Weight Loss Surgery Pre Op
July 9, 2008 by Terry
Filed under Terry's Rambles
Pre-op prior to bariatric surgery sounded kind of mysterious to me. What would go on there I wondered to myself? Are my scales at home correct or am I going to get there and find that I had gained weight? I arrived at 7:45 in the morning and within minutes was led to the scales. As the nurse announced my weight I was once again able to breath for I had lost another 6 pound since my last visit. Down 16 pounds I knew that I had lost more than what they had asked me to loose prior to the surgery. That morning I spoke with a woman in the waiting room and her surgery was cancelled as she had gained 5 pounds. Yes, at the Oregon Bariatric Center they are serious about this and expect us as patients to be serious too. As I may have previously mentioned, my surgery had earlier been scheduled for June 17th and I had missed one of my required classes and had my surgery cancelled. Yes, it upsets us when we are cancelled but we must remember that weight loss surgery is a life-changing event and we need to be very motivated if the surgery is to be a long-term success.
That morning the nurse met with 3 of us that had been scheduled for the surgery on July 16th. She reviewed much of what had been discussed in class and we took tests to confirm that we had been listening. To my amazement we each scored 100%, which indicated to me that we were all seriously preparing for this surgery. The nurse explained that we would be up walking within 2 hours of the surgery and that we might want to bring a rope as they still used those hospital gowns that were split up the back. I am not sure this was a warning to us or they just wanted to protect others that may take offense to being mooned! The nurse discussed recovery, what we could expect and warning signs that we needed to watch for after surgery. As an example should we experience a rapid pulse over 100 combined with severe pain we should get to the hospital immediately as this could indicate a leakage.
After filling out and signing those consent forms I met with the surgeon that would be performing the operation. He discussed what would occur during the laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery that I would be undergoing. Being nearly 67 I asked once again if the risks were greater for someone my age than a younger person. He explained that the risks are greater for those over 50 than they are for younger people. Presently the national average for deaths related to this surgery is 0.50 percent and for those in my age group it increased to 1.5 percent. Still, for me the benefits outweigh the risks and I feel very good about going ahead with the surgery. While he was pleased with the amount of pre-surgery weight I had lost he suggested that I loose another 5 pounds and increased my exercise during this next week prior to surgery.
As previously mentioned I asked if the surgery could be filmed and as it presently stands it will be. Since the tape will be about 1.5 hours long I will need to do a bit of photo editing but once this has been done I plan on sharing a shortened version of the video with you right here at Terminal Obesity.
Later I met with the anesthesiologist that will be on the surgical team. After some more testing of my heart and lungs I was given the go ahead. July 16th is coming soon and amazingly I am not nervous. While I understand the risks of bariatric weight loss surgery I also understand the benefits and look forward to sharing those with you in the future.
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