Agrippina05

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Well today is May 8th and this is my first post since my surgery on April 14th.  I had good intentions of posting as soon as I got home and posting my progress often.  However, my surgery was not perfect.  I did not have any serious medical issues but I'll explain what happened.  I had a very hard time sticking to my 2-week pre-op liquid diet.  I cheated.  I admit it.  I had surgery on Monday, April 14th.  The weekend before that I stayed on clear liquids, but I just couldn't stick with the clear liquids for the first 12 days.  Anyway, when I arrived at University General Hospital in Houston, Texas Medical Center I changed into a gown and they weighed me and I had lost 5 lbs in the last 4-5 days and I was at 255 lbs.  They started an I.V. which was an ordeal because I have horrid veins.  They were thinking about starting a central line but someone (an anesthesiologist) was finally able to find a tiny vein after sticking me 3 times.  I ended up waiting about 2 hours before I was rolled into the surgical suite.  I don't remember much after that because they started giving me some medicine in my IV and I was feeling very loopy!! lol!  The next thing I know I fall asleep and then I wake up and I am in a lot of pain.  The tube they used in my throat/mouth during surgery was put in so hard that my lips were split open and bleeding in 2 places and it hurt,  but my incisions were hurting SO much more.  The main and biggest incision where they put the staple gun in, was so sore they were giving me something for pain but I'm not sure what.  I think it was Dilaudid.  I was sent to my beautifully, furnished, private room and put on a Dilaudid PCA pump.  The kind where I can push the button every so often when I'm in pain.  It helped my pain but within a couple of hours I started getting EXTREMELY nauseated.  Then my doctor had me go to radiology and do a test to make sure my stomach pouch was emptying properly.  I had to drink this really nasty stuff and remember I was soooo nauseated, I thought I was going to throw up but somehow I held it in.  The test was similar to an Upper GI.  I had to drink this nasty stuff and gulp it down hard and then they turned my body all different ways to see how my stomach emptied, which made me feel even more sick.  I HATE being sick to my stomach.  I can overcome any pain but please don't let me get nauseated, it is the worst feeling to me.    I was so sick and I was trying to throw up but couldn't at first.  Finally, I was able to throw up and at first it wasn't much, then it was a huge amount and it was blood.  Sorry if I gross anyone out.  It wasn't fresh blood, but I would like to know where all that fluid came from?  My stomach at this point is suppose to be really tiny, right?  Anyway, the vomiting went on and on for the rest of the day and night.  They were giving me 2 anti-nausea meds IM (in my butt because they didn't want to ruin the I.V. site) and I was pushing the Dilaudid button occasionally.  We finally realized that every time I pushed that button and got the Dilaudid. I was having a horrible reaction of extreme nausea and vomiting and then as the Dilaudid wore off, the nausea would lessen a little.  So, we stopped the Dilaudid all together and I was started on Demerol.  I also ran a fever and my blood pressure was very high and they were very concerned about me and called my doc at 3 am to tell him I was not doing well.  He said he would be in at 6:00 am to see me.  This was not his normal time to come to the hospital but he was worried and concerned.  I finally started feeling better that next morning and the nausea and vomiting had stopped.   Yeah!!!  The rest of my hospital stay was good.  It was excellent.  The next day I started clear liquids and walking and things just improved after that.  I had to stay in the hospital for 4 days instead of the normal 3 days because of my "little" problem.  All in all, I am very pleased so far.  I had complete trust in my doctor's (Dr. Robert Davis) ability with the surgery, pre-op, post-op and every other aspect of my surgery and I have confidence that I will be well taken care of.    I am not doing terribly bad currently, but there have been some bumps in the road  that have come up and I am dealing with them the best way I can.  Please check back for my next post later tonight.   I need to rest for a while, I'm tired!

Thanks for listening!    

Well, my doc's office called me yesterday and asked me if I would rather have my surgery on Monday, April 14th instead of Wednesday, April 16th.  Like I said YES of course I would!!!  I have been ready for a long time!!!   But now that it is getting closer to surgery time I am getting excited and a little scared.  I am having trouble sleeping at night.  I already have trouble sleeping anyway and have sleep apnea (I never use my machine) and take meds for sleep, but I can't stop thinking about little things I need to do before surgery, to prepare for coming home after surgery.  Yikes!  I need to go to the grocery store, make sure I have all my prescriptions, vitamins, etc. etc.  I am going bonkers!!!  Thanks for reading my blog guys!!

Today I officially got my surgery date!  April 16th is my new birthday!  Rebirth day that is!  I am feeling excited but also apprehensive, scared and sometimes doubtful.  What if I can't keep up with the diet post-op?  I am not really worried about the surgery itself because I have been through quite a few surgeries (not WLS's) in my lifetime.  My biggest hurdle is the darn post-op diet.  #1 I'm not a great cook, nor am I very creative or imaginative in the kitchen #2 I haven't experimented with recipes like I told myself I would a few months ago and #3 I am having trouble FINDING high protein, sugar-free recipes.  I don't have much time left, especially since I have to start the 2 week liquid pre-op diet (to shrink liver)!  About the liquid diet; how in the heck can anyone live on liquid alone for TWO WHOLE WEEKS?  If anyone wants to give me some advice after reading this post, I will gladly take it!  I need all the help I can get.  Maybe I'm starting to freak out?  O.K., I need to relax a bit, but I can't be the only person that feels this way prior to surgery!