NightShiftNurse

Hello fellow Banders,
I am celebrating my 2-week post-op mark today! Honestly, it feels like more than that. I am down a total of 25 pounds since my surgery date weigh-in. I am actually having to wear a belt with everything because I'd be sagging like no tomorrow if I didn't.
I have been eating good and getting around so much better this second week. I am returning to work on Friday. It will be nice to get back in the routine.
Cheers and God Bless everyone,
Jason "The Nightshift Nurse"
St. Louis, MO

Hello fellow Banders,
I am celebrating my 2-week post-op mark today! Honestly, it feels like more than that. I am down a total of 25 pounds since my surgery date weigh-in. I am actually having to wear a belt with everything because I'd be sagging like no tomorrow if I didn't.
I have been eating good and getting around so much better this second week. I am returning to work on Friday. It will be nice to get back in the routine.
Cheers and God Bless everyone,
Jason "The Nightshift Nurse"
St. Louis, MO

Hello fellow Banders,
I am celebrating my 2-week post-op mark today! Honestly, it feels like more than that. I am down a total of 25 pounds since my surgery date weigh-in. I am actually having to wear a belt with everything because I'd be sagging like no tomorrow if I didn't.
I have been eating good and getting around so much better this second week. I am returning to work on Friday. It will be nice to get back in the routine.
Cheers and God Bless everyone,
Jason "The Nightshift Nurse"
St. Louis, MO

Was banded yesterday morning. During the procedure it was discovered that I had a small hiatal hernia, so the surgeon fixed that up. Was very sore (still am) and wound up staying the night just for better pain control.
On the way home now and things are looking up. I felt like a prego holding my gut as I walked out to the car, Lol. I can't believe it's finally done. Excited to be alive, excited for the future!
Cheers,
Jason " The Nightshift Nurse"
St. Louis, MO

Being a nurse, I would suggest against the hernia. It's just not the same. A laparoscopic removal of the gall bladder would be a far superior choice. It has similar post-op orders that will make a lot more passable to suspicious types. Plus... a lot of people that have issues with their gall bladder can lose weight due to "healthier choices." Just an idea. Good luck with your cover-up.
Jason "The Night Shift Nurse"
St. Louis, MO

As a nurse, I couldn't help but read your post with a dropping jaw. Is the NP affiliated with the surgeon who will be performing your surgery or is this someone else? I really believe there is a fine line between honest medical tact and being emotionally over-invested to the point that you come off in the manner you describe.
This is obviously a very personal struggle and putting finite deadlines and parameters in place in front of you will only lead to additional stress (which in turn could lead to added pounds). Here's the truth of the matter: do you need to lose weight pre-op? Sure, but there is not a magic number one needs to achieve before surgery can proceed. There are people well over 400 pounds that have surgeries.
Take it in stride, but if the NP catches an attitude on your next visit, take a moment to breathe and then let her know that it's a journey and not a destination. It's about the effort. And frankly, instead of lecturing patients, she could take a moment to reflect back on the true nature of the nursing field: caring and therapeutic communication.
All the best,
Jason "The Night Shift Nurse"

Wow, sorry to hear about you having this kind of problem. I believe what you are experience is something we in the medical field refer to as dumping. While it sounds literal, it's a condition where your body has a major sensitivity to high concentrations of sugars and causes an instant ramping of bowel motility. The small bowel goes into overdrive and the large bowel experiences some colic. The end result is the squirts unfortunately.
I hope the recommended shakes help with your diet plan, if not, I would consult your physician to determine alternative diet plans. There are so many out there.
Good luck,
Jason "The Night Shift Nurse"
St. Louis, MO

Heh, I guess I would understand where you would wonder about your doc running to the printer. LOL. For me, though, it's sort of a Quest and so I suspected a doc who doesn't appear to have extra weight on would take the attitude he did. It was honestly a moment of truth and I'm focused to the point that I would have likely fired him if he refused to recommend. I've been seeing him for over a year now and have been attempting to lose weight through his guidance. He has offered nothing other than order bloodwork to see how horrible my lipids were. In the end he gave me the green light, so now I don't have to work through him any longer. (Yay!)
Cheers,
Jason

Sounds great, Jason. Glad you are a nurse and could withstand your PCP's assault on surgery. I was a bit put off when I told my doc I wanted it and he about ran to his computer to print up a surgeon's name for me. Did he just call me fat? All-in-all it was a relief and things went smoothly. Glad I didn't have to do the 3 month diet. I am a great dieter - its once I am off I get into trouble. Plus after 3 months my BMI would have been too low. I was concerned that they would then refuse me!
Sue "the former night shift nurse whose husband didn't understand so now she is a day shift nurse"
Sedalia, MO

Hello everyone -
My name is Jason and I'm 32 --though soon to be rolling over to the 33 year marker. I've been overweight for 24 years of my life and to this point, it's really all I can remember. My attempts at losing weight have been more than I can count on two hands and two feet and I can always succeed at losing 30-50 pounds. Anything beyond that has been a brick wall and it's been very frustrating. I work as an ICU nurse and I see so many patients that make me think "this really could be me in about 15-20 years" because of diseases that are secondary to chronic morbid obesity.
I've looked into the options over the past 10 years. My first wife had a Gastric Bypass and saw massive results. My second wife also had the gastric bypass before we were married. I've decided that the LapBand surgery would be ideal for me. I am so very thankful to have insurance that includes coverage for weight-loss surgery. I have completed the pre-op paperwork to start everything and I am really going forward with it. I will be faxing the paperwork in on January 2nd, following my appointment with my PCP to start the required 3-month medically-supervised diet. I am hopeful that I can have my surgery by July.
I am truly blessed to have the support of my wife. She is my rock and I know that with God's support and that of my wife, I will not fail. Though, I am doing this for myself. The comorbidies are starting to reveal themselves to me: I have obstructive sleep apnea, hypertention, knee and lower back pain... it's terrible. Weighing myself this morning, the screen told me I was a whopping 347lbs. Enough is enough.
I realize this will be a journey and I am pleased to see an online support group for people like us. I look forward in reaching out to new names, new friends, and share this experience.
All the best,
Jason "The Night Shift Nurse"
St. Louis, MO