sunshine97867
My surgery experience...
Jun 17, 2011
Well, the surgery is finally behind me. I was the most scared in preop.. at the "point of no return". My body will never be the same in many ways, and there's no going back. I will forever have a rearranged GI system, and a measure of malabsorbtion. I will also have a tool to help me become the weight I have dreamed of being for the past 12 years.
The last thing I remember was being transferred to the operating room, and being told to "breathe deep" into a mask. The next thing I know, people were saying my name, and I was waking up in preop. I have a faint memory of transferring from the operating table to the cart. I didn't feel pain persay, but more of a "drawing up" or tightening of my insides on the left side of my abdomen. I had a hard time relaxing after surgery, and they gave me some Ativan and Toradol and switched my pca pain pump from Dilaudid to Morphine. After I felt more comfortable, I got up and walked about 4 hours after surgery in my room. It was a hassle to get my iv unplugged from the wall, unhook my compression "boot"s, and get my catheter all arranged just to walk to the door. However, the staff seemed happy to do it, and gave me a lot of encouragement to move. I had to wear oxygen at night since I was having some low 02 sats, and had trouble taking deep breaths between the pain, and the abdominal binder I had on. I tried using the voldyne, but was horrible at it.. However, I did it at least 10 times an hour.
The next day was "moving day" as my nurse put it. She was awesome at encouraging me to do the things I needed to do to go home. I had a swallowing study that morning that was no big deal, but was kind of intimidating since it was the first thing you drink. It didn't really have a taste, and 2 swallows, and it was done. Back in the room, my surgeon saw me, and advanced me to oral pain medication, when made me nauseated... so they switched me to another med- hydrocodone, and gave me Zofran and Compazine as I needed it for nausea. The evening aide was awful... he didn't seem to pay attention to what he was doing, and had me walk farther than I felt comfortable. I got really dizzy and sick to my stomach, and he left me all alone standing in the hallway to go look for something for me to throw up in. I was scared I was going to pass out. I was able to make it back to my room, but by the time I got there, I was a little afraid of moving again, and didn't take another walk on that shift. Then again, no one made me either...
Going home day went fast. They brought me a full liquid tray for lunch, and I was able to tolerate it just fine. The hydrocodone worked fine on my pain, and the nausea was gone. Walking went better, and since my urine output was okay, they took out my foley. I went to the bathroom just fine, and by the time I got back to my room, my full liquid lunch was there. I tolerated it just fine, and after that they took out my iv and sent me home!
That was all there was to it. Another step behind my on my journey.
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The last thing I remember was being transferred to the operating room, and being told to "breathe deep" into a mask. The next thing I know, people were saying my name, and I was waking up in preop. I have a faint memory of transferring from the operating table to the cart. I didn't feel pain persay, but more of a "drawing up" or tightening of my insides on the left side of my abdomen. I had a hard time relaxing after surgery, and they gave me some Ativan and Toradol and switched my pca pain pump from Dilaudid to Morphine. After I felt more comfortable, I got up and walked about 4 hours after surgery in my room. It was a hassle to get my iv unplugged from the wall, unhook my compression "boot"s, and get my catheter all arranged just to walk to the door. However, the staff seemed happy to do it, and gave me a lot of encouragement to move. I had to wear oxygen at night since I was having some low 02 sats, and had trouble taking deep breaths between the pain, and the abdominal binder I had on. I tried using the voldyne, but was horrible at it.. However, I did it at least 10 times an hour.
The next day was "moving day" as my nurse put it. She was awesome at encouraging me to do the things I needed to do to go home. I had a swallowing study that morning that was no big deal, but was kind of intimidating since it was the first thing you drink. It didn't really have a taste, and 2 swallows, and it was done. Back in the room, my surgeon saw me, and advanced me to oral pain medication, when made me nauseated... so they switched me to another med- hydrocodone, and gave me Zofran and Compazine as I needed it for nausea. The evening aide was awful... he didn't seem to pay attention to what he was doing, and had me walk farther than I felt comfortable. I got really dizzy and sick to my stomach, and he left me all alone standing in the hallway to go look for something for me to throw up in. I was scared I was going to pass out. I was able to make it back to my room, but by the time I got there, I was a little afraid of moving again, and didn't take another walk on that shift. Then again, no one made me either...
Going home day went fast. They brought me a full liquid tray for lunch, and I was able to tolerate it just fine. The hydrocodone worked fine on my pain, and the nausea was gone. Walking went better, and since my urine output was okay, they took out my foley. I went to the bathroom just fine, and by the time I got back to my room, my full liquid lunch was there. I tolerated it just fine, and after that they took out my iv and sent me home!
That was all there was to it. Another step behind my on my journey.
Me, only better...
Jun 07, 2011
Well, I finally made it. 7 months ago, I attended an informational session, and decided that WLS was going to be the way to go. I am in the middle of the prep.. which is no fun, but its beginning to sink in that the surgery is really going to be happening. Time to stop talking about it and get on with the show.
6 months of supervised weight loss, and a few pounds lighter, I am ready to make lifestyle changes that will finally put me on a road to a thinner, healthier me.
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6 months of supervised weight loss, and a few pounds lighter, I am ready to make lifestyle changes that will finally put me on a road to a thinner, healthier me.
