Hello from St. Vincents! Sorry...VERY long!

Hello dear friends!

I have an angel of a nurse tonight and she showed me where I could get online! I was so thrilled. She fixed me a cup of decaf tea and here I am. So...here's the full scoop (for all those who don't know me as well as those who do). I just celebrated my 3 yr anniversary of Sept 17th of having my RNY. Since then, I had lost 192 pounds, as well as most of my co-borbidities. I hadn't had a full asthma attack in fact since about 2 weeks pre-op. My asthma was ALWAYS connected to external factors..strong perfumes, cologns, powders, ect.  I hadn't had full-blown bonchitis since moving to Indy and away from the corn fields of Clinton with the exception of once...when I stayed with a friend for a few weeks who lived near corn fields. Well...external and envirnomental issues aren't the only thing that can cause breathing difficulties. As most of you know, I do not go through any medical phase without some kind of wierd complication. Well..this is the one for my tummy tuck & thigh lift: When I went into surgery, I was fine. When I came to in recovery, I was wheezing but breathing ok otherwise so thought 'ok, caught a little cold from it being cold in the OR'. Also, I had a busted upper lip..apparently the breathing tube hit it pretty hard. I was sent home Wednesday morning and my breathing continued to get worse & worse. I also ran a temp Wed & Thurs up to 101.0. I finally sent a couple of emails to some *****cently had tummy tucks because I didn't know if maybe the compression suit was just causing the feeling or if something else was going on. Annette suggested that I undo the suit partially down and see if the feeling went away or eased up and if it didn't, to call Dr. Bergman. It didn't so I asked Tiff to call Dr. B (since I had no air to talk). She had me go straight to the ER to rule out a blood clot in the lung. So...Tiff left work and came & got me & Bill and brought us to here. At the ER, they had a real hard time sticking me (so...7 times total for 2 IV's within 4 days). Finally they got it, drew blood, gave me a breathing treatment, then ran a cat-scan (not a pleasant experience to try to get on/off with over 5' of incisions, 3 drainage tubes, and not being able to breathe). They decided at 8 pm to admit me..got me in my room about 11:30 and oxygen FINALLY started at midnight. They started te steroid treatments the next morning..which they have been continuing as well as the breathing treatments.  The respiratory docs looked over the cat scans and based on the onset, etc., it looks that when the anstesist withdrew that breathing tube, she managed somehow to transfer gastric liquids into the lungs. That is what caused the pnuemonia. Now, I am considered to have 'extremely sensitive lungs and breathing passageways'. It looks like my doing my own yardwork will be out of the question from now on and Bill & I are going to have to be very selective on campsites we go to. I'd also like to ask each of you to please be cautious with your perfume, powder, etc that you wear to OH functions. Some of the nurses shampoo has even been a bit much for me now. They didn't talk like this would be a temporary thing but I'm really hoping it is.  Ok...this morning, breathing was better so they cut the steroids down from every 8 hr to ever 12 hrs, the breathing treatments from every  4 hr to every 6 hr, and a goal to start weaning me off the oxygen. Good plan, right? Well...this is ME, you know? So..things are going good. They reduce the oxygen from 3 L to 2 L about 8 AM.  I had my steroid about 9 AM.  had me breathing treatment about 10 AM and since my OX level was good, the tech decided to try me without any oxygen (instead of another reduction). About 11, I get a tickle in my throat with led to one hell of a stomach pain! It happened about 4 more times. Dr. Grassee came in and checked it out and said I didn't damage anything and that pain is normal if  you cough at all after the tummy tuck. So..since it didn't even produce any flem, my goal? Not to cough at all! That put me in so much pain that I tried to walk and could not (I HAD been up to 5 laps at a time this morning!). I would continue to try the rest of the day but I was darn lucky to even make it to the bathroom & back. So by tonight, I had a new problem. Intense gas pain. If there is anything I have learned about the floor I am on, they are not customed to post gastric bypass patients nor post-plastics. So...I called Tiff and had her bring me some gas X chewables and SF cough drops. Tonight I was able to walk 10 LAPS!! I can't tell you how much better that makes me feel. The pressure has eased up on the lungs too. I'm still not back where I was this morning but they have the oxygen now at 1L and I think that will be fine especially since I've also had another steroid & breathing treatment. As soon as I feel the slightest tickle, I try to clear my throat (and that actually does produce some mucous!), and suck on a cough drop...anything not to let it go to the slightest cough again. The best way I can describe the pain is that it was like a guitar string being pulled and released. While musical on a guitar, in your gutt, you get the sharp initial pain when it is pulled and then as it vibrates back into place, many, many pains each decreasine intensity until it relaxes some. After it does though, it takes about an hour or so for the tension to finally ease up and it return to pre-cough position. I know many have been wondering about the thigh lift. That has been the easiest part of this ordeal so far. Tummy tuck with cough...far worse! None of the incisions have given me any problems. I've had a little bit of drainage where the left thigh's incision 'T's with the groin incision..but the is suppose to be very normal..and it's not read, not open. I don't regret having both done at once...but I will definately be talking with Dr. Bergman about not having the same anasthesist when I have my breast done in March. Tomorrow morning, I should know if I will be able to go home tomorrow evening or not. I'll let you know. I'm in room 332. You are welcome to call but depending on my air level, be prepared to be the talker...k? You are also welcome to stop in & visit. Do you guys know if anyone from here is in the bariatric floor right now? If I'm doing ok tomorrow, I may see if they'll let me try to go down there & visit. I'll even put on MY robe & my PJ's (that I wore here Friday night) for the special occasion..lol. Oh..the food...taste good but definately have to educate them on what 3 yr WLS post-ops with hypo-glycemia can and can't have! The food I can have has been very tasty! My first meal though? Scrambled eggs (ok!), fatty bacon, sugar-apple muffin, 2 % milk, OJ, sugar-frosted corn flakes and full-lead coffee...with real sugar only. I asked for a piece of dry wheat toast and a cup of decaf hot tea to go with the eggs..lol. After that, they've improved ALOT. I did see a post from earlier talking about having regular salad dressing over the fat-free kind. Well folks, here's the bottom line: READ THE NITRITION LABEL!!! The full fat one they sent up? 230 calories, 24 grams of fat, 32 grams of sugar! The fat-free one? 40 calories, 0 grams of fat, 1 gram of sugar. So...trust your own judgement and always read the label! Trust me, the dietary staff here has gotten a few lessons. It is true though not to cut out all of your fat as I have recently learned when my tests came back with a VERY rare deficieny of Vitamin E. Therefore, I have been increasing canola oil since it is the best thing you can do to raise it, and your HDL. So again, READ. Read and find out what kind of oil (fats) is good and which ones aren't. I think the best thing any of us can do is to educate ourselves...can you tell? I'll let you all know what the doc says in the morning...and PLEASE let me know who all is up here...k? huggs... Sherri Some ps notes.... Ellen...enough of this sister stuff girl! Couldn't you have kept your lung-stuff to yourself??? LOL! I guess I truly AM your little sis! Jo...Congrats sweetie! I am so happy for you and your family!

Dawn...I am so glad you are doing so well post-op from your gall bladder! Let me know how much the fees are for th eclothing exchange is...and I'll see how much of it I can cover...k? Annette...thank you so much for your very good advise! Marrianne...thank you for being there for my 1001 questions both pre & post op!

Glad to get the short update on your status... He He He.... Becky and I will keep you in our prayers and we will add the staff also. Take care and let me know when I can bring you some gizzard stew.. E

E... Whenever you're (&/or Becky)  willing ro make it & bring it over, I will be in the mood for it! Yummy! Just give us a ring and Bill can give you directions. You're on Floyd's list, right? If not, let me know & I'll send you my number. I'm afraid it might be a little time yet before I'm able to make it myself...although, I'm looking forward to that recipe! Sherri

I'm so glad to hear your doing better!!! Are you on the computer downstairs?? hehe thats where I got on from the surgical family area.

Misty, I'm on a computer that sets out in the hallway on the 3rd floor...not too far from my room. But I'm going home in a few hours so tomorrow it will be on my pc! Yea!!!! Sherri

Sherri I figured u were on your laptop.  When I had my surgery I took my laptop in and used it on their wifi and that was awesome.  The nurses on the baratic floor gave me the password and it worked like a charm

 

 

Pamela, I opted for Bill not to bring my laptop up there because there was so very little table-top space in the room. I had to do a big shift-it game at every meal. A box of Klenex, I can move...my heavy laptop (it's an older one), I couldn't have. If there had been room enough to ask for a 2nd table where I could had kept it set up, I probably would have asked them to bring it. I had planned on upgrading my laptop pre-surgery but I held off because of Bill's eyes. When he gets his new glasses in (they are only about 4 weeks over from when they initially thought they'd be done), if he can see the screen OK with a big monitor, that's what I'll get (although...still heavy). If he can't, and then I'm going for a smaller, light-weight model. Oh well. This turned out ok anyway. I just needed to learn to ask my nurse sooner if they had one I could jump on. Sherri

Sherri, Glad to hear from you! I have been praying for you and am so happy to hear you are doing better. I had a really great guy put me under, I will check and see who he was and have Dr, B put him on the list for your "Girls" surgery. I see Doc the 17th for my 3 month check up. You take care of yourself!  Hugs! Marianne

Marianne, Thanks. I talked with Dr. Bergman about the firl I had and requested that she write on my chart not to use her for my girls. While the aspiration can happen...it's a 'risk'..not a common one, but yet is a risk..and while the busted lip is also a 'risk'..also not a common one..to get BOTH from the same surgery??? I'd just feel safer in someone else's care. And trust me, if I come out of that one in recovery wheezing, we are heading straight accross the road instead of going home! I'll be in for my one week on Wednesday...hehe..I'm sure it won't seem like she hadn't seen me for a week! LOL! I can also vouch for how sweet Dr. Grasse is now. I'm glad I went with Dr. B. MY 7 hour surgery would have probably thrown Dr. G into labor! LOL! Sherri

So glad your doing better Sherri, hopefully you get to come home today. we all have missed you on here.