Christmasgirl

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

I hit the 140s today.  I really want to be in the 120s, but, hey, I'm no complainer.  Hopefully, if I can just stop snacking at night, I will zip through the 140s in no time.  I am pretty happy, however, because I was stuck at 150 for a good 2 or 3 weeks.  My scale is such a tease!  Oh, I found some half naked pictures of myself, which I took as before pictures. (Me in just underwear.)  I think when I'm hungry, I will go look at those.  They make me pretty nauseous. 

  I  had gastric bypass surgery on March 13.  I was released from St. Luke's hospital on March 15 and went home.  However, I could not keep any food down and found myself in extreme pain most of time.  I returned to St. Luke’s on Friday (March 16) and an upper GI was performed.  I was told I was fine and sent home.  My doctor was out of town and I was forced to deal with an on-call doctor.  He told me nothing was medically wrong with me and maybe the inability to keep food down was “normal for me.”  Well, I begged to be admitted to the hospital on Friday, but no dice.  (A sad day when I, a fine trial attorney, cannot convince someone to do what I want!)  Anyway, I continued to call the on call doctor all weekend, because I was terribly sick and in so much pain.  I threw up so violently on Sunday night, I injured myself.  I again called the doctor and he told to follow up with my regular doctor on Monday.  I spent Sunday night in agony, doubled over in pain and nausea. 

On Monday morning, March 19, 2007, my insurance company called to follow up on my progress.  I let my agony spill out to poor nurse assigned my case.  She was very nice and told me she was going to consult with a doctor and call me right back.  In the meantime, I had called my regular doctor, Dr. Oakley, and was told he would call me back in the afternoon.  Well, Dr. Oakley obviously recognized the seriousness of my condition and called me back 10 minutes later with instructions to get the hospital ASAP.  As Kevin (my husband) and I were getting ready to leave, my insurance company called back and said I needed to get to a hospital quick!  (Now, when even the insurance company thinks you need to be in the hospital, that can’t be good!)   Anyway, I was admitted to the hospital, and tests were done.  It turned out I had a bowel (intestinal) blockage which required further surgery.

On Tuesday, March 20, 2007, I had the surgery, but “aspirated” during the procedure, leaving me with aspiration pneumonia.  Although somewhat oblivious at the time, I now know the following:  The aspiration almost completely filled by right lung.  As a result, my liver decided it may not wish to cooperate any more and began shutting down.  Not to be outdone, my blood pressure went dangerously low.  I was put in the intensive care unit at St. Luke’s from Tuesday. March, 20, until Sunday, March 25.  My sister called to check on me and was told if she was family, she “better get to the hospital.”  I hit some very low points during my stay there, but my sister came every day, some days twice, to keep me cheery.   The nurses got to know her as much as me.  Kevin spent a night in a hospital chair by my side during my first night in the ICU.  I had so many tubes sticking out of me for the next five days, I could barely move.  Kevin took all his vacation time and stayed by my side during those dark days in the ICU. 

My pneumonia finally cleared enough to release me from the ICU on March 25.  On Sunday, I was moved to a regular room, where my recovery began.  The first night out of ICU was painful and frightening.  I was subject to nightmares most of the night, only to wake to the crushing pain (and no morphine!) of two surgeries and pneumonia on my body.  I was delirious and accusatory when I woke in the middle of the night.  I thought I was being tortured and let my night nurse know!  He was very nice and understanding, however, and explained to me what had happened and brought me some hot tea. 

 By Wednesday, March 28 I was well enough to go home.  However, as an added bonus, I found out the radiologist read the Upper GI wrong and I should not have been sent home from the E.R.  As of today, April 11, 2007, I still cannot take a deep breath without coughing and I get winded walking down the street, but I am hopeful I am on the mend.  After all, it’s a far cry from laying flat on my back, unable to roll over without assistance, with a zillion wires and tubes sticking out of me!