Less than ten days......

Well, it seems like I waited forever to get a date for surgery scheduled and now it is a mere ten days away! I am fairly busy at work trying to anticipate everything that I possibly can for while I am away, I am mostly ready, just a few things to train my deskmates on and I'll be set there.

At home, I have a TON to do! Tonight I meet with the contractor to pick out linoleum, countertops and siding. We will also firm up measurements for the new windows in the basement and the new cabinets in the kitchen and place orders. Approximately four weeks from ordering, we should be able to start the remodel. Meanwhile, I need to strip the wallpaper off the walls in the kitchen and pack up most of my dishes and food supply. All the cabinets are being replaced, so basically we are gutting the kitchen, thus its kind of like moving! I bought a new gas stove over the range microwave and undercounter dishwasher that will also be installed with the new cabinets. The only appliance staying is the fridge. It isn't very old, so it will do for the time being. Eventually I'd like one with the ice/water dispensor on it. Grampa Gardner needs to install the gas line hookup for the stove, but he'll be here next week and am hoping he can tackle that then.

I already bought paint for the kitchen, but I need to go pick up the wainscotting and trim yet. I also think I am going to pick up a pint of white paint and touch up the frames around the windows. I need to see what kind of crown molding Home Depot lined up to go with my cabinets so I can use that around the rest of the kitchen ceiling too.

I also need to get the last of the goodies out of my garden and get them canned. That is quite a chore, but it is worth it to have fresh garden goodies that you know where they came from and how they were tended the entire time. The garden was alot more effort than I imagined, but having the organic produce has been a good reward.

Grama and Grampa Gardner are coming to stay with me before the night of surgery and accompany me to the hospital and be there when I come out of surgery. Not sure if they'll stay a few extra days or not yet, but it will be nice to have them around. I have wonderful friends too that will be helping. My temporary roommate Susan is there of course, and Laurie, LoLo, Sara, Rebekah and some people from work have all volunteered to come and/or help out if I need anything. I have awesome friends and I am so grateful!

Well, keep me in your prayers. I have my pre-surgical appointment this Thursday and then the countdown really starts!

Thanks for checking on me.
Aimee

Six Weeks from now.......

I should be sitting in the recovery room coming out of anesthesia. Yes my friends, six weeks from now is my surgical date. I have to be there bright and early for them to hook up IVs and do all the preliminaries.
Five weeks from now I have my pre-op appointment which clears me for anesthesia.
So things are moving right along. I still have alot of things to do both at home and at work. And as it turns out, the construction projects I have planned are going to occur around that time as well, so I'll definitely be busy right up to the date. Not sure how that will effect my plans for going to Indiana, but I may need to be around here for awhile and just spend a shorter time in Indiana.
I started stripping the wallpaper off the kitchen walls, that is quite a messy project, but I can't wait to have it gone. Its ugly. The contractor is installing new floor, new cabinets, and new countertop. The walls are being refinished by me. I plan to do wainscotting on the bottom half and am painting the upper half a darker shade of blue called Star Spangled Blue. Its not quite navy, more the Americana blue look. I bought the paint on Tuesday, so I am committed for sure now! I have some ideas for the border, but haven't purchased anything yet. I helped my mom and my friend Sara put up borders before, so I know I can handle that as a DIY job, the wainscotting too, couple of nails, piece of trim, DONE!
I bought some new appliances for the project too. I am a HUGE fan of cooking with a gas stove, but currently have electric. YUK! So, I bought a new gas range and I also bought the microwave that goes over the stove and has the vent with it. Am also switching from my portable dishwasher to an under the counter version, so I need to go pick that out yet, but I have time, so no hurry! My grampa is going to install the gas line for me, hoping he can hook up the dishwasher too. I am planning to sell the existing dishwasher, stove and microwave through my company classified ads. Hopefully that will recoup some of the money spent on the appliances as the old ones aren't even that old.
I am really excited about both big projects, surgery and construction, so should be an interesting turning point in many ways.
Well, I think I have blogged enough now, so am going to get busy on some work. Thanks for checking in on me and keeping me in your prayers.

Surgery Date

Well, I finally have a surgery date scheduled.
September 27th.
I am on a list for cancellations, so there is a small chance it could be sooner, but really, that date works well for me, just poses a small problem for work, but, what can you do? =)
Melannie's wedding is September 8th, so I really don't want to have surgery prior to that as my recovery would mess up my travel schedule, so I guess if a date comes thru for after September 11th, then that would be fine, but I don't want anything sooner.
I am excited now that its all in stone, but still a little scared. Putting myself through elective surgery was a big decision, but one I know will benefit me in the end.
Please continue to pray for me, I have ALOT to do to prepare both at work and personally. Am trying to figure a way to spend my recovery with my family in case I need assistance after surgery. There are follow-up appointments however that sort of mess that up, so we'll see what we can manage.
I currently have a temporary roommate, so providing different housing hasn't come through for her by then, she could be my go to person, but its alot to ask, so we'll see.
Thanks for checking in!

Surgery is a Go!

Well, I saw the surgeon yesterday. He thinks I am a good candidate for the surgery. We are going for the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y version. There is a small chance they'll have to do an open version of the surgery, which would then entail removal of my gall bladder, BUT, that shouldn't be necessary as I am young and mostly healthy.
I am now awaiting insurance approval, which technically I have, but we have to do all the paperwork anyway. Once I get the letter from them, I then schedule a date. At this point, anticipating September/October as his schedule is out that far already. I am hoping for September personally, the week after my cousin's wedding would be perfect! I then have 4-8 weeks off, it really depends on how well my recovery goes. I am hoping for the eight weeks, and am going to push for it. Time to get used to my new eating habits and I want to be eating normal food again by the time I get back to work. If you recall from my previous postings, I'll be on the "baby" food diet for 4-6 weeks.
So, I am excited that I have the good ahead, but a little bit nervous as this will be a HUGE transition point in my life. I know its for the better though.
Thanks for following along. I'll post more when I get a date scheduled!

Update for May

Well, I just was seen by the endocrinologist in follow-up to all the appointments he scheduled for me back in February. He is pleased with my weight loss thus far and I have passed all the tests and appointments. He encouraged me to keep exercising and making diet changes. I have eight classes left in the LEARN program, that is the only thing remaining. He said he is signing off on me and he scheduled a consult with the surgeon, who will make the final determination as to whether I proceed with surgery or not.
So, the process has been smooth thus far, will update again once I see the surgeon. You probably won't see another update until June as I leave for California in three weeks and I doubt I'll be seen before that. Surgeons are busy guys!
Thanks for checking in on me!

Slow, but Steady

Well, I saw both the dietician and psychologist finally!
The dietician appointment was mainly to educate and prepare me for the way things will be once the surgery takes place. The first couple of weeks will be the hardest part for sure. For the first day or two after surgery, clear liquids only, followed by one day of any liquids. The three to four weeks after that is pureed food(they suggest using baby food). This is the one that I think will be the hardest part! I am already a picky person, so could be very interesting! Then for the next four weeks would be a "mechanical" soft diet, meaning foods that are very tender, moist and easily chewed. Foods must be mashed or chopped. At this point, I can try ground meat. Then the next four weeks after that is the soft foods diet where things can be chopped or diced, still must be tender, moist and easily chewed. Finally I move to a regular diet and can resume eating most any foods as long as they aren't high in fat or sugar. All of this is in very small quantities and over a period of 3-6 meals a day depending on the stage I am at. They recommend no drinking at the same time as eating to avoid "dumping" syndrome. I have to drink 30 minutes prior to or after meals and then it can only be small sips. I am also supposed to take approximately 30 minutes to eat my meals. They gave me a book of guidelines that also has suggested menus and times of day to eat.
Right now, she suggested I stick to a 1400-1600 calorie/day diet trying to get 60 grams of protein minimum, 30 grams of fiber per day minimum, a maximum of 130 carbs per day and try to stay in the 30-40g range for fat. With the help of a weight program I have, I can monitor these things very easily. I have pretty much been doing this anyway and I have thus far lost 8lbs, but I believe I gained a little muscle as well, so likely I lost a little more than that, but since muscle weighs more than fat, it looks smaller. She also stressed adequate vitamin/mineral supplements, which I told her the program monitors for me as well, so I know I am in good shape. She was also pleased with the amount of activity I am getting. My buddy and I work out at the gym three mornings a week for about an hour and another buddy and I walk daily at lunch for 30 minutes. I also go to water aerobics for an hour every Saturday. Sunday is typically my day "off", though I don't pig out, I do enjoy some of the things I don't eat all week long.
The psychologist appointment kinda does an in general exam of how you feel, what your motivations are, that sort of thing. They also decide whether or not I needed to pursue the LEARN classes. I had taken them once before, but it has been about six years, so they did recommend my repeating the sessions. SO, 12 weeks of that to work on. They overall thought I had a healthy psyche and had no contraindications to having the surgery.
I return to see the endocrinologist on May 3rd. I have more bloodwork at this time as well. He will check over my blood and urine studies, as well as my chest x-ray to make sure nothing was out of sorts in those areas. I then envision him referring me to the surgeon, who ultimately makes the decision if I qualify and am ready to proceed.
So, thus far, things seem to be moving right along. I was trying to speed things up, but it didn't quite work out that way. That is okay though. I have been doing more research about it and talking to some people who have had the surgery already, one is a little over a year past surgery and the other is four years out. A friend of Mark's from work also volunteered to talk to me if I wanted. I have good first hand experience to draw from and believe that although the surgery is a risk and will most definitely change my way of life, I really think its the only way to ultimately lose all the weight I need to lose and maintain a healthy body. The extra weight contributes to my arthritis pain and plantar fascitis. Both things should see great improvement after weight loss occurs. I also have a semi-high cholesterol level, its not in the level to be treated, but he says I should be more proactive at lowering it. The surgery will also change that. The surgery will not hurt my ability to have children, they just suggest waiting at least a year before trying. Not a problem for me at this point since I don't even have any prospects for a husband!
Well, this got to be quite lengthy, so I think I'll sign off for now. I'll plan to update again once I see the endocrinologist.
Thanks for checking in on me!

Update 3/3/07

Well, so far, not much is happening. I was told it was a long process and looks like it will be!

I did go to the informational session this past week. They explain the procedure in a bit more of detail and then they had a Q&A session with an endocrinologist, a surgeon, a dietician and a psychologist present. The surgeon got the most questions. Go figure! The good news is that at Mayo, 80% of surgies are laparoscopic, and the 20% of those that aren't, are typically on men since they tend to carry more of their weight directly in their abdomen area. The highest risk of the surgery is blood clots, but they put pressure stockings on you prior to surgery and try to get you up and walking soon after waking up to try to prevent that. At Mayo, the risk of death is about 1 in 300 compared to the national average of about 1 in 200. I say that is pretty good sign our docs know what they are doing.

I was supposed to see the dietician already, but have had to reschedule(her fault, not mine) three times already. Scheduled for 3/12, but trying to get in sooner. She will work with me to help me rework my diet now as they like you to start losing weight and exercising prior to surgery to prove that you can do as told after. I already started doing both and have lost 5 pounds as of last Monday, I'll weigh in again this Monday and hopefully will see a few more gone.

Next appointment then is the psychologist, they want to make sure you are mentally fit to proceed. It is going to be a mental battle in addition to the physical. I am scheduled for 3/20 right now, which is an improvement from the 4/12 appointment I had, but I am checking daily to get in sooner if I can. You cannot proceed with the LEARN classes until you see them. The LEARN classes are a group meeting to basically support you and others. Its 12 weeks of meetings.

After all of that, then you see the surgeon. S/he has the final say. They want you to be committed and they want you to be a success, so they can be hard to please. The main thing is they want to see progress in weight loss, diet changes, and activity levels.

So, you can see that no way is this going to be something that happens overnight. At the education session, they said minimum of 6 months, but could be anywhere from 6-12 before things really happen.

I'll update again after I have my appointments.
Thanks for checking in and for your support!

The Start

Most of you know I struggle with my weight. I have dieted on several different varieties of diets, all to no avail. I can lose a little, but I always plateau at a certain point. I am sick and tired of never getting beyond that point. I don't want to look like this anymore.
Well, I went on Friday to see the Endocrinologist. I have seen one before, but since it has been awhile, they made me start all over with someone new. The new someone is AWESOME! He is funny, he listens and he really seems to want to help me. I am at the beginning of the process for bypass surgery. Yes, you heard correctly, I am going to try and have the surgery! I wanted to do it the last time I went there, but they kept telling me that other than my being overweight, I was perfectly healthy. Well, this new doctor says that even though I am still mostly healthy, that because of my asthma and my joint problems, I may qualify now! YEAH! I am happy and scared at the same time!
It is a long road to get there, it can be a three to six month process. I have to do some testing, both on blood and urine. I have to go to a bunch of educational sessions and be seen by a psychologist. I also have to have a dietician follow with me regularly. Once I do all of that, I meet with the surgeon who makes the final call. Then its the paperwork run around with the insurance company. Then I can have the surgery.
I figure if all goes well and we hit no bumps in the road, I should have surgery in June or July. Hopefully sooner rather than later. It cannot be before Mark's wedding due to the tight scheduling we are working with. We are looking at doing the Roux-en-Y version of the surgery vs. the two other methods(lap band and duodenal switch). It is the most successful version as far as good results. No matter which version you do, there is a learning curve. I basically will have to learn how to eat all over again. I start out on a strict schedule of foods starting with a liquid diet and gradually working back to solid foods. I'll only be able to eat about a 1/4 cup(2 ounces) to begin with, but I can gradually work up to about 1 cup at a time. I have to chew foods very well and wait a few minutes between bites to give my stomach time to register the fact that food is there. I have to stay away from most fatty or sweet foods or I'll get sick from them. I can only drink water based beverages. In order to help my skin keep keep its elasticity, I will be working out quite a bit too once I recover. The doctor says because I am younger, my skin should not have too much trouble returning to its original shape. I will still follow up with a dietician and I'll have to have monthly Vitamin B12 shots in addition to taking a multivitamin regimen. Due to decreased absorption of foods, vitamins will be very important.
The surgery will not be easy, the first couple of weeks will be pretty miserable as the body tries to cope with what happened. And I have to be careful not to overdo or it will make me sick too. They won't be cutting my abdominal wall, they go in through my belly button and make a few other small incisions. So the recovery from that part shouldn't be too bad. It is the adjustment my stomach has to make that will be the toughest. Any surgery has risk, but I believe I will do just fine.
My doctor has faith in me and is working to make this happen. That is the best part. I really hope things transition smoothly. I can hardly wait!
I'll keep you posted as things progress.
Thanks for checking on me!