As some of you who know me personally know, December the 16th I will be having Gastric Bypass bariatric surgery to help get my weight under control. Since January, this has been my goal. It's been a long year, with a lot of work involved to get to this point. I've lost 35 pounds in preparation for this surgery since June. Tomorrow, December 15th, I begin the process of getting ready to actually have the surgery. It involves me drinking magnesium citrate in order to clean out my intestines for the surgery. Not going to be a fun day tomorrow, to say the least. On the morning of the 16th I check into the hospital at 8:30am. By 10am I should be under the knife. The surgery takes about 2 hours or so, depending on the patient. I'll spend two hours in recovery before being moved into a hospital room. I have to stay a minimum of one night. I'm hoping by the evening on 16th I'll be conscious enough to post a journal here once I'm done and ok.

After the day in the hospital, if I get to go home, I then will spend the next six weeks working from clear liquids up to solid food again. From there, once I heal, my stomach will go from right now, being able to hold a food serving about the size of my fist without stretching, to holding my thumb without stretching. Around a cup's worth of food. It's going to be a big difference. My mother had the surgery and she can only eat 6-10 small bites of food at a time. She can't eat a whole McDonald's Happy Meal in one sitting. So for me, a foodie, and someone who is used to having a lot of food, it's going to be a massive change. I also cannot drink carbonated beverages anymore. Ever. No soda, no beer, nothing carbonated. Also no caffeine. No high amounts of fat, no fried food, no extremely sugary foods or drinks as they can cause dumping syndrome, which I will provide a link to if anyone is curious at the end of the journal.

This is just to give an update to my friends, and to anyone who watches me, has commissioned me, or just might be curious. I'm hoping that once I'm out of the hospital and no longer preparing for this surgery, I can get back to writing as much as I was. Feel free to ask any questions you might have about the surgery or what I had to do to prepare for it. I never mind sharing knowledge.

In conclusion, this is a major surgery. While the risk of complications is very small, between 0.5% and 3% nationwide, the risk is still present. I've never been under anesthesia before, never had surgery. This is a big one. I'd appreciate any good thoughts, prayers, or wishes of good luck that you can spare.

Thanks, and best wishes to you all. See you on the other side!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastr.....bypass_surgery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastr.....mping_syndrome