Getting Nervous???

Hey Christie, the fact is that my husband is military and the only type they do at the post hospital is open. There is a HUGE waiting list, lol, no pun intended , and I've already waited an incredibly long time. I really almost did try to get referred out and have it done LAP, but I trust this doctor, he's always been up front with me about everything. I also don't want to have to travel and want my hubby to be near to home so he can keep constant eye on the girls. I have a sitter, but they need their dad too until Grandma's can come. So, open it is....oh,and it's 100% no $$$$ at the post hopital to include an excellent nutritionist that has really helped me out. It would be if I was referred to, but then there would be gas and food for hubby and all that. We retire in July, so any saved pennies helps!! Anyway, that's why no LAP.

Hey, maybe we could get a few OHLA ppl together for after the parade, or even to meet/walk in the park on the next day? I'm in Denham Springs, just outside Baton Rouge! If you're here on 2/19 we're having our support group meeting, you're welcome to come join in! http://www.kreisfamily.org/ohla Kat

Hey Kat, I won't be in 2/19...but can't wait to move to BR in June/July. My daughter was recently accepted into BRHMS and I'm so happy. My husband and I are going back to college....LOL (we've done things a bit backwards I'm afraid!), and I was really concerned on where she would be going. It's a HUGE issue off my mind before surgery. Sunday, we're heading back here to Fort Polk early. But if you are going to the Spanish Town Parade (hugely politically incorrect if you aren't familiar with it ) email me and I'll send you my mom's address. I'd love to meet you and chit chat. I'll be 10 days post op. I'd walk with you but I've also invited two other couples and we're all just going to chill and watch the floats. They need a "throw me something mister" emoticon!!!

Isn't the meeting on the 16th?

K.R.: Are you having your surgery off post? I had mine done at BJACH last year. I work in the deli at the commissary if you need someone to talk too. I'll be there today till 2 and then all weekend. Good luck with your surgery. Nerves are normal, but the surgery was sooo worth it. Cathy G.

Hi Cathy, Dr. Shapiro is doing my surgery at BJACH. I'd love to chat because I am a talker, lol. I don't know if I will get there this weekend though...........I'm in major cleaning mode. I have several different rotations of helpers coming in for the first two weeks to help with my 15 month old........so, I feel like I ought to give them a clean house at least. But now that I see your face on your pic, I'll be looking for you when I'm in the Commissary again. Did you find the after care at BJACH good. I was sort of disappointed with my care after my daughter was born, but I'm hoping that the nurses in the ICU area are more attentive. Thanks for the note.....hope to see ya soon!

K.R.: The aftercare was great. I had an epidural for pain and had no problems in that area at all. I didn't realize Dr. Shapiro was still doing gastric bypass since he will be leaving soon. I saw Dr. DePorter yesterday and she told me that now would be a good time to try and get scheduled if I was having surgery, since he's leaving and when he was in Iraq a lot of gals got referred out. (But if anyone is waiting, you didn't hear it from me, lol). I see him on the 23rd for my one year check up. Have you ever come to any of the support group meetings? We meet on the second Tuesday of the month in classroom 1 on the first floor of the hospital. This Tuesday is Valentine's Day, so I'm not sure if we will be meeting on that day or not. Last month, they talked about doing it on Wednesday, but I wouldn't be able to make it then because of work. My daughter had her son at BJACH last year, and she was not happy with the care she got afterwards either. She had a c-section and it was like they forgot all about her. Some bigwigs came through the ward while she was there and when they asked how the care was, she told them. They took care of her after that. It was totally different in the SCU unit. Although, I did like her room on the 4th floor maternity wing, much nicer than the rooms elsewhere. If I don't see you, good luck with your surgery. Come to the meeting next month, we'll tell you things that no one else thinks to tell you. Cathy G.

Thanks Cathy, that makes me feel better about the ICU. I know that I will have an epidural too for pain and I'm glad the care is good. I still am SO upset over the care I received after my baby's birth. Some of my loved ones say that I should write someone about it, but really, what good would it do. They already ruined my experience. The labor nurse was so great, but as soon as the transfered me to the recovery room...it went downhill and FAST. I had my daughter around 6 pm, was in the recovery room by 8ish and that was the last time I saw or heard from a nurse until one called at 7ish the next morning for me to bring my baby to the nursery. Oops, I lie, one came in around 5ish am and took my blood pressure. No pain killer, no juice, no water...nothing! I have not been to any of the support meetings. In fact, I only saw Dr. DePorter once. I just knew that she was not someone that I could work with. She just sort of rubbed me the wrong way. She spent a lot of time telling me what was wrong with me...without asking me any questions about some current events that I know skewed that LONG test they give (such as losing my dad, brother, 2 grandfathers, great-aunt, great uncle, finding my aunt had breast cancer--stage 4, all while I was enduring a high risk pregnancy!) She simply was in a "let me tell you how it goes mode". I explained this to my PCM and she referred me to a Psych in Lake Charles that seemed to have more time to give to civilian wives than Dr. DePorter had. Oh, and my degree is in Psychology, and I'm about to start on my Masters. I'm not so far into my degree to self-diagnose, but I am aware enough of stress to know classic forms of presentation. I hate being made to feel like a minion. I doubt that I'll make a Valentines meeting because I'll be in the middle of my "bowel prep" that night and don't think that would be a pleasant situation to be meeting new people in. However, I'll try to make the March meeting. I hear some interesting things about the meetings on post. I'm really just interested in other's stories and receipes and such....I don't want to get into any whine session. I hope it's not like that. Anyway, I hope to meet you soon. Good luck with your one year check up....tell Dr. Shapiro I said hi! I should be 8 days post op then....I sure hope I get to go home earlier than the week he says to expect. Have a great weekend!

K.R. Dr. Shapiro told you you'd be in a week? I had my surgery on a Monday (Valentine's Day) and went home on Thursday morning. I was supposed to stay till the afternoon, but they needed my bed. They would have had to transfer me to the 4th floor for a couple of hours. I was supposed to go home after lunch, but believe me, that broth they serve in the hospital was nasty and I couldn't stand the SF jello, so I was happy to leave early and get my lunch at home. At the time I had my first surgery consult, Dr. Shapiro was the only surgeon here, the other one still being in Iraq. He got back and then transferred about the time I would have been scheduling surgery, so between the lack of another surgeon and work schedules, I waited 15 months for surgery. At that time, Dr. DePorter was doing the psych evals and she had me coming to see her once a month to check to see that I lost weight while waiting for the surgery. It worked. I lost 31 lbs before I had surgery, and if I hadn't known I'd be facing the music once a month, I probably wouldn't have lost anything and might not have gotten the surgery done. She also came to see me every day while I was in the hospital. She still has me come see her once a month even though I have no problems. They had been sending patients out to have their psych evals done, but there were problems with that, so it was more or less pushed back on her, and now she only does the consult and test and not the whole follow up like I had. By the way, that prep is naaasty! After I took the first dose, it was all I could do to force myself to drink the other half. Have fun. Cathy G.

Dr. Shapiro told me to "expect" to be in a week. However, he knows that I have two kiddos at home and I am having to arrange for their care.........so, I assume that he's giving me a worst case scenario. I was hoping that I would get to go home earlier....I can't stand confinement too much. I hope all goes well and I can fly out of their ASAP. I've heard some say good things about Dr. DePorter....but when I had to see her, there were a ton of active duty's that needed to see her too and they took priority, which is fine. I just think she is too busy for a whole lot of individual care and sometimes you just need that. If I just needed meds and an approval for the surgery, she would have been fine. However, I needed a little more than that. She was nice, just in a hurry and I wasn't in a time, place, or mental frame in my life where I had patience to "wait" for another doc to come around. C'est la vie! Thanks for the heads up on the Prep stuff......do you know if it's the gallon of crud or the smaller bottles. He said I have to drink two bottles..........one at 2 and one at 7 so I am desperately hoping it's the two small ones........not the gallon ones!!!