Tammy I Am
March 2006
Mar 24, 2006
March 1
Back home from vacation and started going to the gym. I had one session with a personal trainer and developed abdomen pain. Felt like strain at first then increased to unbearable pain.
March 21
Appt. with Dr. Gagner regarding pain in right upper abdomen. Nothing palpable but wants me to take precautions and get ultrasound/cat scan.
**Some time in late March Oxford denied paying for surgery even though they had pre-approved and given me an amount they would pay. I spoke with Alla several times much to my frustration and was told they couldn’t help me but that I had to appeal for myself. I pleaded for help since I have NO clue how to do this. Language barrier/understanding is a HUGE problem here.
Vegas!
Feb 27, 2006
Month Five Loss
Feb 25, 2006
February 26
Five month loss = 16lbs. (219)Month Four loss
Jan 25, 2006
Jan. 26
Four month loss = 12.5lbs (235)
90 Day Post-op Check up
Jan 02, 2006
Jan. 3, 2006
Went for my 90-day appt. with Dr. G. All your follow up visits within' 90 days are included in the fee's of the surgery (at least it was when I did this) and so I expected no charge or course. I was charged $100 even though it was my 90-day visit. I was livid, asking why and pushing for answers that are hard to get sometimes. According to the lady in billing, I was one week past my 90 days EVEN though it was Dr. G that had told me not to come back till after the first of the year. I COULD have come on or before Dec. 26th easily. I would never have missed my window if I had thought there was going to be an issue. They refused to let me see him unless I paid up front so I finally did against my better judgment. I was so furious that I had been 'duped' into missing my 90-day window. I eventually got his office manager Jeanette involved and she questioned Dr. G about it and it was cleared up, the money was refunded and I felt somewhat better about the situation. Had I not stood up for myself (which many of us do not do) they would have had my money and that would have been it. VERY annoying.Month 1-3 Losses
Dec 29, 2005
Oct. 25
One month follow up with Dr. G. All is well. 26lbs lost. (305 to 279)
Nov. 26
Two month loss = 16.5lbs (262.5)
Dec. 26
Three month loss = 15lbs (247.5)
Post-op Day 6
Sep 30, 2005
Saturday, October 1
Same routine, drugs, walking, drinking then finally given some soft foods. The two requirements for my release were 1) keep soft foods down and 2) switch to oral pain meds. I did it all as early as I could, and after LOTS of insistence I was released and left the hospital around 6pm? They gave me my papers and prescriptions for pain meds but didn't inform us that this medicine is NOT stocked by regular pharmacies. I probably could have gotten it right there in the hospitals pharmacy but we just drove on home. I had to stop halfway home to pee, which was interesting. Thank you Arby's for having a public restroom lol. Got home and with NO pain meds until 10:30pm due to no oxycodone in stock at any pharmacy. Hadn’t had pain meds since 4pm. FRANTIC search for the medicine and finally got a script called in for Liquid Codeine which helped until the Oxy arrived the next day. This was the worst, most unbearable pain in my life for those hours with no pain management. Actually had thoughts of doing physical damage to myself to stop the pain.Post-op Day 5
Sep 29, 2005
Friday, September 30
This day is a blur in my memory. My sister left in the late afternoon, which was painful for me. She is a rock and my best friend and I miss her terribly. I sipped, pee'd, did something that resembled poo but it really wasn't, walked, walked, walked and was determined to be released ASAP. They said 2 more days and I was not interested in being there 2 more days. No way.Post-op Day 4
Sep 28, 2005
Thursday, September 29
Another happy day in the hospital. Not. This day was rough but manageable. I had my friend the catheter to deal with again, yay! Grrr. And of course, get up and walk like mad because the more you do, the faster you go home. I breathed into my spirometer constantly and started trying to wean off the pain meds a touch. At some point in the afternoon they decided to take me down for a nice little series of tests to check that everything was moving along as it should be. It was like the Upper GI series I had, where they make you gag down the thick chalky crap and then they take pictures as it makes its slimy way through your stomach and intestines. After two surgeries, being HUGELY swollen and uncomfortable AND having been without liquids again now for over 36 hours, this was really not a good moment. The things they expect you to do when you've just had surgery is beyond me sometimes. Here, climb up on this table and lay down, oh wait, roll over, and the other side... ugh. Miserable. Everything came out fine though so were good to go back to the fluids and work towards being released.Post-op Day 3
Sep 27, 2005
Wednesday, September 28th
I called my family at some ungodly hour in the morning and told them what was happening. I was supposed to be his second surgery of the morning and to expect to be taken in around 10am. I was panicking and my family actually made it in early to see me. Thankfully the staff let them in even though visiting hours were not till later. It got later and later in the afternoon and still they didn’t come to get me. Then I got a visit then from a red haired angel named Melissa Mermaid. This is the silliest thing but I was in SO much pain and on SO much medication that when she came in, everything was just… fuzzy. There was an ethereal quality to her, almost like an angel in a movie and she was such a wonderful comfort in that time before my second surgery. She was absolutely certain that it would be nothing and that all would be just fine. They finally came sometime after 1pm I think, took me down to surgery on my bed (the bariatric beds ROCK by the way, wow, such an amazing creation) and wheeled me right up to the table. Here’s the fun part. Back in goes the catheter, I’m on my period and they hadn’t let me pee all morning so I’m DYIN’ as they make me scoot form bed to table. They told me not to worry about any of it and I just didn’t. Screw it, put me under already.
The intern, Stephanie was right there as they put me under, holding my hand. The fugging anesthesiologist put the patch on this time, but then allowed a student to do my intubations and they started before I was under. The anesthesiologist made reference to the vocal chords and this asshole ‘trainee’ came up and grabbed my throat, jammed two fingers into my esophagus right below my ‘adams apple’ area and was like, “Yeah, I can feel it!” I literally started choking from the pressure he put on my throat so I ripped off the oxygen mask, tears streaming and yelled at him that he was choking me. They told me to just relax of course and did he let go? Hell no. I turned to look at Stephanie and she just clutched at my hand, squeezing so tight as I lay there with tears streaming. And then I was out. Thanks for waiting boys; I could really have gone my whole life without experiencing that kind of crap.
Recovery after the second surgery was like a freaking picnic in the park compared to the first. I woke up, no nausea, feeling pretty darned good actually (prolly from the morphine heheh) and was back in my room so quick I couldn’t believe it. No problems, no nausea, no dry heaves, nada. Again my thanks (sarcasm much?) to the wonderful anesthesiologists at NY Pres. I’d like to return the favor some day. =)
There were no leaks, no issues, everything looked perfect according to Dr. G. But miraculously I got instantly better, I felt like a different person the night following the second surgery. Makes you wonder doesn’t it? I always like to say that when they went back in they prolly found the missing stapler or clamps that they’d lost during my 1st surgery. So anyhoo, I’m finally on the road to recovery.
My sister was supposed to leave today. But with me having a second, emergency surgery she went to the airport and talked with an agent, informing them of the situation and MUCH to our amazement they agreed to change her return flight. She was able to stay a couple more days.
