Progress

Friday, September 20, 2013

I'm back AND banded.

Well, it has been far too long since I've blogged.  Clearly I need to get this bad-boy up to date so I can track my progress and struggles.

When last I wrote, it was April and I was on the mission toward getting the lapband procedure done.  I had to lose enough weight to get my BMI under 50 in order to have the surgery as an outpatient.

Fast forward to September 20, and here I am - perfectly banded and doing okay.

I finished my last class for the procedure in July.  They submitted me to surgery right away and approval came within a week.  I needed to lose 10 more pounds by my August check in to hit my BMI goal.  I was feeling pretty good.

August check in - I lost that 10 pounds - you bet I did!!  I had to be really strict about what I ate. But I was and did the job.  Next would come a flurry of appointments, including scheduling my surgery for August 30. That was the perfect date because my support group is my fellah and my son - neither would miss school for my surgery.

I didn't do so well maintaining my 10 pound loss.  I did get it off before surgery - thank goodness.

Got a call that my surgeon had suddenly decided that anyone with a BMI over 45 couldn't have the procedure done in the "other" surgery center. Noooooo, I was going to have to be rescheduled and have my surgery in the St. Mary's OR.  WTF.  Still haven't received the bill for that - hoping it isn't a ton more than my peers who also had the procedure done had to pay.  I will appeal to the surgeon's kind side if it is. (No fair, I cried!!  And when we talked, I gave him the stink eye so he'd know I wasn't happy.)

Wellll, let's see.....pre-op with my reg. doctor was Aug. 28.

Surgery: September 4.

We had to get up at 3:00 a.m. to drive to Madison; we were on the road by 3:30 a.m.. It took about an hour and 15 minutes.  We arrived and our car was swept away by valet parking guys.  We didn't even have a chance to warm our chairs up good before i was called to register and then taken back to "my room".  Had to get completely nakers and gown up.  Apparently there are two gown sizes for adults:  regular and mammoth.  I invited John and the nurse to put the gown on with me - they both declined. We could have all fit in comfortably.  I was hooked up to the IV and they started jacking me full of fluid so I'd be well hydrated.  I waited.  I was soon whisked away to the pre-op space without my sweet John and with about a dozen other folks also preparing for surgery.  I was just a little scared.

The anesthetist dropped by to chat me up.  "Can you climb a flight of stairs?" he asked me.  My eyes got big and I responded - "Dude, I hike state parks."   He said, "Oh, well, I guess you can then."  Oh, you stereotyper guy!  This fatty-fat girl walks and hikes and takes stairs! Youbetcha!!!    Never ever underestimate the power of a woman determined!

I had the presence of mind to request a trip to the potty before the nurse started the IV to make me relaxed. I preferred waltzing thru the middle of the pre-op area in my flowing gown - butt not hanging out -  to the notion of trying to whiz on a bedpan.  Disaster averted.

Surgery happened.  I'm having a hard time remembering being taken to surgery.  All I do remember is waking up just after having the tube taken out of my throat and feeling like I was going to throw up. I swear they put something on my just that I could inhale to help with the nausea.  I would end up wishing I had that stuff -whatever it was - over and over once we left the hospital.  Was taken in my bed back to my recovery room and eventually woke up. No pain at that point. Just woozy.  The day went on, and the surgeon never stopped in. I think that's weird. He did report to John that the surgery went great, no complications, etc. Again....weird.  I was able to eat and swallow and keep down water via ice chips.  And by about 4:00 I was able to drink 8 oz of water and pee in the hat on the potty. (I told my nurse I felt like a cat peeing in a litter box. Well. I did!)  Once those two things were accomplished and John had my Rx for pain - we were off down the road to home.

Nausea phase one:  since I was a little kid, I was prone to car sickness.  We were trying to get out of Madison when I had to make John pull over in case I puked.  I sucked lots of air and the wave passed.

Nausea phase two:  60 minutes later we arrive at Wisconsin Dells.  We went to Wal*Mart for
Gas-X strips and tylenol. Doritos for John. (Ugh!)  And I was sick sick sick again - just had to walk it off and suck air to make it pass.

Arrive home about 6:00.  I got settled in. Took some medicine. Heating pad on my back for the pain from being inflated.  My son came home.  My sweet, loving John bolted like he'd been launched outta there. He had had enough fun for the day.

Nausea phase three:  dry heaves. OMG - no one wants to freekin' dry heave anyway, much less a fat lady just banded.  Suck air, suck air, suck air.

Nausea phase four:  vomitous frightnous - kill me now.  OMG - I called the oncall nurse and got little reassurance. I talked the on call doctor who said I should throw up any more.  (Really???)  I could go back to the hospital like 2 hours away for IV's.  (Hell to the no!)

Called John - he shoulda stayed, but he is forgiven.  I was screwd in the event that I needed to go to the hospital for IVs cuz I was drugged and my kid can't drive at age 14.

Nausea phases five and six - more dry heaving and finally upchucking the minimal liquid in my system.

8:30 p.m. Time to go to bed.  I figured that if we all don't totally dehydrate over night, i was going to be just fine 'til morning.  I slapped on my jammies and my CPAP maching and was out for the night.  Next morning, I felt pretty good, all things considered.

This is long, so I'm going to quit here. I'll write more again soon.

To be continued...

 This is my Spring 2011 probably close to my heaviest.  I need to find this top and see how it fits now.

This is 2013 after hiking 4 miles in the beautiful bluffs of Wisconsin.