I have a surgery date!! February 20th

Well my surgery was on Monday Feb. 5th and I was suppose to come home on Wednesday, but because of swelling I had to stay till Friday. I got home around 5:00 pm Friday night. I'm happy to be home, but I'm still not doing so good. I had the lap surgery but I have 19 staples in my stomach. They hurt almost as much as the insides. There was several times between last Saturday and Monday morning that I thought about backing out. I even got into a fight with my husband in the hospital garage hoping he would take me home. Then I cried from the time I checked in till the time the gave me the happy juice, which wasn't soon enough. It wasn't that I didn't want it I was just scared to death!!!!!!! The worst was in the recovery room. I hate waking up after a surgery when that pain hits you and you don't remember where you are. I had my own nurse assigned to me. She was there everytime I woke up and everytime I fell asleep she would shake me and scream breath Ms. Lynn breath. It got so bad I started listening for the alarm and would wake myself up to breath. I have sleep apnea and breath really swallow. Well apparenlty I was in recovery for 3 to 4 hours because my husband got mad that they hadn't told him much or brought me to him. My surgery was at 10:30 in the morning (which they ran an hour late) so around 11:30 or 12:00 they took me down, the surgery it's self I was told lasted about 2 hours, then I got in a room about 7:00 pm that night. I had a morphine pump that I could push myself. It would lock you out for 10 min. after you pushed it, but that didn't matter you kept pushing everytime you felt pain. There was no sleep for me or my husband that night. They kept coming in every 30 mins. Taking vitals and giving me blood thinner shots. Those really hurt. You get them in you legs or your upper arms. I have bruises everywhere. I look like a junkie. The leg pumps they put on you acctully feel good. They feel like someone messaging your legs every few seconds. They took my urine catherine out in recovery before I woke up. You also get two IV's incase something happens to one. I ended up with 4 before the week was over because two blew. I'm brusied all over my arms from those. I look like someone beat me up good. The second day you are suppose to get up and walk which I did. And you are suppose to pass these water trials to make you there are no leaks. There are 4 little medicine cups of water you have to drink one every hour for 4 hours. If you get those down with no problems you get broth and jello and cranberry juice. I had to much swelling and could not get past the frist cup got sick, nothing came up just dry hived. They stopped me and gave me phergren because they do not what you to throw up. You can rip your stomach apart. That knocked me out. Slept most of that day. Doctor was mad because I didn't walk enough. The nurse got mad at him and told him why. Third day water trials again got down one and a half got sick again. More medicine to knock me out. Then they came up with some medicine I could take a round the clock every 4 hours that wouldn't knock me out and maybe things would get better. They were gonna send me for an X-ray and another EGD. Then Dr. Richards said that it was just swelling it wasn't uncommon. I felt like I had food caught in my esoughous. It hurt pretty bad and all I had was water. It would go down my esoughous was pushing it back up. So he said to wait another day. Finally Thursday I got all the water down. Yeah me! They put me on the broth, jello, and cranberry juice. The broth was nasty!!!!! But the cranberry juice was delicous!!!!! The jello was ok. I got down some cause I wan't to go home. Oh I forgot to mention that I had allergic reations to almost all of the pain medicines. One time after having jello I did have pain in my abdomen and it was like a T. It was down my eshogus and accross my mid stomach. But pain meds helped. Oh and a lot of letting out of the gas helps too. Sorry Friday came they almost wasn't going to let me go home. But I think the nurse and me talked the doctors into it. I had like 6 doctors a day checking on me. Then the nurse had me sign all the papers and I had my meds filled and she had called for transport and a doctor came in my room and said I could not go home. My face dropped. I wanted to see my kids. They were having a hard time. My 13 year old wasn't sleeping at night unless he was in my bed on my side. Then he said to give him two more hours and he would see what he could do. Finally I got to go home. We got home around 5:00 pm Friday night. I'm really weak and shaky. I get sick to my stomach very easy. I'm not eatting enough. Or maybe I am. I don't know. My weight loss bible I got from my nut got left at the hotel. So I've got to call her Monday. But I'm hanging in there. I't will all be worth it, when I get through this rought spot. If I could get these staples out I think I would feel better. Anyway sorry for the long post. I had to get it all out now. While I could. This is the first time I've been able to sit here this long. Good luck to everyone having surgery this coming week, hang in there. My prayers are with you all. Charlotte

Hey you guys....I was a nervous wreck if anyone was. I just had my surgery last monday the 5th. It is nothing as scary as we imagine....trust me. I wish I knew it for the past few months when I was TERRIFIED..... You get a drug to relax you once you get admitted, changed into gown, etd. The anesthesiologist then comes to speak with you and gives you something mild but very effective. The next thing you know your going into the OR and waking up in recovery. The whole time you are either drugged up or being pampered...and home before you know it. The main thing to remember is to walk, walk, walk, as soon as you can, as much as you can. The gas is truly worse than the surgery cause you know they blow up your abdomen with air to do their work..... The barium tastes awful when you do the leak test but it has to be done. Then once you pass it and you can have water sip, and you will burp. I'll keep you all in my prayers. God bless each and everyone of you cissy

You guys are so lucky to be so close. I have to wait until Feb 21st. This is after rescheduling from Jan 31st (less than 24 hrs before surgery) because of a sinus infection. You guys will do great. I know how nerve wrecked you all are. When I'm laid up in the hospital bed, you guys will be walking around at home recovering nicely. Please be sure to keep us all updated on how things go for you in the hospital. I'll say a prayer for each of you! ...Jill

HELLO TO Bj P AND TO NICKY, KATHY AND DAWN. I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST OF LUCK. MY SURGERY IS ON MONDAY ALSO, IN MARLTON, NJ. LAPBAND. I HAVE TO BE THERE 6:30AM, OPERATION IS AT 8:00AM. I'M DOING THE LIQUIDS TODAY. I DID DO THEM ON FRI. THAN HAD A LITTLE DINNER AT NIGHT. THAN I DID LIQUIDS SAT. WITH TWO PIECES OF CHEESE WTIH PEANUT BUTTER WRAPPED IN IT. TODAY IS ALL CLEAR LIQUIDS, ICE POP'S AND TEA. SO I'M STARTING TO GET A PAIN, IN MY HEAD, PROB. FROM LACK OF CAFFIENE. BUT I WISH YOU ALL WELL, WE WILL BE THINKING OF EACH OTHER WHICH WILL BE NICE. BEST TO YOU ALL, SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE. BRIDGET K. "NOBETTERWOMEN" it's an irish term