Surgery and Hospital Stay

Well, it's been 3 weeks since my surgery. I haven't really been in a mood to be on the computer.

So since it has been 3 weeks, sit down and prepare for a long post.

My mom came in to town the Sunday before my surgery. On Monday, August 23rd I got up at 4:30 am to shower and get dressed to head to the hospital. We stopped off at the hotel where my mom was staying at so she could follow us to the hospital.

We got to the hospital and checked in. I of course had to pay my deductible before I could be called back for the surgery preparation. Finally after a short time the parade to the surgical waiting room began. They took roughly 4 patients and their families up at a time. The families found seats while the surgery patients signed in. Wasn't very long before I was called back to get ready.

First thing first I was weighed. I had lost 20 pounds! That made 24 pounds lost since I last saw the doctor on 7/28. Wahoo! Then it was here, take off your clothes and put the backless gown on. Next came the anesthesiologist trying to get the IV line in. I have a friend who works for their billing company and had said she was going to try to make sure that I got the best doctor. Needless to say, as the anesthesiologist was having problems getting the IV in, he kept mumbling about how my friend was in trouble. A little comic relief during the whole pre-op routine, thank goodness!

After all of that the nurse realized that I needed to pee in a cup. Now I wasn't supposed to drink anything after midnight. How in the heck was I gonna pee in a cup. Well, somehow I managed to do it. The family came in just in time for Dr Spaw to come in. Evidently it is routine to remove the gall bladder and appendix during the surgery. My mom questioned why and it is due to after these surgeries, people tend to have flare ups of these 2 organs. Mom told Dr. Spaw that we have never had gall bladder problems so it was decided to leave it in and just remove the appendix. Shortly afterward I was wheeled towards surgery. I don't even remember leaving the pre-op area; good drugs ;o)

The next thing I remember was being wheeled to my hospital room, semi-awake, asking for pain medicine because my stomach was hurting so bad. I was set up with an automatic pain pump. I used it quite a bit on the Monday and somewhat on Tuesday. Monday I spent most of the day asleep because of the pain medicine, but I did have times where I was awake. I did have to get up and walk around that Monday.

Tuesday was better. Dr Spaw would come in early in the morning. In between trying to sleep and getting woken up every 4 hours for vitals, there were meal trays and just general things. Mom would come in around 11 am and I would then start the walking around that they required.

By Wednesday I was completely off the pain medicine and got approval to remove that IV. Because they kept having trouble with the IV lines. I was beginning to get stir crazy. I was getting up and walking more and more.

I was told that most people stay in the hospital 3 1/2 to 4 days. So Thursday I was looking forward to going home. What I didn't know was that my release was dependant on my being able to pass gas. Every morning Dr. Spaw would come in and ask 3 basic questions: 1. how was I feeling? 2. How much was I drinking? and 3. Had I passed any gas?

Thursday morning I was so ready to get out of the hospital. He came in Thursday morning and asked if I had farted. Nope. Well, because I hadn't, I wasn't allowed to leave. Another damn day in the hospital. I at least got the okay to be IV free on Thursday. So on Thursday I got up and made 5 laps around the hospital floor trying to get things moving. Thursday night I spent just shaking and rubbing my belly. I was determined to get things moving.

About 2 am Friday morning I had to go. I was never so happy to have a bowel movement! Dr. Spaw came in on Friday morning and I got the okay to go home!

All in all the stay in the hospital wasn't too bad. The part that got me was the daily shots to prevent blood clots. Unfortunately I had to have these shots in my belly. They weren't as bad, in that they were causing my belly to hurt, but more annoying than anything.

So by 10:30 am on Friday August 27 I was leaving the hospital. We stopped off at my work to say hello to everyone. Then we went to mom's hotel until my boyfriend got off work and could calm our animals down before I came in. Last thing I needed was a dog jumping on my stomach.

So that covers my hospital stay. It's taking me all afternoon to write this so I think I'll wait to write about the rest later.

Before Surgery Pictures

These were taken by a coworker in my office. This is 3 days before surgery. Last known weight, 427 pounds. Shorts are a size 32 and tank top is a size 26/28.

So here we are. My 2 features I am most excited about getting rid of? My fat legs and upper arms. Especially my legs. It's very difficult to shop with those legs.

2 Days Before Surgery

So it has been rough going this week. This week is strictly liquids. I found myself doing okay on Monday, but as the week progressed I was having trouble drinking the 4 protein shakes and getting my 64 ounces of water in.

I think I am getting quickly burned out on the shakes. My coworkers were like, Oh I love the shakes, and my response is yeah, but you're only drinking 1 not 4 a day.

All week long I would come home from work and fall asleep on the couch. I am just completely drained. I'm sure that it's because of the lack of food and protein but I still couldn't get the 4 shakes down.

I haven't been sleeping well. Because of the naps I've been going to bed late so I am sure that hasn't helped with the whole not sleeping good. I think 1 part of the reason is I just can't seem to get comfortable in bed here lately. Not sure why. The other reason is I have a cat that is sick and I think I will lose in the near future. My fear is that he will die while I'm in the hospital. Unfortunately with the surgery coming up I don't have the extra money to take him to the vet. He is 13 years old which is the longest I have ever had a cat.

My coworkers this week have been checking in on me to see how I'm doing. They let me talk about food, but have been ever watchful to make sure I haven't been eating any. Out of the 4 coworkers who said they would do the diet with me, only 1 has managed to do the entire 2 weeks. She is a diabetic so she didn't do the exact diet, but she did restrict herself with what she ate. While she was on this diet with me her blood sugar averaged about 100 the entire time. She's gonna stay on this diet until she sees her doctor on 8/27. She said if she's lost even 5 pounds she's gonna stay on it. I told her to email me to what the doctor said.

I have continued my internet surfing. There are a couple of websites that I definitely want to order from. I just wish I had more money to do all the ordering I want....but alas, I haven't won the Powerball or MegaMillions lottery jackpot yet.

I did go to GNC this week to buy my protein powder that I can mix in with food. Unfortunately none of the GNC stores carry it. The only way to get it is order it online. I was not a happy camper. So it is ordered and will probably arrive when I am in the hospital. I also dropped off the prescriptions that the doctor gave me on my visit on 7/28. While at Walgreens I also grabbed Flintstones chewable vitamins. How I ever thought these were tasty as a kid I will never know.

So tomorrow is all clear liquids which means only water, broth, Popsicles, Jell-o and Powerade Zero. No protein shakes. Mom also arrives tomorrow. Monday morning have to be at the hospital by 5:30 am. Surgery should be around 7:30 am and will take about 3 hours to complete.

I'm gonna post some "before" pictures and after that my next post will either be from the hospital or once I am home. I am curious to know how much I have lost on this diet. My last weigh in a week and a half ago was 427. We'll see.

Pre-Surgery Diet - Day 7

So I am on day 7 of the pre-op diet. Today I get to have my last solid food until after surgery.

So I have been doing so-so on the diet. There are some days that I am doing great, drinking all my water and protein shakes and other days not so much. It's definitely easier for me to get my water in at work than it is at home.

I have been having headaches all week long. About the only thing I can do to get rid of them is to sleep.

I have only "cheated" twice. On Monday I had 1 chocolate cookie and then on Friday I bought an Atkins protein bar at the grocery store. I ate it to see if it would help with the headaches...it didn't.

Side Bar:
I will have to give some props to the folks at the Atkins company..Their food takes pretty darn good. The protein bar was chocolate covered peanut butter bar. It was kinda like peanut butter with peanut bits in it covered in chocolate. It was 240 calories, 22g of carbs, 1g of sugar and 18g of protein. I also noticed that they had Atkins peanut butter cups. Can't wait to try them after surgery! Gonna have to go to the Atkins website to look to see what else they have and if there are any coupons.

Tomorrow I start the 4 protein shakes a day. Thank goodness I found the Atkins shakes because if I hadn't it would be hard as hell this week!

I've been surfing the internet for different websites for various things. Some items that a specifically made for bariatric patients, also some websites for cooking your own high protein, low sugar and low carb foods. Here are a couple:

http://www.bariatricchoice.com/
http://www.chefdave.org/

In trying to find high protein meat, I have been looking for some different options and found a couple of great buffalo/bison meat websites. Buffalo or bison meat is very good. It's high in protein and low in fat. Plus to me it tastes just like beef. We have a Ted's Montana Grill here in Nashville and I am sure I will be going to them quite a bit. Anyway, here are a couple of buffalo websites:

http://www.highplainsbison.com/
http://www.americangourmet.net/

I also joined an online support group. It's where I got the weight loss tracker that you see on the right. It's interesting to see the before and after pictures as well as the message boards. Since the support group the hospital has only meets once a month, this is a great alternative.

http://www.obesityhelp.com/

I am on there as FTTG2010 if you decide to join and want to friend me.

Oh and in regards to my last post, I did make it through the Upper GI test okay. I didn't throw up once although the stuff you had to drink was nasty! During the pre admission registration, I did find out that I had lost 4.5 pounds in the 2 weeks since I had last been weighed. We'll see how much I lose when I go in for surgery. I've heard that most people lose 15 to 20 pounds on this diet. Let's hope so.

Pre-Surgery Diet - Day 2

I am on day 2 of the pre-surgery diet. This week I get to have 2 protein shakes a day and a Lean Cuisine/Smart One frozen meal that meets certain criteria. I also must drink at least 64 oz of water every day. As a special bonus I can also have as much sugar-free Popsicles, sugar-free Jello and chicken, beef or vegetable broth as I want.

I bought 3 different types of protein shakes: Muscle Milk Light, EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control and Atkins Advantage all in some sort of chocolate flavor. Here is a small review:

Muscle Milk Light: I could barely get past the smell to drink it. When I finally did drink it I could barely get 2 sips in without gagging. I had about 8 sips of water afterword just to try to get the taste out of my mouth. Most of the first attempt at this drink went down the drain.

EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control: After the disaster of the Muscle Milk I moved on to the EAS. The smell was a little better than the other, so I gave it a try. It also had an after taste but this one only took a couple of sips of water to clear. It was okay, but I wasn't eager to have another one.

Atkins Advantage: After the disaster of the first 2 I tried, needless to say I wasn't overly excited to have another one. So this morning I cracked open the Atkins one. I poured it into my reusable container and gave it a good shake. The smell wasn't too bad so I took a sip. OMG it was like drinking a milkshake! These drinks are the freaking bomb! They have very little after taste and are just great!

So I think I will be buying more of the Atkins drinks to finish out my pre-surgery diet, and will save the others I bought to try after surgery.

Yesterday I had 1 protein shake in the morning (actually a combination of 2, but close enough) and a Lean Cuisine for lunch. I was drinking my water and actually got my 64 oz in. Because of the disaster of the first attempt of protein shake, I did not drink my second protein shake last night. I had a headache so I did sleep quite a bit last night on the couch.

I did prepare to take some broth into work today last night so that I wouldn't forget. This morning I grabbed my broth but didn't grab a frozen meal because I thought I would be home early due to an errand I thought I had to run. Come to find out the errand didn't happen so for lunch I had broth. I then said, well, I'll have the meal for dinner....wrong again. I have my Upper GI xray tomorrow and I can't eat any solid food after 5 pm. I don't get off work until 5 pm. So I came home, took another little nap, had some Popsicles and at 10 pm I had my second protein shake. I am not supposed to drink anything after midnight and haven't gotten in my 64 oz of water yet. I'm only 32 oz in as of this writing. Not looking good.

Tomorrow I have to drink the chalk. I am so not looking forward to this at all. So here's hoping.

Final Eat What You Want Weekend

Well, this is my final weekend to eat what I want with no consequences. Now there is just one problem. After buying almost everything that I needed for the 2 week diet, I am now broke. I guess that is something I am gonna have to get used to. All these protein shakes and protein powders do not come cheap.

Because I have never tried a protein drink before, I ended up buying 3 different kinds so that I could compare and contrast. Finding the drinks wasn't too difficult. Walmart and my local Kroger had a pretty good variety. Finding the specific frozen dinners that I need on the other hand was damn near impossible. I was able to find most of them but it took 1o minutes in the frozen food aisle.

So Monday I start the pre-op diet. On Tuesday night I have to really restrict myself because on Wednesday morning I have the pre-admission testing including drinking the flavored chalk so that they can do the upper GI test. I had to do the same thing when I had to go into testing when they thought I had a blockage only to find out it was a tumor. But anyway, I couldn't drink it then, not sure how I am gonna get through it on Wednesday.

When I start the diet Monday, I think that's when it will really hit me. In 2 weeks I get to start a new healthier life and finally find out what it will be like to be a person in a normal weight.

My first goal is this. I am currently in a size 30/32 and by December 31st I hope to be able to be in a size 24.

Here's hoping.

Decisions Made and Date is Set

So last Thursday morning I called my doctor to let them know that I would be doing the duodenal switch instead. (Guess I need to change the name of the blog, huh?) A few days delay to get the insurance approval for the new procedure and Monday I got the call. See the doctor at 10:30 on Wednesday.

So yesterday I went in. Stepped on the scale and I had lost 1 lb since the visit the previous week. I spent some time waiting for the doctor. Just as he was coming in, he got a page for a consultation in the OR. Wait a little longer. Finally he comes in and we talk. I just had a few questions for him:

1. Not that I plan on it anytime soon, but later on down the line, what if I want to have a child? I should not have any problems as long as I talk all the necessary vitamins.

2. Will my tastes change. To some extent yes.

He made sure that I knew all the risks and some side effects. He looked at my stomach as he talked of the procedure. I told him that I had several co-workers who said they would go on the pre-op diet with me. He laughed and said that they probably wouldn't make it. He told me to go on the 2 week diet instead of the 3 week. He left and in came in the dietian.

We talked about the pre-op and post-op diet. Since I'm having the DW instead of the bypass it means a quicker time to eating normal food. Yipee.

After talking to her, in came the assistant to schedule the surgery. August 23rd. I have to be at the hospital at 5:30 am. Surgery will be around 7:30 am and should take about 3 hours. I'll spend roughly 4 days in the hospital.

August 9th is the day I start the pre-op diet. August 11th I go in for pre-admission testing, including having to drink that nasty chalky shit so they can get pictures of my upper GI. Couldn't get through it before, doubt I will be able to again, but we'll see.

So that's it for now. I need to start stocking up on my protein shakes and Lean Cuisine's. Thank God for the sugar-free Popsicles!