My Surgery & Hospital Stay

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated sooner. The first few days I was just in major self-care mode but now that I am feeling a bit better, I'm ready to jump in and give the play by play of everything that has happened. :)

Day of Surgery

I went back to the presurgical area and got weighed (304 that morning, 6 pounds down from just one day of not eating, wow.) Then I had to get a really painful blood thinner shot in my arm, and of course the IV. The nurse tried for my IV and did nothing but butcher me. It hurt so much :( Then someone else came in to do it and she did such a great job. Thank you Gretchen. :) After that I pretty much just waited and they eventually came to wheel me back to surgery. I remember moving myself from the bed onto the operating table, and I could already feel the drugs kicking in so they must have started them through my IV. Before I knew it I was waking up in the recovery room. It was absolutely amazing how out of it I felt. I kept falling asleep over and over again until they finally took me to my hospital room. I still felt so out of it and dizzy and nauseous and they wanted me to get up right away into a wheelchair to go do the swallow test.

The swallow test is something you have to do to make sure you don't have any leaks through the staples holding your stomach together. They give you a huge cup of this red liquid to drink while they take Xrays. It was hard enough to stand up let alone drink the stuff - I came so close to both passing out and throwing up! But I managed to hold it together. They took xrays from the front, back, and both sides... they said I looked perfect and absolutely no leaks. When they got me back to the room I fell asleep for quite a while, after getting some pain meds.

My pain was pretty bad in the beginning - not so much external pain around the incisions, mostly internal abdominal pain, in the muscles I guess. I had a hard time being comfortable in the hospital bed.

My dad came in shortly after this and then my husband came in a couple hours later when he got off work. I was sooooo happy to see him. Apparently I'd been telling all the nurses I had the best husband in the world, just wait til you meet him. LOL! At least we know how I really feel ;)

My husband stayed until nearly midnight. He still had to work the next day. I was so nervous about him leaving because the "service" (if you call it that) in the hospital was horrible. When I would hit the nurse call button, I would have to wait firstly for someone to respond over an intercom and ask me what I needed. Sometimes even THIS part would take 10 minutes. Then strain my voice to speak over an intercom that's across the room - dumb for people who have just had surgery. Seriously that was so lame. THEN I'd wait another 15-30 minutes for anyone to actually come. Overall I just didn't feel safe or assured that if something was happening to me, someone would actually come right away and make sure I was alright. I slept very unsettled that night and I just couldn't wait til I would get to go home and have people to care for me when I needed something. The funny part is once you get home you really don't need much care LOL. Oh well, that's the way it goes.

Day 1 Post Op

The next day after surgery, I stayed in the hospital until mid afternoon. I went for a few walks down the halls (whenever I could actually get someone to come take me!)... and finally got a cafeteria tray around 11 am. I was supposed to eat blue jello (it's used as another leak test), and there was also apple juice, water, broth and tea. I managed to have a little bit of everything throughout the day but didn't come anywhere NEAR finishing it.

I also had this thing I had to breathe in to exercise my lungs... and a clipboard where I was supposed to track everything I ate.

My dad was GREAT company :)

Finally I got to talk to my surgeon. He said my surgery went beautifully, my leak test had been perfect, and everything was going really well. The highlight of my day in the hospital was getting this awesome bunch of balloons from my sweet friend Lauren. It has a teddy bear with it too.

After what felt like forever, I got to go home. By 8pm I was exhausted and went to bed. My friend Sarah's flight had been delayed, so she and my husband didn't get home until about 12:30am. (My dad stayed in the house with me so that I wasn't alone, and he checked on me often while I was sleeping.) I was awake by the time they got home and I was so happy to see my friend! I stayed up a couple hours with her before going back to bed.

Days 2-5 coming soon!

Here I Go!

In half an hour, I will be heading to the hospital!

Before I go I wanted to document the experiences of the last couple days.

Tuesday my tests and appointments went great. I scored really well above average for pulmonary function (and in case you are like me and have no idea what that is, it's lung function / breathing.) :) I then had my pre-admissions testing which included another blood draw, a urine sample, and an EKG.
Then I had my pre-op appointment with my surgeon, which was really quick because I didn't really have anymore questions. I was weighed in again, this time at 310 lbs. I received a packet of instructions for the last couple of days, what do to before surgery, etc. Also one nice thing was my friend Brandy happened to be at the office at the same time so I got to see her! She has been there for me through all of this (as a patient of this surgeon herself, having had bypass 7 years ago.)

So firstly, I had to be on clear liquids all of yesterday. This was so hard because I was hungry hungry hungry all day long. I have to admit I was pretty cranky. My hips hurt, but I couldn't have advil (been off that for a couple weeks for surgery.) Same thing with excedrin, and I had a headache. I was hungry but couldn't eat. I was looking forward to my muscle work at the chiropractor, but I didn't receive it (only the decompression machine.) So I wasn't the happiest person yesterday LOL. I slept a few hours to try to get through the day easier. I got so hungry... I ended up having one protein drink made with milk which I wasn't supposed to have but it's still liquid so I think I'll be fine. My intake for the day included several large glasses of water, one bottle of Isopure diluted with water, an apple juice diluted with water, some chicken broth, a sugar free jello (allowed), a sugar free popscicle (allowed), and one cherry limeade from taco bell (it's mainly sprite so pretty clear/see through.) That was my whole day. As of midnight last night, nothing has passed my lips. Not allowed any water or anything else. So I am feeling thirsty right now... but I'm doing okay.

I was also given these bottles of iodine based soap (it's straight liquid so not sure what makes it soap lol.) I had to shower last night before bed using the iodine soap. You are supposed to leave it on for 10 minutes but I couldn't stomach it - the chemical, strong smell made me so nauseated. I scrubbed all over with it for about 4 minutes and rinsed it off. This morning, I washed my hair, body, face etc and then used the iodine wash again. I am not allowed any lotion or makeup on - so my hands and face are feeling dry and I am feeling naked :-/ Going to a crowded place with no makeup on is so embarrassing for me because my skin is so blotchy and red when I am not wearing makeup. Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do.

I also cannot have any jewelry on so I am leaving my wedding rings at home, and I had to take out the diamond stud earrings I wear daily in my 2nd earring hole. I cleaned them, cleaned my ears, and put the earrings in a little pouch in my bag so I can put them on when I am in recovery. Not because I'm vain about it lol but because the holes tend to close up if I leave them out for a day.

I packed my bag for the hospital. I ended up using a carryon suitcase just because it will be easier for someone to roll it instead of carry it. I took a lot of stuff. Don't know how much I'll use or won't use... but I wanted to be fully prepared! Here is a list of what is in my bag...

- 2 pairs comfy pajamas, one to wear there and one to come home in (loose fitting clothes were recommended.)
- loose fitting sports bra, clasps in back
- 2 pairs socks
- 2 pairs slippers (one is soft sole, one is hard sole)
- 2 pairs underwear
- travel size toiletries (shampoo, deodorant, body wash, face wash)
- my makeup and face lotion
- hand/body lotion
- chapstick
- listerine breath strips
- wisps
- hairbrush & hair ties/clips
- chewable bean-o (many people report bad gas after surgery.)
- my own pillow
- my prescriptions the surgeon asked me to bring, one is a nausea patch and one is pain medicine, had them filled yesterday
- magazines and books
- nintento ds
- my camera and phone
- chargers for these electronics
- drivers license, insurance card, car keys.

NOTE: All of these things are staying in the car until I get to recovery, except a small wallet which will contain my phone, car keys, and ID/insurance cards. I am going to have my dad hold on to this while I am in surgery.

SO... I am feeling prepared and ready to go. I'm not nervous yet... maybe I will be later lol. I mean, I know I am making the right choice, so that brings me a lot of peace... but it's still surgery. I'm not so much scared that I'll die on the table or anything, that is extremely unlikely for my age and health compared to a lot of people having these surgeries. My fear is more of the before and after. All the needles, IV, etc... waking up in recovery feeling crappy... that kind of stuff. But I know in a few days I'll be feeling better and it will all be worth it. A small part of me still feels like... um... most of my stomach is going to be gone??!! But I have done my research and I feel comfortable with this being the right choice. Everything is going to be awesome, I know it!

I've had lots of well wishes from friends and family. My phone was ringing constantly yesterday and i also got lots of emails, text messages, notes on facebook, etc. I am definitely feeling loved and supported. Surprisingly, I have not had one person say to me "please don't do it." So I feel as if every door has opened for me, and all I have to do is walk through!

I'll try to post a short update on here from my phone as soon as I'm feeling up to it in recovery later today or tonight!

Two Days To Go

I can't believe my surgery is the day after tomorrow! It seemed to get here so fast! I guess I've been keeping busy with all of my preparations. I am not even feeling that nervous right now! I don't know if that will change or not, but for now I'm feeling good.

I picked out my protein powder at Max Muscle yesterday. I decided to go with the peanut butter fudge flavor of the gourmet protein. Of the flavors I tried, it was the least overwhelming and wasn't too sweet.

For the record, I asked my surgeon about which kind of protein to get. He loves the Max Muscle brand. I thought the gourmet protein would be a bad choice because it's a little higher in carbs than the others. But he said it's still plenty low enough so just to pick what tasted the best.

Also yesterday I got to have lunch with my sister in law at Olive Garden. The soup, salad, and breadsticks lunch there is sort of our "thing." I was so happy to get to do that with her one last time. We've been doing that for lunch about every month or so for the last couple of years and it's one of my favorite things. I know someday, I can do this with her again when I'm on solid foods, but I'll have to have a teeny tiny bit of soup and just little bites of everything. So it was nice to have one last time where I could really enjoy the full amount of food. I had a bowl of my fave soup (pasta fagoli), a plate of salad and I think 3 breadsticks. Yummms.

OK SO... Today I have my pulmonary testing at 1:00pm, and then at 2:00 I have my pre-op testing at the hospital, and at 2:30 my pre-op appointment with my surgeon. My husband is taking a half day at work because he has his own pulmonary testing at 2:00pm. My dad is going with me to all of my stuff because he is the man with the checkbook hehehe. So when we all head home (I think we will get home around 4:00 or 4:30) we are going to Famous Dave's which is my fave restaurant, so I can have my favorite dinner as my "Last Meal." LOL I feel so silly but, I really need it.

Tomorrow I'm on clear liquids only, and at about 10pm I have to stop consuming anything in order to be ready for my surgery. Thursday morning I go in about 10:30am and my surgery will be sometime around 1pm.

Also, GOOD NEWS! Ian got his surgery scheduled for sure! It will be on June 3rd, exactly two weeks after mine. All of his pre-op appointments will be on June 1st.

Stocking Up

I'm getting stocked up on everything I'm going to need pre-op, in the hospital, and post op. It's actually been fun!

Firstly I went to Vitamin Shoppe. I needed to find a good adult chewable multivitamin, as well as sub-lingual B-12 vitamins (they dissolve under the tongue). The first few weeks after surgery it would be difficult to take regular vitamins (the pills are sooo big) so the chewables are good... and there is some reason why my B-12's have to be sub lingual (that's for life.) Anyway here is what I ended up with:

Also at the Vitamin Shoppe I purchased these Isopure protein drinks. The day before surgery, and for a week after, I have to be on clear liquids only. Water, broth, etc. Can't do protein shakes during that time so these clear protein drinks are a great option. I bought one of each flavor so Ian and I can both try them and decide which flavors we are going to want cases of.

I also went to Target and scored a TON of awesome stuff that I think is going to be so helpful! First I'll start with the stuff that is for surgery / time in the hospital. I got some of these to try for keeping my mouth feeling nice and fresh.

I also got some beano meltaways (people say there is a lot of gas after surgery because of air they put into your stomach). I also got a few travel size toiletries that I'd like to have.

Now for post-op stuff! This is the stuff I think is so fun and I'm really excited about it :)

I got this cool set of containers in the toddler section. It's nice and small for tiny meals. I also got a small lunch box for it to go in:

(I got my husband the same dish set in blue, and a small lunch box for him too.)

Then I found this totally awesome thermos food jars!!!

They hold up to 10 ounces (won't need that much, but it's still nice and small) and they keep foods cold for up to 7 hours and hot for up to 5 hours. So excited about these. I found this nice plain one for my husband:

Also, my friend Brandy recommended these sippy cups to me, made by Nalgene:

After surgery you have to take such small sips of liquid (if you take a big sip or gulp it can make you throw up or just be really uncomfortable.) This will help us regulate that and take small sips. They hold 12 ounces of liquid. I got purple for me and blue for my husband. :)

I'm almost done getting everything we need! I know this may seem overboard to a lot of people but I'm a planner, and having everything I think might make our transition easier just makes me feel a lot more comfortable and prepared. Plus, finding cute useful things just makes me feel more excited about the whole thing. I was so glad that my husband really liked everything I picked out for him, too!

All I need now is my protein powders from Max Muscle (hope to find those this weekend) and a food journal for tracking my intake after surgery. I am going to the bookstore with my friend Wednesday (the day before surgery) and if I don't find one I like better, I'm going to try Flogg Daily. OR, I might stick with an iphone app instead, just haven't decided yet.

I am a little nervous about the surgery, but somehow doing all of this lifted my spirits. I guess I really like feeling prepared :)

It's All Set.

My surgery date - May 20th! Can you believe it? Less than a WEEK from today! So, needless to say the appointment with the surgeon went swimmingly :)

When we arrived I thought the place looked really nice. We had to wait a little while and fill out some more paperwork. I was so nervous! It felt like I was literally waiting for my future to begin.

Meeting with the surgeon was a nice experience. He asked us questions, got to know us, made sure we knew he had all the time in the world for us and the appointment would take as long as it takes. Very comfortable. He answered every single question I had written down on my very long list. He was so impressed that we had gotten so many appointments done beforehand and we had almost nothing left to do. He basically gave us the go ahead right then and had us meet with the coordinator, Diane, afterward.

The appointment with Diane lasted a good hour. We went through all the paperwork we had and she concluded that the only things we had left to do were our pulmonary testing and going to the pre-op nutrition class. We set up our pulmonary testing for this coming Tuesday, right during the appointment... and she said "there's a nutrition class tonight!" so we registered for that and decided to just stay downtown and go to it that night. She started throwing out possible surgery dates - May 27th was her first suggestion and I said that COULD work, but my parents would be out of town (and they really want to be here), and my friend Sarah who is coming to take care of me has to leave town the 31st so that wouldn't really give her time to stay here with me. Then we were discussing June dates... and then she said "well I don't know if this would feel way to soon to you, but we could do next Thursday May 20th!" My head was spinning. I called Sarah to make sure she could come so soon, and she said she could. I called my dad to make sure it worked with him, and it did. So it all fell into place!

Now on Tuesday in addition to my pulmonary testing I also have my pre-op testing at the hospital, and my pre-op appointment with Dr Snyder! And then Thursday is my surgery! WOW, so fast!! Also, the Dr. gave my husband Ian clearance to have the surgery just two weeks after me. He wasn't sure if he could do it that soon until he checked with work, but he talked to his boss yesterday and got the go-ahead. So tentatively his date is going to be June 3rd!

We stayed until the nutrition class which was a 2 hour overview class of everything nutrition related before and after surgery. After surgery there will be more classes. We learned a LOT... and we were each given one of these:

Now that's a book. Wow. Still need to read through everything in detail but I know the kinds of things I need to buy before surgery, and that's what I will be up to today!!

Here we go! I'm off and running!

It's Here.

After all the waiting and worrying... TODAY is our consult with the surgeon. I am still very nervous and anxious. In some ways it feels like an interview... he's going to want to ask us things and make sure we are good candidates for surgery. Although I have nothing to hide I'm just afraid from nervousness I'll "mess up" or SOUND like I'm lying or something. Then of course we have to ask him the questions WE have, and make sure this surgery we really want (the sleeve) is the right choice for us like we think it is, and that he supports it. Then if all goes well I'm hoping we get to pick our surgery dates and get ALLLLL the information about what comes next.

I hope I am able to come back later today and report that everything went well and announce my surgery date. :::fingers crossed:::

Drastic Change

As part of my preparing for all of this, I decided to go buy some smaller dishes for the smaller portions we will be eating after surgery. Although it will be a couple months til we even get to that point, I guess I just felt good preparing for it. I know from other weight loss attempts in the past that if you are eating a smaller portion of food, it becomes more satisfying if it is on a smaller plate (or in a smaller bowl) because then you feel like you are eating more. Also, in all my my youtube video-watching, I came across a woman who kept a small 1/2 cup size bowl in her purse so that when she ate at a restaurant, she could put her food into that and know she wouldn't eat too much. I thought that was a great idea.


I went to Target last night and came home with this haul:





The two blue bowls (these match our current set of dishes!!) hold about 1 1/2 cups. This is way too much for early on but since they match our dishes I went ahead and got them. They can also be useful for dip, salsa, etc when we are entertaining.


The clear bubble glass bowls hold about 1/2 cup each (it varies slightly because they are hand blown glass and not uniform.)


The melamine white square bowls hold 1/2 cup, and the matching plates are little appetizer plates.


The rubbermaid containers will be great for Ian to take things to work, or for anytime we have to pack snacks when we are out all day. The small ones are 1/2 cup capacity and the larger are 1 1/4 cup.


For reference, here is me holding the 1/2 cup rubbermaid and the 1/2 cup glass bowl:







And now for some shocking comparisons!!


Here is our current cereal/soup bowl, compared to the smaller dip bowl (which is 3x more than we'll be eating for a while ANYWAY.)



Here's a stack - current dinner plate, salad plate, bowl, and new smaller bowl.



So crazy to think that right now I can fill that large dinner plate and after surgery that tiny bowl will be much too big.



This one is the current dinner plate, salad plate, and new small appetizer plate.


Now for the rubbermaid containers. In back is a current one that we could easily eat that amount and in front are the new smaller ones.




I think seeing all of this was an important step in the mental and emotional preparation of what is about to happen. Ian said it was really pretty shocking to him to see the difference in what we will be eating. I tried to reassure him that the reason it works is you will actually be full on this amount!

I think it's just very interesting. I had a good idea of what 1/2 cup was (I picked out the little bowls assuming they were 1/2 cup and turned out I was right)... but what shocked me was comparing to the current size dishes we have and what we are able to eat. This is going to be a drastic change indeed.