The Reborn Butterfly
Hello. My name is Erica and I am 27 years old. On March 11, 2008 I made a drastic change in my life...I had gastric bypas surgery. I decided that I wanted to have the surgery a little over a year ago and decided to do some research. I asked several friends who have had the surgery who they went to and just got feedback. 4 out of the 6 friends I asked went to a bariatric center called Neweigh and this center focuses on weight loss surgery. I went in for a consultation in August of 2007 and decided that I wanted to go ahead and get the ball rolling, the only problem was...Do I do lap band or gastric? After hearing the pro's and con's of each surgery I decided that gastric was right for me. In the next couple of months I went thru a series of test, evaluations and bloodwork. I also went to several support group meetings to meet with people who had the surgery and people who were waiting to get approved. This continued for the next few months and there was a couple of times where I thought it wasnt going to happen because I figured by now the insurance would have already approved. I had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes ans sleep apnea and I was getting a little down on myself because I thought that it was only going to get worse. About a month later, on February 13, 2008 I received a letter in the mail stating that I was approved for my surgery. I called Neweigh and they pulled up the surgery calendar and I was scheduled to have my surgery on March 11, 2008.
I was so excited, yet I was a ball of nerves. This is what I had been waiting for and now that its here I am getting scared? I called all my family and friends and let them know when I was scheduled for and they all wished me the best of luck and so for the next few weeks I prepared myself.
It seems like March 11th came in the blink of an eye and I had worked myself up so badly the night before that I just knew I was going to pass out or my blood pressure was going to be high the day of the surgery, but as crazy as it sounds I woke up feeling calm and excited. I went in at 5am and was prepped for surgery and by 7:30 I was being wheeled into the operating room. They shot what the nurse called a "cocktail" into my IV and at that point I was feeling so good they could have told me that they were going to shave my head and I wouldn't have cared. They transferred me to an operating table and I remember looking at the bright light above my head and then waking up in recovery.
I remember being in the recovery area about 20 minutes before they moved me to a room. I had alot of soreness right under my left breast but it was not unbearable pain. Once I was settled in my room I had nurses coming in and out every 2-3 hours to take my blood and just to check on me. At about 6pm they came in and said that they were going to help me get up so that I could walk. Well that was alot easier said then done. Everyone who has had the surgery tells you about this moment but because the pain from surgery is not as intense as you probably worked yourself up for it to be you think that this is going to be the same way. WRONG! The nurse tried to pull me up and I wanted to scream. It felt like someone was tugging at my stomach from the inside out. Once I was up and started walking I felt okay. I was a little lightheaded due to the wonderful morphine pump they give you and I had been in bed most of the day. My nurses suggested that I try and get up and walk every 4-6 hours and that is what I did and it got easier everytime.
I was released from the hospital on March 13th, 2 days after my surgery. I stayed at my sisters for the next three weeks until I returned to work. I was told by alot of people that the first 2 weeks were going to be the hardest but I can honestly say that it was not bad at all. I think alot of it had to do with the fact that I slept alot and really only got up to take my meds, shower, and attempt to eat.
As of today May 6, 2008 I am 8 weeks out of my surgery and am feeling great. I came back to work 3 weeks after my surgery and the only minor complication that I had was having one of my incisions get infected but I was given antibiotics and it cleared up. I have lost 55lbs and have no regrets about what I have done. Alot of people ask if it's hard and it is hard just because it's an adjustment and it's life changing but when has change ever been easy? I would recommend Gastric Bypass to anyone who has thought about it and are worried about the risk. Life is a risk in itself and personally the good benefits of the surgery outweigh the risk. So if your thinking about it I say....GO FOR IT!
Thank you for visiting my page and please feel free to send me a message.
