Surgery April 16th, 2010

Apr 20, 2010

My surgery day was Friday April 16th, 2010 at 10:30 am.  I was asked to be at the hospital by 8:30am.  When i first got there I had to sit down and register, get a hospital band put on my wrist, and was taken to a room.  I was given a large hospital gown to put on, and asked to take everything else off.  Then I laid back on the bed, and they put the compression stockings on my legs and left me to wait for a 1/2 hour or so.  A lady came in from the lab and drew blood, and another nurse came in to go over everything that would be happening that morning.

Within the hour I was wheeled (in the bed) to preop holding.  Once there, I had a flurry of doctors surrounding me, one was a Physicians Assistant talking to me, another was a doctor putting in my IV.  A nurse was giving me a hat to put on my head and tuck my hair in, and the Surgeon came in to ask how i was feeling too.  The doctor didn't know if he liked how the IV was in, but said as long as my arm was down, it seemed to be working.  My husband sat with me, but it wasn't long and they wheeled me into the OR.  I was asked to slide over from the bed..to the operating table, with a little help from the nurses.  Next thing i know they have a mask over my face, telling me to take nice deep breaths.  I asked 'is this the stuff that helps knock me out?'..and next thing I know..I'm waking up in recovery.

As soon as I woke up, the nurses were asking where my pain level was at.  I told them i was at a 10 our of a 10, and i needed pain medicine.  They were hitting my arms, and trying to find a vein.  They told me that my other IV quit working, and they can't give me any pain med's until they get in a new IV.  They kept apologizing for hurting me, but I really didn't feel anything other than the pain from surgery..LOL  Finally, they got in an IV in my upper right arm.

I was put into a room with another girl who had RNY the day before me.  I only stayed there an hour or so, and then was wheeled into a private room.  That whole first day I primarily slept, and when I was awake I sucked on ice chips.  My mouth was so terribly dry.  I had a button to push for pain medicine whenever i needed it.  I used it often throughout the first day, only because they said its better to keep up with it, than to try and catch up to the pain w/med's.

I was up and walking the first night.  Wasn't that bad.  Had to sit a minute before standing to make sure i wasn't dizzy at first.  I was woken up all during the night for blood draw's, and to get insulin shots in my belly for my diabetes.  I don't take insulin at home at all, I take metformin, but in the hospital they didn't want me swallowing pills, so they did it with shots.  All my stats were fine, so the Dr. that came in to see me on Saturday morning said that I didn't need the Upper GI.

I was also told that If I kept down liquids, protein, and liquid pain medicine..that i could possibly go home that day.  They took out my IV, I started trying various protein drinks, and drinking sips of water, and the pain med..and was fine.  By 5pm I was discharged and able to go home.  I'm having discomfort, some pain from the one incision that the Doctor said my stomach was pulled from, but nothing horrible.  I'm Sleeved!!!

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