MsFallsAlot
The surgery: Gastric Bypass (What to expect)
Apr 17, 2009
Surgery date: 4/13/09
Weight: 249
Day before surgery sucked...lots of water, chicken broth, jello, and that fun Magnesium Citrate experience.
Surgery was at 07:30 am at Emory @ John's Creek, with Dr. William Johnson of Atlanta Bariatrics
Arrived at the hospital at 05:20 we were a bit early, I didn't sleep much the night before. Got settled in and medicated, next thing I remember is rolling down the hall to my room.
I don't really recall much of Monday night, I do know I got a reality check with the pain. I don't like intravenous narcotics and was way out of it. I hadn't requested any all day. I requested some meds at 8:00 pm. Just before that I was in tears and the pain was nothing like I expected, vomited up blood twice and the pain just under my boobs was devastating. Felt like someone had punched or kicked me in the sternum. "Gas" the nurse tells me..."you need to go walk" so with the help of my wonderful husband I started walking. It really did help so much that I made sure I was up walking about every 2 hours. I also have asthma and the anesthesia decided to aggravate it...I had a lot of fluid in my lungs. Oh by the way, there is a Nurse or a LCT coming in every 2-4hrs so you don't get ANY sleep. Then some random lady came in at some point late Monday night to "take some blood" I told her where to get blood best from my arms and after three sticks later she got it. Grrr... Monday night into Tuesday morning was the worst pain.
Tuesday they allowed me to "rinse and spit" water. I felt like a stranded survivor on a remote island. Shortly there after I got to sip a 1/4 of a medicine cup of water. They switched me over to "Roxicet" for the gas pain and it is the BOMB. remember I don't like narcotics, so this stuff didn't knock me out and make me all loopy. Tuesday I walked a ton more and the nurses were complimenting me on how well I was doing. I got another breathing treatment and did the breathing exercise thingy several times. By late Tuesday I was feeling tons better...not much pain...The new nurse told me to take the Roxicet every 4-6 hours and it helped sooo much. The good news came, you get to go home Wednesday, everything looks good and you are doing great.
Wednesday I woke up around 6am and ready to walk. My sweet husband was up with me every time I wanted to pee, poo, or walk. He was amazing and I am so blessed to have him in my life. The nurses started taking tubes and disconnecting me from various stuff. The grossest was the "bulb" I had coming out of my old stomach. I was glad to lose the IV tubes too, my arm was all bruised and starting to ache. Dr. Johnson showed up around 08:15 and said I could go home and that I had done great. After he walked out I hopped out of bed threw on the sweats, t-shirt, no bra ( too painful ) and the tennis shoes. I was out of there by about 09:30ish.
Keep in mind I hadn't had a shower in 3 days and my hair looked like I had ran cooking oil through it and I am sure I smelled right nice. Once I got home I took a "cool - luke warm" shower and felt soooo much better. I got in MY bed with My hubby and took a nice 2 hour nap. It was nice to be home.
