Centennial Hospital

So, my procedure is the gastric bypass (laporascopic), the date is set for Feb 26th, and I just had some random questions...about the hospital and the recovery there. #1) My husband wants to stay overnight w/ me in the hospital...does the hospital allow this? If so, do they provide a cot for him, or is it the typical "fold out chair"?? I want to be sure he is comfortable, and I know he won't go home if he has a choice, but I would like to know what to expect for him. #2) For anyone who has had a lap gb, did you have the drain tubes? If so, how long did they stay in? Did you go home w/ them? Also, w/ same said procedure, did anyone have a central line put in their neck? #3) I hear nice things about the hospital, but is it really any different than Summit or Vanderbilt or Baptist, or is the "wow factor" in something else they do for patients on the bariatric program? Just wanting to get a feel.... That is all I can think of for now, but I will most likely be asking more questions until my new birthday!! Thanks everyone, Amanda

Hi Amanda, My hospital experience is in my profile. It was certainly an experience since I never really had any major surgery before hand. But to answer your questions.... 1. My husband stayed the first night with me. There is the fold out chair which was pretty uncomfortable for him. Which is why he only stayed the first night lol I completely understood and he was there bright and early for me the following mornings. During the procedure, my surgeon, kept my family informed periodically. It was a great relief for my husband. Hopefully, your surgeon will do the same. My husband brought a portable DVD player during the wait which seemed to help keep his mind off things and to fight off the boredom. 2. I didn't have any drain tubes... though every surgeon is different. I think Drs. Dyer and Olsen require the drain tubes - though I'm not 100% sure. You might want to call the office just to check. Centennial requires the central line - they were pretty adamant about it but they don't do it until you're about to go into surgery and they'll give you a sedative so you don't feel a thing. This was the worst part in my opinion lol 3. The hospital is your pretty standard hospital. The nurses who took care of me were pretty nice and very caring. I chose the bariatric program with Centennial because of everything that was offered (psychological counseling, exercise physiologist, nutritionist, etc.). I think they really care about seeing the patients succeed and that is what matters to me. I detailed my experience in my profile. The months, weeks, and days prior to surgery all I did is read profiles and pick at everyones brain. If you have any questions .. just send me a message April

Hey April, Thanks for the info...I read your story, and I saw where they took your IV out, but was unclear on when they took out the central line...I'm dreading this part, even though I handle needles very well! In fact, I'm scheduled for a lumbar puncture on Tuesday, and I am not as nervous about that as I am the central line!! I'm sure I'll have more questions very soon...Thank you for being so helpful!! Amanda

Yeah, I dreaded the whole needle in the neck thing worse than the actual surgery. They took out the central line when my doc gave me the ok to go home - the very last day around 1:30 p.m. When they pulled it out, it was the grossest feeling. It's a long narrow flexible type tube (the size of an uncooked spaghetti noodle) that went into the carotid (I think) artery. It felt so good having that thing out of my neck. Good luck with the lumbar puncture - never had one, but sounds painful! april

Call and check and see if you get drainage tubes and how long they stay in ,also ask about a chatherater and how long it stays in I do know you get an IV in your neck do not know for how long.but all these things should be discussed directly with your surgeon ..also ask about accomodations for overnites for your hubby Get all your ducks in order ..so to speak good luck

Hey Amamnda it is laura from the Yahho board . The doc diff on the drain tube thing Dr Dyer puts in 2 most times for the lap RNY you will wear one home for atleast a week ohh happy happy jy joy but it all will be a memory soon . They cover most everthing with you at your pro op apoint ment but make a list just in case . TTYS Laura

Amanda, I was so dreading the central IV...I was worried and bugged everyone about it...just ask Susan or Paula, lol, but it turned out to be fine. I don't remember it going in but I appreciated it. After surgery, they take out the other IV and only use the central line so you don't get sore, they don't have to move it around and poke you more, it was very nice. When they took it out the day I went home, I have to say it was not bad at all. It was a slightly weird feeling but no pain and once it was out it was over. I just had surgery on Dec. 11 and the line came out on the 16th...I had open RnY so I was in a little longer than you will be...it took a couple of weeks for the hole to heal but now you can't see anything. The worse part for me was cutting the little stitches they put in to hold it in...after that it was fine. My hubby stayed two nights, and two friends split the rest of the nights...I was in rough shape due to the complications of my surgery (from a previous surgery, don't worry, very rare!), so they all wanted to make sure someone was with me all the time. As for the wow factor, most of my nurses were great, there was one in particular who was horrible and you can read my review of the hospital for more info. The hospital was fine for the most part except when it came to transporters. I waited forever and was actually left alone in a hallway for a few hours due to no transporters being available. The day I left, we waited for 3 hours for a wheelchair and a transporter before I insisted on walking out myself...and I did! That was my only major complaint. Otherwise, they were great. I met some awesome nurses *****ally care and people from the clinic kept coming to see me and made me feel that they genuinely care about us! Good luck with everything...you will do great and you should have no problems!

Dr Dyer did my surgery 11/29 and the I.V. was not an issue in or out. I had to stay aware of where it was, but not an issue at all. It did leave a "smiley" on my neck that is about 70% gone by now and should fade on out. I had a drain in (one) for one week and yes, they are aggravating but not painful. I dreaded having it out, but it was painless. The maintenance of the main incision was the "odd" thing for me. It did hang on my shirt and I turned on it a few times but it was not that big of a deal. I was lucky, I did not hit the morphine button any and never took any pain pills. My tolerance is not super high either and the worst for me was the catheter... THAT I could have done WITHOUT! Centennial was great overall also. They know what the needs are and the nurses took good care of me. I had no one there at night as we have 3 smaller kids and my wife headed home by 4pm. One of my nurses was a hoot, very young (to me) and just enough personality to challenge me. I enjoyed being there but hey, I was definitely ready to go home! I think the Dr and the hospital were the best. I would not have a second though in going through it again considering I am down to 254 from 328 and over half-way home and only 6 weeks out. (I did lose 25 lbs befroe surgery) but it is PEELING off and I have had no issues except the first few meals I ate too fast and got a little choked up and had to suffer through that... but WELL WORTH IT! In His Service! Troy