No Guts, No Glory

May 25, 2011

Post-Op Day 5

Wow – five days post-op already.  So much to update with – and a lot of it is intended for those who will be undergoing VSG themselves in the coming months, so other readers may wish to gloss over the detail of this post.

The day before surgery was only clear liquids (no biggie), and then NPO (nothing by mouth) after midnight. They also gave me a Zantac to take the night before and the morning of to recent any residual stomach acid.

I spent the evening alone after dropping my son off to my super mother-in-law for overnight, as I would have to leave early for the hospital the next morning. It was actually really good to have the time alone to go through the natural emotions you go through the night before something like this. I was able to do what I needed to do in solitude - which, for a control freak like me, included a “I hope you will never have to read this” letter of instructions in the event of the unlikely, which can now just be popped into my safety deposit box to be opened 60 years from now. :)

In any case, I actually was able to relax afterwards, read a few chapters of the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, and get a good sleep.

The morning of my surgery, my BFF (best friend forever) picked me up bright and early at my house and drove me into the HSC, where I checked in at the surgery desk by 6:30am.

A few minutes later I was into a chair in the pre-op area undergoing prep with a very nice RN.  They said that my BFF could join me in there, and since I was there over an hour, it was really nice to have the company.

First I donned a lovely green-and-blue Eastern Health ensemble, complete with matching booties. Then, after the pre-requisite list of the same old questions (note: many different people will ask you endlessly about you pre-existing health conditions, medications and allergies – it’s trés redundant, but just be patient, go with it and be happy there are so many checks and balances in place) I received an injection of Heperin (to prevent clotting), and doses of Maxeran (to prevent sickness) and another Zantac (stomach acid).

After that, it was just a waiting game until I was called into surgery. But they gave both me and my BFF those warmed-up blankets they always seem to have on hand, so it was cozy. We did some Facebooking while we waited.  ;)

Dr. Pace did stop in to see me while we were waiting, which as I understand it, surgeons don’t always do, but I wasn’t surprised, as I would be his first NL VSG patient. It was quick, but I got a chance to ask him a few questions re: swimming (2 weeks) and sex (go for it whenever I feel up to it). He also told me the team who would be in the room for my surgery:

Dr. David Pace – lead surgeon
Dr. James Ellesmere – bariatric surgeon in from Halifax to observe and assist
Dr. Darrell Boone – surgeon who is just above Dr. Pace in the food chain at Eastern Health, to observe and assist
Dr. Robert Forward – Anesthesiologist (you may remember him as Mr. 2% from my pre-admission appointment, but seriously, a great guy who makes you feel uber-groovy on the table)
Dr. Kuan Chuah – Chief surgical resident
Jill Vardy – a rep from the company that supplies the instruments for this kind of surgery
And three RN’s – Duane, Sandra, and Marilyn – sorry, I didn’t get their last names.

A few minutes later I was hugging my BFF and heading off to…another waiting room!  With, you got it, another person with another list of the same questions.  :)

But it was quick – more like a staging area, after which I walked with the RN into the operating theatre. (The term operating “theatre” sounds so much more comforting to me than OR, but there was really nothing very theatrical about it.)

I got up on the table and then they inserted an IV into my hand, after numbing the area a bit (thanks Dr. F!). Oxygen on the face, then the AWESOME pre-sleepy drug that kicks in like the best happy place you’ve ever been to.  Hands down, the best 30 seconds of my life. :)

But it was fleeting – within moments I got delivered the good stuff and knew no more until waking up in recovery.

Now, although I don’t know what happened in the room during the surgery, I do know that there was one moment when I managed to crack the room up, even though I was unconscious.

You see, since I knew I wouldn’t have the chance to thank the team in person, this is what I left taped to my tummy for them to find before they started the surgery:



Apparently, they appreciated it a lot, which is always a nice way to start.

Recovery room was quite icky – a lot of nausea, pain, morphine, throwing up, more morphine, and a really strong-personality RN telling me to calm down and breath. She was great, actually, just what I needed.  And she also held my hand, which was very comforting. I think Dr. Forward and Dr. Pace stopped in at some point, but it is an understandably fuzzy couple of hours.

I remember the first thing telling them to phone my BFF so she could phone my husband and family to let them know I was okay.  I think I even managed to slur out her phone number to them, which is impressive, considering I usually need to look at a key pad to remember it! But I knew it was important for my loved ones know that I was okay. Once I knew that was taken care of, I could go back to my retching. :)

More on my hospital stay later – gotta go and see the public health nurse now to get my dressings looked at.

Later ‘gators.

2 Comments