Virginia Thompson

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It has been quite a long time since I have updated this thing so I will do that now.  First off, the most exciting news...I have lost 170 pounds since the day of my surgery which was September 20, 2006.  Since the last update entry I wrote the following things have happened.  I started walking again about a month ago.  I hadn't really walked in 10 years so I was so proud of myself.  I thought starting out I'd only be able to take a few steps but I walked from my front door, to the fridge in the kitchen.  My mom follows behind me with my wheelchair for when I have to sit down.  I shocked her too.  I was so happy that I cried.  It felt so good to be able to get up again.  For 10 years I had only been able to transfer from my bed to my chair.  And now I'm walking.  Its a great feeling.  So I worked on my walking every day, and also I started working out with my weights.  Partial set ups (laying back on bed with legs hanging over the side), alot of leg strengthening exercises, I was working very hard.  Things were going good, I was starting to feel better physically and mentally.  I have been embarrassed about my weight all of my life and now, I'm starting to feel good about myself.  I still sometimes have bad days, everyone does.  But I'm having more good days than bad now.  I of course still live with my parents but I don't have a problem with that, I love living with them because they have become 2 of my very best friends.  I'm able to help out more around the house, cleaning and cooking, looking after our fur babies.  I'm able to contribute now, where as before I wasn't able to do much of anything other than lay around.  Now I spend as much time out of bed as I possibly can.  Of course I still have to prop my legs up on pillows for a while each day because of my lymphadema but life is good.  Well it was until March 9.  That was on a Friday.  I woke up having extremely horrible pains in my abdomen.  If anyone knows me at all, I'm not one to volunteerely go to the hospital or doctor for anything.  But I was in so much pain that I told my mother that she better call for an ambulance.  I was transported to Georgetown Hospital (KY) and I had a CT scan.  It showed that my hernia had gotten even bigger and that something was wrong with the bypassed part of my intestine.  So then they transported me to Norton's Hospital in Louisville since thats where my bariatric surgeon is from.  He had to perform an emergency surgery.  The bypassed part of my intestine had died.  The scar tissue had cut off the blood supply and it died and was releasing poison all over my body, and was almost to my heart.  I also had a hernia repair and a scar revision.  The reason for the scar revision was because I had developed alot of scar tissue on the inside so he fixed that too.  Tightened my upper abdominal muscles a tad, and took about 5 inches of skin off that surrounded the original scar.  He said that if I had waited any longer I would have died.  I even had a NG tube in my nose and that was not fun at all because I wasn't allowed to drink.  Dr. Rodriguez (bariatric surgeon) did let me have a few ice chips an hour so that helped alot.  I was in ICU for 3 days and then moved into the bariatric unit on 4k.  I stayed there until March 18 and then was released to come home.  The good thing about being back in the hospital other than getting to keep my life, was to see the nurses I had previously.  They were wonderful to me.  Especially Simmy, she's an absolute angel.  She always came in my room when she had spare time and would talk to me, keep me company.  She's a very special person.  All of my nurses were, but Simmy always stands out in my mind.  So I came home that Sunday, took me a day or two to recover from the ambulance ride home (interstate is so bumpy) and then I was up doing little walks and getting in my chair.  This is the second time Dr. Rodriguez has saved my life, the first being actually performing gastric bypass surgery on me because no other surgeon would touch me since I was such a high risk patient.  So I thank him from the bottom of my heart. <3

Well it's certainly been a while since I last updated.  I can't seem to stay out of the hospital long enough.  Let me start at the beginning.  I went into the hospital Sept. 19 to have a Vena Cava Filter put into my leg on the chance that I would develope a blood clot.  That went well, just a little pinch on the inner thigh (groin area I guess you would call it) and it was done.  The following day was "THE BIG DAY".  I had my surgery at 6pm and I was out of the operating room at about 9:30 or so.  I don't remember anything about that night or much of the next day other than having my sister and parents there with me.  I really couldn't have done this without their support.  I was in the hospital for roughly 16 days and then I came home drinking full liquids.  Well I think I managed to stay home 2 weeks and was taken back to the hospital by ambulance because I had developed a very bad UTI (I have a foley catheter) and it had made me sick to my stomach so therefore I wasn't keeping down any fluids.  This was a long stay this time.  I ended up being in the hospital for over 24 days.  I had a new procedure done to bypass the small pin-hole sized leak I had.  It was some type of stint.  That was put in the 16th day I was in the hospital.  I had 3 endoscopes done in 5 days, and we all know how much fun they are.  I came home on a Monday (week of Thanksgiving) and all was well...or so I thought.  I had been eating well and getting in most of the water I'm supposed to get (still a work in progress...eating lots of ice) and was looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with my parents, sister and her husband.  I woke up that morning and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade like I do every year and just enjoying the smells of our lunch/dinner cooking.  This is where it gets kind of graphic but we are all friends here so its alright.  I had called for my mom to bring me my bed pan (I have cerebral palsy and after surgery just got so weak that I couldn't get up) and the next thing I know, my sheets were covered in blood.  So my parents called the ambulance and I was taken to Georgetown Hospital (KY) and stayed in there 2 days for observation.  Come to find out, I should have been taken off the Lovinox (blood thinners) shots a long time ago.  They were causing the lining of my intestines to thin and start to bleed.  So Dr. Oldham (Bariatric surgeon I saw at G.H) took me off of the blood thinners and I have felt so much better, and no more blood.  It's been a rough couple of months but I would do it all again.  I do have a fistula that developed at the base of my incision that I can't get to heal up...but its always taken me a long time to heal.  And I've lost between 85-90 pounds since Sept. 20.  I'm very proud of myself.  I didn't think I would lose that much weight as quick as I have.  It hasn't been an easy way to lose but I knew that going into this and I was prepared.  Of course being in the hospital is no fun.  And when your an hour and a half away from your family you can't just pick up the phone any time you want and call them because of it being long distance.  So I had to keep buying calling cards because I couldn't go a day without talking to my parents 5-6 times a day.  I got really depressed because I was so home sick and I was used to being around my mother and father 24/7 (since I live at home), so it was really hard for me.  But that is all behind me now and things are only going to get better.  Even though I'm not yet able to take any steps (still just standing beside my bed) I feel so much better with all of that weight off.  I breath easier and my blood pressure has gotten back into the normal range.  Now I'm just waiting to be able to get rid of this foley catheter.  I joke with my mom and tell her that this must be what an electric appliance feels like....being plugged up all the time.  I have to joke about my situation because thats what gets me through the rough times.  Well that's enough rambling for now, I'm going to take my leave.  Oh, I have yet to do any measurements because thats not easy to do for me but weight wise I am down to around 350 if not exactly.  So until the next entry, bye bye for now. 

I want to let everyone know that my surgery date is September 21.  I can't believe it.  Its finally here.  I go into the hospital on September 20 to have a vena cava filter placed into my leg just in case I happen to develop a blood clot.  I'm not able to get up and walk so I am having this done just in case.  So next Wednesday I go into Nortons Hospital (Louisville, KY) at 7 am. and will have the filter procedure done at 9 am....or somewhere around that time.  You  know things are never on time in the hospital but thats ok.  And then the following day (Thursday) I will have my gastric bypass, gallbladder removed and hernia repaired.  Gonna be a big day but I'm ready.  Can't wait to become a loser!!  So thats the update for now.  I'll try to do another update before I go into the hospital.  Good luck to everyone that has a surgery coming up!!

Well its been almost one whole month since I've done any updating so here goes.  On the 20th of this month I was taken to the ER by ambulance.  Had very severe pain in my leg, was red, and extrememly swollen.  The ER doctor lanced it and got alot of infection out and I was admitted to the hospital for a 3 day "vacation".  Then I saw a surgeon that did a little procedure in my hospital room (numbing medicine is so good).  He cut out all the infection and "dead" tissue, so now I have a hole in my leg about the size of a half dollar.  After all the infection was gone, I had no pain.  My mom has to pack and bandage the wound everyday but its not too bad.  I feel some pressure but it doesn't hurt.  I still haven't heard when my surgery date is, as far as I know, my surgeon has yet to receive my last test results.  Which in a way is a good thing about not having a surgery date because I wouldn't be able to have my surgery for a while with all the infection I had, and I'm sure I still have a little left.  I'm on Bactrim so that is going to take care of the left over infection, so hopefully by the end of next month (August) I will know my surgery date or even better, have my surgery.  Well, thats all for now, just wanted to update on my life. 

I am so happy now.  I just finished up my last test today, it was the Gastric Emptying study.  I was sort of nervous about the table I was going to have to get on.  Being short and also having Cerebral Palsy, its hard to find beds or stretchers low enough for me to be able to get on.  But I worried for nothing, everything went fine today.  My appointment was at 9:30 at Good Samaritan (Lex, KY).  When I arrived the nurse fixed me scrambled eggs (the radioactive dye was mixed into them) and believe it or not, they were actually pretty good.  I couldn't taste or smell the dye at all.  So I ate my eggs and toast (they even put strawberry jam on it for me) and about ten minutes later I was layed out on the stretcher under the machine getting my stomach looked at.  Then I had to sit up and put my back to the machine and have the picture taken that way also.  I did this every hour for 4 hours after that.  The only bad thing about the whole test was that I wasn't allowed to have anything to drink after I ate my eggs, toast and sip of water until the testing was over.  I did pretty good until about 10 minutes before the last test.  I started getting really sick but I was able to keep everything down by really concentrating on my breathing.  If I had vomited, the test would have been over and I would have had to go back and do it again.  So the nurses finshed the last test really quick and I got up and got some much needed and appreciated water.  Let me tell you, when you have a catheter that pulls every ounce of fluid out of your body, not to mention having to take fluid pills, you stay extremely thirsty.  That bottle of water I had after the tests......if someone had offered me a million dollars I wouldn't have parted with it.  I used to hate water, absolutely hate it.  Now I can't get enough, its the most wonderful stuff on this planet.  Ok now that I've rambled on and on about the greatness of water, I'll let that subject go lol.

I can't believe that I have not written anything since March.  Not much has went on, so its not like I've been busy.  Well here's the latest update.  I have had my scope done.  Found out I had a hernia, and a little irritation going on in my stomach lining.  Although thats to be expected with all the vomiting I have been doing.  I still can't keep to much food down so I've been on Slim-fast (the french vanilla is sooo good by the way), apple sauce and crackers.  To put a positive spin on that, I've lost a couple of pounds, although I would have liked to have done it another way besides being sick and not being able to eat.  But I know all of this will end soon when I get my surgery.  On June 23rd, I had another ultrasound done on my gallbladder and was supposed to have had a gastric emptying study but was unable to get upon the table.  I won't mention where I had these tests done, but when I scheduled them they assured me that I would easily be able to get on the table.  I told them that I was very very short and that I also have Cerebral Palsy.  Again they said that wouldn't be a problem, that the tables go very low.  Well, I had to eat this nasty oatmeal (usually I love oatmeal) and when I finished they took me back to the testing room.  Lo and behold the table I was supposed to get on didn't go low enough.  I doubt the nurse that was there would have been able to get on it.  So I tried anyway, I wanted to at least give it a shot and maybe I would surprise myself by making it.  Nope, didn't work.  I twisted my knee and hurt my wrist, and when you have mobility problems and have to use a walker, that isn't a good thing.  So anyway, since I wasn't able to have that test performed, I had to make an appointment at Good Samaritan (Lex, KY) and have it done there.  There, I'm going to be put on a stretcher (I know for a fact I can get on one of those, done it before) and be wheeled to the testing room and the stretcher (with me on it) will be slid under the machine.  Will have to do that every hour for 4 hours to see how my digestive stuffs work.  They will give me eggs and toast with the dye mixed in.  So I pray this is the last test I have to go through and that I get my surgery soon.  I can tell that my health is going down hill very fast.  I'm getting weaker every day.  I just want to be able to experience life.  I don't care how much weight I lose as long as I'm able to be mobile and take more care of myself, my personal needs.  I want to contribute to this world, not sit by and watch things happen.

Well I just got my appointment for "The Scope".  I have to wait until May 2nd.  That seems like forever and a day away.  I'm a bit disappointed to be honest.  I don't know, maybe this is a good thing.  I have an appointment at Cardinal Hill in Lexington (KY) 3/24/06 and hopefully I'll be able to be admitted so I can get my legs a little bit stronger so it won't be so hard on me after the surgery.  So thats all the interesting news at the moment. 

At this time I've completed all testing except for "The Scope".  I should be having that done somewhere around the first of April.  I'm getting so excited.