The Date

March 14, 2007 will be the day that changes my life forever.

Being born in December 1957 means that I was conceived in March of 1957.

Fifty years later, a new me will be conceived in March in 2007. My new self will be realized by December 2007.

American Society for Bariatric Surgery
http://www.asbs.

I saw my bariatric surgeon on Monday February 5th. He was elated that I'd successfully lost 12 pounds in the prior 4 weeks. To him, it was a sign that I could do it...could follow his instructions and lose weight. He was also elated to see that my diabetes was very out of control as evidenced by my HgA1c result in December that was over 11. Normal is under 7. Evidence that bariatric surgery would help me.

I attended a support group on Saturday February 3rd for patients considering bariatric surgery or those who had been through it. It was very interesting. One normal weighted woman had taken off 320 pounds in 2 years. One fellow had lost 70+ pounds since his surgery in November. Another woman had lost 160 lbs. Another, 200lb.

I must say that of those considering or awaiting bariatric surgery, I was one of the smaller people there, weighing in at 312. Imagine that. One fellow was probably 600 pounds and had to stand up during the meeting. He would fall asleep leaning against a wall as he stood due to sleep apnea. He was only 25, but his world would be opening up for him soon.

Parts of my life will radically change. I am thankful to have a husband who adores me and supports me in my decision to pursue bariatric surgery. I am thankful to have a job that challenges me. I am not looking for those areas to change much, although increased energy will definitely have a positive impact on my work life and my personal life.

What will change most drastically is my body size. Like I said in a previous post, I've never known myself as a thin person. I think in my head, I may be a thin person, though. I really do like myself already. I will probably grow to like people more, just because I'll feel more confident to be around them somehow.

Part of this process has been to see a counselor. I had to be psychologically evaluated prior to establishing a surgery date. My counselor told me I had no psychological issues to worry about. I had to tell her what my "disorder" was, as she wasn't able to pinpoint it. Compulsive overeating. That was it. The big issue to deal with...and why I'm still seeing her...is to figure out what triggers my desire to overeat and then figure out how to deal with those triggers post-surgery since I will be unable to eat in response to the triggers. Literally physically unable to eat in response.

My stomach will be the size of an egg. My intestinal re-working will cause me to feel sick if I endulge in "bad" foods like sugars and carbohydrates. By the way, this is why I chose the "Roux-en-Y" procedure to begin with, rather than the lap band. The lap band is a ring that is placed around the top portion of your stomach with a port they fill with saline to constrict the stomach so that there is a very small hole that allows food to move from the small upper stomach out into the larger stomach and on through the GI track.

First it seemed like kind of a little weird to picture a very tight necktie around the upper portion of my stomach, constricting the organ into an opening that's about 1.5 centimeters in diameter. Secondly, there is no deterrent to eating incorrectly. Sugars, carbs, all of it are tolerated. Sure, you have to eat a little at a time, but there's no limit to the amount of food one can take in while grazing throughout one's waking hours!! No. I need that threat of explosive diarrhea and stomach cramps to steer me away from my trigger foods. Heck, if I didn't have a problem with certain foods, I wouldn't have needed this surgery to begin with. Duh.

So my procedure will involve cutting my stomach pouch and stitching it up so that it's the size of an egg. Then, the outlet from that new stomach will be reconnected to a place that bypasses several feet of my small intestine. The small stomach causes you to feel full faster and the section of your small intestine that's responsible for absorbing most of the calories you eat is bypassed. So for the first 6-10 months (the "honeymoon" period), you lose weight at an incredible pace. After the honeymoon period, your body wakes up (incredible as it is) and begins to compensate for the fact that a portion of the small intestine was bypassed...and it begins to absorb the calories you take in at a lower portion of the intestinal track. It's like it says hey, we cannot go on in this starvation mode forever!

Some people lose 10-20 lbs a month during this honeymoon period. Of course, if you increase your activity during that time (which is MUCH easier as you become physically lighter), that also helps to burn what calories you absorb as well as bumping up your basal metabolic rate. It's all quite fascinating.

The recovery period is 2-3 weeks. The surgery is done laparoscopally via five small incisions in the abdomen. The first several weeks post op require you to eat liquids and creamy foods like cream soups, yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, etc. Fortunately, I love heatlhy foods. Then there is a phase where you slowly introduce solid foods. Chewing things to a pulp is a requirement unless you want to be throwing up all the time! Ha!

My surgeon -- Dr. Albert L. Wetter -- has performed this procedure over 1200 times. I will be at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View for 2 nights. It is a "Center of Expertise" as required by my health insurance. My insurance covers 90% of the costs. How fortunate am I?

Incredibly!