Revision surgery day and the first 2 weeks

Sep 22, 2011

This might be a little choppy in writing, but I was trying to get all that I remember from the last two weeks written down.

I had my revision (lapband to RNY) surgery on Tuesday, Sept. 13th with Dr. Steinberg at Dekalb Medical Center. It was an absolutely beautiful day outside.  77 degrees and sunny - not too hot, not too cold...my kind of weather.  Charles and I kept talking about it on my way to the hospital.  I'd hate to be going to surgery with it storming.  My surgery was set for 12noon and I arrived at 10am.  My mom, grandmother, and husband were all there for my surgery.  Dr. Steinberg was running about 2 hours behind due to other surgeries before me so I didn't go to surgery until about 2pm.  Ms. Margie was my nurse in the pre-op area.  My blood pressure was 132/86 checking in and my temp. was 97.9.  My weight (at home) was 296 lbs. I think it was 290 at my last drs. visit which is what they go off of in the future on what I've lost.  They started my IV with fluids, but I told them I could hold off on the 'happy' meds.  I talked with mom, Memaw, and Charles all morning.  Only two of them could be in there at a time so they had to keep taking turns.  They gave my a blood thinner,Fragmin, but they had to wait until they knew I'd be within 2 hours of going into surgery.  We heard the surgery right before me was also a lapband removal revision to gastric bypass.  He seems to do a lot of these now-n-days.  They didn't give me the 'happy meds.' until almost the time of my surgery.  It was Verced.  I mentioned that it didn't make me feel so 'drunk' like it did during my lapband surgery.  She said the OR nurse doesn't like the patients to be too groggy.  I was also given two antibiotics: Vancomycin and Flagyl.  These were given because I'm allergic to Penicillin and when I had my lapband surgery I apparently broke out in a rash from the Leviquin. 

I went to the OR at 1:40pm.  When I went into the OR I was very awake, but not nervous at all.  I watched them prep for everything.  And at about 10 till 2pm they knocked me out in less than 10 seconds.  My husband told me the dr. said the surgery didn't start until 2:15 though.  I woke up in the recovery room and was in pain from my stomach.  I kept saying very groggly, "my stomach hurts."  And again this time, someone else was waking up from anesthesia screaming and it freaked me out.  I just wanted to go to my room. At 4:15 Dr. Steinberg went into the consult room with my mom, Memaw, and hubby and told them all went great.   I was moved to room 3457 around 6pm which was only an hour before the nurse switch so it was a little crazy for them to get me all settled in.  Then I had a morphin pump and they were giving me Toradol every couple hours through my IV.  Later they started liquid Loratab by mouth. 

My IV made ALL of my left hand fingers very numb.  It was very awkward.  My back started hurting real bad after one night in the hospital bed.  They had to make a heating pad with towels.  They apparently don't have heating pads in the hospital and don't recommend them. They sent my band to pathology, but Dr. Steinberg took several pictures of it for me.   

I had to use sponge swabs to wet my mouth and they had some great stuff to keep my lips moist even though I brought some of my own chapstick.

Two of my incisions were in the same place as my lapband ones and three were new ones.  Four were tiny incisions which were the size of the tip of my pinky, but one was larger to be able to get the port and band out.  He just 'glued' them so no staples or stiches. :)

I had a blood thinner shot everyday.  The dietician came in the morning after surgery and reminded me that I shouldn't drink more than 4 ozs. at a time.  I need to get in 60-80 grams of protein a day.  Also, I'll need to drink 64 ounces of liquid per day.  She (Stacy) said I wouldn't meet this at first, but I'll work up to it as I'm only on liquids for 3 weeks.  She mentioned that health stores would have good bariatric info. as well as the bariatric websites she had given me.  If I can't drink milk, I can have soy, lactate, almond, or rice milk.  No carbonated drinks ever. 

Dr. Steinberg said he stapled my stomach under the area where the lapband was due to it being tougher from the scar tissue, but he said he accounted for it in other ways so my stomach is not any bigger.  

I was so worried about scar tissue before going into the surgery.  Dr. S said it was normal or a little less than normal scar tissue. 

I was cathed this time and was so thankful as you can read about my last surgery.  I came out of surgery having to go to the bathroom so bad and almost passed out the first four times I had to go to the bathroom (getting up).  I was able to rest better the first night by having a cath. 

The first time the nurses tried to get me to walk was about 10 or 11 pm the night of my surgery.  I sat on the side of my bed and about blacked out so I didn't even stand up.  I laid back down with wash clothes on my forehead and back of neck. 

I did wake up at 4am and they had me get up then.  I was able to walk some then.  I think I still had too much anesthesia
 in me when I tried to walk the first time.  I gradually started walking a little more every couple hours.

I went to have my Upper GI to check for any leaks around 8:30 the morning after surgery.  They took me in a wheelchair.  When I got down there I talked to two of the radiology techs for a while.  One of them has a daughter that is about to turn 18 yrs. old and is interested in the lapband.  I started feeling very dizzy sitting up so they brought in a stretcher and let me lay down until the radiologist came in.  I was fine standing up taking the drink for upper GI.  Good news - no leaks!!  Now I can have liquids as I couldn't have anything yesterday. 

Wed. night - mom, memaw, and Connor came to see me.  Connor seemed a little nervous.  He brought me cute roses.  He got his subway sandwich and wanted to come straight to see me even though I couldn't eat.  Carole Hays also came to visit with me.

We were trying to figure out how to take my Effexor pill and birth control this morning.  The nurse crushed my birth control pill and spilled half of it so she asked for a new one - they're done by the days.  She was not the brightest nurse for many reasons.  Elaine was her name.  I can just pour the Effexor in a cup and take. 

It took from 9am until almost 2pm for me to get my clear liquids after they said I could have them.  My husband was getting really aggravated with the nurse, Elaine, for it taking 5 hours for me to get my liquids.  I had crushed ice, crystal light, broth, and sugar-free jello.

I had a sore in my mouth that Dr. Steinberg said was probably from the tube that was in my mouth during surgery.  He was going to order some meds. for me, but he forgot.  It went away in a couple days though. 

I spent two nights in the hospital, but Dr. S said I could have gone home after one night if I felt o.k..  But since it was o.k.ed we figured it would be better to be in the hospital as long as I could to be monitored.  On Thurs. the dr. did not come in until almost 2pm to release me (after his Thurs. surgeries).  Then it took until almost 4pm for the nurses to get the paperwork together to actually release me.  The things the dr. said to look for were fever over 101, vomiting, severe pain, and shortness of breath. 

Walgreen's brought my pain medicine to take home right to my hospital bed.  That was great so we didn't have to make stops on the way home. 

3400
Good nurses:
Marcia - Tech 1st night
Shiquita - Tech 2nd day
Ani - Nurse Wed. night - first nurse that checked my incisions and checked my lungs.
Betty - Tech 2nd night
Glenice - Nurse last day
Lisa - Tech last day - she had gastric bypass and was helpful.

Awful nurse:
Elaine - Nurse days Tues. and Wed.

I took a little pain medicine when I got home.  Charles and I both came straight home (got home at 5pm) and went straight to bed since neither one of us had slept well in two days .  I didn't take any pain meds.(liquid Loratab) after this day. 

I felt GREAT from that day on and could do anything.   I went to my son's football game two days after being released from the hospital.  A baby girl was ran over and killed in the parking lot - it was so sad!!!  They were part of our Grayson football family - 9 yr. old team.  My son is on the Grayson 11 yr. old team. 

Mom and Memaw left on Sunday.  After that, I stayed home Sun., Mon., and Tues. then I was out for up to 10 hours a day from Wed. - Sun.  when my dad was here.  Then I relaxed Mon. - Wed. until I started having hair and nail apts. to get ready to go back to work.  I also had some drs. apts. to get in.  I had a family reunion in TN Oct. 1st (my bday) weekend.  It was a couple days before I could go to mushies, but the dietician and dr. said I could start mushies a little early on that weekend.

I stayed home three weeks and went back to work Oct. 3rd with 2-3 weeks 1/2 days. 

After 2 weeks I had lost 21 lbs.

Before surgery:  I sent in my insurance info. in mid-2010 and my revision was denied.  I appealed it and it was denied.  This was with Cigna HDHP.  So I waited until I had new insurance on 1/1/11 with BCBS HDHP.  I started the process again and filed with my new insurance and they asked if I had gone to the dietician and psychologist again so I had to do that again.  I also had all my records from my knee pain, heel pain, dentist (acid reflux messing up my teeth), etc. - and letters from the drs. sent.  I sent info. on my gym membership, 2 more years of weight watchers info., etc.  I didn't get released from the psychologist, Dr. Ritz until July.  He had me read the book, "Mindless Eating" and implement the habits learned.  Good book.  I was called on Aug. 1st and told I was approved for a revision. That was a Monday that I was off for a whole week to hang out with Connor and Charles (and Robby and Brooke) before they went back to school.   It was scheduled 1 1/2 months later on Sept. 13th.

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