15 days and counting 'till surgery

Yes, it's finally going to happen. August 30th I will be going in for surgery. It feels like it's been years in the planning but it's finally here. And there is still much to do. Pre-op appointments, pre-op diet for a week, bowel prep. And I also have to get an IVC filter installed. Essentially a screen put in my vain to catch any blood clots during and after surgery. That stays in for a month.

So here is me, pre-surgery. Something I don't put out there very often if I can help it. But I want to remember where I started. How far I let things go. And eventually, to look back and remember just how far I've come.

This is what 510 pounds looks like at 6'4"
I am down from a high of 580. Don't think I have any photos from then.

What is Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement and Removal?

In an inferior vena cava filter placement procedure, interventional radiologists use image guidance to place a filter in the inferior vena cava (IVC), the large vein in the abdomen that returns blood from the lower body to the heart.

Blood clots that develop in the veins of the leg or pelvis, a condition called deep vein thrombosis (DVT), occasionally break up and large pieces of the clot can travel to the lungs. An IVC filter traps large clot fragments and prevents them from traveling through the vena cava vein to the heart and lungs, where they could cause severe complications or even death.

Until recently, IVC filters were available only as permanently implanted devices. Newer filters, called optionally retrievable filters, may be left in place permanently or have the option to potentially be removed from the blood vessel later. This removal may be performed when the risk of clot travelling to the lung has passed. Removal of an IVC filter eliminates any long term risks of having the filter in place. It does not address the cause of the deep vein thrombosis or coagulation. Your referring physician will determine if blood thinners are still necessary. However, not all retrievable IVC filters are able to be retrieved. These filters can be safely left in place as permanent filters.

How is the procedure performed?

Image-guided, minimally invasive procedures such as inferior vena cava filter placement and removal are most often performed by a specially trained interventional radiologist in an interventional radiology suite or occasionally in the operating room.

This procedure is often done on an outpatient basis. However, some patients may require admission following the procedure. Please consult with your physician as to whether or not you will be admitted.
You will be positioned on your back.

You may be connected to monitors that track your heart rate, blood pressure and pulse during the procedure.

A nurse or technologist will insert an intravenous (IV) line into a vein in your hand or arm so that sedative medication can be given intravenously. Moderate sedation may be used. As an alternative, you may receive general anesthesia.
The area of your body where the catheter is to be inserted will be shaved, sterilized and covered with a surgical drape.

Your physician will numb the area with a local anesthetic.
A very small nick is made in the skin at the site.

Using image-guidance, a catheter (a long, thin, hollow plastic tube) is inserted through the skin to the treatment site.

Contrast material may be injected into the inferior vena cava to help guide the catheter and verify precise placement of the IVC filter in the blood vessel.
At the end of the procedure, the catheter will be removed and pressure will be applied to stop any bleeding. The opening in the skin is then covered with a dressing. No sutures are needed.

Your intravenous line will be removed.
The procedure is usually completed within one hour.


The plan is to leave my filter in for a month and then remove it. That should be loads of fun.

So now it's kind of a hurry up and wait. Tick tock tick tock.