More on the VSG

yeah, its the weekend.

And so the story goes…

The surgeon goes into depth about the procedure - with a green marker on a white board he says "and we cut here. XXX - staple here… dotted line.. and remove this portion of your stomach creating a 'sleeve'…. more dotted lines…. see this ? "

Laproscopicly of course. (of course.) Hey Laproscopic surgery. I know that surgery -  it is how they got my very unhappy gall bladder out. That is fast and doesn't hardly hurt. THAT surgery, I can do.

He continues to discuss and answer all kinds of questions:
"How quickly can you do this ?" - Answer: four weeks he said, which turned out to be a little 'untrue', more like four months due to prep work, psych evaluation, nutritionist and the ever wonderful liver shrinking diet (more on that later).

"How long does the procedure take?" - Answer: shortest 40 minutes, longest 65 minutes due to big liver.

"Do I have to stay at the hospital?" - I really wanted to answer this one with no dumb ass, they do major surgery in the surgical drive through…but I again showed a tremendous amount of self control and just smiled, inside.  Answer: Two Days if there are no complications.

"How long will I be out of work?" - Answer: five to ten days.

"How much does it cost?" - I think smugly - its covered by BC. BS of Massachusetts - that I do know. Answer: $20,000.00 (likely dependent upon Dr, Region and country, among other things).

"Am I awake during the procedure?" Answer - No. again the 'duh' factor was kicking on inside my head, but that's unfair to the questioner…

"What do you use to put the patient under?" Answer - Intravenous sedation administered via  IV drip and you 'wake up' 30- 45 seconds after we stop the drip.  WOW - having had a couple of babies, surgeries and wisdom teeth out,  I am not a fan of inhaled sedation and its 'after' effects, so I was just tickled to hear this.

"What can i eat afterwards?" Answer - liquid diet for two weeks, mushy diet for two to four weeks and then reintroducing foods as directed by the nutritionist.

"Can I have beer?" - Answer: Eventually, BUT….your 'new' stomach can only tolerate so much volume and using that for alcohol may not be the best choice. READ 'NO YOU DUMB ASS".

The last two questions concerned me. If you are so involved in 'what food' per se, and what you can and can not drink, then this seminar is probably not the right place for you. I am in such a personal state of disappointment regarding my ability to mentally grasp 'limits' or exhibit discipline with regards to food as a 'drug' -  that this is literally my LAST resort. I will do whatever I am told and being physically forced to become unable to make bad choices, is where I am . In some ways, it's sad. In other ways - it's a new beginning. Sometimes , we all need help and that takes courage to admit.

Carry on .