My surgery was on May 15th. On Saturday June 1st I was feeling great; I felt like I had really turned a corner on my recovery and it was full speed ahead. I had a real vigor during my morning walk. Things were great....until....My Seroma. Later that night I was having some soup on my recliner while watching some tv. I got up at some point and my belly felt really wet. I looked down and my shirt was soaked through and so were my shorts. Did I spill some of my soup? I lifted my shirt and there was a small waterfall of fluid coming from my belly button incision. A scary sight to be sure, but I didn't feel any real discomfort from it. My wife and I looked at it and decided to give Dr. Jessee's office a call. I felt bad since it was late and a Saturday to boot, but they have a paging service at her office for emergencies. Dr. Jessee called me back herself within a few minutes. I was impressed. I explained the situation and she knew right away what it was; it made me feel better not only to find out that it was common and not that big a deal, but that I had a great surgeon who cared and was there when you needed to get a hold of her even in the middle of the night on a weekend.
This is where I first heard the word seroma. Plainly said a seroma is a pocket of liquid that forms in the body often associated with a surgical procedure, which will leak. The important part was the liquid. It was translucent of a yellowish tint, which is as good as it gets. The real danger is infection, which would be a thicker pus like discharge. Dr. Jessee told me to keep an eye on it and if there were any changes to let her know. If not I would call her office first thing Monday morning to get in to see her on Monday.
Despite a bandage, nine hours later I woke up to wet sheets with reddish yellow stains. After some cleanup we discovered that the fluid was changing to a more reddish tint and certainly wasn't abating. We decided to call Dr. Jessee's office to have her paged again and again she called back within minutes. She still felt I was probably fine, but just to be safe she sent me to the emergency room at the Largo Medical Center. I was told to see Dr. Hewitt who she works with so that he can better assess the situation. If he felt it was more than a seroma, she would come see me there.
We jumped in the car and headed down as it is about an hour away. During the drive, I drenched a couple of kleenexes and began feeling more discomfort from the area. It was a bit frustrating at the ER as even though we wanted to specifically see Dr. Hewitt, they have their procedures. We had to check in and be seen by a couple of nurses to check my vitals and determine my issue; both of which had never heard of Dr. Hewitt..very frustrating. After some impatient waiting on my part, Dr. Hewitt strolled in the door. I was very happy to see him. He took a good look and was able to drain a decent amount with some belly manipulation. He said it looked fine, but prescribed an antibiotic to be safe. They were nice enough to give us some bandages and tape, so that we can regularly change it. He also warned that it would take some time for this to drain and for me to schedule a follow up with Dr. Jessee for the end of this coming week.
We went home with our supplies stopping on the way at Publix to fill the prescription. Unfortunately by that night I started to notice another change in the seroma. It started to pus. By the next day it was certainly infected. I was gross, ooey, gooey, a mess. Luckily I was already on antibiotics and was free of the infection a few days later. I continued to drain consistently all week long. We went through a lot of gauze and tape that's for sure. I had some discomfort, but too be honest I think my skin took more of a hit from the tape and frequent changing of the bandage than from the seroma. I also spent some time trying to imitate Dr. Hewitt by squeezing my belly to speed the drain along. I think this contributed to a general soreness in the area.
At the follow up appointment with Dr. Jessee, she cleaned out the wound further and was very reassuring in that it was quite normal and looked like it was healing really well. Of course it was still leaking, but she said that it may take some time and we scheduled a follow up for a couple weeks later. She also suggested I create some pressure with a weight belt or back brace to help the seroma complete draining and the layer of skin could fuze back with the muscle. The body doesn't like the space and wants to continually fill it with liquid, so we needed to not allow the space. My wife actually came up with using a pregnancy band to create the needed pressure, which Dr. Jessee endorsed. Great idea as it turned out to be much more comfortable than the other options. Thanks babe! Also, thanks Jen for the actual pregnancy band. It wore well and was glad it was in the gender neutral black; it would have been slightly awkward to walk around in pink. Lol! I'm in touch with my feminine side, but I draw the line at going into labor!
Gradually my leaking diminished and finally stopped altogether just a few days ago. Today I had my follow up with Dr. Jessee and am happy to say I can close the seroma chapter after nearly three weeks. She even gave me the green light for any activity including swimming as of this weekend. Time for me to turn another corner in the journey and get moving!
Thanks to all for all of their help along the way. It's been very encouraging to have the support of so many along the way.
me
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
First Banded Days
I've had my surgery; now let's see how my first couple weeks went. First I want to emphasize that there is nothing earth shattering in those first few days. I just had surgery and it's more about healing than your new world of eating with the band. For the first night I was only allowed clear liquids and I was thrilled enough with ice chips and some gatorade. From day 2 through the first full 2 weeks post surgery, the diet consists of only liquids. Broth is the name of the game and some light soups that can be strained of anything too clumpy or solid. I continued on the bariatric protein shakes, using milk instead of water. A small note on the milk...my wife found a product called Skim Plus, that is wonderful. It is essentially skim milk fortified with extra protein and vitamins to be of the consistency and taste of near whole milk. I've been using it ever since and feel like I'm getting a good deal of bang for my buck with the shakes as a result. The nutritional value is well worth a little extra cost and I lucked into a nice sale at Publix as well as some coupons at the time. It has a pretty good shelf life before being opened compared to other milk as the expiration dates I found to be a month out. Stock piling it in my fridge whenever I catch a sale!
Cream of Wheat is another good item as long as you make it with a thin enough consistency. Pat the wonderful nutritionist at Dr. Jessee's office went through the suggested menu items and there was a lot of yogurt suggested. I really don't like yogurt, so this was hard. My wife did find me these Fusion yogurt drinks that I was able to stomach. Unfortunately you may want to consider those sparingly as their sugar count was kind of high. I guess it is a tradeoff, but Pat you can see I'm trying. ;-) Juice is a good option, but another spot to watch your sugars. Wal-mart had some nice no sugar added options including a nice apple and a white grape peach. Both I found to be very tasty without too much sugar.
The toughest thing is the more you heal and begin to feel normal, the hungrier you get. Hungry may not be the right word. I felt like a divergence began between my mouth and my stomach. They used to always agree. Now my mouth craved stuff, that my stomach would over rule. Commercials can be rough; My mouth would say oh that looks good only to be quickly followed by my stomach saying I don't think so. I began to feel schizophrenic. Lol! I chose the smart choice and followed my stomach's lead. The cravings would generally be short lived and easily managed, certainly compared to what I used to have to deal with when the stomach and mouth ganged up on me and the next thing you knew I swallowed a pizza or a box of cookies or both! I appreciated that the Lap Band was taking the edge off and allowing me to act responsibly.
Probably the hardest part of this phase is there is only so much variety in what you can manage with a liquid diet. The first week I was fine, but the second started to get old, so I started allowing some substance in the soups and allowing for the normal thickness of the cream of wheat. It's all just a part of the process as you heal. This was a natural progression into the next two weeks which would allow for a mushy diet consistency. The biggest advice I can give is it is perfectly normal to start testing your band some in this phase, just proceed cautiously. Take your time and chew thoroughly. No reason to rush it. I may even be enjoying my food better now than ever before as I no longer feel like I'm in a race where I assume whoever eats the most the fastest wins!
Well enough about food. Lets talk about healing and moving. At the Palms of Pasadena and Dr. Jessee's office they emphasize you start moving as soon as you can to minimize any chance of blood clots forming. A couple days I even got a follow up call from the nurse who worked with me at the hospital at the end to check on my progress. That was a nice thing as it gives you the option for any further questions. Again, the Palms of Pasadena is a great facility. I started the first few days with just wandering around the house at a pretty slow pace, but it felt good to get moving and quickly graduated after a few days of that to an outdoor stroll. Again this was at a comfortable pace and a short distance with gradual increase of speed and distance over the first couple weeks.
There was a certain amount of discomfort in my stomach especially in the area around my belly button. I was prescribed two pain killers, one that was stronger than the other. I quickly weaned myself from the stronger to the weaker over the course of the first couple weeks. By the end of the first week I only needed the stronger stuff at night to help me sleep and by the end of the second week I was down to an occasional weaker or even ibuprofen for at night with nothing during the day. I'm not a big fan of taking pills and wanted to not become dependent on anything. My incisions were covered by Durabond, which is krazy glue for surgeons. They didn't give me much concern except for my belly button where I felt a certain amount of swelling as well as discomfort. Somewhere along the line I also started to notice some small residue marks on my shirts in that area; more to come on a later post with regards to this. Through the end of May I was feeling stronger and stronger and able to do more. Biggest obstacle seemed to be bending over as I felt some pulling in my stomach and I was told not to lift anything over 20 pounds; Good advice as I found groceries to be a bit heavy the first couple of weeks.
I believe it all made for a great start and was looking forward to what was coming, but I feel like it is just a start and I have a long way to go. It's important to remain patient and not to try and get ahead of yourself and do too much, no matter how anxious you feel to do it all. At this stage you really need to allow yourself time to heal. Remember weight loss is a lifestyle journey, not a diet destination! Thanks to all for their support and wonderful advice along the way.
me
Cream of Wheat is another good item as long as you make it with a thin enough consistency. Pat the wonderful nutritionist at Dr. Jessee's office went through the suggested menu items and there was a lot of yogurt suggested. I really don't like yogurt, so this was hard. My wife did find me these Fusion yogurt drinks that I was able to stomach. Unfortunately you may want to consider those sparingly as their sugar count was kind of high. I guess it is a tradeoff, but Pat you can see I'm trying. ;-) Juice is a good option, but another spot to watch your sugars. Wal-mart had some nice no sugar added options including a nice apple and a white grape peach. Both I found to be very tasty without too much sugar.
The toughest thing is the more you heal and begin to feel normal, the hungrier you get. Hungry may not be the right word. I felt like a divergence began between my mouth and my stomach. They used to always agree. Now my mouth craved stuff, that my stomach would over rule. Commercials can be rough; My mouth would say oh that looks good only to be quickly followed by my stomach saying I don't think so. I began to feel schizophrenic. Lol! I chose the smart choice and followed my stomach's lead. The cravings would generally be short lived and easily managed, certainly compared to what I used to have to deal with when the stomach and mouth ganged up on me and the next thing you knew I swallowed a pizza or a box of cookies or both! I appreciated that the Lap Band was taking the edge off and allowing me to act responsibly.
Probably the hardest part of this phase is there is only so much variety in what you can manage with a liquid diet. The first week I was fine, but the second started to get old, so I started allowing some substance in the soups and allowing for the normal thickness of the cream of wheat. It's all just a part of the process as you heal. This was a natural progression into the next two weeks which would allow for a mushy diet consistency. The biggest advice I can give is it is perfectly normal to start testing your band some in this phase, just proceed cautiously. Take your time and chew thoroughly. No reason to rush it. I may even be enjoying my food better now than ever before as I no longer feel like I'm in a race where I assume whoever eats the most the fastest wins!
Well enough about food. Lets talk about healing and moving. At the Palms of Pasadena and Dr. Jessee's office they emphasize you start moving as soon as you can to minimize any chance of blood clots forming. A couple days I even got a follow up call from the nurse who worked with me at the hospital at the end to check on my progress. That was a nice thing as it gives you the option for any further questions. Again, the Palms of Pasadena is a great facility. I started the first few days with just wandering around the house at a pretty slow pace, but it felt good to get moving and quickly graduated after a few days of that to an outdoor stroll. Again this was at a comfortable pace and a short distance with gradual increase of speed and distance over the first couple weeks.
There was a certain amount of discomfort in my stomach especially in the area around my belly button. I was prescribed two pain killers, one that was stronger than the other. I quickly weaned myself from the stronger to the weaker over the course of the first couple weeks. By the end of the first week I only needed the stronger stuff at night to help me sleep and by the end of the second week I was down to an occasional weaker or even ibuprofen for at night with nothing during the day. I'm not a big fan of taking pills and wanted to not become dependent on anything. My incisions were covered by Durabond, which is krazy glue for surgeons. They didn't give me much concern except for my belly button where I felt a certain amount of swelling as well as discomfort. Somewhere along the line I also started to notice some small residue marks on my shirts in that area; more to come on a later post with regards to this. Through the end of May I was feeling stronger and stronger and able to do more. Biggest obstacle seemed to be bending over as I felt some pulling in my stomach and I was told not to lift anything over 20 pounds; Good advice as I found groceries to be a bit heavy the first couple of weeks.
I believe it all made for a great start and was looking forward to what was coming, but I feel like it is just a start and I have a long way to go. It's important to remain patient and not to try and get ahead of yourself and do too much, no matter how anxious you feel to do it all. At this stage you really need to allow yourself time to heal. Remember weight loss is a lifestyle journey, not a diet destination! Thanks to all for their support and wonderful advice along the way.
me
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Surgery
My surgery was on May 15th.
The day had finally arrived. I can't say I got a lot of sleep the
night before, but why would I need it? It's not like I will be performing
the surgery; I'll be in the wonderful
care of the team at Palms of Pasadena Hospital and the skilled surgeon team
lead by Dr. Jessee. I should get plenty
of rest while I'm on the table and in recovery.
Yes I was nervous. It's
normal. Selecting elective surgery no
matter how minimally invasive it may be such as with the Lap Band, is still not
a natural act, you really need to have done some soul searching and be
committed to the lifestyle change and believe in the process. Again there are risks in having the surgery,
but I felt there are far more in being obese; my diabetes for example would
certainly get me in the long run if I didn't make a change. Of course the
usual questions will come to mind of whether I'm doing the right thing, etc.
The point is that is normal and you just need the fortitude to be
confident in your decision and push forward with the change. It's time
for a new me!
I had plenty of time to stew in my nerves on the way over as it's an hour drive to the Palms of Pasadena Hospital from my home. It was nice to break my mind's tension with some reassuring chit chat with my wife. She's been a rock for me through the whole process that's for sure! I'm getting ahead of myself here. I started the day with a walk. Figured I don't know how long before I am able to get out there I should take advantage. It may have been a mistake. You are not allowed anything after midnight including water, so partaking in any kind of exercise even walking will make you even more thirsty than you already are. I don't regret it; felt the walk did me some good, but there was a downside to it. Next was my shower... I went through my normal routine until the end when I had to use the Hibiclense, which is a strong antibacterial solution they give you to use before the surgery. It comes in a small bluish green bottle and the solution is of a reddish hue. I used a wash cloth and repeatedly scrubbed my stomach area and then I had to let it sit for five minutes before rinsing. I guess the idea is to eliminate as much bacteria from that area before they start poking holes in you as they can. I got dressed(no deodorant). You aren't allowed any lotions of perfumes or anything like that. I took off my wedding ring, which was hard as I hadn't taken it off yet, but jewelry wasn't allowed either and certainly didn't want to take a chance on losing it. We had already packed a small bag of a few items just in case, such a s a book in case I had some down time(not needed), slippers(not needed), etc. The biggest thing was the anti nausea medication called Emend. It was to be taken two hours prior to surgery, which would be approximately on our arrival at the hospital. We brought a bottle of water and I was allowed just a swallow to get the pill down. For a single pill the cost was $30 and that was with insurance; expensive but it worked as I never felt any nausea. Time to walk in and face my future!
The facility is very nice and enjoyably located near the water in St. Petersburg, Florida. Once you pass the information desk, there is a waiting area next to registration. During the short wait I took advantage of the facilities down the hall. Not sure how I had anything to pass with so few liquids, but I've always been a nervous pee-er. Oddly enough I must have a large bladder as I can often go most of the day before needing to go, but when I'm nervous, feels like every 10 minutes I need to find somewhere for a squirt! It was a very short wait and they were calling me to register. The process was quick and painless and resulted in a wrist band identifying myself and my doctor. Someone came and got me from there immediately to bring me down the hall to the pre-op area. On the way we passed the waiting room for family where I had to drop off my wife. I would have rather keep her with me(remember she is my rock and my courage), but I guess they needed to go through the next few steps alone. She would come back and see me prior to me getting moved to the actual operating area, so knowing that made it not feel too bad.
The pre-op area is large with many semi private partitioned(via curtains) areas each containing a bed. Each area is numbered and I don't remember which one I had. The area has nurses and orderlies moving around managing their patients. First thing I had to do was get a weigh in around the corner. Next I sat in the chair by the bed and filled out a bunch of medical forms. The usual what are you allergic to, family history, and release forms. Some of the wording can be alarming, but I suppose they need to make you aware of all possibilities. Again I wouldn't be here if I didn't feel the benefits of the surgery weren't well worth any usual risks that any surgery and being under anesthesia involve. I mention this mainly to hopefully reduce the shock value anyone may experience on reading such forms and are standard in any medical facility. After the nurse went over everything with me, it was time to get naked. They didn't waste any time; so much for my comfortable clothes. I was provided with a pair of non slip socks and the customary hospital gown, which I almost choked myself trying to tie in the back, but the nurse was nice enough to help me with after I gave her the all clear to open the curtain. All my stuff went into a bag until later. I got in the bed and under the blanket; more for modesty than warmth. Everyone was very polite and concerned that I was cold, so was often offered more blankets including some that were already warmed. I am rarely chilly, so politely declined. While I was waiting for the inevitable next steps of pokes and prods, I took a look around and there were a number of other patients in the same boat I was in. This was kind of comforting in a way as I didn't feel alone in my predicament.
Here came the needles. I got a finger prick to check my sugar no big deal. I needed an epinephrine shot in my stomach to prevent blood clotting during surgery, which wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined in my mind. You feel the prick, but not much besides and was over in a couple seconds. The rougher experience was trying to get my IV in. They didn't like the looks of the veins in my arms, so even wrapped them in those heated blankets for a while to try and get them to pop. Those were nice I must say. Unfortunately it didn't seem to help. Despite her best efforts the nurse was unable to get the IV into either arm. I'm sure not being able to have any liquids since last night made my veins difficult targets. Since she could tell I was in some pain, she thankfully decided to let it wait for the anesthesiologist. Hopefully he would have better luck.
Shortly thereafter Susan Kay, who is head of the contest and the bariatric department of the hospital stopped by for a visit. She's been very nice and an inspiration as she is herself a success story. It was very nice of her to stop by and offer her support. When you are laying there you feel like you can use all the support you can get. Finally my wife was allowed to join me and help me pass the time until it's time for them to wheel me into the operating room. I was relaxed or at least as relaxed as anyone who is about to have surgery can be. I filled her in on the process up to date. To be honest I'm not quite sure why she couldn't have been with me that whole time? They have their procedures, and I'm sure they have their reasons. I was a little anxious due to the IV not being in yet and I hadn't seen Dr. Jessee yet. I know she had surgeries scheduled earlier at another facility and I was her first here at Palms of Pasadena, but still wanted to see her. She has this calming affect. I really get a sense that she knows what she is doing and I know I would feel better when I got to see her. It was time for the ride to the operating room, so here we go...
My wife was allowed to accompany me part way until we got to a turn where we went left and she had to continue down the hall back to the waiting room. That was tough, but I had to go the rest of the way on my own. There was another waiting area before the operating room itself. I thought of it kind of like being lined up on a runway waiting for your turn to take off. There were some OR nurses in gowns there and they were all very friendly. In fact they treated me like a celebrity and were very interested in my story as the contest winner. I really appreciate their time and attention. I started to have some heartburn and acid issues and I got to meet my anesthesiologist. He was a wonderful man with a kind disposition and ordered some antacid to be added to my IV. As for the IV or lack there of, he went ahead and put it in the top of my hand as was my expectation. To relax me he told me to think of my lovely wife and walla it went right in with ease. Thank you very much! Apparently I wasn't the only one with IV issues as there were at least a couple other patients with similar experiences in the queue next to me. Now all I was waiting for was Dr. Jessee and my antacid to come up from the pharmacy. Again the nurses went over my stats and I had more armbands indicating anything from my diabetes to my allergy to penicillin etc.
At this point I confess to being very nervous, but then I heard her voice. It was the voice of Dr. Jessee and somehow my nerves and anxiety just fell away. She came over and checked on me and her presence was very reassuring. I'm very grateful to have such a talented surgeon as Dr. Jessee. She discussed with me that she had planned to do as much as she could through the incision in the belly button as she knew I was disappointed that the Spider technique wasn't available with the contest. It was great that she was going to try and accommodate me as much as she could for as good a cosmetic result as possible. At that point they wheeled me in for takeoff and shortly there after the antacid arrived from the pharmacy, which was added to my IV. Suddenly I was feeling dizzy and I asked my buddy the anesthesiologist if he had given me anything and he confirmed that he had started something to relax me. I was groovy. Then they told me the good stuff was about to go in and I still heard the doctor's for several more seconds before becoming airborne....
I woke up in recovery. Groggy is just a word, but apparently so much so that I quickly went back into sleep again and again. When consciousness finally returned I found myself in a large room with lots of beds, one of which I was in. I felt a little stifled with regards to my breathing, but quickly realized I needed to blow my nose badly. I tried to get the attention of the nurse who was circling around, but seemed unable to actually communicate audibly just yet, and apparently my ESP wasn't up to snuff. Finally I could actually hear myself speak instead of just thinking it and he brought me some tissues. I asked for ice chips and he said just a couple for now to keep from getting nausea. They were the most wonderful ice chips in the history of mankind. They must have been made with some fancy exotic waters or sprinkled with fairy dust or maybe I was just so dry I could gag after no liquids for virtually 16 hours. Oh yeah that's probably it. I kept asking for more and must confess decided to try and take it easy on them after a few as I did feel a slight stomach turn that quickly subsided when I slowed down a little. He checked with me a few more times to make sure I was alright before releasing me to the pre-op area from where I started. My wife came and joined me and she was like an angel. I went from dazed and confused to just plain sleepy, but was feeling some discomfort from my belly button area. There was another nice nurse there that brought me some Gatorade and kept checking on me to see how I was doing. Ironically enough just when I was feeling comfortable enough to really want to take a nap, he was starting to insist I get up and walk. They can't discharge you to go home until you walk, drink, and pee...not necessarily all at the same time or in that order, but they all need to be accomplished. I was a bit unsteady and slow at first, but felt pretty alert with a few laps around the room. I was given a portable container to capture my urine as I headed into the bathroom. I needed to produce evidence of the event. He said just a little bit would be enough, but before you knew it I had filled the container with some to spare. I guess check off the kidneys functioning off the list. Yeah!
I got some paperwork and instruction on what to do next, which luckily my wife was there to make note of, since I can't remember much of what was actually said. I also got a nice photo of my insides including the band with Allergan printed on it visibly. Thanks to them for donating the actual device, looked very shiny and new. In the picture you could see my liver and also my hiatal hernia before and after correction. It was a pretty foregone conclusion that I had one due to all of my acid reflux issues and it was very nice of Dr. Jessee to correct it free of charge while she was installing my band. I guess it's like changing the timing belt while you replace the water pump in a car. It's all close together so it makes sense. Like I said she is a world class surgeon. Kudos! It all seemed fine. I suppose a kind of memento of the occasion; maybe not quite like pictures of goofy at Disneyland, but my banded stomach could have passed for Pluto with a collar around his neck. ;-) I even got serial numbers associated with the band. Good to know just in case something happens down the line. All seemed pretty thoroughly documented and my wife signed off. Next she went to pull the car up to the door while I got the standard wheelchair ride out the door with my bag of goodies. Some where along the line I must have gotten dressed just not sure when at this point. I'm glad nobody let me roll out of there in a hospital gown!
I confess not to being very comfortable and I swear I felt every bump in the road on the way, but I was glad to be headed home. This whole process took place in a day and my life was changing. I have a lot of hopes for the future to which this may be a first...I may actually now have the arrows in my quiver to conquer my biggest foe; obesity was no longer going to control me or my life going forward. I was in charge now. But now I wanted to sleep. Not long after getting home I took some of the pain killers they had prescribed and had some more Gatorade they sent with me. To bed to sleep and per chance to dream of a bright new Banded Day. Goodnight obesity...Goodnight!
me
I had plenty of time to stew in my nerves on the way over as it's an hour drive to the Palms of Pasadena Hospital from my home. It was nice to break my mind's tension with some reassuring chit chat with my wife. She's been a rock for me through the whole process that's for sure! I'm getting ahead of myself here. I started the day with a walk. Figured I don't know how long before I am able to get out there I should take advantage. It may have been a mistake. You are not allowed anything after midnight including water, so partaking in any kind of exercise even walking will make you even more thirsty than you already are. I don't regret it; felt the walk did me some good, but there was a downside to it. Next was my shower... I went through my normal routine until the end when I had to use the Hibiclense, which is a strong antibacterial solution they give you to use before the surgery. It comes in a small bluish green bottle and the solution is of a reddish hue. I used a wash cloth and repeatedly scrubbed my stomach area and then I had to let it sit for five minutes before rinsing. I guess the idea is to eliminate as much bacteria from that area before they start poking holes in you as they can. I got dressed(no deodorant). You aren't allowed any lotions of perfumes or anything like that. I took off my wedding ring, which was hard as I hadn't taken it off yet, but jewelry wasn't allowed either and certainly didn't want to take a chance on losing it. We had already packed a small bag of a few items just in case, such a s a book in case I had some down time(not needed), slippers(not needed), etc. The biggest thing was the anti nausea medication called Emend. It was to be taken two hours prior to surgery, which would be approximately on our arrival at the hospital. We brought a bottle of water and I was allowed just a swallow to get the pill down. For a single pill the cost was $30 and that was with insurance; expensive but it worked as I never felt any nausea. Time to walk in and face my future!
The facility is very nice and enjoyably located near the water in St. Petersburg, Florida. Once you pass the information desk, there is a waiting area next to registration. During the short wait I took advantage of the facilities down the hall. Not sure how I had anything to pass with so few liquids, but I've always been a nervous pee-er. Oddly enough I must have a large bladder as I can often go most of the day before needing to go, but when I'm nervous, feels like every 10 minutes I need to find somewhere for a squirt! It was a very short wait and they were calling me to register. The process was quick and painless and resulted in a wrist band identifying myself and my doctor. Someone came and got me from there immediately to bring me down the hall to the pre-op area. On the way we passed the waiting room for family where I had to drop off my wife. I would have rather keep her with me(remember she is my rock and my courage), but I guess they needed to go through the next few steps alone. She would come back and see me prior to me getting moved to the actual operating area, so knowing that made it not feel too bad.
The pre-op area is large with many semi private partitioned(via curtains) areas each containing a bed. Each area is numbered and I don't remember which one I had. The area has nurses and orderlies moving around managing their patients. First thing I had to do was get a weigh in around the corner. Next I sat in the chair by the bed and filled out a bunch of medical forms. The usual what are you allergic to, family history, and release forms. Some of the wording can be alarming, but I suppose they need to make you aware of all possibilities. Again I wouldn't be here if I didn't feel the benefits of the surgery weren't well worth any usual risks that any surgery and being under anesthesia involve. I mention this mainly to hopefully reduce the shock value anyone may experience on reading such forms and are standard in any medical facility. After the nurse went over everything with me, it was time to get naked. They didn't waste any time; so much for my comfortable clothes. I was provided with a pair of non slip socks and the customary hospital gown, which I almost choked myself trying to tie in the back, but the nurse was nice enough to help me with after I gave her the all clear to open the curtain. All my stuff went into a bag until later. I got in the bed and under the blanket; more for modesty than warmth. Everyone was very polite and concerned that I was cold, so was often offered more blankets including some that were already warmed. I am rarely chilly, so politely declined. While I was waiting for the inevitable next steps of pokes and prods, I took a look around and there were a number of other patients in the same boat I was in. This was kind of comforting in a way as I didn't feel alone in my predicament.
Here came the needles. I got a finger prick to check my sugar no big deal. I needed an epinephrine shot in my stomach to prevent blood clotting during surgery, which wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined in my mind. You feel the prick, but not much besides and was over in a couple seconds. The rougher experience was trying to get my IV in. They didn't like the looks of the veins in my arms, so even wrapped them in those heated blankets for a while to try and get them to pop. Those were nice I must say. Unfortunately it didn't seem to help. Despite her best efforts the nurse was unable to get the IV into either arm. I'm sure not being able to have any liquids since last night made my veins difficult targets. Since she could tell I was in some pain, she thankfully decided to let it wait for the anesthesiologist. Hopefully he would have better luck.
Shortly thereafter Susan Kay, who is head of the contest and the bariatric department of the hospital stopped by for a visit. She's been very nice and an inspiration as she is herself a success story. It was very nice of her to stop by and offer her support. When you are laying there you feel like you can use all the support you can get. Finally my wife was allowed to join me and help me pass the time until it's time for them to wheel me into the operating room. I was relaxed or at least as relaxed as anyone who is about to have surgery can be. I filled her in on the process up to date. To be honest I'm not quite sure why she couldn't have been with me that whole time? They have their procedures, and I'm sure they have their reasons. I was a little anxious due to the IV not being in yet and I hadn't seen Dr. Jessee yet. I know she had surgeries scheduled earlier at another facility and I was her first here at Palms of Pasadena, but still wanted to see her. She has this calming affect. I really get a sense that she knows what she is doing and I know I would feel better when I got to see her. It was time for the ride to the operating room, so here we go...
My wife was allowed to accompany me part way until we got to a turn where we went left and she had to continue down the hall back to the waiting room. That was tough, but I had to go the rest of the way on my own. There was another waiting area before the operating room itself. I thought of it kind of like being lined up on a runway waiting for your turn to take off. There were some OR nurses in gowns there and they were all very friendly. In fact they treated me like a celebrity and were very interested in my story as the contest winner. I really appreciate their time and attention. I started to have some heartburn and acid issues and I got to meet my anesthesiologist. He was a wonderful man with a kind disposition and ordered some antacid to be added to my IV. As for the IV or lack there of, he went ahead and put it in the top of my hand as was my expectation. To relax me he told me to think of my lovely wife and walla it went right in with ease. Thank you very much! Apparently I wasn't the only one with IV issues as there were at least a couple other patients with similar experiences in the queue next to me. Now all I was waiting for was Dr. Jessee and my antacid to come up from the pharmacy. Again the nurses went over my stats and I had more armbands indicating anything from my diabetes to my allergy to penicillin etc.
At this point I confess to being very nervous, but then I heard her voice. It was the voice of Dr. Jessee and somehow my nerves and anxiety just fell away. She came over and checked on me and her presence was very reassuring. I'm very grateful to have such a talented surgeon as Dr. Jessee. She discussed with me that she had planned to do as much as she could through the incision in the belly button as she knew I was disappointed that the Spider technique wasn't available with the contest. It was great that she was going to try and accommodate me as much as she could for as good a cosmetic result as possible. At that point they wheeled me in for takeoff and shortly there after the antacid arrived from the pharmacy, which was added to my IV. Suddenly I was feeling dizzy and I asked my buddy the anesthesiologist if he had given me anything and he confirmed that he had started something to relax me. I was groovy. Then they told me the good stuff was about to go in and I still heard the doctor's for several more seconds before becoming airborne....
I woke up in recovery. Groggy is just a word, but apparently so much so that I quickly went back into sleep again and again. When consciousness finally returned I found myself in a large room with lots of beds, one of which I was in. I felt a little stifled with regards to my breathing, but quickly realized I needed to blow my nose badly. I tried to get the attention of the nurse who was circling around, but seemed unable to actually communicate audibly just yet, and apparently my ESP wasn't up to snuff. Finally I could actually hear myself speak instead of just thinking it and he brought me some tissues. I asked for ice chips and he said just a couple for now to keep from getting nausea. They were the most wonderful ice chips in the history of mankind. They must have been made with some fancy exotic waters or sprinkled with fairy dust or maybe I was just so dry I could gag after no liquids for virtually 16 hours. Oh yeah that's probably it. I kept asking for more and must confess decided to try and take it easy on them after a few as I did feel a slight stomach turn that quickly subsided when I slowed down a little. He checked with me a few more times to make sure I was alright before releasing me to the pre-op area from where I started. My wife came and joined me and she was like an angel. I went from dazed and confused to just plain sleepy, but was feeling some discomfort from my belly button area. There was another nice nurse there that brought me some Gatorade and kept checking on me to see how I was doing. Ironically enough just when I was feeling comfortable enough to really want to take a nap, he was starting to insist I get up and walk. They can't discharge you to go home until you walk, drink, and pee...not necessarily all at the same time or in that order, but they all need to be accomplished. I was a bit unsteady and slow at first, but felt pretty alert with a few laps around the room. I was given a portable container to capture my urine as I headed into the bathroom. I needed to produce evidence of the event. He said just a little bit would be enough, but before you knew it I had filled the container with some to spare. I guess check off the kidneys functioning off the list. Yeah!
I got some paperwork and instruction on what to do next, which luckily my wife was there to make note of, since I can't remember much of what was actually said. I also got a nice photo of my insides including the band with Allergan printed on it visibly. Thanks to them for donating the actual device, looked very shiny and new. In the picture you could see my liver and also my hiatal hernia before and after correction. It was a pretty foregone conclusion that I had one due to all of my acid reflux issues and it was very nice of Dr. Jessee to correct it free of charge while she was installing my band. I guess it's like changing the timing belt while you replace the water pump in a car. It's all close together so it makes sense. Like I said she is a world class surgeon. Kudos! It all seemed fine. I suppose a kind of memento of the occasion; maybe not quite like pictures of goofy at Disneyland, but my banded stomach could have passed for Pluto with a collar around his neck. ;-) I even got serial numbers associated with the band. Good to know just in case something happens down the line. All seemed pretty thoroughly documented and my wife signed off. Next she went to pull the car up to the door while I got the standard wheelchair ride out the door with my bag of goodies. Some where along the line I must have gotten dressed just not sure when at this point. I'm glad nobody let me roll out of there in a hospital gown!
I confess not to being very comfortable and I swear I felt every bump in the road on the way, but I was glad to be headed home. This whole process took place in a day and my life was changing. I have a lot of hopes for the future to which this may be a first...I may actually now have the arrows in my quiver to conquer my biggest foe; obesity was no longer going to control me or my life going forward. I was in charge now. But now I wanted to sleep. Not long after getting home I took some of the pain killers they had prescribed and had some more Gatorade they sent with me. To bed to sleep and per chance to dream of a bright new Banded Day. Goodnight obesity...Goodnight!
me
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Pre-Surgery
The following was actually my first write-up related to the surgery. It was written shortly before my actual surgery took place. As a requirement of winning the contest, we are to submit a monthly write up of our experiences and progress. I've decided to include it here as the obvious next step in the chronology to which I've put forth in this blog to date. I should be up to date to my current status within a couple more posts. I thank you for your patience along the way. I hope you have found this blog informative and maybe even a little inspirational.
Thanks,
me
Excited and over whelmed! What can I say? I won,
but now what?! It has been an incredible ride really. I've
celebrated with family and friends and feel very humbled by the outpouring of
support from everyone. So many went the extra mile for me during the
campaign, that it would be impossible for me to thank everyone here, but rest
assured I appreciate you all; it was a great team effort. I would like to
briefly offer special thanks to a few. First and foremost to the Palms of
Pasadena, Dr Jessee, and the wonderful folks at Allergan as well as anyone else
responsible for donating the Lap Band, facilities, and their time and talent to
make this contest a reality. This is an incredible opportunity especially
for those of us that are insurance challenged. Thank you to my family and
friends for their votes, campaigning, and support. Humberto, Jen, Pedro,
Deco, Higor, Mo, and Monica thanks for the Facebook blitzkrieg! Maria
Irene and Our Lady of Fatima church congregation in Hartford thank you for your
prayers as well as your votes. Special thanks to all the teachers who
helped get the word out to the next generation. Thanks to Michelle,
Beef's, and all the bikers and truckers out there who took my campaign on the
road. Thanks Dad for spreading the word to all those I didn't have
contact info for. Eric, Paula, Paul, Haley, Jen, Monica, Kayleigh,
Humberto, Ilene, Suzy, and my beautiful wife Heather thank you for being my
foot soldiers and spending countless hours passing out cards, fliers, and the
like to the masses; it is no easy task to approach strangers to solicit
votes. Extra special thanks to Paul for being the guinea pig and showing
me how successful you can be using the Lap Band as a tool in creating a new
healthy reality. Now it's my turn. God bless you all; you may very
well have saved my life.
Now it's time to get serious and get down to business.
I've had some follow ups and pre-op items to complete and have checked them off
the list. I would certainly recommend you read through the materials
including the binder your doctor provides, because it is a wealth of
information. Some of it can be scary as they have to cover the legalese
of risk as is inherent in any surgical procedure, but I have felt that there
are far more risks associated with my diabetes and assorted health issues that
await me down the line hadn't I chosen to have the Lap Band surgery.
During this last couple of weeks of follow ups I have been on a strict liver
reducing diet to prepare for surgery. I have to confess I was very
anxious about this step as I didn't relish the idea of further dieting without
the benefit of the band being in place yet. I considered it kind of a
necessary purification, a transition into my new life almost like a baptism if
you will. In the end It really hasn't been that bad. The shakes are
hearty enough that with a modicum of will power along with some dinner
creativity(think stuffed peppers with ground turkey) and sugar free jello will
get you through. The secret is to avoid temptation like the plague.
I knew I was in trouble when I was pumping gas and the succulent aroma of the
neighboring eateries were making me consider a hideous attack on the next
unsuspecting passerby who just happened to have the misfortune of carrying a
takeout bag. At that point I decided to spend as much time at home and
out of everyone else's harm's way as possible! I was lucky. My
incredibly supportive wife actually has done the diet with me to make it easier
on me or it may have been for her own safety(just kidding). She drank
every shake and every lean and green meal right along with me and her sacrifice
and support has meant the world to me and made every difference. Thanks
babe!
Monday, June 3, 2013
The Contest
I would like to tell everyone a little bit about the contest. This may be very unique to the area and am very ignorant to whether if there are other municipalities that offer such opportunities. I live in the Tampa Bay area and locally we are fortunate enough to have this contest offered by the Palms of Pasadena hospital in St. Petersburg. They have a nice Bariatric center and are affiliated with some of the best surgeons in the field. Their website has a lot of great information on it including info on the contest. You can access the site at http://obesitynomorefl.com/ . The contest has been offered yearly and starts in January for a sign up period. The contest is a great opportunity especially for those of us who are insurance challenged such as myself. If it wasn't for the contest I wouldn't have had this opportunity to change my health and my life. Thanks again to all that are involved.
The requirements were simple; I had to attend an informational seminar on the procedure, which is a no brainer as you better understand what you are signing up for. In fact it was at a seminar that I first heard about the contest. The only other requirement is to sign up on the website consisting of some personal questions on how obesity affects your life and what it would mean to you to win. My best advice on this part is to be honest with yourself and spill it. As much as we have been programmed over the years to be ashamed of our obesity by society, you need to open up. It is a medical condition and should be treated as such. It was a difficult chore, but I felt better afterwards. I'd like to believe that it was this frank honest approach that got me to be a finalist.
Once the period for entry submission closes, there is a committee at the hospital, which will go through all the entries to select six finalists. I never heard an exact figure, but I heard estimates of upwards of 3000 entries were received. This waiting period was tense as I'm not a patient person plus had a solid no from my insurance already. This was my only chance and a recent diabetes diagnosis weighed heavily. I was very fortunate that on Friday afternoon on March 8th on my way back from the Strawberry Festival ironically enough, I received the call from Dr. Jessee's office. I didn't know what to say. It felt like I had just won the lottery. I may have even shed some tears. The feeling was amazing!
My next steps were to fill out lots of medical forms to become an official patient of Dr. Jessee. I had to have these forms completed prior to an appointment on Tuesday March 19th. I got a brief intro to the process plus a photo session. This photo would be used on the website for the voting period. Along with this photo, the site would contain a small synapsis of your story. This was compiled for me from my answers to the questions on my contest entry. I also needed to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist that they are affiliated with, which I scheduled for the same day to take advantage of being in the area. As part of this process, I had received a 500 question questionaire,which is to help Dr. Baum(the psychiatrist affiliated with Dr. Jessee's office), evaluate me as a good candidate for the procedure. My interpretation of this step is to make sure you are in a mentally good place to have the commitment needed for the lifestyle changes required.
Lets talk about what it means to be a finalist and how the actual winners are determined. As a finalist, I had come a long way, but I hadn't won anything yet. Out of the six finalists only two would receive free Lap Band surgeries. Those two are determined simply by votes on the before mentioned website http://obesitynomorefl.com/. The voting period was from March 29th through April 14th. Let me tell you, this period of time was very exhausting and stressful. You have no idea how you are doing. There isn't a running total some where that you can check and you have no idea what your competition may be up to. The whole process gave me new respect for some of these politicians who spend months campaigning for a position and in the end may have nothing to show for. It's not easy to leave it all on the line without any though of chance of success. Of course they at least have periodic polling. I tried to say positive as my chances were one third and those odds are pretty good compared to what my insurance was offering, which was 0.
My advice if you find yourself in such a situation is to go all out. You don't want to lose in the end and feel like you could've done more. That would be the worst. You need to get creative with your outlets. Of course there is the usual friends and family aspect as well as Facebook, but that won't cut it. The way I look at it, everyone will do that, so if that's all you do, you are going to lose. You win on the strangers you can mobilize and those voting circles can payoff big as they are reaching out to whole new sets of families and friends besides your own. My biggest push was through business cards. I didn't want to do the usual impersonal thing as just leave them on car windows as through experience most of those would just get thrown away. Instead I walked the parking lots of malls, shopping centers, and the like and physically spoke to each person I handed a card to. I handed out thousands! Let me tell you this was no easy task. I'm not a social person and am anything but comfortable talking to strangers, let alone asking them for their votes. I felt I had to do it; I had to get out there and try; I owed it to myself. This was my life we're talking about after all. If you can't do it for that, then when could you? The reception was better than I expected. Of course I got some no's or just plain walk aways, but I also got a lot of positive responses. People are very sympathetic if you can get your point across and convey that you aren't asking for any money. I had a good percentage say they would vote and even get others to vote as well. Sometimes I would even find someone who was willing to help campaign, maybe by taking some of my cards to pass out, sometimes by putting it on their Facebook pages. Again this was extremely beneficial as this got the word out to whole new voting pools, that were way beyond my knowledge or reach. I imagine some of these are what won it for me. My other windfall I believe was my global reach. I have friends and family world wide and it is my understanding that I received votes from Brazil, Japan, Portugal, Israel, etc. I was able to mobilize a greater portion of the globe as a potential voting pool than perhaps others did. I'm very greatful to all of those who helped in my campaign and will do my best to thank them in another post as this one is already getting long. Suffice to say that I owe you my life as I view this surgery as my one way to reclaim my life. No longer do I have to wage the losing battle against obesity. I now have won the tool, Lap Band surgery, that gives me the upper hand or should I say upper stomach? As the upper stomach is where the Lap Band resides in my body. I also already had a trip scheduled at the tail end of the voting period to visit my family in Connecticut. I used this trip as a campaigning opportunity. I passed out cards along the way and when I got there. I ended my campaign on the last night when I was actually asked to leave a Stop & Shop parking lot by the police. Apparently there was a complaint that I was intimidating the customers. I think you always feel like you could've done more, but I was spent and freezing. My hands had gone numb in the cold wind of New England and I was almost greatful to the officer for sending me away. I was proud that I overcame my fears and took my campaign on the road and was hopeful I had taken it to victory. Now I had to just wait and see.
Luckily I didn't have to wait too long as they were to be officially published on Friday April 19th. To not keep the finalists in suspense until then we all received personal phone calls on Wednesday April 17th. I was at my honorary niece Heley's dress rehearsal for her upcoming recital. I confess that when I received the call, I was so nervous I had to run out of the theatre to take the call. Unfortunately I didn't quite make it and had to call back and play a small version of phone tag. I got the word from Dr. Jessee's office to schedule my free surgery. I had won!!! My surgery was scheduled for May 15th and I cried. How could I not? It was a big relief. I was about to change my life. I confess to being nervous as well. For so long I was focused on the contest and campaigning that I nearly forgot what I was doing it all for. After all of this work and effort, what do I win? I get to have someone cut me open! Yeah! I had nearly a month to adjust myself to this new reality and prepare myself for what lies ahead. I'm so thankful, words cannot express.
Just a footnote here, but all that I've detailed here represents my experiences and in no way guarantees anyone's future success with the contest or even whether the contest will continue in future years. That is all up to the Palms of Pasadena and the participants who have donated their time, talent, and materials. Please check http://obesitynomorefl.com/ to stay up to date on information on future contests.
Thanks again,
me
The requirements were simple; I had to attend an informational seminar on the procedure, which is a no brainer as you better understand what you are signing up for. In fact it was at a seminar that I first heard about the contest. The only other requirement is to sign up on the website consisting of some personal questions on how obesity affects your life and what it would mean to you to win. My best advice on this part is to be honest with yourself and spill it. As much as we have been programmed over the years to be ashamed of our obesity by society, you need to open up. It is a medical condition and should be treated as such. It was a difficult chore, but I felt better afterwards. I'd like to believe that it was this frank honest approach that got me to be a finalist.
Once the period for entry submission closes, there is a committee at the hospital, which will go through all the entries to select six finalists. I never heard an exact figure, but I heard estimates of upwards of 3000 entries were received. This waiting period was tense as I'm not a patient person plus had a solid no from my insurance already. This was my only chance and a recent diabetes diagnosis weighed heavily. I was very fortunate that on Friday afternoon on March 8th on my way back from the Strawberry Festival ironically enough, I received the call from Dr. Jessee's office. I didn't know what to say. It felt like I had just won the lottery. I may have even shed some tears. The feeling was amazing!
My next steps were to fill out lots of medical forms to become an official patient of Dr. Jessee. I had to have these forms completed prior to an appointment on Tuesday March 19th. I got a brief intro to the process plus a photo session. This photo would be used on the website for the voting period. Along with this photo, the site would contain a small synapsis of your story. This was compiled for me from my answers to the questions on my contest entry. I also needed to schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist that they are affiliated with, which I scheduled for the same day to take advantage of being in the area. As part of this process, I had received a 500 question questionaire,which is to help Dr. Baum(the psychiatrist affiliated with Dr. Jessee's office), evaluate me as a good candidate for the procedure. My interpretation of this step is to make sure you are in a mentally good place to have the commitment needed for the lifestyle changes required.
Lets talk about what it means to be a finalist and how the actual winners are determined. As a finalist, I had come a long way, but I hadn't won anything yet. Out of the six finalists only two would receive free Lap Band surgeries. Those two are determined simply by votes on the before mentioned website http://obesitynomorefl.com/. The voting period was from March 29th through April 14th. Let me tell you, this period of time was very exhausting and stressful. You have no idea how you are doing. There isn't a running total some where that you can check and you have no idea what your competition may be up to. The whole process gave me new respect for some of these politicians who spend months campaigning for a position and in the end may have nothing to show for. It's not easy to leave it all on the line without any though of chance of success. Of course they at least have periodic polling. I tried to say positive as my chances were one third and those odds are pretty good compared to what my insurance was offering, which was 0.
My advice if you find yourself in such a situation is to go all out. You don't want to lose in the end and feel like you could've done more. That would be the worst. You need to get creative with your outlets. Of course there is the usual friends and family aspect as well as Facebook, but that won't cut it. The way I look at it, everyone will do that, so if that's all you do, you are going to lose. You win on the strangers you can mobilize and those voting circles can payoff big as they are reaching out to whole new sets of families and friends besides your own. My biggest push was through business cards. I didn't want to do the usual impersonal thing as just leave them on car windows as through experience most of those would just get thrown away. Instead I walked the parking lots of malls, shopping centers, and the like and physically spoke to each person I handed a card to. I handed out thousands! Let me tell you this was no easy task. I'm not a social person and am anything but comfortable talking to strangers, let alone asking them for their votes. I felt I had to do it; I had to get out there and try; I owed it to myself. This was my life we're talking about after all. If you can't do it for that, then when could you? The reception was better than I expected. Of course I got some no's or just plain walk aways, but I also got a lot of positive responses. People are very sympathetic if you can get your point across and convey that you aren't asking for any money. I had a good percentage say they would vote and even get others to vote as well. Sometimes I would even find someone who was willing to help campaign, maybe by taking some of my cards to pass out, sometimes by putting it on their Facebook pages. Again this was extremely beneficial as this got the word out to whole new voting pools, that were way beyond my knowledge or reach. I imagine some of these are what won it for me. My other windfall I believe was my global reach. I have friends and family world wide and it is my understanding that I received votes from Brazil, Japan, Portugal, Israel, etc. I was able to mobilize a greater portion of the globe as a potential voting pool than perhaps others did. I'm very greatful to all of those who helped in my campaign and will do my best to thank them in another post as this one is already getting long. Suffice to say that I owe you my life as I view this surgery as my one way to reclaim my life. No longer do I have to wage the losing battle against obesity. I now have won the tool, Lap Band surgery, that gives me the upper hand or should I say upper stomach? As the upper stomach is where the Lap Band resides in my body. I also already had a trip scheduled at the tail end of the voting period to visit my family in Connecticut. I used this trip as a campaigning opportunity. I passed out cards along the way and when I got there. I ended my campaign on the last night when I was actually asked to leave a Stop & Shop parking lot by the police. Apparently there was a complaint that I was intimidating the customers. I think you always feel like you could've done more, but I was spent and freezing. My hands had gone numb in the cold wind of New England and I was almost greatful to the officer for sending me away. I was proud that I overcame my fears and took my campaign on the road and was hopeful I had taken it to victory. Now I had to just wait and see.
Luckily I didn't have to wait too long as they were to be officially published on Friday April 19th. To not keep the finalists in suspense until then we all received personal phone calls on Wednesday April 17th. I was at my honorary niece Heley's dress rehearsal for her upcoming recital. I confess that when I received the call, I was so nervous I had to run out of the theatre to take the call. Unfortunately I didn't quite make it and had to call back and play a small version of phone tag. I got the word from Dr. Jessee's office to schedule my free surgery. I had won!!! My surgery was scheduled for May 15th and I cried. How could I not? It was a big relief. I was about to change my life. I confess to being nervous as well. For so long I was focused on the contest and campaigning that I nearly forgot what I was doing it all for. After all of this work and effort, what do I win? I get to have someone cut me open! Yeah! I had nearly a month to adjust myself to this new reality and prepare myself for what lies ahead. I'm so thankful, words cannot express.
Just a footnote here, but all that I've detailed here represents my experiences and in no way guarantees anyone's future success with the contest or even whether the contest will continue in future years. That is all up to the Palms of Pasadena and the participants who have donated their time, talent, and materials. Please check http://obesitynomorefl.com/ to stay up to date on information on future contests.
Thanks again,
me
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