thewaitingroom

Most doctors these days have waiting areas that offer their patients some small comforts.  A water fountain, access to a washroom, a variety of reading material, and pamphlets that offer education on stuff pertinent to the doctor practice.

My surgeon has all that (and comfy chairs), but his office visits also have a social component.  Most of the patients at his bariatric clinic have been waiting for years for WLS.  Being a patient on the "pre-op side" of these surgeries is as much of a lifestyle as the one that starts when you're on the "other side."  We chat with each other openly, move around to speak with someone we might know from the online boards, or local support groups.  It's by no mean a bunch of quiet people trying to avoid eye-contact.

Today was a long wait.  My appointment was for 2:15, and I was out by 4:30.  Being just 8 days post-op, I got to show my incisions (yes, I hauled up my shirt and bared my big fat belly to the world), and chat with someone who was just starting the journey.

Apparently the cause of my respiratory distress the other night is a mystery , but most likely due to trapped air (was blown up twice).  The doc said that he was expecting I'd still be feeling like I'd been run over by a Mack Truck.  I'm down to 253 lbs (that's 15lbs in 8 days).