Hi there my name is Debbie and I LOVE food. I love the smell, texture, and taste. I have put on a tremendous amount of weight over the years and have now found at the age of 69 difficulty in mobility, joint pain and general disgust at the way I look and fit into clothes. I am an expert on diets and am well versed on Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, Adkins, The Grapefruit diet, Sugar Busters and probably 20 more I have forgotten. They work for a time and have helped millions of people(not so sure about the Grapefruit diet though). They worked for me. I lost over 100 lbs. on Sugar busters in 5 months and kept it off for 5 years until I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and then gained over 60 lbs. in less than a year. There wasn't a carb that I didn't like. Then over the next years I slowly gained weight to what I am currently. I don't eat all the time and I only eat when I am hungry but Lordy I eat like a field hand when I am hungry. I don't have candy, cakes, ice-cream, and cookies constantly at my home. I have been known to eat 10 oreo cookie at a sitting and substitute a half gallon of ice cream instead of lunch and dinner. So I stopped buying those goodies. I was however a visitor at Dairy Queen for a small cone at the end of my work week. I really didn't experience a lot of self loathing that some experience nor was I glorying in my rolls of fat. I was just me and I was unhealthy and when not at work, very sedentary. After much consideration I elected to have a gastric sleeve. I wanted to do this while I could still recognize myself in the mirror! It was not a decision that is taken lightly and took about 4 to 6 months to qualify and do all the requirements needed to get to surgery day. I chose Acadiana Weight Loss Surgery Clinic and Dr. Eschette for my surgeon. I made the call and spoke to Tiffany McZeal who set me on my course. She is the bariatric patient advocate and send me all the many items I had to complete just to get to surgery. I had to have clearances from my cardiologist and a psych consult among other things. We have reading to do and attend a 3 hour information class to make sure that we know what we are doing. They test you. I reread the manual several times and still had questions that were answered prior to surgery. Then you had to meet with the dietician several times. Kate Roundtree is my dietitian and she is the go to person for anything nutrition related. Kate is matter of fact in her presentations and has heard it all. You can't ask for a better individual to assist you on your journey. Her compassion is obvious but she sets a straight course. The scales don't lie. Brook Doucet is the office Rn , a Certified Bariatric Nurse and the program manager. She broke me free from the hospital. I LOVE her lol. She answers on line any questions that you have on your daily check-ins via Health Loop. Jessica Ledee is the gate keeper at the front desk. It's important that the first face you see is smiling and friendly. Thank you Jessica for setting the tone for each visit thus far. Dr. Eschete is wonderful. I cannot say enough wonderful things about him. He believes in me. He said that I WILL be successful and I believe him.
My surgery was September 28 at the Ochsner General Surgical Hospital in Lafayette. It was a wonderful experience considering I was scared spitless. I love nurses especially those who genuinely love their job. These people have it in spades. This was the first surgery in my memory that I didn't have a "visit" from my mom and I missed that. Maybe she knew that I was in great hands. They snowed my butt lol. I remember nothing at all until after surgery I was retching in the bathroom. Shout out to Compazine. The whole first day is gone except for snatches I know that I got up and walked because they told me but I have no memory. I was not in pain, just a soreness that I was fully aware of the next day. My daughter was with me the whole day of surgery. Wish I could remember more fully and Jill Forbes was with me the second day and took me home after Brook freed me. I was on clear liquids the second day and managed to keep it all down. Tiny tiny sips is my mantra, Shout out to all the pre op surgery nurses whose names I did not get. Thank you to Doralis LeJeune RN, my old friend, who was in surgery with me. I remember thinking that you wouldn't let me die. To the post surgical nurses who waited on me like I was a princess words do not express how grateful I am. To Michelle and Shawntina on days and Lindsay and Lisa on nights you have my gratitude. You picked the perfect profession and your patients are so very fortunate to have you watching over them. The last thing I want to comment on about my hospitalization is how clean it was. I wish I knew the names of the housekeepers who quietly went about their jobs and kept the unit spotless. You all are the best!
It has honestly been a struggle the past few days at home getting used to the new regime but I am doing it. Calcium is not my friend. I am supposed to be on the chewable kind 3 times a day. Even Zofran could not stop the retching each time I tried to chew it. I have tried Caltrate and Tums without success. Just looking at the bottle makes me gag. I have back spasms off and on and not sure what that is about. The stomach spasms have eased and I am doing better getting all my fluid and proteins down. I am walking around my house 5 minute at a time. I still have shortness of breath from Covid last November but that is not going to stop me.
Dr. Eschete says they measure the success of surgery by how much loose skin that you have. By next summer by thighs are going to be hanging around my ankles. I see a lot of duck tape in my future. But praise God I will be able to move, enjoy that last years of my life with my grandkids, and wear those black leather pants that have been in my closet for years.
In closing, my success is up to me. Despite how wonderful the clinic is they can not motivate me. They can guide me, educate me, keep my feet to the fire, be my personal cheerleaders but my motivation comes from within. I can and I will be successful
