Dana_Dee

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Tuesday, April 8, 2008, I had one of those OMG moments. The weather wasn’t as perfect as the year before but the Royals home opener was going to brighten my cold, rainy day right up.

Vance & I spent the first hour at the stadium parading through the rain-soaked parking lot, bitterly cold. We decided to give up and go on into the stadium. That’s when my OMG happened. Every time I have gone to any events in the past few years that involved turn stiles I would have to fight getting through. The embarrassment of having to lift my stomach up & in & squeeze tightly through the turn stile was humiliating. Well on Opening Day this year, no help was needed. It only took a small hop sideways & I was through. That was a moment I didn’t expect. It really snuck up on me. I only hope this year’s Royals bring as much excitement as I felt at that moment.

And to add, that same week I got into a Royals baseball shirt that was 1 size smaller than I normally wear. I was ecstatic!

So I had my fifth fill on Wednesday. I am pretty tight. I hope this one holds out longer than the rest have. I tried eating solid food last night and I still cannot get it mentally that that is enough for me to eat. So the end result for me last night was being sick. Sliming (that’s what happens when food gets stuck) for almost 20 minutes. It was so painful. So today at lunch, I still fought overeating but I stopped before I got sick. I’m glad this is happening to me though. If I could get over my emotional hang ups on food, I think I could really succeed this band. I am so happy the warm weather is almost here. I will be so much more active when it warms up. I just need to stay strong and keep blogging so I stay focused. I will try to keep up. I promise.

10/3/07 12:02 am Sorry for the late post, but I didn’t have enough energy yesterday after walking and making cards to write. I felt worse yesterday than the day before but took the punches as they came.

Anyways, to make a LONG story short ;) (ha! Ha!) I know everyone is excited to know what happened. Wed. when we arrived in San Antonio Daddy and I headed over to the North Star Mall to eat a late lunch & kill some time while we waited on Angie & her mom, Kathy’s, plane to arrive and for them to settle in. We ate lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. I was still on my pre-op diet until that evening so I ate a crab cake and a few bites of salad and drank 3 glasses of water. Dad had a burger and fries. I bought a slice of Godiva Cheesecake to eat later that night.

When we arrived back at the hotel we had only a few minutes until we met the other patients & Barbara, the doctor’s asst., for a pre-op briefing which lasted 1 ½ hrs. We learned how to eat with our band& the diets to follow after surgery. There were 2 other women getting the band besides Angie and me. Their names were Shannon and Linda. Linda was 61 & was accompanied by her daughter, Tina, & Shannon’s mom came with her.

On our way back to our rooms Linda & Tina overheard us discussing going to the Riverwalk and they offered to take us since they had a van. We graciously accepted. They drove in from the Houston area and Shannon and her mom were from Oregon.

Angie, Kathy, Daddy & I met up w/ Linda & Tina and headed to downtown. There was construction everywhere. It’s all concrete. We parked near the RiverCenter Mall on the river walk & were going to Casa Rio for “our last supper.” I ordered so much food that I was unable to eat due to the diet I had been on. I ate a few chips w/cheese, a “small” enchilada, “small” tamale, ½ a taco and 2 bites of chili. STUFFED! Oh, I also enjoyed a Strawberry Margarita knowing I would not be able to drink for at least 2 months. NOT a big deal, but I took advantage of it. Casa Rio was the 1^st restaurant built on the river walk and we had a Mariachi band play at our table. That’s my fault; I kept flirting with one of the band members. I can’t help it! Butter pecan skin is gorgeous! Plus, my hubby flirts as much as I do, although all is completely innocent. Let’s just put that out there.

We finished dinner & went on a boat ride on the river & learned the history of the river walk & architecture of the area. It was absolutely gorgeous! Then we took a trolley ride back to our parking garage, but along the way we had to make a pit stop for Queenie here. Being around all that water, Whew! I almost peed my pants! So we went back to the hotel. Tina & Linda were so sweet and entertaining.

I had until midnight to eat anything I wanted, so around 11 pm I started on my cheesecake while talking to Vance, It was sinful but halfway through and gave the rest to Daddy I couldn’t eat another bite.

The next morning we loaded into the doctor’s van at 6 am to head to Mexico. We arrived at the ½ way mark in Uvalve, TX where there is a Walmart Supercenter. We took a 10 min. potty break & bought some SF peppermints (allowed before surgery) to soothe my dry mouth. I only had 1. This is the exact point the nerves started to become unraveled. Angie? Perfectly calm. I obviously was worrying enough for everyone in the van. After leaving Walmart, the last half of the trip to the hospital I felt like I had just gotten on a roller coaster ride that just started going up the track to the first drop, There is no way off of this ride now.

We crossed over the Rio Grande river & the border & enter Acuna. The hospital was right down the street. It looked like a renovated gas station/convenience store. Although it was very clean inside. By the time I set my bag on the ground, one of the doctors, Dr. Rod’s asst., has taken Angie & put her in her in a room & change into a gown. My dad disappears & the doctor says I’m next. PANIC! I am frantic! Where is my dad? What’s next? Everything is going way too fast! They put me in a temporary room and asked me to change. I couldn’t. More panic! Where is my dad, I asked. They said he went to the restroom. It seemed like an eternity until he returned. I still chose not to put my gown on. You could clearly see the fear & anxiety in my eyes, the dr.’s asst., whom is a psychiatrist, came in to calm me down, followed by Dr. Rodriguez. They left the room & I put my gown on reluctantly. I knew deep down this surgery was the best thing for my health but I was fearful of pre-op procedures and recovery. They took a chest x-ray and EKG, normal. I’m back in my temporary room & still freaked out. Within 10 min. it’s time to move to my permanent & recovery room. On the way, I look to see if Angie’s doing OK & she’s not there. They already tool her to surgery. Her mom said that as soon as they gave her the drugs to knock her out she was loopy before they pulled the needle out. I find out I’m next…

The nurses do not speak English, None of them. They do know the word PAIN. That’s good b/c I eventually end up having a lot of it. One male nurse administers my IV. I have calmed down a smidge. I am so nervous. I kept asking Daddy to tell me that this was the best thing for me and that it’s all going to be ok. The nurse comes in to give me my sedatives to knock me out. Needle is out and I am not feeling it. “Daddy, I don’t feel it, I don’t feel it.” Then comes the gurney. They have me climb onto the gurney from my hospital bed. I lay down & I’m looking at my dad, frantically telling him, “I don’t feel it, I don’t feel it!” They move me out of the room and into the hall as I am complaining of not feeling drowsy,. Right now I am on the roller coaster at the top of the hill headed downward & no matter how hard I scream no one will let me off this ride! That’s the last thing I remember before waking up…In pain.

I wake up, my chest and abdomen aching and my throat screaming (incubation.) I am not allowed to talk for 2 hrs. A nurse & my dad are at each bedside. Well I know sign language & I start signing to dad about how bad I hurt & where, I was still kind of out of it b/c of the anesthesia. My dad does not know how to sign. What’s so funny is the nurse who knows no English starts to look at my dad for answers and is wondering what the hell I’m doing! So Daddy is stuck there with 2 people he has no idea what either is trying to say! I don’t think dad ever anticipated that happening. We laugh about that moment now.

Dad finally understands that I am having a killer headache and mom tells him to put some ice on my head. My room is around 50 degrees and my fan is on high. I want it cold and my poor Daddy is freezing. We are supposed to sleep 2 hrs. after surgery, but I am in so much pain and my head hurts so badly, I can’t.

The staff wants us up & walking to help get the gas from surgery out. I got a pain shot in my IV & walked about 50 feet, returned to my room and got extremely sick, vomiting and urinating at the same time. I was so scared I was doing damage to my band. I hadn’t ever thrown up so hard. Well, maybe that one tequila night when I lost my clothes! J That was a night out with Angie at her house.

I get up to take my second walk & realize Grey’s Anatomy is on tonight. I stroll down to Angie’s room w/ IV cart in tow and inform her of what another fine mess she has gotten me in & that the next party commences in her room to watch Grey’s. I also notice she is dressed & has no IV cart. Then I go back to my room, go to the restroom, go lay back in bed (which is not easy), and ask dad to lift me up immediately. I’m getting sick again. Puking & peeing. I just went to the bathroom, that’s how forceful this was. I know, I know, TMI. Everyone of the other patients have their IV bags off except me. I threw up 2 more times. The last time at 4 am. None of them got sick once. I changed my clothes (still have IV in) & put on an Angel wing pin my friend Kristen gave me the night before my trip. That’s when the vomiting stopped for good! Thanks Kristen!

They finally removed my IV fluids 45 min before discharge. I feel awful. The other gals feel pretty good considering what we all went through. Heck, Linda was wanting to Salsa dance in the hallway the night before while I’m in my room puking, peeing, making a mess of everything.

The 3 hr. trip back to the hotel was the longest 3 hrs. of my life! We stopped at Walmart for 30 min to walk and stretch, Angie bought some SF Jell-O and gave me one. I was reluctant at first but everyone said it’d be ok. I never took so long to eat a snack pack of Jell-O!

I had a creamy chicken Soup at Hand and a protein shake that evening for dinner and played rummy with dad. I WON! Before going to bed I to check on Angie to see how she was & she had an infection where they put her port, I gave her a sleeping pill and she gave me a Jell-O and I told her I loved her before leaving back to my room. Her plane was leaving very early the next morning so I knew I wouldn’t have another chance to see her before she left. I took a sleeping pill upon returning to my room. It was very hard to sleep. Laying down & getting back up hurts the worst. My throat continues to be sore.

The next morning we said good bye to Linda and Tina in the lobby & wished them well. Before leaving, mom had called upset that dad hadn’t kept in contact enough. Now normally I would be crying over missing my cats for 4 days (and I’d cry over Vance ;) ) but I had so much agony to concentrate on it was easy not to worry about them. But oh lordy, were mom and Vance a mess while we were gone! They worried the entire time. Vance was a wreck from what I’ve been told.

The flight home was uncomfortable but tolerable.

Mom is just happy her baby is home and safe; she’s been taking great care of me this week. The pain is worse some days than others. This afternoon (Tues.) was really hard, I sneezed twice in a row& broke down in tears, Tons of pain. Mom hooked me up w/ a heating pad and after about an hour I felt better.

My only worry now is being ready to return to work. My esophagus is fighting this band pretty hard & doesn’t want to let up. I really miss every one of my friends at work & I am thinking of them all often. I just am afraid I am going to be a burden on some of my coworkers when I return due to my restrictions. But I am excited to get back! Lying around is BORING! TV is awful during the day! Plus I bet it’s a lot quieter at work without me there. We can’t be having that!!! J

I also want to thank everyone for their support, get well cards and gifts. I didn’t know I had so many people that cared about me. My cup runneth over.

Love-n-Friends,

Queenie

P.S. Look for surgery pics in my photos!