Post operation video of myself in the recovery room!

Hello,
In case you didn't catch my post-op details, they are on the previous blog post. I am posting these from my home computer. Amazing surgical procedure. Surgery in the morning, home by 2:30pm. Awesome. After I upload this video I'm going to walk around the block.

I'M HOME!!!! The surgery went GREAT!!!

Just a short note because I want to go through all of the details later. And I made a video of myself in the recovery room. You are not going to believe it. The nurse that helped with the surgery is a patient herself. She had the lapband surgery two years ago and she's lost 175 POUNDS. She looked awesome!

My surgery started at exactly 7:30am as scheduled. I'm not completely sure how long it lasted, but I was in and out in the recovery room for about two and a half hours. I was supposed to be out an hour earlier, but I was taking a great nap! I went into the next recovery room where my wife was and stayed in bed for another hour.

I felt fine and my wounds looked great so they let me walk around and then they discharged me. I believe I got home around 2:30pm I was able to walk around including stairs with only a little bit of discomfort. The most painful spot was where they installed the fill port because it goes between skin and muscle and it was on TOP of my spleen!

I am just taking Oxycodone, but twice as much as I normally take. I had trouble urinating for about a half hour and then I went to sleep in my own bed. I slept for another two hours and then was woken up by a surprise visit from my in-laws who live in Booneville, Arkansas. And I was able to urinate.

As I write I am drinking a "Boost" chocolate protein drink very slowly and I will take another pain pill because I am a bit uncomfortable and I don't want to be "a lot" uncomfortable later. That's it for now. Thanks for visiting and pass my info to friends and family that are curious about the lapbad. I will also make a short entry onto the new website www.lose250.com .

Leaving to the hospital

It's 4:30am in Colorado and it's time to go to the hospital. I'm not really nervous. I'm still excited. It's been a long road. I'll try to get my wife to tape me in the recovery room. I do wonder what the appliance will feel like. Will it feel like a lump in my throat? Will I feel it a all? I'm sure I'll notice it when I start eating ice chips. I think the hardest part will be swallowing water. I like the to guzzle ice water. Time.

New companion website launched today!

I thought I needed a companion website to this blog to post daily post surgical stats and an easier way to find important information about bariatric surgery and bipolar disorder. It can be found at www.lose250.com I'll add information as time goes on.

Day of surgery instructions

Tomorrow is the day of my surgery. Today I feel as if I have been waiting in line for two hours to get on a roller coaster ride. As the coaster pulls into the loading area, butterflies prevail and I am wondering how this coaster stays on the tracks. If I were afraid of flying which I am not, it be would be as if I were about to take off. I'm really more excited than scared. Actually, I don't feel scared at all. Maybe I should be, but I am not. 

I will be at the hospital at 5am; precisely 2 1/2 hours before surgery (7:30am). Today I am on a liquid only diet; not a clear liquid diet so I can drink instant breakfast drinks or products like Ensure up until mid-night, but I will try to only have three today. The rest of the day will be clear liquids by choice. Between 12am and 3am I may drink clear liquids. Absolutely nothing four hours before surgery. I will take my morning dosages of my normal medication around mid-night. 

According to the directions from my anesthesiologist, on the day of the surgery, I am not supposed to take any medications that require food or milk; no oral diabetic meds; glucophage?; diuretics (water pills), OR anticoagulants. The only one of these restrictions that even applies to me is the water pills and I took one today so I won't need one tomorrow anyway. I AM supposed to take my other meds, particularly my pain meds (Oxycodone).

"Sleeping man" by Ron Mueck

When I arrive at 5am an IV will be placed and... I'm not sure why I have to be there two and a half hours early. I have already had my pre-admittance and pre-op appointment on Friday, but it seems to be normal procedure. Again, the surgery will take one to one and a half hours if they don't have any complications. After the surgery I will be in the recovery room for another one and a half hours. I will be allowed to eat ice chips and I should be able to walk around the hall before they discharge me. I'm sure that I will sleep most of the rest of the day after I get into my own bed.

Quick note about daily medication: After surgery I can only take medication that is less than the size of a peanut which means I will either get the liquid forms or split or crush them. Due to the limitations on drinking capacity, it may take me a long time to take all of my pills. 

Comparable chart: Bariatric vs. regular vitamin supplements

	Gastric Bypass / Gastric Sleeve Vitamins
	ASMBS Recommended	New Life chew-able Vitamins	Centrum once daily Vitamins
Cost Per Month	Vitamin Supplementation	$25.50	?
# Tablets/Day		6 tablets/2 scoops powder	1 tablet
Vitamin A	10,000 IU	10,000 IU	3500 IU
Vitamin C	120 mg	120 mg	60 mg
Vitamin D	800 IU	1600 IU	400 mg
Vitamin E	60 IU	200 IU	30 IU
Vitamin K	160 mcg	240 mcg	25 mcg
Thiamin	3 mg	6 mg	1.5 mg
Riboflavin	3.4 mg	8 mg	1.7 mg
Niacin	40 mg	40 mg	20 mg
B 6	4	8 mg	2 mg
Folic Acid	800	800 mcg	400 mcg
B12	350-500 mcg	600mcg	6 mcg
Biotin	600	600 mcg	30 mcg
Pantothenic Acid	20	40 mg	10 mg
Calcium	1500 - 2000 mg	2000 mg	200 mg
Iron	18-27 mg	36 mg	18 mg
Magnesium	800 mg	800 mg	50 mg
Zinc	15 mg	30 mg	11 mg
Selenium	110 mcg	140 mcg	55 mcg
Copper	4 mg	4 mg	.5 mg
Manganese	3.6 mg	4 mg	2.3 mcg
Chromium	240 mcg	240 mcg	35 mcg
Molybdenum	150 mcg	200 mcg	45 mcg
Potassium
Phosphorus
Iodine		300mcg

Monday August 1st 2011 - 100 Startling facts on obesity in America

Today is my last day with solid foods for at least ten days. This morning I had a small bowl of oatmeal with raisins. This afternoon I am going to eat chopped spinach for lunch and then some homemade seafood raviolis and salad for dinner. Good digestive food. Tomorrow, the day before surgery, I have to go onto a liquid diet.

One of my readers sent me an interesting article listing statistics on obesity in America. It is not a sales or "diet" page. A true test of any set of statistics or surveys is in the method and sample from which the data is collected. Please note that I do not know where they got their data.

Below you will find my top 15 stats from their list:

1. Non-Hispanic blacks have the highest rates of obesity overall at 44.1%.
2. Hispanics overall have an obesity prevalence of 37.9%. Mexican-Americans have obesity rating of 39.3%.
3. Non-Hispanic whites have an obesity prevalence of 32.6%.
4. Regardless of ethnicity, men with higher incomes are more likely to be obese.
5. Regardless of ethnicity, women with lower incomes are more likely to be obese.
6. You are 57% more likely to become obese if a friend has become obese.
7. Approximately 72.5 million adults in the U.S. are obese.
8. Obese children are more likely to become obese adults.
9. Approximately 17% of children aged 2-19 are obese.
10. Since 1974, the prevalence of obesity among children 2-19 has more than tripled from 5% to 16.9%.
11. Missisippi has the highest rate of obese adults at 34% of the population
12. Colorado has the lowest rate of obese adults at 21% of the population
13. The most active counties in the United States are in Colorado and Wyoming.
14. In 2000, there wasn’t a single state where more than 30% of the population was obese. By 2010, there were 12 states that met this unfortunate distinction.
15. The medical costs associated with obesity in 2008 were around $147 billion.

You can find the entire article at http://www.nondiet.com/blog/100-startling-facts-on-obesity-in-america/