Holiday Happenings

 The holiday season is a magical time of year. For Scouting in particular, our units are holding seasonal get togethers, courts of honor, and of course there are community parades and gatherings all over the area. The holiday and Scout spirit overflows and it is a favorite time of year for me. 

I coordinated our district's participation in the Harrisonburg Holiday Parade this year, which is a parade that hasn't happened in the past two years thanks to COVID. The turnout wasn't huge as far as the Scouts were concerned, but being present to take part is the most important thing. We had many people on the sides that cheered us on and cries of "Merry Christmas!" were ringing all throughout the evening. Parades are such a great experience and I love interacting with our communities in this way. 

After braving the chilly air and wrapping up the parade route at city hall, I made my way to our local Masonic Lodge to stash the flags and banner and spend some time with the Brothers and their families. They make it an annual thing to watch the parade from the library in the Lodge which overlooks the parade route. It was great catching up with them as I warmed up before making the trek back to my car. 

Being a district commissioner means I spend a lot of time dealing with adults in the program, which is fine because the ultimate result is improving the program for the youth. But taking part in activities where I get to interact with the youth is so much more fulfilling. Getting to visit a unit meeting or coordinating a parade like this, it's some of the more rewarding parts of being a volunteer. Plenty of things can beat you down as a Scouter, but seeing things like this certainly help lift you up. 

Two-Weeks Post-Op

 It's hard to believe that it has been two weeks since my surgery. I am feeling better than I have in a long time. I don't have the fatigue or nausea many people have, which is great! I have even been hitting the gym on a regular basis to do 30 minutes of cardio and some light weights. All in all, definitely no regrets afterwards. 

Otherwise, things are going well. Nothing too interesting is going on in my life, so this is a short post. I will have some more things to cover in other posts, but since this is more about a health update I will just leave it at that.

Adjusting to the new lifestyle

 One of the biggest things about being sleeved is that it requires a lot of adjustments to how you approach food. The average adult stomach can expand to accommodate about one quart, or four cups, of food. Some have stomachs that can expand more or less (I firmly believe mine was on the more side) but a quart is average. After the gastric sleeve the stomach capacity eventually becomes about one cup, how it starts off, however, is about two ounces. 

In the immediate aftermath of the surgery is the healing process. The body's natural processes cause inflammation/swelling which further decreases the capacity making it difficult to get just about anything down. Ingesting too much too fast will inevitably result in a rapid upward evacuation. 

This is one of the main reasons for the progressive diet that you go through post-surgery. Clear liquids, full liquids, pureed foods, soft solids, and eventually regular food. You have to stretch out the sleeve a little bit by bit and give the stomach time to heal and adjust. I just hit purees this morning, and might have overdone it a little with my eggs. I didn't go too far, but I am a bit uncomfortable at the moment. 

Slow eating, small bites, putting the utensil down between bites, chewing 15-20 times (hard to do with purees), and no drinking while eating are all methods we are taught as we prep for life after surgery. I used to constantly drink water. I could go out to a Chinese buffet here in town, eat two plates and finish two glasses of water along with them. I had serious doubts about the ability to not drink while eating and waiting at least 30 minutes after. Here I am almost an hour after finishing my eggs and I haven't touched my water. Not just because I know what could happen, but because I don't feel thirsty. The lower blood sugars help with that. 

Weight loss surgery is a tool. It isn't a miracle cure. If you do not maintain your new eating habits the effects of the surgery can be reduced and/or reversed. It requires changing your interaction with food and for those of us that have struggled with weight issues all of our lives it can be a real challenge. The gastric sleeve surgery makes it easier by not just restricting the size of your stomach, but removing the portion of your stomach that "growls." There are hormones released that cause the hunger sensations we all know. Those hormones are produced in the part of the stomach that is removed thus reducing those sensations. What you have to then overcome is the mental hunger. The part of your brain that just wants to eat for the sake of eating. No surgery can fix that, it takes willpower. 

But this feeling from eating too much of my breakfast sure helps the conditioning process. 

First Post-Op Update

 My surgery was on Wednesday, 16 November. My arrival time was 8:20 am and my scheduled time to be in the OR was 9:50. I arrived, got checked in, and did all the pre-op stuff. Changed into the gown, had my vitals taken, an IV started, the whole nine yards. This gown was interesting as there was a port in it for a hose that could either heat or cool you to your liking. It felt weird, to say the least. 

After the requisite waiting around they wheeled me back and my wife was left to fend for herself with my belongings in the waiting room. I am not sure how long I was in surgery or the recovery room, all I remember is slightly coming to in my room. The rest of that day would be marked by me slipping in and out of consciousness and trying to drink water whenever possible. It wasn't until much later in the evening that I did really wake up. 

I received some rounds of pain meds and nausea meds, but was unable to touch anything on the tray that dining brought to me that first evening. All night it was in and out of sleep, vitals being checked, meds being given, all that fun. But, in the morning, they unhooked me from most of the things and I was free to move around. I wandered around in my room and landed in the chair in the corner. Sitting upright to "eat" my clear liquid breakfast and drink my water while catching up on email and everything that had gone on the previous day. 

The day passed slowly with several check-ins by various members of the healthcare team. I then got the greenlight to go home and was out of there as quick as I could. My wife picked me up and I wasted almost no time hitting the sack because it was exhausting. 

The next couple of days have been plagued by hypoglycemic events at night and difficulties getting in all of my needed protein and hydration, but today has been a good one. I exceeded my protein goal and am feeling pretty good. The swelling seems to have subsided enough where my stomach has a better capacity and I can take in more liquids. 

Now I am just waiting for Wednesday when I can start the pureed foods diet. Would anyone think they were excited about pureed foods? If you had asked me a year ago, that would never have been me. But today that is where I am. 

Pre-op Update

 I am currently in the middle of the liquid diet that is required prior to the operation. This is required to jump start the weight loss but also to shrink the liver, making it easier to operate. From Monday to today, I have lost 7.5 pounds. The diet requires only full or clear liquids and keeps you to around 1,000 kcal a day. 

I have been having two protein shakes and soup as my three meals. I will supplement with bone broth, popsicles, gelatin, and other things to fill in the gaps as the shakes and soup come out to less than 600 kcal. I may have cheated, today, and had a pickle. Because the calories are so low and there is no fat or cholesterol, I felt safe and it made me feel a little more human than I had been. 

The most difficult thing is the lower energy. I know that will take some time to adjust to the caloric intake. With four full days between now and the surgery, the nervousness is becoming more real. On Wednesday, because of the issues with the liquid diet, I decided to start my time off the next day. It's been tough, but not as bad as I thought it would be. 

The most difficult moments come when making food for my father-in-law who lives with us, or when smelling the food that him and my wife are eating. It could definitely be worse. I just can't stop thinking about how much different it will be after Wednesday. 

In the meantime, tomorrow is the pick-up day for Scouting for Food, the annual food drive that we take part in. We collect mountains of food for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and other food banks in the area during a time when need is high. I am looking forward to seeing the Scouts engaged in this service. 

Feeling my age

 Yesterday was our council's annual auction to benefit Scouting. Because of a number of things going on causing us to be short handed. So, I volunteered to lend a hand. This resulted in me spending 12 hours at the event. Setting up, tearing down, and of course attending. It was a long day and I am certainly feeling it. 

The event was a great time, though. We didn't have a huge turnout, but we raised over $8,000 for the council which is always good. I got to see some wonderful people and have some good discussions about what has been going on in our Scouting community. This is just a short little post as a placeholder so that I have written something for today. Hopefully I will have more, soon. 

What is Gastric Sleeve Surgery?

 So, most people have heard of bariatric surgery and are probably familiar with at least one of the different forms that it takes. Gastric bypass, Lap Band, gastric sleeve, all of these are types of bariatric surgery procedures that are used as tools for weight loss. Please note, I am not a doctor so look to more authoritative resources if you want to learn about these in depth. I am just writing this in the context of showing the difference between the procedures and which one I am going through. 

Gastric bypass, or Roux-en-Y, is probably the most common one and the most commonly referenced. It creates a pouch in the stomach that is then connected to the intestines, bypassing the majority of the stomach and the duodenum, or where the small intestine attaches to the stomach. That all still remains in place, but is just bypassed. 

Lap Band, or any gastric band, is a temporary, adjustable procedure that places a physical band around a portion of the stomach. This reduces the amount of food you consume by making you feel fuller sooner. It has had its ups and downs as far as image is concerned but is still a tool used. 

The last one is the gastric sleeve, or sleeve gastrectomy. In this case, about 80% of the stomach is removed during the procedure, leaving behind something that is about the size of a banana and will hold about one cup of food or liquid.  

I didn't specifically seek out the sleeve surgery; that is just what the local hospital performs for their bariatric procedures. That being said, it is the one that is most appealing to me. The parts that are removed include a portion of the stomach that makes you feel that "growl" when you are hungry. It can alter the way certain chemicals in your body are released reducing insulin resistance. It seems like the best option.

The intention is for the procedure to be done laparoscopically. It can be done in open surgery if there are complications, but obviously that involves more invasive methods and a longer recovery time. 

For any of these methods, it is intended for use after diet and exercise have been tried already with little to no success. It is for those with a BMI over 40 (or for those with a BMI of 35-39.9 if there are other significant health concerns that could be mitigated by weight loss). I'm over 40 with my BMI and I have significant health concerns. So it's a two-fer for me. 

To say I am excited is an understatement, but I am still nervous. This is my first surgery. Sure, I had my wisdom teeth out, but this is a little more involved. Any surgery has risks and I am aware of that. This also isn't going to be just a walk in the park. I have mentioned that this isn't easy and referred to it as a tool. This is for good reason. 

A lifetime of overeating is a hard habit to break. Overeating after this surgery is not a pretty thing. Think about how sick you feel when overeating at a buffet with a full size stomach and then imagine only one cup of food filling your entire stomach. Drinking any liquid while eating a meal is something to be avoided and you should wait 30 minutes after finishing before drinking again. Carbonation is out the window. Sugary foods can induce what is called "dumping," which isn't explained very well in many places, but the term alone can give you a good picture. 

Then, you can stretch it back out. That is a very real possibility if you don't keep up with things. You can also put weight back on if you do not follow the guidelines. Including exercise in your routine is important. You also have to utilize vitamin supplements for the rest of your life because you will not be able to take them in through your food consumption. You are ingesting roughly one-third or fewer calories than that of a normal person which will cause you to lack energy while your metabolism changes and you adjust. 

These are the things you often don't hear about with these surgeries. I don't know if I will be successful; not everyone is. I am going to try my best at it, though, to be a healthier person for myself, my family, and my Scouts. To be able to do the things I want to do with them. 

Anyway, that's enough for now. Off to enjoy a fundraising event for Scouting. It has good timing being the Friday before my pre-surgery liquid diet starts.