I had my first clinical appointment today in the process of preparing to have gastric bypass surgery. This visit was only the first in a series of steps to ensure that I am fit enough to endure the surgery and am willing to make the lifestyle changes that are mandatory after the surgery.

I saw a quick class on all that is involved in this process and had turns with a nurse, a nutritionist and a psychiatrist all within the span of two and a half hours. I must say that the clinic is very efficient and handles a high volume of patients with the greatest of ease. They schedule groups of 6-8 people all at the same time and rotate us through the various offices at lightning speed. I was quite impressed.

My next steps are to have a physical (which I needed to do anyway along with getting my annual mammogram), get an EKG to check out the condition of my heart, have a breath test to check for the presence of bacteria in my stomach that could lead to a peptic ulcer or stomach cancer, attend at least one session of a pre-surgery support group, and obtain a referral letter from my primary doctor detailing my weight history and all diets I have attempted within the last 5 years. And I have to schedule a visit with the surgeon - Dr. Davis.

I also have to lose 10% of my current weight and take daily multi-vitamin and calcium supplements to get me into the habit that I will have to continue once the surgery is done. Centrum now comes in a chewable form and I highly recommend them. They are much easier to take than having to swallow a pill of the same size.

And even though I am completely certain that this surgery is the right decision for me, I did have more than a bit of anxiety today in dealing with how fast this is all moving now that I have decided to do this.