The Introductory Meeting - Part Two

I had the meeting at the hospital last night. It was run by the head surgeon. It was surprising to me to meet with her, she was very nice and personable. She answered all of my questions:

1. Q. Do your surgeons oversew the staple line or buttress it? A. Yes, they use a stitch similar to basting in sewing, which reinforces the staple line to prevent leaks. They also sometimes insert a material to help the seam (buttressing).
2. Q. I am highly sensitive to dairy, whey and soy and cannot eat nuts. The diet post op and forever requires a lot of protein, how would you suggest that I get that? A. Tuna, other fish, chicken? Are those good for you? My answer was yes, I enjoy those.
3. Q. Do you require endoscopy and is it sedated?  A. Yes, it is required and it is a sedated procedure. If one was preformed within one year and the results were normal, it is not required.

The descriptions of the surgeries were great and I feel that I am least comfortable with the idea of the lap bad, because I have had gastric reflux for many years and heartburn and I am afraid that the lapband would make that worse.

The sleeve is an intimidating surgery, mainly because it is new and there are few longterm studies based on it. However, since it does not re-route the small intestine, it is preferable to me. This is because, as a chronic diverticulitis sufferer, I may end up needing a large bowel resection at some time in my near future and frankly, the less they mess with my intestines, the better.

Plus, dumping syndrome, which I understand it can happen with all bariatric surgeries, is more common in gastric bypass. Dumping syndrome is very hard on the colon, where I have a lot of other problems.

So, I am making my appointments and going forward with things. The process is lengthy, which is good, I think it will give me plenty of time to make a good decision and to set my mind on the changes that will be with me for the rest of my life.

I think it's time for a photo of me. I am the one in the green shirt. I was playing around with my best friend, who's face I have whited out. I had so much fun that day. Until I saw this photo. Then the fun stopped.