I lost about 8 lbs by my 5day post op apointment. My drain site continued to drain heavily until about 8 days post op and then finally closed! The next visit was at 2/1/2 weeks and I had only lost 5 more pounds. I've been a little discouraged because the scale hasn't really moved since about 1 1/2 weeks post op. I know that I am not getting enough liquids and miss my protein mark some days, but I walk and walk and walk! Well finally yesterday the scale has started to move again! Horray! I thought it must been broken!!! I hope the losing trend lasts for a little while and will be sure to update later!

16 lbs gone since surgery + 8 before= 24lbs GONE!!!!

Well...I did it. I went in for surgery Thursday morning and came home Saturday about lunchtime. Things went really well and I'm feeling pretty good. I've got some severe pain today in my right shoulder, but understand that is normal and most likely trapped GAS. If that would go away, I would be much better. My drain hole is also draining quite abit and I have to change the bandage several times a day, but there is no pain, fever, or odor, so  that is fine as well. My follow up appointment is tomorrow and I'll make sure all is well.

Thursday 5:45am report to hospital. I was taken back to pre-op about 6am. Vital signs were taken, weight, and respiratory came in to do a breathing treatment. An IV was started and monitors hooked up. About 6:20 anesthesiologist came in explained things to me and gave me some Versad. About 10 min later he came back and put in the arterial catheter. OUCH!! This was not fun, but he increased the Versad until i was loopy enough not to care and sat still. Dr Moran came by and by this time I was Super loopy and do not really remember what he said other than he was glad I had lost 4 more pounds. Next I was taken to the OR and remember getting on the table and that's really about all. When I woke up I remember huring pretty badly, but from gas under my diaghragm, not the surgery. I know I asked the poor nurse over and over for something for gas, but she kept telling me there was nothing for the kind of gas I had-the gas was in the open spaces, not the organs. Finally, she gave me a pretty good dose of something and I stopped asking her. We were waiting for a room upstairs and I probably went up about 11:15. Surgery started at 8am, I was in recovery by 10 and then up to a room. When I was going up to the room, my mom said "you sure are scowling!" The nurse explained again about the gas under my diapragm and how I would have the morphine pump when I got upstairs. By 3pm I was walking the halls and felling pretty good. NPO until swallow test Friday morning. The contrast is yucky and kind of burns a little. The radiologist made me take 2 big gulps and stand in front of the xray. I turned one way and then the other and that was it. About 10 my nurse brought me some h20 in a 1oz medicine cup and said I could drink 1 oz every 15-30 minutes. No problem. I sipped, walked, napped and at 1:30 got a clear liquids tray. I drank a little, tried some jello, took a nap. I had a hard time with fluids because my chest hurt. Kind of like wearing a lead bra, just tight all the way around. This feeling has pretty much continued, but gets better everyday. If I don't take pain meds it feels worse. Friday night the morphine had been taken away and my chest hurt so I took liquid pain meds and got some phenegran and actually slept for the first time since Tuesday night. I felt good Sat morning and was up walking the halls . All the nurses kept telling me I was the poster child for bypass and that they had never had a patient walk as much. At discharge the nurse pulled my JP drain, that felt weird, and I went home. I feel really good considering that I just had major surgery. I have walked alot and energy has been pretty good. Burps and hiccups are very painful, but seem to be getting better. I am able to get more liquids in each day and the tightness in my chest is getting better. I seem to do better if I take a little bit of the pain meds. I'm starting to pee now and passing a little gas,so I think that is helping. I did gain weight in the hospital due to all the fluids and i weighed this morning and that seems to be going down. Like i mentioned before I have a sharp pain in my right shoulder that hurts even when I take a breath, but I know it is gas and will subside. I didn't take a nap yesterday and was tired in the evening after having walked several times and a trip to Walmart and the grocery store with a very rambunctious 4 year old. Slept really well and plan on walking more today. I've got to get this GAS out!!! Overall, I would say I'm doing great and sometimes wonder if I had surgery, but then other times I KNOW! All in all, not nearly as bad as I expected except the gas pain sucks. I would do it again. I know we are all different, but I was surprised at how quickly I was up and able to move around. Good luck to everyone else...you can do it!!!

Hi everyone. I had my pre-op today at Frankilin Regional in Louisburg. Wow...took 3 hours and I had one unwanted suprise. Apparently, the anestheseologist makes all the GPS patients get an artierial catheter to continously monitor your bp during surgery. YIKES!!!! Sounds pretty painful. Other than that everything went well and I'm ready to go next  Thursday jan 31..

Well, what do you know. Somebody sitting in a cubicle somewhere in the great BCBS NC has decieded to make my day and approve my 1st appeal for WLS.. If i knew who it was I would give them a big wet kiss! I was denied for surgery on Jan 2,2008.I knew that Dr Moran's office had resubmitted Monday 1-14-8, but I couldn't take rejection twice, so I didn't call BCBS and was holding out for a call from the Dr's office. Today at 2:15, I got the good news.Yipeee..............I asked the poor girl if she could squeeze me in tomorrow, but she thought that was a little soon-Go Figure!