Holy crap, who would have thought there would be SO MUCH preparation for this surgery?? My first appointment in March was the 31st. That was the initial visit with the first part of the “team”. I mentioned in an earlier post that they did a physical, an EKG and the initial “education” (lean and green diet) of how to lose 10% of my weight, which started at 326lbs. That meant I would need to lose 17 lbs to get a date set for the surgery and the rest before the actual surgery. I met with the case coordinator, Stacy who gave me a list of all the other appointments and tests that I would need to have done prior to surgery. $25 please! The next thing I needed to do was go downstairs for my blood work. The phlebotomist took ELEVEN vials of blood from my arm. I didn’t even get woozy! That’s how they found out I was iron deficient anemic. $25 please!
The next appointment was on the 10th of April. I had to go to Ellis hospital for an upper GI, chest x-ray and an ultrasound of my abdominal area. Wow, I hope I don’t have to drink that barium “drink” again anytime soon. Uggh! Disgusting! $25 please! After that appointment I went to the Bariatric Center down the road for my first weigh in. I lost 9 lbs. I wasn’t as happy as she was. The nurse weighed me on the cattle scale (just kidding!) and then took my blood pressure. That was elevated – 158/78. Then she asked me if I was going to continue the lean and green or did I think I wanted to go on the Medifast shake diet. Since I was doing well with the lean and green and tolerating it as well as I was, I told her I would stay on that. I told her that I wasn’t thrilled about my weight loss and that at home on my scale it showed a few more lbs off. I also told her that I had forgotten my blood pressure medicine the day before and since I couldn’t have it that morning that maybe that’s why my pressure was up and she agreed. I reminded her that I had just had to drink barium goop and she said that might account for a lb or 2. That made me feel little better. NINE lbs in 15 days. I guess that wasn’t too bad. But you know it was mostly water weight! ;-) $25 please!
At 11am tomorrow I have to drive to Rexford, NY for the mandatory psychiatric evaluation and then 1:15pm I'm to meet with my surgeon, Dr. Panemanglore - whom they call Dr. P. Then downstairs for a visit with the nutritionist and to get weighed again. I don’t think I’ve lost a ton more, but I think I’m down a total of 14 lbs lost! Woo hoo! Hmm....What do you think? $75? I’ll let you know!
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