Aurora

I want to share some of the things that I've figured out during this two weeks of eating liquids only. First of all get a Magic Bullet! You've probably seen them on an Infomercial. It makes pureeing soups so easy. The blending containers are microwave safe and can be your dish for blending, heating and eating. They come with lids so you can also store in the same container. You can order it at Amazon or on the official website http://www.buythebullet.com/ or get it at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $50. (The one on the official website is $99 and has a lot more than what I got at BB&B.) One of the great things about the Bullet is that I can make very small portions and still get them sufficiently pureed. Something I was not able to do with the standard blender. It also makes a great sorbet from frozen fruit you can buy at the grocery store...a few frozen strawberries and a few Tbs of juice...all fruit, no fat and YUMMY! It also makes great fruit smoothies with a scoop of protien powder, fruit, yogurt and juice...then you can store it for later too. A scoop of chocolate protein powder, nonfat milk and a few ice cubes in the bullet and you have a delicious milk shake! It will surely be just as useful during the mushy food stage as it has been in the liquid. I quickly got tired of the Campbell and Progresso soup choices and found some really good soups at Trader Joe's. The Creamy Corn and Red Pepper (already pureed) is great and so are the Sweet Potato Bisque, and Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper. TJs also has small single serving size drinkable yogurts that are great for on the go. Stay away from a pureed Clam Chowder....uck! Too fishy when pureed...was like fish paste! Counting down, only 6 days to go on liquids only! I'd love to hear from others about what they've done to make the post-op diet work for them.

My plication procedure took place November 29th with the days preceeding consumed with excitement, fears, preparations and of course, shopping through the Thanksgiving weekend. By Thanksgiving morning I had met my 5% pre-surgery weight-loss goal. Friday morning I had to lose 1 pound over again but the two day liquid diet easily covered that pound and another as well. I have to be honest that I had moments of sheer panic, thinking that I was actually insane for taking this path to weight loss. In more lucid and calm moments the realities of surgical risks and recovery were more manageable. I had fears of dying or of becoming very ill in Mexico. I made a decision to not tell anyone in my life about this procedure except for one very close friend. She's known me for many years through all of our mutual weight struggle ups and downs. I knew I would not get the doubt and questioning from her that I would from others in my life, others who have never dealt with the pain of obesity and the frustrations of yo-yo dieting and the deep self loathing that occurs at each loss of control and resulting weight re-gain. For me it is just so personal that I want my privacy, even from my family. I arrived in San Diego on the morning of the proceedure feeling both excited and nervous. I did meet the clinic driver in the airport, but he was about 20 minutes late. Once in the van it took about 30 minutes to get to the clinic. Morning traffic was heavy, but once across the border the drive to the clinic was about 2 minutes! I arrived at the clinic around 8:30am and was greeted by a young woman behind the counter who explained my morning. I made my final payment, had blood drawn, an IV started, an ECG, a consultation with the anesthesiologist and the nutritionist. They were all very nice and informative. Their review of my medical history was very thorough. They answered my questions, reviewed the procedure, recovery and nutrition to my satisfaction. They all spoke/understood English extremely well. The hardest part for me was the waiting. I was the last of four plications scheduled for that morning. I sat in the waiting room with two other patients, watched them get called into the clinic area and wondered when my turn would come. I had too much time to think and because of the anxiety I couldn't get myself distracted for longer than 30 seconds at a time. Around 11am I was finally called into the clinic and given my room that I would occupy for the next few days. The room was very nice, clean, had a hospital bed, bedside table, small couch and TV (with several English stations). There is a shared bathroom down the hall with a shower. I was given a hospital gown and a pair of sexy paper panties! Changing into the hospital gown made the reality hit me. I became more anxious and quite tearful...biting my tongue to inflict enough pain to distract me from the fear that was beginning to overwhelm me. I sat on the couch for another 30 minutes before the nurse finally came in with some Ativan...thank goodness. I was also given an anti-emetic, antibiotic, pain meds and something to reduce stomach acid production. The IV Ativan gratefully has an immediate effect! The only thing that I would have like to have been different in this process is that I would have liked to have had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Ortiz prior to receiving the Ativan. By the time I did get to speak with him I was fighting the woozies. I can't recall the details of the conversation, but do recall asking my questions and feeling satisfied with the answers. Shortly after that conversation (this is where time awareness is lost) I was escorted into the OR, positioned on the table...and next thing I new I could hear the clipped beep, beep, beep, of my heart rate on the pulse oximeter as I woke up and returned to the room. The night is pretty foggy, I wasn't terribly uncomfortable, was able to get up and walk down the hall, had an IV and was thirsty. The next morning I awoke feeling really good! My abdomen was definitely sore but I didn't hurt. My stomach was making some sensations that were unfamiliar to me...hunger-like pangs...spasms I was told. They were tolerable but confusing. I was given my first bottle of water in the morning. I viewed it with both great desire and trepidation...how would my stomach react to having something in it? I cautiously took my first sips and waited. More in tune the feelings in my stomach than ever before I slowly and successfully consumed water and tea throughout the day. I got up and walked often, at least a short distance to the nurse's station and back once an hour if awake. Late that afternoon I experienced the first "pain." It felt like my stomach was being stabbed by a thousand sharp needles. I was immediately given pain medication. I have to say that the staff was completely and immediately responsive to the needs of all of us there those days. There were three other patients who had plications and we were all being tended to very closely. I didn't have to wait for that pain med and it took care of it quickly. I had a little bit of nausea and vomiting but much less than I had prepared myself to deal with. Wednesday morning I awoke feeling very good, a bit more sore in the abdomen, able to consume liquids easily but slowly. Just taking sips frequently rather than trying to take a "drink" really worked well. I was cleared to go home, got my medications, final instructions and the ride to the airport. I was very surprised to find out on the journey to the airport that I was going to have to walk with my luggage across the border. While it wasn't a really long distance it required more effort than I had energy for. I do believe it set me back for the rest of the day. I was really fortunate to have only an hour and a half flight. By the time I climbed into my bed at home I was exhausted...but I had a big smile on my face...not only happy to be at home with my sweet little dog on my bed next to me...but excited about a future absent of the obesity and self-loathing that has occupied my world for so long.

To the three others who had plications Nov. 29....I'm wondering how you all are recovering and would love to hear about your experiences this week. I'm feeling really good but have had some minor ups and downs mostly due to having to relearn my stomach and the new sensations it produces. On Wednesday when I traveled home I felt slightly weakened, but made it home without incident. I was very tired but felt fine. The following day I felt AMAZING! As a nurse I should have known better...but I went ahead and overdid it. I worked (from home) all day, walked my dog twice (1 mile each time) and completely misinterpreted the stomach sensations as hunger. Needless to say I paid the price the next day with sharp stomach pains and spasms. My biggest mistake was that I thought I needed something more than clear fluids because of all of the stomach gyrations. I ate some pureed "cream of..." soup and a bit of drinkable yogurt....went back to clears the next two days. Yesterday I had a bit of pureed soup and drinkable yogurt in the evening and felt fine. I'm still experiencing sharp and pinching pains in my stomach and the gyrations that feel like hunger. If I sit down and rest the sharp pains go away. I wonder how much is actual stomach pain and how much is abdominal muscle pain due to the laparoscopy...time will tell. The gyrations, I have found, pass fairly quickly with patience. They seem to be occurring less frequently and with less intensity each day. I begin four days of traveling cross-country tomorrow and am concerned about what I'll eat. I'm going to take my immersible blender with me. The inability to carry liquids from home onto the plane presents a problem for my all day flying tomorrow. The good thing is that I certainly don't require much volume so should be able to figure something out. I'd love to hear from you and hope you are recovering well!

I've made the decision...to go to Mexico for my surgery. I made the decision to have the surgery long ago. I imagine we all have similar stories that brought us here. Considering bariatric surgery that we elect to pay for ourselves and thus find ourselves medical tourists because we either don't have health insurance that includes bariatric surgery or if they do you must be very sick first. We are tourists who are seeking not the thrill of the local scenery, the exposure to the culture and history, most especially not the epicurian delights. Quite the contrary, we seek what most tourists do not consider. We seek to know the healthcare quality standards, we seek to find the qualified, reputable physician that has credentialing that we can compare to what we understand, we seek to find trust in those that we do not know, to be cared at our most vulnerable far from home, and we seek to begin a better life. Our journey includes travel in more ways than one. Travel to another country most definitely, but more significantly travel to a new body, a new self-concept, a new way of living, a new health, a new new future. I've made the decision to go with the gastric plication procedure. I'm filled with excitement, anxiety, hope...yes, finally hope. I've spent the last year entirely discouraged after having tried everything but surgery to lose and maintain weight. In January of 2010 I decided to give it one last try. I went to hyponosis every week, listened to hypnosis CDs twice, sometimes three times a day. For two months I thought I had found the answer...then I regained the 17 pounds I had lost and fell into renewed despair. I then resigned myself to having to pay for the banding surgery myself since I wasn't sick enough for my insurance company to pay for it. I'm an RN and I know my certain future if I stay on this path...diabetes, heart disease, arthritis... So, here I am. I'm calling tomorrow morning to schedule my procedure. I'm very excited, have read everything available including the Brazilian and Middle Eastern studies and the US preliminary results from the Cleveland Clinic. I've listened to everything Dr. Ortiz has put on YouTube and everything I could get my hands on. I feel well informed and am ready to go! I've started losing the 5% even though I don't have a date yet. I'm hoping for something very soon...I'M READY! My Stats: Age 50 Female Height: 5'6 BMI 34.6 Weight at Decision: 214 Weight today: 208 Highest Weight: 248 Goal: 136 - 144