dragonmaster
January 07
Jan 24, 2007
I know its been a really long time scince i have posted to my profile. Sometimes we all have dragons that can't be mastered. My life has had many ups and downs in the past year ( mostly downs). Except my weight, it has gone up. I have gained about 50 pounds back and I feel like an idiot. It's all my own fault, I have been eating things i know i shouldn't But i have come home to O.H. to get back on track. I am going back to the basics, Low Fat, LOw Carb, Low sugar, Lots of water. I didn't go through all of this just to go back where i started. So if you want to give me a swift kick in the ass to keep me on track, go right ahead, i welcome it.
November 05
Nov 23, 2005
11/24/05
well today is my 2 year anniversary for my surgery date. I am doing pretty well. I am staying at around 199 pounds to 194 pounds. The infection i was talking about above never did clear up so they ended up doing another surgery to make an even bigger hole and clear out anything that might be causing the problem. I am posting a few pictures of that. I have been wearing a "wound vac" for about 3 or 4 weeks now to try to make it heal quickly before it can get infected again. It is healing very well and i hope to have the vac off maybe after this week.
BEFORE AND AFTER (SO FAR)
well today is my 2 year anniversary for my surgery date. I am doing pretty well. I am staying at around 199 pounds to 194 pounds. The infection i was talking about above never did clear up so they ended up doing another surgery to make an even bigger hole and clear out anything that might be causing the problem. I am posting a few pictures of that. I have been wearing a "wound vac" for about 3 or 4 weeks now to try to make it heal quickly before it can get infected again. It is healing very well and i hope to have the vac off maybe after this week.
| Date | Weight | Pounds Lost | Total Pounds Lost |
BMI |
| 11/24/03 #1 |
400 | 0 | 0 | 57.4 |
| 12/10/03 #2 |
379 | 21 | 21 | 54.4 |
| 1/07/04 #3 |
362 | 17 | 38 | 51.9 |
| 1/20/04 #4 |
355 | 7 | 45 | 50.9 |
| 2/18/04 #5 |
341 | 14 | 59 | 48.9 |
| 3/18/04 #6 |
325 | 16 | 75 | 46.6 |
| 4/18/04 #7 |
302 | 23 | 98 | 43.3 |
| 5/12/04 #8 |
295 | 7 | 105 | 42.3 |
| 6/04/04 #9 |
286 | 9 | 114 | 41.0 |
| 6/25/04 #10 |
274 | 12 | 126 | 39.3 |
| 7/26/04 #11 |
262 | 12 | 138 | 37.6 |
| 8/27/04 #12 |
250 | 12 | 150 | 35.9 |
| 09/09/04 #13 |
243 | 7 | 157 | 34.9 |
10/01/04 #14 |
241 | 2 | 159 | 34.6 |
| 10/20/04 #15 | 238 | 3 | 162 | 34.1 |
| 11/24/04 #16 |
235 | 3 | 165 | 33 |
| 07/02/05 17 |
221 | 14 | 179 | 31.7 |
| 08/01/05 #18 |
214 | 7 | 186 | 30.7 |
| 08/23/05 #19 |
206 | 8 | 194 | 29.6 |
| 09/20/05 #20 |
194 | 12 | 206 | 27.8 |
| 11/24/05 #21 |
199 | pl | tl | bmi |
| 01/24/07 #22 |
248 | pl | tl | bmi |
| date #23 |
wt | pl | tl | bmi |
date #24 |
wt | pl | tl | bmi |
| date #25 |
wt | pl | tl | bmi |
| date #26 |
wt | pl | tl | bmi |
| date #27 |
wt | pl | tl | bmi |
| date #28 |
wt | pl | tl | bmi |
| date #29 |
wt | pl | tl | bmi |
| date #30 |
wt | pl | tl | bmi |
| date #31 |
wt | pl | tl | bmi |
BEFORE AND AFTER (SO FAR)
September 05
Sep 19, 2005
9-20-05 GUESS WHAT!!
That's right, I have hit the double century mark..over 200 pounds gone. AND..I have also hit the below 200 pound weight mark(194). I have officially lost more weight, than i weigh now. That is very cool. As for the other stuff, i am still fighting infection from my hernia and panni removal surgery. Today the dr. opened my incision back up and made a bigger hole to try to let the stuff drain out better. I dont have any drains in me, but i have a hole where all the incisions come together that wont heal and the stuff is draining from it. He is hopeing to get all of it to drain and then the hole to heal. I have been on anti-biotics for 4 weeks now, (augmentin) im starting the 5th today.
That's right, I have hit the double century mark..over 200 pounds gone. AND..I have also hit the below 200 pound weight mark(194). I have officially lost more weight, than i weigh now. That is very cool. As for the other stuff, i am still fighting infection from my hernia and panni removal surgery. Today the dr. opened my incision back up and made a bigger hole to try to let the stuff drain out better. I dont have any drains in me, but i have a hole where all the incisions come together that wont heal and the stuff is draining from it. He is hopeing to get all of it to drain and then the hole to heal. I have been on anti-biotics for 4 weeks now, (augmentin) im starting the 5th today.
August 05
Jul 31, 2005
08/01/05
Feeling better right now, the dr put me on depacote to go with my welbuterin. It seems to be helping, havent had any urges to shoot myself for a couple weeks now. I get my hernia repair and TT two weeks from today. I think im more afraid this time than i was for the original surgery. I went back to the dr today. I have lost another 4 pounds in 2 weeks. Im glad i started losing again, I was on a plateu for a LONG time. The family went on a day trip to Holiday World last week, All the other times we have gone, i was always there to take pictures of everyone. This is the first time we have went scince i had surgery. Last time i was over 200 pounds heavier than this time. This time we only got a couple of pictures because....I WAS ON THE RIDES TOO!! Went on the Raven and then the Legend Rollercoasters about beat my hernia to death, but i went. LOL Here is a picture from the Legend. That's me right there behind my kid with the mohawk LOL my other son is next to me with his hands up (show off) and my wife up front with mohawk boy.
Also, my niece is getting married next sat. So some of us and the groom went out for a little fling while my niece and her girlfriends had theirs last Sat. Here is a picture from the bar. I am the one with the dragon on his arm (of course), then my brother in law Danny, Then the groom Justin (kissing his soon to be father in law), the my other brother in law mike, and finally on the right end is his brother jeff. It was a good time, The picture was taken by my sister in law barb (soon to be mother in law for justin). She came to pick mike up. (my wife was there too along with my other sister in law peggy) I dont remeber if the picture was taken BEFORE or AFTER Mike dropped his pants in the bar when asked where our stripper was. (undies and ALL) LOL Dont zoom in on my eyes either, because i wasnt feeling much pain at the time. (I DID keep my PANTS on though). I probably wont update untill after my surgery so wish me luck.
here are some pictures from the wedding
Here are the family and i arriving at the wedding
here is me and my youngest son doing kareoke.
Here is my oldest son with his girlfriend emilee
here is me dancing with the happy bride
It was a nice wedding.
8/22/05 (WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTO BELOW)
Had my hernia repair and panni surgery a week ago today (18th), Everything didnt go as planned, I was supposed to go in on mon and leave on tues but i ended up staying untill thurs. I guess i lost alot of blood and they thought i still had some internal bleeding, because they gave me 2 bags of blood which brought my red blood cell levels up from 7.2 to 8 (its supposed to be around 12 as i understand) but then it dropped back down to 6.4. My drains were working overtime, and all of the discharge just looked like blood. I woke up a couple of times and my bed was covered in blood where they had leaked all over from around the tubes, plus the tubes were still filling up. So they started giving me 2 more bags of blood and the dr said if the bleeding didnt slow down soon, that they couldnt just keep giving me more blood (DUH!) and would have to take me back into surgery and open me back up to see where it was coming from. My wife was stuck 2 1/2 hours away and the person we were depending on decided to let us down. Im sure she she afraid. (so was i ) anyway, the next day the bleeding decided t slow down enough to stay pretty much within the tubes and bulbs The nurse was concerned that the discharge is still pretty bloody looking. So they decided to send me home. I dont understand why if they gave me the blood the second time, and said my levels came up good, why they didnt wait and check it again to be sure it hadnt dropped again like the first time. ( I dont know im not a dr.) So i came home with the 2 tubes and 106 staples, the tubes have been slowing down slowley. But the one is still really red and looks like blood, I keep getting blood clots out of it. The pain wasnt really too bad as with the first surgery,Only this time i didnt wake up before they were done, so when i did wake up they already had pain meds in me. The anistesha girl was going to put a shot in my back that would last 36 hours but when i woke up, the nurse told me she couldnt take the time because my blood pressure dropped. So i went to my room, they hooked me up to a morphine pump, by that evening i wasnt even pushing it anymore, next morn. they took it off. Unlike the last surgery,(read above) ALL of my nurses where WONDERFUL. And My Angel nurse from last time was still there and came to visit me (Ellen) Then the morning i got released, she ended up being my discharge nurse. Its been almost 2 years and with all of the paitients she has had since then, she still remembered me just like it was yestarday. This time my main nurse was a young girl (27) named Eve, She was really a good nurse and made me very comfortable (as much as possible anyway) Then there was another named bobbie joe who's brother is a tattoo artist, so we talked alot about that. And one named Kim who was very nice as well, there was a few more that were in and out and very nice but wasnt around enough for me to remember their names. Dr Gomez's Team of Dr.'s Came around every morning right about 7:00 They one guy and one girl seemed to be in charge, i think the others were earlier interns. The girl (dr Pitts, I remember because she prescribed my pain meds) was very nice and more considerate of peoples privacy than the guy was. So anyway, I go back to the dr tommarrow to see if he wants to take out any of the drains or staples. (hope) Let ya know what happens.
Here is a picture of my incitions.
08/25/05
I went back to the dr. last tues. He decided to leave both drains and all of the staples in for at least another week. He says i am getting an infection in the incision, It is red and hard, he gave me antibiotics and some ointment to put on the incision twice a day. The pills are soo big i have to break them in half. He told me to watch my temperature very closely and if it hit 101 degrees to call the office right away, Last night was the first fever i have had, but it got up to 100.5 (too close) It did go down after i got in the shower. I have been having alot more pain (mostly uncomfortable) than i was having in the beginning. Most of the pain seems to come from the pubic area which is swollen and feels like it has liquid in it. I am scared because i have heard that others had to have it drained with a needle, and that just sounds like it will hurt like hell. I go back to him next tues.(30th) I figure he will take out at least one of the drains because it has slowed down to about 40cc a day of drainage, Actually its a good thing because it is pulled part of the way out of my groin to where can see the white part of it thats supposed to be inside, it also was getting infected, it looked like a kids snotty nose around the hole. (best i could think of to discribe) but it is looking better now than it did. Most of my incision is hard and like numb but not numb, you cant stand for someone to touch it even gently. That is going to make it suck getting my staples out. Where all of the incisions come together at the bottom of my belly is starting to bleed a little bit. I think its because the ointment is keeping it moist and washing away the blood that was clotted. I have thought that maybe i should have only had the hernia repair (because it HAD to done) but i wanted that panni gone sooo bad. I know its just the "what the hell did i do?" stage that we all go through after the surgeries. Once all of this healing stuff is done, im sure ill be sooo glad that i had it done. We'll see what happens Tues. OH Also i got weighed at the dr.s office and it said 206.4
Feeling better right now, the dr put me on depacote to go with my welbuterin. It seems to be helping, havent had any urges to shoot myself for a couple weeks now. I get my hernia repair and TT two weeks from today. I think im more afraid this time than i was for the original surgery. I went back to the dr today. I have lost another 4 pounds in 2 weeks. Im glad i started losing again, I was on a plateu for a LONG time. The family went on a day trip to Holiday World last week, All the other times we have gone, i was always there to take pictures of everyone. This is the first time we have went scince i had surgery. Last time i was over 200 pounds heavier than this time. This time we only got a couple of pictures because....I WAS ON THE RIDES TOO!! Went on the Raven and then the Legend Rollercoasters about beat my hernia to death, but i went. LOL Here is a picture from the Legend. That's me right there behind my kid with the mohawk LOL my other son is next to me with his hands up (show off) and my wife up front with mohawk boy.
Also, my niece is getting married next sat. So some of us and the groom went out for a little fling while my niece and her girlfriends had theirs last Sat. Here is a picture from the bar. I am the one with the dragon on his arm (of course), then my brother in law Danny, Then the groom Justin (kissing his soon to be father in law), the my other brother in law mike, and finally on the right end is his brother jeff. It was a good time, The picture was taken by my sister in law barb (soon to be mother in law for justin). She came to pick mike up. (my wife was there too along with my other sister in law peggy) I dont remeber if the picture was taken BEFORE or AFTER Mike dropped his pants in the bar when asked where our stripper was. (undies and ALL) LOL Dont zoom in on my eyes either, because i wasnt feeling much pain at the time. (I DID keep my PANTS on though). I probably wont update untill after my surgery so wish me luck.
here are some pictures from the wedding
Here are the family and i arriving at the wedding
here is me and my youngest son doing kareoke.
Here is my oldest son with his girlfriend emilee
here is me dancing with the happy bride
It was a nice wedding.
8/22/05 (WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTO BELOW)
Had my hernia repair and panni surgery a week ago today (18th), Everything didnt go as planned, I was supposed to go in on mon and leave on tues but i ended up staying untill thurs. I guess i lost alot of blood and they thought i still had some internal bleeding, because they gave me 2 bags of blood which brought my red blood cell levels up from 7.2 to 8 (its supposed to be around 12 as i understand) but then it dropped back down to 6.4. My drains were working overtime, and all of the discharge just looked like blood. I woke up a couple of times and my bed was covered in blood where they had leaked all over from around the tubes, plus the tubes were still filling up. So they started giving me 2 more bags of blood and the dr said if the bleeding didnt slow down soon, that they couldnt just keep giving me more blood (DUH!) and would have to take me back into surgery and open me back up to see where it was coming from. My wife was stuck 2 1/2 hours away and the person we were depending on decided to let us down. Im sure she she afraid. (so was i ) anyway, the next day the bleeding decided t slow down enough to stay pretty much within the tubes and bulbs The nurse was concerned that the discharge is still pretty bloody looking. So they decided to send me home. I dont understand why if they gave me the blood the second time, and said my levels came up good, why they didnt wait and check it again to be sure it hadnt dropped again like the first time. ( I dont know im not a dr.) So i came home with the 2 tubes and 106 staples, the tubes have been slowing down slowley. But the one is still really red and looks like blood, I keep getting blood clots out of it. The pain wasnt really too bad as with the first surgery,Only this time i didnt wake up before they were done, so when i did wake up they already had pain meds in me. The anistesha girl was going to put a shot in my back that would last 36 hours but when i woke up, the nurse told me she couldnt take the time because my blood pressure dropped. So i went to my room, they hooked me up to a morphine pump, by that evening i wasnt even pushing it anymore, next morn. they took it off. Unlike the last surgery,(read above) ALL of my nurses where WONDERFUL. And My Angel nurse from last time was still there and came to visit me (Ellen) Then the morning i got released, she ended up being my discharge nurse. Its been almost 2 years and with all of the paitients she has had since then, she still remembered me just like it was yestarday. This time my main nurse was a young girl (27) named Eve, She was really a good nurse and made me very comfortable (as much as possible anyway) Then there was another named bobbie joe who's brother is a tattoo artist, so we talked alot about that. And one named Kim who was very nice as well, there was a few more that were in and out and very nice but wasnt around enough for me to remember their names. Dr Gomez's Team of Dr.'s Came around every morning right about 7:00 They one guy and one girl seemed to be in charge, i think the others were earlier interns. The girl (dr Pitts, I remember because she prescribed my pain meds) was very nice and more considerate of peoples privacy than the guy was. So anyway, I go back to the dr tommarrow to see if he wants to take out any of the drains or staples. (hope) Let ya know what happens.
Here is a picture of my incitions.
08/25/05
I went back to the dr. last tues. He decided to leave both drains and all of the staples in for at least another week. He says i am getting an infection in the incision, It is red and hard, he gave me antibiotics and some ointment to put on the incision twice a day. The pills are soo big i have to break them in half. He told me to watch my temperature very closely and if it hit 101 degrees to call the office right away, Last night was the first fever i have had, but it got up to 100.5 (too close) It did go down after i got in the shower. I have been having alot more pain (mostly uncomfortable) than i was having in the beginning. Most of the pain seems to come from the pubic area which is swollen and feels like it has liquid in it. I am scared because i have heard that others had to have it drained with a needle, and that just sounds like it will hurt like hell. I go back to him next tues.(30th) I figure he will take out at least one of the drains because it has slowed down to about 40cc a day of drainage, Actually its a good thing because it is pulled part of the way out of my groin to where can see the white part of it thats supposed to be inside, it also was getting infected, it looked like a kids snotty nose around the hole. (best i could think of to discribe) but it is looking better now than it did. Most of my incision is hard and like numb but not numb, you cant stand for someone to touch it even gently. That is going to make it suck getting my staples out. Where all of the incisions come together at the bottom of my belly is starting to bleed a little bit. I think its because the ointment is keeping it moist and washing away the blood that was clotted. I have thought that maybe i should have only had the hernia repair (because it HAD to done) but i wanted that panni gone sooo bad. I know its just the "what the hell did i do?" stage that we all go through after the surgeries. Once all of this healing stuff is done, im sure ill be sooo glad that i had it done. We'll see what happens Tues. OH Also i got weighed at the dr.s office and it said 206.4
July 05
Jul 10, 2005
07/11/05
WOW, It's really been awhile since i have updated my profile. I get into some kind of funk and no matter how i try, i just cant bring myself to communicate with my friends and loved ones over the net. I will read posts here on o.h. and have my hands on the keyboard ready to respond to someone and suddenly, something just stops my fingers from typing and i go away. I dont know what it is but i hate it. I have felt as if i have had a total meltdown. I guess its true that this surgery works on our body but cant fix our heads. Some of the people here on o.h. are soooo special to me (you all know who you are, i hope) And the last thing i would want is for them to think i dont care about them anymore, because even though i havent written, i still have thought of them often. I have had alot of stuff going on in my life in the past year or so, some good some bad. I know thats no excuse for leaving the flock, but i hope that i am back, (if i will be excepted back) although i know i will be excepted back by the people who matter, thats how they are. (and also why they matter) As some know, my wife has had problems with her heart lately and ended up with a blood clot and messed up leg from the proceedure, she is still having trouble, but we are dealing with it. A tree fell on our house a month or so ago and i have been dealing with the insurance and contractors etc. And I just got good news on my last visit to dr gomez, I have a softball sized hernia that must be taken care of so it doesnt become an emergency surgery, by having my bowl go through it. Which sounds like bad news but really is good news. Because i can get my tummy tuck at the same time. I got a call the other day from gomez's office, i am scheduled for surgery on aug. 15th 2005 I should be hospitalized for 3 or 4 days but will have to leave the next day because the insurance will only pay for 1 day for the hernia repair, and not for the t.t. So i will have to be watched and taken care of for a few days. Glad i have friends and family to care for me. I am down to 221 pounds on last visit, thats 179 official pounds but actually over 200 from my biggest. I am wearing a size 38 pants and large shirt. I have tons of energy most of the time. I am still having alot of trouble and pain from my rotator cuff surgery, so that stopps me from doing some of the stuff i want to do.but im dealing with it. I have had alot of family things going on as well, and have considered everything from divorce to suicide, that hasnt helped the nerve thing much. I am working on that though and it is somewhat better (we will see) I am just tired of being unhappy. Ok now im rambling so i will close for now. I am going to try to get some updated pictures on here. I did update my after picture at the bottom of my profile. Anyway, i am back (at least for now) and will try to update more often, if anyone reading this is a newbie with questions, feel free to contact me, i will try to answer any questions i can, as honestly as possible.
WOW, It's really been awhile since i have updated my profile. I get into some kind of funk and no matter how i try, i just cant bring myself to communicate with my friends and loved ones over the net. I will read posts here on o.h. and have my hands on the keyboard ready to respond to someone and suddenly, something just stops my fingers from typing and i go away. I dont know what it is but i hate it. I have felt as if i have had a total meltdown. I guess its true that this surgery works on our body but cant fix our heads. Some of the people here on o.h. are soooo special to me (you all know who you are, i hope) And the last thing i would want is for them to think i dont care about them anymore, because even though i havent written, i still have thought of them often. I have had alot of stuff going on in my life in the past year or so, some good some bad. I know thats no excuse for leaving the flock, but i hope that i am back, (if i will be excepted back) although i know i will be excepted back by the people who matter, thats how they are. (and also why they matter) As some know, my wife has had problems with her heart lately and ended up with a blood clot and messed up leg from the proceedure, she is still having trouble, but we are dealing with it. A tree fell on our house a month or so ago and i have been dealing with the insurance and contractors etc. And I just got good news on my last visit to dr gomez, I have a softball sized hernia that must be taken care of so it doesnt become an emergency surgery, by having my bowl go through it. Which sounds like bad news but really is good news. Because i can get my tummy tuck at the same time. I got a call the other day from gomez's office, i am scheduled for surgery on aug. 15th 2005 I should be hospitalized for 3 or 4 days but will have to leave the next day because the insurance will only pay for 1 day for the hernia repair, and not for the t.t. So i will have to be watched and taken care of for a few days. Glad i have friends and family to care for me. I am down to 221 pounds on last visit, thats 179 official pounds but actually over 200 from my biggest. I am wearing a size 38 pants and large shirt. I have tons of energy most of the time. I am still having alot of trouble and pain from my rotator cuff surgery, so that stopps me from doing some of the stuff i want to do.but im dealing with it. I have had alot of family things going on as well, and have considered everything from divorce to suicide, that hasnt helped the nerve thing much. I am working on that though and it is somewhat better (we will see) I am just tired of being unhappy. Ok now im rambling so i will close for now. I am going to try to get some updated pictures on here. I did update my after picture at the bottom of my profile. Anyway, i am back (at least for now) and will try to update more often, if anyone reading this is a newbie with questions, feel free to contact me, i will try to answer any questions i can, as honestly as possible.
August 04
Aug 25, 2004
8-26-04 GUESS WHAT!!
June 04
Jun 08, 2004
06/09/04
hey all,
wow everyone was right, i havent updated this thing for some time (other than weight loss). it has been a rollercoaster ride so far. i wish i had posted more in the earlier monthes because now it all seems a blurr. i havent had many problems at all with the surgery. (the rest of my life has been a different story). i havent gotten sick from many foods (maybe twice) but i dont eat any sweets what so ever. and try not to eat anything with too much fat. my dietician says not to worry about carbs, but i have learned enough from the people here that i watch them anyway. in the early few monthes the biggest problem i had was constipation. (man what a pain in the ass) litterally lol. i tried all kinds of things from fiber tablets (which didnt help) to drinking that yucky magneesium citrate that they had me take before surgery. it seemed to help the most. milk of mag. helped some too but not fast enough. i have scince found that if i eat 1 salad a day it keeps things moving along pretty well. i also eat alot of yogurt (blue bunny lite) it is good and has protien. i also throw a piece of cheese in my salad for protein. the best protein powder i have found is gnc brand "pro performance 100% whey protein" it has 20 grams of protein in 1 scoop. i mix it with 8 oz. of skim milk for another 8. i drink 1 for breakfast each day. if i wait untill later i never seem to get it in. i move on to real food instead. i take 2 flintstone chewable vitamins a day and a b-12 sublingual each week. i also take tums for calcium (i know its the wrong kind) but the calcium citrate pills get stuck sometimes and that sucks. although i do take them (citrical) on occassion, i just take the tums because i figure its better than none. so far i have lost like 118 pounds. it feels good (really good) i can do things i havent done in years. go to the movies was one of the first biggies. now i can even cross my legs. but not too comfortabley yet. i can ride a bicycle now but my legs get tired easy. i have lost alot of muscle with the fat (not enough protein at times i guess) but i will build it back up. i walked 2 miles the other day without stopping. it felt good. now my legs are sore in the front from going uphill. i have had alot of ups and downs mentally so far. i am on anti depressants. but i havent seen a therapist (probably should) at least thats what the voices tell me lol. i have a problem with self sabotage. it just seems like i lose interest in what im doing and the next thing i know im in a slump and headed down fast. my mom passed away in feb. we buried her the day before my birthday. i guess i have had a hard time with that and other things that have been going on in my life. i recently quit taking my depression meds (effexor) cold turkey and it really messed me up. i have had thoughts of suicide, i was dizzy for days at a time,i lost my temper like a mad man, i was nausouse,and just didnt give a damn anymore. i quit taking my vitamins, my calcium, my b-12, my protein drinks, and only ate like once a day. i was headed to hell. but with a shake of my finger like the wrestlers used to do when you thought they where down for the count..i reached for my keyboard and called upon one of the greatest motivating forces known to man. my obesity help.com family. and just like i knew they would..they sent their love, concern,and support,along with a swift and well needed ass kicking and swooped me up with the strenght of 20 men and put my ass back on track. the next day i went back to my dr and got on a new anti-depressant (welbutrin) and started drinking my protein drink and taking my vitamins and calcium and b-12 and eating the meals i was supposed to eat. (most of them). and after a week of meds in my system i felt soo much better and realized that i do have the strength to do this and face the dragons that i need to master. if any newbies are reading this..LISTEN TO ME!! if you get to the place where you dont think you can do it alone (and you probably will) dont be shy or afraid to put yourself out there for the world to see, you have found one of the best families you ever will know right here at o.h. all you have to do is reach out in even the smallest and weakest voice and say.."help me" and you will see that there is someone right next to you that knows what you are going through and will listen and try their best to help you. i have met some of the most wonderful people here and you will too if you just give them a chance. there are some bad apples at times (just like any family) that may be having a bad day or whatever and they may get grumpy and some even rude to a point, but you know what? turn your cheek the other way and you will find many many more who are waiting to help. JUST ASK!! there is no question too stupid, too repeated or too personal for you to find the answer to. well with that being said...welcome and good luck.
carl the dragon master(withhelpfrommyfriends)
6/14/04
we went camping this week-end. it's the first time we have been in a few years. i would have had a better time if i wasnt so dizzy. but all in all it was a good time. im so glad i can finally do more things with my family. my boys fished and my wife and i hung out and enjoyed each others company. i even cooked a pot of beans over the camp fire. (gotta get that protein) we had a really good time. although i dont have the camper ready to go yet so we had to use a tent. the first night i didnt sleep at all because the ground hurt my bones too much so i got up and enjoyed the peace and quiet and just being out in nature. the birds singing as the sun started to rise was wonderful.The next night we brought out our air mattresses and i slept like a baby. it was either the air mattresses or the fact that i hadn't slept in 36 hours. i can't wait to go again.
THE LOVE OF MY LIFE
THE "ROSE" AMONG US 3 THORNS.
06/25/04
hey, my wife (rose) and i had the pleasure of traveling to meet a fellow amos member and her s/o last week-end. we went to visit stalker val and john. we hit it off great. they are such wonderful people. val fixed some lunch (a chicken dish) that was just fantastic. i had to ask for the recipe before we left. i thought it was going to be strange just driving up to someones house that we had never met in person. but the bonds of friendship we form here at amos carry with us outside of this site as well. we talked and talked and felt like we had known each other for years. john was such a nice guy. although i never had even talked to him before we got along great. found out we both are practical jokers.lol (our poor women) before we left val had to call another amos member melissa mermaid in new york so she and i could talk to each other as well. melissa is a really nice person too. you cant even tell she is from new york. NOT!! LOL she has a very thick new yorker accent. i loved it. but fagetabotit! lol (private joke). it was really nice to talk to her as well. i had a great time as did my wife. thanks val and john for having us.
A PICTURE FROM OUR VISIT
ROSE,CARL,AND VAL
6/25/04
also i got me one of those weight machines with all the attachment built in. i got it at a yard sale (pretty cheap too) it has the leg lift, the butter fly, the bench press, a bar at top that you pull down, and even a stair stepper built in. all the weights stay in one place and you adjust it by moving a pin to the desired weight. then it works on cables and pullies. i love it. i finally get to work on some of the muscle i have lost scince surgery.(and thats alot) so hopefully i will get built back up soon. although i realize that muscle weighs more than fat so if i start building muscle, i may seem to slow down on losing or gain. but i know its just because im gaining muscle. and i am eating right. i am feeling much better about things latley. the dr. found i had an ear infection. thats what was making me dizzy all the time for the past month. it is getting much better now. it sucked because i got back my energy (after getting my depression meds straightened out) and felt good and wanted to walk and exercise but i was too dizzy and nausious. so hopefully things are on an uphill trend for awhile. i go to the dr, later today i will try to remember to post my weight.
later, carl
hey all,
wow everyone was right, i havent updated this thing for some time (other than weight loss). it has been a rollercoaster ride so far. i wish i had posted more in the earlier monthes because now it all seems a blurr. i havent had many problems at all with the surgery. (the rest of my life has been a different story). i havent gotten sick from many foods (maybe twice) but i dont eat any sweets what so ever. and try not to eat anything with too much fat. my dietician says not to worry about carbs, but i have learned enough from the people here that i watch them anyway. in the early few monthes the biggest problem i had was constipation. (man what a pain in the ass) litterally lol. i tried all kinds of things from fiber tablets (which didnt help) to drinking that yucky magneesium citrate that they had me take before surgery. it seemed to help the most. milk of mag. helped some too but not fast enough. i have scince found that if i eat 1 salad a day it keeps things moving along pretty well. i also eat alot of yogurt (blue bunny lite) it is good and has protien. i also throw a piece of cheese in my salad for protein. the best protein powder i have found is gnc brand "pro performance 100% whey protein" it has 20 grams of protein in 1 scoop. i mix it with 8 oz. of skim milk for another 8. i drink 1 for breakfast each day. if i wait untill later i never seem to get it in. i move on to real food instead. i take 2 flintstone chewable vitamins a day and a b-12 sublingual each week. i also take tums for calcium (i know its the wrong kind) but the calcium citrate pills get stuck sometimes and that sucks. although i do take them (citrical) on occassion, i just take the tums because i figure its better than none. so far i have lost like 118 pounds. it feels good (really good) i can do things i havent done in years. go to the movies was one of the first biggies. now i can even cross my legs. but not too comfortabley yet. i can ride a bicycle now but my legs get tired easy. i have lost alot of muscle with the fat (not enough protein at times i guess) but i will build it back up. i walked 2 miles the other day without stopping. it felt good. now my legs are sore in the front from going uphill. i have had alot of ups and downs mentally so far. i am on anti depressants. but i havent seen a therapist (probably should) at least thats what the voices tell me lol. i have a problem with self sabotage. it just seems like i lose interest in what im doing and the next thing i know im in a slump and headed down fast. my mom passed away in feb. we buried her the day before my birthday. i guess i have had a hard time with that and other things that have been going on in my life. i recently quit taking my depression meds (effexor) cold turkey and it really messed me up. i have had thoughts of suicide, i was dizzy for days at a time,i lost my temper like a mad man, i was nausouse,and just didnt give a damn anymore. i quit taking my vitamins, my calcium, my b-12, my protein drinks, and only ate like once a day. i was headed to hell. but with a shake of my finger like the wrestlers used to do when you thought they where down for the count..i reached for my keyboard and called upon one of the greatest motivating forces known to man. my obesity help.com family. and just like i knew they would..they sent their love, concern,and support,along with a swift and well needed ass kicking and swooped me up with the strenght of 20 men and put my ass back on track. the next day i went back to my dr and got on a new anti-depressant (welbutrin) and started drinking my protein drink and taking my vitamins and calcium and b-12 and eating the meals i was supposed to eat. (most of them). and after a week of meds in my system i felt soo much better and realized that i do have the strength to do this and face the dragons that i need to master. if any newbies are reading this..LISTEN TO ME!! if you get to the place where you dont think you can do it alone (and you probably will) dont be shy or afraid to put yourself out there for the world to see, you have found one of the best families you ever will know right here at o.h. all you have to do is reach out in even the smallest and weakest voice and say.."help me" and you will see that there is someone right next to you that knows what you are going through and will listen and try their best to help you. i have met some of the most wonderful people here and you will too if you just give them a chance. there are some bad apples at times (just like any family) that may be having a bad day or whatever and they may get grumpy and some even rude to a point, but you know what? turn your cheek the other way and you will find many many more who are waiting to help. JUST ASK!! there is no question too stupid, too repeated or too personal for you to find the answer to. well with that being said...welcome and good luck.
carl the dragon master(withhelpfrommyfriends)
6/14/04
we went camping this week-end. it's the first time we have been in a few years. i would have had a better time if i wasnt so dizzy. but all in all it was a good time. im so glad i can finally do more things with my family. my boys fished and my wife and i hung out and enjoyed each others company. i even cooked a pot of beans over the camp fire. (gotta get that protein) we had a really good time. although i dont have the camper ready to go yet so we had to use a tent. the first night i didnt sleep at all because the ground hurt my bones too much so i got up and enjoyed the peace and quiet and just being out in nature. the birds singing as the sun started to rise was wonderful.The next night we brought out our air mattresses and i slept like a baby. it was either the air mattresses or the fact that i hadn't slept in 36 hours. i can't wait to go again.
THE "ROSE" AMONG US 3 THORNS.
06/25/04
hey, my wife (rose) and i had the pleasure of traveling to meet a fellow amos member and her s/o last week-end. we went to visit stalker val and john. we hit it off great. they are such wonderful people. val fixed some lunch (a chicken dish) that was just fantastic. i had to ask for the recipe before we left. i thought it was going to be strange just driving up to someones house that we had never met in person. but the bonds of friendship we form here at amos carry with us outside of this site as well. we talked and talked and felt like we had known each other for years. john was such a nice guy. although i never had even talked to him before we got along great. found out we both are practical jokers.lol (our poor women) before we left val had to call another amos member melissa mermaid in new york so she and i could talk to each other as well. melissa is a really nice person too. you cant even tell she is from new york. NOT!! LOL she has a very thick new yorker accent. i loved it. but fagetabotit! lol (private joke). it was really nice to talk to her as well. i had a great time as did my wife. thanks val and john for having us.
ROSE,CARL,AND VAL
6/25/04
also i got me one of those weight machines with all the attachment built in. i got it at a yard sale (pretty cheap too) it has the leg lift, the butter fly, the bench press, a bar at top that you pull down, and even a stair stepper built in. all the weights stay in one place and you adjust it by moving a pin to the desired weight. then it works on cables and pullies. i love it. i finally get to work on some of the muscle i have lost scince surgery.(and thats alot) so hopefully i will get built back up soon. although i realize that muscle weighs more than fat so if i start building muscle, i may seem to slow down on losing or gain. but i know its just because im gaining muscle. and i am eating right. i am feeling much better about things latley. the dr. found i had an ear infection. thats what was making me dizzy all the time for the past month. it is getting much better now. it sucked because i got back my energy (after getting my depression meds straightened out) and felt good and wanted to walk and exercise but i was too dizzy and nausious. so hopefully things are on an uphill trend for awhile. i go to the dr, later today i will try to remember to post my weight.
later, carl
December 03 post-op
Dec 24, 2003
12/1/03
the night before my surgery..i was up untill 2am trying to get everything done that i had put off untill the last minutes. i had goodbye letters to write (just in case) and thank you's and and that mushy stuff. because to be honest..i wasnt real sure i would be coming home. but as you can see by the date..i did come home.
when i got to the hospital (I.U.) it didnt take too long to get registered and called back to surgery. once i was at the surgery waiting area..it took awhile. and i started getting more afraid. finally the surgeon came in and talked to me and went over the risks again and had me sign the release form. about an hour later the anestesiologist came and talked and then we where on our way. within 10 minutes i was breathing deep and going to sleep...
WAITING TO GO DOWN FOR SURGERY. 
FRESH FROM SURGERY
I woke in soooo much pain. i just kept saying it hurts so bad and they would give me alittle pain med and wait for it to work i guess but they had to give me more and more. i remember telling them several timeS " JUST PUT ME BACK TO SLEEP" then the pain finally subsided and they pulled me from the table to a bed (ouch) and i was on my way to my room. i never opened my eyes untill i was in my room and my wife was standing there holding a vase with a rose in it. i was still pretty groggy but i remember my wife, my sister in law peggy, my nephew ikie, and my brother in law howard where all there.later that evening everyone left and i thought i would be getting up to walk, but they said the nurses decided to just let me rest that night.i figured scince my surgery wasnt untill 1:30 and the recovery time and all that was fine.
the next day the nurse and about 3 girls came to take me to xray for my leak test. they were saying they hoped they could get me over without hurting themselves. i said no..all i have to do is stand up and get on the other bed. the nurse said i couldnt, i was on bed rest. i said no im supposed to get up and walk...thats the first thing they tell us is get up and walk. the nurse still said no you're not. so the 3 girls and one guy (who complained the most) dragged me from my bed to the other girney. it hurt like crazy. i was already embarressed from their comments and now in pain and frustrated because i felt fine before and knew i was supposed to get up..not be on bed rest. well they got me down to xray (bumping every wall along the way), and left me in the hallway.my nose and mouth where soo dry and i had like a mucuss in my throat and lying down i was having trouble breathing. my body just wanted to set up so i could clear my throat and get off of my back for a min. a lady came out and took me to the xray room, looked at the machine and said " oh it's apart..we'll just have to do it tomarrow" which ment another day of no food or water. she rolled back out in the halway and left me again. i said i needed to sit up i was having trouble breathing..but she just walked away. i couldnt get the side of the bed down to put my legs over and set up. now i was beginning to panic. well the 3 girls came back and bounced me back to my room. the nurse was there waiting. i said just let me get up and get into the other bed....she said i was trying to give her a hard time. i said no im not but they pound it into our heads that we are to get up as soon after surgery as we can and i need to get up. just let me get in the bed so you dont have to drag me. she said "if you want us to do what you want then you need to do what we want. you're just trying to give me a hard time, and im not going to let you" if you can just scoot yourself into the other bed that would be good. i said it hurts more to scoot my body than it would to get up and turn and get in the bed. the bed was one of those that inflates to make it better on you...but she had it totally deflated. so it was low in the middle kind of like a coffin..the bed is made of tent like material and had no sheet on it at all.but i finally just dumpped myself into it. man it hurt soo bad to drop that far into the bed. now im boiling. i laid in the bed for awhile...none of my family was there yet. pretty soon a girl who i had met on the site who had the surgery the same day as me come walking into my room to see how i was doing. i said they wont let me up. (she had a different nurse) i told her my nurse said that physical therapy had to get me up and couldnt do it untill they had enough people to get me up ..did p.t. have to get her up? she said no her husband just asked her if she wanted to go walk so she did.OMG!! so she left and shortly after that my brother in law mike and his wife barb and their daughter heather came in. i was so hysterical that later they told me i wasnt making much sence but between the pain, the embarresment, the anger and the frustration and trying not to cry..i told him my surgeon was dr. gomez and his office was in the builing around the corner..and i wanted him here NOW!! in the mean time the nurse came in and barb was trying to ask her if they could get something for my nasal passages to wet them so i could breathe better. the nurse told her " we are going to do what the dr. says MISSY!" about then..my wife and sons and sis in law peggy came in. i finally anounced to everyone who could here me that if my surgeon wasnt there in 30 min. i was getting up and walking out of this damn hospital before they killed me. (I could feel fluid builing in my lungs when i coughed but couldnt get it out laying down) well my surgeon didnt come in untill the next day..but the lady over all of the nursing staff did come in and asked me how the nurse was treating me and how i like the hospital ( quensidence?) i dont think so..so i told her what was going on.that the nurse said im on bed rest and wont let me up.and i know enough about this surgery to know that i am supposed to get up and walk. she immmediattley said ill take care of that right now..we will be back in a few minutes to get you up. and they did.
MY BOY'S ACTING CRAZY.
that evening the night nurse ellen who was soo nice the night before saw me in bed and said have you been walking today. i said yes after fighting with them..she was surprised and i told her what happened. she said i know for a fact that you where not on bed rest because i made up the orders..their was another man who had cancer and had just had alot of parts removed in surgery including part of his pacrius. who was supposed to be on bed rest and the same nurse forced him to get up. he had 2 drains in and a couple of other machines pumping his lungs and an eppidurral in his back. he was in sooo much pain and they made him get up..i guess there was blood and body fluids all over the place. evedently this nurse had mixed up our orders. and was too bull headed to listen to me say im supposed to get up..and him say im not supposed to get up.
the next morning..some of the same girls came to take me back to xray. one said you can get into this bed right. i said yes, i could have yesterday and saved you and me both some pain...another said i know but THE nurse wouldnt listen so they took me to xray and i had to drink some really nasty stuff and they turned me on the machine and looked for leaks. and took me back to my room. later lori (dr gomeze's rn) came in and told me the leak test was fine and now i could do the blue water test and if that was good i could start having water and clear liquids. yeah!! well the blue water test took 3 hours and the they checked my drain tube for blue dye and it was fine.
so that was about 3:00 so yeah!! soon i could have food and even better...now i can have water. (had none scince sunday and this was wed.) the intern says she will put in for my meals to start. well about 9:30pm i thought man what time to they have dinner here. so i called my nurse (not THE nurse) and told her i didnt get anything to eat. she said did you call it in? i said call it in? no the intern said they would. she said you have to call to tell them at each meal that you want it. a new thing they're trying because some people dont want to eat at the same times. so she gives me the number...i call...the machine says..we are closed call back after 6:30 am. OMG!!! so i told the nurse what was going on..and she was nice enough to send someone down to the caffeteria and get me some s/f jello from a machine (i think)....so finallly i got to eat.
the next morning (thur.) i called down to order my food at about 8:00am the person tells me that i cant order because im not in the computer. no order from the dr. saying what diet i am on. i tell the nurse what they said. she checks it out....another nurse who was suppose to put it in the computer when the intern ordered it...DIDN'T..so she got it put in the computer and aroud 10:00 they bring me broth and s/f jello. just after that..the intern (different one) comes in to check on me. i asked him if i could go home today? he said how are you keeping the pudding and soup down. i explained that i hadnt had pudding or soup...i was having the clear liquids that i was supposed to have the day before. and explained why. he got pissed and appologized for it...he said the order was there..i dont know why it wasnt put in yesterday, but he wanted me to do a meal of pudding and soup to make sure i could keep it down and if so then i could go home. so he put in the order to change my food to full liquids. well in a little while the dietician comes to see me and asked what i want to eat? i said i can only have pudding and blended soup. she said no i have down that you are on a full diet..you can have anything you want. so i explained that all i need is s/f pudding and blended soup so he can see if it stays down. and she leaves. i see the intern in the hall and remind him that lori was going to order a binder for me to hold my stomach together. he says...you didnt get that yet? i said no....he said...we ordered it 2 fckng days ago.and sends THE nurse to get one. she gets it and tells me she dont know why my food didnt get ordered..(she is being much more pleasant than the bed issue) i told her it wasnt her fault..she wasnt even there when it was done. so i call the kitchen to get my last meal so i can keep it down and go home....they tell me im on clear liquids and cant have pudding.OMG!! so THE nurse takes care of that for me. they finally bring me pudding and blended soup and i eat it. a half hour later it stayed down so i called my wife (who had to come 2 hours) to come now to get me. in the meantime i noticed that THE nurse is actually asking me things about this surgery..she had no idea what my needs were being a wls patient. so i politely explained different things about it to her. (hopeing to help the next wls patient she takes care of)well the intern shows up to take out my drain tube..just as my wife and sis in law peggy and brother in law danny show up to get me. it was wierd having that long tube pulled out of my body but it didnt really hurt. and i was ready to go....THE nurse tells me dont take off because you have to go down in a wheel chair. i said ok..i just wanted to run around the corner to visit another wls patient who had to stay another night. i visited and went to my room..THE nurse had left me some liquid pain med there for the ride home.....i went to the nurses station because she was in another room. they told another girl that i needed a wheel chair to go out. she looked and said cant he walk..their are no chairs and i would have to go down and get one? about that time THE nurse comes down the hall and says...hold it..you cant just leave like that ive got your prescriptions..i said im not..you where busy so i came to the nurses station to get ready. she gave me the prescriptions and i started to leave....she said he needs a wheel chair...the other girl said he is going to walk down because there are no chairs..i would have to go down to get one. THE nurse says are you going to walk?...you dont want a chair? i said no im fine. (i wasnt sure how far it was but i wanted to get out of there) so i stopped and shook THE nurses hand, said goodbye and left.
dont get me wrong..i dont want anyone to think that everyone at the hospital was bad..i had about 4 or 5 nurses that where just great. especially ellen on 3rd floor. she knew about the surgery and what i needed and took wonderful care of me ...as did others who's names i cant remember...my thanks goes out to all of those people. most of the problem was just that everything got soooo messed up. i really expected more from i.u. i would much rather have been at wishard with dr. gomez's people.
as you can see i didnt mention much about the pain and stuff from the surgery..thats because the surgery really wasnt that bad (except when i first woke up) it really wasnt too bad...at least not compared to the hospital stay.
my blood sugar has been staying down with NO meds (i was on 10 pills a day), my blood pressure has been fine (with no meds).
the night before my surgery..i was up untill 2am trying to get everything done that i had put off untill the last minutes. i had goodbye letters to write (just in case) and thank you's and and that mushy stuff. because to be honest..i wasnt real sure i would be coming home. but as you can see by the date..i did come home.
when i got to the hospital (I.U.) it didnt take too long to get registered and called back to surgery. once i was at the surgery waiting area..it took awhile. and i started getting more afraid. finally the surgeon came in and talked to me and went over the risks again and had me sign the release form. about an hour later the anestesiologist came and talked and then we where on our way. within 10 minutes i was breathing deep and going to sleep...
I woke in soooo much pain. i just kept saying it hurts so bad and they would give me alittle pain med and wait for it to work i guess but they had to give me more and more. i remember telling them several timeS " JUST PUT ME BACK TO SLEEP" then the pain finally subsided and they pulled me from the table to a bed (ouch) and i was on my way to my room. i never opened my eyes untill i was in my room and my wife was standing there holding a vase with a rose in it. i was still pretty groggy but i remember my wife, my sister in law peggy, my nephew ikie, and my brother in law howard where all there.later that evening everyone left and i thought i would be getting up to walk, but they said the nurses decided to just let me rest that night.i figured scince my surgery wasnt untill 1:30 and the recovery time and all that was fine.
the next day the nurse and about 3 girls came to take me to xray for my leak test. they were saying they hoped they could get me over without hurting themselves. i said no..all i have to do is stand up and get on the other bed. the nurse said i couldnt, i was on bed rest. i said no im supposed to get up and walk...thats the first thing they tell us is get up and walk. the nurse still said no you're not. so the 3 girls and one guy (who complained the most) dragged me from my bed to the other girney. it hurt like crazy. i was already embarressed from their comments and now in pain and frustrated because i felt fine before and knew i was supposed to get up..not be on bed rest. well they got me down to xray (bumping every wall along the way), and left me in the hallway.my nose and mouth where soo dry and i had like a mucuss in my throat and lying down i was having trouble breathing. my body just wanted to set up so i could clear my throat and get off of my back for a min. a lady came out and took me to the xray room, looked at the machine and said " oh it's apart..we'll just have to do it tomarrow" which ment another day of no food or water. she rolled back out in the halway and left me again. i said i needed to sit up i was having trouble breathing..but she just walked away. i couldnt get the side of the bed down to put my legs over and set up. now i was beginning to panic. well the 3 girls came back and bounced me back to my room. the nurse was there waiting. i said just let me get up and get into the other bed....she said i was trying to give her a hard time. i said no im not but they pound it into our heads that we are to get up as soon after surgery as we can and i need to get up. just let me get in the bed so you dont have to drag me. she said "if you want us to do what you want then you need to do what we want. you're just trying to give me a hard time, and im not going to let you" if you can just scoot yourself into the other bed that would be good. i said it hurts more to scoot my body than it would to get up and turn and get in the bed. the bed was one of those that inflates to make it better on you...but she had it totally deflated. so it was low in the middle kind of like a coffin..the bed is made of tent like material and had no sheet on it at all.but i finally just dumpped myself into it. man it hurt soo bad to drop that far into the bed. now im boiling. i laid in the bed for awhile...none of my family was there yet. pretty soon a girl who i had met on the site who had the surgery the same day as me come walking into my room to see how i was doing. i said they wont let me up. (she had a different nurse) i told her my nurse said that physical therapy had to get me up and couldnt do it untill they had enough people to get me up ..did p.t. have to get her up? she said no her husband just asked her if she wanted to go walk so she did.OMG!! so she left and shortly after that my brother in law mike and his wife barb and their daughter heather came in. i was so hysterical that later they told me i wasnt making much sence but between the pain, the embarresment, the anger and the frustration and trying not to cry..i told him my surgeon was dr. gomez and his office was in the builing around the corner..and i wanted him here NOW!! in the mean time the nurse came in and barb was trying to ask her if they could get something for my nasal passages to wet them so i could breathe better. the nurse told her " we are going to do what the dr. says MISSY!" about then..my wife and sons and sis in law peggy came in. i finally anounced to everyone who could here me that if my surgeon wasnt there in 30 min. i was getting up and walking out of this damn hospital before they killed me. (I could feel fluid builing in my lungs when i coughed but couldnt get it out laying down) well my surgeon didnt come in untill the next day..but the lady over all of the nursing staff did come in and asked me how the nurse was treating me and how i like the hospital ( quensidence?) i dont think so..so i told her what was going on.that the nurse said im on bed rest and wont let me up.and i know enough about this surgery to know that i am supposed to get up and walk. she immmediattley said ill take care of that right now..we will be back in a few minutes to get you up. and they did.
that evening the night nurse ellen who was soo nice the night before saw me in bed and said have you been walking today. i said yes after fighting with them..she was surprised and i told her what happened. she said i know for a fact that you where not on bed rest because i made up the orders..their was another man who had cancer and had just had alot of parts removed in surgery including part of his pacrius. who was supposed to be on bed rest and the same nurse forced him to get up. he had 2 drains in and a couple of other machines pumping his lungs and an eppidurral in his back. he was in sooo much pain and they made him get up..i guess there was blood and body fluids all over the place. evedently this nurse had mixed up our orders. and was too bull headed to listen to me say im supposed to get up..and him say im not supposed to get up.
the next morning..some of the same girls came to take me back to xray. one said you can get into this bed right. i said yes, i could have yesterday and saved you and me both some pain...another said i know but THE nurse wouldnt listen so they took me to xray and i had to drink some really nasty stuff and they turned me on the machine and looked for leaks. and took me back to my room. later lori (dr gomeze's rn) came in and told me the leak test was fine and now i could do the blue water test and if that was good i could start having water and clear liquids. yeah!! well the blue water test took 3 hours and the they checked my drain tube for blue dye and it was fine.
so that was about 3:00 so yeah!! soon i could have food and even better...now i can have water. (had none scince sunday and this was wed.) the intern says she will put in for my meals to start. well about 9:30pm i thought man what time to they have dinner here. so i called my nurse (not THE nurse) and told her i didnt get anything to eat. she said did you call it in? i said call it in? no the intern said they would. she said you have to call to tell them at each meal that you want it. a new thing they're trying because some people dont want to eat at the same times. so she gives me the number...i call...the machine says..we are closed call back after 6:30 am. OMG!!! so i told the nurse what was going on..and she was nice enough to send someone down to the caffeteria and get me some s/f jello from a machine (i think)....so finallly i got to eat.
the next morning (thur.) i called down to order my food at about 8:00am the person tells me that i cant order because im not in the computer. no order from the dr. saying what diet i am on. i tell the nurse what they said. she checks it out....another nurse who was suppose to put it in the computer when the intern ordered it...DIDN'T..so she got it put in the computer and aroud 10:00 they bring me broth and s/f jello. just after that..the intern (different one) comes in to check on me. i asked him if i could go home today? he said how are you keeping the pudding and soup down. i explained that i hadnt had pudding or soup...i was having the clear liquids that i was supposed to have the day before. and explained why. he got pissed and appologized for it...he said the order was there..i dont know why it wasnt put in yesterday, but he wanted me to do a meal of pudding and soup to make sure i could keep it down and if so then i could go home. so he put in the order to change my food to full liquids. well in a little while the dietician comes to see me and asked what i want to eat? i said i can only have pudding and blended soup. she said no i have down that you are on a full diet..you can have anything you want. so i explained that all i need is s/f pudding and blended soup so he can see if it stays down. and she leaves. i see the intern in the hall and remind him that lori was going to order a binder for me to hold my stomach together. he says...you didnt get that yet? i said no....he said...we ordered it 2 fckng days ago.and sends THE nurse to get one. she gets it and tells me she dont know why my food didnt get ordered..(she is being much more pleasant than the bed issue) i told her it wasnt her fault..she wasnt even there when it was done. so i call the kitchen to get my last meal so i can keep it down and go home....they tell me im on clear liquids and cant have pudding.OMG!! so THE nurse takes care of that for me. they finally bring me pudding and blended soup and i eat it. a half hour later it stayed down so i called my wife (who had to come 2 hours) to come now to get me. in the meantime i noticed that THE nurse is actually asking me things about this surgery..she had no idea what my needs were being a wls patient. so i politely explained different things about it to her. (hopeing to help the next wls patient she takes care of)well the intern shows up to take out my drain tube..just as my wife and sis in law peggy and brother in law danny show up to get me. it was wierd having that long tube pulled out of my body but it didnt really hurt. and i was ready to go....THE nurse tells me dont take off because you have to go down in a wheel chair. i said ok..i just wanted to run around the corner to visit another wls patient who had to stay another night. i visited and went to my room..THE nurse had left me some liquid pain med there for the ride home.....i went to the nurses station because she was in another room. they told another girl that i needed a wheel chair to go out. she looked and said cant he walk..their are no chairs and i would have to go down and get one? about that time THE nurse comes down the hall and says...hold it..you cant just leave like that ive got your prescriptions..i said im not..you where busy so i came to the nurses station to get ready. she gave me the prescriptions and i started to leave....she said he needs a wheel chair...the other girl said he is going to walk down because there are no chairs..i would have to go down to get one. THE nurse says are you going to walk?...you dont want a chair? i said no im fine. (i wasnt sure how far it was but i wanted to get out of there) so i stopped and shook THE nurses hand, said goodbye and left.
dont get me wrong..i dont want anyone to think that everyone at the hospital was bad..i had about 4 or 5 nurses that where just great. especially ellen on 3rd floor. she knew about the surgery and what i needed and took wonderful care of me ...as did others who's names i cant remember...my thanks goes out to all of those people. most of the problem was just that everything got soooo messed up. i really expected more from i.u. i would much rather have been at wishard with dr. gomez's people.
as you can see i didnt mention much about the pain and stuff from the surgery..thats because the surgery really wasnt that bad (except when i first woke up) it really wasnt too bad...at least not compared to the hospital stay.
my blood sugar has been staying down with NO meds (i was on 10 pills a day), my blood pressure has been fine (with no meds).
November 03
Oct 31, 2003
11/16/03
wow only 8 days to go... all my paperwork is in the surgeons office and everything is set to go. it still doesnt seem like it's really happening yet. guess what...I HAVE AN ANGEL.. her name is nichole and she is from texas..THANK YOU SOO MUCH NICHOLE!! and i have met 3 people who are having surgery the same day i am..and 1 of them (regina) is even having it with my surgeon at my hospital..only a few hours before me. we are going to race around the hallways together lol. my sister couldnt make it in from california..so my sister in law (peggy) is going to take my wife and i to indy ..and make sure my wife is able to get there to see me each day.. i really appreciate her and her husband (danny) who took a vacation day from work to stay home with my kids the day of my surgery. they are great and i love them both sooo much. well i gotta go...wish me luck
wow only 8 days to go... all my paperwork is in the surgeons office and everything is set to go. it still doesnt seem like it's really happening yet. guess what...I HAVE AN ANGEL.. her name is nichole and she is from texas..THANK YOU SOO MUCH NICHOLE!! and i have met 3 people who are having surgery the same day i am..and 1 of them (regina) is even having it with my surgeon at my hospital..only a few hours before me. we are going to race around the hallways together lol. my sister couldnt make it in from california..so my sister in law (peggy) is going to take my wife and i to indy ..and make sure my wife is able to get there to see me each day.. i really appreciate her and her husband (danny) who took a vacation day from work to stay home with my kids the day of my surgery. they are great and i love them both sooo much. well i gotta go...wish me luck
October 03
Sep 30, 2003
10/08/03
WOOHOO got a call from my surgeon today....I'M APPROVED!! now all i have to do is wait for them to call me with a date. but i may have to put it off untill the end of feb. untill we get the tax check so my wife can be off of work and drive to indy each day. yesterday was my oldest sons 16th birthday. now he wants to start driving.uuuugggghhhh! dont know how much my heart can take. well ill let you know about the date.
10/14/03
hey i got my date today. i will have open rny on nov. 24th, 2003 i will spend thanksgiving in the hospital..but oh well.
10/31/03
I got my final pre-op test done yesterday. it was an ultra sound of my heart (echocardiogram i think it's called) already got my blood test, xray, and ekg last week. waiting to hear from cardiologist that all is ok to go. im sure it is. he said my heart sounded fine, and i guess the ekg was alright. so hopefully it wont be long now, wow im doing the count down. cant believe its only 3 weeks and 3 days away.
WOOHOO got a call from my surgeon today....I'M APPROVED!! now all i have to do is wait for them to call me with a date. but i may have to put it off untill the end of feb. untill we get the tax check so my wife can be off of work and drive to indy each day. yesterday was my oldest sons 16th birthday. now he wants to start driving.uuuugggghhhh! dont know how much my heart can take. well ill let you know about the date.
10/14/03
hey i got my date today. i will have open rny on nov. 24th, 2003 i will spend thanksgiving in the hospital..but oh well.
10/31/03
I got my final pre-op test done yesterday. it was an ultra sound of my heart (echocardiogram i think it's called) already got my blood test, xray, and ekg last week. waiting to hear from cardiologist that all is ok to go. im sure it is. he said my heart sounded fine, and i guess the ekg was alright. so hopefully it wont be long now, wow im doing the count down. cant believe its only 3 weeks and 3 days away.
About Me
in
Location
61.7
BMI
Surgery
11/24/2003
Surgery Date
Aug 13, 2002
Member Since
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
not my biggest of 430 but way too much
400lbs
may 2005
221lbs
