Wow, What a Journey So Far!

Apr 05, 2011

Oh it's been awhile. I am sorry to those of you that I should have updated already.  I have just felt like complete crap until this week. Yes, it's been over 3 weeks since my original surgery.  I went into surgery on the 14th as scheduled. I didn't know if I was going to even be able to have it because that day my son Grady tested positive for strep throat and I had a sore throat on the way to the hospital. I told them about it and had no fever, etc, so we went ahead as planned. I weighed in and ended up losing 12 lbs with my post-op diet, which I was pretty much shocked. lol

The surgery ended up taking like 4 hours or so just because he went very slow and is very meticulous. Laproscopic RNY. Came out without a hitch, or so we thought!!  I was doing ok recovering, tolerating the liquids OK, just had to take it REALLLY slow. I felt so dehydrated at first, I was obsessed and in love with toothettes and ice water because it was the only way I could feel ok again. My mouth literally was as dry as a piece of paper and it was just the most annoying, and hard to deal with thing! I couldn't even talk it was so bad. So after 2 barium swallows I was finally given clear liquids which I tolerated ok, but just could NOT eat everything they gave me on my tray...only about a 1/3 of it. The next morning was stage 2 (full liquids), and again, I was having a really hard time finishing even 1/3 of what they gave me. I just could not understand how a person was supposed to drink 64 oz in a day or whatever it is. I still can't really imagine that working. It felt like the water just dropped into my stomach and caused sort of a cramping. Or like I swallowed a huge air bubble. The doctor says that with cold everything does tighten.  I was discharged on Wed the 16th. That night was hard because I had an outrageous amt of gas and pains. I had tried gas-X, prevacid, stool softener, nothing was working. The pain was so bad I had to call the hospital. My surgeon's PA said to try dulcolax suppositories and a heating pad on my stomach and try drinking hot tea. It was too late to get to Walmart but the tea and heating pad seemed to solve the prob and the next morning the PA called to check on me and I told her I loved her for getting rid of the pain. That night the pain came back and nothing was helping. I tried everything I tried the night before and nothing helped but the heating pad a little, but then all of a sudden a sharp, horrible pain that wouldn't quit and before long I couldn't sit, stand, or lie down in any comfortable position. Soon the pain was so bad I was screaming. My temp was 101.5 degrees and my pulse was nearly 150 bpm! I called the hospital again and she told me to go to my local ER and that I would need to come by ambulance back to Marquette, which was like 2.5 hours. Went into the ER at about 3:30 am and left for Marquette at approx 5 or 6 am. OMG the ambulance ride was one of the worst things ever. It was so rickety and freaking bumpy and every bump hurt so much, I couldn't believe it. Luckily the EMT in the back of the ambulance was great and kept giving me toothettes with ice water and everytime he knew we were coming upon some bumpiness he cranked up my morphine. When we got to the hospital, Dr. English & his PA were right there waiting for me. Jason had driven down in his vehicle and got there shortly. Dr. English said I had to go back in for emergency surgery. They said it could be a leak, it could be a bowel obstruction, could be nothing but gas, but usually with a high pulse like that signs point to leak. They both wheeled me down to surgery. Talk about amazing bedside manner...he is great. So I went in and came out 5 hours later. OPEN surgery this time and they found that it was a leak, and because of this I was septic. I guess out of like 1600 surgeries he has never had a patient develop a leak in the spot I did. Scary. Said it was lower and in a spot that was harder to see laproscopically so that's why he opened me up. There was one little staple that was bent out straight and no idea how it happened, there is always that slight risk, but he thinks it happened the first night I called with abdominal pain. I mean I passed 2 barium swallows before I was discharged the first time and I did everything they said...I didn't eat or drink too much, that is for sure. So he sutured and stapled and rechecked everything, etc. After surgery I was taken to the ICU with a NG tube, a feeding tube, heart monitor, IV and 2 JP drains! Stayed there for 4 days, NG tube removed the 3rd day. Then I was moved to the surgical floor for 2 more days until I was released on the 24th. Many probs with IV's, I ended up having to get a PICC line put into my arm that went across my chest and into the heart so they were able to draw blood and give fluids through IV easily. Probs happened with that too...it's never a dull moment with me!! All the fluids I was given by IV: antibiotics, vitamins, sodium chloride, potassium & phosphorous (because blood work showed deficiency) made me so swollen and retaining water. I GAINED 22 lbs since the original surgery, and mind you, hadn't had a bit to eat since 3/13 and was discharged on 3/24! I was sent home with just the drains and feeding tube. He originally thought I'd be on it 6-7 weeks, but because I was doing so well, blood work great, blood count, levels, etc, no fevers, he said only about 7 -10 days! Discharged on Thurs with a followup Monday, he told me to try drinking fluids Sun & eating something Mon morning. Sunday night though, my feeding tube FELL OUT after I took a shower! Had to call hospital again, Dr. English's PA said I may have to go to our ER that night to get it put back in, but luckily when she called him he said I was doing so well to just leave it out and he'd see me the next day!! YES! Went in last Monday, lost about 20 lbs of what was probably water weight, got all staples removed, both drains removed and have to follow the full liquid / blended diet for 2 weeks, then I'll have a telehealth (skype) visit where they will talk about how I'm doing & if all is good I will advance to soft foods, which is WAY better to deal with than these damn liquids! I was scared I wasn't even going to be able to drink my shakes but it's gotten much easier just this week. Things are looking better than ever. For a long time I thought I would never be comfortable in my bed again, but even the last 2 nights I have been able to comfortably sleep on my side again. I'm actually hungry for the first time, which kind of sucks, but it's a good thing because I know I'm no longer sick. But when they say you won't be hungry for like a year or something?? NOT true. At least for me.  It doesn't seem like the ghrelin hormone is gone, but obviously I'm barely eating anything. Thank God for soups...I've bought about every kind in the store. I should make my own, just don't have the energy yet. I even did some Wii Fit for awhile a couple days ago and I've been trying to walk around the house a bit, but up until now it was hard enough to even walk across the room to the bathroom let alone try to exercise?? I've been SOOOO weak, it's hard to describe. I'm hoping this week will be much better. I have to try make it a daily thing because I need to exercise. I'm just happy to report I could even do it at all compared to how I was feeling. So that's where I'm at. Besides dying, a leak was my biggest fear with this surgery and I constantly talked about how I was so scared it would happen and I'd be so far away from my surgeon. Well, it happened and I made it through, although Dr told me if I had waited another hour before open surgery I may not have made it! Holy crap. I just hope it's smooth sailing from here!! My mom and Jason keep freaking out when they look at me because they say I'm already looking so different. Jason just about cried the other night because he said that I am just not the same person that was here before. lol My clothes are just hanging on me already. Crazy.

Went to the ER again last Friday because I just felt like crap, really dizzy, light-headed every time after I ate something. They did x-rays and a bunch of blood work, hooked me up to IV for some extra fluids, but everything came back ok. The doc said that basically I felt like that because my body is starving. It's used to having so much and is now living on sooo little that it's not adjusting well. I've been having a terrible time getting all my protein in, or water. Especially at first...in the first 2 weeks it hurt just to swallow 2 sips of water. Taking my pills is still hell. Protein makes me gag...I need to order something else and have just found that this week it HAS to be blended with ice, otherwise it makes me wanna puke. Thank God I can handle cold stuff now. The first few weeks I could only drink hot/warm stuff like broth or tea without hurting or feeling sick. So that's my story!

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