Brandy H.

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So today is my one month surgiversary!!  I've been doing very well and haven't had any trouble with dumping syndrome or anything like that.  I can say that I am tired of drinking protein shakes, but I do my best to drink both of them each day.  As of today, I have lost 33 lbs and I am so excited.  Everyone says that they can tell in my face, but I really don't see the difference yet.  Well, off to do my homework. 

So I finally did it!! I was so nervous going into it, but after getting to pre-op, I knew there was no going back.  I got to the hospital really early Monday morning (about 510 am) and went back to the pre-op area shortly after.  They set up my IV and gave me a few shots to calm my nerves (which was nice) and let my family come in to see me before I headed to the OR. Once I got into the OR, there was a really nice lady named Jamie that held my hand and talked to me until I went to sleep.  Next thing I knew, I woke up in the recovery room and I was in so much pain!!  The nurse in the room told me that I had a medicine pump, but I was so out of it, I couldn't figure out where it was.  So I went about three hours without any pain medication.  I kept waking up and dozing off in the recovery room and it felt like no time before I ended up in my post-op room (but it was actually about 2 hours).  While I was hanging out in the OR and the recovery area, my mom and dad met a lady in the waiting room that had Gastric Bypass back in 2005; she was there with her daughter (Donna), who was having RNY the same day as me!  The only difference is that her surgery was open and mine was laproscopic, so it took a little bit longer.  Anyhow, I ended up in a shared room with another lady (who had pancreatitis, not bariatric surgery) and it was so hot in there! I was sweating so bad and come to find out, the air conditioner was off! I was so miserable!!  The first night day wasn't so terrible because I was on medication pretty much the whole day, so I got to sleep a lot!  The day after surgery was pretty good. I got to move into my own room, which was so spacious.  I napped a few times in and out of the day, but only used my pain pump every once in a while.  The second night however, was not so good. The nurses were so confused because I had changed rooms, they kept writing my vital signs down for the wrong person and a nurse's aide even brought me a steak and potato dinner.  I said....um I don't even start liquids until tomorrow!  She laughed and took it out of my room.  My mom and dad were so mad about that, because who knows what they should or should not have brought to me.  My nurse didn't even come in once during his shfit.  What a weiner.  

Well, here I am , two full days post op and I am home.  It feels great to be in the comfort of my own house.  I was really scared to leave the hospital because I didn't want anything to be wrong with me, but I knew I had to take the chance.  I'm feeling really good, just extremely tired.  Going to sleep soon and I will post in a few more days.

So today I had all of my pre-testing done.  It was really easy, but I had to walk all over the hospital. I guess that is okay because at least I got some exercise.  My pre-testing was so simple. I went in and met with the dietician, who was super nice, and my appointment with her was over by 11:05 a.m. Well, I wasn't scheduled for my pre-testing with admissions until 2pm, so I headed to the library and worked on my homework. Which was nice to get it done during the middle of the day instead of late at night. Anyhow, I finished with that and at about 12:30 I walked over to admissions to go ahead and check in.  Well, they got the ball rolling and I didn't have to wait long at all.  I was finished with my pre-testing and even got to meet with Dr. Gibbs early.  He really helped me overcome my fears and I am confident that he is the right surgeon for me.  All in all, today was a good day. Dr. Gibbs told me that my procedure would be done laproscopically and that really made me feel good.  I'm still hoping everything goes well. Will update later.

I have been a member of OH since January 2008 and I still can't figure out how to get a profile picture!  Anyhow, my RNY procedure is scheduled for April 7th, 2008 and everything has happened so quickly.  My dad called me back in early February to tell me that Tricare has started authorizing the Lap Band procedure and I immediately jumped on the ball.  I called my doctor and my referral was approved the very next day.  I then called Tina from Dr. Gibbs office and she scheduled my seminar for February 28th.  I went in and listened to everything Dr. Gibbs had to say and decided to change my mind and go with the RNY procedure.  I know that I have so much weight to lose and the Lap Band doesn't provide the same results as RNY.  I really feel that the Lap Band is a GREAT procedure, but for me, I have chosen the Gastric Bypass. Am I scared to death? Absolutely.  But I know that if I can make it through this, I can make it through anything.  I am confident that I have made the right decision and I can't wait to start my new life.