AliKat
One Month Out..
Oct 12, 2007
Well, today marks the One Month mark for me after having WLS on 9/12/07.
I am pretty overwhelmed with my thoughts and opinions on the whole thing. If someone would have told me a month ago, that I would loose this much in just 30 days, I probably would have called them a liar.
I feel good. The pain in my knees is gone. I still get lower back pain, but it didn't all get here overnight.. so I shall be patient!
I have lost 33 pounds. I am almost into the 280s which feels better than I could have EVER imagined!!
Will write more later!
I am pretty overwhelmed with my thoughts and opinions on the whole thing. If someone would have told me a month ago, that I would loose this much in just 30 days, I probably would have called them a liar.
I feel good. The pain in my knees is gone. I still get lower back pain, but it didn't all get here overnight.. so I shall be patient!
I have lost 33 pounds. I am almost into the 280s which feels better than I could have EVER imagined!!
Will write more later!
1st Update after coming home!
Sep 17, 2007
Ok, so I finally have time to sit here and write an update. I am now...5 days out! Ready for my story?!
We will start on the morning of 9/12.. My Surgery Date! I woke up that morning early enough to get every last thing done and get to the hospital on time. Scottsdale Shea is a pretty good drive from me, so obviously I wanted to be on time or better yet, early.
I woke up, I showered. I walked around the house nervously. I looked for things that I didn't want to forget. My Grandma mentioned that it seemed as though I was in pretty good spirits and that she was surprised because she had prepared herself in case I wasn't. My husband came by to kiss me, tell me he loved me and that everything would be ok.. I hugged and kissed him.... but I didn't cry!
Grandma and I left, went and picked up my Dad and started on our journey to the hospital. We got down to Scottsdale about an hour or so early, so I told my Dad and Grandma that they should stop and get breakfast, this was going to be a long day for them! They were hesitant to eat in front on me since I was not able to, but I convinced them to both eat.
We went onto the hospital where everything seemed to move faster than I expected. I was registered and taken up to pre-op. Once in the pre-op waiting room, Dad started making jokes like usual. I wasn't even nervous, which was weird. They called my name and off I went.. I peed and got into my BEAUTIFUL hospital gown.. HaHa!
I sat and waited for what seemed like and eternity.. My surgery time quickly approaching.. I had some blood drawn, then the nurse came in and attempted to start my IV. Anyone who knows me knows taking blood and doing IVs are the worst thing ever!! My body just doesn't like it! Nurse tries and tries and blows the vein in my left hand.. now I am stuck with an IV in my dominant hand - this ought to be fun! She starts pumping COLD fluids into me, very rapidly..
I find out that my surgery has been bumped until 130! I am pissed!! I feel like this whole thing is bogus.. I feel... forgotten! Then I calm down! I realize they know what they are doing, and I will be ok, they won't forget me. Best of all, this gave Jon(my husband) time to get off work and get to the hospital before I went under! The nurse lets Dad and Grandma back into my pre-op room. They tell me how proud they are of me. We don't talk about it much. We talk about how long it has taken and how COLD my hand was. Dr. Blackstone came by and got to meet my Dad. This made him feel better, I think. Then Jon got there, so I said my goodbyes to Dad and Grammie.. I could see tears in Grammies eyes but I had to stay strong, then came Daddy. I lost it. Seeing my Dad there with me was the best thing ever, he doesn't like hospitals, but he came there for me, with ME! He told me he loved me more than anything and that he would see me soon.
The next 5 minutes.. seemed to go by faster than anything.. Jon came back, right as the anesthesiologist came in.. We talked, he told me he loved me. The anesthesiologist asked me if I liked "Margaritas or Cosmos". I told him "Anything fruity", he responded with, "Ok, here it comes". Jon took a picture of me and the anesthesiologist and we said our goodbyes. They started wheeling me out of the pre-op area and that was it! I don't remember anything else.. I thought that stuff was just supposed to calm me down?! Dang!
Next thing I know, I am in my room, everything is VERY fuzzy, in and out, in and out.. People are asking me questions as I go in and out in and out. Finally I see Jon, Grammie and Dad. One side note, because I don't remember it, but everyone should know it: Dr. Blackstone is the most amazing surgeon I have ever met. When the surgery was over she walked straight out to the waiting room, straight up to my Dad, shook his hand and told him how well the surgery went. That amazed my family!
The next few hours are fuzzy. I am in and out of sleeping and being awake not knowing what is going on. I am getting my vitals taken like every 5 minutes it seemed. Finally my Dad and Grandma left, it had been a long day for them. Jon stayed though, even though I was only sleeping. He left about 730 that night. From then on, I was walking, eating ice chips, breathing as per the nurses orders. That first walk, OMG, I thought I was going to die.. I got up to the edge of my bed and here came the nausea.. The nurse said I needed to walk it off, that it was the anesthesia. I did! Vitals, pain meds, ice chips, breathing and walking filled up that night.
The next day, the same thing. On Thursday I had a ton of visitors. Grandma and Dad came back. Gabi(co-worker) came by. Aunt Susie, Paul and Angel came to see me too! Then came Jon, Aunt Sylvia, Cassie and Maliki and my Mother in Law, Dottie. That was a rough visit, having everyone there was SOO tiring. Once they all left, I rested. Then Jenn(my little sister) came to see me, she was spending the night however! We talked and walked, then walked and talked. Then we went to bed. Poor Jenn slept in the chair next to me all night, which was miserable. So when I woke up and got out of bed, I put her into my bed, and she passed out!
Friday went fast, Jennifer was there with me. Melissa Davis, RN from Dr. Blackstone's office came in and took out all my drains and stuff, which was a huge relief. Then Grammie got to the hospital, we had to go to a Discharge Class. Once that was done, we got to go home. YAY!
The ENTIRE staff of people taking care of me.. Dani, Robin, Alice, Chris, Janel, Mitchel, Deanna.. They were all amazing! They took such good care of me. They treated me like a human and helped me get better.
I have been home going on three days now, I feel AMAZING. I love walking, I feel good. I am sick of the Jell-O though. That is my ONLY complaint about the ENTIRE THING! Tomorrow is my post-op class, which means I get to eat real food, and have a couple different options.
Stay tuned for more updates... I must go eat now!
We will start on the morning of 9/12.. My Surgery Date! I woke up that morning early enough to get every last thing done and get to the hospital on time. Scottsdale Shea is a pretty good drive from me, so obviously I wanted to be on time or better yet, early.
I woke up, I showered. I walked around the house nervously. I looked for things that I didn't want to forget. My Grandma mentioned that it seemed as though I was in pretty good spirits and that she was surprised because she had prepared herself in case I wasn't. My husband came by to kiss me, tell me he loved me and that everything would be ok.. I hugged and kissed him.... but I didn't cry!
Grandma and I left, went and picked up my Dad and started on our journey to the hospital. We got down to Scottsdale about an hour or so early, so I told my Dad and Grandma that they should stop and get breakfast, this was going to be a long day for them! They were hesitant to eat in front on me since I was not able to, but I convinced them to both eat.
We went onto the hospital where everything seemed to move faster than I expected. I was registered and taken up to pre-op. Once in the pre-op waiting room, Dad started making jokes like usual. I wasn't even nervous, which was weird. They called my name and off I went.. I peed and got into my BEAUTIFUL hospital gown.. HaHa!
I sat and waited for what seemed like and eternity.. My surgery time quickly approaching.. I had some blood drawn, then the nurse came in and attempted to start my IV. Anyone who knows me knows taking blood and doing IVs are the worst thing ever!! My body just doesn't like it! Nurse tries and tries and blows the vein in my left hand.. now I am stuck with an IV in my dominant hand - this ought to be fun! She starts pumping COLD fluids into me, very rapidly..
I find out that my surgery has been bumped until 130! I am pissed!! I feel like this whole thing is bogus.. I feel... forgotten! Then I calm down! I realize they know what they are doing, and I will be ok, they won't forget me. Best of all, this gave Jon(my husband) time to get off work and get to the hospital before I went under! The nurse lets Dad and Grandma back into my pre-op room. They tell me how proud they are of me. We don't talk about it much. We talk about how long it has taken and how COLD my hand was. Dr. Blackstone came by and got to meet my Dad. This made him feel better, I think. Then Jon got there, so I said my goodbyes to Dad and Grammie.. I could see tears in Grammies eyes but I had to stay strong, then came Daddy. I lost it. Seeing my Dad there with me was the best thing ever, he doesn't like hospitals, but he came there for me, with ME! He told me he loved me more than anything and that he would see me soon.
The next 5 minutes.. seemed to go by faster than anything.. Jon came back, right as the anesthesiologist came in.. We talked, he told me he loved me. The anesthesiologist asked me if I liked "Margaritas or Cosmos". I told him "Anything fruity", he responded with, "Ok, here it comes". Jon took a picture of me and the anesthesiologist and we said our goodbyes. They started wheeling me out of the pre-op area and that was it! I don't remember anything else.. I thought that stuff was just supposed to calm me down?! Dang!
Next thing I know, I am in my room, everything is VERY fuzzy, in and out, in and out.. People are asking me questions as I go in and out in and out. Finally I see Jon, Grammie and Dad. One side note, because I don't remember it, but everyone should know it: Dr. Blackstone is the most amazing surgeon I have ever met. When the surgery was over she walked straight out to the waiting room, straight up to my Dad, shook his hand and told him how well the surgery went. That amazed my family!
The next few hours are fuzzy. I am in and out of sleeping and being awake not knowing what is going on. I am getting my vitals taken like every 5 minutes it seemed. Finally my Dad and Grandma left, it had been a long day for them. Jon stayed though, even though I was only sleeping. He left about 730 that night. From then on, I was walking, eating ice chips, breathing as per the nurses orders. That first walk, OMG, I thought I was going to die.. I got up to the edge of my bed and here came the nausea.. The nurse said I needed to walk it off, that it was the anesthesia. I did! Vitals, pain meds, ice chips, breathing and walking filled up that night.
The next day, the same thing. On Thursday I had a ton of visitors. Grandma and Dad came back. Gabi(co-worker) came by. Aunt Susie, Paul and Angel came to see me too! Then came Jon, Aunt Sylvia, Cassie and Maliki and my Mother in Law, Dottie. That was a rough visit, having everyone there was SOO tiring. Once they all left, I rested. Then Jenn(my little sister) came to see me, she was spending the night however! We talked and walked, then walked and talked. Then we went to bed. Poor Jenn slept in the chair next to me all night, which was miserable. So when I woke up and got out of bed, I put her into my bed, and she passed out!
Friday went fast, Jennifer was there with me. Melissa Davis, RN from Dr. Blackstone's office came in and took out all my drains and stuff, which was a huge relief. Then Grammie got to the hospital, we had to go to a Discharge Class. Once that was done, we got to go home. YAY!
The ENTIRE staff of people taking care of me.. Dani, Robin, Alice, Chris, Janel, Mitchel, Deanna.. They were all amazing! They took such good care of me. They treated me like a human and helped me get better.
I have been home going on three days now, I feel AMAZING. I love walking, I feel good. I am sick of the Jell-O though. That is my ONLY complaint about the ENTIRE THING! Tomorrow is my post-op class, which means I get to eat real food, and have a couple different options.
Stay tuned for more updates... I must go eat now!
Tomorrow!
Sep 11, 2007
To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.
- Anatole France
This is me, this is now! Tomorrow is the big day. I never thought I would make it to this. It seems like just yesterday I was waiting to be approved by the insurance company.. Now it's real. More real than ever.
Tomorrow, 9/12/07 I am finally having my Gastric Bypass. Everyone keeps asking me if I am nervous, but I am not. I am excited and anxious, but that's it. I have waited so long for this day.
Tomorrow I am being given a second chance at life. A life filled with the ability to have a child with my husband and begin our family. A chance to live healthy and happily.. a chance to live without the fear of a weight related problem or illness.. that could kill me.
Am I scared? No. Not at all. I know why I am doing this and I must remain strong. My Grandma has been my angel through all of this! She has been to every Dr visit.. every class and meeting. She has done everything for me including allowing me to come stay with her a recover. I don't think she realizes how important she is to me. She probably never will, but I will spend the rest of my life trying to make her know. I am truly blessed to have my best friend, my Grammie with me during this time.
THANK YOU GRANDMA.. from the bottom of my <3!
So.. tomorrow is it.. Tomorrow is now.. I will be undergoing my Laparoscopic Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass at 12 Noon on 9/12/07 at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea. Wish me luck! See you soon!!!
- Anatole France
This is me, this is now! Tomorrow is the big day. I never thought I would make it to this. It seems like just yesterday I was waiting to be approved by the insurance company.. Now it's real. More real than ever.
Tomorrow, 9/12/07 I am finally having my Gastric Bypass. Everyone keeps asking me if I am nervous, but I am not. I am excited and anxious, but that's it. I have waited so long for this day.
Tomorrow I am being given a second chance at life. A life filled with the ability to have a child with my husband and begin our family. A chance to live healthy and happily.. a chance to live without the fear of a weight related problem or illness.. that could kill me.
Am I scared? No. Not at all. I know why I am doing this and I must remain strong. My Grandma has been my angel through all of this! She has been to every Dr visit.. every class and meeting. She has done everything for me including allowing me to come stay with her a recover. I don't think she realizes how important she is to me. She probably never will, but I will spend the rest of my life trying to make her know. I am truly blessed to have my best friend, my Grammie with me during this time.
THANK YOU GRANDMA.. from the bottom of my <3!
So.. tomorrow is it.. Tomorrow is now.. I will be undergoing my Laparoscopic Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass at 12 Noon on 9/12/07 at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea. Wish me luck! See you soon!!!
Not so bad..
Aug 19, 2007
OK.
Now I am only about 3 weeks out. 3 Weeks from Wednesday to be exact!
Time is flying! I can't even let my head stop spinning!
Friday I finally got all of my PreOp stuff done. Labs, Chest Xray, EKG and my abdominal ultrasound. I HATE getting blood drawn! Not that it hurts, but they can never get my vein, so now I have a blown vein in my left arm(it hurts to move it)!
This week, I have my PreOp Patient Education Class on Wednesday! I am looking forward to hearing what I can and cannot do. My Grandma is going with me as I will be staying with her afterwards. She has been so amazing through this whole thing. She has supported me even though she was worried about me!
Then next week, I have my PreOp Consult with my surgeon! I can't wait to get to talk to Dr. Blackstone! She is such an amazing and talented Dr!
The week after that will be full of tying up loose ends to FMLA, making sure everything is ready for me to be out of work for awhile.. and getting my stuff to my Grandma's!
Don't blink Alicia, you might miss it!
Now I am only about 3 weeks out. 3 Weeks from Wednesday to be exact!
Time is flying! I can't even let my head stop spinning!
Friday I finally got all of my PreOp stuff done. Labs, Chest Xray, EKG and my abdominal ultrasound. I HATE getting blood drawn! Not that it hurts, but they can never get my vein, so now I have a blown vein in my left arm(it hurts to move it)!
This week, I have my PreOp Patient Education Class on Wednesday! I am looking forward to hearing what I can and cannot do. My Grandma is going with me as I will be staying with her afterwards. She has been so amazing through this whole thing. She has supported me even though she was worried about me!
Then next week, I have my PreOp Consult with my surgeon! I can't wait to get to talk to Dr. Blackstone! She is such an amazing and talented Dr!
The week after that will be full of tying up loose ends to FMLA, making sure everything is ready for me to be out of work for awhile.. and getting my stuff to my Grandma's!
Don't blink Alicia, you might miss it!
Kinda scared now..
Aug 11, 2007
OK, so I am about to have my RNY Bypass in a month (9/12/07).
I have not been scared at all... until last night when I found the Memorial Section on this website. It was the first time I had been on this site, and that is the first section I read. I knew the complications and risks of the surgery, but damn! I have never read so many stories about how many people have passed away within a week of their surgery! Good God!
Don't get me wrong, I am still going to pursue my dream of having this surgery, but I feel different now. Now I do have some fear in the back of my mind. I am only 25! I am doing this so that I have a chance at life. I want to be able to live a normal life, one that is full of the things I haven't been able to do in so long. My husband and I look forward to having a baby and starting our family.
I am doing this for me! No one more, no one less. I am tired of having pain when I walk. I am tired of my feet hurting my knees killing me and the doctor telling me my blood pressure is getting worse.
Please pray for me. I need all of the support I can get! I just want to have this and have everything go ok.
I have not been scared at all... until last night when I found the Memorial Section on this website. It was the first time I had been on this site, and that is the first section I read. I knew the complications and risks of the surgery, but damn! I have never read so many stories about how many people have passed away within a week of their surgery! Good God!
Don't get me wrong, I am still going to pursue my dream of having this surgery, but I feel different now. Now I do have some fear in the back of my mind. I am only 25! I am doing this so that I have a chance at life. I want to be able to live a normal life, one that is full of the things I haven't been able to do in so long. My husband and I look forward to having a baby and starting our family.
I am doing this for me! No one more, no one less. I am tired of having pain when I walk. I am tired of my feet hurting my knees killing me and the doctor telling me my blood pressure is getting worse.
Please pray for me. I need all of the support I can get! I just want to have this and have everything go ok.
