A LONG story...

Oct 08, 2010

It's been a long time and so much has happened since my last post on March 5th!

I was inpatient at Brigham-Women's for 28 DAYS after being admitted on March 17th.

They were unable to remove the band  by endoscopy. It turns out my band was seriously eroded, much more so than anyone had thought. In fact both my surgeon and the head of bariatric surgery, Dr David Lautz, at BW, told me they had never seen worse.

Pretty scary.

So on  the 18th Dr Lautz took it by laproscopy after a tense night of watching to make sure the efforts of the endoscopist were not naturally progressed to a detachment, which would mean immediate-emergency surgery.

All went well thereafter and I was discharged home with a JG drain. On the way down Brookline Ave in Boston we hit a pothole and I knew something inside of me 'popped'. But in discomfort and honestly thinking that couldn't possibly have happened, I went blissfully home to bed. I had lovely sips of water and then some green Jello. Within an hour the discharge from the drain was green. I called and was told to come back.

9 HOURS in a very busy, yet organized and efficient ED of the Brigham and I was once again admitted to the 1 floor, which is primarily bariatric. Midnight came. Morphine reattached. Now we were to watch and wait and run more tests on me than I think I have had in a cumulative 40 years of life.  Horrific roommates. Insulin and blood sugar problems. Unable to eat they put in a PIC/Central line in my left arm....three days later and a bright red mark, I am told I now have a blood clot.

The most terrifying words....a BLOOD CLOT. But they tell me as it is in my shoulder that it is not like THOSE blood clots of Red Alerts and near death experiences.

I saw SO many specialists...so many medical students. I even gave a 30 minute 'class' from bed to a gathering of medical students looking at endocrinology who wanted to learn about insulin pumps. Mom was with me as I gave this impromptu, off the cuff course in how the technology of this century can save a diabetics life...it was COOL....

Anyway. They put another PIC line in the right arm and worked on getting my blood sugar under control. The PIC line was fed a 'total nutritional package' which included insulin, but of course MY metabolism was different, so it was a mess. During this time I had CAT scans, x-rays, barium swallows...all failing to show where the leak was that was causing so much fluid to exit my body via the drain.

I told them over and over about the green Jello. They told me it was 'nearly impossible' for the discharge I saw (which by the way I DID bring with me to the ER) to be the same Jello I ate that night. They said it was a tear in the incision holding my stomach together...and that the flesh of my stomach was paper thin due to the erosion...lots of specialists telling me the same thing.

Finally after 25 days they decided to just go in and look. Another endoscopy. It showed that the drain line had 'somehow' pierced my stomach wall and was in effect, a straw...EMPTYING THE CONTENTS INTO THE DRAIN.

Hmmm. I wonder where I had heard that before?

So I was set up for yet another endoscopy, this time to repair the 'problem'--never again defined as a 'leak'. In 28 days I was put under anesthesia 4 times, for a total of some 9 hours.

3 days later and I was finally sent home. No PIC line. Able to swallow liquids. Happy.

But then it took 4 months before I felt myself again. It was explained that the amount of anesthesia I experienced was enough to keep me down for 'a LONG time". But I wanted my bypass, dammit!

Dr Sandor. Beloved Dr Sandor. He listened as I cried. Held my hand. Patted my shoulder. Agreed we could do it, if the stomach had healed. So off I went to LMH for yet another endoscopy...

And it healed.

So then it was just a matter of dotting our i's and crossing our t's.

September 28th I underwent  laproscopic RNY at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. 7am. I don't remember much in fact I can't remember anything after they wheeled me from pre-surgery and were telling me 'ok, we're going to give you something to make you relax'.

I woke up in recovery and felt GREAT. I mean really great. My experience with anesthesia has always been bad. I wake up afraid. In pain. Crying. Not this time. I was on a morphine pump but it was more than that. It was DONE. Finally.

The moved me to the ICU after a couple hours. Dr Sandor always has his patients put into ICU for at least the first night. It means a semi-private, if not private, room and close nursing care. Fabulous. Nurses. Room.

I had my MP3 which I used more as a relaxing effect than anything. Plus it works well to block out the normal hospital noise. Dr Sandor came by and was shocked to see me sitting up and happy.

I felt like going home! But it turns out I had a blood pressure spike during surgery (which I had forgotten I had at BW too), and they were a bit nervous.

By Friday I was really antsy. The pain was managed. I had passed the 'gas' test within 24 hours and was up and walking 7 hours after the surgery. I was really wanting a shower (my sole complaint is that LMH doesn't have showers and the only bathroom in the ICU isn't really set up to take a proper sponge bath). I got to see my wonderful cardiologist and Dr Sandor quite often and both were very happy with my progress, so home I went.

Now it's been 10 days post and I feel ok. I am tired. And the blood pressure meds are making me nauseated. But I am getting my 6-7 protein drinks down. I love Nectar products, which are fruit, so NOT chocolate or terribly sweet--which I find gets old very fast. I am having broth, crackers and tons of water. I am looking forward to Tuesday when I start stage 4 mushy food and will be able to get out and drive!

My 5 incisions are healing ok. I do have a bit of a fungal infection (plastic bed = hot & sweaty and no shower means instant rash!)..but even that isn'tbad.

I saw Dr Sandor yesterday and he admitted to being very concerned about this surgery and the amount of scar tissue he'd encounter. But he took it slow and was methodical. He removed what scar tissue he could and did the job. 3 hours! But I swear the difference between his surgical skill and that of the "Boston premier' doctors???? HUGE. He's an artist.

An Artist!!

I'm still up 10 from hospital weight, but it's coming off. Tuesday means a return to the gym...except now my body and metabolism won't be figthing against me...

It's DONE.

Wow.

(and my brother had lap-band surgery on the 5th of October!! We're on a journey. Life is good.)

Ellen

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