A very important part of this process is the planning. Material, financial, emotional, educational, scheduling. It all plays a part in how successful I can be in making thru the procedure and successful recovery. The folks at the Bariatric Center at Heartland provide a book of information full of guidelines, suggestions, necessary steps to follow for every step of the process. Gathering the correct foods for the presurgery diet, getting organized with post surgery supplies, all the steps you need to take to make it all happen as far as the surgery and dieting pre and post op are concerned. What they can't provide are the necessary steps one needs to take to prepare for the financial responsibilities, the loss of income during the time of pre-op to post-op steps and what it will take to make sure everything is covered. Also, and I hate this part, a contingency plan in place in case things go wrong and recovery is much longer or there are other complications that set in from the surgery or even my death in a worse case scenario. I really hope I don't have to use that part of the planning but there are always risk in anything we do. All of these things have to be taken into consideration. What will happen if I can't return to work for 2 or 3 months? What will happen if I have severe complications resulting in further surgeries? What will happen to my family and my wife if I should not survive? These weigh heavy in my mind and on my heart.
While I don't have a 3 or 4 month supply of money stashed back to cover a long and drawn out process, I do have material items that can be sold to bring in money in case I need it. I will make a list of these items and what their value is to make it easier for Melody in case she needs to put items up for sale. I will also make arrangements with a few other people to help her with this process so she is not overburdened with it and dealing with problems that may be troubling her involving me.
I have planned ahead for legal decisions that may need to be made by providing advanced directives and instructions for any possible scenario that may arise. I would hope those would not be needed.
So many things that will need to be done to make sure this entire procedure is successful and without unnecessary burden on my wife and family. These are some of the anxieties of anticipation that come with trying to pre-plan for the upcoming event. I feel anxious at times about them and am I doing enough to make sure everything is covered.
Getting ready for the big diet before the surgery is another anxiety. Not so much the need to obtain the necessary food items and material needs but also from the standpoint of how difficult is it going to be during that two week period not being able to eat solid food or drink carbonated or caffeinated beverages. I am a grumpy bear in the morning before my coffee and drinking decaf coffee is similiar to dring non-alchoholic beer, what's the purpose?
Emmotional and mental preparation is the in the early stages of developement. I am using meditation and relaxation techniques to prepare my mind and body for the changes that are soon to take place. It will be rough and I know it but I feel very strong about making it happen successfully. While the trepidation and fear is there, so is the excitement and joy of thinking about what a change it will make to my life and my body. It is a roller coaster of emotions and I am in for a heck of a ride.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Am I Doing The Right Thing?
One thing that has been stuck in the back of my mind since I started going thru this process is "Am I doing the right thing?" Am I going to be able to do the diet and more so am I going to miss the foods I will no longer be able to eat? Face it, food and I have had a lifelong love affair as can be clearly demonstrated by the fact that I look like I have not missed any dinner bells at all. As the date grows near I am tempted to go and eat one of everything that I will never have again. The brochure from the Heartland Gastric Clinic warns against this kind of action saying that just because our surgery date is set and out presurgery diet has a defined start date, we should avoid going on a restaurant victory tour. It sure is tempting though.
The scariest part for me about this process is the presurgery diet that starts two weeks before the actual surgery. A full liquid diet is required to allow the surgeon access into the abdominal cavity. This scares the "you know what" out of me. It will be a very difficult challenge for me especially with the way I travel for my work and live in hotels. Melody is being my cheerleader already and I love her for it. She tells me, just think about what your goal is and set your mind forward to that point. She will help me a lot thru this part of the most difficult period before the surgery. Lots of people have been encouraging me already. I really appreciate the words of encouragement and hope they will continue to be with me.
On the subject of the fear of missing the foods I love, I was sitting in a restaurant in Ohio shortly after going thru the introductory information meeting that everyone must attend and I was reading the docket of information they gave us at the meeting. The waitress noticed what I was reading and asked if I was going to have the surgery. I told her at that point it was under strong consideration and she mentioned one of her customers that was a regular there had it done a while back wished I could talk with her. She had some fantastic results. A short time later an attractive woman about my age walked up to the table and introduced herself and told me she had gone thru the procedure four years ago. This lady looked fantastic and we visited about her experience. In her words, it had changed her life. She was about 5' 4" or so and looked to weigh around 140lbs. and had a very healthy look and seemed full of excitement. She told me that before the surgery, she had weighed around 300lbs. I was shocked. I would never had thought that woman could have ever been that large. She was so friendly and outgoing and full of information. I asked her about missing the foods she loved. She informed me she never had a problem with missing the food or being hungry. Her husband in fact has to remind her to eat. She definetly raised my motivational level and really should be a spokesperson for the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. She left me with her email address and told me to contact her if I needed any information and to drop her a line and let me know how it turns out for me. Her actions had a very positive effect on me and really helped with the decision to continue forth.
So, am I doing the right thing? I believe I am. I am getting very excited as the presurgery date draws near.
The scariest part for me about this process is the presurgery diet that starts two weeks before the actual surgery. A full liquid diet is required to allow the surgeon access into the abdominal cavity. This scares the "you know what" out of me. It will be a very difficult challenge for me especially with the way I travel for my work and live in hotels. Melody is being my cheerleader already and I love her for it. She tells me, just think about what your goal is and set your mind forward to that point. She will help me a lot thru this part of the most difficult period before the surgery. Lots of people have been encouraging me already. I really appreciate the words of encouragement and hope they will continue to be with me.
On the subject of the fear of missing the foods I love, I was sitting in a restaurant in Ohio shortly after going thru the introductory information meeting that everyone must attend and I was reading the docket of information they gave us at the meeting. The waitress noticed what I was reading and asked if I was going to have the surgery. I told her at that point it was under strong consideration and she mentioned one of her customers that was a regular there had it done a while back wished I could talk with her. She had some fantastic results. A short time later an attractive woman about my age walked up to the table and introduced herself and told me she had gone thru the procedure four years ago. This lady looked fantastic and we visited about her experience. In her words, it had changed her life. She was about 5' 4" or so and looked to weigh around 140lbs. and had a very healthy look and seemed full of excitement. She told me that before the surgery, she had weighed around 300lbs. I was shocked. I would never had thought that woman could have ever been that large. She was so friendly and outgoing and full of information. I asked her about missing the foods she loved. She informed me she never had a problem with missing the food or being hungry. Her husband in fact has to remind her to eat. She definetly raised my motivational level and really should be a spokesperson for the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. She left me with her email address and told me to contact her if I needed any information and to drop her a line and let me know how it turns out for me. Her actions had a very positive effect on me and really helped with the decision to continue forth.
So, am I doing the right thing? I believe I am. I am getting very excited as the presurgery date draws near.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Getting Started
Hello Family, Friends, and Interested Parties. My name is George Pease. I am 55 years old and am Type II Diabetic. I take 3 - 5 insulin shots a day and my diabetes is still not managed properly with average readings of 200 or higher and an A1C of 9.5 or higher I feel my life at times is spiraling out of control. I have tried just about every diet out there and have at times lost some weight only to get busy with my hectic work schedule and have my weight slip back up again. My weight averages around 295lbs and I am 6'2" tall. Just under 3 years ago I was involved in a serious motorcycle accident and could not excersize properly or be as active as I had been and the weight shot up and stayed up ever since. One of my favorite activities is riding bicycle and I have not hardly touched my bike in the past 3 years. While not depressed about things, I do worry that my life will never return to the healthier times I enjoyed before the wreck.
Then things started to change for me. My wife, Melody, talked me into watching the presentation on Gastric Bypass on the Dr Oz show a few weeks back and it set the wheels into motion for the events that are leading up to having the surgery on June 1 this year. We were discussing all the ins and outs of this procedure and what I was going to have to go thru when it struck her as a good idea that I should blog about the entire process and what I have gone thru and will be going thru in the next several weeks and months.
Needless to say, I am quite nervous about all of this. Not only the surgery and lifestyle change it will bring about, but also sharing it with the readers that join my blog in the upcoming weeks. I hope to make it informative, interesting, and perhaps a bit humurous along the way. It may get graphic at times as I do not plan on leaving out much in the way of details about what I go thru with this process. My hopes are that others will follow me thru it, that it will be successful and they will find the determination to make the necessary changes in their life by following my example. So here we go. I will try not to get too long winded but at times may have a lot to say. I will type slowly for those of my friends that I know do not read very fast so they can keep up. This is my first time trying to do a blog and I hope you find it brings value to your life as my life is about to change in a very big way. I will also try to post photos of my progress to show the results of the surgery and changes that take place.
Now for some of the technical parts of what I am doing. I am going for the full gastric bypass called a Roux-en-Y Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass. If you would like to more about what that surgery involves please visit the Wikipedia site as it explains it fairly well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastric_bypass_surgery
This type of surgery has shown to have dynamic effects on:
Of that list above, I fall into about half the categories.
So, there you have it. A bit of information about what I am doing. So what are my goals and what do I hope to achieve.
1. Lose 80 to 100lbs.
2. Get back on my bicycle and ride, ride, ride, ride, ride, ride, ride.
3. Relief from sleep apnea.
4. Get rid of my Type II Diabetes and not have to take insulin injections 4 or 5 times a day.
5. No more sore joints and leg pain and swelling.
6. Be able to excersize the way I should.
7. Be happy and healthy.
So welcome along and come join me for one of the scariest and most exciting adventures of my life. There will be ups and downs along the way and I plan on sharing them all. I also want to share the challenges and rewards of accomplishing what I am setting out to do. I am glad you are here.
George
Then things started to change for me. My wife, Melody, talked me into watching the presentation on Gastric Bypass on the Dr Oz show a few weeks back and it set the wheels into motion for the events that are leading up to having the surgery on June 1 this year. We were discussing all the ins and outs of this procedure and what I was going to have to go thru when it struck her as a good idea that I should blog about the entire process and what I have gone thru and will be going thru in the next several weeks and months.
Needless to say, I am quite nervous about all of this. Not only the surgery and lifestyle change it will bring about, but also sharing it with the readers that join my blog in the upcoming weeks. I hope to make it informative, interesting, and perhaps a bit humurous along the way. It may get graphic at times as I do not plan on leaving out much in the way of details about what I go thru with this process. My hopes are that others will follow me thru it, that it will be successful and they will find the determination to make the necessary changes in their life by following my example. So here we go. I will try not to get too long winded but at times may have a lot to say. I will type slowly for those of my friends that I know do not read very fast so they can keep up. This is my first time trying to do a blog and I hope you find it brings value to your life as my life is about to change in a very big way. I will also try to post photos of my progress to show the results of the surgery and changes that take place.
Now for some of the technical parts of what I am doing. I am going for the full gastric bypass called a Roux-en-Y Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass. If you would like to more about what that surgery involves please visit the Wikipedia site as it explains it fairly well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastric_bypass_surgery
This type of surgery has shown to have dynamic effects on:
- Hyperlipidemia is corrected in over 70% of patients.
- Essential hypertension is relieved in over 70% of patients, and medication requirements are usually reduced in the remainder.
- Obstructive sleep apnea is markedly improved with weight loss and bariatric surgery may be curative for sleep apnea. Snoring also improves in most patients.
- Type 2 diabetes is reversed in up to 90% of patients [1] usually leading to a normal blood sugar without medication, sometimes within days of surgery.[15]
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease is relieved in almost all patients.
- Venous thromboembolic disease signs such as leg swelling are typically alleviated.
- Lower back pain and joint pain are typically relieved or improved in nearly all patients.
Of that list above, I fall into about half the categories.
So, there you have it. A bit of information about what I am doing. So what are my goals and what do I hope to achieve.
1. Lose 80 to 100lbs.
2. Get back on my bicycle and ride, ride, ride, ride, ride, ride, ride.
3. Relief from sleep apnea.
4. Get rid of my Type II Diabetes and not have to take insulin injections 4 or 5 times a day.
5. No more sore joints and leg pain and swelling.
6. Be able to excersize the way I should.
7. Be happy and healthy.
So welcome along and come join me for one of the scariest and most exciting adventures of my life. There will be ups and downs along the way and I plan on sharing them all. I also want to share the challenges and rewards of accomplishing what I am setting out to do. I am glad you are here.
George
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