Carrie R.

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Carrie R. 21 years, 7 months ago

Hello All, I am finally home from recovery. Thank you so much for your prayers, thoughts and emails. I loved reading the posts in the hospital. I spent five days in the hospital and another five at my mom and sisters. I was happy to spend a night again in my own bed last night and my husband and daughter have been showering me with attention. I am doing well, just a little sore and like most having trouble getting in all that protein. Per Dr order,I am using the g-tube to push what I cant get in by mouth. I had wonderful help while at the hospital, my hubby and sis took turns staying overnight with me. I couldn't have made it without them, Unfortunately, it was taking over 30 min to get nurse call answered so they were my saviors. The nurses were all great though, just very busy. I am happy to report that I lost 18 pounds in ten days. It is amazing to see that scale actually move. Glad to be on the losing side. Best wishes to everyone. Thank you for all of the support. Love Carrie

Carrie R. 21 years, 7 months ago

****POST-OP UPDATE**** Just got home from visiting Carrie over the weekend, and I am happy to report all is proceeding well. She is still pretty sore from the surgery, as one might expect, but she is a gamer and playing thru the pain. Today she began eating soft foods, though choosing between cottage cheese and ppureed peaches is like trying to choose the lesser of two evils lol. The incision is healing nicely, but the binder was a hit and miss proposition, sometimes becoming quite uncomfortable, so three binders were tried before she settled on the one she liked. Drainage is normal and she is receiving some fluids and her pain meds (Lortab--I hear it's great stuff!) thru a g-tube, which will remain in place until her 4-week followup visit to Dr. Inman. Most of the other meds/vitamins, etc are now being administered by mouth. Her fluid intake rose dramatically today, though there is some concern that her output is still on the weak side, something I'm sure she will address with her surgeon tomorrow during rounds. Carrie has seldom spent any time by herself; her sister, Jody, was there Thurs. and Friday nights, and I spelled her for the weekend. She returned this afternoon and will probably stay with her until her discahrge, now tentatively scheduled for Tuesday. Upon discharge, whe will stay at her mom's for about a week before coming home. (Guess I better get started cleaning the house, huh?) Our daughter, 9, went with me and was happy to see Mom recovering, but was a little anxious at time, esp. with the pain Carrie was enduring. She has seen many of the other bariatric patients in the hallways, but I was distressed to find that many of them are facing this challenge alone. I want to encourage everyone to pal up with someone on the board who is going through this solo. They need your help, encouragement and love. I helped Carrie take a real shower this morning, got her changed into a new gown etc, and she was positively shining!! As the day wore on, she began to tire somewhat. I printed off the replies posted to her Surgery page, and delivered them to her; we read them aloud, and she was so glad to hear from all who have sent messages. Another update sometime later in the week, but I gotta hit the rack; work will come awful early tomorrow. Angel

Gwendolyn A. 21 years, 7 months ago

Hi Carrie, I just wanted to pop in and congratulate you on your surgery! You are now embarking on brand new journey. Best wishes for an uneventful and speedy recovery. Gwen Allen

dlr121702 21 years, 7 months ago

Carrie, Congrats on making it to the other side! What a wonderful angel you have.{I'm jealous} Lol. I am in Indianapolis also but my surgery isnt scheduled until Dec 17th at St. V's with Dr. Huse. I wish for you a speedy recovery and lots of good health and lots of weight loss! Many hugs to you fellow sis and by the way, where did you find that great angel, I need one too! I am single and going to go through thtis alone. Keep in touch sis

kasi H. 21 years, 7 months ago

yayyyyyyyyyyyy carrie!!! congrats at reaching the other side and keep up the great work with your walking. what an angel for a hubby you have. i have one like that too and it's such a blessing. my thoughts are with you. blessed be~

Karende2003 21 years, 7 months ago

Carrie, You are truly blessed....first I'm glad to hear you are doing well and second, you have the most wonderful husband....I read what he posted on the board tonite and almost cried!! Best wishes to you for a speedy recovery.

* Leilani * 21 years, 7 months ago

CONGRATULATIONS on the success of your surgery. What a happy and important day for you. One that you have more then earned and you so well deserve. I look forward to reading all the wonderful and exciting changes that you will be blessed with as you begin to make your journey to the healthier side! It is time to start living life for YOU, and this surgery is just the first step of many to come that will lead you in that direction. Embrace life, meet it head on, keep your head held high and a smile on your face. My prayers and best wishes are with you. (by the way, your hubby did a FANTASTIC job on updating us of your progress, what a 'wunnerful man he is) : ) Aloha, Lei

Katherine M. 21 years, 7 months ago

Dear Carrie...congratulations on your progress after a tough surgery! Thanks Angel for the update. Best wishes for smooth recovery. Cheers,

Carrie R. 21 years, 7 months ago

****POST-OP UPDATE*** By Angel (Carrie's husband)--See, she had an Angel all the while :-) Carrie underwent successful Roux En Y surgery yesterday at St. Vincent Carmel Hospital in Carmel IN. Her surgeon was Dr. Margaret Inman. Her surgery took exactly 2 hrs, with the only hiccup being that her gallbladder proved a little tougher to remove than anticipated. She spent some time in the recovery room, then was transferred to the ICU. I stopped by to visit her this morning before I had to return home, and found her sitting in a chair with a small glass of grape juice, patiently awaiting her transfer to her room. Shortly after surgery, Carried complained of cramping that she described as "a charley horse" in her abdomen. The nurse quickly administered some Valium, and the cramping subsided. Additionally, she has been given injections of Lortab in addition to the morphine drip and IV. In fact I jost got off the phone with her (5:35 PM CT) and she sounded strong, reporting that her breathing is approaching the 1750-2000 range. Remarkable for only 30 hrs post-op, wouldn't you say? She has been meeting fellow bariatric patients in the hallways as they do their laps, and she did nearly 5 laps around the ICU nurses' station last evening. I remarked that at this rate we should take her 120 blocks southwest of the hospital to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and continue the laps there! (Sorry, no celebratory milk, the traditional drink for the Indy 500 champion.) I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the folks at St. Vincent for their kindness and professionalism they have displayed in all aspects of Carrie's care. They even allowed me to stay far longer than the posted visiting hours at the ICU, which as all of you may know, aren't very long at all. I've been trying to catalog all the names of the people I have come in contact with at the hospital--Carol, the surgical liason nurse, who kept me posted as I sweated bullets in the Surg waiting room; Theresa, the ICU nurse on shift when Carrie arrived; Chris, the 3rd shift nurse who blew in like a hurricane, and the others whose names fail my memory at the moment. They exemplify the best of health care; the unsung heroes who help us heal and give us the strength to help us first understand, then enjoy our rebirth. Finally, I want to thank all of you who have offered encouragement, advice and prayers for Carrie. Your contributions have not gone unnoticed by me or my family, and have been a great source of comfort to her as we ramped up to 9/4. Her beaming smile has been evident every time she visits the site and sees new posts or emails. For this, and many more reasons, I am eternally grateful to all of you who have opened your hearts and minds to someone you have never met, but I assure you if you were to encounter her, you would have a lifelong friend. I did, and nearly 14 years later, almost ten as husband and wife, she is still my best friend and my strongest advocate. I will be seeing her again on Saturday, and I will update the page early next week. Once again, my deepest appreciation, Angel

Debra M. 21 years, 8 months ago

HI Carrie, God Bless your surgery and recovery as he did mine. Much love Debra