2 Days and counting down

Ok here it is saturday night and my surgery is monday morning. I am a nervous wreck and my mind is running 500 miles a second. Am looking foreward to it all being over, but am having a major case of the what ifs. Any suggestions on how to handle this from those that have had it???????????? thanks and hope to join loserville soon. Barry

Quit ya worrin'!!! You will do great! I know you will. I have already starting nagging God to take it easy on you.....and I am a GREAT nagger!!! I never got worried, because I frankly did not EVER even actually believe I was gonna have surgery - even while they were putting me to sleep in the OR! Then I woke up and I BELIEVED!!!!! I don't think it ever sunk in that I was actually having it until it was over....... You have a great doctor, fabulous prayer warriors, extended and immediate family rooting for you. You will be okay. Don't even think about it. Just think about how your wifey is gonna have a real hard time keeping up with you and beating the other ladies off you! Keep your chin up and don't worry.....It will go great! Cause you are our Bear! Smoochies Arlies

Barry, you'll be fine! Telling you to quit worrying is useless, but worrying is useless also! You are going to be fine! I even taught my husband how to write a check before my surgery, and quickly found it wasn't necessary. I'm so excited for you! Please have someone update us often and let us know how you are doing! Susan

I will be the same way. I am so excited and scared. I just won't believe it---like Arlies said until I wake up and they say it is over. I believe you will do fine. I will make a special prayer request for you tomorrow. our ladies at church are awesome prayer warriors---I know because they have seen me through some really tough times. I will be here for you--always feel free to write. Tell your wife hello. Jane

Hi Barry I gotta agree with Arlies, I , too, didnt believe it till it was over. First having been denied, then being overjoyed that I was having surgery a year later and then reality didn't kick in till I actually woke up afterwards. The What-If's were totally blocked out in my mind, I had prepared myself and told my family if anything happens, I'd accept the surgery outcome, no matter what turns out, because this was my last resort. With having made peace with myself, I went to surgery , thinking " good luck Andie, see you on the other side" ---- and when I woke up, said " Thank You, God, for another chance !!!! " Put your choice in his hands, you'll be okay. If there's any advice I can give you, it's stay cool, get things in order, buy a few things you will need post-op, such as broth and sugar free jello and don't worry about stocking up on those too much though, you'll have plenty of time later to get out the house and walk around the store to get a few items here and there. Have your home set up for your post-op care. If you have stairs, you may not be able to go up to the bedroom, you may want to invest in a rental of a recliner for a month or so, sometimes it may be hard to get up from laying down and personally I slept in the recliner for three weeks before being able to lay down and sleep in bed again. Not sure if you're going with laparoscopic surgery or open RNY, if it's open, try to invest in a good quality binder, it will be SO helpful. Made me feel like my guts were falling out, when I didnt wear it, so aggrevating as it was, at least I felt "secure" and it was easier to get around while wearing it. I know you're all nerves right now, but please come post if you have any more concerns. We're all here for ya to help okay? Good luck and God Bless! Andie

Thank you all for all the support and prayers it means alot to me. My wife should be posting on here either wed or so she is going to stay at hosp with me mon and maybe tues night. I am still nervous but like you all said I have to lay it in the lords hands and ask him to see me through. Thanks again for all the love and thoughts

Hey Big Guy (you know I won't be able to say that much longer!)...I haven't been there yet, but I think I know how you feel...but we are going to do fine. We have to put our trust in God right now...He wouldn't have brought us this far if He was going to let us down. And believe me I know He never lets his children down. Hang in there 1 more day. Call me if you need to and we'll talk. cell - 594-5091 I'm not sure if we are supposed to be able to give each other phone numbers or not, but I can always plead ignorance. Take care. See you Monday....early June

Hiya Barry, I know exactly what you are feeling. My thoughts before surgery were driving me nuts. I couldnt sleep. Thoughts were racing through my mind so fast that I couldn't even focus on any certain one. It was Fear, Anxiety, Excitment, Happy, all that stuff.. going around & around in my mind. The night before I didnt sleep at all. I stayed up all nite.. drove myself to the hosp. And was still having second thoughts when I found out about the ventalator. Scared me to death. But of course it's a precaution thing. I wanted to go home right before they rolled me into the surgery room. My DH said NOWAY, I have heard nothing but I want surgery, I want surgery..etc etc etc for 6 months and you are not leaving here without having surgery.. I said all that to say this. You will do fine. You have chose a Super Great Surgeon! And with God guiding his hands and the hands of his staff, you are going to have a very good outcome. I pray that you have a speedy recovery and that you are back on the boards in no time. I am praying for you. Take Care, Jo

Hey Barry, man this is IT!!! I'm at one week and luvin it, well likin it a whole lot. There really is no way to prepare mentally for the surgery, but I agree with everyone else here. You have to make peace with yourself - whatever God's Will is will be done - and then walk away. Enjoy the time with your family, and then suit up and go for it. Going into surgery, you kink of get lost in the shuffle of things. Someone is starting an IV on one side, someone is giving you medicine on the other, someone is sneaking up the middle with a razor for your tummy - just relax and let the process happen. There are a zillion people all doing exactly what thay are supposed to be doing to make sure YOU have the greatest, smoothest surgery in the history of RNY. When you wake up (from my experience at least), the first hour will just be wierd as the anestesia wears off. If you wear a C-PAP at home, make sure you take this with you as they will likely put it on you in recovery - before you even go back to your room. You are going to have lots of stuff hooked up to you, so it is a little difficult to move around much (Foley, O2 sensor, IV, C-PAP, etc), so just hang low and let the fog pass. As the fog passes, you will know that a football team has been in your guts, so move around in little movements and use the PCA pump (Patient Controlled Analgesia). give yourself a little pop when you need it. It is locked out so that you cannot hurt yourself. Let yourself sleep as often as you can. I can tell you, the first two days were the most difficult for me. The balance was between nausea and the pain. If it makes you feel better, the nausea that I suffered from the Morphine PCA (I don't tolerate Morphine) was bad enough that I did not use any pain medication after very early in Day Two. Day two starts pretty intense, and QUICKLY starts getting better. As soon as they get the Foley out, start getting up, sooner if you can! The earlier you start getting up, the sooner the soreness starts dissapating. Even if you get out of the bed and sit on the edge of the chair/couch for 5-10 minutes and get back in bed. Do what you feel like you can do. By the beginning of day three (discharge day for me) my wife and I were sitting together on the couch watching DVD's on the computer. As I said, starting from day two, every day is 100% better. I just kept reminding myself not to get lost looking at right now. I made a decision for a lifetime, and I stayed focused on the lifetime to come. Know the first two days are only a blur. Some things to take, one good wife (supporter), chapstick (thanks Kristi), and something to occupy yourself - cards, magazine, book, something to help you not get lost dwelling on the here and now. I hope this helps - it's a pretty realistic look at post-op, but I think that is what you need. I started to send this to you directly, but thought that everyone else may like to read it also. It may have been different for some, but this was still fresh for me. Knowing what I know now, and it still being fresh in my memory, I would do it again TOMORROW!! The prayer worriors are out in force, so relax. We will pull this thing off as a family! The (Looser) Psycho Doc