Well, all is good with me.  I am down 57 lbs and feel great.  I started excercising this week.  I really don't get tired.  That surprises me!  I am going to Curves for Women.  I've been a member since they opened in Borger in 2002.  So, I knew what I was getting into.

I have found one things I can't eat.  The meat off of the Taco Salad from Taco Bell is one.  I haven't been really adventerous in what I've tried but I'm trying to be careful at this point!

Well, take care!  I should have updated photos on here in the next couple of weeks.  When it's my two month surgaversary.

Okay, so this is a more detailed version of how my surgery went and how the hospital stay was.  Nobody may care, but oh, well, I’m writing it anyway!

 

Monday, May 21^st, 2007

My surgery was scheduled until 10am so I didn’t have to be at the hospital until 8am!  Yea!  It’s hour from our house so that made it a lot easier for my DH and DS. 

 

We get to the hospital and there’s my MIL!  What a sweet lady!  She took the day off work so she could be around for my surgery.  My sister was supposed to come but because they changed my surgery date so much she ended up being out of town for this date.  But it sure made me feel good that MIL was there!  I just love her to pieces.

 

Well, anyways…I checked in and in just a few minutes they call me back to get my vitals.  That didn’t take long so I was in the waiting room really quick.  Then about 30 minutes later they call me in to get me ‘prepped’ for surgery (IV and talk to anesthesiologist).  SO we go to the OR prep room.  I put the wonderful hospital gown on and then they want to start my IV.  IF you’ve seen what I’ve posted before you know I’m a very hard stick.  My last surgery it took 8 tries to get an IV.  So, I’m very anxious about this.  I’m sitting there, she’s tapping on my hand and then she puts some numbs-it on my hand and says “How many times did it take them to get your IV last time?”  I said “8” she says “Well, I just got it!”  I never even really knew it!  That was awesome!  Then the anesthesiologist comes in and does his banter.  I am then moved to another surgical waiting room.  This time only my DH goes with me.  They don’t want more than one person back there.  Well, by this time it’s after 10, so my surgery is a little delayed.  That’s okay.  I got to visit with my husband and enjoy his company.  While I’m in there Meggan (PA) comes in to visit with me.  So, I know after she leaves it won’t be long!  Then about 10:30 or 10:45 they come and get me to take me surgery.  I give DH a good bye kiss and I’m off for surgery.  When I get in there Meggan comes in dressed in her OR gear, but she has a blanket around her.  She explains that she gets cold in there.  She then goes and sits down and before I’m ‘out’ I hear her telling the entire OR, “We have rescheduled her surgery 3 times”.  She’s so sweet!  I really never got that upset about it!  I was just concerned about my doc health!

 

3:00pm…well, now it’s time to drink!  But I’m sooooo sleepy DH is basically pouring it down my throat.  But, by golly, every 15 minutes he’s making sure he does!  DS even got into it!  You have to write down what you’ve drank every 15 minutes and my DS is helping! 

 

Well, here comes the nurse…she wants me to get up and go walking…yea, right like that’s going to happen…well, of course it will!  SO, she gets me up and sits me in a chair with pillow propped up all around me!  I can’t even sit up on my own, I’m so groggy.  Then there’s the walking!  Yea, down the hall and back…that’s enough of that crap right now!  I just want to SLEEP!

 

Well, after about 3 hours of pouring water down my throat DH decides he needs to get home so he get DS and himself something to eat, DS a bath and to bed for school the next day.  Yes, it’s the last week of school but we hate him missing more than he has to.  So, DH tells the nurse he has to leave and she’s fine with it, she’ll make sure I get my water in! 

 

OH, yea, and I forgot to mention, I have a catheter.  I don’t’ really notice it, but realize it’s nice not having to get up and go PEE!

 

The rest is pretty blurry.  I do remember though that in the middle of the night I keep hearing somebody throwing up…it was AWFUL….but from what I found out later, that patient wasn’t a gastric by pass patient, he was sick from drinking too many fluids or something. 

 

I do remember also, that the girl kept coming in and taking my vitals.  She told me she had to take my vitals 4 times before Midnight..not sure why, but what can I do!

 

4:00am…they have to take blood.  I’m not sure why at 4am, but hey I’m just the patient.

 

6:00am…they are taking my catheter out.  It is shortly after that, I have to PEE!  Now, I have to figure out how to get my self out of this bed and go pee….it gets very interesting and the nurse unfortunately doesn’t know anything aobut this bed…it’s a ‘bariatric bed’.  It’s not really comfortable and it makes my back hurt so bad.  I When I do finally get out of bed I stay out just so I can try to make my back quit hurting. 

 

I decide I want to walk, but the doc and PA come in at that time.  They ask how I’m doing and I’m like “GREAT, I’m fixing to go walking.  They don’t’ want me to walk by myself the first time because I haven’t been up by myself.  So after the doc leaves, I go walking with the CNA…I feel fine and I’m trying to walk straight not hunched over.  One of the nurses decides I probably need some pain medicine so she gives it to me.  I don’t think I really need it but oh, well, I’m just the patient! 

 

8:30AM…DH shows up.  I’m sitting up in the chair.  Boy do I surprise him!  He didn’t expect me to be doing that well.  When he left the night before and I was out of it he was worried that’s the way I was going to be. 

 

After he gets there, they bring me my breakfast.  It’s Jell-O, protein drink, coffee and some apple juice.  I only eat the Jell-O and drink the protein.  It takes me FOREVER to get it all in!  In fact, they bring my lunch tray before I get done with my breakfast tray!  My lunch tray was broth, diluted apple juice, Jell-O and my protein drink.

 

While he’s there we go walking a bunch!  I figure it was the key to me going home!  At one point I was taking a nap while he was there and he went and bought me a rose with a balloon!

 

3:30…DH has to go home.  He’s got to take care of DS, who will be getting off the bus at 4pm.  I didn’t realize it or didn’t even know it but DS was a little more bothered by my surgery than expected.  When they wheeled me into my room he started crying.  Bless his heart.  He’s never seen mommy like that.  Also, that afternoon they brought me a ‘snack” it’s  a SF Popsicle and it’s green…it’s AWFUL!  I take one taste and throw it away!

 

My MIL comes by to see me after she gets her hair cut.  She’s such a sweetie!  I went walking while she was there.   Then right after she leaves my SIL and kids show up!  They stay about 30 minutes and leave.  It was nice of them to show up!   They also bring me a supper tray.  It’s Broth, Jell-O and a protein drink. 

 

Oh, I told the nurse about my back hurting so bad and how I feel it’s just the bed.  She says if I say I’m hurting, I’m hurting and it really doesn’t matter why.  It’s pain!  She’s super!  If I remember right, her name is Linda!  I just loved her to pieces.  In fact, that night about midnight they decided to give me two pain pills because of my back.  Boy, did they work great!  I was sleeping like a baby!  Then CRASH BOOM  BAM!  Wakes me up from a DEAD SLEEP!  I’m trying to figure out what I’ve done…well, it wasn’t me.  It was the guy next to me.  He apparently has pulled his IV out…then I found out the next morning that he pulled it out 3 times!  He was cussing the nurses and being VERY UGLY!  After that I can hear the nurses yelling in the hall and stuff.  I guess he has created quite a stir!

 

That morning, I get up about 7am.  I take a walk.  Call my hubby…oh, which by the way, I don’t have a phone in my room.  I have a jack but no phone.  I have to use my cell phone.  They would have brought me a phone but by that time I didn’t really want one and besides I had my cell phone. 

 

Hubby shows up about 9:30am.  He was so exhausted from being with me all day the day before.  We end up walking up and down the hall.  While walking, we see Meggan.  I ask her if I get to go home and she says SURE as soon as I get this paper work done!  COOOL!  Then the doc and Meggan come in my room and tell me “You’re on your own now!”  He says I know what to do and I have my instructions.  That was about 10:30am.  After everything was done, we headed home about 12:00pm.  It was a pretty day and I was excited to get on with life.  I think DH was glad to take me home too.  When my little boy got home from the bus that evening he came over and gave me a big hug!  I think he was glad too!

Well, it's day 6 since my surgery.  In my opinion, I think I'm doing good.  DH says he can't even tell I've had surgery.  I'm moving on to full liquids now.  I've had two bites of LF Yogurt!  Boy was that good.  I haven't been sick, just a little tired.  I even went to the grocery store with DH on Friday!  We were gonna go to the movies today but our son decided he didn't want to.

Oh, yea, according to my scales....23 lbs gone!