Results from hospital appt

[LeighZ]

Well, i survived it!!!!!

3 staff members first question was 'are you private or NHS? This did nothing to install confidence.

The presentation starting 30 mins late, was given by consultant surgeon Andrew Mitchell, who spoke at the speed of a bullet train and looked at his watch 7 times but he explained there had been 2 emergencies so i shall forgive him this once.

The consultation was similar to what i saw at Fazakerly Hospital as part of the weight management programme. However, they specified preferences at this hospital. They went through each of the possible surgeries giving the pros and cons.

Usual tests done; bloods, EKG, blood pressure and they did swabs for MRI which, although unexpected itw was very good to know the reason for this is because this hospital has never had this infection and they are guarding against it.

Finally there was a 1-1 consultation for a medical history and talk about what surgery will be most appropriate for me.

Because of my weight/bmi and other health issues related to problems with the anesthesia they have recommended the sleeve with a possible by-pass after 9-12 months when the weight loss reaches a plateau.

After hearing this i was surprised to find i felt instantly more relaxed. 50% of my anxiety has been over the surgery itself and the possible complications for me being sedated for so long. In the past anesthesia has result in full body paralysis, couldnt even open my eyes to let them now i was 100% aware of everything going on. This lasted from a few hours the first time, to several days the last time and they havent figured out why it happens so difficult to guard against it.

The other 50% of my anxiety is being unsure how i will cope with the way we must eat after the by-pass so with the sleeve, it is a 'little' less drastic and i will have time to adjust my mind as well as my lifestyle before the by pass.

They will also, probably remove my gall bladder as i have been suffering with problems for some time and these are likely to increase after surgery.

With the sleeve, the surgery will be done in approx 45 mins so hopefully all will be well.

I have an appt on the 14th with the weight management team at Fazakerly and will recieve an appt in 1-2 weeks to return to the Spire to meet the surgeon, anethetist and the dietician. I will find ot then, when they have the results of todays test if they will definately offer me the surgery and of course it will be time for me to make a final decision then

i was given copies of the pre-op diet..yeahhhh no milk diet for me; its a low carb (NP cant stand them..) and low fat low fat diet..sigh. Am VERY pleased about this. They also gave me a post op diet sheet with suggested menus. This is teriffic as it will give me time to prepare not only my fridge and store cupboard but my mind.

Thats about it.......sorry about the ramble. Bad habit of talking/writing as i would speak..ie 'ramble'....

 

[suepat10]

Really glad it went well for you xx

I wish where I'm going combined so much on one day. We have a group education day. This is followed by an appointment on another day with a nurse and a doctor. This is then followed by appointments with any other specialists they feel are appropriate. This is followed with a pre-surgery review appointment. THEN if they are happy they put you on the waiting list!

Enough of my whinging - really excited it's all looking so positive for you x

 

[joffy01582]

i'm hoping that they put me on the milk diet ..........its much easier for me to stick to it at work ............i do'nt want to :break_diet:

 

[penelope1008]

Got my pre-op diet sheet yesterday I can choose the milk one or the low calorie one or do one one week the other the next.
So sounds good so far, Milk Diet is only pints a day, 2 low fat yoghurts (no more than 250g total) 2litres of fluid but no more than 100mls of diluted fruit juice and of course the multi-vitamin tablets.
1000 cal diet Breakfast = Low calorie is 25g low sugar cereal or 1 slice bread with half tsp low fat marg, Lunch = 1 slice bread or 2 crispbreads, green salad no dressing unless vinegar with no oil, 60-90g meat, fish,or quorn or 30g cheese or 2 medium sized eggs, Dinner = 1 small potato or 2tbsp pasta or rice, vegetables, mostly green varieties, 60 - 90g meat, fish,quorn or 30g cheese, 1third of a pint skimmed milk 2 portions of fruiteg 1 apple, pear, small banana an orange or 10 cherries water tea coffee low cal squash only 100ml fruit juice per day. 1 diet yoghurt and multi vitamin tablet.
Can't swap day to day but you can as I said do one one week the other the next. Sounds pretty good to me now just bring on a date.

 

[mandym1]

Hi Leigh I'm glad it went well and your feeling better about things.

As I am following you, can I ask why you have an appt at Fazakerly? Was that booked anyway as part of your weight management programme?

I am a little concerned that they could advise me to get the sleeve as I am set on the bypass and this was agreed with my Dr at Fazakerly.

If you get the sleeve now and then the bypass, is the whole lot covered by the NHS funding you have in place or do you have to go through a funding application again?

Sorry for all my questions, just very anxious about all of this at the moment as the Spire have lost my paperwork! Its gone missing on the way from Macclesfield to the Wirral would you believe it!!

And again I'm really pleased your feeling better about things now x

 

[Big an Bouncy]

Leigh so pleased you are on your way hun!The low cal diet is a lot easier to do.Im sure the sleeve is best for you with your history.You can relax now and take it all in!Maz x

 

[LeighZ]

Really glad it went well for you xx

I wish where I'm going combined so much on one day. We have a group education day. This is followed by an appointment on another day with a nurse and a doctor. This is then followed by appointments with any other specialists they feel are appropriate. This is followed with a pre-surgery review appointment. THEN if they are happy they put you on the waiting list!

Enough of my whinging - really excited it's all looking so positive for you x

I have been through all this at an earlier stage. When i initially looked for help i had approx 6 months of non stop appts then everything stopped and i heard nothing from anywhere for the best part of a year. Now suddenly here is am, all in one day and surgery possible within the next cople of months

Hope thisngs get easier and good luck..The appts/waiting ..everything seems to differ from one patient/hospital to another so hang in there, yor time will come

 

[suepat10]

I have been through all this at an earlier stage. When i initially looked for help i had approx 6 months of non stop appts then everything stopped and i heard nothing from anywhere for the best part of a year. Now suddenly here is am, all in one day and surgery possible within the next cople of months

Hope thisngs get easier and good luck..The appts/waiting ..everything seems to differ from one patient/hospital to another so hang in there, yor time will come

Thank you very much BUT the main thing is, you're nearly there WooooHoooooo xxx

 

[LeighZ]

i'm hoping that they put me on the milk diet ..........its much easier for me to stick to it at work ............i do'nt want to :break_diet:

From waht ive read on here many people are finding this diet very good. For me the variety of different things will be helpful. I read a couple of times taht people ahve been able to choose so maybe this will work for you. keep us notified...

 

[LeighZ]

Hi Penelope. Sounds like you've got a great choice. Good luck with it. Id be interessted to know if you feel you need to change

 

[LeighZ]

hi Mandy
Yes the Fazakerly appt is a follow up from the weight management team
It was originally from Jan this year, then march then may.... they kept cancelling

The type of surery i might have was never discussed at fakakerly, they merely said the surgeon would make this decision

I hope you get what you want, or find the choice they make is the better

im so stupid, it didnt occur to me to ask if the current funding would cover the second surgery.. I will be sure to ask this when i return and will of course let you know,,,ouch dummy dummy dummy!

Geesh you must be in a panic about your paperwork

and please...dont ever apologise for asking questions. One thing every one here knows, is the anxiety and the long long journey we have had to get to this point

i hope they get their act together and find them soon
keep me informed hun and hang in there...

 

[mandym1]

Thanks Leigh, I'm told they have re-printed it all and sent it again this week, so shouldnt be too long now. I'm a bit concerned that all my personal information is flying about in the post though!!

The appts at Fazakerly are a joke Ive had mine cancelled so many times.. its supposed to be a year long programme but they cancelled mine so many times I went 10 months between appts at one point! Crazy.

Maybe its different for me because they could only apply for my funding on fertility grounds as my BMI wasnt quite high enough. Any other procedure would not give the results I needed for fertility so they go hand in hand really, or so Ive been lead to believe. Oh well time will tell I suppose.

Thanks for all the info, very useful x

 

[LeighZ]

With 5 kids aged 23, 19, 19 17 and 12 fertility wasnt a problem for me Quite the opposite!!! Very pleased to hear they had sent copies but i do understand about the missing ones, tho i expect they are in a post office corner somewhere....

I think being on here opens our minds to the trial and tribulations others have faced to get here, and we are not alone in this. Te most important thing is we are here now and can offer and receinve support for the rest of the journey

 

[LeighZ]

Thought id add an update...Received an appt to see te surgeon, tuesday 14th. Sounds like when they say 1-2 weeks they actually mean it. With luck, that means they will keep their word and i will come out with a surgery date around or before 14th July...lets just see.....

 

[bigbob]

lets hope you get your date

 

[LeighZ]

Update to the update

Received a letter exactly a week later giving me an appt to meet the surgeon and anethetist on the 14th.

The anethetist ran through a few basic things and of course took note of any problems and answered a few queries.

Next was the surgeon who asked if there was any surgery i was totally opposed to, then told me the surgery he wanted to do. It wasnt what i was previously told so it was a bit of a shock.

Although things didnt go as smoothly as i hoped, i supect for most it would and you will leave after a very brief meeting being told they 'meet in about a week to allocate surgeries and the surgery will be withing the next 6 weeks'. If; like me you're not very assertive i would strongly reccommend taking someone with you if you are able to and making them aware of any concerns you have or questions you may want answered. I felt very rushed and would have like a bit of back up.

I got a call the next day offering me surgery 6 days later. Unfortunately for me it wasnt possible to accept on such short notice so it was set for the 29th with a different surgeon.

I received my admission papers today which tells you what to expect on arrival and what to bring with you. Also another appt for next friday for pre-op testing. I will be calling on Monday to ask if i can see somone from the medical team while i am there as i have a couple of things i want to clarify but other than this i'm hoping all will be set for 29th

Two days into the pre-op diet and i am stuffed!! Keep checking the diet sheet and marking off what ive eaten to ensure im not overdoing but in fact ive missed a couple of things. I guess the stress is fulling me up lol

Ive made a menu plan, dividing the allowances into 5 small meals/snacks each day for the next two weeks and shopped for all i will need. I will do the same for the 4 weeks post op so i can start preparing some things for the freezer.

Am doing some extra things like going back to aqua fit class to help clear my head and i hope to go to the support group on tuesday. I figure the trick is going to be keeping occupied. So far my only real difficulty with the diet is remembering to drink little and often throughout the day and not guzzling lots of water and tea during a meal

 

[mandym1]

Sounds like your coping well with the diet Leigh.. well done.. Hope I'm the same with mine..

Think I will have to fill my time with other things.. I'm not confident enough to go to aqua fit though.. Maybe cleaning the house from top to bottom in preperation for my recovery.. I'm obsessed with everything being spick and span..strange x

 

[LeighZ]

hahaha you're not alone hun. I have the kids helping me spring clean. they are delighted - not! And later today i am buying wallpaper for my bedroom; a little project to keep me occupied

Ouch did it again..been up since 7.30 and havent had anything but a vitamin and water...think i am going to set an alarm to remind me to eat on time. Silly thing is, when i woke up i was hungry and just noticed my stomach is complaining. Think i avoid starting to eat coz once i do i spend the rest of the day in 'resist it' mode....ahhh the trials an d tribulations..............