Help me alleviate some pre-op concerns!

[Justme222]

They found I had a large hiatial hernia when I had my scope done. They fixed it when I had my DS done.
The hiatal hernia causes reflux, but like you I never noticed any symptoms.
I also think the reason you don't see a lot of long term DS patients on these boards is because they don't really need the support. They are fine, and just living their lives.

I am very thankful for the few long term DSers willing to give their time to support new DS patients like you and I.
I don't regret getting the DS and if I could go back in time I would have done it 20 years sooner.
You may not think you are losing quality of life because you are overweight, but you are. It happens subtly one day you can tie your shoes then one day you just buy a pair you can slip on to avoid having to tie them. You do it for convenience, but a few years down the road you realize you can't even tie your shoes if you wanted to.
I always fell back on the I'm still healthy. I do 5k fun runs with family and I didn't have health issues, until I did. First it was a torn meniscus and the revelation I have bone on bone in my knees. Then my blood pressure went up a bit then I started down the type 2 diabetic road. That is when enough was enough. I thought I could avoid all the health issues because I was active, but I was wrong.
Take care of it now. You will be happy you did.
I could always lose weight, but I couldn't keep it off. I would low carb for 2 weeks and lose 10-15 pounds then 1 weekend "cheating" gain it all back. Now I eat low ish in carbs and if I cheat it costs me a little, but I can get back on track. The swings are so much more manageable post DS.

 

[Justme222]

Oh and I am a stomach sleeper my whole life too. I slept in the recliner in the living room some and in our guest bedroom kind of on my stomach kind of on my side with pillows all around me and that worked kind of. Now that I am healed is fine I'm back to sleeping on my stomach.
I was nervous about surgery, but it went fine. Now I have a new fear to put my nerves into.... Once I finish losing all the extra weight I will likely need skin surgery. That is a very long surgery and scares the crap out of me.

 

[aaa]

Oh and - not sure if it means much or not but I guess the surgeon found some degree of acid damage or something when he did the scope. I can't remember exactly as I had JUST woken up and my wife hadn't been brought into the recovery room yet so my memory is rather foggy. But I do remember that he told me to stop eating spicy foods and prescribed some Prilosec. I don't know if that is particularly common or not? I thought I read that it's common to prescribe something similar post-op to try to minimize acid on your healing spots but I don't know. It looks like the prescription I was given is a whole year's worth so maybe they are just getting that started early or something? I'll be able to get a better idea once I get my EGD report and meet with the surgeon again.

They found ulcers when they did mine. I had to take Prilosec & the surgery was pp for a month.

 

[LorettaLynn]

Not to be Debbie Downer, but the DS is the Cadillac of bariatric surgeries and it requires a bigger lifetime commitment than say a gastric sleeve. Are you committed to a lifetime of protein consumption, lab work, vitamins that can be pricey and complicated? The DS is a major, major lifestyle change. If you eat crap you will be in misery. If you ignore lab work, you could get really ill.

 

[Justme222]

Not to be Debbie Downer, but the DS is the Cadillac of bariatric surgeries and it requires a bigger lifetime commitment than say a gastric sleeve. Are you committed to a lifetime of protein consumption, lab work, vitamins that can be pricey and complicated? The DS is a major, major lifestyle change. If you eat crap you will be in misery. If you ignore lab work, you could get really ill.

I wholeheartedly agree. You have to be on top of your care and fully understand your new anatomy and needs. Not many doctors are experts in this type of surgery and I am already finding they need to be somewhat educated in what the needs of a DS patient are. I am so lucky my Dr's. are open and enthusiastic about learning more about my anatomy to be able to care for me.

 

[joben]

Hi all. Haven't posted in quite some time as I have largely just been doing my various pre-op clearances: EGD, nutrition/diet classes, psych visits, and routine check-ins with my surgeon and/or NP.
I got contacted a week or two ago that I'd completed all my clearance visits and that the hospital would be submitting for insurance approval. I had an appointment today and was told that they were looking at a surgery date of 1/7/22. I was hoping to get it done in 2021 (save some money with insurance ) but oh well. It's all getting very real now!

Oh, and, I guess a couple of small victories: I found today that I am down 36lbs from my peak weight (started this process at 396 and today weighed in at 360lbs) and lowered my BP from ~140/90 to 112/78. I'm really excited to continue moving the right direction.

 

[hilary1617]

Congratulations joben!

 

[Munchkin]

Hi all. Haven't posted in quite some time as I have largely just been doing my various pre-op clearances: EGD, nutrition/diet classes, psych visits, and routine check-ins with my surgeon and/or NP.
I got contacted a week or two ago that I'd completed all my clearance visits and that the hospital would be submitting for insurance approval. I had an appointment today and was told that they were looking at a surgery date of 1/7/22. I was hoping to get it done in 2021 (save some money with insurance ) but oh well. It's all getting very real now!

Oh, and, I guess a couple of small victories: I found today that I am down 36lbs from my peak weight (started this process at 396 and today weighed in at 360lbs) and lowered my BP from ~140/90 to 112/78. I'm really excited to continue moving the right direction.

Congratulations! 2022 will be a great year for you. I wish I had had surgery in my 20’s or 30’s. Good for you!

 

[joben]

Thank you! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't really nervous still, but I'm excited.

I do have one small question I guess. I have a 9mo baby. I can't remember what he last weighed in at but I'd guess he's probably somewhere in the low 20lb range?
In meeting with my surgeon yesterday they told me to pretty much not lift anything at all for the first week or so and then for the first month to not lift over 10lbs BUT also said "But I know you have a baby to take care of too, so just use your discretion and don't strain yourself too much".

Anyone have any insight/input as to how they handled said lifting restrictions and whatnot? Obviously I don't want to mess anything up but to be unable to lift my child for a whole month is going to put a huge strain on my wife, ya know?

 

[southernlady]

Thank you! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't really nervous still, but I'm excited.

I do have one small question I guess. I have a 9mo baby. I can't remember what he last weighed in at but I'd guess he's probably somewhere in the low 20lb range?
In meeting with my surgeon yesterday they told me to pretty much not lift anything at all for the first week or so and then for the first month to not lift over 10lbs BUT also said "But I know you have a baby to take care of too, so just use your discretion and don't strain yourself too much".

Anyone have any insight/input as to how they handled said lifting restrictions and whatnot? Obviously I don't want to mess anything up but to be unable to lift my child for a whole month is going to put a huge strain on my wife, ya know?

Is there someone who can lift him for you. Once he’s in your lap, you’ll be fine but one thing you don’t want is a hernia that causes you to be out of commission even longer.

Before surgery, get him weighed. Or compare him to a gallon of milk. If he is heavier, plan on help.

 

[Munchkin]

Baby is @ 20lbs, right? No. You don’t want a hernia. Promise. You can still care for the child, you just can’t lift the child. Think outside the box. Start now. They make foam ramps for elderly dogs. Maybe they would work to train your baby to do sort of an assisted crawl onto the couch/crib/etc. For the first couple weeks postop, you won’t be much good for anything but sitting around healing. And that’s what you are supposed to be doing. You won’t be Mr. Mom.

But all this is temporary! And it will buy you a better life and let you keep up with your child for the long haul.

 

[hilary1617]

Hi, Don't lift the baby at all for at least two weeks. Cuddle next to them. Get assistance for diaper changes, tummy time, floor activities, etc. Getting up and down and lifting will hurt and not only do you risk a hernia, you risk dropping the child. All the best on your upcoming procedure!

 

[joben]

Good news, I've got everything sorted out for taking care of the baby. We have some relatives who will be watching him during work-hours for the first few weeks, and then in the evenings my wife has been more than happy to take "lead" for those first few weeks until I'm able to lift him again. I told her I can still change diapers and feed him and such, but just won't be able to put him on the changing table or carry him around and stuff.

Other than that, just been working on getting everything prepped for recovery-life. I've stocked up on some different kinds of protein shake, Gatorade zero/Propel, Crystal Light, and broth, etc.

This pre-op "liver-shrinking" diet is tough! I've been on it for three days now; I was just told to follow it for a week leading up to my surgery (So, 12/31 through 1/7). Our hospital's program's guidelines are for the first three days to try and get in 3-4 protein shakes as well as unlimited non-starchy vegetables and one serving of fruit per day. Then for the last four days it's just liquids only. Oh, and just drinking a ton of water! It's really been an interesting time though and has really forced me to give a lot of consideration to my (unhealthy) relationship with food. I've not been much of an emotional eater but have definitely been a "boredom" one. And so there's definitely been some times already where I've found myself being bored and feeling like I should just go to bed or take a nap since I can't fill that space with foods now. That, and after restricting so much, after just a couple days I found myself craving broccoli and carrot chips! Low-sodium broth has been a big lifesaver for me to get some of those savory flavors. I suspect that'll be a big one post-op too but we'll see. I've heard a lot of people say that their appetites/taste preferences change pretty radically, so you never know.

Anyways, I am still pretty anxious, but I think half of that's just me being ready to get it over and done with and on to the next thing. And I have to suspect that being on such a restrictive diet for a few days has probably not got me in the best emotional state of my life...
Last week I got a call saying they wanted to let me know there is still a small chance that "elective" surgeries could be postponed if there is not bed space due to Covid, but that they have been telling patients this for the past month and haven't had to cancel any yet. I know the testing centers in my town have been super busy lately so I'm hoping there's not enough of an Omicron-wave in the next four days to fill up the hospital. But, as of today we are still good to go for Friday. I'm a bit bummed that I was given a 6:30am check-in time because I am definitely NOT an early bird, but oh well. Let's do this thing!

 

[Georgepds]

Good luck on the surgery date

The most remarkable thing about it is that it works. Myself, I'm two+ years from surgery, and 10 pounds lighter than I was at age 30.I lost more than
I weigh, imagine that. I'm glad you worked out your needs with your child. It's not a good idea to tempt fate and go against the post op instructions of the surgeon.. who needs complications if they're avoidable

The changes are comparatively rapid. For me post surgery was a breeze, I hope the same for you.

Carrots are a good snack choice, it takes a ton of carrots to make a couple of hundred calories. I like the raw pre peeled ones that come in 2 lb bags

As to the 6:30 check in.. a little advice. Find a hotel near the hospital and stay there the night before. Probably a bit more difficult with an infant, but a much easier commute for your spouse, assuming your spouse is the designated driver.

You can also arrange for a late check-out, so your spouse can wait in comfort as you recover. The hospital might not let visitors in.. but it's always a good idea to have the health care proxy close by,

Again.. good luck

 

[southernlady]

And for me, cheese is a good snack option as carrots blow up my gut. You’ll have to find your own style. As DSers, we have to focus on protein first, as a lab value of 7 is what you want to keep it at.