Susan L.

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I woke up today with the end of my nose red with little white bumps across the end. It is still sore to touch. I wonder if I have had a reaction to the chemical that they clean the nasal pillows with or if it is some of the material that the nasal pillow is made with. I will call the sleep center tomorrow and ask. I have been walking around work and I watch everyone try not to look at my nose. It is funny.

My daughter, Trish, has been reading my blog and I just want to thank you Sis for leaving comments. It really means a lot that you are keeping up with me.  I miss you lots! I am looking forward to you coming home next month. I am so ready to rub that pregnant belly! I can't wait to meet my grand daughter in a few months. It seems so surreal that my baby is having her baby. If this grand daughter is like her Mother then she is going to be a beautiful, sensitive, artistic, dramatic, loving little mess.  I can't wait to see what she will have in store for Trish and Josiah.

I know...... I know.......
I get side tracked talking about my kids. I just hope they know that I love them with all my heart.

Anyway,  I have been doing better on my diet. I have really been watching it. I got on my elliptical and thought I was going to die. I was only able to stay on it for a whole six minutes. It kicked my butt! My thighs were so sore. That's only after one time too, DANG! I have been taking my lunch break at work and walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I have not weighed so I don't know if I have lost any weight or not. I hope I have but if I haven't I can honestly say that I feel a little better. The weather is getting warmer so maybe that will motivate me to start going to the track to walk. I got to where I really enjoyed it last summer. 

I can feel myself becoming more focused again. I am going to ride this crazy one track mind all the way into surgery!

3/19/2009
I attended my first support group meeting for wls in Springfield, TN. I met a very nice lady who was more than willing to share information with me. She was not one bit shy about opening up and letting me know the good and bad about having wls surgery. She says that she would do it over again in a heart beat. She says that she feels like she started living life again because she felt better and could move and get around better with the weight off. It was very encouraging.

3/20/2009

I went for the second 1/2 of my sleep study. It was pretty uneventful. I did not sleep well due to all the wires hooked up to me but I expected that.

Instead of a mask, they let me use something called nasal pillows. It seemed to be a little more comfortable than a mask. That is until I woke up. I have this huge red mark across my nose. It is sore and hurts to touch. I don't know where that came from.  Fat chic with a red nose! I swear only me could this happen to.

I am into my fourth month of the "supervised" diet. I have completed almost all the steps necessary. It is starting to seem for real to me. I have thought about this for so long and soon it will be a reality.  *Sigh* I am so ready.

Tim had to have some dental work this morning but he was a trooper and still drove me to Vanderbilt today. He said he wasn't in pain but I believe he was uncomfortable. He really tries hard to make sure that I am taken care of.

I went for the gall bladder ultra sound today. It went fairly well, I guess. I haven't been told the results as of yet. I am assuming if something was found that I would have been notified quickly.

Dr. Dunn checked my blood pressure, which was really good today. She also had more blood drawn, she is watching my potassium levels.

Since my pancreatitis or should I say since the pain has subsided I have been eating stuff that is definitely not on my  diet plan. I think I have gained some weight back. I need to get my mind refocused. It is hard because i couldn't eat for a week, literally and then when I can it all tastes so good. It's a snow ball effect because I did eat bad stuff (carbs and sweets) I am craving it. I really need to refocus. 

Pancreatitis is still raging in my body. Oh my gosh, you would not believe the pain.

I came for a visit with Dr. Dunn. She is basically just checking on how I am doing on my meds. She had no idea about the pancreatitis until she got to my room. She had put me back on a water pill that is associated with causing people pancreatitis and told me this could be a reason for this flare and not to take it anymore. Believe me, sister, if that causes this much pain I won't get within 10 miles of it.

Of course, Dr. Dunn can't be sure that is what caused it but it is possible. I am dehydrated so she decided that I needed to take a liter of fluid by IV before I leave her office. After the IV she wants me to go and have more labs done. I am on my way to the regular lab when I find out that it is closed for the day already. The receptionist lets me know to go on the the diabetes lab and they can do the blood draw. I get over there and bless the lab techs heart. She stuck me 3 times and could not get a good flow going because I was so dehydrated. I ended up leaving without any labs being done.

I still feel yucky but better than a few days ago.

I went to Nashville by myself this morning. Not a good idea. I missed a turn. I had to call Tim all wimpy and let him know that I was lost and ask for his help on getting me to Vanderbilt. He is such a good sport. He gave me good directions and got me there. I just hate being lost and on top of that I was having a pancreatic episode. I had been fighting pancreatitis for the last couple of days. NOT GOOD PEOPLE!!!!

I arrived at my appointment about 10 minutes late due to being lost. Upon checking in the time said that my appointment with the dr. was at 2:10 that afternoon.  WTF?!?!? No one had told me that my appointment time had changed. It is now around 10:10am. I went ahead and checked in and walked over to the receptionist to ask her about the time change and to see if this could be a malfunction of the computer. After presenting the problem to her, she looked at me like she could have cared less and then began to tell me that so and so changed the time in the computer and that I was seeing Dr. Williams. OK, I have to admit my side is hurting, my blood pressure is up due to being lost and it took every ounce of control in me not to yell at her. I told her that was probably why that particular employee was probably not with them anymore because she really messed up my file. I do not see Dr. Williams and not one soul has contacted me about any change of appointment time. I told her that I live about 1 1/2 hours away and there would be not way I could sit in there waiting till 2:00 to see the dr. This heifer had the nerve to look at me and say, Oh, well - have someone in the back look at this when you see the nutritionist and they will fix it. My blood pressure just shot through the roof!!!!!!! I took my paper and sat down and stewed. 

Approximately 10 minutes later, I was called back to see the nutritionist. She asked me how I was doing. I told her right from the start that the rant that was to follow is in no way directed at her. I began to tell her about being lost, the pancreatitis, and now the appointment mix up. I let her know that I thought her receptionist was highly unprofessional to pass the buck by saying OH Well, just let them in the back take care of things. I told her in no way shape or form was this acceptable on any day. Of course, my nutritionist was like oh my goodness and immediately began to try and sort out the appointment problem. She was really great and handled the problem in an efficient, polite and professional manner. Ms. Angus really came through for the dr office and saved the day!  She let me know how I needed to tweak my diet for it to be more effective. I did manage to lose about 5 lbs.  
 
I immediately went and seen the Dr. Richards after finishing with the nutritionist. His attending came by to see me first and seemed really confused as to why I was there. I told him I did not know why Dr. Richards asked to see me at this point. I never did figure out the reason for this visit. Dr. Richards did send me down for blood work to see about the pancreas.

I went on home but later had to come back to Vanderbilt ER due to being in so much pain because of the pancreatitis. The pain is excruciating.

I just keep telling myself I am still on the upward battle to having weight loss surgery. Not much longer. Hopefully, after I lose the weight and can come off all my meds then I won't have to worry about pancreatitis anymore.  

My sleep study went well, I suppose.

I got there about 30 minutes late. The check in process was much like the dr appointment went. There was a questionairre that I had to fill out a pre-sleep assesment form and a medication list. I filled all those out and answered the tech's questions.
 
It was time to get ready for sleep. I was hooked up to wires, monitors and a pulse ox. I did not think that I would be able to sleep well with all the wires that flowed form me but I was wrong. I just came off a work schedule of three 12 hour shifts, with very little sleep. I slept fairly well.

Of course, I do not have any test results yet but expect those to come down within the next week or so. I will have to go back to have my CPAP/BiPAP, whichever the dr puts me on,  titrated.

That is going to be the hard part, learning to sleep with a mask on.

I woke up to a pretty but cool day today. I let my daughter stay home because I was going to take her to Bowling Green with me today. She had an appointment for a physical so she can play tennis. She is very good at her game. I am proud of her. She has chosen a physical activity that she likes and is sticking with it. We arrived for her appointment on time but had to sit and wait 2 hours before she was called back. Her physical went very well. She is perfectly healthy. She is turning into a patient, intelligent, confident and awesomely beautiful young lady. Have I mentioned that i am proud of her?

I had plans to meet my friend, Sam, for lunch but was not able to meet her due to having to wait so long in the doctors office. I was disappointed about that but decided that I was going to visit with her one way or another. I determined that I would meet her at her work once I was through with my doctors appointment.

We finally got done with Sabrina's doctor appointment. We only had 30 minutes before my appointment. It did not leave me much time to get across town and have lunch.  We went through McDonald's drive thru and ate on the way. We got to my appointment with 2 minutes to spare.  

I sat in the lobby and was called back to the exam room after about 10 minutes of waiting. The nurse took me back and weighed me, I have lost another pound since my last visit to Vanderbilt. YAY! I was mailed a long questionnaire previously and had it filled out but had to go over it with a nurse while she input the data into their computer system. It was quite a lengthy process. Once this was finished it did not take long for the doctor to come in and start his exam. He looked down the back of my throat, tested my reflexes and generally asked how I felt and if I had any questions. He told me that he was pretty sure I had obstructive sleep apnea and wanted me to come back in for a sleep test. I am scheduled for that on Saturday night.

We left the Dr office and headed for the mall. Sabrina was out of some make up and needed to pick up some more. We have to be particular about what goes on her face, she is so prone to break outs. We made that purchase and headed over to see my friend, Sam.

We arrived at Sam's office. We snook inside and laughed and talked and before we realized it an hour had passed. It was time for the office to close and time for her to pick up her daughter from day care. She has been so supportive about this surgery and just been a shoulder to lean on with any problem or joyous occasions for that matter. She is so special to me and my family. She is pretty on the outside but her soul is beautiful. I feel so blessed that God has placed her in our lives. I don't tell her that enough, I need to do better.

Oh, I almost forgot. I had to pick up a new prescription for my diabetes. I am now on three different meds trying to control those numbers. Gosh, I feel so old when I look at the handful of meds that I have to take everyday. Hopefully, after surgery I can come off all of them. We'll see.

Tim took me back to Vanderbilt today. The weather was beautiful. It made for a nice drive to Nashville. We stopped at McDonalds and went through drive thru for breakfast. Tim was driving so when we pulled around to the window to pay . The cashier leans all the way out the window and looks at me and says Hi Lady! Are you enjoying the beautiful weather today? Tim pays for breakfast and pulls up to the next window. She never said anything to Tim but told him the total of the order. He looks at me and asks how I do it. I was puzzled so I asked him how do I do what. He says be treated like the president or something. He asked why she leaned out the window to speak to me like that, have I been to this McDonalds alot. I had never seen this person before in my life and told Tim the same. He told me that since I was so crazy that I attracted other crazies and that is why they are so drawn to me. I laughed all the way to Vanderbilt. It's true, if you are ever with me, it is no telling what people will say to me. It is never boring.

I got to my appointment about 7 minutes late due to a traffic jam at the valet parking. The nurse called me back shortly after my arrival. My blood pressure was taken, which was really good. I was weighed, I managed to somehow lose 6 pounds. I wanted to jump up and down. Tim had teased me all morning telling me that I didn't lose any weight. I showed his funky butt, didn't I?!?

I was taken to the exam room. A nurse practitioner came in and asked why I was there. I told her the story of what happened last week. She excused herself to go and call Dr. Dunn. She came back in the room and told me that Dr. Dunn wanted my blood pressure checked and to draw labs. She gave me the slip with the orders and I was sent to the lab.

I got to the lab and was called back immediately because the order was written for a STAT blood draw. I don't know why it was written STAT but whatever I didn't have to wait. The lab lady tried to draw from my right brachial area and did manage to hit a vein but it blew almost immediately. I have to say that was quite painful. She moved to my left forearm area and finally got a vein to give blood there but she had to use a butterfly needle. I lived through the needle sticks but have a few bruises.
 I'm so whiny! I know I am making a big deal over some blood draws but I do have a very real phobia about needle sticks! After this Tim and I were free to go to enjoy the rest of the day. 

We left Vanderbilt and stopped by Opry Mills so I could look for some new tennis shoes to work in. I found a cute pair that were really comfortable. We shot on over to Olive Garden to have lunch. Let me tell you, lunch was really yummy! I had the soup, salad and bread sticks. I did limit my bread sticks but enjoyed all that I did eat. While we were eating Vanderbilt called to let me know that Dr. Dunn said she thought my blood pressure and blood work (potassium level) were excellent. She did want me to fax over the last 2 weeks of sugar levels. My sugar levels have much improved but they are still a little higher than the norm. I am afraid she will start me on shots. If she does, then I will have to suck it up and get past the needle phobia some way.

I got home in time to take a 45 minute nap before work. All in all it was a pretty good day!

Can anybody say "Messed up ordeal!!"

That is exactly what I have just been through. I got off work yesterday morning after working a little late. I was driving home when my phone started ringing. It was a nurse from Vanderbilt who informed me that Dr. Dunn had been reviewing my lab work. My potassium level had rose over a point since my last blood work and that she was a little concerned about that. It was not major high or anything. He said that he was concerned because he believed that the triampterime (sp ?) or my lisinopril was making the potassium rise. The nurse asked could I go do my PCP office and have blood work done, I told the nurse it would be no problem but that I was major tired today and that I would take care of it early next week. The nurse asked me if there was anyway that I could have it done sooner and I told him that I would try. He said that he would call and inform my PCP what was going on.

I gave the nurse a sufficient amount of time to get into contact with my PCP. Of course, she wanted to see me at 5:00 pm last night. After sleeping about 4 hours, I got up and got ready to go to my PCP's office. I stopped and picked up Sabrina on my way to Bowling Green. She was happy she didn't have to ride the bus home. I was glad to have her for company, it would help me stay awake.

I arrived at my PCP's office around 4:50 pm and sat and waited and waited to be called back. Finally, around 6:20 I was called  back. I got my weight checked (I haven't lost a damn pound), blood pressure (which was in normal range) and temp taken. The lab tech/assistant asked my why I was there. WTF!?!  

Apparently there were no notes placed in my file about the conversation with the Vanderbilt nurse and my PCP. I tried to keep as much impatience out of my voice as I could but am sure I failed miserably. I told her about the call from the Vanderbilt nurse and that they wanted me to have repeat labs. I was placed in an exam room and waited some more to see my PCP. Can you see the picture I am sketching? I was tired, sleepy, hungry and growing impatient by the minute. This is not a good combination for me. I tend to get a tad bit bitchy.

When my PCP finally got in the office she verified what meds that I was taking now. I used to be on lisionpril that has triamptimine (sp ?) or water pill in it. ( The Dr. at Vanderbilt told me not to take it anymore because it could cause pancreatic episodes and prescribed plain old lisinpril). My PCP told me that she didn't understand what Vanderbilt wanted and did not know what to do. I told her to just do the repeat labs but she refused. She said that there was not going to be any change and prescribed me Lasix because she said that I needed it so I did not swell. 

CAN ANYBODY TELL ME WHY I HAD TO INTERRUPT MY SLEEP, SPEND TIME AND GAS DRIVING TO B.G., WASTE ABOUT 3 1/2 - 4  HOURS OF MY TIME SITTING IN THAT FREAKIN' DR OFFICE AND SPENDING $20 IN CO-PAY  FOR HER TO TELL ME THAT SHE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WANTED AND NOT DRAW REPEAT LABS. WHY WAS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR ME TO COME AT 5:00 THAT VERY DAY???????????

Both places messed up. I am a dumb ass for not catching that triamptime (sp ?) was a water pill in the first place. Vanderbilt should have realized that they took me off the crap and my PCP should have just drawn the lab. I wouldn't have felt like my my time and money were so horribly wasted.
 
I called Vanderbilt today and explained to the nurse what had taken place and wanted to know if I should take the Lasix. Of course the nurse had no answers for me but sensed my frustration and asked would it be alright to have Dr. Dunn call me.

It wasn't long before my phone was ringing and it was Dr. Dunn. I asked her if she still thought I was taking the combo lisinopril and water pill and she did. I told her that she had taken me off of that and just had me on the plain lisinopril. She said that she was concerned with this potassium level rising and that she was going to call me in triampterime (sp ?) and for me to start taking it. (What the hell!?! - Is anybody else throwing their hands in the air) She wanted me to try and go back to my PCP for labs.......
I put a halt to that quickly. I told her that I was not going through all of that again that if she wanted something done, I was coming there. So I am supposed to go pick up this "water pill" and take it until Thursday 2/11 and then I am to go to  Vanderbilt for labs.  

I apologize for this long rant but it was giving me a headache keeping it all in.

I finally got a call back from my Dr. office. She has set up an appointment for a sleep history and physical on 2/17/2009. I'm not sure why I have to do the history and physical. I think I will call the sleep lab and see if the information and history that my Dr already has will be sufficient.

My lab work came back and I am deficient in vitamin B-12. I will start taking a one a week nasal spray for that. It sure beats getting B-12 shots.

I have kind of been sucking pretty bad on this diet lately. I have been eating stuff I am not supposed to. Surprisingly no sweets but stuff like cheeseburgers and fries. I have let myself have one diet coke a day. BAD! BAD! BAD! I know better than this too! I tell myself everyday that I am going to get back on the ban wagon and be really, really strong. Yeah right! That lasts for maybe a few hours. I have just been hungry lately. I know that I have had more carbs lately and because of that I am more hungry. It is a snow ball effect. But I just can't seem to stop my crazy self. I have got to get this under control soon.