Lisa H.

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11-6-03

Hey everyone,
I know I haven't been updating like I thought I would. I am busy recouperating. I am going to type alittle of my hospital experience before I forget it...lol.
well I get to the hospital on the 23rd and have  my duplex scan of my legs to check for blood clots everything is clear so we decide to forgo the filter placement, and in fact he decides to give me heparin shots (ouch) instead of drip. I was taken at 1:30 to have my surgery. they make you change into a gown and put on booties and hat. I kissed my sister goodbye and they took me down to the gurney. I got on and they wheeled me to the OR holding room. this is where I got my IV in and my heparin shot(did I say ouch), they also went over who I was and I had to sign another form. then they moved me over to another holding area, this is where they gave me something to relax and it did nothing for me....lol. Oh I got to meet the wonderul anesthesiologist (darn I can't remember his name but he is good). I was trying to read a magazine, but it was hard because of the IV. then they took me down to the OR #15.  It was really weird to be in one. they were setting up all of the equipment and had me move over to the bed. they were propping pillows and stuff behind me. They said that I would be done kind of propped up like sitting. I thought that's okay, whatever helps.  so then the were taking my blood pressure and taping my arms down (I wasn't as anxious as I thought), then they said the wanted to give me some oxygen, I said is this the anesthesia, they said no that they werent' giving it to me yet. Just breath in deeply, I started to panic with the mask on and thought "maybe this is the wrong decision...........lol" fade out. I woke up in recovery....gosh it felt like a friggin horse had kicked me and my cramps were soooo bad (I got my period 2 days before surgery), the cramps felt like lightening going through my lower abdomen.  I couldn't breathe deep and I just wanted it to end. they were giving me meds and it started to work, but was still painful. they let my mom back to see me, it was great to see her.
I woke up with a NG tube in my nose(that was horrible), a catheter, which turned out to be a blessing, the IV a jpdrain and I don'tknow if anything else. the pain meds started working and I was fine. they hit lots of bumps transporting me to 5 ravdin to the surgical critical care unit. I was so happy I was alive, and I thanked God that he never left my side. I got awesome care in there and then less than 24hrs later was moved to silverstein 12 room 1208 (which is tucked back in a corner), I felt abandoned. They took out that darn NG tube...(ouchie, just persevere it is over in a couple of seconds, and boy are you so glad to have it out). The coughing was really hard, because it hurt and i was afraid to breath. Oh and they also had taken my catheter out the day before, so I had to get up to use the bathroom.  I had this nurse I don't remember what her name was, but I could never get her attention. when I finally did, she acted like I could do way more than what I could. I said I had to go to the bathroom, so they helped get me up and she walked me into the bathroom and left me. I finally pulled that string in the bathroom that I thought would bring the calvary, but no response. Eventually two nurses aides came in and helped me get out of there, they put me on the end of my bed, which was better, but then I couldn't move, I couldn't reach my call bell and I couldn't reach my pain pump and my courtain was drawn. I was suffering and couldn't get anyone's attention. I thought I was going to fall and that scared me even more. I kept yelling (as loud as I could beings I was breathing well), my roomate finally answered me (she was leaving that day and her mom and husband were with her), she finally figured I was having trouble and got someone. Thank God, I say a prayer for her. I never saw my nurse again. another nurse came in and an aide and helped me. they put my back into bed. The first nurse told me I was not allowed to walk so soon when I wanted to walk.  Well I started getting a twinge in my right calf, blood clot crossed my mind because I had had one before. I told the nurse and the aides anyone who would listen. I don't know if I told the docs when they came in because they were coming in at the crack of dawn and by then I had hit the pain pump and was sleeping, so I couldn't really tell you what we talked about. so on to another day. It is now saturday and they got me out of bed and into my chair, I still was not allowed to walk. well after I was put into the chair they did give me my pain pump but the balanced my callbell on the table beside me(with nothing keeping it in place), I needed something went to reach for the bell and it slid off the table onto the floor. I started yelling hello (mind you they had my curtains drawn around me again). My roommate was gone and I didn't have anyone in my room. I was yelling HELLO. It was so frustrating because it seemed i could hear the staff talking and joking at the nurses station and i couldn't get anyones attention. I was getting really upset. I did have the phone so I called my sister and told her what was going on. and she called the nurses station. they came down and moved me back into the bathroom, they wanted me to get washed.....OOOOKAY...I'll try....forget it, I didn't have the strength or stamina. my legs fell asleep, i just wanted to be able to get up and move alittle and get back into bed. FINALLY  someone came back to see if I was done, I said yes, but both my legs were asleep and I didn't know if I could stand. He was a black male nurse and he was very caring...he said why don't you try and if you need me I'll be right here to help you.  I stood up (still not feeling my legs and mad it somehow to the bed). I got in bed and hit my pain pump. boy did I just want to sleep this experience away. luckily I had pain control. This stuff would all happen before my mom was allowed to see me.
the pain was worse in my leg and I knew definitly it was a clot. so I told this nurse/nurses aide(I can't remember what he was, I'm sorry). The docs came in and asked me a few questions, put me on a heparin drip (kind of low grade) and scheduled me for a cat scan to check for clots. they took me down to get the scan which was the test from hell. I had to lay flat and stretch my legs down straight (they tape them together), then stretch my arms up over my head. IT HURT SO BADLY, I THOUGHT I WAS RIPPING IN HALF. I couldn't hardly breath in this position let alone hold your breath. the test didn't have to go on long they discovered that I had bilateral pulmonary embolisms. It took at least 4 people to get out of the table and back into a wheelchair. then they left me in the hall for transport (all of those guys are fantastic). I was shivering, and couldn't stop and i was having a hard time breathing (I think the clots in my legs broke off during that test). They finally came and got me and took me back to my room....they said don't get comfortable we have to move you, suddenly it was a rush of people. I was moved to directly across from the nurses station, then the moved me back to the surgical critical care unit.  They increased my heparin, and now i definitely was not allowed out of bed. so it was bedpan time. Luckily i could only pee. I received awesome care there. I was there for the rest of saturday and all of sunday and then monday the took me back to the OR to place a greenfield filter in. They had to go through my neck...(OUCHIE). and lace the filter into place then deploy it. they told me I would be out, but guess what I wasn't and it hurt when the were cutting on my neck (four cuts). I then went back to the recovery room, they took awsome care of me. I just wanted to cry, even though I made it. I got over that. then they moved me back to 5. the next day I got to start sips, yessss. It was wonderful beings that i hadnt eaten anything since weds and it was now tuesday. Since I didn't have any problems with the sips, I was good to go. then they transported me back up to silverstein 12. Room 1205, alittle better and it was a single room. I got really good care, except that twice during my stay there, they turned off my call bell from the nurses desk and didn't respond. that was definitely disturbing. But i started doing alot for myself and I think that helped immensly.  i hung out for a couple of more days, just praying and trying to ask for what I needed. they had started me on coumadin and wanted to get me at a therapeutic level before they wold release me. Oh did I mention they took my PCA  while i was in the surgical critical care unit the second time, bummer, you don't realize how much it works until you don't have it anymore. so we moved onto two pain meds, toradol and morphine,given directly into my iv. Well up on the floor they gave me toradol and morphine, but the toradol you could only have a total of 5 doses, this made me mad because I would have gone a different route with the pain meds.lol. it did work pretty good. My last day in the surgical care unit, they forgot to bring my breadkfast tray and when they moved me I didn't have my lunch try or dinner tray. The nurses brought me apple juice that was really good highly deluted in water.
I was now only allowed from the bed to the chair, from the chair to the bathroom. And ladies the spoon does work, helped me immensly. I was getting washed for the main part, and brushing my teeth. then on thursday they said I could go walking, however the IV pump I had, had a bad battery and it couldn't be unplugged to move with you for the walk. this was changed at 2am and i walked alittle. my lungs were sore, I have been moving forward since then. Okay I'm tired of typing. I will finish this story later. (I left some stuff out, but i will fill it in)
thanks all for your prayers.
Love ya's,
I'll keep all of your pre and post-ops in my prayers as well as everyone suffering from this horrible disease.
Lisa post op lap/rny 10/23/03
339/308/ 140?

11-8-2003

Hey everyone,
I can't believe I"m postop. For real. It is a hard concept to grasp, it would be a little anticlimatic if it weren't for all of the learning I'm doing. It is hard to figure out what works and what doesn't and is it too soon to eat certain foods and is that going to make me sick. Lots of thinking. Well I have found so far that I can't tolerate milk or yogurt. I can tolerate a scrambled egg (mixed with water before cooking), sf jello, chicken broth, Isopure zerocarb drinks, water, flavored tea (decaffeinated), SF applesauce, wendys chili, and water packed tuna (I don't drain the water, it keeps the tuna moister and I eat it about 1 1/2 ozs on 3 whole wheat crackers.). I don't think that i have tried anything else yet, oh yeah, my sister bought me gerbers next step vegetable and beef stew (which I exploded kind of in the microwave, but there was still a spoonful left in the container so I tried it, was pretty good).
So I am going to stick with this stuff for a few days then add some more. I have been on the pureed diet since last monday (well I started it on tuesday).

I have weighed:

about 340 lbs 10-23-03
      314.5lbs 11-3-03
      308 lbs 11-05-03*
      304 lbs 11-07-03*
      300.5lbs11-08-03*
that means I have lost about 38.5 lbs in 16 days. (*means unofficial weight, I got weighed at home and haven't had my scale calibrated yet. the other weights are at doctors offices.)
Can you tell it is a little obsessive with the weighing. I think after I get under 300, I will only get weighed at my doctors office, which will be once a week because of having to have my blood tested for my pt time test for the coumadin. Still have normal blood pressure, praise the Lord. And I don't require as much sleep at night. But I do require a nap during the day if I have done some moving around.
I went for a walk with my son, night before last, we walked over to walmart and around in the store then walked home. I think that equaled a couple of miles, but made me really tired yesterday, after I cleaned my house some, I fell asleep for about 2 hrs. I know it will take time. I feel better than I have felt in over a decade, except for getting tired. But I am still recovering from major surgery. But this is awesome!!
Well I am going to go, I'll be back after support group today.
I will keep all of you pre and post ops in my prayers as well as everyone who suffers from this horrible disease of obesity.
Love ya's,
Lisa