Wednesday, October 17, 2007

I’m in the pre-surgical area of Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ. I got to the hospital at 6:30 this morning (requiring a 5am wake-up). After going through the registration process and pre-surgery tests and questions, I’m now on a special hospital bed designed for bariatric patients. Since I began the required 2-week pre-surgical diet, I’ve already lost over a dozen pounds. So far, so good, except for the fact that I’m getting a little bit nervous (but not worried) and am lying here with nothing on but a hospital gown and some little cloth “booties” on my feet.

The very nice nurse that will be assisting with the surgery comes in and introduces herself. She explains what will be happening for the remainder of the morning before weight loss surgery begins. No problem. Dr. Goyal comes into my little area and confirms that everything is good to go and confirms that I specifically want a Lap-Band. Again, no problem. Later, the anesthesiologist stops by to introduce himself and explains how they will “put me under” during the procedure.

About 10:30am, the nurse and anesthesiologist come by to tell me that we’re ready to go. I say goodbye to the family member who brought me over to the hospital and they start wheeling me over to the operating room. As they wheel me down the hall to the O.R., I remember watching the ceiling lights go by, just like I’ve seen so many times on those TV medical programs. Just as we go through the doors into the operating room, I go under. It turns out that they had already started the anesthetic, and I did not even know it.

Next thing I know, I groggily wake back up in the recovery area around 3 p.m. As I slowly come out of the anesthetic, I realize that I actually feel pretty good. Only a very little bit of soreness. A nurse checks my vital signs. Dr. Goyal stops by to say that everything went quite well, but took a little longer than expected because he found and fixed a couple of small hiatal hernias that they discovered during the procedure. He also tells me that he called my family after the operation to let them know that everything went great. I’m having a little trouble breathing, so they give me a treatment that helps clear out my lungs. I’m an asthmatic, so this is probably related to the breathing tube I had down my throat during the procedure.

Around 4:30 p.m., I’m told that they will be moving me up to a room for an overnight stay. They also tell me that I’ll be in room 917, which they call the “penthouse”. I find out why once they wheel me up to the room. It’s on the top floor of the hospital in the corner. I have two walls of large windows with views of a distant NYC and the hilly areas of Summit. It’s a private room with plenty of space for visitors. And, they even have a new entertainment system with a touch screen that allows me to watch cable TV, on-demand movies and even surf the Internet! It looks like I won’t be needing much of the reading material I brought with me!

I start the regimen of doing breathing exercises and I’m able to suck down some ice cubes. Very nice nurses stop by to check my vitals, which all seem to be fine. My blood sugar is running a little bit high, so they give me an Insulin shot to bring it down to normal. I’m starting to get quite comfortable in the “penthouse!”

My family stops by later in the evening, and I tell them I’m doing remarkably well, considering I had surgery only a few hours earlier. I ask why they did not bring beer & pizza, because we could certainly have a party in this room! (Ha, Ha, Ha) I also call a few friends and family to tell them that I’m doing great. Everyone is amazed at how well I’m doing the day of surgery. I also take a nice walk up and down the hospital corridors, and it feels good to be up-and-about. Overlook Hospitals turns out to be a great place to recover from my weight loss surgery.

Later, I watch a movie and try to get some sleep. I don’t rest well in hospital beds, no matter how comfortable they are. Too many things attached to my body, like the IV and an oxygen feed under my nose. I’m a tiny bit sore now, so they give me something to help with the minor pain. During the night, I get my first urge to urinate, and am able to use the bathroom in the room – no bedpan or bottle in bed. I can’t tell you how great that is. They are measuring liquid input and output, so I do have to use the little plastic bottle in the bathroom.

I wake up from a semi-fitful night’s sleep at around 6am for my first set of vitals. Again, there seems to be no problems, but I get a bit more Insulin because my blood sugar is still high. Later in the morning, Dr. Goyal’s partner, Dr. Boulay comes to my room to see how I’m doing. She removes the larger bandages covering the six small incision areas, leaving the SurgiStrips covering the areas. All looks good, so she gives me the OK to head home. She explains the liquid diet that I must be on for the next two weeks. About an hour later, a nurse comes in to give me official discharge “package”, and I call my family to come pick me up. I was almost kind-of hoping that I could stay in the “penthouse” for another day or two, but no luck…

A bit later, I’ve got my street clothes on and am wheeled down to the front entrance. A short time later, I’m at my family’s home, where they’re going to keep an eye on me for the next few days. I officially start my post-surgery diet of broth, sugar-free Jell-O, ice-pops and decaffeinated tea. And, I take shower! I can’t tell you how good that feels.

I move on to sugar-free yogurt and pudding in a couple of days. Due to lack of calories, I have been running a bit tired, but introducing new foods has brought my energy level up. By Sunday, I’m headed back to my house. Going home still feels the best!

On Tuesday, I head back to Dr. Goyal’s office for my one-week follow-up. He confirms that everything is looking great. He removes the remaining SurgiStrips from the incision areas. He tells me that I can graduate from liquids to soft foods by the weekend. Sounds good, because I’m starting to get a little bit hungry while only on liquids. I have to go back to see him in three weeks, where he will determine if I’m ready to move to solid foods. Hopefully, by Thanksgiving,  I’ll be able to eat a little bit of turkey!

Since I started the pre-surgical diet, I’ve lost a total of 28 pounds. My blood sugar levels are normal, but I’ll have to watch them as I start eating more foods with carbs. My blood pressure is a little on the high side of normal, which is a lot better than it was pre-surgery. I never had to take a prescription pain medication, although I did take some liquid Tylenol for some minor soreness. I’m really looking forward to eating some eggs and pasta as I move into the soft-food diet this weekend. And now, the real adventure begins as I progress through the band adjustment process and keep a close watch on my weight going forward.

Mark F