Steve's Journey

 

So my wife and I  went for an appointment with Richard Stubbs to discuss WLS It's pro's and cons and as to whether it would be appropriate for me. There was a lot of information to take in the doctors were very frank about the risks and potential complications but they also were very positive about the benefits as well. They sent me home with a lot to think about and a blood form for the laboratory for if I decided to go to the second appointment. We booked my second appointment a couple of days later. The bloods came back with few surprises I was showing significant insulin resistance (a precursor of type 2 diabetes) my cholesterol, triglycerides and fatty acids were all high, about the only good thing that was above normal was my iron levels. The second appointment was a month or so after the first at that time I was pencilled in for the 10th of August 2004 under 2 months away.

At the time the operation cost 20,000 (it has gone up since then)!

Did I mention the house market has been really buoyant for the last few years? A wee trip to the ever so helpful bank manager and all of our cash savings were utilised.

Before the second appointment I spent a significant period of time researching on the internet, I must point out at this time that if you are contemplating this type of surgery it is imperative that you do all the research you can. But please be aware that the internet is not meted and is strongly opinion based. Take all information with a pinch of salt and be wary there are many people out there to push their own barrow (point of view) and are not all that afraid to let the truth get in the way! But you must research research research!

I was booked into hospital on the 9th of August for all the surgical pre-checks they took most of the afternoon my son (by then he was around 4 months old) needed to leave not long after 1700 the 'last supper' was served at 1800 and then you were left pretty much alone with you 'fears and tears'. I am not afraid to admit it, I was petrified of dying. The mortality rate of this operation is very low in New Zealand but as the doc says if it happens to you then the rate is %100 from your point of view! A lot of my fears were irrational but the irony of dying whilst having an operation to extend your life was not lost on me. I won't go into detail the pre-op stuff as some of it is not pleasant (but I am happy to discuss offline) needless to say some of it is rather degrading but is carried out with clinical professionalism and the minimum of fuss by the Wakefield staff. I got the word by 2000 that I would be first up tomorrow morning (0800) and therefore no long wait which was something I really did not want to have to go through.

I now had a BMI of 47.2 I weighed 165kg, at 1.87cm (6"2') tall and 33 years of age.

Surprisingly I actually got some sleep that night. I was really wound up that morning, by the time I was in the theatre and they had the epidural in my blood pressure was topping 180 over 130 (the pressure cuff left small burst blood vessels due to tightening so much) I was sweating, hyperventilating and about ready to make a break for it. Needless to say in under 8 seconds after the injection went in it was all over.

Now a little about the surgery: the procedure I chose was the Fobi pouch with salicylic ring in which a small part of the stomach and small intestine are used to create new stomach (pouch) The original stomach is still intact but no longer connected to the oesophagus the duodenum is also bypassed entirely a ring is placed at the entrance to the small intestine to slow food progress and to help prevent stretching of the small intestine. For more information on this procedure check this document. Please note I am not endorsing this particular surgery or trying to say it is the best or only choice it was merely the best choice for me.

I did this surgery rather hard. I did not have medical complications fortunately, but the way each individual reacts to the surgery is well very individual. I have known people that started eating mush on the second day and I have heard others like myself who still could not do the mush properly when they went home at 8 days post op. Things did not improve rapidly.                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                             Home  Back  Next