southernbelle
3/10/07
I had RNY/Fobi pouch on Wednesday, 2-28-07. Dr. Roc Bauman was my surgeon. I was very nervous prior to the surgery even though I had researched it. I knew it was the only thing that was going to get me off the suicide path of eating. I just kept getting heavier as the years had gone by. I would lose a few pounds here and there and then something would trigger me to eat. I really didn't eat a lot but it was what I ate and when I ate. I do not have any metabolism!!!! That was my fault because I would starve myself all day and then eat one big meal or 2 meals close together.
Anyway, the day of surgery, I was a wreck!!!! I had only told a few people...in fact, I hadn't even told my parents. I had told my mother-in-law because she lived in town and for my husband. Though I love her dearly, she drove me crazy!!!!!....especially while I was waiting to be taken back for surgery (delay of some kind). My surgery was scheduled for 10:00 and I was still waiting at 11:30 to be taken back. I also do not have very good veins for IV or to have blood taken. I know which ones are my best but no one ever listens to me until they have stuck me a few times without success. I try to tell the anesthesiologist and of course he was wrong...I was right....but I had 3 other attempts before he put it in my right hand where I told him too. My husband just shook his head.....at least I have a high tolerance for pain. Anyway, about 11:15, I had about totally lost it and was honestly about to jumped off the bed and bolted. I looked at my husband and said, "Well, I guess God has given me plently of changes to change my mind!!!" At that moment, I almost sat up and yanked the IV from my arm and was going to go to Chilis right across the street from the hospital. I was going to order everything off the menu from an appetizer to an entree to dessert and probably wash it all down with sweet tea or even at that point......not one but a pitcher of margaritas!!!!!!! Luckily, for me, they took me back about 5 minutes later.
I do not remember much after that except I kept waking up and asking my husband "6 HOLES????" because I was worried that I was going to have to have an open cut. I had just had a complete hysterectomy 5 months earlier with a cut from hip bone to hip bone (underneath my sagging belly). The hysterectomy had pushed my gastric surgery back and honestly, it was for the best. I had felt horrible for over 2 years and thought it was the weight but it was my hormones/menopause/etc that had been going nuts.
It was 6 holes......yeah!!! but my thirst was horrible. All I wanted was water....sweet tea preferably (my southern addition)....anything. They finally let me have a sponge with a little bit of water (whoppeee!!!!) to wipe my mouth out. That night I was luckily out of it. When I woke up the next morning, my first thought was "WHAT HAVE I DONE TO MYSELF?????!!!!!" and "I DID THIS.....I GOT FAT AND NOW I AM REAPING the consequences! At least I'm not dead yet!....it would have been a good thing if it wasn't for my girls that I live for. I was very itchy all over (from the morphine) and the leg warmer things were driving me crazy. I started feeling better as the day wore on especially when they let me have my first ounce of water to drink. I was bound and determine that I was going to get out of the hospital the next day so I made myself walk and walk and walk and walk (plus I got to take the leg thingys off when I walked....good strategy!) The more I walked, the better I felt.
All my nurses were wonderful. They really kept a great check on me....in fact every 20 minutes on Thursday, someone was coming through my door. They liked to wait until I was almost asleep which leads to my "bath" story. Thursday afternoon, I was about asleep when a African American girl came bee-bopping in my room and introduced herself as LaDonna and that she was going to be my student nurse on Friday and she would be a my beck and call. Twenty minutes later (I was almost asleep again and my mother-in-law was laughing her head off at me because we were timing everyone), a white girl comes bee-bopping into my room. She introduces herself (I think Cortney) and says that she is going to be my student nurse tomorrow and she will be at my beck and call. I'm thinking to myself.....oh great, do I have a say in this????? I tell the girl that LaDonna had already come in early and said that she was going to be my student nurse. This girl gets all frustrated and huffy about me being assigned another student but tells me that she will check on it. I didn't think anymore about it until Friday morning when surprise......both girls show up in my room like Lucy and Ethel! They are SOOOOOOO cheery and again, I think to myself, do I have a say in this???!!! One tries to take my blood pressure and the other takes my temperature...neither one can get their equipment to work. Cortney, the white girl, keeps popping the thermometer in my mouth. I'm thinking to myself, "Where's my nurse now to rescue me when I need her!!!!!!!" Anyway, they both keep trying and even go get new equipment. Finally they decide to give up for a few minutes. They had brought me a clean hospital gown, sheets, and towels so I did perk up. They offer to bath me (H_LL NO>>>>pardon my FRENCH!!!! I thought to myself) First of all, no one baths me but ME because I sure do not want anyone seeing me butt naked with wires, etc all over me. Anyway, they gave me 3 options...they could bath me (NO!!!), they could help me get a shower (NO!!!!!), or I could get a shower myself (YES!!!!!!!!!). Of course, I said that I thought I could get a shower by myself. They then agreed that they would make my bed up with fresh sheets (WONDERFUL!!!) and be outside the door if I needed anything. So, here we all go into the bathroom and they both kept trying to convince me to let them help me. I shooed them out the door and heaven awaited with the first spray of water on my head. I scrub away as best I could. I finish up and am drying myself off when LaDonna comes knocking on my door and opens it. "MRS B," she says, "you're not suppose to have a shower." She keeps on and on while I dry myself off, "You're not suppose to have a shower!!!!!" I look at her and said, "Well, I can't take it back can I?" Poor child is beside herself and Cortney is no where to be found. I'm thinking to myself.....she's gone off and left poor LaDonna holding the bag! All the nurses and the students' instructor come flying in. They are reaming! My nurse's aide just comes in and looks at me and shakes her head. She's muttering...."you are so lucky!!!" The instructor is furious and starts barking at everyone with poor LaDonna getting the brunt of it. She gets me to lay down and checks me from head to toe. She sends LaDonna off for new bandages and the child brings back everything she can find. She keeps fussing but she tells me that she knows I feel better but when Dr. Bauman finds out, they are all going to be in trouble. I'm about to die laughing because I feel so much better but I know the girls are in trouble. I told her I couldn't take the shower back and I see her trying not to smile but she is still mad!!!!! Anyway, I get my dressings changed and my drain checked. I honestly didn't know I couldn't have a shower but I wouldn't have changed it for the world!!! I told the instructor to give the girls a "100" for letting me have a shower but I think instead I will probably end up being a case study for their school of what not to do. Anyway, everyone leaves. A few minutes later though, I was blessed again with LaDonna and Cortney. Amy, my nurse, comes in at the same time and I'm trying not to laugh again. Each girl gets on both sides of me again and try to take my blood pressure and temperature. I'm lying there, Amy is trying not to laugh, and I keep looking at her to say "Are you going to rescue ME?????" They finally got a reading....we think...then they left never to be seen again by me that day. I looked at Amy and said again, "I can't take the shower back!" and she has a hard time not laughing. She shakes her head and says that she hopes Dr. B doesn't find out and I will be remembered as the lady with the gastric bypass who the student nurses let have a shower. I'm sure I will be the one and only because their instructor will never let that happen again!
Home......chilled......went to bed.....slept.
New scale.....gained 2 1/2 pounds.......weighed 262.4 on March 3, 2007
Now weigh 239 on March 10 (11 post-op) Depressed over cravings!!!!! want to eat!!!!!
March 12 - 237.6 pounds
March 20 - 232...........weight really slowing down since started puree foods.
Trial and error on what goes down....hard to not drink and eat because I love to wash my food down.
March 27 - 229 pounds (only 3 pounds in a week....frustrating!!!!)
March 31 - 225 Pounds!!! - down 37 (from my scales) so feeling a little better especially after seeing Dr. B on March 28th and VERY pleased with me. I weighed 229 on his scale after eating and drinking all day and with clothes and shoes on. Off course, I weigh first thing in the morning without a stitch of clothes on! I also have really pushed myself to get at least 2 workouts of 45 minutes or more a day either on my treadmill or walking my dogs outside. I'm doing good with the exercise but some days, I do not get all my protein or water in....I tend to lose weight if I at least drink 1/2 bottle of Isopure fruit protein drink a day which has 20 grams of protein in 1/2 bottle.
I really need to get brave and add my picture to my OH. There are not many pictures of me over the years because I tend to hide when the camera comes out or I usually am taking the pictures. I had a "WOW" moment today. One of my neighbors told me that they had really noticed that I had taken off some weight and I had a sparkle in my eyes that they hadn't seen in a long time. I told them that I had had gastric bypass and they were very supportive> It made me feel really good.
