Ah sweet misery

Apr 21, 2014

I have debated posting this for a while, but finally decided it needed to be done. My journey has sucked. It has not been fun. It has included complication after complication, and my life has been going through some big changes because of it. Buyers' remorse? You betcha. But not because of the surgery itself. No.. because of the surgeon I chose, and the after care I received (or didn't receive, in my case).

Several weeks out and I still couldn't eat. I had two dilations, but I was still having nausea constantly and began vomiting up saliva and foamies several times a day, if not hourly. I noticed my legs were swelling up huge for no reason, I had no energy, no strength, and I couldn't function. I called to ask about getting in for some nutrients (having an IV with TPN or something to get the vitamins and minerals in), and was told they weren't worried about that. I was also told to basically suck it up and go back to work. I ended up in the ER several times, and developed some numbness and neuropathy in my legs and stomach. The end result was that I couldn't stay by myself, and ended up having to stay with my parents for nearly a month.

I finally got a second opinion. Let me tell you, the difference has been night and day. I still have some nausea off and on, but nowhere near constantly, and aside from one poorly planned out meal that made me vomit, I have not had any vomiting episodes in over a week - possibly closer to 2 weeks. Some of the feeling is coming back to my legs finally, I can function, and I am slowly but surely getting my strength back. Tonight is my first night home, and I am happy to be here, but missing my family. I see the new doctor again tomorrow, and I expect he will allow me to go back to work part time at least. I am 97lbs down, but this was not the way I wanted to do it.

This post isn't to just complain though. I want to leave you with some final thoughts. It is important that you advocate for yourself. Make your needs known. Make sure you're not being ignored, and if you are, find someone who will take proper care of you. Do not let it get so far that you have some (possibly) irreversible damage. You have one life to live, so make sure you can live it well!

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