Today I confessed to my mother that I'm planning on having Lap-banding done. That was... interesting to say the least.
For years my mom's opinion of Bariatric surgery was that "If you can not eat because of surgery, why can't you just not eat??" With that in mind I rarely considered it an option for myself. Plus, in my head, I was just a little chubby, and bariatric surgery was for HUGE people.
(Please note: I'm not trying to be cruel or mean to anyone who has had weight loss surgery. It is not for 'Huge people,' it is for people who need help losing weight and there is nothing wrong with that.)
And it must be said, that the image in my head was wrong.
Now my decision to pursue weight loss surgery was definitely affected by the fact that I work on the med/surg floor of our hospital and that we are the only floor that gets Bariatric patients. So I know who the surgeons are, I know who my nurses will be and it makes me feel much less nervous.
I've also had to come to the realization that I am not in control of my weight. It's been steadily creeping up since college and it's starting to effect my blood pressure (last I checked 140/90 and normal is 120/70) and heart rate (85 resting and about 120 when I'm running around at work.) So it's time for me to take control of my life and my body and be proactive before I end up with a serious heart condition or diabetes. I'm also quite aware that at my current weight I'm going to end up destroying my knees in the next 10 years and I do not want to do that.
So yeah, Lap-band it is. It's the least invasive surgery, it's something that's very simple to modify for when I want to get pregnant and it's reversible if I ever want to remove it.
I have my first consultation on Monday. At the seminar I went to I asked the surgeon if it would be possible to get everything done so I could have the surgery in August, he seemed to think it was doable. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed because that's about the only 'free time' I have between classes. I took off the first week of September from work because Russell is coming home, but I don't want to have surgery when he's home... I want to have fun!
So that's my update. I'll probably keep talking about it, even though weight loss surgery is always whispered about as if it's some horrible thing that people should be embarrassed of having. I'm not embarrassed, everyone I work with is going to know when I go under the knife. If this is the tool I need to be healthy then why should I be embarrassed or ashamed of that?
Girl having lap-band surgery was the best decision I ever made. The thing is surgery makes you feel fuller quicker and longer. Without the surgery I would never have been able to do it because those incredible hunger pains came...now with surgery I do not get them (at least not so often). I tried explaining this to your mom too at one time. She was telling me it was not a good choice. Maybe now she will have a better understanding as you educate her. I am so incredibly happy for you!
ReplyDeleteHow much weight have you been able to lose? Tell me all about your experience with the surgery and everything!!
ReplyDeleteSorry just saw your comment! I have lost 55lbs so far! The beginning is real tough but real exciting. I know I wasn't hungry when I was on just clear liquids for the first 5 days but by the time the 5th day came I was so looking forward to having shakes...lol. My doc had me on the shake phase for 2 weeks, then I went to semi-solid/soft foods for 2 weeks. After that it was regular foods but no more then 9 oz a meal. I still do 2 shakes a day (I usually have them for breakfast and lunch) and then I have lean meat with veggies at dinner. I have cut out snacking except if it is a special occasion (like a birthday, but sometimes then I have passed too). They say I can eat up to 9 oz a meal (3 oz lean meat, 3 oz veggie and 3 oz salad) but I am lucky if I can finish the 3 oz meat and veggie so I never have salad (always eat your protein first...big big thing for my doc). Also choose veggies low in starch...like greenbeans, broccoli, carrots. (no corn, peas, etc.). Also I do not eat red meat right now. I have cut that from my diet until I am at my goal weight. I eat only chicken, turkey and seafood. I still have scars from surgery (not sure if they will ever go away). I have two very tiny cuts and one medium cut. I was lucky to get away with three. They will usually do somewhere between 3-5 incisions. I was extremely tired after surgery but the nurses loved how I was still smiling...lol. I rested for about 1-2 hours after I got back to my room because the anesthia really hit me. Then I would get up and walk every 30 minutes for a bit. I felt really good. I did end up feeling a little more soar for the next few days after but nothing that held me totally down. I probably did more then I should have but I wanted to get going...lol. Well since I blew up your page with this paragraph, let me know what else you would like to know :)
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