The amount of information out there is incredible. Scary even: who to believe? Surely each story is different ... what is something that is experienced by everybody? How do I prepare...?
I decided to follow these two major sources of information: the Blackrock Clinic , which is where I will be going to, and the Mayo Clinic, which is a super reputable clinic in the US and recognized as the top in the US for gastroenterology and GI surgery for 2021-2022.
I am making a conscious effort not to go to wikipedia (70% of medical information there is inaccurate), and avoid youtube totally.
I don't want to be scared by what is out there - just want some basic information. So far I have found out that..
there will be a full medical team who will follow me: a GI surgeon, endocrynologist, respiratory medicine consultant, cardiologist, psychologist, dietitian and physiotherapist
The first question that comes to mind is: can the consultants that I've been seeing and that have been following me for years be part of that team, or do I have to forgo all of that and be assisted by the consultants of the bariatric team?
I think they will ask me to chose, and I am of two minds:
1) my current consultants are from a private clinic really close by (the Blackrock clinic is more than an hour away from where I live, and I try not to drive really). Plus they know me well. Plus they will be slightly cheaper (I think).
2) the consultants that will be suggested by the Blackrock clinic will be people specialized into following bariatric patients, with that specific medical experience and bed side manners, so to speak.
There will be an endoscopy before surgery
There it is, an invasive test to see how the stomach looks like. Ah the gagging, oh my god, I am not looking foward to that one single bit.
It will be sore, painful, for the first few days
This is something that scares me a lot, I don't deal well with pain (who does?) but really, I just don't. Every pain for me is an 8, on a scale of 1 to 10. I am very lucky I never experienced real pain so far, so when the dentist gives me the injection I almost faint with pain. Stupid, uh? So the idea of undergoing a surgery really scares me.
I won't be able to take normal tablets as they will be too big
This I don't know if it applies to everyone. My medication regime, for everything, means I take a lot of tablets twice a day. A lot. And some are actually big pills. In the support group they mention that some can be crushed but that I need to ask the pharmacist which ones I can do that to. The malabsorption of nutrients will also mean that the medication absorption will vary considerably. I need to talk to my GP and my psychiatrist before the surgery and hope they know what they are doing.
I will be on a liquid diet for the first while
It seems you don't eat anything for the first day or two, just sip water. Then it seems you start on a liquid diet (light soup, broth) and that lasts for a good while (how long?).
Then they say you start on mushy foods for another good while (how long?), before eventually graduating to normal food.
What does normal food look like in the post-surgery life? Can you eat anything you like but in small quantity? (assuming you follow the diet etc).
You see, I just adore steak - will I be able to eat it afterwards? Who knows....
Comments