Posted on October 29, 2009 at 5:45pm, filed under General

I haven’t updated much since the summer because I have been very busy with life in general. But believe me, I haven’t been neglecting my surgical weight loss journey or general weight loss. As of this morning I have lost 40 lbs. exactly. I got below 300 lbs. for good on September 10th, and I haven’t looked back. For the last several weeks I’ve been holding steady between 294 and 297, and then a few days ago I got down to 292. This morning? 291.6. To say I’m thrilled is an understatement.

I did complete my missed blood work in mid-August, and on August 31st I went back to redo my psychological evaluation. I attended the first group meeting on September 2nd, 2009, where we discussed maintaining healthy eating and working on portion control, and I attended my second group meeting on October 5th, 2009, where we discussed what life would be like after surgery, what to look out for, how to eat, etc. One big thing that stuck with me is that addition to picking low-fat choices, chewing food thoroughly and swallowing bites that are no larger than a dime in circumference, meals should be no more than a cup worth of food, total. That I can stick to, and for many dinner meals lately, have been able to do so easily.

This morning I saw my surgeon. My appointment with her was scheduled three and a half weeks ago, and believe me, I was looking forward to this morning! Anyway, I was weighed, my vitals were taken, and then the surgeon came in and we discussed my options: Realize band or gastric bypass. Up until my first group meeting I was 100% certain on having the lap band. I wavered a bit after that, but was still pretty set on the band. This morning I went in with the intention of choosing the Realize band as my choice of weight loss surgery.

An hour and a half later I changed my mind. According to my surgeon, about thirty percent of patients are requiring re-operations for band slippage, band erosion, stomach ulcers, or problems with esophageal dis-motility. Plus the weight loss results with the band are somewhat unpredictable, and it is easy to cheat if you choose slider foods and eat things that may not be large in portion but are high in calories and fat grams. Gastric bypass, on the other hand, is much more strict, and is the “gold standard” for weight loss surgery because it works. Dumping syndrome sounds pretty brutal, but as my surgeon put it, it’s a good lesson-learner. She also said that most gastric bypass patients can eat most foods, though there may be some foods here and there cause problems. And even then, dumping syndrome isn’t always as horrific as some patients make it out to be. One patient may have chills, hot flashes, sweats, nausea, cramping and diarrhea, while another patient may just have some cramps and a bit of diarrhea.

I am having gastric bypass. As much I would prefer the band because it doesn’t require any changing of my digestive system, I don’t want to deal with fill adjustments, band issues, and the risk of surgery down the line. With gastric bypass, excluding any complications, which I am realistic to know are entirely possible, I have the surgery and then I’m good to go.

Whew. With all of that said, I am very, VERY happy to announce that my surgery date is:

November 18th, 2009

This Monday I will be attending the last of the three group sessions. Originally I would have gone to a session on Thursday, November 5th, but that is for patients who are choosing the band. I am now in the gastric bypass group, so I’ll be attending the bypass meeting on Monday, November 2nd at 2:30pm. I’ll also be meeting with the surgeon a second time (the last time prior to surgery!), and I’ll also meet with the anesthesiologist. With those three appointments out of the way, there’s nothing left to do except maintain my weight and show up on the morning of November 18th, 2009.