Ylove113

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Hi everyone,  I needed to update everyone on my progress.  I am 9 weeks post op.  I am down 32 lbs since surgery.  I have been exercising about 2 days a week.  I went on vacation for 2 weeks 3 weeks after my surgery.  I am back at work now and losing about 4 lbs a week now that I am excersing and off vacation.  I have not vomited, dumped or had any problems with food since my surgery.  I have been able to eat almost anything with protein in it.  My pouch does not like spicy foods with hot sauce.  I am feeling so much better.  I ran outside with my nephew yesterday.  We ran some "suicides", I could not believe it, I could do it.  I am so excited.  I am trying to continue to lose 4 lbs a week to reach a goal of 100lbs in 6 months.  Then I will only be 12 lbs from my goal weight of 160lbs per my doctor, but 22lbs away from my goal weight of 150lbs.  I hope I can continue working out at the gym and reach my goals.   

I had my 2 week post op doctor visit on 12/3/2009.  I weighed 260 lbs, I have lost 12 lbs since my surgery.  I am able to start on a soft, pureed diet today.  I have been trying to get in my water, only getting about 48 oz in.  I am taking my vitamins and other supplements most of the time.  Sometimes I forget my calcium, the biotin or my iron.  I don't like taking them, I know I must get over this really quick because I will have to take them for the rest of my life.  I have not been walking like I should the last 3 days, I have been very busy and did not make time for my walks.  I am going to try and do better with it this week.  I have to work hard this week to get my home health work caught up, because I am going on vacation for 2 weeks.  I can not wait, because I need a break.  Hopefully I can just relax and workout and shop.  I will try to update my blog about every 2-4 weeks.  Hope everyone is doing well.  If anyone has a good schedule that they use to get all vitamins in please let me know. 

As of 11/26/2009, I am 1 week post op.  I am doing well, no nausea.  I am still on 8oz (2oz 4 x a day) of Optisource and water and other noncarbonated, non caloric liquids.  I have been sipping my water throughout the day, but can only usually get 48oz in, could get 64oz in if I did not sleep at all.  I have been walking 3-4 times a day a 1/2 of mile at the time.   I still have a small amount of soreness on my left side.  I am taking a liquid vitamin and a liquid calcium citrate and sublingual B12.  I do not know if I need to take an iron tablet, I will ask my doctor at my 2 week appointment next week.  I have some biotin that I am going to start taking, but I don't know if it is okay to take with my vitamin or how far apart from it I need to take it.  I have lost 7 lbs this first week, I don't know if this is average or not, but it is what it is.  I have never lost 7 lbs in 1 week ever.  I am so excited.  I know the amount of weight loss will fluctuate, but I can not wait until more pounds are gone.  Hopefully I can start a pureed diet in 1 more week. 

I am suppose to get discharged today.  My mother came at 0700 this am.  I took my pain medication at 0800, I have been taking it every 4 hours on schedule since day 1 after my surgery.  I only have pain in one spot on the left side which the doctor said was normal because that it where they suture the muscle back together.  She helped me with my bath at about 0830 and we got on schedule with my walks every 2 hours, using incentive spirometer and  drinking my 2 oz of water every hour.  I can have 2oz of optisource 4 times a day.  My sister came about 0930 and my boyfriend left about 1200pm. I finally got discharged at about 230pm and went to the pharmacy to pick up my pain medication and I got home about 400pm.  My mother and sister helped me get settled in.  It feels so good to be home in my own bed.  My boyfriend and I took a walk about 530pm and he is helping me with my pain medication, water and the optisource.  I feel great except that one spot on the left side, it is SORE.  I will try to keep my blog updated.

My mother helped me get my bath this morning about 0830.  I went for my swallow study about 0945.  They finally let me have 2 oz of optisource at 1400, strawberry, it was great and I could have 2 oz of water every hour.  That was the best gift, cold water, it was great.  I walked in the hallway every 2 hours starting at 0930 that morning until 0930 pm , used my incentive spirometer and coughed afterward every 2 hours.  They took my foley out and discontinued my morphine PCA, I was just left with the iv fluids and Lortab elixer q 4 hours as needed for pain.  My dad and his girlfriend came and to visit me and my step-dad came and visisted me.  My mother stayed with me that day until 300 pm and my boyfriend came and relived her and he stayed that night with me until about 1200pm the next day when they were going to let me go home.  My boyfriend was great, he kept me on schedule and helped me to and from the restroom and  applied and removed my SCDs, scratched my legs, my back, poured my water and everyhing else I asked him to do for me without any compalints. 

My post op course was not as bad as I thought it was going to be.  After I got my morphine PCA, the pain was much better.  I was suppose to dangle on the side of the bed the day of surgery.  I ended up getting up in the chair and walking in the hallway about 3 times.   The nurses said I was doing great.  I told them that I was a nurse and I know what I needed to do to have a speedy recovery.  I used my incentive spirometer about q 2 hours while I was awake.  My breath was horrible after surgery, I think I brushed my teeth about 5 times that day.  I swabbed my mouth out with ice water swabs and spit out the water, because I was NPO until day 1 after my swallow evaluation to check my pouch for any leaks.  The nurses was worried about giving me the icechips with the swabs, I told them I was not going to eat them, that I would not do anything to harm my recovery, I just wanted something cold in my mouth.  It made a BIG difference from the tap water swabs.  My sister stayed with me all day the day of my surgery and that night and left on 11/20/09 at 0700 to go to work and my mother came in and replaced her.  Someone stayed with me around the clock and that made a big difference.  They were there for what ever I needed and I did not have to inconvience the staff that much at all.  My mother, sister and boyfriend was the best "nurses" I had.

I got up at 0400 for my surgery 11/19/2009.  I showered with the antibiotic soap and was ready to leave at 0430.  I was suppose to be at the hospital by 0515, but got there at 0500.  But what did I forget, I forgot to bring my identification.  I thought I was going to have to send someone home to get it, but they said it was okay that I did not need it.  I was so happy that they said that.  I was so disappointed in myself, how did I forget my wallet with my ID.  My mother, my sister and my boyfriend was there with me.  My sister went back with me to get prepped for surgery.  That was the most disapponting part of my entire hospital stay.  I was the 1st surgery starting at 0730.  I was waiting to be pre-oped from 0520 until 0545 when the nursing assistant came and checked my vital signs,shaved and prepped my stomach and put on my ted hose, she said my nurse should have been in by now.  I waited patiently until 0620, a total of 1 hour, and I had not seen the nurse at all.  I called on the call bell and let them know I needed my nurse in to come and preop me, because she had not been in to see me yet and I had been waiting an hour.  She finally came at 0625 talking about she was tied up with another patient.  This was holding my mother and my boyfriend from being able to come back because she had not come in yet.  I told them that I work at this hosptial and that this was unacceptable to have a patient waiting for 1 hour without any updates.  She could have came and let me know something or told the charge nurse she was running behind and asked her to give her a hand.  By then 0630 my doctor and the OR team was ready to pick me up and I was not ready.  Another nurse, I think the charge nurse, came in and did my preop work and got my mother and boyfriend back.  They was suppose to start my IV and they did not have time.  So they sent me over to the recovery room, they started my IV and IV fluids, warmed me up with a gown and warming device (it felt so good).  I was upset but I prayed about it and said I was not going to let that keep me upset before going into my surgery.  The anesthesiologist came in and asked me questions and said they were going to give me some sedation and I was going to OR.  The last thing I remember was moving onto the OR table and them telling me to take some deep breaths through the mask.  The next thing I remember was them telling me my surgery was over and that I was in the recovery room.  I was in a lot of pain.  They gave me pain medication and started me on a morphine PCA pump, which I kept until the day after my surgery, that was great.  They moved me to my room and my nurse and nursing assistant was great, my family was all waiting for me in my room when I came from the recovery room. 

It is the night before my surgery.  My mother, my sister and I  have been cleaning my house.  I am nervous and getting ready to pack my bag to take with me to the hospital.  I have to be at the hospital at 0515 and my surgery starts at 0730.  I will be the first surgery, I am so happy about that.  I am planning to leave for the hospital at 0430, that will give me plenty of time to get there.  I am excited and a little scared.  I pray that the Lord will guide Dr. Chapman's hands as he performs my surgery and that I will have a speedy recovery.  I am just so ready to get it over.  My mother, sister and my boyfriend is going with me in the morning at 0430.  My dad will be coming a little later about 0700.  Please keep me in your prayers.  I will try to post something while I am in the hospital.  I will see you after my new birthday!!!!

I have 4 more days before my surgery.  I can not believe it.  It has been such a long journey with all the paper work, test, labs and waiting on insurance.  Have been on protein liquid diet.  I am excited, scared, nervous, happy and anxious all at the same time.  I am getting mentally prepared for surgery and getting all the information that I can for post op.  I want to be a success story.  I am trying to figure out which vitamins and supplements are the best ones.  If anyone can help me with that I will appreciate it. Feel free to give me any tips that you feel I will need.