They had mailed me a package of information and a stack of paperwork that needed to be filled out. I did that prior to going, so it saved some time once I got there. I simply checked in and waited to be called back. I was the only person in the waiting room when I went in, but was joined shortly by a woman who was a month out of her surgery. She said she lost 23 lbs for her first weigh in. Very impressive.
When I was called back, the nurse weighed me (285.2 lbs), took my blood pressure (132/81) and heart rate (76). She then took a picture of me for my file. She explained they would take another picture 12 months post surgery. At that time, I could decide to either allow or disallow them to use the pictures on their website. As she escorted me to the room to await the surgeon, I could hear a woman screaming in pain. The nurse seemed unfazed, but I was looking for the nearest emergency exit. I don't know which bothered me more - the wailing lady or the fact the nurse appeared to be immune to the noise.
I was shown into the exam room and told to have a seat and the Dr. would be there shortly. I sat down and took some deep breaths to calm my nerves. When I am anxious, I have learned a couple different ways to stave off a full blown panic attack. I do a lot of self talking. I spend some time talking to myself (with the little voices in my head) about just about anything other than what is making me anxious. The other thing I do is pray. This was a praying day. I asked for guidance - some kind of direction as to which procedure I should have if my insurance company approved this weight loss surgery. I asked that God provide me with the questions I needed to ask the surgeon in order to make an informed decision. Very shortly, I could no longer hear the screaming lady and I was feeling pretty calm.
I looked around the exam room and spent some time wondering who picks the colors and decorations that are found in rooms such as this. While it was clean and organized, it certainly wasn't cold and sterile looking. Very comfortable and inviting. No obvious signs of torture devices. I looked up on the wall and noticed this piece of artwork:
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I looked at the picture and immediately saw it. My answer. I decided that if the surgeon was in agreement, I would pursue the gastric bypass procedure. The medical techie name of that surgery is Roux en-Y.
Dr. Olsen breezed in shortly after I had snapped the picture with my phone. He had a big smile on his face and asked if I heard the screams. He almost seemed a little too proud of the torture he had obviously just witnessed. When I responded that I had indeed heard it and that the last time I heard such a commotion, I was in labor and the screams were NOT coming from me - he just laughed. He explained that it wasn't his patient, but he was assisting another doctor with a patient who had a small infection in their incision area and they needed to open it. How exciting.
He spent a great deal of time with me. I never felt rushed. He basically covered everything he discussed during his seminar. I explained that I had narrowed down my choices to either the gastric bypass or the sleeve. He agreed that the lap band procedure was not the way to go. He admitted that he had only performed one lap band procedure thus far in 2012. His partners are even considering discontinuing it altogether, but he feels it is still an appropriate surgical option for some people. We discussed my history - health, eating habits, and previous weight loss attempts. He reiterated the pros and cons of weight loss surgery. He explained in detail the risks and successes. In the end, he told me that my choice between the gastric bypass or the sleeve was a simple "coin toss" for me. He explained that either surgery would be equally appropriate for me.
I told him I wanted to proceed with the gastric bypass. He was in complete agreement. Since I have a hiatal hernia, he wants me to have an upper GI series before surgery. If it is large, there is a chance he will need to repair it during surgery. Apparently that requires a couple stitches.
There is only one more requirement to be met before submitting my file to the insurance company for approval. I need to see my primary care physician for a 2012 documented visit and I need a letter of support from him. My appointment with Dr. Cole is tomorrow at 2pm. We have previously discussed weight loss surgery and he has always been very supportive. I don't expect any complications there.
Another step forward in The Journey.
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As a side note, there are apparently several different "versions" of gastric bypass surgery. Snatched from Wikipedia, this is the method that Dr. Olsen uses:
Gastric bypass, Roux en-Y (proximal)
This variant is the most commonly employed gastric bypass technique, and is by far the most commonly performed bariatric procedure in the United States. The small intestine is divided approximately 45 cm (18 in) below the lower stomach outlet and is re-arranged into a Y-configuration, enabling outflow of food from the small upper stomach pouch via a "Roux limb". In the proximal version, the Y-intersection is formed near the upper (proximal) end of the small intestine. The Roux limb is constructed using 80–150 cm (31–59 in) of the small intestine, preserving the rest (and the majority) of it for absorbing nutrients. The patient will experience very rapid onset of the stomach feeling full, followed by a growing satiety (or "indifference" to food) shortly after the start of a meal.
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