I know it's about time

Well, what can I say? I'm sure many of you think I died and went to heaven, it's been so long since I posted. I am feeling better, but still not exactly right. I have moments of "what did I do?" with moments, of Oh wow, I have lost 16 pounds in 12 days! I think that I am just tired and my body is asking the question - how could you put me thru this? Heaven know's I'm not very hungry, and sometimes have to force myself to eat and drink, I'm sure I will eventually get over the shock. For those who want to know, the surgery is not a snap. I was scared of the surgery, but the doctor put me to sleeep very soon after I arrived. I remember NOTHING about the surgery, the OR or the Recovery Room. The nightmare started when I got to my room and continued until I was discharged. I will not go into details here, actually I am trying to forget about it, but if anyone is going to Bayview, I will be happy to fill you in. Also, I would like to add - the pain immediately after the surgery is no day at the beach. I'd rather have another baby than have that pain again! My doctor did a good job, but Bayview is going to spoil his good record. 'I'm so glad to be back, and on the losing side, I hope everyone has been fine and has a wonderful Thanksgiving. To any pre-ops, please feel free to continue questions, the more informed you are, the better. Thank everyone for all the support and well wishes, especially, Adrianne, and Bobby.

Hi Linda It's so good to see you back on the boards. I'm sorry you had a bad experience at Bayview. It is really a shame when someone has major surgery and then their recovery is marred by an inattentive nursing staff. I so understand the 'WHAT THE HELL DID I DO ???' thing. I was running a fever when I came out of recovery and therefore was 'delirious' but I do remember a lot of yelling (on my part) and screaming at my husband, Why did you let me do this ??? Fortunately, the fever went away overnight and by Tuesday I was still wondering WHY I had done it, but had stopped yelling about it. By the time I left the hospital I had pretty much gotten past the WHY did I do it, then it took a few months before I was GLAD I had done it, and then a while longer before I would say I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Hang in there kiddo, it gets better !!! Hugs, Mo

Welcome back Linda- I know exactly what you went threw in that Hospital. Saying nicely the Nurses sucked. Well some of them. Mostly the night ones. I feel your pain on that. I was so happy to be home. Hope you are feeling better and it will get better trust everyone who tells you that. Have a great Thanksgiving and keep us posted Kelly

Congrats on "doing it" and i totally can relate to "What did i do" b/c i felt the same way and continue to feel that way. I am now 6 weeks out and it is just now getting better. I struggle trying to get liquids in b/c my pouch can't take much and i eat hardly anything. It is amazing i have energy to go to work. I started curves and i'm hoping that will help with the weight loss. Desperately afraid of losing my hair b/c i can't drink the protein shakes. Each one is worse than the one before it. I hope you have a smoother experience then i'm having. B

Linda, Glad to hear you are on the road to recovery. Doctor Schweitzer is the best and I didn't have any complaints to speak of while I was at Bayview. I'm sorry you had a bad experience. Everything from here on is going to be GREAT! The worst is behind you!

Welcome home. There is always at least one person that will do their damdest to marran experience. I did have one night nurse at GBMC that did that. Luckily, the pain medication given to me immediately after the surgery worked very well. I slept most of the first day and night after dozing alot the rest of the time. Be kind to yourself. You will feel better. Aime

Welcome back Linda. I am sorry you are feeling so bad. The beginning is very rough. For almost 3 months I wondered if I did the right thing. At about 8 weeks my energy started to come back and I began to feel like a real person again. Now at 8 months out I am so happy that I had this surgery. It has changed my life for the better. I promise that it does get better. I am sorry you had a bad experience at the hospital. I think that each place has it's ups & downs. At my hospital, some of us had great experiences, some were terrible and still others were uneventful. We recently had two of our post-opers visit the plastics department for consultations. One gal couldn't say enough great things about the department; the other gal has gone outside the hospital because the dr made her feel so awful about herself. Same hospital, same staff and within weeks of each others appointments. Who knows why it is like that. Hang in there. I always tell pre-ops that ask me that the beginning is so difficult. It was a real struggle for me. The pain was awful, the sickness was worse and the lack of energy was depressing. But today it is all just a memory! Feel better soon. Hugs, Robin

Hi Linda, I am so glad to hear from you. I am so sorry that you did not have a good experience and that hospital. I would definitely write a letter to let them know they need to do something about their staff. I hope you get to feeling better quickly. You are doing great 16 pounds yay!!! Have a wondeful Thanksgiving and God Bless. Hugs, Cira