Re: My surgery - Long

[Guest guest]

No I have never had surgery before, guess I just had an

extraordinarily large stomach. Maybe the reason I could pack a lot

of food away at a buffet

N

> > This is my story of my surgery. I got to the

> > hospital

> > about an hour befor surgery. Talked with the nurse

> > again going over the stuff I went over with the

> > nurse

> > over the phone. A guy came and got me and let me

> > use

> > the potty and I had to put on the dressing gown. He

> > covered me with a nice warm blanket and I stayed on

> > the gurney with my mom chatting. People kept coming

> > by checking on me. The anastisiologist came and

> > talked with me and asked me all kinds of questions.

> > Then we waited for DR E. to come and talk to me. He

> > finally showed up. We went over the surgery I was

> > going to have and then he asked if I knew what I

> > would

> > have to do for the rest of my life, the vitamins and

> > all that. I told him I did.

> >

> > They hooked up the IV and put some quickly acting

> > drugs in and my head began to swim. I commented on

> > how it worked fast. Kissed mom good bye and was

> > rolled into the operating room. I remember them

> > asking me to move to the operating table and to put

> > my

> > arms tight to my body... that was all I remember

> > until

> > the recovery room.

> >

> > I was in the recovery room for 4 hours why they

> > found

> > me a bed. I remember screamming kids. They put two

> > different kids next to me and they were very upset.

> > I

> > swam in and out of consciousness and they let my mom

> > and hubby come back right before I went to my room.

> > I

> > remember going to my room.

> >

> > Pepe my nurse shuffled everyone out and took care of

> > hooking me up to everything. I was on oxygen at the

> > time. Teri the tech came in and took my blood

> > pressure and my temp. I remember my mom and hubby

> > sitting there but I couldnt seem to keep my eyes

> > open

> > for very long. I had those things on my legs that

> > inflate and deflate. Still on oxygen. I do

> > remember

> > pushing the button on the pump, however i dont

> > really

> > remember any pain.

> >

> > The next day they got me up out of bed to clean up.

> > I

> > was pretty emotional, I imagine from the drugs. It

> > was tight getting up but I wasnt in a lot of pain.

> > I

> > went to the bathroom to get cleaned up but I still

> > had

> > the catheter in so I didnt have to go potty by

> > myself

> > yet.

> >

> > The doctor who assisted my doctor came in the

> > morning

> > and talked to me a bit. Said that my stomach was

> > very

> > stretched out so that my stomach was going to be

> > longer than most and that I should have no trouble

> > adjusting. My throat was really sore and she told

> > me

> > there were three different tubes down my throat. I

> > don't remember much of what she said, but the other

> > thing she said was that I probably wouldnt have to

> > have the Upper GI. Later the nurse came in and told

> > me the same thing. I was pretty elated. They

> > brought

> > liquids in to drink, but all I wanted was ice. I

> > think I might have has a sip of soup and that was

> > it.

> >

> > They took out the cathetar that day and I got out of

> > bed and walked a little bit. The JP tube dangled

> > and

> > it felt wierd... finally they gave me a safety pin

> > to

> > pin it to my gown. Felt dizzy from the pain meds

> > and

> > slept about 15-20 mins out of every hour. I didn't

> > sleep well as it always sounded like someone was

> > walking in my room

> >

> > Dr E came and saw me at 11 pm on the second night

> > and

> > told me my temp was up and that I needed to get up

> > cause he thought it was because of my lungs. They

> > were also giving me antibiotics. He said I would

> > probably get to go home the next day. Meals came

> > and

> > went and I didnt eat much.

> >

> > Oh yeah, on the first day I was pretty swollen from

> > all the IVs but my kidneys were working fine and

> > eliminating properly.

> >

> > ON the last day, I walked more, and my temp went

> > down

> > to normal. Doris, my nurse, was very informative

> > and

> > finally called the doctor so I could be released.

> > Got

> > all the paper work done, removed the IV. (I do have

> > a

> > sore vein and it is kinda tuff...but the pain, I was

> > told would go away, the vein however would always be

> > hard.)

> >

> > One thing I loved was the toilet seat extender.

> > Made

> > it easy to get up and down from the toilet and to be

> > able to clean myself. I bought one at the store for

> > 30

> > bucks.

> >

> > I haven't taken any pain meds since being out of the

> > hospital. I dont like the feeling of taking drugs

> > and

> > I really never had the pain I thought I would.

> >

> > I had very good nurses and techs, they were all very

> > nice and except for one tech, knew what they were

> > doing. The one tech tried to get blood from me but

> > ended up just bruising the heck out of me. I really

> > think she was supposed to get blood from the person

> > next to me anyway.

> >

> > So that is my story. Pretty basic and no big

> > surprises. The JP tube was the strangest thing

> > coming

> > out and I did cry over that. Still might have been

> > the pain meds but I was off of the IV when they

> > removed it. They took out the stitch and pulled it

> > out. Felt like my intestine was being pulled out a

> > tiny hole. Other than that, I think I knew what to

> > expect.

> >

> >

> > Surgery 4/12/01 - 296lbs

> > 4/17/01 - 282.5lbs

> >

> >

> >

> >

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