Rebecca S.

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Just 46 days after RNY Gastric Bypass, I found myself walking into an emergency room at 4:00 a.m.  I was very afraid. I had been having pains that went from my shoulder to my waist on the right side of my body. When I took a deep breath or exerted myself I REALLY felt the pain. Someone on a Facebook message board responded to my question about it and said they had once felt that same pain and it turned out to be a blood clot. I don't think I ever dressed and drove myself so fast to an ER. I was very afraid. I was also feeling shortness of breath and thinking there was a blood clot, I was trying very hard not to hyperventilate during that drive. The emergency room personnel took very good care of me. I was given a CAT scan, which wanted to make me dance because I easily fit into that machine with room to spare (NSV!). I was then given an ultrasound, which discovered quite a few gallstones, sludge, and a cyst on my right kidney. I was given blood tests for which I still do not know the results.

After a while, I was given a room on the 6th floor of the hospital with the plan that I would have my gallbladder surgically removed the next day by 12:00 noon. Well, that time came and went. It was not until after 6:00 p.m. that I was wheeled down to the operating room. After that it was smooth sailing. Before I knew it I was in recovery and the lady was telling me my oxygen level was too low to move me. I just started concentrating on breathing better and soon enough I was being wheeled back up to the 6th floor to recover. I was released the afternoon after that surgery. No pain.

The surgeon used the holes from my laproscopic RNY to remove the gallbladder, which I found awesome.

I am doing great. I did know that losing my gallbladder was in my future. I just did not expect it to happen so soon. 46 days!

While in the hospital. I was not given any of my prescription medications (thyroid or cholesterol) or any of my vitamins. That had me a little worried. This hospital also did not carry shampoo for the shower. Our hospital is very out of date and has a very bad reputation around town. The staff was wonderful though. I do believe they need more doctors because my surgeon seemed to be pulled in every different direction during the day and night. I was beginning to wonder if there were any other capable surgeon's in the town besides this guy. oh! The staff was completely clueless about gastric bypass patients, including the dietary department who brought me Italian Ice loaded with sugar after I explained I needed sugar free foods only. I helped educate a few people there but I do believe that in this day and age, they could use some training of their own from the hospital.

Anyway, I am home and feeling just fine. When I looked at the scale last night I noticed I had lost close to 6 pounds. Amazing!

I had the most incredible weekend getaway with a friend that I have known for 26 years but never met face-to-face with. He brought his family from down south, we went to Philadelphia and saw Beth Hart and Jesse Mallin on concert, stayed at the Hilton, and then traveled to the Amish Country. This is something I never would have done before this journey. I almost didn't do it. With the encouragement of super supportive friends, I just could not pass this up. Meeting them meant more than the world to me. I was beside myself all weekend discovering NSV's and just being in awe of the situation at the moment.

At the concert, I was able to walk a flight of about 20 stairs (up and then down again), at a restaurant I was able to fit into the booth with a lot of room between me and the table, at the concert I was able to stand for over 3 hours (a year ago I couldn't stand for 5 minutes!), and I danced, which is something I NEVER do in public. I just did not care who was watching or what they thought. It was nice. I had to laugh when my friend, his wife, and I grabbed a cab after the concert and the man helping us to the car made a joke about how lucky my friend was to be going back to a hotel with two women. lol  No one used to joke with me like that when I was heavier. Now people talk to me a little more and make jokes with me. I know I am smiling a ton more so I am sure that is a little more welcoming than the look of anguish on my face a year ago when I had to walk or stand.

We took a lot of pictures and just had a great time. We did some walking from shop to shop in the Amish Country and it didn't even hurt. I feel so blessed...so amazingly blessed to have had this surgery. I thank God and just praise Dr. Haluck for bringing me back to life again. Slowly things are coming together and happening for me that would have never been a possibility before. I hope I continue to have the success I am seeking, continue to open new doors and grab rare opportunities by the hand, and just take chances.

I am one month post RNY surgery today! I have lost 25.6 lbs since the surgery (experienced the stall at 3 weeks). My total loss is 78.6 lbs since my highest in January of 383.

Today was my three week follow-up with the surgeon. I am 26 days post-op. I am so happy I probably make people sick. Fair warning. If you don't like happy people I will probably make you gag right now. LOL

I am down 73 lbs total for the year....20 since surgery. I have experienced the 3-week stall but did not panic. I am still much better off than I was last year so that is the big picture I am focusing on.

I am working on many changes in my life. All changes have been planned well in advance so I know where I am going with everything.

• I have worked on my resume
• I took a free resume writing class to see how I did
• I updated my resume and it looks amazing
• I asked for a divorce (long time coming and not weight related)
• I am considering where I want to move to start over
• I applied to one job, was called the next morning, have interview this Friday, but am not sure this is what I want. I probably will cancel this interview. It is too far and I do not have a car to call my own yet. If I had a car of my own I would definitely go.

I feel like I have a lot to look forward to right now. Tomorrow though I have to be at a dietician group meeting at 8:15 a.m., which means I have to leave here at 5:30 a.m. UGH. I love the meetings but driving two days in a row 80 miles each way is dreadful on a 95 degree day with no a/c in the truck.

• This morning I weighed myself and I am down 71 lbs now.
• I put my resume online yesterday, applied for one job, and was called for an interview this morning!
• I put my rings on and they slid on perfect and are actually loose
• I put my beautiful Bulova watch on that used to be snug and it now turns in circles
• I tried PB2 this morning in my chocolate Carnation Instant breakfast and it was yummy
• I went to breakfast with some friends on Monday and slid right into the booth with room to spare. I was also able to stand and talk in the parking lot without shuffling my feet from the pain.
• I asked my OBGYN for a TL and he said no problem and scheduled me. I want to make sure my life continues to move forward. I am almost 41 after all.
• I drove the hubby's truck yesterday that does not have a tilt wheel and fit just fine
• Yesterday, I went grocery shopping for the first time in years by myself and actually got flirted with by some guy half my age. I used to be the lady who waited in the car while everyone else went in the store. Not anymore!

If you are on the fence about RNY, just do it! I waited entirely too long to do this. I feel like I have been reborn. It is an amazing feeling!

16 Days Post-Op

Yesterday, I was able to shop in a few regular stores for clothing. It felt terrific! No more special ordering online from Woman Within and Roamans and waiting for UPS to deliver. I can go right out to Ross and Kmart when I need something in a pinch. What a wonderful victory!!

17 Days Post-Op

Today, I met with a couple of my dearest friends at a restaurant. I walked in, spotted my friend in a booth, hesitated for a moment, and then said AH, why not?! I sat right down in that booth, easily slid over to allow my other friend into the booth, and still had room between my belly and the table! Amazing! At 68 pounds lost (53 before surgery), I already have a few small but monumental victories.

Today marked 15 days since RNY. The scale is moving about an average of 1 lb per day. I am allowed to get into the pool again so I believe that will kick the weight loss up a notch and things will go even better.

Every day I attempt to eat something new on my puree list in the surgeon's manual.

This year I am very lucky. The YMCA I belong to is now allowing us to get into the public pool for free with our full membership. I plan on spending a lot of time getting some color this summer, while getting that swimming in. I sat there at the pool today with some dark tanning oil on and ended up with a nasty sunburn. I really need a bottle of Aloe right now.I have not gotten a good tan in many years. I am trying to do things that make me feel better about myself so going to the pool should be helpful.

At this point, I am easily getting my required protein in. I am always lacking in calories though. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get in calories with little protein?

I have been using my regular blender for pureeing but really would appreciate a Magic Bullet. It would be so much easier with one of those. A lot of food gets wasted in a big blender because it splatters all over the pitcher inside and gets underneath the blades. A Magic Bullet is a must-have for this stage, in my opinion.

The oddest problem I have since surgery is getting a taste in my mouth that tastes like blood or metallic something or another. If I am in the car or something, I usually try to wash the taste out with my Crystal Light Lemonade but then I get a sulfur taste in my mouth. It is pretty gross. Someone told me it has to do with iron and is normal. It is not pleasant but I can deal with it. Are you dealing with this also?

I am now down 68 lbs (53 pre-op) and feeling great. I am wearing 26/28 right now and very happy about it. Every day I anxiously await them feeling too big though. My swimsuit was kind of big in the butt today. (I really, really, really need to work on getting some muscle in my butt. It hurts to sit now.) I have been looking for suits in every size but so far have not seen anything that doesn't cost an arm and your first born. The search continues.

Confession time: Since I have had my surgery, I have not taken any of my depression or anxiety medications. I honestly do not feel any worse for doing this. My family has not complained so I know it is not apparent. I am not snapping at anyone and my memory is better than when I was taking that stuff. I want to keep my life as healthy and natural as possible. If I feel myself sliding, I will definitely take the meds out of the drawer but for now I want to try to stay high on life and enjoy these changes my body is going through. I know my mind will improve as I go along. I am always smiling since surgery. I am so dang happy! I always said my weight problem is the core of my depression. I don't have that trapped feeling anymore. I feel freer and I feel like I have hope to live normally again one day without the hang-up of excessive weight weighing me down.

Time to go for a walk. Thanks for reading!

1. I was never weighed in the hospital before or after surgery
2. The leak test was given to me before I left the OR so I have no idea what it entailed. No further testing for leaking was done.
3. I never used the CPAP they told me to bring.
4. The first day I was never encouraged to get out of bed. I slept the entire day away waking up here and there to look around.
5. I was released very quickly. Surgery on 5/23 at 7:30 a.m. and released 5/24 at 4:00 p.m.
6. My follow-up is not until June 18. Are they that sure of themselves about my procedure that they would not schedule me at 2 weeks like their manual states?
7. Their customer service was lacking. Not that it is the job of a hospital to feed a spouse but in other hospitals, the staff always offered food and drink to the spouse. I guess I should be glad they lent him a cot and permitted him to stay. That was wonderful because we live 79 miles from that hospital and could not afford to have him drive back and forth.
8. I had one of those spirometers but never could breathe enough to get that thing to go halfway. No one asked me how that was going though. It took until the 6th day after surgery, when I was home, to get that up to 2,000 where they said it should be.
9. I never needed the pillows they urged me to bring
10. I was surprised they could do a pregnancy test with one drop of urine. lol  I just cannot pee on demand no matter how hard I try. Also, when someone is overweight, do they realize how very difficult it is to hold one of those tiny cups in your urine stream? It is as if they never met an overweight person before. Oh! and knocking on the door every two minutes asking Is everything okay is not going to make me drip any faster!
11. They have these new things now they want you to wipe your body down with before surgery. They are like large wet naps. OMG that made me itch so bad. My panni turned bright red and itched like no tomorrow. They assumed I had a fungal infection. I never mentioned it was those stupid wipes. My back itched for days! I don't know what is in that stuff but my skin did not like it one bit. Never again!
12. Nurses, when they finally did come into the room, kept apologizing over and over for not being in my room enough. When I finally began to walk I could see why they were not in my room enough. They gossip too darn much in the hallways! Every walk I took that was my observance. I never saw one go into a room with a patient but I heard plenty of alarms going off.
13. I was surprised I didn't run into other WLS patients on that floor. I was the only one walking in that hallway.
14. I don't know if this surprised me, but wouldn't it be a smart idea to send a WLS patient home with a lot of protein samples? I know that when I gave birth to my daughter in 1992, I went home with tons of formula samples and they had me on a mailing list for samples, also. You would think companies would work their samples into the hospitals to hook a few customers.
15. No one walked with me to make sure I was steady on my feet when I began walking.
16. At the hospital in town (granted it has been quite a few years), someone would offer to come in and rub lotion on your back or your legs. This hospital had nothing nice like that offered. Not a necessity but still nice to be offered.

This is all I can come up with at the moment. Feel free to add. I am sure I have not said everything I was thinking all the way home from the hospital. lol

To be more positive:

• I have an EXCELLENT surgeon. He stuck around until I was up in my room (I still don't know how I got there! lol) and came in to talk to me and tell me everything went wonderfully. I need to send him a thank you card.
• The anesthesiologist was great. Again, I need another thank you card.
• It was a very nice hospital.
• The on-call person at the hospital obtained answers to my concerns very quickly and called me back.
• Everything in the hospital was clean
• Everyone was super friendly, except towards my husband. They seemed to be snippy towards him but he dismissed it because I was all he was worried about. Thank goodness because he has a tendency to speak up and speak loudly no matter where he is if he is being bothered. I always say he is my voice. I will get mad and boil inside but never speak up. He definitely speaks up! lol
• On the 2nd day, I believe protein shakes were delivered to me at least 3x in under 5 hours. I am going to put a picture of that in my photo section. I had to take most of it home.

If I could give one suggestion to the surgeon... Wouldn't it be nice if they sent us home with a gift certificate to get our hair done or something? I mean they already make us feel wonderful by granting our life-saving wishes and performing surgery on us. A bonus parting gift would be awesome though. Sometimes it helps to have a little something done to your hair as a pick-me-up. I spent so much money stocking vitamins and protein and other things that it will be a very long time until I get my hair done. Heck, it has been over a year since I could go. Ah, I know it isn't their problem and I am soooooooo glad my surgery was a success. I am just saying that if I were on staff (My forte' is customer service. Can you tell?) that I would add the bonus in as a thank you for your business kind of thing. Yes! Yes! Yes! It is fine the way it is....I am alive. I am healing. I am healthier. I am moving on with a brighter future now. Everything is rainbows in my eyes right now. Please don't mistake my teeny tiny suggestion for ungratefulness. I assure you I am grateful with every cell in my body. If I could I would shit rainbows but everyone knows that after WLS your shit is less than colorful and rosey! lol

Please make note that I have not been an overnight patient in a hospital since 1992 so my thoughts may be somewhat outdated.

This topic comes up over and over on OH. I do feel a bracelet is necessary. I don't always carry my purse, wallet, or identification. I know that sometimes unexpected things happen and this is a good precaution to take.

I do have a scrolling message on the front of my cell phone with my name, address, RNY gastric bypass, and my surgeon's phone number. I am not sure if an emergency person would look there though.

I am going to write this here not only for new people to see, but to remind myself to place that order and what I want the bracelet to say.

My name
RNY Gastric Bypass 05/23/2014
No NSAIDS
No sugars
No blind NG tubes

On the back:

The surgeon's name and phone number

ICE: daughter's name and phone number

It has been one week already since RNY. I seem to be progressing on schedule. I did not experience too much pain at all; soreness, if anything. I do have Dilaudid on hand, if needed. I think I only took 2 or 3 Dilaudid since I came home on Saturday.  My sutures no longer seep. My tiny bandages are coming off already (We are asked to not remove them, but to let them fall off on their own.). I can walk without that side stitch pain I had the first few days. I am getting all 800 calories/75 grams of protein in daily, as well as my vitamins/minerals. No vomiting (knock on wood!). It is a must to take a Colace or two every day and throw in some Gas-X Strips, if I want to be comfortable. I know I shouldn't weigh every day, but for now I really like watching to see how this goes. By the 5th day, the surgery gain was gone and the scale began to move in a downward direction. I am going to step up my walking today. Tomorrow I begin stage II, which is pureed foods. I plan to spend a lot of time at Relay for Life tomorrow. I am sure I will be doing a lot of walking. My only complaint since the surgery has been this runny nose. It is not too bad...just kind of annoying. It drips into my throat and causes me to cough mostly when I am walking. When I have my follow-up next month, I will bring it up to the surgeon. I have a feeling it isn't something they can do anything about. Grim said it is probably because of the vagus nerves being cut.

Before I started my pre-surgery diet, I could not put on a pair of 30/32 jeans any longer. About two months later those jeans were on and comfortable. This morning I was able to pull on 26/28 jeans. Oh did that feel great! I took them off though and put some stretch pants on. I don't want to mess up my tummy while it is healing by squeezing into jeans. I know they are there though and began a pile of clothes in the corner of the room that are now too big. Bye bye 30/32 and 4x/5x!

In a nutshell, this first week was awesome. When I went in for surgery, I was 330. After surgery, I was 337.6. This morning, just one week after surgery, I am 323.4.

OMG I just noticed my BMI is now 59! I started at 70!

I cannot stop smiling!!

PS When I stocked up on vitamins for surgery, I ordered three boxes of Calcet Creamy Bites. Big mistake. In the beginning, I was like mmmmm chocolate. After a few days, I was like UGH! NOT THIS AGAIN! I can't even look at them so I am sending the remaining back for return. I picked up Citracal Petites tonight. They are small coated tablets. I am not having too much trouble with pills at all. I take them one at a time. Before the surgery, I made the mistake of asking my doctor to replace a capsule with a liquid on one of my medicines. I cannot stand the peppermint taste of that medicine liquid either. Now I have to ask for tablets and hope they will prescribe that for me. Lesson learned.

Before RNY surgery on Friday I was not one bit nervous or worried. I would have ran into that operating room if someone had asked me to walk. I have never been so anxious to get something done in my entire life. I am so glad it is behind me now. It took me four attempts to get to that procedure but when I finally got there I just knew it was the right time in my life. I knew I had tried everything else. I was filled with anticipation and happiness. I was smiling ear-to-ear when I was wheeled into that operating room. Although I am not feeling 100%, I am not feeling one regret. I couldn't be more proud of myself as I am right now. I did it!! I actually did it!!