Laurietoanewbeginning
week one
Feb 19, 2009
So here I sit 9 days after surgery. What a journey this first week has been. I am going to describe it for anyone who is getting ready for the surgery so they can learn from my mistakes.......I went on a 3 day clear liquid diet as was prescribed by my surgeon (he actually prescribed 2 days) Over that weekend I was very anxious and food was far from my mind.
The morning of surgery we drove from the Santa Cruz Mountains to Mountain View....thanks goodness it was not stormy. Check in went fast and smooth and before I blinked an eye I was saying goodbye to Joel and getting reeled into the operating room. That was a very scary moment. I asked one of the nurses if anyone had chickened out at that moment with sort of a nervous laugh. Then thankfully he put me right out!! Next I knew they were waking me up saying it was all over.
At this time there was minimul pain other than a feeling of being bloated. They showed me how I could self administer morphine as I felt I needed it. As the day progressed I got more umcomfortable and began to use the blessed morphine. Basically I would push the button and fall asleep. All thru the night looking back on it now I realize I used it many times. They told me 42 times from the time of surgery. When I would wake up I would say to myself that I just did NOT want to be there so I would press the morphone button and go right to sleep. This was a huge mistake. I had no idea that there would be consquences of this and I was never told of the problems it would cause. Let me go on............The next morning Doctor Legha came to visit and said they would remove the cathetar they put in during surgery (this is a standard for him) (The other standard for him is a leak test DURING surgery not after. So many people have complained bitterly about the liquid they have to drink right after surgery............why do it that way??) and that as soon as I could pee I could go home. I drank water and walked for 7 hours and still could not pee. The only way that I could go home was to get another cathetar inserted and straped to my leg and come back in a few days. This was all caused by the excessive use of morphine!!!!!!!!!!! If I had only been told!!!!!!!!!
So.....off I go home and I collapsed into bed. Since I am a tummy sleeper sleeping on my back especially with a sleep apnea mask on was a challange but I was tired enough to sleep. The next morning I woke and the nightmare of nausea set it. I was extremely nauseous!!! Now I know that it was mostly caused by the excessive use of MORPHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Again, if I had only been told I was have used it only if I was in dire pain!!!!! I was so naucious that I could not take any of my pills much less drink anything. Between that and the cathetar I thought I was in living hell and I was questioning what I had done to myself.
and I went back to the Doctor to get the cathetar removed.....what a relief. I told the Doctor that if I even had 1% of a chance of getting a bladder infection from it that I wanted a prescription for an antibiotic which he immediately wrote. We filled it on the way home.That night at 2 AM I woke with a horrible bladder infection................thank God we had the script and we also had some of the relief pills over the counter that get you thru until the antibiotics kick in. I paced the floor for about 1 1/2 hours in horrible discomfort until I finally settled down to sleep. Then the issue was how to get these antibiotic down. They were the biggest pills I had ever seen.......... They made me gag cut up or crushed...............It was horrible on top of everything else.
Keep in mind that everything that has happened to me since the surgery that was nergative was related to the Damn Morphine!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My stomach did not hurt that much............just sort of tender and a bit swollen...............amazing!
On to day 7.............wow what a difference. I am energized........... and I feel so good already. Done with those nasty pills and any anti nausia drugs and down to the basics. I am not hungry and want to go for a walk. It was not too far down our road before I had enough, but it felt so great to get outside other than a trip to the Doctor!!
My scars are well healed and my Doctor uses glue instead of any stitches so the glue is also mostly gone.
Today is Day 10 - have lost almost 15 lbs I feel less bloated and I am down to a regime of what and when to "eat" I am still on liquids for 4 more days although I can have creamed soup and applesauce. I am getting 60 grams of protein with protein shakes and most of the water. Now I have to slap myself to realize this isn't just another diet..............it will work!!!!!
I am so excited about the future and I cannot wait to begin to give away clothes!!!!
In closing I have to say to anyone who is reading this as they are considering this surgery I would say go for it. I would NOT want to do the banding. As my Doctor says why bother? This is so much better. Every time he has redone someone who had banding in the past he found that the part of their stomach were the band was was very weak. Then when they wanted a bypass it presented problems like leaking.
Keep in mind that my problems were caused by my excessive use of morpine...................other than that it would have been a breeze. Just learn from my mistakes!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck!!!!!
