My RNY Gastric Bypass Experience

Mar 30, 2013

Day 1: Friday, March 22, 2013
I wasn’t nervous. Not as nervous as I thought I’d be, anyway. My parents and I packed up everything and piled into my dad’s car. We left our house around 10:30. We got to the hospital a little before 11:45.

I checked in and was immediately called back. The nurse put me in a gown, stockings, and socks. My surgeon (Chapman) came in and we chat for a bit about my concerns. The anesthesiologist came in and I told him my concerns and he promised that 1) he would NOT use the gas on me because I’m allergic and 2) I would NOT feel them extubate me.

They allowed my parents to sit with me while they tried to run an IV. It took 6 tries to get a good vein!! I was wheeled back to the operating room, said “Allons-y!” and it took less than an hour for Chapman to finish my surgery!

I was in recovery for a short period of time before they wheeled me to my room. I was in the North Tower in room 344 (Surgery ICU). I had my first visitor (my friend Laura-Kathleen) a few minutes after I got to the room. She brought me a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers! I was so groggy though that she didn’t stay long. :(

My parents got to my new room and my dad left to go home since my mom planed to stay with me at the hospital while I was there.

Day 2: Saturday, March 23, 2013
It was supposed to be a good day but the longer the day progressed, the worse it got. I didn’t get much sleep because nurses don’t know when to leave a person the fuck alone!

Mary and her mom came to visit. They brought me a stuffed lamb (I named her Lambsy Divey), a bunny flower, a beautiful card, and some coloring stuff (I love to color). They sat with me while my mom went down to the cafeteria to get herself something to eat.

I had a swallowing test earlier that day because I was supposed to start my new diet that day, but I was having swelling that caused the contrast dye to not go down properly so they wanted to keep me on IV fluids.

On the way back from having the swallow study, the nurse ran over my IV and it began to leak, so she kinked it causing blood to come out of the IV. When he unkinked it, blood went all over me and the floor and squirted across the room. In the midst of all this, someone pulled on my catheter and made it uncomfortable.

Later in the day, my catheter wasn’t collecting enough fluids and what fluids it was collecting looked as orange as a crayon! They started pushing fluids on me but even so, I was only pushing out 100 or less CCs every 2 hours.

That night I developed a fever and the headache from hell began. The only thing to make the headache to go away was for me to walk, but walking made me feel like vomiting. I hated life at this point.

Day 3: Sunday, March 24, 2013
It had been an awful night. Very little sleep. My morphine pump only made me feel sleepy and seemed to intensify the headache. The gas pains were horrible. I seriously regretted my decision at this point.

I spent most of the day sleeping, or trying to. They did allow me to start swallowing so I was able to start my diet and water. My throat was SO dry by then that I had a horrible sore throat.

Sometime around 7pm, I started to feel a little better. I didn’t feel like my life was completely over. At one point I turned to my mom and asked, “Is this is what it’s gonna be like forever? I can’t do this. Something’s gotta give!”

Day 4: Monday, March 25, 2013
It’s my son’s 18th birthday. I hated not being there to wake him up. I hated not seeing him off to school and telling him I love him. I sent him a text and prayed I could go home for the day.

I got the news sometime around 8 am that they would be sending me home. I had a lot of complications due to an infection, as well as not having a thyroid and having a damaged parathyroid. It’s gonna be a race to get my calcium levels back where they need to be again, and find a balance with my thyroid meds along with my food, but at least I could go home!

The past week has been hard and there have been many many times when I’ve questioned my decision in doing this, but I know that I’ll be glad I did in the long run.

I’m still swollen with water weight and gas bloat from the surgery so the scales say I’ve gained 7 pounds but I’ve been assured that it’s normal.

I’m still having a lot of pain in my stomach where they did the bulk of the work. My drainage area has finally stopped leaking, which I’m very thankful for. It’s getting better. Slowly, but surely.

I wish I could fully express the gratitude I have for certain people in my life so they can truly feel how blessed I am to have them in my life. My mom gets so many props because she has been here since the beginning and has done everything short of bend over backwards to accommodate me and make sure I’m okay. I’m thankful for my family who have called and text’d and come to visit, and for the plethora of friends and acquaintances who have sent messages asking for updates. You guys are the best!!!

 

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Today:

Just a quick update to let everyone know how things are going.

My pain level is down to a point where I don’t have to take any of my pain meds. I’m sleeping through the night with no pain. I’ve been able to have my shakes with no problems. I have 4 of the 2 oz. cups a day plus a 2 oz. cup of Jello or skim milk or chicken broth twice a day. I’m hoping to take my first unassisted shower today.

My calcium levels are still too low. I had to call my endocrinologist yesterday and he has doubled my calcium intake. It’s still not where it needs to be because my extremities continuously go numb and tingle and cramp, but at least it’s not as bad as it was back in October when I had to be rushed to the emergency department!

I’m anxious to start eating solid food again. Everything my mom cooks for the family smells delicious. Yesterday, she baked chicken and I wanted to sneak a piece SO BADLY but I didn’t. My sister came over (she had her surgery in December), and she scared me by saying that I’m gonna hate when I start eating food again, but wouldn’t say why. She just kept saying, “You just wait.” So now I’m having anxiety about it. :(

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