Well I'm going for the MRCD again (mri)Today. I'm hoping it works this time. I'm hoping that I don't feel that heat in my stomach and if I do I hope to keep my big mouth shut and keep up with the test. I NEED this test to find out what's going on with me. I'm feeling better then I've been and was able to keep down some tuna w/ mayo. I'm also drinking V8 Juice still. My Dr said V8 was good but its high in salt so be careful with High Blood pressure. I hope this test comes out Ok.. i'm so sick of being sick...
HOURS later - I was unable to have the MRCD because I kept getting a "hotness" in my stomach where the surgery was so they had to stop the test. No idea what's going to happen now!!! I'll keep ya posted....
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Enough is Enough Already!
It started out on Friday, I was going for more blood work and going to get an MRCD which is a fancy type of MRI test. They put me in this machine which I thought I would have a problem with but I didn't. Then they layed this mat type thingy over my stomach area and locked it in place. I was now their prisoner. The tech gave me a black ball to hold onto and I was told to squeeze it IF I had a problem. Well I was doing well for the first 10-15 minutes of the test Until she said to hold my breathe and the machine made this click click click sound. At that time I got shots of HEAT in my stomach where the pad was locked on my stomach. I tried to get the tech's attention but no luck so I squeezed the black ball and it Pinged. She came in the room and I told her about the Shots of HEAT. It wasn't just heat it was as if someone took a HOT poker and was sticking me in the stomach with the heat of the poker. She called the main radiologist and he said if it were his family member, he'd stop the test so the test was stopped. But I felt so sick that it was Back to the ER. Noone still has no idea what's going on with me but I did get some MUCH needed IV's and they help so much to rehydrate me. While I was in the ER, Alot of people came & went but there was this one girl who came in with the dry heaves also only she had pains in her stomach, (I dont' have pain, just the dry heaves and nause). We were near each other so I started talking to her and asked if she happened to have gastric bypass and was shocked to hear her say YES. OMG - 2 of us with the same symptoms, Next question was WHO DID YOUR SURGERY? I thought OMG if its my dr, did he do something wrong to both of us? But that wasn't the case at all, She was from Georgia and had her surgery there 7 months ago. I had my surgery in NJ, 3 months ago. So there were some differences. I left the ER before her so I'm not sure what they thought was wrong with her but I did leave her my email address and phone number in hopes she would call me to let me know what happened with her. So far Nothing and its been 3 days. :-(
After the IV's and potassium pill ( I only got 1/2 pill down) I was released from the ER, more confused then when I got there. Last week at the other hospitals ER, I was told my billirubin was elevated and I could have a stone in my bile duct. This hospitals Dr said he didn't think that was the case and my billirubin wasn't that elevated. Ok So now what???? Unless there's a stone stuck in my bile duct that's moved, I have no idea why this would be happening. Grrrrrr..
I came home on Friday night and slept until Saturday morning at 5am.
I felt pretty good on Saturday but now today(Sunday), I'm not feeling that well again. It seems the ONLY thing I can keep down and actually feels good in my belly is V8 Juice. Which isn't terrible because it has ALOT of vitamins, Protein and nutrients so I guess Its Ok for now. I wish I could eat normally. I try to force myself but then I get the dry heaves. I'm down over 80lbs so far in 3 short months which makes me want to get up & dance a Jig but right now I think I'll sit & try to get my stomach settled. So That's it for now. I'm calling the GB Dr & My Family Dr on Monday. Hope things get fixed soon, I'm so sick of feeling sick, its been 2 weeks now. Enough is Enough!!!
After the IV's and potassium pill ( I only got 1/2 pill down) I was released from the ER, more confused then when I got there. Last week at the other hospitals ER, I was told my billirubin was elevated and I could have a stone in my bile duct. This hospitals Dr said he didn't think that was the case and my billirubin wasn't that elevated. Ok So now what???? Unless there's a stone stuck in my bile duct that's moved, I have no idea why this would be happening. Grrrrrr..
I came home on Friday night and slept until Saturday morning at 5am.
I felt pretty good on Saturday but now today(Sunday), I'm not feeling that well again. It seems the ONLY thing I can keep down and actually feels good in my belly is V8 Juice. Which isn't terrible because it has ALOT of vitamins, Protein and nutrients so I guess Its Ok for now. I wish I could eat normally. I try to force myself but then I get the dry heaves. I'm down over 80lbs so far in 3 short months which makes me want to get up & dance a Jig but right now I think I'll sit & try to get my stomach settled. So That's it for now. I'm calling the GB Dr & My Family Dr on Monday. Hope things get fixed soon, I'm so sick of feeling sick, its been 2 weeks now. Enough is Enough!!!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Why is this So Hard ? or Happy Fathers Day ?
OK So I spent this weekend, Friday & Saturday, in the ER of my local hospital. I'm unable to keep anything down. Not water, Not food, No sugar free jello, Not broth.. NOTHING.. And I feel like death warmed over. SO I had to go, My Son, Chris, took me. Poor kid was exhausted but he didn't hesitate to sit there while they decided what they were doing with me. At 3am I finally sent him home as they were keeping me overnight anyway. They took blood, hooked me up to an IV and did some Xrays.
I assume the Xrays were OK since noone said anything about them, but My Blood work came back with an elevated Bilirubin. Which means I could have a stone in my gallbladder. However, since my Gallbladder was removed back in the 80's, they said I could have a stone in my bile ducts. OR I could have a problem with my liver which is Definitely NOT GOOD as I already have Hepatitis C but until now its been Non Reactive. I also have Low Potassium which also isn't a good thing.
I definitely felt better after the day of being in the Emergency room overnight, when they had me hooked up to the IV. I assume its because I was getting fluids in me and I wasn't vomiting. But Now, I'm home 1 day and I feel really bad.
I did manage to keep down some mashed potatoes. But the after effects are constant burping and even some stomach spasms but it did stay down so that was a plus. I did call my GB Dr and he sent me out some nausea medications, IF they don't work by tomorrow, I will be go up North to his hospital and be admitted, I can't afford to keep this going as I'm already not eating too much so Anything less and especially no Fluids, isn't a good combination and It could have fatal effects on me so I NEED to be vigilant and stay on top of this. So that's How I Spent my Fathers Day. I Did Happen to see my Dad today. That's where I ate the mashed potatoes..lol... So that's it for now...Going back to lay down.. To be continued.....
I assume the Xrays were OK since noone said anything about them, but My Blood work came back with an elevated Bilirubin. Which means I could have a stone in my gallbladder. However, since my Gallbladder was removed back in the 80's, they said I could have a stone in my bile ducts. OR I could have a problem with my liver which is Definitely NOT GOOD as I already have Hepatitis C but until now its been Non Reactive. I also have Low Potassium which also isn't a good thing.
I definitely felt better after the day of being in the Emergency room overnight, when they had me hooked up to the IV. I assume its because I was getting fluids in me and I wasn't vomiting. But Now, I'm home 1 day and I feel really bad.
I did manage to keep down some mashed potatoes. But the after effects are constant burping and even some stomach spasms but it did stay down so that was a plus. I did call my GB Dr and he sent me out some nausea medications, IF they don't work by tomorrow, I will be go up North to his hospital and be admitted, I can't afford to keep this going as I'm already not eating too much so Anything less and especially no Fluids, isn't a good combination and It could have fatal effects on me so I NEED to be vigilant and stay on top of this. So that's How I Spent my Fathers Day. I Did Happen to see my Dad today. That's where I ate the mashed potatoes..lol... So that's it for now...Going back to lay down.. To be continued.....
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Eating. - Its Over -rated
Ok So I'm now able to eat. But I can't.. Well I can but alot of things aren't going down right. I made myself a scrambled egg and ate it.. It didn't stay down. It hurt my chest so badly, I must have eaten too fast or eaten too big of a piece but all I know is I WANTED it OUT .. It really hurt the middle of my chest and Finally it came up. YUK!!! It was nasty but I was glad it was out and the pain was gone. I needed to learn how to eat slowly and fast. This Vomiting thing sucks. Well My mom made something she calls " chop meat & peas" its made with tomato sauce, chop meat, onions and a can of peas. She makes mashed potato's with it and It was the first thing I was able to eat and keep down. It was REAL Food and tasted good. But I can't live on that everyday so I needed to try different things. Roast Chicken was ok but DRY and hard to swallow. Spaghetti NO WAY, no pasta as Its high in carbs and I can't swallow the pasta so that's Out. Afraid to try Eggs again but I did make egg salad and tuna salad and that was Ok but of course 1 can of tuna lasts me 2 days. The egg salad took me about 4 hours to finish the one egg but hey, I'm learning how to eat slow remember..lol NO Bread cuz its dry and I can't get it down yet. I'm constantly reading labels & as soon as I see 3grams of sugar or more, I put it down. I'm terrified of "dumping" (getting sick from sugars) so I try real hard not to dump, so far so good. I LOVE yogurt but the sugars in them are ridiculous. I was told Greek Yogurt.. but the texture of it is nasty and the taste is too. Not to mention the fruited ones are VERY high in sugars. So I'm not able to do yogurts. Soup Seems to be the thing I can eat or sip on without much problems. I've also eaten fish which is also dry so I need to find something to add to it to make it less dry. I've had a piece of orange which tasted SOOO Good.. of course I didn't really EAT the orange, I kinda sucked out the juice, chewed on it and spit out the meat of the orange. but it Still tasted good. I was about 2 months out when I had roast chicken at my mom's. It tasted good but I must have eaten a piece that was too dry and I knew it wasn't going to stay down. It took about 1/2 hour but I went to the bathroom and threw up. Problem was that the chicken didn't really come up but about a handful of blood did. I was scared. I called my parents in to look to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing. Yup it was blood. I called the Dr and he said to go to the ER. I didnt' feel sick. I wasn't going to the hospital when I didnt' feel sick so I didnt' go. The Dr's office called me the next day to find out how I made out, I told them I didn't go cuz I didn't feel sick. They wanted me to get another endoscopy to find out what's going on. So I called the Dr who did my scope before the gastric bypass and he agreed to scope me. I had the scope done on Thurs - June 10th 2010. Dr said my insides (don't know the correct name) was very tight and he had a problem getting the scope in but he pushed it thru and opened it up with the balloon. However, My throat & esophagus is VERY Red and inflamed so he put me on carafat liquid medicine. Which I heard helps dramatically, but the smell and taste is SOOO bad I can't take it. I tried once and it came back up. So I see my dr on Friday (tomorrow) so I'll ask him for a script for the pill version. I can swallow pills but they have to be small. Less then the size of an M&M.. I've not really been able to eat much since this scope cuz its sore inside when I swallow. I hope that things will get better soon. Eating is So Over-rated.. lol
Day of Surgery March 31st 2010
On Tues night, March 30th, The Hospital called me to let me know I needed to be at the hospital by noon. My sister, Donna, came up from North Carolina and offered to take me. I was thrilled to be able to share this with my sister. My Daughter & Sons was unable to come due to work and I understood that. My Baby Sister was there and I was thrilled she would do this for me.
OK So We got to the hospital by noon. I registered and was taken to a room where I changed into my hospital gown. My sister helped me get my booties on and kept me laughing while I was nervous. The nurse came in to start my IV. She hung the IV & tubing in back of me and told me to move back in the bed so I sat on the Tubing and the IV bag broke, leaking saline all over my head. My Sister couldn't stop laughing as she said I was baptized before starting my new life. LOL.. It was Funny but I was soaking wet.. Oh well.. It helped the time pass. Well they Did finally start my IV and before I knew it, they called me for the OR.. Thankfully I didn't have to wait like last week when I had the vena cava filter put in. Whew.. I got to the OR waiting area and the anesthesiologist came to talk to me. I again asked to please put me out before they put anything over my face (yes even the oxygen mask) as I can't handle anything on my face. My Gastric Bypass Dr came to see me and said He was ready if I was.. and I was Definitely Ready. So Into the OR I went.
I was told I would have to stand upright as they lean the table into a standing position for part of the operation but Honestly, I don't even remember getting onto the table as I was given something to help "calm my nerves" but it put me out.
I woke up in the recovery but again dont' remember much until I got to my room.
My Sister was there and I told her to go home. I NEEDED to sleep off this stuff. SO She did. THANK YOU SIS FOR BEING THERE FOR ME.. LOVE YA XOXOXO.
I woke up a few hours later and got up to go to the bathroom by myself. I was fine. I didn't have pain except when I tried to sit on the toilet. Lowering myself gave me some pain and getting up also hurt. But I dealt with it. I didn't want pain meds since I didn't think I Needed any more.
Day 1 - April 1st 2010...
My First Day after Gastric Bypass.. They brought me chicken broth, hot decaf tea w/ sweet & low and jello as well as about 20 tiny medicine cups. I was told to drink 20cc's every 10 minutes. So I did. It wasn't bad and I did Ok. I was able to get up and walk (with my crutches) around the halls, which they said was good because it helps get rid of the gases they put in your body during the operation.
Day 2 - Same Menu. If it wasn't for the fact I had 5 small holes in my body, I wouldn't have thought I had surgery. I wasn't in pain. I was able to eat & drink
what they gave me but I made sure I was only drinking small amounts.
I was told to sip. Whats' That? I'm not a sipper type of gal, I'm a GULPER..lol
I so wanted to Drink a bottle of water straight down but I was told IF I did that, I would get pains in my chest & stomach and vomit. SO I didn't. I wasn't going to try it because I dont' like vomiting at all. (not many people do)... But I was doing really well and was ready to go home.
Day 3 - Time to Go Home...
My Son, Michael, and his family came to get me and drive me home.
The ride home was an hour ride and a little bumpy, but I did fine and was glad to be in my own bed. But now the journey begins..
I was scared to eat or drink anything but Decaf Tea and Chicken Broth. Sugar Free Jello was Ok too. I was told to get sugar free ice pops which I did. IT was a good change and didn't taste too badly. Also I tried Sugar Free Vanilla Instant Pudding that I made myself.. WOW that was GOOD.. it taste like Cake Batter.. YEAH I could Live on this stuff..lol. The Chocolate wasn't too bad either. Then I got Sugar Free Fudgecicles OMG they tasted Exactly like Regular Fudgecicles (made by Popcicle) I was in my Glory.. Until a week later.. OMG I'm so Sick of all this stuff.. I needed something else but I hadn't seen the Dr yet so was told NOT to change my diet UNTIL I saw the dr. I was also told to drink 48 oz a day.. ARE THEY CRAZY.. my stomach was only 2oz.. no way was I able to take in 48oz of fluids each day. I was lucky to get 16oz in but I did my best. I Also was taking Vitamins and Protein. OMG I tried 4 different protein drinks/ mixes/ powders and they're HORRIBLE. It Was VERY Hard to get the protein into me, It still is.
SO Its now 2 weeks later and I get to see the Dr & Weigh In. I Lost 29lbs in 2 weeks. WOW NOW I was excited. I hadn't lost 29lbs EVER.. so I was thrilled that I had made the right choice and went with this operation. I was now able to go to full liquids which included puree'd foods. I'm not a fan of Puree's foods so I stuck with what I liked. Sugar Free puddings, soup, sugar free jello, skinny water, some vitamin waters, popcicles and stuff like that... It was hard but I was hoping once I could eat real food I'd be better. WRONG!!! See next blog for more info.
OK So We got to the hospital by noon. I registered and was taken to a room where I changed into my hospital gown. My sister helped me get my booties on and kept me laughing while I was nervous. The nurse came in to start my IV. She hung the IV & tubing in back of me and told me to move back in the bed so I sat on the Tubing and the IV bag broke, leaking saline all over my head. My Sister couldn't stop laughing as she said I was baptized before starting my new life. LOL.. It was Funny but I was soaking wet.. Oh well.. It helped the time pass. Well they Did finally start my IV and before I knew it, they called me for the OR.. Thankfully I didn't have to wait like last week when I had the vena cava filter put in. Whew.. I got to the OR waiting area and the anesthesiologist came to talk to me. I again asked to please put me out before they put anything over my face (yes even the oxygen mask) as I can't handle anything on my face. My Gastric Bypass Dr came to see me and said He was ready if I was.. and I was Definitely Ready. So Into the OR I went.
I was told I would have to stand upright as they lean the table into a standing position for part of the operation but Honestly, I don't even remember getting onto the table as I was given something to help "calm my nerves" but it put me out.
I woke up in the recovery but again dont' remember much until I got to my room.
My Sister was there and I told her to go home. I NEEDED to sleep off this stuff. SO She did. THANK YOU SIS FOR BEING THERE FOR ME.. LOVE YA XOXOXO.
I woke up a few hours later and got up to go to the bathroom by myself. I was fine. I didn't have pain except when I tried to sit on the toilet. Lowering myself gave me some pain and getting up also hurt. But I dealt with it. I didn't want pain meds since I didn't think I Needed any more.
Day 1 - April 1st 2010...
My First Day after Gastric Bypass.. They brought me chicken broth, hot decaf tea w/ sweet & low and jello as well as about 20 tiny medicine cups. I was told to drink 20cc's every 10 minutes. So I did. It wasn't bad and I did Ok. I was able to get up and walk (with my crutches) around the halls, which they said was good because it helps get rid of the gases they put in your body during the operation.
Day 2 - Same Menu. If it wasn't for the fact I had 5 small holes in my body, I wouldn't have thought I had surgery. I wasn't in pain. I was able to eat & drink
what they gave me but I made sure I was only drinking small amounts.
I was told to sip. Whats' That? I'm not a sipper type of gal, I'm a GULPER..lol
I so wanted to Drink a bottle of water straight down but I was told IF I did that, I would get pains in my chest & stomach and vomit. SO I didn't. I wasn't going to try it because I dont' like vomiting at all. (not many people do)... But I was doing really well and was ready to go home.
Day 3 - Time to Go Home...
My Son, Michael, and his family came to get me and drive me home.
The ride home was an hour ride and a little bumpy, but I did fine and was glad to be in my own bed. But now the journey begins..
I was scared to eat or drink anything but Decaf Tea and Chicken Broth. Sugar Free Jello was Ok too. I was told to get sugar free ice pops which I did. IT was a good change and didn't taste too badly. Also I tried Sugar Free Vanilla Instant Pudding that I made myself.. WOW that was GOOD.. it taste like Cake Batter.. YEAH I could Live on this stuff..lol. The Chocolate wasn't too bad either. Then I got Sugar Free Fudgecicles OMG they tasted Exactly like Regular Fudgecicles (made by Popcicle) I was in my Glory.. Until a week later.. OMG I'm so Sick of all this stuff.. I needed something else but I hadn't seen the Dr yet so was told NOT to change my diet UNTIL I saw the dr. I was also told to drink 48 oz a day.. ARE THEY CRAZY.. my stomach was only 2oz.. no way was I able to take in 48oz of fluids each day. I was lucky to get 16oz in but I did my best. I Also was taking Vitamins and Protein. OMG I tried 4 different protein drinks/ mixes/ powders and they're HORRIBLE. It Was VERY Hard to get the protein into me, It still is.
SO Its now 2 weeks later and I get to see the Dr & Weigh In. I Lost 29lbs in 2 weeks. WOW NOW I was excited. I hadn't lost 29lbs EVER.. so I was thrilled that I had made the right choice and went with this operation. I was now able to go to full liquids which included puree'd foods. I'm not a fan of Puree's foods so I stuck with what I liked. Sugar Free puddings, soup, sugar free jello, skinny water, some vitamin waters, popcicles and stuff like that... It was hard but I was hoping once I could eat real food I'd be better. WRONG!!! See next blog for more info.
My Weight Loss Surgery Journey
I should have started this a long time ago but Hey Better Late then Never.
I decided to have weight loss surgery after reaching 350lbs.. However, I didn't see a Dr until I had gained more weight. I Thought I had found a dr who would operate but he sent me a letter stating he couldn't take me on as a patient, I was devastated.
I then went out of state hoping I could find a Dr in Philly PA to operate on me and he agreed but my insurance wouldn't cover out of state operations so back to the drawing board. I was searching thru the website www.ObesityHelp.com when I found a dr who's offices were in North Jersey but he had a satellite office in South Jersey (Bayville, NJ) so I made an appt in Oct 2009. I was THRILLED he was going to operate on me and my insurance (Medicare) would cover it. Now to get the necessary testing needed to get the operation. OK I was so excited I wanted to get it done as soon as possible but like all good procrastinators, I waited Until AFTER the holidays to start the process.
I met with the psychiatrist who told me I was depressed. YA THINK!!! I'm Over 350lbs, Widowed, and disabled, WHO WOULDN"T BE DEPRESSED!!! Anyway, He thought the operation was a great thing for me but wanted me to continue seeing a psychiatrist.. Well that didn't happen but I'm sure I still need counseling for depression.
OK 1 down, 4 more to go..
Next was the Pulmonary Dr. I passed all the testing but the Dr wanted me to have a Sleep Apnea test. Grrrr So I packed my jammies and went for the sleep over. I was hooked up to about a thousand wires over my head and body and then this metal breathing thing on my nose and was told to go to sleep. HA HA HA!!! .. How does someone sleep with stuff up their nose? But I did manage to get a few hours here and there which was enough time for them to get the readings they needed. It winds up, I didn't have sleep apnea which shocked me because when My husband was alive, He would wake me because I would stop breathing while I slept. Go Figure.
2 down, 3 to go..
Next was the chemical stress test. Grrr I won't lie, I was Petrified to have this one as I had heard all types of horror stories. But if I wanted to get the Gastric bypass operation, I NEEDED this test. SO I went for the test and I have to tell you, It wasn't horrible. The worse part was sitting there for 5 hours and the nasty metallic taste I got when I was injected with the chemical for the test. But all in all it wasn't as bad as I had heard. And I passed this test also.
3 down, 2 to go.
My next test was an Endoscopy. I was schedeuled for Feb 25th and we had a Blizzard starting but I NEEDED this test. I have to tell you I'm NOT a good patient, I'm scared of Everything and Hate being in pain or uncomfortable so this wasn't going to be easy for me but Suprisingly enough I was calm. I was the first patient because alot of people cancelled due to the snow but Nope, Not Me, I wanted it OVER. Again It wasn't as horrible As I had expected. I was Ok UNTIL they put this plastic piece in my mouth with a rubber around my head to hold it in place.
I was told to bite on the plastic piece. It had a hole in it and I'm sure that's where the hose when down my throat thru that hole but I didn't want to know anything else and I Sure as hell didn't want to be awake so I was like put me out NOW.. and I was.. I woke up and wasn't in pain, no sore throat, Nothing. Ok I thought, not so bad. The Dr came in and said I had reflux (I knew that) and gave me nexium to start taking. I was already taking Nexium thru my family Dr so It wasn't anything I wasn't expecting.
4 down, 1 to go...
This was the biggy, Because I am over 50yrs old and Because my BMI was over a certain limit, My Dr required patients to get a Vena Cava Filter inserted a week before surgery. Grrr.. As I stated I'm NOT a Good Patient and was Scared to Death to have to go into the Operating Room twice. But Again I WANTED this Surgery so I had no choice. My Son, Chris, took me to the hospital which was in North Jersey.
I was schedeuled for 2pm surgery (I hate late surgeries) and they wanted me there by 12 noon so I got there and changed and my nerves took over. I got the runs and kept going to the bathroom. I just wanted this OVER. 2pm came & went, 3pm came & went, 4pm came & went and I'm still waiting for them to come get me. Finally at 5pm my son went to find out what was going on. I was ready to go home & reschedeule but at 5:30pm the OR called for me. OH Goodie.. (NOT) I was scared to death and the waiting didn't make it any easier. I, Talked to the Anethesiologist and told him to Please don't put ANYTHING over my face Until I'm knocked out. I Freak whenever I smell anything when something is over my face so I was taken into the OR and they injected something into my arm that put me out.. I woke up in the Recovery Room just fine. It was Over.. 7 more days and I'd be having my Gastric Bypass operation.
Scared & Nervous, but I was Ready for my Weight Loss Journey To Begin.
I decided to have weight loss surgery after reaching 350lbs.. However, I didn't see a Dr until I had gained more weight. I Thought I had found a dr who would operate but he sent me a letter stating he couldn't take me on as a patient, I was devastated.
I then went out of state hoping I could find a Dr in Philly PA to operate on me and he agreed but my insurance wouldn't cover out of state operations so back to the drawing board. I was searching thru the website www.ObesityHelp.com when I found a dr who's offices were in North Jersey but he had a satellite office in South Jersey (Bayville, NJ) so I made an appt in Oct 2009. I was THRILLED he was going to operate on me and my insurance (Medicare) would cover it. Now to get the necessary testing needed to get the operation. OK I was so excited I wanted to get it done as soon as possible but like all good procrastinators, I waited Until AFTER the holidays to start the process.
I met with the psychiatrist who told me I was depressed. YA THINK!!! I'm Over 350lbs, Widowed, and disabled, WHO WOULDN"T BE DEPRESSED!!! Anyway, He thought the operation was a great thing for me but wanted me to continue seeing a psychiatrist.. Well that didn't happen but I'm sure I still need counseling for depression.
OK 1 down, 4 more to go..
Next was the Pulmonary Dr. I passed all the testing but the Dr wanted me to have a Sleep Apnea test. Grrrr So I packed my jammies and went for the sleep over. I was hooked up to about a thousand wires over my head and body and then this metal breathing thing on my nose and was told to go to sleep. HA HA HA!!! .. How does someone sleep with stuff up their nose? But I did manage to get a few hours here and there which was enough time for them to get the readings they needed. It winds up, I didn't have sleep apnea which shocked me because when My husband was alive, He would wake me because I would stop breathing while I slept. Go Figure.
2 down, 3 to go..
Next was the chemical stress test. Grrr I won't lie, I was Petrified to have this one as I had heard all types of horror stories. But if I wanted to get the Gastric bypass operation, I NEEDED this test. SO I went for the test and I have to tell you, It wasn't horrible. The worse part was sitting there for 5 hours and the nasty metallic taste I got when I was injected with the chemical for the test. But all in all it wasn't as bad as I had heard. And I passed this test also.
3 down, 2 to go.
My next test was an Endoscopy. I was schedeuled for Feb 25th and we had a Blizzard starting but I NEEDED this test. I have to tell you I'm NOT a good patient, I'm scared of Everything and Hate being in pain or uncomfortable so this wasn't going to be easy for me but Suprisingly enough I was calm. I was the first patient because alot of people cancelled due to the snow but Nope, Not Me, I wanted it OVER. Again It wasn't as horrible As I had expected. I was Ok UNTIL they put this plastic piece in my mouth with a rubber around my head to hold it in place.
I was told to bite on the plastic piece. It had a hole in it and I'm sure that's where the hose when down my throat thru that hole but I didn't want to know anything else and I Sure as hell didn't want to be awake so I was like put me out NOW.. and I was.. I woke up and wasn't in pain, no sore throat, Nothing. Ok I thought, not so bad. The Dr came in and said I had reflux (I knew that) and gave me nexium to start taking. I was already taking Nexium thru my family Dr so It wasn't anything I wasn't expecting.
4 down, 1 to go...
This was the biggy, Because I am over 50yrs old and Because my BMI was over a certain limit, My Dr required patients to get a Vena Cava Filter inserted a week before surgery. Grrr.. As I stated I'm NOT a Good Patient and was Scared to Death to have to go into the Operating Room twice. But Again I WANTED this Surgery so I had no choice. My Son, Chris, took me to the hospital which was in North Jersey.
I was schedeuled for 2pm surgery (I hate late surgeries) and they wanted me there by 12 noon so I got there and changed and my nerves took over. I got the runs and kept going to the bathroom. I just wanted this OVER. 2pm came & went, 3pm came & went, 4pm came & went and I'm still waiting for them to come get me. Finally at 5pm my son went to find out what was going on. I was ready to go home & reschedeule but at 5:30pm the OR called for me. OH Goodie.. (NOT) I was scared to death and the waiting didn't make it any easier. I, Talked to the Anethesiologist and told him to Please don't put ANYTHING over my face Until I'm knocked out. I Freak whenever I smell anything when something is over my face so I was taken into the OR and they injected something into my arm that put me out.. I woke up in the Recovery Room just fine. It was Over.. 7 more days and I'd be having my Gastric Bypass operation.
Scared & Nervous, but I was Ready for my Weight Loss Journey To Begin.
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