was in the dark about this decision: my extended army of Facebook friends. Now, I personally know all of my Facebook friends, and I occasionally go through and delete people that I don't see myself getting back in touch with. I had a tentative surgery date of June 14, so I decided I would tell the greater Facebook community on April 14, two months to the day when I was to go under the knife.
The support I got was amazing and I wondered what took me so long to tell more people what I was going through.
Before becoming a bariatric patient myself, I always wondered why people would decide to make the decision to have weight loss surgery. As I developed my own reasons for the surgery, I gained a new respect for friends that had taken this path before I did. I never thought as surgery as an easy way out, I just thought it was extreme.
The other night I came across this article written about a woman who has had bariatric surgery and denies it when people ask her how she lost weight. The stigma that surrounds weight loss surgery patients is deep and complicated. Bianca mentions an article, published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Obesity Surgery. In the study, individuals are shown before and after pictures of individuals who had lost weight and rated them based on their opinions of the pictures (Vartaniam and Fardouly, 2013). Then, the individuals are told which ones had weight loss surgery. The opinions of the individuals in the study towards individuals who has the surgery dropped dramatically. Further more, the individuals who had weight loss surgery were seen as "significantly more lazy and sloppy, less competent and sociable, less attractive, and having less healthy eating habits" as compared to those who lost weight using more traditional methods having less harsh descriptions.
I had a hard time wrapping my head around this idea that people are judging me negatively based on this decision I had made. After all, I'm still watching what I eat and going to the gym. Only rarely does my stomach dictate how much can go in, I usually stop eating well before that pressure reminding me that my stomach is the size of an egg begins.
Ultimately, the overwhelming opinion is that everyone will lose weight if you eat less and move more. Most bariatric patients will tell you that is not the case. There are nutritional considerations to make, and types of exercise to consider. The solution is not a one-size-fits-all situation.
I have surprised many with the depth my journey took me before having my surgery even scheduled. The design of the Johns Hopkins program is to get you ready for surgery by starting to develop good habits beforehand. Like most stereotypes, if someone took the time to get to know someone going through it, many misunderstandings will go away. Which is a big reason why I started this blog. If you have the time to want to understand the process, I'm hoping this blog can help.
I'm going to end this with two stories of resistance I've met in the last year:
During my pre-op diet, I found great success. But, I knew I usually lose between 40-60lbs and then maintain it for about six months before gaining it back. Several people asked me why I would get the surgery when clearly I'm able to do it on my own, and I would explain to them that I've never been able to keep it off. One person went so far as to treat me as if I were in hysterics and told me "we are going to do this together, without surgery". The message I had to tell her was that I don't think her less for not wanting the surgery, but this is a decision I have made because the time is right and it's time for a change.
The second story is from December, right after I had applied and I hadn't told anybody outside of my immediate family. My husband's family is mostly in Texas and I had strongly considered not telling them and surprising them with our next visit. When we were at one of the houses on our circuit, my husband's uncle came up to him and commented (note that his verbal filter has been eroded by years of substance abuse) "not getting any smaller, why don't you get that gastric bypass?" My husband was so mad just knowing the process, not living it as he would within two months' time.
To overcome the overwhelming feeling of stigma, attending in-person support groups as well as online ones can help a lot. There are so many people involved in those groups, when I look at my newsfeed these days, I wonder how many people on my newsfeed have not had weight loss surgery.
Like all choices in life, we are judged. I don't judge people who don't get the surgery because insurance and time off can make that tough. I just hope that my decision to get the surgery warrants the same respect.
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
August 1, 2017: Eight weeks, six days
Today was back to the office, but only for three days. Not a terribly eventful day. I had a project that really tied me to my desk, so I didn't get to tell stories about our vacation to my coworkers. But I did catch up on my podcasts.
I had a lunchtime workout followed by my "meal planning" of another slice of leftover pizza.
One thing about sitting all day for 8 hours was I found the need for a standing desk to be much stronger than it had been in the past. I spoke to some people in my office to see about getting the ball rolling and plan to write a message to my surgical team agreeing with my need for a standing desk. I also got the blessing to put an IKEA standing desk hack on my desk for the time being! Yay projects!
Food journal:
Breakfast:
Protein shake
Mid morning:
Banana
Lunch:
Slice of pizza
Leftover beet salad (like a quarter cup...two months ago I would have thrown that out but now...different story!)
Afternoon snack:
Oikos Triple Zero
After workout snack:
Slice of Cheese
Dinner:
18 medium grade shrimp
Cocktail sauce
Workout Journal:
Lunchtime:
3 miles in 30 minutes
After work:
Chest:
Pec Fly 4x12 @40
Assisted Dips 1x10 @175, 2x8 @ 160 (lower the weight the more body weight you're pushing)
That badass move where you're between the cables and using two machines making a hulk motion 3x12 @ 15 each arm
PF360
Chest pull with upright cable
Russian Twists with 6lb ball
Shoulder pulls
Box Jumps (level 2)
Rope shuffle
TPX Squats (w/jump first time w/o jumps second)
Kettle Bell alternates with 15lbs
I had a lunchtime workout followed by my "meal planning" of another slice of leftover pizza.
One thing about sitting all day for 8 hours was I found the need for a standing desk to be much stronger than it had been in the past. I spoke to some people in my office to see about getting the ball rolling and plan to write a message to my surgical team agreeing with my need for a standing desk. I also got the blessing to put an IKEA standing desk hack on my desk for the time being! Yay projects!
Food journal:
Breakfast:
Protein shake
Mid morning:
Banana
Lunch:
Slice of pizza
Leftover beet salad (like a quarter cup...two months ago I would have thrown that out but now...different story!)
Afternoon snack:
Oikos Triple Zero
After workout snack:
Slice of Cheese
Dinner:
18 medium grade shrimp
Cocktail sauce
Workout Journal:
Lunchtime:
3 miles in 30 minutes
After work:
Chest:
Pec Fly 4x12 @40
Assisted Dips 1x10 @175, 2x8 @ 160 (lower the weight the more body weight you're pushing)
That badass move where you're between the cables and using two machines making a hulk motion 3x12 @ 15 each arm
PF360
Chest pull with upright cable
Russian Twists with 6lb ball
Shoulder pulls
Box Jumps (level 2)
Rope shuffle
TPX Squats (w/jump first time w/o jumps second)
Kettle Bell alternates with 15lbs
Tuesday, August 1, 2017
July 31, 2017: Eight weeks, 5 days
Today was the first day back at work since our road trip. Getting back into routine is always a little tough so I mixed up the routine a bit.
First, I went to the Army Wellness Center, as civilians are allowed to do, and got my Body Fat Percentage through a very accurate tool called a Bod Pod. The only comparisons were from about 15 months ago, and 34 pounds lighter than my actual high weight. Still though, I dropped 4% body fat as well as 9 lbs of muscle. Obviously we want to see the body fat drop more than the muscle.
During lunch I did the 30 minute PF circuit and it worked out well.
After work I walked with my friend while she walked her dog then we went out for dinner. I had two bites of a beet salad along with a single slice of gluten free pizza.
Food journal:
Breakfast:
Protein Shake
Morning snack:
Banana
Lunch:
Swiss cheese (2 slices)
1 serving of Halo Top
Dinner:
A couple of bites of a beet salad
A single slice of pizza
Workout journal:
30 minute circuit class during lunch
Mile or so walk after work
First, I went to the Army Wellness Center, as civilians are allowed to do, and got my Body Fat Percentage through a very accurate tool called a Bod Pod. The only comparisons were from about 15 months ago, and 34 pounds lighter than my actual high weight. Still though, I dropped 4% body fat as well as 9 lbs of muscle. Obviously we want to see the body fat drop more than the muscle.
During lunch I did the 30 minute PF circuit and it worked out well.
After work I walked with my friend while she walked her dog then we went out for dinner. I had two bites of a beet salad along with a single slice of gluten free pizza.
Food journal:
Breakfast:
Protein Shake
Morning snack:
Banana
Lunch:
Swiss cheese (2 slices)
1 serving of Halo Top
Dinner:
A couple of bites of a beet salad
A single slice of pizza
Workout journal:
30 minute circuit class during lunch
Mile or so walk after work
Monday, July 31, 2017
Abdominal Binder
Today I want to talk a little bit about the abdominal binder. Some people have asked questions about this tool and how it can help after bariatric surgery.
I was about three hours out of surgery when I met my good friend, the abdominal binder. It looks similar to a back brace, but the support it provide is more spread through the wearer's core.
The nurse put the abdominal binder on me when I stood up for the first time post op (with the help of three people). I immediatley felt relief and the second time I stood up, I was able to walk around much longer than the first time.
By the end of the night, I was asking for a half dose of my heavy duty pain meds. I attribute all of this to the binder.
I wore the binder all day every day for two weeks. Luckily, my parents had one in the same size from a hospital stay of my dad's, so I was able to wash one while wearing the other.
After about two weeks, I started wearing the binder only if I left the house. This was because one day I went out without it and my energy levels were tanked. I think this only lasted about a week.
A lot of the questions I see about the binder start with "what is this thing and where can I buy one?" I recommend to people to wait until you're in the hospital and they will more than likely give you one. Then, you can look at the tag for the size, and buy a second one if you need it.
Some people respond that their doctor's don't want them wearing the binder, or not wearing it that much, as to not become dependent on it. My non-medical opinion of that is that thinking is not right. I'd rather be hooked on compression on my abs than hooked on oxy or other opioids.
I was lucky enough to have seven small incisions all held together with surgical glue, so putting the binder right on my skin felt fine. Some people have staples, and they suggest putting a t-shirt between your skin and the binder.
I will say this about the binder is that its hot. It's a thick fabric and it was unforgiving in the June heat right after my surgery.
Ask your doctor or nurses if the binder will be right for you!
I was about three hours out of surgery when I met my good friend, the abdominal binder. It looks similar to a back brace, but the support it provide is more spread through the wearer's core.
The nurse put the abdominal binder on me when I stood up for the first time post op (with the help of three people). I immediatley felt relief and the second time I stood up, I was able to walk around much longer than the first time.
By the end of the night, I was asking for a half dose of my heavy duty pain meds. I attribute all of this to the binder.
I wore the binder all day every day for two weeks. Luckily, my parents had one in the same size from a hospital stay of my dad's, so I was able to wash one while wearing the other.
After about two weeks, I started wearing the binder only if I left the house. This was because one day I went out without it and my energy levels were tanked. I think this only lasted about a week.
A lot of the questions I see about the binder start with "what is this thing and where can I buy one?" I recommend to people to wait until you're in the hospital and they will more than likely give you one. Then, you can look at the tag for the size, and buy a second one if you need it.
Some people respond that their doctor's don't want them wearing the binder, or not wearing it that much, as to not become dependent on it. My non-medical opinion of that is that thinking is not right. I'd rather be hooked on compression on my abs than hooked on oxy or other opioids.
I was lucky enough to have seven small incisions all held together with surgical glue, so putting the binder right on my skin felt fine. Some people have staples, and they suggest putting a t-shirt between your skin and the binder.
I will say this about the binder is that its hot. It's a thick fabric and it was unforgiving in the June heat right after my surgery.
Ask your doctor or nurses if the binder will be right for you!
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Remembering Meds and Vitamins
The deeper I get into life as a bariatric patient, the more I truly believe the mantra of "failing to plan is planning to fail".
Someone, please buy me a bracelet.
Everything, from the gym, to food, to what the meat of this post is about, medication and vitamins, are carefully planned out. In just three months, this has become routine.
But lets turn our focus to strictly medication and vitamins. And lets start with storage. I use this pill holder. It's literally called "Lazy Me" and was the biggest one I could buy. Each day is broken up into four sections, which is exactly how my nutritionist said to pace things. I like it because I can pop one day out and take it with me all day. It's also just big enough for my biggest pills. I just have to worry about one little box all day.
Every Thursday night, I take my pill holder and all of my meds and put them into the proper days and times. In each section, I place the following:
I plan on updating my meds and vitamins very soon. (Updated: 8/11/2017) The change will be taking out protonix and splitting my multivitamin and my iron. The flavor of those tablets make me really nauseous and I want to try splitting them up. It will end up costing me about $30 more every three months if I decide to keep the change.
Someone, please buy me a bracelet.
Everything, from the gym, to food, to what the meat of this post is about, medication and vitamins, are carefully planned out. In just three months, this has become routine.
But lets turn our focus to strictly medication and vitamins. And lets start with storage. I use this pill holder. It's literally called "Lazy Me" and was the biggest one I could buy. Each day is broken up into four sections, which is exactly how my nutritionist said to pace things. I like it because I can pop one day out and take it with me all day. It's also just big enough for my biggest pills. I just have to worry about one little box all day.
Every Thursday night, I take my pill holder and all of my meds and put them into the proper days and times. In each section, I place the following:
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Celebrate Calcium Citrate
- Colace
Protonix(completed regimine)- Evening
- Celebrate Calcium Citrate
- Actigall
- Colace
- Bedtime
Two chewable Multivitamin plus 60 iron tablets(changed to splitting the MV from the Iron due to nausea issues)- Two chewable Mutltivitamins
- One Iron 60 chewable
I think one key to my success in remembering my meds and vitamins is to take everything in that section of pills at the appropriate time.
Speaking of appropriate times...this is a good time to share how I remember to take my pills.
My four times I get reminders are 5:45am, 11:30am, 2:30pm, and 6:00pm. I set these reminders through Baritastic but at three months I really don't need them. They've been great while I've been away though! The most important thing to remember is to space the calcium tablets out by at least two hours. So if I take my first section before leaving the house at 6:00am, and I look at the clock and it's 9:00am, I know I'm safe to go ahead and take it.
June 21-26: Seven weeks, two days to eight weeks
My husband and I are currently on a whirlwind road trip that took us from our Maryland home up to Toronto. On the way up, we stopped to see some of my family and some family friends before finally reaching Toronto.
The first day of the road trip went right according to plan. The one difference was going out to eat, but of course I had leftovers.
The second day of the road trip took us past some family, who put a lot of thought into what they served us for lunch (I had tuna salad). For dinner I had the leftovers from the night before.
The third day we went to the Baseball Hall of Fame which included a lunch out. Our gracious guests grilled up some burgers and hot dogs and I had half of each.
The fourth day was about 6 hours of driving. First we went to Niagara Falls, where I had a lunch that did not sit well with me. Upon arriving in Toronto, we went out to dinner and bought one meal to split between the two of us, and I think my stomach was already not doing too well since lunch so I spent about an hour vomiting during the first night we were finally at our destination.
The fifth day (and day one in Toronto) went great. My husband had a class all day so I spent the day wandering around the city myself. I made sure to pack a water bottle and a protein bar, and that sustained me through the day. For dinner, we went out with some of his classmates and I had some of the appetizers (oven baked nacho chips with vegan toppings), but by the time dinner came I had to put it all away to take home.
The sixth day was day two in Toronto. I spent time in the city again today and packed my protein bar and water again.
This was the first big trip we took since the bypass. I had spent a few days in Wildwood but the added complication of whole days in the car made this trip more difficult. This is what I've learned:
The first day of the road trip went right according to plan. The one difference was going out to eat, but of course I had leftovers.
The second day of the road trip took us past some family, who put a lot of thought into what they served us for lunch (I had tuna salad). For dinner I had the leftovers from the night before.
The third day we went to the Baseball Hall of Fame which included a lunch out. Our gracious guests grilled up some burgers and hot dogs and I had half of each.
The fourth day was about 6 hours of driving. First we went to Niagara Falls, where I had a lunch that did not sit well with me. Upon arriving in Toronto, we went out to dinner and bought one meal to split between the two of us, and I think my stomach was already not doing too well since lunch so I spent about an hour vomiting during the first night we were finally at our destination.
The fifth day (and day one in Toronto) went great. My husband had a class all day so I spent the day wandering around the city myself. I made sure to pack a water bottle and a protein bar, and that sustained me through the day. For dinner, we went out with some of his classmates and I had some of the appetizers (oven baked nacho chips with vegan toppings), but by the time dinner came I had to put it all away to take home.
The sixth day was day two in Toronto. I spent time in the city again today and packed my protein bar and water again.
This was the first big trip we took since the bypass. I had spent a few days in Wildwood but the added complication of whole days in the car made this trip more difficult. This is what I've learned:
- Don't test the waters with food while away. Have what you know works
- Make time to sit down and drink water
- Order one entree to feed two people. The leftovers we had floating around got tough to manage on the road
- Start the day with a protein shake even if there is a free breakfast at the hotel. On day five I had probably one egg and a single bite of sausage from the hotel breakfast and was stuffed (and unable to drink for 30 minutes). This was only 10g of protein at most. on day six I had a protein shake and things went better
- "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail" has basically become the mantra of how we travel.
As for workouts during this time, I got 15K and 10K steps in Toronto but besides that I was mentally and physically exhausted from driving. I can't wait to get back to the gym on Friday and get back into my routine.
Friday, July 21, 2017
July 20, 2017: Seven weeks, one day
Today was a day where a workout was just not going to happen. I'm still on the fence about workout out during lunch as this heat wave is upon us, but today was also a potluck for lunch (my first post-op) so that decision was made for me today.
For the potluck, I made a really simple deviled egg recipe. I've decided this will be my go to for potlucks and church events.
We're also going away tomorrow, and I had to buy stuff to make this road trip as successful as possible. I went to WalMart right after work hoping they sold a particular brand of protein powder and they did! And at the same price as Amazon!
Directly related to my needs for the trip, I bought the following (for the record I don't get any money/kickbacks from any company):
Chocolate and Vanilla Pure Protein
Quest bars
Applesauce packages
Think Thin bars
Beef Jerky
Already made Premier Protein Shakes
So...no lunch, not right after work, and I had support group. Prospects for working out were not good.
AND there was traffic galore. To the point where I nearly didn't go to support group, but as always I'm glad I did. The topic of discussion was hydration, which has been a struggle, and I was also the most recent post-op patient and plenty of pre-op patients had questions for me which I was glad to answer.
Food journal:
Breakfast:
Celebrate Protein (1.5 servings)
Lunch:
3 deviled eggs
Afternoon snack:
Oikos triple zero yogurt
Dinner:
1 serving of corn pasta with tomato sauce and quarter cup mozzarella cheese
For the potluck, I made a really simple deviled egg recipe. I've decided this will be my go to for potlucks and church events.
We're also going away tomorrow, and I had to buy stuff to make this road trip as successful as possible. I went to WalMart right after work hoping they sold a particular brand of protein powder and they did! And at the same price as Amazon!
Directly related to my needs for the trip, I bought the following (for the record I don't get any money/kickbacks from any company):
Chocolate and Vanilla Pure Protein
Quest bars
Applesauce packages
Think Thin bars
Beef Jerky
Already made Premier Protein Shakes
So...no lunch, not right after work, and I had support group. Prospects for working out were not good.
AND there was traffic galore. To the point where I nearly didn't go to support group, but as always I'm glad I did. The topic of discussion was hydration, which has been a struggle, and I was also the most recent post-op patient and plenty of pre-op patients had questions for me which I was glad to answer.
Food journal:
Breakfast:
Celebrate Protein (1.5 servings)
Lunch:
3 deviled eggs
Afternoon snack:
Oikos triple zero yogurt
Dinner:
1 serving of corn pasta with tomato sauce and quarter cup mozzarella cheese
May 31-June 1, 2017: Surgery and Hospital Stay
6:30am
The first thing I had to do this day was re-wipe myself using the instructions from my pre-op appointment. Since part of this involved my back, I woke up before my husband left for an appointment to help me out. I put on a new set of clothes, and went to bed.
8:15am
I woke up again and drank a bottle of Gatorade given to me from the pre-op appointment. I was told to have this done by 2 hours prior to my appointed arrival time of 10:30am. I got up, made sure everything I needed was in my bag, and my parents were due to arrive at about 9:30am to bring me.
In my bag, I packed:
2 pairs of underwear
2 pairs of comfy pajama or workout shorts
2 t-shirts
iPad
Charger (extra long)
Yarn and a crochet hook
Folder with all of my papers I got so far
Wallet
A hoodie in case I got cold
I wore comfortable clothes to the hospital. Something worth noting was that all of the clothes I brought were clothes I wouldn't mind losing. I kept the charger, my phone, iPad, and wallet in a place where someone would not easily be able to sneak in and grab them. Everything else stayed out of arms reach on a windowsill.
10:30am
We arrived at the hospital a few minutes early but soon enough they brought me into the back. First thing was first, they needed to make sure I wasn't pregnant. I remembered not to pee from the gatorade knowing this was coming, so I gave them my sample and came up negative. I changed into the hospital gown, and got my final pre-surgical weight.
Then, I got my first of 63 Lovenox shots that I would get or self-administer over the next 30 days. The nurse put a motion sickness patch behind my ear to help with nausea, and took a couple of tubes for testing. Then, they started the IV and hooked me up.
At that point my parents and husband were allowed to rejoin me. I was by far the least nervous person in the "room" if that's what you want to call it. It was probably about 11:30am by this time. I was due to go in at 12:30pm. Then the parade of medical professionals started. I don't remember the order, but that's probably not important. The surgeon stopped by to answer any questions my family had and I signed a consent for the surgery. The anesthesiologist stopped by to see how much I could open my mouth, and confirm what he already knew about me. Another anesthesiologist stopped by (there were two on the team) to introduce herself, and its a good thing she did because she was who I really talked to once they rolled me into the OR.
At around 1:00pm, the team came out to take me back. I gave my glasses and phone to my husband (taking off my glasses is my least favorite part of any procedure). I got rolled into the OR and shifted myself onto the table. The anesthesiologist got me positioned and explained that they have found that just a few minutes of CPAP therapy has proven to help patients going into surgery. The OR nurse strapped my legs into machines that pumped air into stockings to prevent blood clots. A few minutes passed by as they got me ready, and suddenly the time came where they instructed me that I would taste a metallic taste, smell something metallic, and possibly feel a burning sensation at the IV point.
5:35pm
The next thing I remember is waking up in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and the first feeling I felt was absolute nausea. A nurse was right by me and she was able to push Zofran to help with the nausea and was able to call out to my family that they could come back. In a few minutes I was reunited with my glasses (yay!) and they held me there for about 2 hours as I got more and more aware. The PACU is the only place I got inject-able pain management, but my pain was only at about a 5/10. My nausea on the other hand needed a second type of drug to finally get controlled.
7:45pm
Finally, a room became available and they rolled me up. For context of how well I was doing pain-wise, I was told immediately that I could have 10mg of oxy if I wanted. But I wanted to walk and use the rest room first. It took my husband and a nurse to get me out of bed, and I walked to the bathroom. I was able to do everything behind the privacy of a bathroom door, which was unexpected. My husband however had to help me put my underwear on. Once that was on, they gave me a second gown to use as a "cape" and cover that gap. I went for a walk, two laps around the floor I was on. Before he left for the night, he helped me put shorts on, so I wouldn't need to put the cape back on. The nurse then hooked my legs back up, and gave me my oxy and tylenol to take orally.
I was shocked. I was awake for a little more than two hours after a surgery that drastically changed the size of my stomach, and here these people were telling me to take drugs orally. They gave me water and the pills, and I took them. Immediatley I started dry heaving, but nothing produced and the feeling passed. A few minutes later I took another sip without any trouble.
And I quickly fell asleep.
Overnight
This was the four hour pattern I went through the whole night
6:30am
I was woken up by two surgeons to check my incisions and ask how my night went. The nurse said I was training for a marathon all night. Right after the surgeons left, the phlebotomist came in to take blood.
9:00am
When my mom came back the next day (dad and hubby had to work), I was walking when she got there. She literally could not believe it.
I'm going to stop the timestamps here, as the day filled with activity. I had a dietician come in to visit and remind me how important the post operative diet is. At this point, I had only had water, and Vitamin Water Zero, and I knew how important protein shakes were, so I asked for a protein shake to make sure I was okay drinking that before my discharge. The dietician helped me out by getting me a protein shake and made it for me. I had no issue getting this protein down.
Another surgeon also stopped by, and apologized for my surgeon as she was stuck in hellish traffic (by this point I had heard how bad traffic was from a few nurses and my mom). She stressed what the dietician had already said, and was willing to answer any questions. She had also heard I was up and about all night and confirmed I would be going home some time today. A case manager stopped by to ask me questions about my home life. She wanted to make sure I had support, asked if there were stairs, if anyone hurts me at home, etc.
Finally, the head nurse came in to start the discharge process. She had a whole pile of information she had to go through before I could leave, but most of it I knew already. My mom was told to go and get the car and bring it to a certain door, and I would meet her there as they had to wheel me out.
And just like that at about 1:00pm, about 24 hours after being rolled into the OR, Johns Hopkins Bayview was in the rear view mirror.
The first thing I had to do this day was re-wipe myself using the instructions from my pre-op appointment. Since part of this involved my back, I woke up before my husband left for an appointment to help me out. I put on a new set of clothes, and went to bed.
8:15am
I woke up again and drank a bottle of Gatorade given to me from the pre-op appointment. I was told to have this done by 2 hours prior to my appointed arrival time of 10:30am. I got up, made sure everything I needed was in my bag, and my parents were due to arrive at about 9:30am to bring me.
In my bag, I packed:
2 pairs of underwear
2 pairs of comfy pajama or workout shorts
2 t-shirts
iPad
Charger (extra long)
Yarn and a crochet hook
Folder with all of my papers I got so far
Wallet
A hoodie in case I got cold
I wore comfortable clothes to the hospital. Something worth noting was that all of the clothes I brought were clothes I wouldn't mind losing. I kept the charger, my phone, iPad, and wallet in a place where someone would not easily be able to sneak in and grab them. Everything else stayed out of arms reach on a windowsill.
10:30am
We arrived at the hospital a few minutes early but soon enough they brought me into the back. First thing was first, they needed to make sure I wasn't pregnant. I remembered not to pee from the gatorade knowing this was coming, so I gave them my sample and came up negative. I changed into the hospital gown, and got my final pre-surgical weight.
Then, I got my first of 63 Lovenox shots that I would get or self-administer over the next 30 days. The nurse put a motion sickness patch behind my ear to help with nausea, and took a couple of tubes for testing. Then, they started the IV and hooked me up.
At that point my parents and husband were allowed to rejoin me. I was by far the least nervous person in the "room" if that's what you want to call it. It was probably about 11:30am by this time. I was due to go in at 12:30pm. Then the parade of medical professionals started. I don't remember the order, but that's probably not important. The surgeon stopped by to answer any questions my family had and I signed a consent for the surgery. The anesthesiologist stopped by to see how much I could open my mouth, and confirm what he already knew about me. Another anesthesiologist stopped by (there were two on the team) to introduce herself, and its a good thing she did because she was who I really talked to once they rolled me into the OR.
At around 1:00pm, the team came out to take me back. I gave my glasses and phone to my husband (taking off my glasses is my least favorite part of any procedure). I got rolled into the OR and shifted myself onto the table. The anesthesiologist got me positioned and explained that they have found that just a few minutes of CPAP therapy has proven to help patients going into surgery. The OR nurse strapped my legs into machines that pumped air into stockings to prevent blood clots. A few minutes passed by as they got me ready, and suddenly the time came where they instructed me that I would taste a metallic taste, smell something metallic, and possibly feel a burning sensation at the IV point.
5:35pm
The next thing I remember is waking up in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and the first feeling I felt was absolute nausea. A nurse was right by me and she was able to push Zofran to help with the nausea and was able to call out to my family that they could come back. In a few minutes I was reunited with my glasses (yay!) and they held me there for about 2 hours as I got more and more aware. The PACU is the only place I got inject-able pain management, but my pain was only at about a 5/10. My nausea on the other hand needed a second type of drug to finally get controlled.
7:45pm
Finally, a room became available and they rolled me up. For context of how well I was doing pain-wise, I was told immediately that I could have 10mg of oxy if I wanted. But I wanted to walk and use the rest room first. It took my husband and a nurse to get me out of bed, and I walked to the bathroom. I was able to do everything behind the privacy of a bathroom door, which was unexpected. My husband however had to help me put my underwear on. Once that was on, they gave me a second gown to use as a "cape" and cover that gap. I went for a walk, two laps around the floor I was on. Before he left for the night, he helped me put shorts on, so I wouldn't need to put the cape back on. The nurse then hooked my legs back up, and gave me my oxy and tylenol to take orally.
I was shocked. I was awake for a little more than two hours after a surgery that drastically changed the size of my stomach, and here these people were telling me to take drugs orally. They gave me water and the pills, and I took them. Immediatley I started dry heaving, but nothing produced and the feeling passed. A few minutes later I took another sip without any trouble.
And I quickly fell asleep.
Overnight
This was the four hour pattern I went through the whole night
- Oxy
- 90 minute nap
- Slow wake up
- Called nurse to disconnect my legs
- Walk
- Play on phone
- Repeat list
6:30am
I was woken up by two surgeons to check my incisions and ask how my night went. The nurse said I was training for a marathon all night. Right after the surgeons left, the phlebotomist came in to take blood.
9:00am
When my mom came back the next day (dad and hubby had to work), I was walking when she got there. She literally could not believe it.
I'm going to stop the timestamps here, as the day filled with activity. I had a dietician come in to visit and remind me how important the post operative diet is. At this point, I had only had water, and Vitamin Water Zero, and I knew how important protein shakes were, so I asked for a protein shake to make sure I was okay drinking that before my discharge. The dietician helped me out by getting me a protein shake and made it for me. I had no issue getting this protein down.
Another surgeon also stopped by, and apologized for my surgeon as she was stuck in hellish traffic (by this point I had heard how bad traffic was from a few nurses and my mom). She stressed what the dietician had already said, and was willing to answer any questions. She had also heard I was up and about all night and confirmed I would be going home some time today. A case manager stopped by to ask me questions about my home life. She wanted to make sure I had support, asked if there were stairs, if anyone hurts me at home, etc.
Finally, the head nurse came in to start the discharge process. She had a whole pile of information she had to go through before I could leave, but most of it I knew already. My mom was told to go and get the car and bring it to a certain door, and I would meet her there as they had to wheel me out.
And just like that at about 1:00pm, about 24 hours after being rolled into the OR, Johns Hopkins Bayview was in the rear view mirror.
Thursday, July 20, 2017
May 30, 2017: Day and Night before surgery
May 30 was the day before the big day. As mentioned in the nutrition post, I was to follow a "full liquid" diet this day to not put much more into my intestines.
I was able to work from home this day and my husband had a day off. On his days off, he teaches ukulele lessons, so the house had people in and out all day which was great to break up the day. Our pastor also stopped by.
For food that I ate that day, I basically followed the liver shrink diet with a protein shake for dinner instead of a somewhat normal meal.
As I got ready for bed, I had specific instructions. I was to take a normal shower, then not apply any lotions or powders, then wait two hours, and wipe my arms, neck, and torso in a specific fashion using wipes provided at my pre-op. I was also to clean my belly button out with a cotton swab.
My instructions were also to sleep on clean sheets and wearing clean clothes this night as well. And, without pets in the room, which both kitties were NOT happy about. We had kicked them out a few nights earlier to make it less traumatic for us.
Then, I slept. Probably better than my husband.
Next up: Surgery day and joining the loser's bench
I was able to work from home this day and my husband had a day off. On his days off, he teaches ukulele lessons, so the house had people in and out all day which was great to break up the day. Our pastor also stopped by.
For food that I ate that day, I basically followed the liver shrink diet with a protein shake for dinner instead of a somewhat normal meal.
As I got ready for bed, I had specific instructions. I was to take a normal shower, then not apply any lotions or powders, then wait two hours, and wipe my arms, neck, and torso in a specific fashion using wipes provided at my pre-op. I was also to clean my belly button out with a cotton swab.
My instructions were also to sleep on clean sheets and wearing clean clothes this night as well. And, without pets in the room, which both kitties were NOT happy about. We had kicked them out a few nights earlier to make it less traumatic for us.
Then, I slept. Probably better than my husband.
Next up: Surgery day and joining the loser's bench
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
May 2017: Pre-op appointments
After I finished all of my pre-surgical requirements, I let the office manager for my doctor know so she could submit to insurance. Besides the initial appointment, I had the following to complete:
Just a few days later, I was told my surgery would be May 31. Less than a month away. I literally couldn't believe it and all the sudden everything was in motion. The office sent me a pile of papers of all of my appointments before and after surgery along with a reminder about the pre-surgical diet, and reminding me to get a pre-op with my PCP, which would include a blood draw, and a chest x-ray.
For the sake of readers who don't actually know me, my PCP does not actually have an x-ray on premises. So one day I had the afternoon off for a clinical trial I'm in (its super cool and I can't wait to share about that), I asked her to send the request in for my x-ray so I could get it while I had time off.
Chest x-ray...check
I had my visit with my PCP lined up for a few days later. She looked at the chest x-ray with me and basically gave me a physical including an EKG. It was uneventful but exciting because after months, this meant I was getting very close. After the EKG I got my blood drawn, so I was done with that step.
Finally I had to go see the surgeon for a pre-op. I asked why, and they said I had not been to the clinic hours since my initial visit in January and there was special stuff they had to give me. I went to the visit and the nurse practitioner on my surgeon's team was thrilled with all the progress I made (by this point I was teetering at 35lbs lost since January). She gave me two bottles of gatorade, special pre-surgical wipes, and a pretty blue bag. More details on all of those (including the pretty blue bag) later.
That was May 19. Next up was the big day.
I write this post because I see a lot of people online getting very nervous about their pre-op and the bottom line is, its just a physical. The doctors on your team need to know as much as they can about what's going on in your body before they put it through the incredible stress of surgery. For example, every other provider I've met claims I'm an asthmatic. I personally think I just get sick badly in my lungs for a longer period than others (something my cat Finn must have gotten from me), but the chest x-ray showed literally in black and white, something resembling asthma. Seeing as someone, namely the anesthesiologist, was going to be controlling my breathing for about four hours, this is an important detail.
Next up: May 30, 2017
- Four appointments with my Primary Care Provider known from here out as PCP (or three appointments at JH Bayview)
- An appointment with a Nutritionist (here I covered vitamins and here I covered food)
- An appointment with a Psychiatrist
- Attend a Group Support session
- Have an EGD done
- Have a sleep study done
Just a few days later, I was told my surgery would be May 31. Less than a month away. I literally couldn't believe it and all the sudden everything was in motion. The office sent me a pile of papers of all of my appointments before and after surgery along with a reminder about the pre-surgical diet, and reminding me to get a pre-op with my PCP, which would include a blood draw, and a chest x-ray.
For the sake of readers who don't actually know me, my PCP does not actually have an x-ray on premises. So one day I had the afternoon off for a clinical trial I'm in (its super cool and I can't wait to share about that), I asked her to send the request in for my x-ray so I could get it while I had time off.
Chest x-ray...check
I had my visit with my PCP lined up for a few days later. She looked at the chest x-ray with me and basically gave me a physical including an EKG. It was uneventful but exciting because after months, this meant I was getting very close. After the EKG I got my blood drawn, so I was done with that step.
Finally I had to go see the surgeon for a pre-op. I asked why, and they said I had not been to the clinic hours since my initial visit in January and there was special stuff they had to give me. I went to the visit and the nurse practitioner on my surgeon's team was thrilled with all the progress I made (by this point I was teetering at 35lbs lost since January). She gave me two bottles of gatorade, special pre-surgical wipes, and a pretty blue bag. More details on all of those (including the pretty blue bag) later.
That was May 19. Next up was the big day.
I write this post because I see a lot of people online getting very nervous about their pre-op and the bottom line is, its just a physical. The doctors on your team need to know as much as they can about what's going on in your body before they put it through the incredible stress of surgery. For example, every other provider I've met claims I'm an asthmatic. I personally think I just get sick badly in my lungs for a longer period than others (something my cat Finn must have gotten from me), but the chest x-ray showed literally in black and white, something resembling asthma. Seeing as someone, namely the anesthesiologist, was going to be controlling my breathing for about four hours, this is an important detail.
Next up: May 30, 2017
April 26, 2017: Nutrition Visit (Food)
In a previous post about nutrition, I realized this single visit was a huge amount of information. I covered vitamins previously with the promise to cover nutrition.
I feel now is an appropriate time to again remind readers that I'm a patient, not a doctor or dietician. I have a history degree, not a medical degree. I do however read everything put in front of me, which I highly recommend, and I take advice from outside of my surgical program with a big grain of salt.
I'm going to break up the nutrition by day and week and only until the point I'm at now. I'm sure I'll have nutrition updates as my diet expands.
Two weeks prior (really thirteen days, see below): Pre-surgical "Liver Shrink" Diet
A little known fact about most obese individuals is that their livers are swollen with fatty liver disease. It's a medical fact of life.
In order to perform a successful laparoscopic surgery, the liver must be as small as it possibly can be. In order to do this, surgeons assigns a special pre-surgical diet.
Starting two weeks out, my diet looked like this:
Breakfast:
Protein Shake
Mid morning snack:
Fat free yogurt or fruit
Lunch:
Protein Shake
Snack:
Fat free yogurt or fruit (usually whatever I didn't have earlier)
Dinner:
3-4oz of lean meat/fish with 1c. steamed veggies OR 1c. salad with 1 TBSP of low fat dressing
It was hard at first, I'm not going to lie. But I knew that this was still A LOT of food compared to what my life was going to look like post op. Also, I knew following this diet to the letter was the difference between a laparoscopic surgery and an open surgery. Open surgeries require a much longer recovery time.
One day prior: Full Liquid Diet
One day before it's time to make sure you have as little in your digestive system as possible. This day looked very similar to the previous two weeks, but just yogurt twice instead of fruit, and dinner was also a protein shake.
One week after: Full liquid diet
For the full liquid diet, there were more options that one would think. I was able to have yogurt, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, pudding, jello, and frozen treats such as sugar free popsicles and fudge pops.
The most important parts of this week is to get the 60-80g of protein in daily and to get at least 64oz of water daily. This would become quite the challenge, but it should literally be the only two things your focusing on.
Weeks two, three, and four: Puree
This was an annoying part of the diet. Honestly I just bought baby food for the most part to get veggies and fruit in. There were also little baby food treats that I treated myself to. For meat, I discovered that chicken did not work for me, but ground beef that was then put into a food processor worked great. Tuna (pureed) also worked great.
Weeks five, six, seven, eight: Soft foods
This is my current place. I can basically eat anything except for the skins of vegetables and fruits, rice, and some other stuff that doesn't come to mind but I don't miss it. Take a look at any of my food journals to get an idea of what I'm doing these days.
I will say this, through this whole process, foods should be fat free or low fat as much as you can. A little fat is healthy to get into a diet daily, but do look for the lower fat items when given options.
Next up: Pre-op
I feel now is an appropriate time to again remind readers that I'm a patient, not a doctor or dietician. I have a history degree, not a medical degree. I do however read everything put in front of me, which I highly recommend, and I take advice from outside of my surgical program with a big grain of salt.
I'm going to break up the nutrition by day and week and only until the point I'm at now. I'm sure I'll have nutrition updates as my diet expands.
Two weeks prior (really thirteen days, see below): Pre-surgical "Liver Shrink" Diet
A little known fact about most obese individuals is that their livers are swollen with fatty liver disease. It's a medical fact of life.
In order to perform a successful laparoscopic surgery, the liver must be as small as it possibly can be. In order to do this, surgeons assigns a special pre-surgical diet.
Starting two weeks out, my diet looked like this:
Breakfast:
Protein Shake
Mid morning snack:
Fat free yogurt or fruit
Lunch:
Protein Shake
Snack:
Fat free yogurt or fruit (usually whatever I didn't have earlier)
Dinner:
3-4oz of lean meat/fish with 1c. steamed veggies OR 1c. salad with 1 TBSP of low fat dressing
It was hard at first, I'm not going to lie. But I knew that this was still A LOT of food compared to what my life was going to look like post op. Also, I knew following this diet to the letter was the difference between a laparoscopic surgery and an open surgery. Open surgeries require a much longer recovery time.
One day prior: Full Liquid Diet
One day before it's time to make sure you have as little in your digestive system as possible. This day looked very similar to the previous two weeks, but just yogurt twice instead of fruit, and dinner was also a protein shake.
One week after: Full liquid diet
For the full liquid diet, there were more options that one would think. I was able to have yogurt, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, pudding, jello, and frozen treats such as sugar free popsicles and fudge pops.
The most important parts of this week is to get the 60-80g of protein in daily and to get at least 64oz of water daily. This would become quite the challenge, but it should literally be the only two things your focusing on.
Weeks two, three, and four: Puree
This was an annoying part of the diet. Honestly I just bought baby food for the most part to get veggies and fruit in. There were also little baby food treats that I treated myself to. For meat, I discovered that chicken did not work for me, but ground beef that was then put into a food processor worked great. Tuna (pureed) also worked great.
Weeks five, six, seven, eight: Soft foods
This is my current place. I can basically eat anything except for the skins of vegetables and fruits, rice, and some other stuff that doesn't come to mind but I don't miss it. Take a look at any of my food journals to get an idea of what I'm doing these days.
I will say this, through this whole process, foods should be fat free or low fat as much as you can. A little fat is healthy to get into a diet daily, but do look for the lower fat items when given options.
Next up: Pre-op
July 18, 2017: Six weeks, six days
Today was a much better day than yesterday. Probably mostly because I avoided pit beef...
A big change I made today was I started using MyFitnessPal (MFP) over Baritastic for tracking food. This is simply because I can leave MFP up at my desk all day on the monitor and add stuff. Baritastic depends on data usage on my phone, which is spotty at best at work.
I ran three miles in 34 minutes at lunch time and I'm getting to the point where I may need to start showering at lunch time. Gross, but could affect the routine I've been working at. After work I did two PE@PF classes (Chest and PF360), then spent about two hours on the pool deck for tryouts. Soooo I basically was a gross sweaty mess from about 11:30am til 9pm when I finally took a shower.
Something interesting that happened as a result of this change was that at the end of the day, I can "Complete Entry" and it will give me a estimate of my weight 5 weeks from today if every day were like today. The weight popped up, and it was about 30 pounds less than I am right now, but I am seeing myself at 30 lbs higher than I am right now.
If anyone is interested, I am updating a lot on Instagram, and I put a side by side up with a picture from 2012 and the difference in unreal. Check me out @Jackienelli
Food Journal:
Breakfast:
Pure Protein with water
Mid Morning:
Oikos Triple Zero
Lunch:
Single egg salad
Afternoon Snack:
Applesauce packet
After workout snack:
Quest bar
Dinner:
Bubba burger patty (nothing on it)
Workout Journal:
11:45-12:20: 34 minutes on elliptical at level 1. Ran 3 miles
3:30-4:00: Chest workout
Flat chest press one arm at a time 4x12 (each arm) w/7.5 lbs dumbbell
Incline chest press both arms 4x12 w/7.5lbs
Incline fly both arms 3x10 w/7.5lbs
Overhead press 3x10 w/single 15lbs dumbbell with 2 hands
4:00-4:30: PF360 (each activity is done for a minute with 30 sec. rest between, repeated circuit a second time with the wall sit happening a third time)
Wall squat while throwing 6lb medicine ball at trampoline
Mountain climbers
Weighted step ups (step on level 2, first round with 10 lbs, second round with 20 lbs)
Ropes, squatting, 10 sec w/arms together, 10 sec w/arms alternating
TPX suspension squats
Modified one leg dead lifts (most bearing on back) (first round 15 lb kettlebell, second w/20lbs)
Overhead tricep pulls (17.5lbs)
A big change I made today was I started using MyFitnessPal (MFP) over Baritastic for tracking food. This is simply because I can leave MFP up at my desk all day on the monitor and add stuff. Baritastic depends on data usage on my phone, which is spotty at best at work.
I ran three miles in 34 minutes at lunch time and I'm getting to the point where I may need to start showering at lunch time. Gross, but could affect the routine I've been working at. After work I did two PE@PF classes (Chest and PF360), then spent about two hours on the pool deck for tryouts. Soooo I basically was a gross sweaty mess from about 11:30am til 9pm when I finally took a shower.
Something interesting that happened as a result of this change was that at the end of the day, I can "Complete Entry" and it will give me a estimate of my weight 5 weeks from today if every day were like today. The weight popped up, and it was about 30 pounds less than I am right now, but I am seeing myself at 30 lbs higher than I am right now.
If anyone is interested, I am updating a lot on Instagram, and I put a side by side up with a picture from 2012 and the difference in unreal. Check me out @Jackienelli
Food Journal:
Breakfast:
Pure Protein with water
Mid Morning:
Oikos Triple Zero
Lunch:
Single egg salad
Afternoon Snack:
Applesauce packet
After workout snack:
Quest bar
Dinner:
Bubba burger patty (nothing on it)
Workout Journal:
11:45-12:20: 34 minutes on elliptical at level 1. Ran 3 miles
3:30-4:00: Chest workout
Flat chest press one arm at a time 4x12 (each arm) w/7.5 lbs dumbbell
Incline chest press both arms 4x12 w/7.5lbs
Incline fly both arms 3x10 w/7.5lbs
Overhead press 3x10 w/single 15lbs dumbbell with 2 hands
4:00-4:30: PF360 (each activity is done for a minute with 30 sec. rest between, repeated circuit a second time with the wall sit happening a third time)
Wall squat while throwing 6lb medicine ball at trampoline
Mountain climbers
Weighted step ups (step on level 2, first round with 10 lbs, second round with 20 lbs)
Ropes, squatting, 10 sec w/arms together, 10 sec w/arms alternating
TPX suspension squats
Modified one leg dead lifts (most bearing on back) (first round 15 lb kettlebell, second w/20lbs)
Overhead tricep pulls (17.5lbs)
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
April 26, 2017: Nutrition Visit (Vitamins)
Nutrition is the biggest, longest part of this pre-surgical process.
It also has the potential to be the most confusing.
Hopkins' program is a single, 90 minute meeting with the nutritionist about a month before surgery. I made the appointment in February assuming my PCP visits would stay on schedule. Sure enough, everything stayed on track and I was able to have my appointment.
There was a book that the nutritionist went through, but it can be summed up into two parts: vitamins, and food. This post will focus on vitamins.
Vitamins were deceptively easy. I have decided not to talk numbers as to not confuse any readers from what your program's nutritionist may have said. When in doubt, trust your own nutritionist and now some power-hungry blogger.
I will say this about vitamins that I have found other patients in other programs concur with. First, there is no swallowing of vitamins for the first 6 months or so, so everything is chewable. Also, no gummies that are so popular right now. The new gastric bypass stomach cannot handle a gummy.
I was given options with regards to brand, and she said if I found a new vitamin, to look at the goals she was giving me that day, and make sure it lined up. She also gave me some samples to help my purchasing decision.
This is what I've decided to take (again, this works for me, it might not work for you):
By 6:30am:
Celebrate Calcium Plus 500
By 8:30am but no sooner than 2 hours after first pill:
Celebrate Calcium Plus 500
By 2:00pm but no sooner than 2 hours after second pill:
Celebrate Calcium Plus 500
In the evening, at least 2 hours after final calcium pill:
Celebrate Multivitamin with 60 Iron (2)
I was told that Calcium Citrate is harder to purchase in regular stores, so I decided to go through Celebrate for those. I have since found out that a chewable calcium citrate is sold at WalMart and I have yet to investigate for myself.
I decided to buy Celebrate for the Multivitamin as well, because Celebrate was the complete package, including Biotin for hair, and my daily iron. Since starting, sometimes the multivitamin makes me really nauseous. For my next order, I decided to separate the multivitamin from the iron to try to help this nausea. The total cost for my first three months of vitamins was $96.
A quick note on my iron intake: bypass patients require a higher amount daily as do pre-menopausal women. So I won on both fronts.
In the past couple of months, I have heard so many stories about vitamins. I'm glad my vitamins are so streamlined, even when I do separate the multivitamin from the iron. Also, while $96 feels like a big purchase when I buy it, it lasted me ninety days, so that's a hair more than a dollar a day.
I ordered the next batch and it went up to $121, but it might be worth it to not end my day with sometimes overwhelming nausea.
Successful vitamin intake has shown to prevent hair falling out, bone issues, and more successful pregnancies than those who do not take vitamins. I also ordered this oversize pill holder on Amazon that has been perfect for me. I pop the "day" box out and carry it with me all day.
It also has the potential to be the most confusing.
Hopkins' program is a single, 90 minute meeting with the nutritionist about a month before surgery. I made the appointment in February assuming my PCP visits would stay on schedule. Sure enough, everything stayed on track and I was able to have my appointment.
There was a book that the nutritionist went through, but it can be summed up into two parts: vitamins, and food. This post will focus on vitamins.
Vitamins were deceptively easy. I have decided not to talk numbers as to not confuse any readers from what your program's nutritionist may have said. When in doubt, trust your own nutritionist and now some power-hungry blogger.
I will say this about vitamins that I have found other patients in other programs concur with. First, there is no swallowing of vitamins for the first 6 months or so, so everything is chewable. Also, no gummies that are so popular right now. The new gastric bypass stomach cannot handle a gummy.
I was given options with regards to brand, and she said if I found a new vitamin, to look at the goals she was giving me that day, and make sure it lined up. She also gave me some samples to help my purchasing decision.
This is what I've decided to take (again, this works for me, it might not work for you):
By 6:30am:
Celebrate Calcium Plus 500
By 8:30am but no sooner than 2 hours after first pill:
Celebrate Calcium Plus 500
By 2:00pm but no sooner than 2 hours after second pill:
Celebrate Calcium Plus 500
In the evening, at least 2 hours after final calcium pill:
Celebrate Multivitamin with 60 Iron (2)
I was told that Calcium Citrate is harder to purchase in regular stores, so I decided to go through Celebrate for those. I have since found out that a chewable calcium citrate is sold at WalMart and I have yet to investigate for myself.
I decided to buy Celebrate for the Multivitamin as well, because Celebrate was the complete package, including Biotin for hair, and my daily iron. Since starting, sometimes the multivitamin makes me really nauseous. For my next order, I decided to separate the multivitamin from the iron to try to help this nausea. The total cost for my first three months of vitamins was $96.
A quick note on my iron intake: bypass patients require a higher amount daily as do pre-menopausal women. So I won on both fronts.
In the past couple of months, I have heard so many stories about vitamins. I'm glad my vitamins are so streamlined, even when I do separate the multivitamin from the iron. Also, while $96 feels like a big purchase when I buy it, it lasted me ninety days, so that's a hair more than a dollar a day.
I ordered the next batch and it went up to $121, but it might be worth it to not end my day with sometimes overwhelming nausea.
Successful vitamin intake has shown to prevent hair falling out, bone issues, and more successful pregnancies than those who do not take vitamins. I also ordered this oversize pill holder on Amazon that has been perfect for me. I pop the "day" box out and carry it with me all day.
Monday, July 17, 2017
March 9, 2017: Group Support Session
Another item on my list to attend was a group support session at Johns Hopkins. They are offered twice monthly, and I'll admit I put it off. I didn't know what I would learn from a room full of people when I have doctors and the internet to look to. I didn't need another "Weight Watchers" type meeting.
I walked in expecting to just check my box, but what I found was so much more.
I came to find out that each session (held twice monthly) has a theme, such as surgical, nutritional, and behavioral. Each are led by a representative from that department.
At first I was hesitant to go (although I knew I had to), because I've been to enough meetings about losing weight or trying to lose weight. This was a different approach, a surgical approach, and I didn't see how a meeting would help.
I was so wrong.
In this usually full room, it is full of people that share a journey with me. There isn't anything said perceived as too weird ("Does anyone else have really smelly gas all the sudden?"). Everyone in the room can either guide you down the road, or you will become a role model for someone else in the room. I have several friends that went through the surgery, and this room has become a room full of friends no matter how many times they have walked through the door.
I can always tell the first timers, feeling the room out seeing if the size of the attendees matches their expectations of the meeting. As the meeting starts, we all introduce ourselves and say if we're pre or post op, what type of surgery, and how much we have lost (if applicable). The first time I went I took tons of notes, but now I listen. And that has been so much help.
Don't get me wrong, I have an amazing support system. My husband, parents, and in-laws are all local and unbelievably supportive and have made sacrifices through this journey. I also have friends an coworkers who are supportive and hear about what I'm going through.
It's not the most convenient place for me, its about a 40 minute drive from my house twice a month after a day of work. But I make the time to go to these meetings because they are so supportive.
Next appointment: Nutrition.
I walked in expecting to just check my box, but what I found was so much more.
I came to find out that each session (held twice monthly) has a theme, such as surgical, nutritional, and behavioral. Each are led by a representative from that department.
At first I was hesitant to go (although I knew I had to), because I've been to enough meetings about losing weight or trying to lose weight. This was a different approach, a surgical approach, and I didn't see how a meeting would help.
I was so wrong.
In this usually full room, it is full of people that share a journey with me. There isn't anything said perceived as too weird ("Does anyone else have really smelly gas all the sudden?"). Everyone in the room can either guide you down the road, or you will become a role model for someone else in the room. I have several friends that went through the surgery, and this room has become a room full of friends no matter how many times they have walked through the door.
I can always tell the first timers, feeling the room out seeing if the size of the attendees matches their expectations of the meeting. As the meeting starts, we all introduce ourselves and say if we're pre or post op, what type of surgery, and how much we have lost (if applicable). The first time I went I took tons of notes, but now I listen. And that has been so much help.
Don't get me wrong, I have an amazing support system. My husband, parents, and in-laws are all local and unbelievably supportive and have made sacrifices through this journey. I also have friends an coworkers who are supportive and hear about what I'm going through.
It's not the most convenient place for me, its about a 40 minute drive from my house twice a month after a day of work. But I make the time to go to these meetings because they are so supportive.
Next appointment: Nutrition.
March 3, 2017: Gynecologist
When undergoing the process to get such a life-changing surgery, you never know what doctors will be on your to-do list.
At the first appointment, another item that was brought up was the need to change my method of birth control. I was on the tried and true hormonal pill option, but the extra hormones increase the risk of blood clots. Hospitals as a whole have increased concern about blood clots, and obesity is one strong factor, so I could understand why they required me to change.
Second, it is suggested to not get pregnant for 18 months after surgery, so getting a non-hormonal implant increased the effectiveness of pregnancy prevention. It takes out the human error of remembering to take the pill at exactly the same time every day for most effectiveness.
Finally, dropping so much weight so quickly makes women particularly fertile. So in order to reach that 18 month goal, patients need to be very careful.
I made an appointment with a new gynecologist, because my current one decided to leave her practice. Luckily, I was able to stress the importance of getting the ball rolling with this appointment so they were able to get me in pretty quickly.
At the appointment, we discussed my options. One was an IUD such as Mirena. I was not a fan of Mirena or other IUDs as I did not want another pain to worry about. Gastric bypasses does affect your intestines, and there are all sorts of things to worry about in that regard (hernias, blockages, etc). I wanted to not have to go through a longer process to arrive at a potential diagnosis for lower abdominal pain.
Another option was a non-hormonal birth control pill, but she told me she would not recommend that to me. It is proven to not be effective in obese women.
Finally there was the Nexplanon insert. It is inserted into the upper arm in an quick, in-office procedure. It took nearly two months from the appointment to get Nexplanon inserted, and it ended up happening thirty days before surgery.
To get the Nexplanon inserted was relatively painless, and my experience didn't even involve much bruising. The doctor numbed the area, and then inserted it, and voila! I'm good for up to three years. I am told that for most women there is not much time needed between removing the implant and being fertile again.
Next appointment: Support Group
At the first appointment, another item that was brought up was the need to change my method of birth control. I was on the tried and true hormonal pill option, but the extra hormones increase the risk of blood clots. Hospitals as a whole have increased concern about blood clots, and obesity is one strong factor, so I could understand why they required me to change.
Second, it is suggested to not get pregnant for 18 months after surgery, so getting a non-hormonal implant increased the effectiveness of pregnancy prevention. It takes out the human error of remembering to take the pill at exactly the same time every day for most effectiveness.
Finally, dropping so much weight so quickly makes women particularly fertile. So in order to reach that 18 month goal, patients need to be very careful.
I made an appointment with a new gynecologist, because my current one decided to leave her practice. Luckily, I was able to stress the importance of getting the ball rolling with this appointment so they were able to get me in pretty quickly.
At the appointment, we discussed my options. One was an IUD such as Mirena. I was not a fan of Mirena or other IUDs as I did not want another pain to worry about. Gastric bypasses does affect your intestines, and there are all sorts of things to worry about in that regard (hernias, blockages, etc). I wanted to not have to go through a longer process to arrive at a potential diagnosis for lower abdominal pain.
Another option was a non-hormonal birth control pill, but she told me she would not recommend that to me. It is proven to not be effective in obese women.
Finally there was the Nexplanon insert. It is inserted into the upper arm in an quick, in-office procedure. It took nearly two months from the appointment to get Nexplanon inserted, and it ended up happening thirty days before surgery.
To get the Nexplanon inserted was relatively painless, and my experience didn't even involve much bruising. The doctor numbed the area, and then inserted it, and voila! I'm good for up to three years. I am told that for most women there is not much time needed between removing the implant and being fertile again.
Next appointment: Support Group
Sunday, July 16, 2017
February 15, 2017: The Sleep Study
As a part of my application for the surgery, I had to write that I had been diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2014. But, the diagnosis did not involve a sleep study, and rather my giant tonsils that were later removed. The surgeon who performed that surgery said that removing the tonsils likely took care of my sleep apnea issues.
At the first appointment, the surgeon said she wanted me to get a sleep study done because of this note from 2014.
The process to get the sleep study was easy enough, and the night of the exam I packed my 'jammies and went in at around 9:00pm. Once in my tiny little room, they told me to mimic my nighttime routine the best I could, which for me includes a shower. After a shower, the technician came in and hooked all the sensors around my head, face, and chest. Part of the paperwork that I signed said if they noticed apnea, they could come in and start me on a CPAP so they would know what machine settings I would need (if necessary). The technician left the room and asked me to follow some instructions ("Blink twice, move your left leg, move your right arm...").
Then comes sleep. Or lack thereof.
Once during the night I managed to take a sensor off so they came in to fix it. And all the sudden it was 5:45am, which is my normal wake up time. I took another shower to get all of the glue out of my hair and by 6:15am I was walking out of clinic.
About two months earlier, my husband had a sleep study and he clearly had an issue with apnea, and sure enough a day after his study we got a phone call that he had severe sleep apnea (over 120 issues in an hour) and they already took it upon themselves to order him a CPAP. So when a few days had passed without a phone call, I was confident that I did not have sleep apnea. A few weeks later I got a paper report in the mail, and there were minor incidents but nothing that was making doctors call me like they had called my husband.
A month after the sleep study, I followed up with a sleep doctor. She started by saying how confused she was about the 2014 "diagnosis" and after a quick physical examination she said I had four incidents in the whole night, and if I felt like my quality of sleep was being affected she would order a CPAP, but she was confident that by losing a little weight I would probably not have any apnea incidents soon.
I am not sure how this would work, but I am curious to see the improvement in my sleeping after surgery. I feel like I'm sleeping better, but I'm also a little more of a metrics nut than I used to be. I love my Fitbit and finding out the quality of my sleep when I wake up.
Next up: Having to change birth control...
At the first appointment, the surgeon said she wanted me to get a sleep study done because of this note from 2014.
The process to get the sleep study was easy enough, and the night of the exam I packed my 'jammies and went in at around 9:00pm. Once in my tiny little room, they told me to mimic my nighttime routine the best I could, which for me includes a shower. After a shower, the technician came in and hooked all the sensors around my head, face, and chest. Part of the paperwork that I signed said if they noticed apnea, they could come in and start me on a CPAP so they would know what machine settings I would need (if necessary). The technician left the room and asked me to follow some instructions ("Blink twice, move your left leg, move your right arm...").
Then comes sleep. Or lack thereof.
Once during the night I managed to take a sensor off so they came in to fix it. And all the sudden it was 5:45am, which is my normal wake up time. I took another shower to get all of the glue out of my hair and by 6:15am I was walking out of clinic.
About two months earlier, my husband had a sleep study and he clearly had an issue with apnea, and sure enough a day after his study we got a phone call that he had severe sleep apnea (over 120 issues in an hour) and they already took it upon themselves to order him a CPAP. So when a few days had passed without a phone call, I was confident that I did not have sleep apnea. A few weeks later I got a paper report in the mail, and there were minor incidents but nothing that was making doctors call me like they had called my husband.
A month after the sleep study, I followed up with a sleep doctor. She started by saying how confused she was about the 2014 "diagnosis" and after a quick physical examination she said I had four incidents in the whole night, and if I felt like my quality of sleep was being affected she would order a CPAP, but she was confident that by losing a little weight I would probably not have any apnea incidents soon.
I am not sure how this would work, but I am curious to see the improvement in my sleeping after surgery. I feel like I'm sleeping better, but I'm also a little more of a metrics nut than I used to be. I love my Fitbit and finding out the quality of my sleep when I wake up.
Next up: Having to change birth control...
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