tinkerbell64
Follow Up With Nutritionist
Aug 21, 2006
8/22/06 Went to my first followup with Jennifer (the dietician) at Spectra today. According to their scales I am down to 234 lbs. She said basically I was doing really well, just need to up the protein another 10-15gms a day. We did solve the calcium issue I got some of the bariatric advantage cinnamon flavored (much better). I am still struggling with the protein she gave me some samples of a couple of things (can you say YUK). I ordered some achiev one's, she said those were fine, I can't wait to get them they are really good and the only thing I really like.
Well I go to see Lucie at Dr. Gallagher's office on Monday morning so we will see how I am doing then.
Well I go to see Lucie at Dr. Gallagher's office on Monday morning so we will see how I am doing then.
I Am On The Losers Bench
Aug 08, 2006
8/9/06 Well my surgery was one week ago today. I drove to my sister Linda's house and she drove me to the hospital. We were there by 5:30. I signed into registration and waited maybe 5 minutes and then they gave me my paperwork and wristband and sent me up to the 2nd floor preop area. Well we checked in up there and was called back and put in my private preop room. The nurse came in and asked all the regular questions checked allergies. Then she gave me a dose of xanax which the Dr. had ordered and they also gave me a breathing treatment. Then about 615 my sister Margaret called and said she was in the parking garage and wanted to know where we were, at the same time they are taking me to the holding area. So I am like freaking out that I won't get to see her before my surgery. But I hugged and kissed my sister Linda and told her I loved her and told her to tell Margaret I love her too. So now I am in the holding area, I was about the 2nd patient to arrive there. Then boom there were patients coming in left and right and Nurses and Doctors everywhere. Finally a nurse came over and went over my name and what I was having done and allergies. She said someone would be there from anesthesia shortly. While I was waiting it dawned on me I hadn't taken off my ankle bracelet (duh) but it did allow my sister Margaret to come back to get it from me (made me feel much better). Then the nurse anesthetist came and attempted to start an IV. Well she tried twice and couldn't get it, so the Anesthesiologist came in and finally got a very small vein. She said it would be enough to at least get me to sleep then they would find something better. I don't remember much about going to the operating room or moving onto the bed, but I do remember the mask not being on my face very well and them readjusting it. Then I vaguely was aware of waking up in the operating room, I remember the tube in my throat and the feeling of someone holding my arms up like a rag doll (I am not sure if this is when they were moving me to the bed or putting the binders on my abdomen). The next thing I remember is waking up in the recovery room to a very nice male nurse. The thing that shocked me was I looked at the clock on the wall and it said 3:15pm and I was like why is it so late. I asked for my glasses so the nurse let my sisters come back and visit for 1/2 hour or so. They said there was a delay during my surgery, Dr. Gallagher didn't like the position of something and had called for Dr. Murr to come in to assist. Apparently within a couple of minutes of his arrival things were back on track and they both finished my surgery. I still didn't realize it was going to take that long though. However the prep before surgery but after I was out must have taken some time because I woke up with a Central Line in my neck and an arterial line in my wrist. They took the arterial line out in the recovery room after I was awake. Then they sent me up to my room on the 8th floor (not the gastric bypass floor) but a private room with a great view of Tampa Bay. I was like okay how did I get this lucky. So Dr. Murr, Dr. Kubera and several other fellows and a medical student came by to see me that night and said everything went great and said I was doing fine. He checked my drain and loosened my binder while he was there because I was complaining of it hurting to cough. I was awake almost that entire first night with all the activity of the nursing staff and just slept for a few minutes at a time. The next day occupational therapy came in to help me get up and get to the chair and get cleaned up a little. Well when she went to help me sit up on the bed the sheet was covered in blood. Apparently the drain was overflowing and no one realized it. Also they had given me a shot of lovenox that morning. So just as I finished getting cleaned up radiology transport was there to pick me up for my leak test. Well I got down there and they got everything ready before they made me stand up by the machine. Then I had to swallow large mouthfuls of two different kinds of liquid (oh my gosh was it nasty) If I had been slightly nauseous at that point I would have lost it. So then I wait in the hall for 20-30min then they take me back upstairs. Lucy from Dr. Murrs office came in and said when they say the xray is ok I can have some liquids. In the mean time I stayed up in the chair all day and am quite tired. PT took me for a walk twice that day I believe. Later that day they said my xray looked great and I could have liquids so the apple juice started. If it had just been the apple or grape juice it would have been fine. However they start crushing some of my meds and want me to mix them with the liquids and oh it really got disgusting. Some of the meds were just so bitter I couldn't stand it. So that it when the nausea and dry heaves started. Dr. Murr and his group of doctors came in again Thursday night and he switched my morphine to Dilaudid because I was itching from the morphine, he also stopped the lovenox because of the drain, it was draining way more than it should he said most people have 40-50 cc drain and I was already over 190cc but it wasn't bright red blood so he didn't seem concerned. So on Friday I tried to sip all day but was hit with these bouts of nausea. It was really bad Friday night into saturday morning, my stomach hurt so bad from the dry heaves. Dr. Kubera and one of the other Doctors came in Saturday morning and didn't seem concerned about the nausea and dry heaving. Dr. Kubera took out my drain and they were going to send me home saturday and I start throwing up the jello, I had just eaten. So whichever Dr. was in charge Saturday put the discharge on hold and ordered blood work and an abdominal series. So they do the tests and I don't see anybody else through the day. The night nurse however did get me a copy of my blood work and my hemoglobin and hematocrit had fallen again. Now it was normal before surgery and they said I only lost about 50cc of blood during surgery. However now 3 days later from this drain issue my hemoglobin had fallen to 8.3 and my hematocrit was 26.8. So needless to say they started me on Iron twice a day. So Dr. Kubera and Dr. Fogel come into see me Sunday morning and it is decided to see how I do through the day and Dr. Fogel will be back to check on me in the evening and see if I want to go home. He came back around 7:30pm that evening and I had gotten in about 9 oz in 10 hrs with the help of 2 doses of phenergan. So we decided since it was so late and I live about 1 1/4 away that I would spend the night and go home on Monday. Well I woke up at about 4:30 in the morning just in a lot of pain (I think from lying in the bed all night my back was throwing a fit) and I was nauseated. The nurse asked me if I wanted something and I asked her to just let me sit there for a while and see if it would pass. Well about 20 minutes later I am dry heaving away and a nurse passing in the hall way hears me and gets my nurse who gets me the meds for nausea. Then I took a nap in the chair and Dr. Fogel came in and woke me up and I told him about the mornings events and he said just to sit tight that all of the Dr.s would be having a meeting at 10 and they would see what they were going to do. Dr. Kubera came in and said they were sending me home on reglan around the clock and he said instead of crushing so many meds and trying to take them all at once, try spreading them out throughout the day. He said if I took the reglan every 6 hrs it should stop the nausea. He also told me if I had any questions or any problems not to hesitate to call, someone was on service 24/7. So then around 11:15am they came and took out my central line and I had to lie flat and still for 45 minutes. Then I finally got to go in and take a shower. I was weak but oh that was the best shower I had had in a long time. My sister got there around 12:45 and I was nauseated again after my shower, so they gave me a dose of phenergan before I left the hospital and I sipped all the was to my sisters house in Zephyrhills. I spend a week at my sisters house sleeping in her recliners, Thank God for her because I don't know if I could have made it up and down the stairs in my apartement
I know I had a couple of problems in the hospital but overall everybody was great. If we could have gotten a handle on the nausea sooner I think I would have been home sooner. This is a wonderful group of Doctors and I am so glad I chose them. They work as a team and I felt safe the entire time I was in their hands. I just can't say enough about Dr. Gallagher and Dr. Murr. The only sad thing is that I didn't get to see Dr. Gallagher even once after my surgery. Dr. Murr was there to check on me and that was great.
I know I had a couple of problems in the hospital but overall everybody was great. If we could have gotten a handle on the nausea sooner I think I would have been home sooner. This is a wonderful group of Doctors and I am so glad I chose them. They work as a team and I felt safe the entire time I was in their hands. I just can't say enough about Dr. Gallagher and Dr. Murr. The only sad thing is that I didn't get to see Dr. Gallagher even once after my surgery. Dr. Murr was there to check on me and that was great.
Went For Pre-op Testing
Jul 17, 2006
7/18/06 Went to Tampa General Hospital for my pre op testing. Everything went great, although even though they have valet parking the place is a nightmare because of all the construction. I survived though and everyone was really nice and supportive. I was really nervous about the blood gases, but I figured with all the pain I live with on a daily basis how bad can it be. I got lucky and a guy named Kevin who had been doing blood gases for 30 years drew them and he did a great job. He said it is all in who draws them, he said some people just don't know what they are doing and the patient ends up suffering. But all that is done, two weeks from today I have to do the bowel prep, which theirs isn't that bad compared to others that I have heard about and clear liquids after 11 am the day before, nothing to eat after midnight. I have to be there at 5:45am on the 2nd, my that is early considering I have at least an hour ride to get there. It will be worth it. I can't wait for it to be over so I can be home and on my way. Will post again soon.
Last Pre-Op Support Group Meeting Before Surgery
Jul 12, 2006
7/13/06 Went to the pre op support group meeting at Tampa General tonight. It is the last one before my surgery. I am glad I went I got to ask different people about protein supplements. I also met Gladys, she is going through the program and should be submitting to her insurance company really soon. It was neat to meet her because she asked a lot of questions that I really hadn't even thought of. It was amazing to see the results that people have had. I really hope I can go to the post op support groups, I think it will be good for me and get me out of the house a little more often.
Getting Things Ready For Surgery
Jun 22, 2006
6/23/06 Well it has been a couple weeks since I have updated my profile. Not much happening right now, I did get my pre op appointment at Tampa General. It is July 18th. It still seem quite a long time. However I am sort of glad I have a little time. This next week (if not this weekend) I am going to Vitamin World and GNC to start checking out protein powders or drinks. Also want to see if I can find some chewable vitamins I can tolerate, I cannot stand the orange flavored chewables that centrum has. They are just to sweet (yuck). Also want to see if I can find a chewable calcium citrate. So I am on my way but just have to get stocked up on the stuff I need. I have already started buying soups and SF jellos and puddings. I just can't wait to get this done and start losing the weight. It has been such a struggle and I have had a bad year physically. My bones are really giving me grief. There are days I can't hardly move. So hopefully soon I will get some of this weight off and start to feel a little better.
I Have A Date !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jun 08, 2006
6/9/06 Yeah me I finally have a date. August 2nd I will finally have my surgery. I know it is almost 2 months away but hopefully it will pass quickly. I can't wait.
I Have Approval Letter and Authorization Number
May 24, 2006
5/25/06 I faxed the letter I received from Humana today stating they overturned my denial to Susan at Dr. Murr's office. Stacy with Dr. Gallagher is off until the Tuesday after Memorial Day. Susan called and said she received my fax and sent it to the authorization department to confirm it and said to call Stacy on Tuesday and they should be able to schedule my surgery. Oh I also sent her a copy of the Humana web page that had the approval and authorization number on it. So hopefully will have a date this week. Yeah me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Written Approval
May 22, 2006
5/23/06 Oh my gosh, I really do have an approval. I was afraid to say anything until I had the written letter (which I still don't have) but this morning my approval was listen on the Humana website. I just have to get a copy of the letter and fax it to Stacy or Susan at Tampa General and then I will get a date. This is really going to happen for me. I am so ready to lose this weight and feel better. I will post again when I get my date.
I Got a Verbal Approval
May 18, 2006
5/19/06 OMG OMG OMG I am so excited I called Humana today to clarify some information I got in a letter yesterday was accurate. I was trying to verify that the person that sent the letter was actually handling the appeal because I had been given a different name on the phone yesterday. Well l couldn't believe it she said yes she was handling and she had some good news for me. They have overturned the denial and I AM APPROVED. She said she had notified the provider and the letter would go out Monday. So I should have a date before to long. Just getting the approval is a huge step. Thank you to everyone especially my sisters who have stood by me when I was so down after the denial. They kept telling me to just persevere and I did. I just can't wait.
Tenth Month of Supervised Diet
May 16, 2006
5/17/06 Well I went to my 10th visit of my supervised diet. I am continuing to go to the classes at Spectra at least until I get approval from the insurance company. Curtis moderated the class tonight and it was about different ways to cope with eating habits and how to change bad habits. Hopefully I will hear from the insurance company before to long.
About Me
St. Petersburg, FL
Location
23.1
BMI
Surgery
08/02/2006
Surgery Date
May 13, 2005
Member Since
