8 months post op update - more surgery!
Hello funsters! I am 8 months post op today. Down 150+ pounds. Diabetes gone. Lowest dosage of cholesterol and hopefully off soon. Never looked or felt better. Have gone from size 28/30 to 10/12. I am physically able to do many things. No complications, no issues, no regrets.
Now many of you will recall that I haven't had the greatest streak of luck recently. On Sep 10 I learned my husband of 28 years had an affair....with my best friend no less. So we are separated, he has moved out and we are going through mediation to hammer out a separation agreement.
Then on Oct 25 I got rushed via ambulance to emerg to discover I have a newly discovered heart condition. Still waiting for my MRI which is booked for Dec5. Going through all kinds of tests and on medication. However it is not cutting it and tests are indicating the arrhythmia is pretty bad so specialist called yesterday to tell me I need to up the medication and he is not waiting for MRI results He is referring me to London for a possible ablation. So lots of fun and games on the heart front. - literally and figuratively. Lol
So I was pretty sure that all of the above was enough to handle. But alas someone else has a different plan. They must think I am bored and need to crank up the excitement.
At the same time as I developed my heart condition I started developing other symptoms. Thought they were connected to the same thing since it is all happening in the chest area. I started getting pain above the navel and up into the breast bone. It goes around to the back. Feels like someone is squeezing my bra tight. I felt bloated, nauseaus and actually have thrown up several times. Haven't thrown up since before surgery. At any rate it became clear to the heart specialist and I that there is a district problem separate from the heart going on. So I called Audrey at the Guelph clinic and she managed to get me in to see my surgeon, Dr Jules Foute-Nelong, yesterday. After speaking to a nurse and doing some reading, I was thinking I had an ulcer. Went in thinking he would give me medication for my ulcer and be off on my merry way.
whammo! Surgeon tells me I have an internal hernia and that I require urgent surgery. By the time I drove back to my office his office had managed to get a surgery date of next Wednesday. I have to go to pre- op testing Tuesday afternoon. With sone extra heart testing given my heart thing. I was stunned. Unbelievable. I will be off work for likely 3 weeks. So I am scrambling to get stuff done at work and at home.
By the way I went home last night and looked up the notes from my surgeon appt before my RNY. Sure enough you have a 5 to 10% chance of getting an internal hernia. So given my streak of rotten luck it makes total sense to me that I would develop something statistically low. Really? Lol.
But good news is they are fixable. Bad news is with surgery however I look for a silver lining. I have an umbilical hernia that I was born with. It is very bad and I have been waiting to get it repaired. Surgeon wouldn't do it 8 months ago as he said a repair would adhere better when closer to goal weight. So now that I am within 10ish pounds of my goal weight heavies going to do it too. I am not looking forward to the pain but bring on the drugs.
So they say bad things come in 3s. This should be it, right? I am still standing but boy someone or something is testing my strength lately. Even with this complication I do not regret the surgery. Way too many positives. Even my heart specialist says I have done myself a huge favorite by losing all that weight. It would be a lot worse on the heart - harder to diagnose and treat.
Even with all this stress I have managed to stay on track with my food. Trying to still do daily exercise although these heart palpitations are frustrating me and limiting me on certain days. Perhaps the increase in drugs will help until they can do ablation. But having said that I likely won't be able to exercise or lift anything for close to 6 weeks. Yuck! So need to adhere to food plan.
So that's my story. Time to buy a lottery ticket. My luck has to be changing real soon. Hope you all have a great weekend. I will post again when on the other side of surgery.
Darlene
Referral sent - Jan 11/13 Orientation - Apr 4/13 Nurse & Dietitian - Apr 8/13 (287 lbs) Food Class - Apr 10/13 Social worker - Apr 29/13 Nurse, Dietitian & Social worker - Jun 3/13 (284 lbs) Meet Surgeon - Oct 31/13 (277 lbs) Post-op food class - Nov 4/13 PATTS - Nov 6/13 & Nov 15/13 Surgery - Nov 19/13 (264 lbs)
Oh Darlene, I can't believe all this is happening!
I will be thinking of you and hoping for a speedy recovery!!
Referral to Ottawa: Jan/11 Info Session: May/11 Nurse: Feb/12 Dietician/Behavourist/Abdominal Scan: Apr/12 Pre-op Education Class: Feb. 6/13 Meet Surgeon Feb.15/13 Surgery with Dr. Raiche March 12/13!!
The race isn't given to the swift nor the strong, but it's given to the ones who endure it to the end...
Ref sent March 27th. Orientation June 27th 2013. Nurse Consult Aug 19. Social-worker and nutrition class Sept 3 SLEEP study Sept 3rd Doctor Consult Sept 27th...canceled, now Nov 11. Social worker (2ndappt) Oct24 Dietitian Oct 24 Physio appt Dec 13 and final windsorappt post op class Dec 19 Surgery April 8th