Home from the Hospital!!!

 Hee hee, Terri made a point of saying GOOD BYE! as I headed toward the elevators that night.  I think she was worried I was down there to bother her again with something annoying, like work.  So she was very relieved to get rid of me.

Terri plots quietly, waiting for the patient to fall asleep so that she can go unplug the call button and assure herself a nice 3 hour nap at the nurses station without interference from those pesky patients.

So have you tried the crushed pills in SF chocolate sauce yet?

I'm tempted to try it, but will probably wait until after my surgery so I don't have to sit here for 17 days realizing how awful crushed pills taste.  I'll just live in ignorant bliss until then.  Like not drinking protein powders now.  They taste grainy?  They make you gag?  Really? La la la la la!  I love my happy dream world, la la la!

Can I go home?  I really want to clean out/purge my fridge and pantry.  Is this like nesting before giving birth?  Or just my OCD kicking in to overdrive? 

Ha--okay STOP reading my posts....I am too honest....just tell it like it is-girl and, maybe you don't need to hear all of this.  I am sure, like giving birth, I will forget all of this so just plug those cute little ears of yours and ignore Micheala!!!

Yes, WLS nesting...awww....getting the nursery----I mean, pantry---ready for your lil' yummy, wonderful, great protein drinks...oh, did I mention they are so sweet and yummy & I just can't get enough?

 Cue Song:  "Lies, Lies, Lies, Get Out"

YES, get your pantry ready---get rid of all those yucky carbs--no more of that (yummy) crap......just get rid of it

 Scene from Brokeback Oreo Mountain: No, no, don't go....please, I love you Oreos...don't go.....You Can't Quit Me, damnit.

Go back to your happy pre-WLS dream world.....sleep, Denise, sleep.......listen to my voice and watch the pendulum swing back & forth........repeat, I can't wait for my surgery, I am strong, I am woman, hear me roar (or squeek...eeeks)...I can do this...I will do this.....(just have one more Oreo while you can!).

xo, M.

I am so glad to hear that you are home and doing well. Those 2-3 days in the hospital are the worst. I remember thinking - what have I done? And although it doesn't seem like it, the gas will pass and honestly walking is truly the best way to get through it. The more you move the more it can release.  Enjoy your puree - as that too will pass eventually....

Welcome to the losers bench!
Stacey

Yes...e'thing was going so well the day of surgery, but then...yuk.  No good.....I am walking away the gas and sippin' the protein...I'm on my way!!! Thanks Stacey...I sure like the looser's bench...it is very comfortable!  Nice view! xo, M.

Well congratulations on everything and we are all proud you made it through... I think I am thinking what everyone else is thinking... The bariatric program at centennial is world class. Every single person I have dealt with including receptionists, doctors, Pam Davis and Kathy, the best ever in making you feel educated and great but the nurses on floor 3 made me feel and apparently micheala feel as substandard humans. I know that i would recommend anyone to centennial to have surgery but as far as post surgery care from the nurses I would say something needs to be looked into. I know a nurse came in after my surgery when i was having severe back pains (my surgery lasted 12 hours) and as u know that long on your back when you havent slept flat on your back in 8 or 9 years... well, you can see I had severe back pain and a nurse came in and told me I basically needed to get over it or tell her what the "real" problem was. I got so mad I started to cry, i swear I could have ripped those inflatable leg thingies off and walked the hell out of there and I am so sorry to hear that someone else was a victim to floor 3.

Hey Justin---thanks on the congrats.  You are right...The Centennial Center For The Treatment of Obesity is world class & I will continue to rec-o-mend it to others.  Pam Davis, Eloise---all of them--top notch!  And I am so sorry you had to go through that.  I feel horrible for you. It is a precarious position to be in to have to depend so strongly on someone and then feel like they don't really have your best interest at heart.

I had heard that the 3rd floor was this incredible place and that most of the nurses had gone through bariatric surgery (only one of mine, Ms. Pat, had), so I was expecting more of a level of understanding.  I am typically very understanding of medical staff--I know that they are busy and under pressure, but after a nurse change or two I started to feel like I was really trying to like nurses who weren't really that likable. 

The nurse who took me from the recovery room to my 3d floor room was a doll...I was very out of it, but she was very funny & nice & told me all about the vacation she was getting ready to go on.  In my fog, I even think we talked about bikinis! She was really fun. 

My first nurse was Greta, I believe.  Then I had Terri.  Then Julie. And then Greta/Terri again and, at check out Pat (who I would hug a million times and want to move into my home if she needed to---Ms. Pat was WONDERFUL and I really left Centennial with a smile on my face because of her).

I believe on day two a lady came in who was asking me about the care that I had received.  At that point, I was positive about e'thing, except that when I pressed the nurses button (which I didn't do frequently) whomever answered seemed annoyed.  I would say, "Can you send my nurse in?" and the response would be "What is it? What do you need?" and the tone was that she was bothered.  A few times I wanted or needed ice chips and really hesitated to push the button because I felt like I was bothering them.  I guess by the end of Wednesday I felt like the nurses were tolerable, but didn't find them to be incredibly understanding or empathetic.  My husband even made a comment about why they worked on that floor with bariatric patients if they weren't more empathetic.  So, that was strange, but the care was good so I let it slide.

Plus, when Pam Davis popped in (and eventually Eloise) it brought a smile to my face, because they are really caring & so professional in their approach! 

Then on Wednesday night when the transient stroke event happened, and since then w/the neuro consult, I am pretty turned off by the fact that I told them the migraine was coming on at just after 6pm and it was over three hours before I had a imitrex shot. I could have driven to Franklin and back & brought one from home in that amount of time, but I trusted that they would protect me from the migraine going too far. It was unfortunate that I had to tell them that Imitrex was a "rescue" med & that I needed it at the onset of the migraine for it to be most effective.  Terri (and Greta) were apparently in the middle of the "shift change" and I felt really blown off about the whole thing. I started to get really scared b/c I was telling them that things felt really wrong & were getting really bad & they just kept leaving & saying they needed to call the "rapid response nurse".  I then got really concerned---"why weren't my nurses able to handle this?"  I just wanted someone to go to the pharmacy and stand there until an Imitrex injection was in there hand and then bring it to me. I would have liked to see them be more proactive and I am sure, now, that if the migraine wouldn't have been allowed to go that far without intervention I would not have had the transient stroke. So, that's a shame and I'm really disappointed about it.

There were other things like there was a pill I needed to take. I had asked Terri about it and then for a pill crusher. She brought it eventually and crushed it and handed it to me.  I asked her how I should take it and she said, "Most just sprinkle it on the back of their tongue or chew it a little".  Okay...this type of pill is the most disgusting thing I can imagine ever chewing.  It made me want to vomit & I couldn't believe that was the advice I was given.  These nurses work with bariatric patients and, dang it, they should absolutely have options for hiding crushed pills in things that will mask that horrible taste.  I mean, I did just have STOMACH surgery and am feeling a little sick anyway.  That seemed inappropriate to me.  A couple of the other bariatric patients who I made friends with on the floor were having the same types of concerns with the nurses.  So, I hope Centennial fixes that, because other than that, it's a wonderful program.

On discharge day Ms. Pat was my nurse and she was a doll....I left Centennial with a great taste in my mouth (sucking on a cherry popsicle and no crushed pills).

I'm happy to be home with my hubby taking care of me. He's doing a great job and I am much happier.  I feel like I am getting stronger every minute! xo, M.

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention, rest assured they will be addressed. We are always looking for opportunities for improvement. 
 

Thanks, Pam...as always, you are on the front lines of perfection at Centennial!  xo, Micheala.

Micheala - I am so glad you are home from the hospital and doing well after surgery.   I had Julie as my night nurse (if this is the same Julie you had) and she was good.   I really had no issues with the nursing staff except on Friday when I had all new nurses who did not know my likes/dislikes.   I had Marti as my day nurse and she was awesome, well enough about me let's get back to you.    Take everyday one at a time and you will be amazed at how quickly you will feel normal again.    

If you need anything please let me know.  

PS - Did you wear any green on surgery day or did you wake up with lots of pinch marks? 

lol..YUP, I greened-out for surgery--of course, going into surgery I just had one little bit of green on and they taped that, a ring, to my finger.  So, no pinch marks that I can see!!!

Yes, Julie was a doll. I really thought she was sweet as she could be.  I told her Iloved her name (since we have a bunch of Julies, Juliannes, Julias, etc. in our family) and she was very nice.  I didn't have Marti---I'm glad yo liked her.  I am taking things one day at a time--slow & steady, right?!?! 

Thaks again!! xo, M.