JerseyMom
February 8, 2007 -123 lbs.
I pray that we make it through...Make it through the fall...Make it through it all... ~Avril Lavigne
My First Complication!
Hey Everyone...
I cannot post much right now but, since you are my family, I wanted to tell you that I had emergency surgery on Tuesday at around 5 pm. On Monday evening, I started having terrible abdominal pain. By midnight it was unbearable so I called my surgeon. It took him over an hour to call me back but, when I explained my symptoms (crampy stabbing pain right near my belly button) he told me to go to the ER. Unfortunately, I had to go to the hospital where I had WLS - a half hour away (where my surgeon is affiliated) and not to my local one (literally 2 minutes away).
Anyhow...my friend took me (my husband is out of the state) and, while I was there, the pain intensified to the point where I really wondered if I would be better off dead. I cannot ever remember contemplating that before. They gave me a shot of morphine that did NOTHING. It did not touch the pain. Within 20 minutes, the pain had radiated up to my ribcage and chest and I started heaving saliva (there was no food in me to throw up). They gave me another shot of morphine...a higher dose...and again, the same thing. Within 20 minutes I was heaving again because of the pain. They attempted morphine a third time. I was bawling my eyes out begging them to DO SOMETHING because their plan was not working. Oh...and they kept giving me anti-nausea meds...that did not help, either. Finally they gave me some other high-dose medication and that, blissfully, took the edge off the pain and helped me sleep. They brought me in for a cat scan and initially thought I had a hernia and scheduled me for emergency surgery.
Unfortunately, their surgery schedule was totally packed so they did not operate until around 5pm. It was okay, though, because the second medication they gave me was wonderful.
After the surgery, Dr. Abkin let me know that I did not have a hernia...but a kink in my bowels (I think there is a name for it but I cannot remember now). When people are overweight, their bowels, intestines, etc. are firmly held in one place because of all the fat pressing against them. When you lose the weight rapidly, your insides are free-flowing because of all the extra room...and it gives them the opportunity to kink up. So what Dr. Abkin did was sew my intestines (?) to my stomach lining so that they could not move freely anymore.
I was released from the hospital yesterday and was in SO MUCH pain! Last night was so bad that, until the Percocet kicked in, I could not even lay down at a 10 degree angle. Once it kicked in, I was able to lie down (thank God for Percocet). Today I am still in a great deal of pain but I guess I just have to wait to get better. My blessed Mom came up from Florida to take care of me. I’ll tell you, this ordeal made me realize who I can count on in my life...and who I can’t (finding someone to watch my son while I went to the ER is another drama I don’t want to get into right now). Now I have to get better and plan for my son’s surgery on the 26th (waaaah).
So, anyhow, there’s the deal. Thanks for listening to me...
Love you all!
Jersey
