October 20, 1999 - My Consultation with Dr. Haluck went very well. There was a point in our discussion where my hopes were dashed because he suggested that he feels that I may need to re-think my decision for WLS. He had agreed to proceed in an earlier email he had sent me, but when we were actually sitting face to face and he was reviewing my chart, he admitted that he mistakenly thought that I had at least 3 health related qualifications or co-morbidities for the surgery rather than just the two - chronic reflux and diabetes. He counseled me that in cases such as this it is the physicians responsibility to make certain that the benefits out-weigh the potential for risks. I assured the Dr. that I have done everything in my power over the years to try all conventional means for weight control....failing miserably at each. I conveyed to him that I have tried very hard to prepare and educate myself with regards to the surgery and it's potential risks. He is a very compassionate man and has agreed to proceed. We have set a date for surgery which is Thursday, November 18th. I have all my preadmission testing scheduled for November 9th. I was given my prescriptions for 2 weeks of Opti Fast which is to be my food supplement for the two weeks immediately preceding surgery. I was also give a prescription for an injection of subcutaneous Heparin (a blood thinner) to be administered 24 hours prior to surgery. I was also given instructions for drinking 1 full bottle of Citrate of Magnesium at 5:00 pm the evening before surgery. This is done to ensure that my bowels are as empty as possible prior to surgery.
I got overly ambitious on my way home from the appointment and went and bought Medifast (same as Optifast) immediately with the intent of getting the ball rolling now and losing as much as possible prior to the surgery. I ate a mediocre dinner and decided to start the fast tomorrow morning.
The weight at the appointment today was 304. Hopefully I will be able to drop a few of these prior to surgery.
