Something I never realized...till this week

A friend of mine at church went missing.  I mean MIA.  I hadn't seen her in weeks, it was strange.  Her daughter was sitting with us at church and I asked about her mom "oh she is in the hospital." Me - What for? Her - "oh some complication with surgery."  The teenager didn't know much more than that.  I found out Sunday why. 

She had the Gastric Bypass surgery and ended up in ICU with double pneumonia, and in a coma. UGH! If only I had knew.  I felt so bad.  She was in a wheel chair Sunday and I asked what happened (learning all the above).  I bent down to her, and said my dear, I had the surgery Jan 13th of the this year, I know part of what you are going thru. Tears filled her eyes, and I left her with my number to call. She called me later that evening and we spent over an hour on the phone.  All the time I am walking thru my kitchen, making her a goody bag.

I was shocked that her Dr. didn't really go thru everything with her.  She was not on enough protein (maybe getting 10g per day - maybe!).  I felt so bad for her.  I printed of information from this website, stuff my dietitian had given me, and other articles.  I went to her house with my goody bag of protein in tow.  I pulled out her new "Bible" and said you will get 20g of protein in per day by the end of the week.  Short of going to her house and sitting with her to develop of schedule (which has crossed my mind! And still might happen tomorrow.) I tried to give her everything I have learned.  I think it is overwhelming to her because it is a ton of information.  I had so much time to "learn" the basics, and I was throwing it at her in one hour.

So please pray for my friend.  That she heals quickly, and that she gets to 80g of protein a day.  She needs it to heal (we all know that!)

To what I didn't realize - just how some doctors do the surgery and leave you high and dry.  They don't have a nutritionist go through everything, step by step with you and guide you down this journey.  How I am thankful to everyone on this board (especially Jill P!) - the insight I received before my journey, the start of my surgery and now down this path has been what I needed (and what my friend desperately needs).  Without the support of everyone I don't know where I would be.  Knowing that there are people here that have been thru *exactly* what I have, is comforting.  Knowing that I can come and say "I HATE........." or "I need......" - and someone will understand and give words of encouragement with a swift kick gives me strength.  I am also thankful I choose a doctor that hasn't left me high and dry.  They have given me the resources and tools to succeed, and I am a success! But most of all the Texas Board has given me more resources, tools, and words of encouragement, that I would not have gotten this far without any of you, and to that, I am SO VERY THANKFUL! 

Ok thanks for letting me rant today.  I needed to get it off my chest.  I might be taking a vacation day tomorrow to go sit with my friend and get her on a schedule.  I think she needs it. 

I am so sorry for your friend, and you are being such an angel to step in and help.  How far out from surgery is she?  If she doesn't know about protein, she probably isn't getting her vitamins in, either.

I completely forgot to mention those! NO she isn't. (She is technically 6 weeks out)  I took her the Bariatric Advantage Multi-Vitamin (I take a liquid vitamin, can't stomach chewing those things).  Told her to start taking them! I also took her calcium.  I know she needs the others, but I didn't have them.  Shoot if I can get her to take just these, it would be an improvement.

One of the biggest things she is doing is not separating her water from her meals.  She was drinking watermelon shakes (with NO protein and WATERMELON! HELLO diuretic (sp?)) and then drinking right after, and trying to figure out why she felt so bad.  It just breaks my heart.  We went over that last night. 

Some nurse told her that if she throws up she will end up in the hospital again.  (Whoever that was I want to smack.) This nurse has her so afraid to "eat" because if she throws up she goes back to the hospital. 


So getting her over this "fear" has been something she is working on.  I really think if I can get there tomorrow and go through a routine with her for a day, that it would make a world of difference.  Explaining it over the phone is hard to "get". 

Doctors and nurses like that need to be shot! So sorry about your friend, thank goodness she has you. I have had almost a year to learn all this stuff, I just can.t imagine trying to absorb it all so quickly. You truly are an angel!

Ugh, Trish sorry your friend is going through this, it's absurd that some surgeons handle their business in this manner.....IMO this is ONE that needs to be booted away from WLS, s/he is ONLY in it for the money, not the patients health.  I know we each need to be diligent and learn but WE DO need our surgeons to be well informed also.

Praying for your friend, please have her come to the board for support if she can.  You can even give her my info if she wants to contact me directly.  I'll send you my email in a PM.

So sorry about your friend. Glad you are there to help her. Prayers that she continues to improve. Hopefully she can find a PCP that has knowledge of WLS surgery.

Hugs,

Lynnette

Trish by standards when and where I had my surgery my surgoen was a "good one" who gave lots of information - compared to what I have learned here and though my own reseach and others research  I knew very very little- most of us sadly are peer educated, gee isn't that what we try to avoid our kids doing?

I am grateful for this board and the people on it who have taught me so much and I am so grateful you are taking the time to teach and share with your friend

my wls angel taught me lots of things many of which I still do today but one of the best things she taught me was to enjoy food - crazy when you relize I spent the first year puking my guts up daily (tell your friend some of us puke and some don't and NO we don't get readmitted for it) but after yrs of buying what was cheap so I could eat more of it I discovered that buying expensive cheese when you only eat it one or even half an oz at the time is pretty cool as is discovering better cuts of meat and high quality dark chocolate

anyhow you are doing something that can litereally save her life in time - and that is awsome - and yes her doc sucks!! she might consider filing a complaint agianst him

You are indeed a hero. Thank God you can teach her what she needs.