Bismarck is the capital of North Dakota, not SD. Have I made my point clear that geography is no longer about rivers and state capitals?!
Ok, weight loss surgery (WLS). B. is scheduled this Tuesday for a gastric bypass operation. It is a NON-REVERSIBLE procedure to create a smaller stomach so that you eat less for the rest of your life. So many aspects of this are scary that I hardly know where to begin. In chronological order then -
1. any surgery is risky, both during the procedure itself and from the possibility of clots or infections right afterwards.
2. will he really miss eating certain foods that won't agree with him? They say you can eat almost anything, but the reality is that fatty or sugary foods aren't tolerated, and because you have to eat "so much" protein, there's no room in the meal planning for food with no nutrients.
3. will planning and excuting meals become unbearably complicated and burdensome?
4. will he require a lot of nursing care for a long time? Based on my lackluster nursing job when he had kidney stone surgery in January, I am not looking forward to an extended role as nurse.
5. will he gain boundless energy (good) and since I've adjusted my exertion downwards over the years, will I be unable to keep up (bad)?
6. will this divergence of energy levels drive us apart? And then he'll find some cute young thing and I'll be OUT?
7. how will we recreate a social life that does not revolve around food?
8. are there long-term problems with this type of surgery that aren't understood yet?
Ok, enough fear. The reason for doing this is to get back a future that is not jam-packed with medical problems: heart attacks, diabetes and amputations (like his father), diabetes, stroke and paralysis (like his mother). That's probably worth sacrificing some potato chips and chocolate cake for.
I can't think about it any more right now. More later, as we discuss and ponder over the course of the day. He can cancel out anytime right up until they put him under.
Posted by otto0114 at July 31, 2004 12:07 PM