Surprise Surprise Surprise!!!

Jan 03, 2010

I am finally going to write a little something about my post operative experiences.  I have been so busy lately (after you read this you will understand).  I knew going into the procedu,re that I may not be able to have the RNY due to excessive prior surgeries and scar tissue.  Dr. Nick said it would be a little risky to try to get around all the scar tissue and he may have to do a VSG procedure or lap band and I chose the VSG as a plan B.  So, as soon as I was awake I found out the dreaded news....VSG!  At first, I was a little disappointed and then when I actually let it sink in, I was okay with it.  Now I am happy as hell everything went the way it did.  I don't have any of the issues I was concerned about having with RNY but I am still experiencing decent weight loss!  I did however incur a couple of hiccups along the way.  First, I got to stay in the hospital after my procedure for three days because I have a blood clotting disorder and they wanted to monitor my blood thickness.  DH finally gets me home (for about 16 hours) and I go back to the ER via ambulance with chest pain.  Turns out I had an episode of atrial fibrillation and I got to spend another 4 days in the hospital.  BTW-Baylor Plano and the Baylor Plano Heart Hospital will ALWAYS have mine and my husband's 100% endorsement.  The staff and the ER staff are the greatest!!!!!  Not to mention the facility is super fantastic.  All is well from that, the cardiologist gave a big thumbs up last week!

We get through all of this, I go for my six week post op check up and everything is GREAT!  The next day or two I started experiencing some pain in my large incision so I went back to see the surgeon and found out my gall bladder needed to be removed! UUGGH!!! What else??!  That all goes pretty good so I schedule the procedure to remove my IVC filter that was put in to prevent clotting.  I have my post op appointment and my surgery for the filter removal scheduled for the same day.  DH, who also had a doctor appointment early that morning dropped me off at the surgeon's office and went to park and meet me at the entrance to the hospital (we were running a little late and they are in the same parking lot).  I got a good post op report on my gall bladder removal, found out I am down SEVENTY, hell yeah that is 70 pounds and then I headed over to the hospital.  I met hubby in the lobby and we went up to the sixth floor to check in for my surgery.  We report to the front desk and the guy at the desk has us follow him to my room to get me ready for my surgery.  It all goes downhill from here.......As we were walking to my room, I fell...just out of the blue fell on my dang clumsy ass or I should say KNEE.  ALL of my weight(which is still a LOT!) on my right knee.  NOPE, I cannot move it-I ain't even trying again after the pain that shot thru me on the first try-I am just going to lay here and cry!  The nurses all got me up on a stretcher and took me down to the ER.  I really am more concerned about my surgery now than my knee...it's all about end of year, deductibles and maximum out of pocket, etc. etc.  I want my surgery TODAY or at least this year!!!!  The ER doc comes in orders x-rays and gives me a thorough check up.  He offers me meds for pain, which believe me would have really came in handy-I was in some kind of PAIN.   I said nope, no drugs until we find out if they will interfere with the possibility of still getting to have my surgery.  He called the surgeon who said he would still do the procedure if nothing is broken and yes I could have pain meds...YIPPEEEEEE!  Bring on the dilaudid!! That is definitely my pain med of choice! And that cute little ER doc let me choose between dilaudid and morphine.  NO comparison in my book, - bring on the good stuff!!  No broken bones which is so cool, surgery is STILL going to happen and other than contusions(fancy word for bruises) I am all good.  I am going to hurt like hell-not right now tho I still feel the effects of the dilaudid!  I am bruised from my head to my toes and I thought I only landed on my knee.  My left wrist is bruised, my right knee of course and both my boobs.  How the hell did my girls get bruised??!!  I dunno either but they did and it HURTS! 

Today, I am recovering from the fall and the filter removal, I feel great and my loving husband has been a champ through all of this....OMG I don't think he could make another trip to the hospital though.  Seven times in two months is ENOUGH all ready!  His instructions were to keep my up and moving as much as he could so I don't develop any clots so, we have been to every mall, seen every store in DFW and I am almost scared to ask what he has planned for today.  Can't I just sleep all day? Nope, the doc says move move move- go go go, so, that is exactly what we have been doing.  What was that? Oh, does it hurt my knee?  Hell yes it hurts my knee, but not nearly as much as a blood clot would (been there done that got the t-shirt) so we will just endure the pain and the hydrocodone they let me have....  I am doing great!  And I think my husband is ready for a break!

Please don't forget the important part - I have lost seventy pounds!!!   Just wait-I should be released to actually do some exercising in a couple of weeks!!!   Wonder how that will affect my weight loss....?????

More to come soon......

Teresa

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