OMG! I Have a Surgery Date!

Finally!
So I got the call on from my clinic on Tuesday, 7/13.  Even though I've been hoping, praying, planning, worrying, anticipating, expecting, and was generally filled with angst about it; I was completely surprised and caught off guard when Dr. H's, MA said, “The insurance has given me the go-ahead to get you on the books!”  All I've though about was the surgery.  But when she called me I was completely caught off guard.  How weird is that?

OK, so I'll go to the hospital for surgery on 8/11/10.  A week before,  I have a whirlwind of other pre-procedure stuff to do: I am scheduled to have pre-op labs drawn, the pre-op class, and a final meeting with the nurse practitioner on 8/3/10.  This is the time that they will weigh me for my 'final official weigh-in (although I *could* weigh-in on 8/10/10 if need be - very reassuring news for sure).

Since my official fan club (read family, so far) is using this blog to check in on the latest news, I wanted to review the specific procedure information. According to the Medical Assistant, I'll be having a Roux-en Y Gastric Bypass (pronounced roo -en-why). 

Roux-en Y gastric bypass is a restrictive operation where a small pouch is made at the upper portion of the stomach, which can hold only 1-2 tablespoons in volume. This procedure helps you lose more weight three ways:      

•      I'll eat MUCH less or it will come back up. The food has no choice. If you can't eat a lot, you will lose weight.  Period.

•     Apparently my appetite (as well as my taste for sweet things potentially) will actually begin to change. After the procedure, most patients find that their body will not easily tolerate foods that are high in refined sugars and fats. This is called "Dumping Syndrome." Dumping Syndrome is a common side effect after gastric bypass and occurs when the contents of the stomach empties rapidly into the small intestine, especially if I eat concentrated sweets or carbohydrates. The feeling will be a combination of profuse sweating, nausea, dizziness and weakness. "Dumping" is actually a desired side effect of the surgery to discourage one from eating sweets.  Unpleasant.  Approximately 95% post-op Gastric Bypass patients suffer from Dumping Syndrome at least to a degree.      

•      You actually absorb fewer calories. Keep in mind that your body's plumbing is re-worked. After a Roux-en Y, food bypasses part of your small intestine and digestion occurs in the lower part of the small intestine. This combined with the much smaller stomach, and reduces the amount of calories your body absorbs from the food you eat.

I’d be more fascinated if I weren’t shaking in my boots.  I'm mostly reassured that my pain will be managed, and then I just have to focus of sipping, hydration, walking and staying mobile in the face of (probably) not feeling much like it.


I'm open to comments, reassurance or any other feedback (please).