Good morning! This blog is going to be about weight loss. I have been fighting my weight for years. For two years I tried to get approval from my insurance company to get the Gastric Bypass done. After being rejected, my insurance company changed over and in one day I got my approval. So, in February of 2005 it finally happened. I got to have the surgery to be thin. I wrote about it in a journal back when it happened on how it was for me the first few days. So that will be following this post. But now, almost 2 years later, I feel great and I think look good to boot...I do have a little more weight to lose but Im not stressing over it.
Let me start by saying, my surgeon was/is the absolute best. I could not have found a better doctor if I had tried. He has made this whole experience so easy and I thank him for that. But it is very important that when you read this that you know this was MY experience. Every doctor has his/her own way of doing things. So it may be totally different than what I went through. I just want people that are wanting to get this done to have an idea of what to expect.
The day before surgery:
I looked at February 21st 2005, as the last day I would ever enjoy a meal. I made my favorite dinner with my son and when we sat down to eat I couldnt eat but half of it. The nerves were beginning to kick in.
In my head I was ready for the surgery, I wasnt nervous at all. But my body was saying something different. I found myself losing my appetite about three days before surgery. If I had known this ahead of time, I would have made my favorite meal about a week before. Oh, who am I kidding, I ate like a pig for two weeks before surgery!
I slept well the night before and didn't have any worries. I am ready for tomorrow to come.
My surgery day:
Well the day is here, Im anxious but not nervous. I walked into the hospital with not a care in the world. They brought me back quickly to prep me. Instead of being nervous I just told the nurse to do whatever she needed to. She asked me if I was alright and I said Im just fine.
I then had an hour to kill because the surgeon was running late on the case in front of me. You would think I would be nervous having to wait another hour but I wasnt...I took a nap. When I woke up, the doctor came in to ask his questions then the anesthesiologist came in with some nurses. At this point I was still feeling fine. Then it was time to go. They roll you down to the OR and when you get in there and put on that table you start to shake. Oh yeah, I was scared, like a little baby. But then the nice man tells me hes going to give me some oxygen to help me relax...yeah right, oxygen my %*&! Thats right, they put me to sleep, it was as easy as that! The next thing I remember I was waking up in my room.
I think a lot of people get nervous about the surgery. Dont, its really not a big deal at all. A friend told me to look at it like I was just going in to be put to sleep and take a nap. And by looking at it that way it helped me to forget about what they are in there doing. It really does help.
Recovery
I was told I was in recovery for about 90 minutes. I had my surgery at noon and woke up around 4pm. I went right back to sleep and woke up again about 6pm. By 8pm I wanted to get up. My back was bothering me just a tad from the way I was laying so I got up and sat in a chair for a couple of hours. After I got back in bed I was in for the longest night of my life. Either I would wake up every hour or the nurses would wake me to take vitals or give me a shot of something. I was so exhausted but you just dont get much rest. I wasnt in much pain but I was just frustrated about being woken.
Day 2 after surgery February 23rd, 2005:
This is my first full day after surgery and definitely the worst. You feel bruised and baddered but you make it through. See, on this day, they want you out of bed walking and you also have to go for the xray to see if you have any leaks. Your just so tired and dont want to move but once you get up and going it does get easier.
I got up, walked about 15 minutes and went back to bed. I then went to xray, drank the nasty white stuff and was taken back to my room. Again, they had me walk the halls. I only did it a few minutes and went back to bed to sleep.
Well, that afternoon, out came the cathader. Oh, did I forget to tell you about that? Yeah, you have a cathader put in while they are operating on you. Dont worry though, it isnt a big deal and it doesnt hurt at all. But, once they remove it, you then have to get up out of bed a lot to go to the bathroom. Now that part is a little more difficult. Your being pumped with fluids in your IV and as the saying goes, what goes in must come out. So not only do you have to get up to go, but you have to drag your IV pole and your stomach pump along with you. But dont worry, its more of an inconvenience then anything...no pain.
As for visitors, well, I was suppose to have people come visit me today. Let me just say, the last thing you want is visitors. You are so doped up that you can hardly stay awake and you just want to be left alone. So, I ended up telling everyone when they called not to come in. It worked out very well that way.
You may be wondering about eating and drinking. Well, the first time you get anything to drink is when they do the xray for leaks. If that comes back normal then that afternoon they will give you fluids only. On day three you will get a pureed lunch if your taking the fluids ok.
While in the hospital they will give you these swabs to keep your mouth moist. Well, I found a spray of the same stuff that is new on the market and brought it in with me. Since the nurses dont know about it they may tell you no. But I had a nurse I spoke with outside of the hospital before surgery tell me it was ok. So its really your call. But it will definitely keep your mouth more moist then the cottonswabs. It from Orajel and is made of glycerin if you decide to grab some before you go in.
Day 3 February 24th, 2005:
I woke up this morning feeling 110% better. It is amazing the improvement one day will make. I was up walking around more and excited about going home. I was a little nervous about going home since I didnt have bed rails on my bed at home. So that made it a bit hectic wondering how I was going to get up and down off the couch or bed.
In order to go home, you have to eat your pureed food before they will let you go. As long as that goes down well, then you get to go. You dont have to eat much. Just enough so they can see you can keep it down.
This is also the day they take the drain out of your stomach. Did I forget to mention that? Sorry, but yes, you will have a drain put in your stomach during surgery. It will have a bulb on the end of it that the stuff runs into. When you get ready to leave, a doctor will come in to remove it. Now Im not going to sugar coat this, it sucks having it removed. To be honest, it is the worst part of the whole experience. But, it only lasts about 10 seconds. So if you just relax and take a deep breath it is over really quick.
I was discharged at 4pm today and home by 5pm....oh how nice it was to walk in the door.
From the time I got home I was up doing laundry, dishes and cooking. I found the more I moved the quicker I healed. I didnt sleep well at night and found the naps during the day were very helpful. Dont overdue it, but also dont let everyone do everything for you. It will only make things harder on you in the end. Oh, and keep a cell phone near you at night to call someone in the house if you need to. You will wake up in the night and want to get up and you will probably need assistance. Its easier to call then yell, trust me, I found out the hard way!:)
Day 4 February 25th, 2005:
My first shower since the morning of surgery! Oh how good it feels! You will never appreciate soap and water more than at this moment. I suggest that you have a chair in the shower with you if at all possible to help you. It is more difficult than you think.
Im just moving around the house cleaning and cooking...things are good. I am feeling really good today!
Day 5 February 26th, 2005
Im getting tired of eating mashed potatoes, applesauce and yogurt. Im trying to think of something else to have because the thought of pureeing meats just disgusts me. No luck....yet.
