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ok so now we know why I have had back pain in spite of my pain box stimulator that was inserted last march 2011.  The leads or paddles as some refer to them that were placed on the thoracic spine have actually SHIFTED!  They are no longer n the center...so when I put my pain box on my whole left side and ino my chest and ribs vibrates and gets tight and feels annoying and does NOT help any of my back pain.  I went to pain management Dr he sent me to the surgeon that did surgery last March 2011.  Dr did X Rays and clear as day you can see the paddles are towards the left no where near center!  How and why they shifted and in such a short amount of time is unknown and baffeling to me as well  AS THE DR!  But fact remains it must be corrected. So I can use it again and stop taking oral pain meds.

This will be a 4-4.5 hour operation.  longer than first bec they have to remove paddle that shifted, chip away from built up scar tissue and bone and the replace it once again in its CORRECT position and space to get the best overall pain coverage.

I have already been told I will be kept in Overlook Hospital for  a min of two nights post op for observation.  Although I dread staying its prob for the best after what happened with my fever and blood infection after recently removing my gall bladder.  Also if I go home I will not take all  the pain meds by mouth as i do not want to become addicted again...so if I stay in hospital they can give to me thru IV and I can just stop no problem cold turkey when I am released (have done before...it is safe short term.)  OHH and the most imp thing!!!  If I stay in hospital I WILL NOT be tempted to do something stupid too soom like vaccuum, cook, lift heavy wet laundry from washer etc!  I am a very bad post op patiend bec I think I am wonder woman and I can take on all my regular household chores as soon as I walk through my front door. 

Well...thats the story for now...if I dont get on here soon I will def be back after back surgery to give whom ever still frequents my blogs an update.

There is a higher risk involved with thhis surgery bec of the removal of the paddles/leads and the increased amount of time it will take and I will be under general anesthesia...so all I ask is that my OH friends keep me in prayer for a safe and quick recovery.

God Bless you all...Some of you have become like family to me over the years...and for that I thank you!  You all know who you are!
Robyn

Had gall bladder removed...been about a month now...doing well.  After bout in hospital with a blood infection for 6 days post op!  Was not too thrilled with the bariatric Dr's bedside manner that did the surgery...would not recommend him to anyone in New Jersey.  (My Dr is no longer practicing in NJ and I miss him!)

Lost weight prior to GB surgery but managed to gain it back by GRAZING...all day long taking a bite here and there of what ever I liked.  Took a while but I went up to 130lbs again...now I started my thyroid meds bec my levels were out of wack again (bec I stopped takin the meds bec I hate the way they make me sweat when I sleep!  I wake up soaking wet and must change my clothes at least 3 times a night.)  But sinse I started taking again I lost 5 lbs...now I am 125lbs.  But its ok...I like being 125 it gives me some wiggle room to play with!  If I maintain between 125 and 130lbs I will be happy.

Ever since the Gall Bladder removal I discovered I have chronic anemia...so I have been getting Iron transfusions every week.  I had several while in the hospital as well as potassium and 2 blood transfusions!  Was not thrilled about getting the blood...but I had no choice.  I hope to get my iron levels normal but the Dr thinks that I  am one of the patients that had Gastric Bypass and just will not absorb iron no matter what.  Therefor probably end up getting iron transfusions the rest of my life either weekly or bi weekly.  I would not mind bec I never have to wait in waiting room and the transfusion only takes about 40 mins....but I have NO VEINS!  They either collapsed or blew on me from all the use in the past from meds and blood draws. (never an IV drug user!!)  This week took 4 tries before they found a vein that would allow the transfusion to flow THROUGH!  They get the vein it lasts a few mins and then it closes up from old scar tissue around it!

WOW NOT SO BAD JUST REALIZED AS OF TODAY I AM ACTUALLY 18LBS HEAVIER TODAY THAN I WAS THIS TIME LAST YEAR!  HOWEVER TWO WEEKS AGO I WAS CLOSE I WAS 106LBS...  BUT EVERY DAY I GAINING AND EATING A LIL MORE!

WAS BACK ON DAMN PAIN MEDS FOR BACK PAIN AND LOST TOO MUCH WEIGHT! AGAIN!  DAMN NARCOTICS...THEY GONNA KILL ME...LOSE MY FULL APPETITE BEC OF THEM.  I AM TWO AND HALF WEEKS CLEAN AGAIN AND SMOKE FREE SAME TIME!  i ACTUALLY GAINED ABOUT 5 POUNDS THIS WEEK FORCING MYSELF TO EAT.  I WAS SO SO SICK FRAIL LOOKS LIKE SKIN HANGING ON BONES!  NO ENERGY AND MY BLOOD WORK CAME BACK SUPER MAL NOURISHED!  DR DID NOT WANT TO PUT ME ON FEEDING TUBE RIGHT NOW BEC HE SAID FROM SMOKING AND MEDS I MAY HAVE ULCER IN POUCH...HE WANTS TOO LOOK VIA ENDO SCOPE BUT SCARED I WILL NOT BE OK UNDER HEAVY SEDATION....SO WAITING TILL I GAIN SOME WEIGHT. ALSO IF I WERE TO GET INFECTION IN PIC LINE FEEDING TUBY ITS RIGHT ABOVE HEART I WOULD DIE...NO NOURISHMENT TOO MAL NOURISHED TO FIGHT OFF INFECTION...NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES  WAS 115LBS NOW 120LBS! AND GAINING...ITS NOT EASY. EVERYOINE BLAMES MY BY PASS BUT THEY ARE JUST NIEVE...ITS NOTHING TO DO WITH BYPASS ITS THE DRUGS FOR PAIN THAT KILLED APPETITE...I AM AN ADDICT! OFF ALL DRUGS AND SMOKES TWO AND HALF WEEKS THIS WEEK

HAVE APPOINTMENT TO SEE BACK SURGEON...HE NEEDS TO DO REVISION AND MOVE THE LEADS OVER IN MY THORACIC PART OF MY BACK SO I AN GET THE PAIN COVERAGE I DESIRE FROM MY MEDTRONIC PAIN BOX STIMULATOR!   I HOPE THIS WORKS AGAIN...WAS GREAT WHEN I HAD IT 1ST TIME NOW PAIN AND LEADS MUST HAVE SHIFTED!  BUT BOX WORKS GOOD WHEN IN CORRET PLACE. APPOINTMENT TO SEE SURGEON APRIL 18...THEN SET UP SURGERY DATE

WELL THATS PRETTY MUCH WHERE I AM TODAY...NOW GONNA DO SOME RESEARCH FOR MY DAD...HE DIABETIC OVER WEIGHT HEART CONDITION, SLEEP APNEA AND HIGH B/P!  HE WANTS ME TO LOOK INTO SLEEVE?

I KNOW I AM IN THE RIGHT PLACE...IF ANYONE CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS IT WOULD BE YOU GUYS!  I JUST HOPE DAD GOES THROUGH WITH SOMETHING...SO IT IMPROVES HIS HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.

check out some new updated photos...my favs are from 2011 halloween...never would have had the courage or self esteem to even dress up let alone choose something so cute for myself!  what a fun day! Think I had more fun than my son! lol  and yes I did eat some candy and no dumping...but my back was killing me from all the walking!  Was def worth it though!

also some spine shots of my surgery in my neck when they took out one of my disks and replaced with a cadaver bone and held together with plate and screws...but it helped immensely with some of my pain...Dr was the best! He had blessed hands!

I hate when I stay away from here so long! I really want to keep updating my site as much as possible. Thats my new goal!  As there are so many people that look at it lately and I feel bad bec so many things change from time to time.

Unfortunately I will admit I am back on pain meds from my pain management Dr. I am not proud of it but it was necessary as once the cold weather started coming I could not literally get out of bed in the morning!  The pain in my lumbar was so very bad. My headached from cervicle spine was causing them and I reverted to pain meds bec over the counter was just hurting my stomach as I was taking so much. 

Yes I did have the pain box installed but that was for my thoracic herniated disks...not the cervical, or the lumbar as well as my trigger poins and my bicept tendinitis.  Not to  mention the horible arthritic spine I have all the way through. 

So I went to Dr just had 8 shots in all diff areas this Wed , day before thanksgiving. I am still a lil sore from the actual injections and on pain meds as well as muscle relaxers.  I told Dr I may have to be on the rest of my life as I am classified disabled by the government and my doctors so it truly is a medical condition. If I can not function what quality of life do I really have. Especially now that I look so dam good and feel so good about my appearance  but if you were to look at my spine I am held together by nuts and bolts and cadaver bones!

I am going to try to only take meds as needed once these shots kick in and hopefully start doing what they should and giving me some relief.  Just like I save the pain box only for the days I can not handle the thoracic pain at all....I try not to rely on it all the time.  No I do not believe any of this had to do with my bypass!!!!  My father blames all my aches and pains on my bypass. But then again he is just scared to do it himself and his sister is an old RN that weighs about 450lbs and should be a canidate hersef but she speaks all negative about the surgery so he gets scared. They have come so so far in the past few years and I was home within less than 24 hours in the hospital after my first surgery. So my intestines twisted 2 yrs later and I needed revision...yes I was in hospital over 5 days for that one...but that was bec I was so thin from not eating bec of the twisted intestine pain that I was mal nourished and they had to get me nourished enough to have a safe surgery....but I would do again in a heart beat!  I have since gained like forty pounds..and eat whatever and when ever I want!  Sometimes I get scared I may get fat again!  But I watch the scale...and I range between 135 and 145 always the past year. So I think I am good

You can now find me on twitter: relativelyrobyn or face book...Robyn Bellino - Quinn....I LOVE talking about my surgery especially the good and the not so good times as we all have been there if you had the surgery.  So please do not hesitate to contact me...whenever you like and ask what ever you like. My bypass is an open book

Gonna try to keep updated  more frequently!  Enjoy my posts...read from day one if you like!

Just wanted to acknowwlege Kim and her courage to have the bypass!  Its a few weeks now since surgery and I know it probably sucks...but I proise you in a year or less you will have no regrets when YOU get into those skiny jeans! Your rings starts having to be made smaller, you feel you watch loosen and you start to discover wow , I do have a neck! And collar bones ohhh and wait till you lie down in bed and actually feel a HIP BONE!  Its a feeling you can only experience for yourself to truly understand the joy!  We love you..and are   very happy for you! Robyn and Gang

From taking all my pain meds and xanax for depression after loosing the twins and bec of the pain I was becoming unable to eat I just had NO-ZERO APPETITE!  I was down to 103lbs and everyone  said I looked sick..to be honest my bones hurt and I didnt feel well either....I started getting nervous what if I really got sick??  I could not afford to loose any weight I would die.  I was now at my thinnest even thinner than when the dr had e on the feeding tube after my revision! and they were worried then   bec I was like 118-120! f he saw me now he would probably hospitalize me and give me back the feeding tube.  anyway put myself into detox unit in princeton, nj while waiting to be admitted I had what the dr's all warned me about (coming off the meds after so long and so much) I had a seizure and bit my tongue!  Never had a seizure in my life...did not have one clue it was coming on!  Just woke up with dr's and paramedics and oxygen on me....took me to hosp in ambulance and did cat scan...came out normal...sent me back to re-hab. I will tell you I lost a BIG part of my memory after that seizure.!? very strange. the simpleist things I can not recall. That whole night of admitting me into detox is even a blur!  Any way that was April 24th 2011 I stayed 7 days and was finally released. Only to have such horrid anxiety! I felt like I was having outer body experiences, I was shaking, had cold sweats esp at night I must have changed clothes 3 times min. did not want to drive or talk to anyone, felt like I could not breathe (panic attacks) and sleep deprived! would lay there with eyes wide open all night!  Finally after a few days home I called my shrink and made appointment!  He gave me klonipin (which they had me on in detox for anxiety) and seroquel, and buspar and 400mg of seroquel to sleep.  needless tosay he had to change sleeping meds to trazedone 300mg and increase my seroquel during day andI still have issues with anxiety and sleeping. not to forget the diareaha! I am in the bathroom several times a day STILL and still get cold sweats at night. Dr said that xanax withdrawal is the worst withdrawal to EVER go through...worse than HEROIN!  it can last up to 6 -8 months and still shows in system up to one year.I think bec of going to the bathroom so much I am not really gaining the weight I should with the food I am consuming now.  I went from 103 to 112-113lbs and I have trouble keeping that on. Although some people say my face looks a lot healthier with just gaining 10lbs.

The reason I wanted to come off my meds was bec I had a medal battery inserted inyo my lower back with leads connected to where my worst back pain in thoracic (mid back) has been for the past few years.  I can adjust the amount of vibrations and the speed from a wireless remote I carry with me at all times.  I have to re-charge the bettery inside me once a week or every other week depends how much I use it...but when I had that installed I figured I should coe off the meds bec they are keeping me from eating and thats why I was so thin now and the only way I was gonna ever get an appetite back was to stop my meds. Did not know was gonna be sooo hard and such a LONG recovery!  It really sucks feeling  so much anxiety! And going to the bathroom so many times a day! never would I have ever thought I would NEED TO GAIN WEIGHT lol... 

Eventually after a few months and my anxiety calms down dr will wein me off the new meds.  BUT NONE are ADDICTING!  NO MORE NARCOTICS for me...even my pain Dr I told NO NARCOTICS....the meds he gave me as I still suffer back pain really does shit!  But I also take tylenol, advil or ibuprofen!  and live with hot water bottle and switch to ice packs daily!  Think this is just gonna be how I am the rest of my life. Tired of shots tired of  pain management dr's....tired of meds!

However, I have been clean one whole month April 24th, 2011! Praise the Lord.

Started throwing up went down to 114 lbs...was falling asleep all day even when driving. Had to stop driving and called gastro to tell him was throwing up blood within 10 mins he had me scheduled next morning for another endoscope...he said as soon as he looked he could see more inflammation and when youched i automatically started bleeding from wretching all the time when I would try and eat.  he took blood levels and within 3 days had me on picc line (IV deep in main vein that goes towards heart  and can stay in for 6 months)  I am now on a feeding bag (TPN BAG) of what smells awful lot like babyformula and I mix all my injectionsnof vitamins and b-12 into the TPN (iv bag) made specifically for MY bnlood deficienties. Dr sid I need the nutrition yto heal so I can reduce swelling and eat normal again.  It may be on for the next 2 months then I ho for another look down my tummy and see how I am healin.  Still have trouble eating some solids and barely eat daily.  If I wre off tpn bag I would not be any better! As of 7 days on line now I am at 126 lbs!  Levels of my blood work are taken by home nurse and then the DR again creates the TPN bag for my specific needs based on blood draw for the weeks results.

I was fitting in a ZERO pants!  Who would ever think I would need to gain weight.  Went to a family function this past weekend amd I had to actually tell people who I was..they did NOT recognize me! 

Thank God for the basic nursing backround and medical knowlegde I have had frm past and school bec this is not easy to do at first.  I have total movement of my arm as the needle is in the brachial vein...inside my left arm , bicept area.  Does not hurt just itches at times.  But again nurse comes and changes my dressings once a week and draws labs blood) to prevent infection.

I am getting stronger lil by lil...still not one gastric bypass regret!  NOT ONE!  This is possible to happen to 5% of GB patients I just had to be the lucky one...guess someone has to be the 5%....to get twisted intestines and internal hernia causing full revision.

Just scared this tpn bag is gonna make me gain too much weight again!  Will have to be careful.

Any questions...never hesitate to ask. use my private email if you like.  I get on there more often than here now a days.  [email protected]

Had endo scope about 2 weeks ago Dr said pouch is back to 3 CM like starting all over again!  Butvthis time I do not beed to loose weight!  I go u and down 118-122...depending on period for the month,

When he did endo he said pouch very much still inflammed and not healing...you could see the staples from where surgeon re connected the intestines to pouch and they were also oozing. Tested for bacteria infection will know any day....

He said could take 3-6 months for swelling to subside and I start eating again.Meanwhile I a becoming malnourished, tired and  real nasty bitch!  Its been 3 months no real food!  Everytime I try it comes back up and if I look at another shake (protein, esure, etc) I will puke at the thought! Yogurt....done with that...pudding forget it!  Rather starve.  ONLY things I keep down are chese peanut butter crackers and DORITO CHIPS! Go figure! lol

Go back for another endo scope to compare and see that hopefully I am progressing in the right direction....in about 2 months.  If not?????? Your guess as good as miine.  Dr could not even think of ballooning open my pouch in fear of tearing it bec was so sore and yet inflammed ast this stage of the heling process.

Now wearing size 1 -3 jeans!  I think I wasborn a 1 back in 1968! lol

Anyway...still have major spinal issues seeing Dr for pain management tis thurs hopefully he can take some edge off and make mea lil less nasty and more patient.

Thanks for keeping up to date with my posts...you know who you are:-)

Happy New year!