I'm Switched & HOME!!

Hi! Everyone!!

First of all, thank you so much for all the well wishes!  It means so much to know I have such support here!  Melissa, my Panda Love, thank you so much for calling & checking up with me & for keeping in touch with my family here & my actual family!

Since I last updated, most obviously, I've survived surgery, with no complications!!! 

Tuesday, July 22 we left at 6am and arrived in San Francisco at 10am. We drove around finding Dr. Husted's office, the hotel & the hospital.  I'm the directional one of the family, so I needed to know they could find me without getting lost!! Okay, maybe I just wanted to be sure they would come visit me! HAHA!!

I got to Dr. Husted's for my 11am appointment.  I was super excited to meet Lori & Dr. Husted.  It was like seeing long-lost friends.  They were both so sweet & supportive.  I am so glad I chose Dr. Husted & didn't cancel my surgery due to his recent moving announcement.  We talked about the actual surgery, the recovery, post-op diet & vitamins & just covered all the bases.  I spent about 1 1/2 hours at the office.  Then, my family picked me up & we went to the hotel to do the bowel prep.

That was a nasty experience.  I got the lemon-lime flavored Magnisium Citrate.  It was carbonated which I found surprising.  It tasted like really sweet, thick Sprite mixed with Bandaids!!  It was gross!  I felt like I gave myself the flu, stomache cramps & diarrhea together!  I had to force myself not to puke it up!!  I must say, that was the least pleasant part of the experience.  We just hung around the hotel that night & played Monopoly - which I won!!!!

We had to be at the hospital at 10am on Wednesday, July 23, 2008.  I had been given instuctions to enter on the Clay street entrance, well, I should have ignored those instructions.  It ended up that we were in the administrative part of the hospital.  We found this really nice gentleman who escorted us to the correct part of the building.  He took us through the service part of the hospital to get there!  It was interesting to see the back-side of the workings of the hospital!  So, we finally got to the Ambulatory department to check in with this really grumpy lady who obviously hates her job.  I didn't care, I was just excited to be there & no one was going to **** me off!!  We waited in the lobby for about 20 minutes, then the nurse came & got us & took us back to the little curtain partitioned in-take area to change into my hospital gown.  I think they forgot to check that I am a BARIATRIC patient &  gave me a small gown.  I had to wait until the nurse came into weigh me to ask for a bigger gown to cover up my ass!  What a sight that would have been - my bare ass bouncing around the unit & I probably won't have cared that much!!  Anyway, she got me a bigger gown, which was almost just as bad - in the opposite way.  It was so big that you could see my breasts & side gut through the arm holes!  I thought it interesting that there wasn't a happy medium!  Anyway, enough about the gowns.  I got weighed & had lost 2lbs since my weigh in at Dr. Husted's office on Tuesday - must be the "yummy" Magnisium Citrate induced flu!  Then the nurse put in my IV.  We had to wait for about 1/2 hour & then this man came to escort me to the surgery waiting lobby & my family to the surgery waiting room. 

The surgery waiting room was just like a doctor's waiting room.  The Anethesiologist came in & spoke with me, as did the surgery nurse & the assistant surgeon, Sally.  Of course, Dr. Husted came in for a quick visit before surgery.  I didn't have one moment of nervousness.  I suppose that's good because I would have freaked myself out sitting there by myself.

The nurse returned about 15 minutes later (12:40pm) to walk me to the surgery room named Howard.  She untied the back of my gown & I layed on the operating table.  The nurse told me she was going to put these boot things on my legs to prevent blood clots, while the anethesiologist told me he was going to add something to my IV to make me light headed.  That's all I remember!!!

The next thing I knew, I was in Recovery being told to wake up.  Some man told me he was going to ask me a crazy question.  What city are you in?  I told him San Francisco.  Then he said he wouldn't ask me again.  I guess they were trying to see if I was aware of what was going on.  I am really sensitive to drugs, so I was very groggy & hate the way I feel, so I'd rather just sleep it off.

So finally they were taking me to my room.   My mom & Dylan were waiting for me in a tiny room.  I guess the staff decided the room was going to be way too small, so they moved me at the last second.  LUCKY MOVE!!  I got the BEST room ever!!  It had the most beautiful view of the Bay & the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was big enough for 2 beds, but I was by myself!  What luck!  So people kept coming in & checking my vitals, but I really don't remember too much about Wednesday night.  I just slept as much as possible. 

Around 4am the nurse came in to check my vitals & give me an injection of a blood thinner.  It felt like a bee sting!  Then she helped me up so I could walk around the hospital halls.  OWwIE!!! Getting up was a challenge!!  I was so sore & nauseous.  I was able to make a small lap, then go back to bed.  I slept for a while longer, then Dr. Husted came to visit me.

He said surgery went very well.  I have very long intestines in a very compacted torso.  I suppose he was saying I'm short!  He also said that my common channel is 75cm, which is the shortest he will do, even though my intestines were longer than 750cm.  He said that it would be too delciate & too much malabsorbtion for me.  Of course, I trust & respect his judgements, or I wouldn't have chosen him as a surgeon. He also had to leave in my gall bladder because it was too tight in my abdomine & he didn't want to risk it.  If I have any problems in the future, I will have to have it removed.  So I will NOT have any problems!!  My appendix was also removed.  I have 4 incisions across my belly.  It kind of looks like I was stabbed with a pitchfork.  The one above my belly botton is about 4 inches long & goes up & down my abdomin, while the other 3 are about 1 inch long & go side to side.  There is a small liver retractor incision about 2 inches below the center of my chest.  They are all healing very well.

So as time passed, I became more mobile.  I got to get in & out of bed much easier & could move around my room by myself - attached to the IV tree.  I walked around the hospital as much as possible & got lots of rest. I met some amazing people who worked there & really appreciate the care they provided me.  I know it is their job, but it feels good that they all really enjoyed their work & took the time to talk with me & make me feel like a guest at their hospital. Many people stopped by just to look out my window!! I got to meet some sweet people that way & I wasn't alone when my family couldn't be there. 

I got to go home on Saturday.  It was a long, bumpy, painful ride.  I had 2 pillows on my belly, but bumps & turns still hurt.  I had a big dose of pain killers before leaving the hospital, but I was too afraid to fall asleep!  Now I'm home & doing well.  It's nice to be recovering in my own mess!

Congratulations on your surgery.  Looks like we had surgery the same day.  I came home on Friday.  It was so nice to be home.  Welcome to the losers bench

Linda

Congratulations!!


Shells

Congrats!!

How neat that you got your own room with a VIEW!  I used to live in SF and really miss the scenery sometimes :)

I hope all is going well with your recovery, and thanks for the low-down, I love reading the step by steps!!  :)

Congratulations Sarah!  Looking forward to watching your progress.

Congrats to you.  Glad everything went well.  San Francisco is such a beautiful place.  How lucky you were to get that view.

Congratulations!!

Congratulations!  Welcome to the loser's bench!

Now that is what I call a good report!! Welcome to the losers bench Sarah and I hope that you heal quickly and that you have much success!