Re: My MGB storyDonna

[Guest guest]

Great Story/////Glad you are doing so well,Donna

Lv Judi in Fla

Quoting Dona Farmer DonaFarmer@...>:

> This is a long one so be prepared:

> We (my husband and I) left home (Blue Ridge, VA) for

Durham on Monday

> 5/15 at 10:30am. I didn't need to be at clinic until

9:00 the next

> day but I was so anxious about it that I wanted to

get there a day

> ahead. I was afraid of unforseeable things like

accidents and traffic

> tie-ups and if I didn't attend this clinic I would

not be able to

> have the MGB. Since I was an out-of-state patient

this would be my

> only clinic.

> After wandering around Durham and geting lost and

ending up in Chapel

> Hill we finally made it to our motel (Extended Stay

America)at about

> 3:30pm. After unpacking I insisted upon a 'dry run'

to the clinic and

> hospital so we would know where we were going the

next day. After

> finding Regional Surgical Associates and Durham

Regional Hospital, we

> headed back to the motel and bought groceries on the

way for my

> husband.Relaxing and lounging at the motel was

impossible. I was so

> anxious about the clinic that I could barely sit

still. I kept

> thinking " What if I have come all this way just to

find that all my

> paperwork isn't done, or I forgot to do something and

they are just

> going to turn me around and send me right back home " .

I tried to calm

> myself down with thinking only positive thoughts but

the " what ifs "

> kept coming. I consoled myself that at least this

time, I would be

> walking into a room full of strangers that had the

same problem I did

> and at least I wont be the only fat person in the

room. I finally

> decided to try and relax and get my mind off things

by watching TV.

> Just about the time I was getting interested in a

movie- the lights

> went out! A call to the front desk informed us that

they (the motel-

> not the city) were having some electrical problems

(duh) and hoped to

> have the problem resolved soon. That was around

9:00pm- too early to

> go to bed but the alternative was to sit around in

the dark and worry

> some more so I turned in. I didn't sleep much- mostly

> worried that I was going to get up on time since we

had no alarm (no

> electricity) to wake us. The lights came back on at

about 4:00am (BTW

> Extended Stay America offered nothing to it's quests-

not even an

> apology for this inconvenience)and I finally was able

to set the

> alarm for 7:00am. Didn't really need to though- since

I was wide

> awake within an hour. We left for the clinic around

8:30--plenty of

> time since we were only 10 minutes away. We arrived

at Regional

> Surgical Associates to find that the clinics were no

longer held

> there- they were moved to a building near the

Hospital.When we

> finally got there it had already began. We weren't

the only ones late

> tough- three others were not told of the change and

were late too.

> Dr. Rutledge was talking about the surgery and

introducing everyone

> one by one and asking for their questions. Dr.

Rutledge must be an

> extremely patient man because I know he must hear the

same questions

> over and over but he never seemed to tire of

answering our questions.

> He is a very smart and articulate man with a great

sense of humor.

> When it finally became my turn to talk with him in

private, I really

> didn't have any questions that he hadn't already

answered. We left

> the clinic and returned to our home-away-from-home

around 1:30. I was

> much calmer by then. Just meeting and talking with

Dr. Rutledge had

> calmed a lot of my fears and had reassured me that I

was going to be

> OK. We just sort of 'hung out' at the motel for the

afternoon and

> evening. I didn't want to go out for a 'final meal'

since I felt that

> that was the wrong attitude to have. I didn't want to

feel that this

> was a " death sentence " and I had to have a final BIG

meal of all my

> favorite foods.I didn't want to mourn the loss of

favorite foods. I

> wanted to have nothing but a positive attitude going

in- This was the

> beginning of my new life!!

> I called Durham Regional after 3:00 that afternoon

and was given my

> surgery time- 1:00 (groan). I wanted it to be earlier

but, oh well! I

> was told to be at the hospital by 10:00am. OK-that's

a little better-

> at least I won't have THAT much time to sit around

and worry. We

> watched some TV and after I showered with the

Hibicklens(found at Wal-

> Mart) I turned in.

> I again woke 2 hours ahead of the alarm. I got up and

began to pack-

> TIP #1- Really pack lite! The only thing I took that

I ended up

> needing was my hairbrush. The hospital provided

EVERYTHING else that

> I needed. We arrrived at the hospital at 9:45 to

check in. After a

> short wait we were taken to an admissions clerk (nice

guy-can't

> remember his name though).He registered me and then

personally walked

> me up to the surgical floor. We got on the floor at

about 10:20 and

> the nurse said " We've been waiting for you " . What! I

thought my

> surgery wasn't until 1:00. She said Rutledge was

running ahead of

> schedule (yippee) and that the patient before me

(Dani) had just been

> taken down to anesthesia. They took me to a room, put

me in a

> designer original hospital gown and some lovely white

stockings. The

> nurse anesthetist came to see me and asked about my

allergies and

> previous experience with general anesthesia. I also

had more

> paperwork to fill out- TIP #2- Take you time with

these and fill them

> out completely- you'll find out why later. Things

were moving fast!

> Just when I thought that things were really moving

along and that I

> wouldn't have time to get nervous- everything

stopped. I ended up

> staying upstairs for 2 1/2 more hours before they

finally took me to

> pre-op anesthesia. It turned out that they were

having trouble with

> getting an earlier patient's BP to stablize so Dr.

Rutledge's 'ahead

> of schedule' soon became 'behind'. Poor Dani- at

least I was in a

> room upstairs with a TV- she was stuck in anesthesia

laying flat on

> her back and freezing while she waited. Finally at

12:45 a nice lady

> came and put me on a gurney and took me to

anesthesia. There, another

> nurse started my IV and informed me that my paperwork

was not

> completely filled out. She handed me the clipboard

and I had to sit

> up (half exposed and freezing) on this gurney and

finish my paperwork

> (see TIP #2). About this time Dr. R came through.

When I complained

> about completing what I thought was redundant

paperwork he said " no

> problem, you don't have to fill it out. We just wont

do the surgery " .

> He was not being sarcastic- just serious and it

sombered me enough so

> that I finished the paperwork with no further

complaints and was

> rewarded with a nice, fresh from the microwave, warm

blanket. At

> about 1:10 they came and wheeled me into the OR. They

transfered me

> to the OR table (about 6 " wide- it felt) and started

draping and

> preping me. The anesthesiologist came and put a mask

on me and told

> me to take 4 deep breaths. He said I would be asleep

by the 4th

> breath- I remember taking 2. From here on out things

are a little

> hazy. I vaugley remember waking up in recovery and

then the next

> thing I knew I was in my room with my husband and

several nurses

> hovering over me. They put inflated 'boots' on my

legs that were

> constantly inflating and deflating ( I assume to keep

the circulation

> going) and they kind of lulled me back to sleep. The

first sensation

> I remember when I woke again was PAIN. It felt like

it was up under

> my ribs and it was hard to get a deep breath. There

was also pain in

> my shoulder. They told me the pain was from the gas

and it would get

> better. The nurses (all very very nice) came and went

all afternoon

> and evening giving me meds and checking my vital

signs. All I had to

> do was mention pain and they were there with

something for it! The

> pain was never intolerable. My husband stayed and

kept me up to date

> on my littermates- but mostly I slept the afternoon

and night away.

> Dr. R. came in about 7:30. I had been up several

times to the

> bathroom, was drinking fluids and had my IV out by

then and I was

> ready to get OUT! He agreed to discharge me. I was

still heavily

> drugged and still had the gas pain but I put on a

brave front because

> I wanted OUT! TIP #3- Don't rush yourself. Take your

time and make

> sure you are ready to go. Like Dr. R. said- this is

life and death.

> Make sure you are steady enough to walk out on your

own before

> insisting on leaving. I didn't even wait on

breakfast! Although I

> didn't have any problems, I kind-of wish I had slowed

down and took

> things a little slower.

> My husband took me back to our motel and went out to

get my

> perscriptions filled. TIP #4- Find out in advance if

and where your

> prescription drug card will work. We ended up paying

full price for

> my perscriptions (we only filled the ones I had to

have right away).

> The first day after surgery I still had the gas pain,

but it was

> gradually getting better. Walking really helped. In

the motel we

> stayed out there was really no place to walk to so I

ended up doing

> laps around the room (I think about 1000). I had a

fairly restful

> night ( I mostly slept sitting up in a recliner chair)

and woke up the

> next morning feeling MUCH better. I called Dr. R. to

'check in'. He

> was in surgery at the time that they paged him so I

had to talk to

> him through a nurse. I INSISTED that I was doing

GREAT! and I wanted

> to go home. I don't think he really liked it but he

finally said that

> I could go home.

> The 3 1/2 hour trip home was uneventful. It actually

feels better

> sitting up than laying down so the ride was not

uncomfortable.

>

> The only really negative experience I had during the

whole trip was

> during the clinic. After Dr. R finished speaking and

began taking

> patients back to speak with him alone, I thought pre-

op patients (for

> surgery the next day) were taken first. And it seemed

to be going

> that way because by 12:30 all of my littermates had

been in to see

> Dr. R. except me. When Debbie came to get the next

one- it was not

> me. I was confused as to what order we were taken in

so I asked one

> of Dr. R's other employees (not Debbie) that was

there when I would

> be seeing Dr. R. I expressed my concern that neither

my husband or

> myself had had breakfast or lunch and it was getting

close to 1:00.

> Her comment to me, I think, was cruel and

unnecessary. She snippily

> replied " I'll check and see where you are on the

list- we CERTAINLY

> would not want you to miss a meal!

> Maybe my nerves were more exposed then usual and

maybe she didn't

> realize (she did not have a weigh problem) her

comment was so hurtful

> but I think people working with Dr. R should be more

aware of the

> things they say and I would think they would be more

sympathetic to

> the problems of the obese.

>

> I am now 6 days post-op and doing OK. I am hungry

though. I didn't

> think I would be but I am. It's not a bad hunger

though and I can

> usually satisfy it with more juice or a lttle yogurt.

The meds are

> going down and staying down fine, TIP #5- If your

pharmacy doesn't

> carry the Carafate in pill form- go to one that

does-- IT IS NASTY

> TASTING STUFF IN LIQUID FORM. The gas pain is

completely gone and I

> haven't been nauseous at all! And the best news of

all is that the

> day I left for Durham I weighed on my Health-ometer

" the doctor's

> scale " scales and weighed 254.5-- I weighed this

morning- 246.

> That's 8 1/2 pounds GONE FOREVER!!!!!

>

> If any of you pre-ops have any other questions,

please feel free to

> email tham to me. I will try to answer as best I can.

>

> With Love in Christ and a BIG Thank You to Dr. R.!,

>

> Dona Farmer

> MGB 5/17

>

>

>

>

--------------------------------------------------------

----------------

> Missing old school friends? Find them here:

>

http://click.egroups.com/1/4055/2/_/453517/_/959101262/

>

--------------------------------------------------------

----------------

>

> This message is from the Mini-Gastric Bypass Mailing

List at Onelist.com

> Please visit our web site at http://clos.net

> Get the Patient Manual at

http://clos.net/get_patient_manual.htm

>

>

>

-----------------------------------------------------

This mail sent through Hitter Communications Webmail

http://webmail.hitter.net