My surgery story!

Aug 16, 2011

 Ok...here is my story of the surgery!

Monday morning my husband got off work at 0430, so I had to get up to pick him up from his ship.  We then came home and I showered one last time with Dial soap and we were off to the hospital.  Once there, they made me change into my gown and did a few tests...blood pressure, blood sugar and a Heparin shot.  The nurse was great and was telling me how her sister had the same surgery, and ended up going back to the same habits, and is 100lbs heaver now then she was when she has the surgery.  She had tears in her eyes as she told me to do what the Dr. said - to not abuse the tool she was giving me.  I was lucky to get a 'second chance'.  

I was then told to go wait in waiting room so I could wait about an hour and half until they were ready for me.  I watched my husband and daughter playing with the toys, and a MILLION emotions were going through me...like should I really do this?  I was ready to run.  My husband calmed me some and said to not let my anxiety talk me out of this...that I was ready - who would go through 3 weeks of a liquid diet to run away last minute?!  I kept telling myself that it would be over before I knew it!

Suddenly my husband said 'Sunday' and I looked up to a nurse there to take me back to the pre-op area.  I said 'nooooooo' and let out a nervous laugh.  I followed her to the OR preop area and she showed me my bed.  I laid in the bed and started to shake.  I guess seeing I have never been put to sleep before, I didn't know what to expect.  The anesthesiologist came in and he looked just like my cousin Ben, but with blond hair.  He told me he was about to do the IV, and he then started on one hand...my vein must have sucked away cause he couldn't get it, and then started again on the other hand.

My surgeon came in and we chatted and she asked if I had any last minute questions.  I asked about the pain after the surgery and she said 'You are going to rock this!  My patients are tying their shoes the next day!'  That made me feel a little better and I prayed that this would just hurry and be done with.

The anesthesiologist came back in with a shot, and said it was a cousin of Valium.  As he put it into my IV, I asked how long it took to work.... he smiled and said 'You will see!'  As soon as he left the room I suddenly felt CALM!  I didn't care about anything, and started to laugh with the Doctors that kept coming in the room to chat.  They said they were ready and wheeled me to the OR room.  I had to help them get me on the OR table, and I laid down.  I loved that my anxiety was GONE and I didn't feel afraid or anything!  They told me that they were going to give me something that would make my ears ring, and to let them know when I heard them ring....that is the last thing I remember.....

I went into surgery about 10-1030, and didn't get out til about 330-4.  I guess she had a hard time with my gallbladder, it kept hiding on her!  She managed to get my gallbladder and my RNY done though... YAY!

I woke up groggy to being wheeled to the ICU step down unit and to nurses saying 'Sunday!  Your all done!'  I remember I kept saying I had cramps...period cramps... and that was what hurt, nothing else at the time LOL.  I was very happy I didn't feel anything else really.

The night in the ICU step down unit was a hard one.  Even with my blood pressure medicine, my heart rate was staying in the 90-115 range, and my blood pressure was up a tiny bit.  About 1130 at night they came in and asked me to get up to walk around.  THIS was the worst part of the whole experience. I was still groggy, and every time I moved, my heart rate seemed to shoot up to about 125-130, which caused me to freak out.  Every step felt like I was going to pass out, and I was shaking really bad.  I am not sure if it was fear of falling, the pain from walking, or some lasting meds from being put under.  I felt so bad for the male nurse helping me, he obviously didn't know how to deal with anxiety LOL.....  at one point of my walking around, I came around the corner and I had 3 of the head Drs standing there with their arms crossed...they were concerned as to why my heart rate was so high.  I told them I had anxiety, and they offered me some anxiety meds.  I went back to lay in bed and they shot me up and I fell asleep.  

Next day they came in and said that my neighbor and I were being transferred to a regular room, and we were going to be roommates.  They disconnected me from all the machines, took out the wonderful catheter and my 'do it myself' pain pump, and rolled me up to my room.  I had a mini TV and was told to get up and walk around as much as I could handle. My roommate had also had the surgery, but by a different surgeon.  She seemed to be doing much better then me, but she was also a bit smaller then me in size...she was cool though, and I am happy I had someone to spend my first couple days after surgery with, who knew what I was going through.

The nurses started to come in and tell us to drink 60ccs and hour MINIMUM, and our meds were taken crushed or liquid form....let me tell you, the Lortab I think it is called is GROSS!  But takes only 5 minutes to work ;)  We also were given a Glucerna and a water at breakfast and lunch...I think I only had maybe a small 60ccs a day of the shake, as it was sickly sweet, and I am not hungry.


The surgical team for my surgeon was AMAZING!  They seriously genuinely cared about me, and came around quite often to check on how I was doing.  They told me my incisions looked great (they used a weird skin super glue to close my incisions).  I have 5 incisions below my boobs and above my belly button, and one to the right of my belly button.  It looks like I was stabbed - but no bruising!

Wednesday morning I woke up with the worst cramps ever, and guess what...got my period!  I was told also to call my ride, they were going to discharge me.  I had to wait for over an hour and a half for David to get from NOB to Portsmouth Naval Hospital...which is a whole 20 minutes if that...but once he was there I went home.

The last week has flown by, and I have had a few mental battles with myself.  I am now up to 1 protein shake a day, and about 50oz of water a day.  Drinking fluids are not an issue, but the protein is.  They want me at 60grams and I think I get maybe 17-25 a day...it fills me up so much I get a ton of pressure.  I am sure I am doing good though, as I have been told by many that I am doing much better then they had after surgery.  

I am soooo looking forward to my appt on the 23rd (next Tuesday) to get my go ahead for pureed foods!  It will be a ton easier to get protein in with the variety of items I can finally eat again!  And after 5 weeks of liquid diet, I am so wanting a yogurt!!! YUM!

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