My road to bariatric surgery was a long and winding one, but alas, I found the right place. Before…read moreI moved to Denver, I scheduled a consult with Dr. Chae to discuss the gastric sleeve. When I went to my consult, not only was it informative, but I could tell Dr. Chae is truly KIND and has a kind spirit. I had done my research before the meeting, but only needed guidance on the process with my insurance company (Cigna). Thankfully, my insurance company did not require a 3-6 month weight management program (and I had already done many of those), so I just had to complete some nutrition classes, review the materials they provided, complete a psych eval, meet with a nutritionist, and get clearance from my Endocrinologist. Oh, and I had to quit smoking. Which was fine, because this was a great impetus to do so.
Once I completed everything, I contacted my case manager and notified her all steps were completed. I told her my preferred surgery date, so I would have time to quit smoking and for the blood tests to confirm as much.
One week before my surgery, I had an intake/pre-admission appointment. I went to the intake area and met with a nurse who reviewed my information and confirmed other information/stats/medications. I completed my blood draw and was done. The nurse I met (Rick), was so friendly and so fun, it made the appointment a piece of cake!
On the day of my surgergy, I went to the hospital, checked in, and within 5 minutes was called back to the pre-op area. The nurses were all super friendly. The only thing that sucked was that they couldn't find a good vein for an IV, soooo, I had some fun battle wounds (bruises) on my arms. They got someone else to come in and she found the vein that would work. Hooray! They got me all prepped and finally my parents came in to say hi. I got super nervous after the anesthesiologist came in, not sure why, maybe the finality. haha. I got hot and had to take off the warm socks and airblower things on my legs to avoid blood clots. Then, they gave me a relaxer and BOOM - all was well. I was out within 10 seconds, I believe. Hahahah.
I am sensitive to anesthesia, apparently, because I woke up 4 hours later (the surgery only lasts about an hour). I had no pain, no gas pain, nothing. I was a little thirsty, but I just remember waking up and the nurse saying "hi!" like she'd been watching me hahaha! After that, they wheeled me to the recovery, which is 6th floor in the Sky Ridge Hospital. More will come in that review.
All in all, my process has been so smooth - so much easier than I could have ever expected. They provided me the materials, the videos, and the information to know what I should be doing at each stage of my post-op. I am forever grateful to Dr. Chae for his amazing work. My incisions had no infections, they are healing cleanly and with no pain. I have had no issues pain wise, food wise, or with anything else.
Thank you Dr. Chae for your amazing work and kindness!