Well, I've had an interesting couple of days. Friday morning, I checked into Cedars-Sinai Hospital and had a world reknown surgeon reduce the size of my stomach. It's called Roux en y gastric bypass surgery, though most people seem to refer to it as "that thing Al Roker had done to lose all that weight."
I'll write more about it when I can sit here at the computer longer without discomfort…though I must admit, I have surprisingly little discomfort. It was done via laparoscopic surgery, meaning they make six tiny incisions, then go in with special tools rather than to just filet you open lengthwise. The procedure was performed Friday afternoon around 2:00, I was out of surgery by 3:30 or so, then spent a few hours somewhat incoherent in a recovery room where, they later told me, my first words were, "Can we send out for pizza?" Got to my room by 9 PM and spent an uncomfortable but not intolerable night thanks to a few injections of an anti-nausea drug. Saturday morning was rough but by late in the day, I could tell I was getting better…and they took out my staples and sent me home this afternoon around 3:00. My chest feels tight but my biggest problem right now is the sore neck I got from sleeping in one position on an uncomfortable hospital bed.
For those of you who want to know more about the technical end of the process, this page tells you more than I ever could.
As I said, I'll tell you more about my experience when I can, though I have no intention of recommending it to anyone. I don't think it's for everyone and the folks who do elect it have to really, really make up their own minds. I suspect it's in the category of things that if you can be talked out of doing it, you shouldn't do it. One should especially beware of websites that are trying to sell you the procedure. As a general rule of thumb, those who do the process well seem to have all the customers they can handle and don't need to solicit. I spent a year or more studying the pros and cons, and finally chose to go ahead only because I believed I had the right personal physician and the right surgeon. I'm sure with the wrong guys in either role, it could already have been a disaster. I also underwent extensive medical tests that showed I was a good candidate for the surgery because so little was wrong with me apart from my weight.
I'm going to go lie down for a bit in a real bed. It's good to be home. And it'll be good to be skinnier. My thanks to several friends who supported me and encouraged me, and a big thank you to the lovely Carolyn Kelly who did all that and more.