Day of Reckoning

 My last blog was back in October.  I DID finally get a surgery date for December 15th of 2021.  That date seemed pretty far away, but at least I HAD a surgery date.
So 3 weeks before that surgery date, I began the magical "liver shrinking diet".
Then 5 days before my surgery date, they pulled the COVID card.  No surgeries for at least 6 more weeks.  I promptly smashed 3 slices of Papa John's pizza.  I then ate a breadstick, just to stick-it-to-the-man.

Had I not had all of the unnecessary hurdles, COVID would not have been an issue.

Surgery got rescheduled for February 2nd.  I honestly did not believe it would actually happen that day, but it did.  And while I remain unequivocally against Community Hospital's bariatric program, I will give them props at the main hospital.  My surgery was easy and uneventful.  Everyone was beyond nice to me, and my pain was nearly non-existent.  I ended up staying an extra day, mostly because of the huge snowstorm that hit the day of my surgery (and the day after).

So now my ACTUAL  journey begins.  It's really sad to think that, had they just scheduled the surgery when my insurance (would have) approved it, I would have had the surgery, lost most (or all) of my excess weight, and have had my hip replaced in this same timeframe.

So while this journey is just beginning, it should actually be coming to a close (except for maintenance).  So much time wasted.  So much extra money spent for nothing. SOOO much extra pain and joint degeneration suffered.

I still could have taken their dietary classes after such a surgery, and I would have been excited about it as I was losing and feeling better.  But instead, they force you to go to these classes while miserable.

If they were an entity to take suggestions, one suggestion I'd make is to make the program more realistic.  When I went in to my first dietician class, the restrictions were immediate, and absolutely ridiculous.  People do not get to this point in their weight by saying, "Ohhh!  Eat only grass and twigs!  I'd never thought of that!"
And having staff in the bariatric clinic that have never experienced a weight problem in their lives was also a drawback.  You get weighed in by a size 4 chick who was on the track team in high school, whose only brush with being overweight was that one time she used an extra packet of Splenda in her Venti iced skinny hazelnut extra-hot macchiato, sugar – free syrup, extra shot, light ice, no whip latte at the Starbucks.  You get the picture.

They cannot, and do not, relate to you.  They are BETTER than you.  I believe this has been the catalyst to them feeling as though they are God, and you are their peasants who must do what they say or (Muahahaha) you won't get to live.

I'm on the liquid diet now, and that's going well to heal up my staple line inside my belly.  I'll go through my stages of soft foods, until I work myself into "normal" foods in the future.  I know to eat my proteins first, lots of veggies and to steer clear of breads, pastas, and sugary foods.  I'll take my vitamins, and sip sip sip my water, at least 64oz per day, or whatever I manage.

It would be convenient to say I learned that in all of those months of worthless "dietician" classes, but I actually just read the handout from the first one.  Took me all of 7 minutes.

And now for the journey......