Sorry I haven't posted much the last few days, I just didn't feel like I had a lot to share. Let's see, what's new? Well I made it through the work week. I laid down in the back seat of my car during lunch hour but I made it through. Thursday morning I wasn't feeling so hot but I got better as the day went on and by the evening I was feeling like myself again. The dietitian called to check on me and gave me permission to add some tomato soup to my diet. It was so delicous! I am really getting sick of the boost and yogurt. I can't eat the yogurt any more. I just can't take it. I'm drinking my boost and some soup but that's it. I really wish I could add more soups to my diet. I am so sick of sweet stuff. I'd like some more savory stuff. My tummy handled the tomato soup fine. There was some gurgling and gas but that's it. I didn't feel full but I just reached a point where I felt satisfied and like I didn't want anymore. I'm suprised because I expected to have more experiences where I felt sick from eating too much. But I am being really careful. I guess it's paying off since I haven't had any problems. My stomach doesn't hurt any more. I can lay on my stomach and my kitty can walk across me with out any trouble. My insicions itch though. I am still a little nervous about the belly button one.
I am frustrated that it has been six days and I haven't lost anything. I expected stalls and everything but not right after surgery. I feel a little jilted because I didn't go through the surgery and that pain to not loose. It's a little nuts. I knew it would happen as my body adjusted but I really thought it would be a little longer after surgery. I lost 11 lbs before surgery and another 7 after. Then the scale said I gained a pound. Then it stayed stuck on the same weight ever since. I thought I'd at least have lost 20 before this started. I'm also bummed because I thought I could start working out again after week but apparently not. My doctor just said that he wanted me working out after a week. I have a gym membership and I do weights and cardio. I found out from my support group that I am supposed to wait six weeks to do weights. What a bummer. I'm disapointed. I'm going to call my doctor on tuesday to double check but It will probably be a few weeks before I get to do more than cardio.
I did go and get a 90 minute massage today. It was great! My back has been killing me since I got out of the hospital. The night they sent me home I didn't need the pain meds for my stomach but I almost took them for my back and neck. This really helped and invigorated me. I left the spa feeling great. It could very easily become addicting. I'll have to be careful because the last thing I need to do is go broke because of massages. I barely keep my Coach purse addiction under control I really don't need another one.
Well that's about it for now. I'll update you as things progress. Thanks for reading!
Showing posts with label Sleeve Gastrectomy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sleeve Gastrectomy. Show all posts
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
It's done
Ok So my surgery is done and I'm home, (Thank God!). Now I want to put a warning on this entry before I proceed. I am going to be completely honest here. So if you don't want to hear the bad parts of my experience DO NOT continue to read this blog. I was desperate before surgery to hear a real and true account of someone's story but I didn't get enough of what I was looking for to really know what to expect. So I intend to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. If that isn't what you want to hear, then go no further
Finally after my surgeon visited they took me to the operating room. after that I was out. I remember waking up freezing and my stomach hurting and shivering. all my muscle were clenched and I remember telling them that if I could just stop shivering then my stomach wouldn't hurt. Eventually that did happen and I slept on and off in recovery. They took me to my room and moved me into my bed and my mom came in. I was soo sleepy. my stomach felt stiff and hurt a bit but mostly I was tired. I called Red and Coach to let them know I was ok. I also called The Aunt too. I slept on and off for the next few hours. I finally decided that maybe I should go to the bathroom and that's when I found out I had a cathetor in. Which was wierd to know and not feel. around 6:30 Coach came to sit with me and Mummy-dearest went home. I kept remembering that everyone said to get up and walk ASAP, so I asked to have the cathetor removed and then attempted my first walk. I moved very slowly, like through water almost. But I wasn't in too much pain. I wanted to be sure that didn't happen so I was making sure to ask for my meds every two hours when I was allowed to have them. I would take a short nap after each walk. I walked three or four times before Coach left at 9:30. Each time it got a little easier and I felt a little better.
And then the real fun started. (Sarcasism here). After Coach left the gas started. It was miserable. It hurt so badly I couldn't lay down because the pain would go into my chest and shoulder. It became harder and hard to walk and to lay down. I couldn't sleep all night. I just walked up and down the hallways and I spent the time I wasn't walking sitting on the edge of my bed or on the toliet because those were the only places I could sit comfortably. I couldn't even cry because if I did it hurt my chest more. I only had three insicions on my stomach. One was a small puncture in the center under my rib cage, the next was a small insisicion on my left side right under my last rib on that side. The last one was in my belly button and was the bigest. That one started oozing a little bit during the night and the nurse had to put some gauze on it. Then later the bottom started to bleed and I had to call the nurse again. She said ok she would come over and then sighed "Oh God" That freaked me out. I kept thinking what does that mean? Is there something wrong? Is it bad? I asked her when she came in and she said she didn't realize she said that and appologized. Basically she just didn't want to get up from what ever she was doing. I finally got some sleep from 3-6am
I was still in so much pain in the morning I didn't know what to do. I was thinking that I should tell the Aunt not to go through with it. I was miserable and so tired. I kept trying to walk but it didn't help. I was also having trouble going to the bathroom after having the cathetor so I kept having to turn on the shower to help me. The doctor came in around 7:30 and checked my insiscions. He just wiped those bandaids right off so fast and didn't put anything back on. I told him how I felt and he said that was normal. He said after I got my x-ray to check for leaks and if I could keep something down I could go home. I was kinda afraid to go home at that point though. When they came to take me for the x-ray I was in serious pain from the gas. The pain meds helped the insisions and stuf from surgery but the gas pains didn't get touched by the meds.
I went down for the X-ray and had to deal with a woman who acted like a bull in a china shop. She sped around paying no attention to what she was doing and kept tugging on my IV. She wanted me to lay flat on the x-ray machine and I told her I couldn't because of the gas pain. I told her it hurt too much. She was a complete bitch. She kept arguing with me and telling me I had to and I kept telling her that I couldn't breath when I laid flat. She kept asking me if I was pregnant. Finally, with my eyes balling, I shouted "I am not pregnant, I had surgery, I had sleeve Gastrectomy!" She said she didn't know what that was. I told her and she said "So?" and I said "So, they filled my stomach with gas to do it and I haven' passed it yet I am in a lot of pain. She said she would have to ask her supervisior. Her supervisior and the doctor who did the test were both not suprised at all and said it was no problem to do standing up. I was crying the whole time I was down there though. I finally went back to my room.
I found out another girl had the sleeve done by my doctor the same day. She was in the room across the hall from me. So we walked the halls together, both miserable and swollen with gas. She at least had expected it to be this bad. Her friend had had it a few months earlier. My mom's friend had too and she said she never used pain meds and felt great right after. I told my mom I thought she was lying. My mom came to visit in the afternoon and then left to go see her friend who also does her nails. She was horrified that I was having such a hard time. While they were talking the woman's sister came in. Overhearing thier conversation she laughed and told my mom's friend that she just doesn't remember that she sat there the first few days saying "what did I do to myself!" Finally in the afternoon when I decided to take a nap my gas started to leave. I woke up feeling better but still over tired and naucious. I had a popsicle. The nurse came in and told me that everything looked great on the x-rays and that I had no leaks. I was glad to hear that but still not feeling good enough to get too excited. She told me after I ate something more than the popsicle that I could go home. So I ordered some chicken brooth. I only ate around 8-10 spoonfuls because I wanted to be careful and I didn't feel great. I slept and walked some more. When I asked about going home she said that I hadn't eaten enough. So when I could I had some more chicken broth. The nurses there didn't really seem to know about the sleeve and how it works. They kept telling me that I hadn't eaten anything real and I kept pointing out that I was on a clear liquid diet so what did they want me to eat? When the evening nurse came on I asked about going home but they said that my blood preasure was high and that the doctor wouldn't be happy that I needed naucia meds. But they agreed to call him and ask. One of his associates came in and talked to me and looked and my insicions and dubed me free to go home! I was so excited. I was tired and I felt like I had a prego belly from swelling and gas but I wanted out of that hospital! Mummy dearest picked me up and took me home. The car ride shook me up a bit and made my gas bad again for a while. I went upstairs, turned my air conditioner on, locked the cat out of my room and droped into bed. It was difficult to get comfortable because my back and neck were sore from the hospital bed but eventually I did get comfortable and Mummy-dearest picked up some naucia meds the doctor ordered for me. I was out pretty quickly after that. I slept for about twelve hours. I got up every few hours and went to the bathroom and walked off gas but the minute I was back in my bed I was out cold again.
When I woke up this morning I felt much better. My stomach muscles are very sore and I feel like a little old lady when I walk. All of my muscles are a little sore because of that hospital bed and from trying to compensate for my stomach muscles. I took my pills this morning and that was my breakfast. My new tummy didn't like them and so my tummy was upset for a while but the meds helped. I haven't taken any pain medication yet. At noon I had half a cup of chicken broth and then at one I had a forth of a cup. I'm drinking the rest as I write this. I also took a little nap. My stomach is sore and still feels swollen but nothing like yesterday. One thing that is annoying is that every time I sip water I feel like I drink an air bubble with it and when it hits my stomach I feel the air float back up and make me burp. It doesn't matter if I drink it slow or how small a sip, it doesn't matter if I use a straw or not. I am hoping that goes away quick. I really don't like that feeling. I am a little worried about going back to work on Monday but I guess we'll see how it goes.
Probably the best part of this was Coach. He was so sweet and attentive and fussed over me. It was really sweet and really touching. His support meant so much. My poor cat is so confused. She likes sleeping on my stomach and she was locked out of my room last night and if she tries to climb on me she gets knocked down big time. Poor baby has no idea why she is getting shunned. So there it is. The truth of my surgery
Well I'll start at the beginning. I got up in the morning wednesday and showered and removed my contacts. My mom drove me to the hospital and after checking in the nurse called me back to a room. I gave a urine sample and had to get changed. I've never had surgery before so I didn't know if I needed to take off my underware or not. So When a resident came in to give me a quick exam I asked. He smiled at me and said "yes take them off, we have to make sure people don't run" that helped relax me a little bit. He checked my heart and lungs and the nurse checked my blood preasure. I was just dying to get the drugs in me and knocked out. They had trouble with my IV because you can't drink 12 hours prior to surgery which made me dehydrated and my veins hard to find. They tried my hand, then my elbow, and finally got it in my bicept. which I wasn't thrilled about. I hate needles so it was a practice in will power to let them do that. People kept coming in and out introducing themselves and telling me that they would be in the surgery. Three anestesialogist people, nurses, other doctors etc. I'm kinda suprised there was room for me in the room. But I didn't care much about all of that, I just wanted to be out.
Finally after my surgeon visited they took me to the operating room. after that I was out. I remember waking up freezing and my stomach hurting and shivering. all my muscle were clenched and I remember telling them that if I could just stop shivering then my stomach wouldn't hurt. Eventually that did happen and I slept on and off in recovery. They took me to my room and moved me into my bed and my mom came in. I was soo sleepy. my stomach felt stiff and hurt a bit but mostly I was tired. I called Red and Coach to let them know I was ok. I also called The Aunt too. I slept on and off for the next few hours. I finally decided that maybe I should go to the bathroom and that's when I found out I had a cathetor in. Which was wierd to know and not feel. around 6:30 Coach came to sit with me and Mummy-dearest went home. I kept remembering that everyone said to get up and walk ASAP, so I asked to have the cathetor removed and then attempted my first walk. I moved very slowly, like through water almost. But I wasn't in too much pain. I wanted to be sure that didn't happen so I was making sure to ask for my meds every two hours when I was allowed to have them. I would take a short nap after each walk. I walked three or four times before Coach left at 9:30. Each time it got a little easier and I felt a little better.
And then the real fun started. (Sarcasism here). After Coach left the gas started. It was miserable. It hurt so badly I couldn't lay down because the pain would go into my chest and shoulder. It became harder and hard to walk and to lay down. I couldn't sleep all night. I just walked up and down the hallways and I spent the time I wasn't walking sitting on the edge of my bed or on the toliet because those were the only places I could sit comfortably. I couldn't even cry because if I did it hurt my chest more. I only had three insicions on my stomach. One was a small puncture in the center under my rib cage, the next was a small insisicion on my left side right under my last rib on that side. The last one was in my belly button and was the bigest. That one started oozing a little bit during the night and the nurse had to put some gauze on it. Then later the bottom started to bleed and I had to call the nurse again. She said ok she would come over and then sighed "Oh God" That freaked me out. I kept thinking what does that mean? Is there something wrong? Is it bad? I asked her when she came in and she said she didn't realize she said that and appologized. Basically she just didn't want to get up from what ever she was doing. I finally got some sleep from 3-6am
I was still in so much pain in the morning I didn't know what to do. I was thinking that I should tell the Aunt not to go through with it. I was miserable and so tired. I kept trying to walk but it didn't help. I was also having trouble going to the bathroom after having the cathetor so I kept having to turn on the shower to help me. The doctor came in around 7:30 and checked my insiscions. He just wiped those bandaids right off so fast and didn't put anything back on. I told him how I felt and he said that was normal. He said after I got my x-ray to check for leaks and if I could keep something down I could go home. I was kinda afraid to go home at that point though. When they came to take me for the x-ray I was in serious pain from the gas. The pain meds helped the insisions and stuf from surgery but the gas pains didn't get touched by the meds.
I went down for the X-ray and had to deal with a woman who acted like a bull in a china shop. She sped around paying no attention to what she was doing and kept tugging on my IV. She wanted me to lay flat on the x-ray machine and I told her I couldn't because of the gas pain. I told her it hurt too much. She was a complete bitch. She kept arguing with me and telling me I had to and I kept telling her that I couldn't breath when I laid flat. She kept asking me if I was pregnant. Finally, with my eyes balling, I shouted "I am not pregnant, I had surgery, I had sleeve Gastrectomy!" She said she didn't know what that was. I told her and she said "So?" and I said "So, they filled my stomach with gas to do it and I haven' passed it yet I am in a lot of pain. She said she would have to ask her supervisior. Her supervisior and the doctor who did the test were both not suprised at all and said it was no problem to do standing up. I was crying the whole time I was down there though. I finally went back to my room.
I found out another girl had the sleeve done by my doctor the same day. She was in the room across the hall from me. So we walked the halls together, both miserable and swollen with gas. She at least had expected it to be this bad. Her friend had had it a few months earlier. My mom's friend had too and she said she never used pain meds and felt great right after. I told my mom I thought she was lying. My mom came to visit in the afternoon and then left to go see her friend who also does her nails. She was horrified that I was having such a hard time. While they were talking the woman's sister came in. Overhearing thier conversation she laughed and told my mom's friend that she just doesn't remember that she sat there the first few days saying "what did I do to myself!" Finally in the afternoon when I decided to take a nap my gas started to leave. I woke up feeling better but still over tired and naucious. I had a popsicle. The nurse came in and told me that everything looked great on the x-rays and that I had no leaks. I was glad to hear that but still not feeling good enough to get too excited. She told me after I ate something more than the popsicle that I could go home. So I ordered some chicken brooth. I only ate around 8-10 spoonfuls because I wanted to be careful and I didn't feel great. I slept and walked some more. When I asked about going home she said that I hadn't eaten enough. So when I could I had some more chicken broth. The nurses there didn't really seem to know about the sleeve and how it works. They kept telling me that I hadn't eaten anything real and I kept pointing out that I was on a clear liquid diet so what did they want me to eat? When the evening nurse came on I asked about going home but they said that my blood preasure was high and that the doctor wouldn't be happy that I needed naucia meds. But they agreed to call him and ask. One of his associates came in and talked to me and looked and my insicions and dubed me free to go home! I was so excited. I was tired and I felt like I had a prego belly from swelling and gas but I wanted out of that hospital! Mummy dearest picked me up and took me home. The car ride shook me up a bit and made my gas bad again for a while. I went upstairs, turned my air conditioner on, locked the cat out of my room and droped into bed. It was difficult to get comfortable because my back and neck were sore from the hospital bed but eventually I did get comfortable and Mummy-dearest picked up some naucia meds the doctor ordered for me. I was out pretty quickly after that. I slept for about twelve hours. I got up every few hours and went to the bathroom and walked off gas but the minute I was back in my bed I was out cold again.
When I woke up this morning I felt much better. My stomach muscles are very sore and I feel like a little old lady when I walk. All of my muscles are a little sore because of that hospital bed and from trying to compensate for my stomach muscles. I took my pills this morning and that was my breakfast. My new tummy didn't like them and so my tummy was upset for a while but the meds helped. I haven't taken any pain medication yet. At noon I had half a cup of chicken broth and then at one I had a forth of a cup. I'm drinking the rest as I write this. I also took a little nap. My stomach is sore and still feels swollen but nothing like yesterday. One thing that is annoying is that every time I sip water I feel like I drink an air bubble with it and when it hits my stomach I feel the air float back up and make me burp. It doesn't matter if I drink it slow or how small a sip, it doesn't matter if I use a straw or not. I am hoping that goes away quick. I really don't like that feeling. I am a little worried about going back to work on Monday but I guess we'll see how it goes.
Probably the best part of this was Coach. He was so sweet and attentive and fussed over me. It was really sweet and really touching. His support meant so much. My poor cat is so confused. She likes sleeping on my stomach and she was locked out of my room last night and if she tries to climb on me she gets knocked down big time. Poor baby has no idea why she is getting shunned. So there it is. The truth of my surgery
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Countdown begins!
Hello there Girls and Boys! So here we are, I have a surgery date set and today is officially one month until surgery. I am really bummed because the nurse at the doctor’s office lead me to believe that if I got my paperwork in soon enough I could go at the end of April. So that is a bummer but at least it is all set. So the countdown has begun. Thirty days from today I will be sleeved and start a new life free from that ball and chain that food has become. I can’t wait. In anticipation of this miraculous event I am making all kinds of preparations. I have purchased gummy vitamins for after the surgery. I am buying and trying different protein shakes. I have even bought a couple tops that are a size smaller in order to be sure that I have work clothes. I know, I’m probably going overboard but it’s constantly on my mind.
I have been getting lots of support from my boyfriend, Coach and from Mummy-dearest. Red and the Aunt have been really supportive too. I was not so thrilled with Mr. Crabby-Ass last week though. He has been really negative about the whole thing. Both of my brothers think that doing this is cheating. HELLO, at least four weeks on a liquid diet is cheating??? I mean come on! I am completely changing my life and my stomach. I am not going to be able to just diet for a while, drop the weight and go back to life as usual. This is a permanent change! It’s a life choice, not just a diet!
So I am anxiously awaiting May 19th. But unfortunately I don’t think my fat pants will make it that long. I just started a new job in an environment where I have to dress professionally. My last job had a very casual atmosphere so I was able to wear jeans and a t-shirt every day. I didn’t have the clothes for this job. I have bought a few things to try to get me by until I start losing weight since I didn’t want to waste my money. But my one pair of dress pants is starting to get a hole so it’s looking like I will have to spend the money to buy another pair of fat pants. Which pisses me off. I’ll get them and wear them for maybe four weeks, less if I lose on the pre-op diet. That sucks since I am trying to save up money for a house and a new car. Its money I don’t really need to spend right now. :P But I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. Once I star loosing I’ll be ok I think because I’ll have all the clothes that I wore while I got to this crazy weight. So that shouldn’t be too bad. Sigh. 30 days and counting…….
Monday, April 5, 2010
Introduction
Good Evening Readers!
So I'll introduce myself, I am (almost) 29 years old and live in Michigan. I am currently living with my mom due to our lovely economy. But I guess I can't really complain. I just got a new job after 8 months of being unemployed. I got a great job in Marketing at an agency that has great benifits and a great envoirnment. I am still feeling my way around because it is such a different atmosphere then I am used to. I have been with my boyfriend for the last three years. He is a great guy who is a total fitness nut. He loves working out and is always obsessing over his muscles,LOL. I have two younger brothers, one who I don't get along with very well. We just never see eye to eye on anything. the other one I get along with alright. But they both always seem crabby and a little angry. I have two cats and a dog. My mom has two dogs. So there are a lot of animals in our house. I'm not surw what else to tell you about me.
I'm starting this blog to record my experience when I get Sleeve Gastrectomy. I have really struggled with my weight the last few years. I have tried every diet, pill, and exercise program you can think of and nothing has really helped. My thyroid doctor had recommended weightloss surgery a few years ago because she didn't know why I wasn't loosing weight. Recently a friend of my mom's got the sleeve and she has been so happy. So my mom suggested it to me. Now I don't do things on impulse. It's just not in my make up (at least not about something big like this). I researched it and decided that I really wanted to do this. I didn't even tell my boyfriend about it until after I made the decision. I knew he would support me, especially if it would make me healthier. But it was a decision I needed to make for myself and by myself. I'm not really telling people I am doing this. Most people think that surgery is too extreme. They just don't understand how it changes the lives of the people who do it. My mom convinced me to tell my brothers and they reacted badly. Basically (like I expected) they didn't understand why I couldn't just get some self control and were very negative. So I'm planning on keeping this to myself.
Right now I am still trying to get the Authorization before I can schedule the surgery. I have approval from my doctor and have met with my surgen. This week I will get my psych eval and then I will be able to schedule surgery. The timing isn't great because I just started a new job but I don't want to wait. All I think about is this surgery and how my life is going to change. I can't wait. I'm so excited.
While reading someone elses blog I read one where the writer used code names for the people in her life. It added entertainment to the blog so I am going to follow this example and do the same. For the purpose of this journal I am going by the name Raven. Here are the others you will encounter here:
Coach- My boyfriend of three years. He is big into health and fitness. The gym is his obsession. So since he helps me in my workouts I call him Coach.
Mommy dearest- would be my mom who I live with.
Red- My favorite Cousin and one of the few people I have told about my surgery
Mr Cranky-ass - My brother who I rarely get a long with
Mr not so Cranky-ass - My youngest brother who I get along with but who is very often crabby.
The Aunt - My closest aunt who is also going to have the surgery. We will be doing this together
I'll probably be adding to the cast of charactors as time goes by. We'll just have to see who comes up.
So I'll introduce myself, I am (almost) 29 years old and live in Michigan. I am currently living with my mom due to our lovely economy. But I guess I can't really complain. I just got a new job after 8 months of being unemployed. I got a great job in Marketing at an agency that has great benifits and a great envoirnment. I am still feeling my way around because it is such a different atmosphere then I am used to. I have been with my boyfriend for the last three years. He is a great guy who is a total fitness nut. He loves working out and is always obsessing over his muscles,LOL. I have two younger brothers, one who I don't get along with very well. We just never see eye to eye on anything. the other one I get along with alright. But they both always seem crabby and a little angry. I have two cats and a dog. My mom has two dogs. So there are a lot of animals in our house. I'm not surw what else to tell you about me.
I'm starting this blog to record my experience when I get Sleeve Gastrectomy. I have really struggled with my weight the last few years. I have tried every diet, pill, and exercise program you can think of and nothing has really helped. My thyroid doctor had recommended weightloss surgery a few years ago because she didn't know why I wasn't loosing weight. Recently a friend of my mom's got the sleeve and she has been so happy. So my mom suggested it to me. Now I don't do things on impulse. It's just not in my make up (at least not about something big like this). I researched it and decided that I really wanted to do this. I didn't even tell my boyfriend about it until after I made the decision. I knew he would support me, especially if it would make me healthier. But it was a decision I needed to make for myself and by myself. I'm not really telling people I am doing this. Most people think that surgery is too extreme. They just don't understand how it changes the lives of the people who do it. My mom convinced me to tell my brothers and they reacted badly. Basically (like I expected) they didn't understand why I couldn't just get some self control and were very negative. So I'm planning on keeping this to myself.
Right now I am still trying to get the Authorization before I can schedule the surgery. I have approval from my doctor and have met with my surgen. This week I will get my psych eval and then I will be able to schedule surgery. The timing isn't great because I just started a new job but I don't want to wait. All I think about is this surgery and how my life is going to change. I can't wait. I'm so excited.
While reading someone elses blog I read one where the writer used code names for the people in her life. It added entertainment to the blog so I am going to follow this example and do the same. For the purpose of this journal I am going by the name Raven. Here are the others you will encounter here:
Coach- My boyfriend of three years. He is big into health and fitness. The gym is his obsession. So since he helps me in my workouts I call him Coach.
Mommy dearest- would be my mom who I live with.
Red- My favorite Cousin and one of the few people I have told about my surgery
Mr Cranky-ass - My brother who I rarely get a long with
Mr not so Cranky-ass - My youngest brother who I get along with but who is very often crabby.
The Aunt - My closest aunt who is also going to have the surgery. We will be doing this together
I'll probably be adding to the cast of charactors as time goes by. We'll just have to see who comes up.
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