Marie R.

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12/30/07 - I am 4 days post-op and still feeling a little run down but each day gets better.  I still can't believe that I have made it this far because it seems like it took an eternity to get here.

No looking back now, I am on my way down the Lap Band Road to a new and improved life-style for me.   I hope everyone else is doing well.  I want to wish everyone a Safe and Happy New Year !!! 

God Bless,
Marie

GO BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12/25/07 - Today is Christmas however I will be receiving my Christmas wish tomorrow (12/26) as I enter the hospital to have my Lap Band done.  

I can't tell you how excited I am to receive this gift.  It has been coming for a long time and it is finally here.  Wish me luck everyone!

Regards,
Marie

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours.   Be safe everyone and remember not to over due it.


God Bless,
Marie
 

12/6/07 - I completed all of my pre-op tests and classes today.  The only thing left for me to do is to meet with my surgeon, Dr. Choban on 12/20/07.  

I can't believe that my surgery is only 20 days away.  I am so excited.  People keep asking me how am I going to get through Christmas without eating.  I tell them that it's not an issue for me.  I will still sit down with my family for dinner but my meal will be smaller and different than what they are eating.

Best Wishes Everyone!
Marie 

11/6/07 - Today I went to see Dr. Choban for my 1 month check-up regarding my gallbladder surgery.  I am feeling much better and all of my scars are healed.

Dr. Choban is going to put me on the schedule for 12/26/07.  I am so excited about everything.  I started this journey in March of 2007, so you can understand how anxious I am now.

I hope everyone is doing well.  Take care and God Bless untill next time.!
Marie

11/1/07 - I thought that I would post an update on how things are going with me since having my Gallbladder surgery and the complications that followed.  

Since the beginning of this week, I have been feeling a lot better.  I still get pains in my right side whenever I breathe in but they are not constant like before.  I go to see my surgeon, Dr. Choban on 11/6 for another follow-up.  I'll keep posting if anything else changes.

I hope everything is going well for everyone!  Hang in there.........Marie

I thought that I would post an update on how things are going with me.

10/8 - I went back to the hospital to have a CT scan done before my doctor's appt. on 10/11.  My surgeon wants to see if the abscess is getting better.

10/11 - I saw my surgeon today.  I am happy to report that the abscess has gone down a little bit.  I was also able to have my 2nd drain removed today.  I had this drain in for 2 weeks and hardly anything came out of it.  I'm still having nausea and some pain but I was assured by my doctor that I will continue to heal.

10/16 - After having my drain removed last Thursday, I began to feel a little bit better by Saturday.  However, on Sunday I started having some pain in my upper right chest area that went through to my shoulders.  It was not very painful at first but by Tuesday morning (10/16), I was in severe pain.  The pain remained the same except after going through my shoulders; it went down my right side right below my rib cage and ended with a spasm.  I only experienced the pain whenever I yawned, breathed, or moved a certain way.  

I called my doctor to see if it was anything to be concerned about and she sent me back to the hospital to have another CT scan as well as blood work so that she could see what may be causing it.  The CT scan technician spoke with my doctor right away after my scan so that she could relay my doctor's information to me.  I was told that my doctor compared this scan with the one I had on 10/8 and the abscess had actually shrunk some more.  Therefore, she feels that I am still healing but now some of the after effects that I am experiencing are most likely from my RSD.  I agreed with her because my pain was sharp and piercing which are both classic symptoms of RSD.  She told me to continue to take it easy and the abscess issue will continue to dissolve itself.  

She also told me that I would need to wait at least 6 months now before we can schedule my Lap Band surgery.  I understand her wanting me to wait so for now, I just want to get better.  Hope everyone is doing well!
Regards, Marie    

10/4 - I decided to give the Gastric Bypass Coordinator a call today to see if she had received my final piece of information, which was a letter from my primary care physician.  She told me, "no but you have already been approved".  I asked, "by Aetna for surgery"?  She told me, "yes, Julie from Aetna gave her the approval the other day.

This is wonderful news, but now I must wait for 3 months or until January 2008 to have the surgery.  After my recent gallbladder surgery and the complications I had, Dr. Choban told me that I would need to wait for 3 months for everything to heal before starting the lap band surgery.  Oh well, at least I have something to look forward to.

Regards,
Marie

9/14/07 - I went into the hospital this morning to have my Gallbladder removed, however things did not go as smoothly as expected.  The surgery itself took a little longer due to blood loss and what I first thought was a liver biopsy as well.  I was admitted and moved to my room.  My liver is fatty, which is something that I already knew from a previous CAT Scan. I woke up with a drain in the middle of my chest that looked like a plastic grenade.

I was able to go home the next day but needed to keep the drain in for 2-3 weeks per instructions given by nurse.  After about 4-5 days at home, I started feeling better.  Then on Sunday, September 23, I started feeling ill again with nausea.  I was already scheduled to see my surgeon on Tuesday, so I thought that if it doesn't get better, then I will give her a call.  Well Monday afternoon, I started running a fever of 101.7 and was still nauseated. 

9/25/07 - I went to my surgeon on Tuesday so that she could pull my drain out.  While I was there she noticed that I had a fever and told me that it was probably just a reaction from the drainage tube.  

I didn't sleep very well Tuesday night but by early Wednesday morning, I was running a fever of 101.1 again.  I continued to take my temp thru the day until all of a sudden it jumped to 102.7.  I called my surgeon and spoke with her nurse.  She told me to go back to the hospital ER for a CAT Scan so that she could see what was going on inside.  She also told me that she would notify the ER/CAT Scan that I was coming in ahead of time.  Well, after waiting the first hour in the ER in pain.  I called the answering service because the ER told us that no one called regarding me and they also checked with CAT Scan and they said the same thing.  

The on-call doctor called me back after 2 pages.  I began to explain my situation only to be abruptly interrupted by this doctor, who repeatedly told me that I can't just walk into the ER and say I want a CAT Scan.  I again tried to explain to him what I was told by the office & ER but he did not want to listen.  I then asked him twice, "Can you just be quiet for a minute so that I can explain my situation"!  Note: I was already in a lot of pain but this guy could care less.  I finally said, what is your name?  He said, 'Dr. Miller".  I then hung up the phone on him.  I thought to myself, how dare a doctor treat me that way.  He was rude, inconsiderate, and lacks a great deal of empathy.  I needed to concentrate on my pain and what to do next instead of letting him get to me, but I was sure to let my surgeon know what happened.

9/26/07 - After 2.5 hrs in ER waiting room, then a total of 8 hrs in an ER bed, I was finally admitted to the hospital and taken to my room.  Note: when they first took me back to my bed in the ER, the ER Doc came to see me right away.  I was then sent to get a CAT Scan as well as other tests done.  Sure enough, my CAT Scan showed an abscess in the location where my Gallbladder used to be.  They sent me a surgical consult to discuss what needed to be done.  I was told that the least evasive way to drain the abscess would be to take me to Radiology and have the Radiologist use the CAT Scan while he inserts an abscess drain tube.  I was told that this works 85% of the time and if it doesn't work, then I would need to have surgery again.

The next morning, which was only a couple of hrs later, they took me to Radiology to have the drain put in.  I was scared to death during this procedure because people can die from this.  I must keep it in place for 2 weeks so that we are able to get everything out.  I can't tell you how physically drained I am after going through all of this within a matter of 13 days.  

9/29/07 - I was finally discharged from the hospital on Saturday and I was told by my surgeon that my Lap Band surgery would have to wait for at least 3 solid months now.  I may need to rethink that situation as well but I will keep you posted.  I hope everyone else is doing well and staying strong.........Regards, Marie

 

9/6/07 - I went to see my surgeon regarding the problem with my gallbladder.  She explained the reason again for not being able to do the surgery together with the Lap Band due to the possibility of infection.  She then explained how she would perform the laparoscopic surgery to remove my gallbladder.

I am scheduled to have my gallbladder out on 9/14/07.  My doctor told me after about 4-6 weeks, I can then have my Lap Band surgery.  It pushes things back a little but in the end, I know that it will be the right thing to do.............Stay Strong Everyone!.......Marie