J M.
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J M. 21 years, 6 months ago
Just a brief update. I'm now 6 months post-op and have lost 87.25 pounds. I have had a LOT of no weight loss weeks and have not lost as fast as some of my friends who have had the surgery. However, from what I understand, it's not unusual for those that don't drop as quickly in the first 6 months that the 2nd 6 months can often be a time of rapid weight loss. Here's hoping!! I still have a LOT left to lose (started at 450). I sure don't want to have a lot left to lose while June rolls around. Although I did do my lab work, I don't know what the results were. However, I'm guessing that all is well or they would have called. Plus, I'm feeling absolutely FINE with NO side effects. The only bad thing is that my body will tolerate sugar -- so I do have to use my own willpower to stay away from that! Gratefully, I no longer CRAVE chocolate like I did before. As for clothing, I haven't had much changes there even with the 87.25 pounds gone! I still wear the same clothes and while the clothing is loose, it's not loose enough to warrant new clothes. I figure by spring I will have to ditch what I have and start over though. That's really all the new stuff here! I just hope the weight starts MELTING off in this 2nd six months. I really don't want to end the year with tons left to lose!
Sharon Neva 21 years, 8 months ago
J~~ I am 3 months post-op, too. We are about at the same pace, I have lost 57 pounds. I was on a plateau for about 4 weeks! and this week I finally lost 2 pounds... You are doing great. Keep us posted on your progress.
J M. 21 years, 8 months ago
I'm now post-op 3 months and have lost a total of 50 pounds. I hit a plateau at 400 pounds and have had a hard time getting much under 400 but I know it will come. I'm exercising in an indoor pool 6 days a week and lifting weights three times a week as well. Feeling fine -- twice now I have thrown up. The first time was understandable as I ate something that was fairly high in fat grams. The 2nd time it was fruit but something told me to spit it out after I first ate it. I didn't and WISHED I HAD!! Funny, the stomach is definitely in control these days! I can now eat about 2 cups of food at one sitting. Feels really good to feel "normal" around everyone else when eating out! Anyhoo, just wanted to let folks now that all is well. Just ready to shed a bunch more!
J M. 21 years, 11 months ago
A bit of news... I finally slept all the way through the night for the first time since surgery!!! Tricks of the trade include (especially for former stomach sleepers): 1) Put at least 2 pillows underneath the top of your mattress to raise your head up at about a 30 degree angle 2) Put a pillow under your knees 3) Best of all, to minimize back pain, use one of those foam eggcrate pads under your sheet!!! That made ALL the difference last night! Also, thank the Lord! Diarrhea ended last night and I actually had a normal bathroom trip this morning! Pain is definitely even less today since I slept well. That's also good news! Last, but not least, I also think I've lost all of the fluid I gained in the hospital. My shoes were easy to get on this morning as there didn't seem to any swelling! Now to just lose some of this extra FAT! :)
J M. 21 years, 12 months ago
Wednesday, June 12, 2002 Just a quick update. On a "pain scale" of 1-10 where 10 is the worst and 1 is the least pain you've ever been in, I'm probably still at a 3. The incision is healing and is slightly sore but the lack of arthritis medication is making MOVING very painful. Add to that that I don't normally sleep on my back...so my back is REALLY hurting. It feels like it's bruised even though I don't see any bruising. Otherwise, I MORE than ready to move from clear liquids to full liquids tomorrow! Although I do wish it was week 3 so I would be adding cottage cheese and mashed potatoes! :) Anyhoo, to those who are soon to go through surgery, do remember that some of the keys for getting out of the hospital are: 1) Use that SPIROMETER religiously! 2) Walk your socks off!! 3) Have a VERY POSITIVE ATTITUDE!
Carmen K. 21 years, 12 months ago
Dear J...........thank you very, very much for sharing your surgery experience. This means so much to those of us who are about to have surgery! I really appreciate your taking the time. God bless you and may you have a speedy recovery. :)
~Tooter - the Droopy Witch 21 years, 12 months ago
Just a quick note to wish you a quick recovery. May the angels be watching over you. I also wanted to thank you for writing so much on your pre-op, op and post-op experiences! These things help us pre-ops so very much. Congrats on a great experience and I'm glad you're home!
J M. 21 years, 12 months ago
Pre-Op Visit on May 30, 2002: Everyone was very nice and it went faster than I figured it would. I didn't really have any downtime during the 2 1/2 hours I was there. My appointment was at 8am last Thursday and here's the blow by blow! When I walked in the door, I was greeted by the first stop! This person is either a nurse, LPN, or a receptionist (I wasn't there long enough to figure it out!). They didn't have a ton of people lined up, there appeared to only be 2 other appointments, one for pre-op and one actually having surgery. It was nice to meet another person that would having the surgery the next week with me. I was only at that station for a brief moment...long enough to give a urine sample in a container that I've never seen before. This "catcher" has a FUNNEL on it. It was easier to use that the typical kind but I guess I was sleepy...I got confused over what went in the trash and what went in the bio-hazard bag! I also got embarrassed when I accidentally pulled the "help" cord and didn't even know it! LOL! Anyhoo, just FYI -- the urine sample goes in the bio-hazard bag and everything else goes in the trash -- though I SWEAR that's not what she said!! LOL! I barely sat down before the next person came and took me to the room I would be in and out of for the next few hours. After verifying a few bits of info, I was taken to the lab. You not only have blood drawn (several small vials) but then they also drew blood from my wrist to determine blood gases. After that, I went back to my room. More questions from the nurse (all ones that I had answered in my consultation) and BP, Pulse, and Temp measured. Then onto x-ray and ultrasound. I knew they were going to do a gall bladder ultrasound. That was more difficult than I thought it would be. It was too hot back in that section of the hospital not to mention that you have to take in deep breaths while she mashes down through the fat to get a good pic of the gallbladder! It wasn't painful, just uncomfortable. OH!!! I almost forgot! Again, maybe I was just ridiculously sleepy that day but I asked the gal what clothing I needed to take off and she said my underwear. I asked her, do you mean bra AND underwear and the answer was yes. Gee, I was wrong there too! I think it shocked the technician when I didn't have on my underwear --- apparently it's only the BRA that has to be removed! Oops! Gee, glad I'm not prudish! LOL! After this, I saw the nutrtionist. She was nice and went over the first 2 weeks of food (or should I say liquid!) that you need to shop for ahead of time. She breezed over what came next and stated that they would spend more time talking about it before I headed home from the hospital stay. I also got written info about all of this -- I think that's also why this part was done so hurriedly. The respiratory therapist came next. I had an EKG and had my air output measured (you blow really hard into a device to measure this). I was also given an Incentive Spirometer to take home and begin practicing to draw in deep breaths. I do this 4x day, 20 reps each! JOY!! Of course, this IS really important though to ward off pneumonia or so my nursing friends tell me! I saw the doctor next. ONE SHOCKER -- the doc gave me a breast exam. Not that it bothered me, I was just surprised! I signed a waiver giving away my right to a pelvic/pap since they don't do those. That's everyone I saw if I'm remembering right. I had some papers to sign consenting to treatment, waiving my rights to renumeration if they use pics from the actual operation in any way (these are non- identifying pics), stating I understand the risks, etc. Also, although I didn't have enough time to even FINISH it, I was given a piece of paper that outlines how you deal with pain. The other thing I was given was a hibiclens?? Basically a scrubber with betadine type stuff on it to use the morning of the surgery when you take a shower. I explained to her that I'd be traveling nearly 4 hours AFTER my shower and that didn't matter...still do it. Don't know if that's more psychological or not, but hey, I'll play by the rules! :) They also mentioned what would happen the day of the surgery. You can bring music for them to play during the pre-op time and they mentioned that I shouldn't plan on RESTING during the hospital stay...that they would be checking on you every 15 minutes for the first few hours after surgery, having lots of walks...the first to be 4 hours after surgery. Anyhoo, that's my pre-op in a nutshell. Today, the day BEFORE my surgery, is the last day I get to have a regular meal for awhile. I'm planning to eat lunch with a friend rather early today as Noon is the cutoff. After that, it's just liquid for awhile. Anyhoo, I should be able to post on my own sometime next week. Think happy, healthy thoughts for me tomorrow morning (Thursday, June 6th) from 8:30 on. I'll probably be under the knife around 9:30am and I'll be in recovery before Noon.
J M. 21 years, 12 months ago
Wednesday, June 6, 2002 - The Day Before I was excited beyond belief! I KNOW this is the right thing for me! I didn't plan an "exciting" last meal...it just didn't matter that much. I ended up eating an early lunch at my favorite Chinese place in town. It's a buffet and I know I won't be able to "hold my own" at buffets anymore so I figured it was a good choice! By early evening I was sort of hungry but I had packing to do, so I just ignored it. I had my last few swallows of water at 10:30pm and went on to bed. Thursday, June 6, 2002: Surgery Day!!! The alarm went off at 4am. ICK!!!! I took a shower, washed my hair, and scrubbed with the Hibiclens thing I had been given during my pre-op. I figured it had Betadyne in it but it didn't so no stain (yet!). I quickly got dressed and we hit the road. We got there about 8:15am and thank God, I was asked to give a urine specimen! NO PROBLEM!! After giving that to the Admissions person, I sat down briefly. I was then called upstairs to await my surgery prep. It's a large waiting room and everyone waiting to have surgery that day is there along with family members who are waiting on their person to either have or come out of surgery. BTC gives family members a $5 meal card for the cafeteria and also a beeper so that they can leave the hospital during the surgery if they want to. There's also a beverage cart in the room for family members. The room is filled with recliners so you can take a nap and get comfortable. I was the 3rd surgery Dr. Vaughn was doing that day (one more after me) and waiting took forever!! I wondered if someone had had complications but found out later it was that the anesthesiologist had shown up late! Aarrgghh!!! Anyhoo, although surgery was supposed to be around 9:30'ish, I didn't leave to go to prep until 11:00am! :( My husband slept during the 90 minute unexpected wait and I hooked up my headphones and listened to the special CD's I had picked out! The two songs I focused on most often were, "A Whole New World" from Aladdin and "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio!! Although it seemed like it took forever, I finally went to prep at 11:00am and from there, things went fairly quickly! At least for me!! :) I walked down (this hospital believes in patients walking!!) to the surgical prep room and answered several questions that I had answered the week before (allergies, verifying medical history, and then whether or not I had ever been abused in any way). After the questions were out of the way, several things happened. The nurse explained everything that would happen between here and when I went to my room. She placed ace bandages on my feet and lower calves and put on the compressor thingies to keep the blood flowing. My IV was started (it included regular fluid, Xantac and a sedative, if I remember right). Then I drank a nasty concoction that was to minimize the acids in my stomach. I met with the anesthesiologist and talked with him about my history with anesthesia. Dr. Vaughn came in and asked if I was ready. I told him that I hoped he wasn't too tired since I was the 3rd person of the day! He laughed and assured me that he was definitely ready! I know there were other steps taken during the prep but things were going so fast I don't remember! :) At that point, I was told the operating room was ready for me and time REALLY flew then! I was wheeled in and helped from the bed I was in onto the operating table. I found it interesting that the operating table had one of the egg crate foam pads on it and then covered with a sheet. I spoke briefly to everyone in the room and was out before I knew it!!! Next thing I remember I was in recovery and people were scurrying about checking on all my vitals! One thing to note here for family members: Although time went by quickly for me, it was not actually going by that quickly!! According to my husband, it was 3pm before Dr. Vaughn came out to tell him I was headed to recovery. Obviously this took a lot longer than we had originally thought so warn your family members! Again, we found out later that the anesthesiologist was very late getting there but that can create havoc for those waiting! Anyhoo, post-recovery, I was on Q15 -- every 15 minutes a nurse was doing something to me!! After the first 2 hours, this went down a bit but it was still a busy room! After 4 hours, I was up walking for the first time. Although a bit painful, it really wasn't bad...especially since I had anesthesia AND painkillers! By the time my husband and I got to actually TALK, I was feeling GREAT! They kept asking me (over the next few days) what my pain level was from a 1 - 10 with 10 being the worst you've ever felt and 1 being no pain. My pain level that first day was a 2! :) I was actually embarrassed that I felt so good since my roommate did not! She was not feeling well and we later discovered that it was due to a bowel obstruction that she eventually had surgery on 2 days later. Anyhoo, the first day went REALLY well until late in the evening when the anesthesia wore off and my body remembered that it has both rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis. After the first few walks, the nurses put me in the chair in the room for an hour. When they came to get me up the first time, two people assisted me in getting up. It was difficult but I did it. Four hours later when we did this again, the nurse that came in did not want to help me get up. She stated that I had to do it on my own. I shared my medical issues of arthritis and she demanded to know how I had been getting up at home. I told her that in the last 2 weeks, I hadn't been able to get up without assistance since I was not able to take my regular medication!! While we were "arguing" over this issue and she was continuing to state that she was not able/allowed to life patients, 2 other nurses walked by and helped me out of the chair. I told them I would not be back in the chair unless some sort of anti-inflammatory could be given...otherwise, I would sit on the side of the bed for the required time. After struggling to get out of the chair, I finally felt some pain. For about the next 12 hours, my pain level was at a 4. Oh by the way, Dr. Vaughn does NOT allow you to have anything for the first 24 hours post-op other than lemon glycerin swabs. I started not to take them, but I did and was GLAD for it!! I was DYING for something to drink!! :) Friday, June 7, 2002: The Day After The next morning one of the nurses asked me why I wasn't willing to sit in the chair. When I shared my story (and the story of my roommate, who got stuck in her chair for over 4 hours and didn't get walked for 9 hours), she not only empathized but went to the Assistant Director of Nursing and told her what had happened. The BEST news is that when she heard, I finally got some Toradol - an anti-inflammatory that would not mess with my stomach. That made all the difference!! I was literally up and walking quickly through the building within 30 minutes! Unfortunately, my roommate was not as fortunate. Although they were very kind, it became obvious that her pain was worsening. :( On Friday, I religiously did my 20 breaths on the Incentive Spirometer, my coughing, and walking every 2-4 hours no matter what. Once again, my pain level went down...this time is actually less than a "1" but I felt so bad saying that in front of my roommate!!! We went for our x-rays (or was that the day before, I can't remember now!) and once again, took a nasty liquid shot to show any obstructions. My x-rays were clear but my roomie's were not and soon she was told she was headed back to surgery. After that, she went into a private room. Bless her heart, she took it really hard and at first didn't understand that she had no choice. She was also worried whether this meant that she would not be able to lose weight. Though she was not totally rational, I have no doubt this was definitely due to the PAIN she was in and how scary it all was! For the rest of the day, I did everything I was supposed to and the nurses kept commenting on how well I was doing! I felt GREAT! Late in the day I was finally allowed 1/2 cup of ice per hour. Let's just say, I definitely could have eaten more!! I was SO THIRSTY -- but, that's Dr. Vaughn's rules! Bottom line, I am willing to live with almost any sacrifice if it means that I will dump this weight!! :) My husband was with me from late afternoon until 8pm and was so sweet! :) One other thing I just remembered, of course, the Cumadin shots began the first day as well. You receive these in your stomach and the needle is so small that you barely even FEEL that shot! You'll get one a day as long as you're in the hospital. Also, about every 4 hours you'll get a breathing treatment from the respiratory therapist as well. That was all for Friday! Saturday, June 8, 2002: The next day!! Nothing new to note here. All my meds stayed the same but the ice chips increased! And by late afternoon, I got a popsicle! Woo hoo!!! LOL! I felt good all day and did my best to walk every hour instead of every two. I also used the spirometer and coughed every hour as well. I actually turned the TV on that day and tried to read all the nutritional information (actually a 3-ring binder with tons o' info) they had sent. BTW -- not that it's really important, but I just remembered that the stuff with my roommate actually didn't happen until today (DH just reminded me!). So, sometimes, it does take awhile to discover and fix a problem. Another REALLY important reason to get up, do your walking, deep breathing, and coughing. Not that that would have cured what happened to her, but she was not "religious" in her exercising. Oh, I just remembered -- this was the first day that I realized that the hospital had given us several things as well. They had given everyone a vase with 3 carnations in it, a very nice green pillow to use when you cough (to hold against your incision), and a big tub of goodies in the closet. Definitely should have investigated this earlier as it had some personal items that would have been helpful!! One thing I regret is that I didn't look in here earlier and ask about the "tongs" -- I did manage to take care of my bathroom issues without them and the medical cleansing cloths that were in the tub but it would have been nice to know they were there and to learn HOW to use them. Like I said, I managed, but I bet there would have been less pain if I had used them! Also, there was a nice kit of personal products (shampoo, lotion, mouthwash, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc.), a 32 oz water jug, slipper socks, and other goodies! Anyhoo, Saturday went well as far as pain. I called several people to let them know that I was truly ok! Otherwise, I stayed busy every hour once again walking, coughing, and sucking air through the spirometer!! I also was taken to the Shower Room to do just that. I made my husband help me though as I wasn't sure if I could do it all on my own. Turned out, he got to be a Peeping Tom as I didn't need him after all! The only other thing I did was start a Grisham book since there was still nothing on TV!!! Oh...I forgot to mention that Maintenance finally came and fixed the air. While everyone else in the hospital was cold, my room was HOT!! We ran two fans the whole time I was there until they came and fixed the A/C in the room! Sunday, June 9, 2002: Time to Go HOME!! I woke up feeling good and stayed in that mode for a few hours. Then I realized that my body was really achy and called the nurse to get another Toradol shot. Unfortunately, I found out that I wasn't allowed to have any since Midnight! Aarrgghh! Mind you, I found this out when I was sitting in the recliner!! Another day of explaining to the nurses why I could practically run down the hall the day before but needed help out of the chair today! Apparently since anti-inflammatory can cause problems for the new stomach, the doc would not allow me to go home with any Toradol in my system. :( Back to pain'ville. My pain level went up to a 3 and eventually a 4 before I went home. I still made myself walk every hour but it was VERY difficult and I could no longer sit in the chair. Going to the bathroom was more difficult as well since I couldn't bend at the knees to sit down again. :( This time, the nurses all understood but there was no changing the doc's mind -- believe me, I tried! There were several people being discharged and I was one of the last ones to go. I was finally discharged just before 1pm. I got my discharge orders, my prescriptions, and my drainage ball (that hangs just below the incising to drain out excess blood) taken out. It didn't hurt to have it removed -- just was an uncomfortable moment. I also finally figured out how to use the binder they had me in. Come to find out, it had never been as tight as it should have been. Anyhoo, I got a lesson in how to make it work to my advantage but it would have been good to have known this the whole time! My husband and the staff helped me gather all my stuff and get it out. I wasn't allowed to help at all since you're not allowed to carry anything over 5 pounds! The next trip was to the pharmacy. We did not do well at the pharmacy. There were out of the Loritab (pain meds) but called it in to our home pharmacy. I only get that every four hours as needed and had had some just before leaving the hospital so I knew I be ok on the ride home. I was also supposed to get liquid Pepcid AC. I had had some in the hospital (for the bad gas pains you definitely have!) and so they substituted. OH MY GOD, the generic substitute SUCKS!!! YIKES!!!!!! I'd almost rather have the gas! LOL! However, I am taking it since it ain't fun!! The hard part on Sunday was the trip home. I was not comfortable in the passenger's seat (it's smaller than the driver's seat). Both feet ended up swelling but we did stop every hour as prescribed to walk. By the time we got home (nearly 4 hours later), I was SO tired! I went ahead and had my husband fix the bed so that the head of the bed was raised at a 30 degree angle (that was a suggestion from the hospital at the LAST minute). I basically ate supper, walked, sucked air, and coughed for the next few hours (on the hour) and then went to bed at 9pm!! I slept until 4am. I took pain meds, used the spirometer, coughed, went to the bathroom, walked and went BACK to bed!! :) Monday, June 10, 2002: Reality sets in! I finally got up around 7am and started my new routine. I planned out my 6 liquid meals (to include diluted juices, sugar-free popsicles, sugar-free gelatin, diluted Crystal Light, beef/chicken broth, and/or water). It's 8:30pm now and I still need to get in about 12 ounces of water. Although I'm not physically hungry, when my husband cooked some food today, I sure did want it -- even though, it's something I don't even like!!! I'm sure that will happen for a while until I'm back on solid foods! I'm doing fine although I really wish I had the Toradol. Without it, it means I cannot sit anywhere other than on the bed unless my husband is there to help me. I took a shower on my own -- so that was good. My temp is below normal -- which is normal for me. I took a brief nap for about 30 minutes around 4pm today. Other than that, it's been mostly ok today. My incision is sore but that's to be expected. I changed out the bandage today and it's not bad either. I can't wait to see the changes but for now, everything is working according to plan! Come Thursday I can add "full" liquids which will include "see-through" soups, sugar-free fudgesicles, sugar-free pudding, etc. That will hopefully satisfy me more than the clear liquids but we'll see! Oh one other thing -- I nearly forgot!!! While in the hospital, I gained about 16 pounds of fluid so I have to lose that too now! LOL! But again, that's normal with RNY surgery so I have to lose those extra pounds as well as the others!! That's all the details I can think of for now. As I think of anything else that might be helpful, I'll let you know! Otherwise, hopefully my next big post will include some semblance of weight loss!! My follow-up appointment is on June 28th so I'll know just how much by then!