Pre-Op Class

Went to Pre-Op Class yesterday for the Bariatric Surgery my dad is having Friday. It was long! It was amazing to understand what the Drs. will be doing to his body. And further still, what he will be able to ingest and won't be able to ingest. I am so glad I went. Mom is in Michigan and comes home Thursday, so it was good to have another person there to hear what the nutritionist and the nurse were saying. There is a complete binder with instructions for preparing your body for surgery and what to do upon your arrival at home. They also took him down to only 5 medications and not all of them are daily. This is perhaps the most remarkable part of the entire day.

The thing is, I am really happy for my dad to be doing this. I know that the rest of the family is feeling uptight, nervous, anxious and with good reason. They usually don't do this for people over 60, but he is a good candidate and otherwise pretty healthy. It will be a huge lifestyle change for him. It's exactly the kind of thing that he has needed. Already he is taking better care of his body, exercising regularly, taking care of ailments that I think he may have let go in the past.

I know that many people believe (my mother included) that if you just have enough will-power and stick-to-it-iveness that you shouldn't have to go to such drastic measures. But I am witness to a man's (at least) 30 year battle with weight loss and gain. I have seen my dad at 180 lbs. and I have seen him at well over 300 lbs. I know that he needs something drastic and different to believe that he really has a fighting chance to keep this weight off. If this surgery is the mental edge he needs, so be it. If it is the physical edge he needs, all the better.

My hope is that he will be able to live a long and healthy life. I really look forward to his prolonged health, having him on the sidelines of Hayes' future sports, having him there to watch Hayes graduate from high school, having him around to ask about business decisions and family life. And if he no longer has to be discriminated against as a fat person, halleluia. I can't imagine what this will do for him. It will be so amazing for him to not have to worry about stairs, booths, theme parks and airplane seats and a host of other things that are simply hurdles in everyday life. Never mind what this could do to his chance of getting a new job, being seen as capable. I think it can open doors that nothing else could, and because it has worked for so many people, he is dedicated to it's outcome.

But I guess we'll have to wait until Friday for all this to really begin.