Starting to feel MUCH better/the whole ugly/stinky thing

It's amazing what a night at home in your own bed can do.  I am feeling so much better this morning. Everything started pretty uneventfully.  When I got to Bayview, they had me ready to go within an hour, and since the OR was free, they got me started an hour early.  It was the usual stuff.  The anesthesia team came by and asked lots of questions -- amazingly enough, the anesthesiologist is in the process of adopting from China!!! -- and got me prepped.  Dr. S. came by with the informed consent, which I signed, and I started to why every says he has a great sense of humor.  The nurse anesthestists were trying to start an IV on me and I have notoriously small, rolly veins.  They were on their 3rd attempt when Schweitzer came and he chided them.  I told him that 3 tries was NOTHING, that it took 6 tries for my nose job.  "Don't tell them that!!!  You're just encouraging them!" he said, looking a little panicked.  We both had a good laugh over that.  He then went over the informed consent and told me I could expect to lose 50% of my excess weight, "statistically speaking."  I looked him in the eye and said, "I am not a statistic."  He broke into a big grin at that point, and then they took me back. I remember being settled on the table and Ron, one of the nurses, pushing a wedge under my knees and shoulders to keep my back comfortable.  (Schweitzer asked me about my back problems in front of them earlier.)  The next thing I remember, Ron was shaking my shoulder and telling me I'd sailed through the surgery without any problem and it was 1:00 and they were going to transfer me to recovery.  I remember being wheeled into there.  I woke up again at 2:30 and the nurse told me they were having trouble with my pulse ox levels.  I was hovering around 87/88 with oxygen, and they wanted the  mid-90's.  They gave me an incentive spirometer.  Finally, at about 6 p.m., they were able to transfer me to my room.  And I learned I'd get nothing by mouth for another 6 hours.  I desperately wanted chicken broth!!!  And water!!!! So I had a roommate.  Said roommate was suffering severe diabetes complications and was in a great deal of pain.  She told me she'd already lost a leg and was losing toes on the other foot.  Since she wasn't obese or even appreciably overweight, I asked her if it was type 1 and she told me, no, she had type 2.  Yikes!!!  I was also obviously a child of a lesser god to her because she kept the frickin' TV on ALL night.  And the light on her side.  I did not sleep.  Meanwhile, the nurses kept coming in and telling me to breathe because my pulse ox was really low.  Finally, I got to eat and ate some yogurt and drank Crystal Light. and water.  Kevin showed up about 10 to pick me up and they told him I wasn't going anywhere.  He got pretty upset about that with me and I made him go home.  Meanwhile, I learned about my release instructions and realized I wouldn't be driving for 3 weeks instead of one.  I started freaking over that, because all the arrangement I'd made were for naught.  Also, everytime they came in to check on me, roommate-from-hell would try to get the nurse over to her side.  So, I was thoroughly stressed out and feeling worse and worse, and I finally just started crying.  That got everyone's attention, and all of the sudden, my half of the room was filled with nurse-managers, residents, etc.  Dr. S's main resident came to see me, too, and together we all figured out what to do.  One of the residents told me that there was no way I'd be allowed to go home that day.  In response, I told her she was going to have to call my husband and work things out with him, because he was upset and afraid.  She did.  All the other crap I sitting there crying about about (work, carpool obligations, etc.) they told me to faggitabout because everyone WOULD understand, so I did. One of the residents came back and told me Dr. S was concerned about the fact I was burping so much (had the band slipped already?), and also my pulse ox (blood clot?) and the fact I'd been unable to pee, despite a dose of lasix (congestive heart failure?), since they'd removed the cath that morning, so he wanted to do some tests. But, first they had to re-insert the cath!!!  Man, I was pissed!!! As the nurses were reinstalling the Foley, Schweitzer came into my room and told me how sorry he was to put me through THAT again.  Fortunately, it wasn't bad, compared to having my nose packed after sinus surgery.  Pat, Dr. S's CNP, also came up and talked with me about fills and held my hand a bit.  They put another IV in (and Ana the nurse gets a gold star for getting it on the FIRST try!) and we went downstairs and did an upper GI and a CT scan of my heart and lungs with contrast.  Everything was okay! At 5 or so, they came to get me and wheeled me out to the lobby on the 6th floor, and my husband, inlaws and daughter were waiting for me.  Kevin had really wanted Madeline to see that I was okay and asked the hospital to make it possible for her to see me beause she wasn't allowed back in the rooms.  He said when she got home from school on Wednesday and learned that I wasn't going to be home that night, she was inconsolable.  Bayview gets high marks just for making the visit possible. I went back to my room and had dinner, then the respiratory therapist came to see me and I went to sleep. At 4:30 a.m., they brought in my new roommate, who was a woman from the ER with mystery chest pains.  She found out I was on Vicodin and started bugging them for pain meds.  They would give them to her and she threatened to leave.  Meanwhile, she talked nonstop on her cellphone and watched TV. They took out the Foley, gave me lasix and I performed the requisite toileting activity.  I also got up and walked around a lot.  By 10, they decided to cut me loose after the final reports from the studies came in.  They kept checking my pulse ox and making me wal****il the end.  They also set up a nurse visit at home for Saturday.  When Georgeanne, the CNP, gave the high sign, I called Kevin and he was there within the hour. So that's the whole ugly story.

Edie...thank God's it is over and you are home sleeping in your own bed. I am grateful that I was alone in my room. I don't think I even turned the tv on until the morning I was getting released. When I am not feeling well, I like complete silence and darkness, with no visitors. I sent my hubby home twice. He was to stay with me for at least the first night but I wanted him out so I didn't have to hear the tv or feel like I had to have conversation with him...lol Glad you are doing better.

Edie thank God that is over with for real.  I was lucky in not having to share my room.  I have to have a EDG  on this past Monday and did the whole thing with the oxygen.  I wondered if there was something wrong with that palsesock.  I am glad you are getting there, keep sipping and walking. Hugs Kristen

Edie, Welcome back!Q Good luck with recupurating fast. I am so sorry and so bummed to hear all this. ONe eason fof many of us considering band is the faster recovery and sooner getting back to normal. I know that I will have a hard time if i cna't drive for 3 weeks. I keep hopiong I can start working after a week! Anyhow, now that you are back home, enjoy the time and relax. Also keep posting ujs(hopefully with good news) Ellie

Hi Edie,   Welcome home!!!    Isn't it amazing how good your own bed can feel after a couple of nights "rest" in the hospital?   I know that you know that I know what you were going through!    I'm glad that you're home and on the mend.     Wonder why they didn't let Madeline visit you in your room.  I guess it is her age.  They let my 10-year-old daughter come in my room while I was there.   I'm glad that they made alternate arrangements for Madeline. She must have felt so much better after seeing and hugging her mommy.  You'll be feeling better and better, every day, from now on!  I'm looking forward to finally meeting you at the Walk from Obesity!   In the meantime, take good care. Best, Elaine

They told me that 12 was the lower age limit, though we could sneak her past the desk.  But once Kevin actually asked about getting her in there, they knew she was coming and we had to do it their way.  That was all right, though.  As long as I got to hug my baby, everything was okay for both of us.

Edie, So glad you are home and feeling better. Just get your resst and take care of yourself.

Edie, Welcome Home! My hospital stay can't compare.  I really had no complications, except that Dr. Vanguri spent more time cleaning up adhesions, mesh, clips, etc from old hernia surgeries than it took to do the bypass surgery.   I had a room mate the day I came down from recovery, but I don't remember much from that day.  I couldn't even tell you when she left.  Luckily, I had no one else come in to the other bed for the duration of my stay.  The TV stayed off.  It was blissfully peaceful.  I am so sorry you had a rough time. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you move forward on this incredible journey.

I've just looked at your stats, and you are doing amazingly well, April!!!

I am glad you are home and feeling better.  I had Dr. S and had my surgery at Bayview.  My roommate was an absoulute nightmare.  She was on her cell phone all night, had the tv on and kept begging the nurses for meds.  I wanted the nurses to give her max pain meds just to keep her quite.  The nurses were fantasic, I had Ana also. Have they opened the new WLS wing yet?  Melanie