mmargie1
NOTE: I AM NOT POSTING THIS TO SCARE PRE-OPS, BUT RATHER TO INFORM OF POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS THAT I EXPERIENCED.
April 2002: visited my surgeon to have my gallbladder removed. He informed me that he was doing a study for Baylor College of Medicine on Gastric Bypass and I fit in the criteria. I listened as he told me about the procedure and all I was thinking was...this is too good to be true! He asked me to think about it and talk to my husband and we could talk at my next appt.
May 2002: My husband wasn't too keen on my wanting this procedure and told me it was my body and I could do whatever I wanted, but he didn't think I should have the gastric bypass. I had already made up my mind to have it if I could get it approved with my insurance provider. He told me he loved me the way I was and I didn't need to do anything that drastic. While I appreciated that, how could he understand what it was like to be so overweight! He has never had a weight problem.
Sept 2002: It took quite some time, but my request was approved on the first request!! I received information from my surgeon on the procedure, a release form stating that I could die from every complication under the sun and my 'bible' (post op instructions). I remember reading the list of complications and thinking...that won't happen to me. Boy was I wrong!
Oct 1, 2002: Today is the day. I arrived in the hospital early (5:55am) and was taken up to the waiting area. Seems like hours that I waited and I should have seen this as a premonition. Later when I was being prepped my surgeon popped in as said...you were late! I said NO WAY, Y'all forgot about me in the waiting room. I should have known then! Everything went smoothly with my surgery and as I was taken to my room I thought I heard them saying I would have to walk soon. I said...WHAT? I didn't think I'd have to walk until the next day....well they heaved my big butt from the bed and made me walk.
Oct 5 or 6, 2002: I am still in the hospital in terrible pain. I can't sleep and the pain shots are not helping. I swear I have the worst nurses in this hospital! I have been throwing up nasty frothy brown stuff and I'm very scared. My doctor told me yesterday they may need to open me up. Not me, no way....that can't happen to me! I am in total denial. I am having problems with the contraption that measures your lung strenth. It hurts when ever I blow in it and I can't get that darn ball to go up as high as it should be. I tell the nurse, they couldn't care less as it is Sunday and they don't do much in the hospital on the weekends. My back is killing me and I can't get comfortable. I haven't slept in several days and I'm totally miserable. My husband has me sitting in a wheelchair with some kind of backboard for support. All of a sudden I feel a sharp pain and can't breath without struggling with all my strength. My husband calls the nurse and they page my surgeon. The nurse then takes my blood pressure over and over. It's going down and they have a hard time registering it. My surgeon called to my room and wanted to know why I was breathing so funny. I gasped out....this is the best I can do. He was on his way. As the nurses keep taking my blood pressure...over and over I told my husband...Go Find me a doctor, they are going to let me die!!! He flew out of the room and low and behold there was a pulmonary specialst running an errend for one of the ICU nurses. He comes in and gets me into the bed and listens to everything. He then tells me that he thinks I have a pulmonary embolism and that is very common with overweight patients like myself and that I would probably not make it. I was so scared. They gave me oxygen and hauled me down to ICU. I can finally breathe now! All that was running through my head was...I am dying due to my own vanity. Why did I do this? I'm never going to see my children again and they are being deprived of a mother because I wanted to be thin. My husband is going to lose the only women he loved because I wanted to be thin and he couldn't care less if I was thin or fat. The Pulmonary Doctor administed a blood thinner until my surgeon arrived. My surgeon arrived within 10 mins of our phone conversation. The first thing out of his mouth...WHERE IS HER DRAIN?? Well, I had it pinned to the inside of my hospital gown. It was full of that same nasty brown liquid I had been throwing up! He told my husband, I know what the problem is. It seemed like forever for them to get the OR ready for me. I was in so much pain and was ready for them to operate. I didn't think I would wake up again. I was so scared. They put me out and the next thing I know I'm being told that I am in ICU and on a respirator. I was told I came through surgery just fine but I could not communicate with anyone other than nodding my head and trying to mouth words. They finally found me paper and a pen. My husband told me that I had a bowel obstruction in the bypassed portion of my intestine that backed up to the bypassed stomach and blew it up like a balloon until the staple line gave way. I spent the next 9 days in ICU being tortured by respiratory therapists...still unable to sleep except for 10 or 15 mins at a time. I was gradually weaned off the respirator at 8 days in ICU and had to wear an oxygen mask for the next 24 hrs. I could not speak above a whisper.
Oct 15 - 20, 2002: I am finally back in a regular room!! I am so excited until I try to get up to use the bathroom. I find that I am so weak I can barely walk to the bathroom without collapsing. I use the bathroom and get the first look at my new incision which goes from brestbone to pubic bone. I nearly fainted!! Then came the RUDE awakening...I can't wipe myself. I have diarrea and I can't move very well. My poor husband had to wipe my butt for me. I never thought something like this would happen to me. I mean, how gross is that? Luckily we kept some babywipes in the car for quick cleanups with the kids, so those made it up to my room quickly. I soon learned that the nurses aides would do anything to avoid coming in my room if my husband wasn't there to take care of me. I had to start working with a physical therapist to get my strenth back up. We started with just standing by the bed and gradually walking a little bit. I could never go far and had to have a walker. I was also supported by my physical therapist. He wore some type of harness that was hooked to me in case I lost my balance. I have never felt so helpless in my entire life. Plus, I know I outweighed my PT at least 2 time over. The worst part of being in the hospital had to be the sponge baths. I could not shower and could not wash my hair. They used these wipes to clean me and they STUNK. I could not wait to get home to 'wash the hospital stink off me'. My hair was terrible dirty. They would use wipes to try to wash it....IMPOSSIBLE! I still can't sleep and I'm too restless to watch TV or read a book. My attention span is limited to the articles in People magazine (short and to the point). I am so restless and can't wait to get home. My doctor removed the drain. They lie if they tell you it doesn't hurt. I thought he was ripping out my belly button! Then he started removing my staples. I had some sort of plastic anchors stiched in over my incision as added protection. They were removed and he didn't like what he saw. He opened up my incision in a few places to assist with the draining. I couldn't even look at it cause I saw my insides. GROSS! I had to keep constant dressing over the wound as it was draining (this would continue for about 3 mos). I finally got to go home after spending 3 weeks in the hospital. I was so happy but scared also! I felt every bump in the road and jolt in the car!
October 21, 2002: I'm finally home and have had a shower and washed my hair. Well, my husband showered me and washed my hair. Good thing we have a seat in the shower and it's big enough for 2 people! I still can't sleep, but my dr is giving me sleeping pills. They allow me to sleep for 2 hr stretches. I came home with a walker and have to use it around the house. I live in my recliner. I can't lie down flat without getting dizzy and the room spinning...oh...and the pain of trying to stretch out like that....just too much.
Mid Dec 2002: I have been released to go back to work. I have been off work for 10 weeks. I am still weak, but it will probably do me some good to get back into the swing of things.
Below is my weight chart which I started tracking when I went back to work:
July 1996: 327
12/14/2001 258.5 -69 -69
12/21/2001 258.5 0 -69
12/28/2001 258.5 0 -69
1/1/2002 274 15.5 -53.5
1/21/2002 272 -2 -55.5
1/28/2002 266 -6 -61.5
2/8/2002 264 -2 -63.5
2/23/2002 258.5 -5.5 -69
10/1/2002 296.50 38 -31
1/23/2003 229.5 -67 -98
2/22/2003 218 -11.5 -109.5
3/27/2003 210 -8 -117.5
4/3/2003 205 -5 -122.5
4/18/2003 203.5 -1.5 -124
5/4/2003 198.5 -5 -129
5/12/2003 195.5 -3 -132
5/27/2003 194 -1.5 -133.5
6/4/2003 193 -1 -134.5
6/5/2003 192 -1 -135.5
7/10/2003 187 -5 -140.5
8/12/2003 179 -8 -148.5
8/28/2003 176 -3 -151.5
10/3/2003 169 -7 -158.5
11/10/2003 166 -3 -161.5
1/21/2004 161.5 -4.5 -166
2/17/2004 159 -2.5 -168.5
3/26/2004 158 -1 -169.5
4/19/2004 156.5 -1.5 -171
6/1/2004 160 3.5 -167.5
7/10/2004 158 -2 -169.5
7/14/2004 158.5 0.5 -169
7/23/2004 156.5 -2 -171
8/4/2004 155 -1.5 -172.5
8/11/2004 154 -1 -173.5
8/25/2004 153.5 -0.5 -174
