Shrinkythinks

Like SpaceDust said I would definitely get in touch with the doctor in the morning, if you're getting too dehydrated you might have to go to the hospital for some iv fluids and anti-nausea medication to help you keep fluids down when you leave. I had a few bouts of nausea after surgery and a full blown stomach bug and my two favorite things for those times were a dose of dramamine (or the patch, both work great) and sipping on some room temp gatoraide. Water always makes me more nauseated when I'm feeling sick and the gatoraide seems to settle the stomach a bit. My doc ok'd the dramamine but if your doc has an after hours nurse you might want to check it just to make sure. Peppermint tea is also a good stomach soother if you have any of that in the house. Hope you can find some relief soon Sending lots of good stomach soothing thoughts your way!

I would at the least add in a good multi vitamin and take that in the mornings. With the small amounts we eat it can be hard to make sure we're getting in all the proper nutrients we need. I'm using the centrum gummies since multi vitamins can get a bit large and hard to swallow so I stick to the chewables.

I had blood pressure issues before surgery. After surgery and 30 pounds down and it was finally in a good range. I took nyquil and about 10 minutes later I had a blood pressure spike. My pressure jumped up but my heart rate dropped. Turns out after surgery I'm allergic to the decongestant in nyquil. Never thought about it since before surgery I never had a problem. If you do take the nyquil (and my doctor approved it for me) just keep an eye on how you're feeling. I've discovered that since surgery meds hit me differently so when I take something now I keep an eye out for new reactions. Just putting it out there for those taking meds again for the first time. It's something I never thought of. Hope you're feeling better soon!

I had surgery with Dr. Garcia on Feb 19th and the coordinators were there with me from the minute I got to the hotel and were there every step of the way. I went through ready 4achange and Rosie and Melissa were always in reach and just a few minutes away if I needed them. The morning of surgery we went to the hospital at 10am and started filling out paperwork, they were so ready for me that before we'd even finished the nurse came down to draw my blood work so it could be sent off to be analyzed. My husband finished paperwork while I sat with the nurse to have my blood drawn. We were moved to our room and within 2 hours were in to surgery. I never saw anyone before surgery in the OR room. After the leak test I never had green urine but it does make sense that it could happen. It's like drinking too much blue koolaid aid lol When we got back to the hotel we had a nights rest and the next morning saw Dr. Luna and Rosie again. They answered any questions and checked my incisions. I didn't go shopping, I was there to have surgery and rest/recover so hadn't planned on shopping so can't say anything about that. On the departure day Samuel was delayed but that was due to a very large Mary Kay convention at the hotel so things were a bit crazy. I know everyone's experience will be different but mine was pretty smooth sailing. I just wanted to post to help set some people's minds at ease that of course things can go wrong in any hospital anywhere in the world but things can also go right.

Thank you for posting! So glad things have been going well and you've reached your goal! I'm only a little bit out from surgery and knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel is a great thing. I'm struggling to make sure I get all my liquid and can't seem to get enough Protein in this full liquid stage lol can't wait to progress to the others. I can definitely agree Fletcherette! Maybe soon I won't have to freeze my poor guy out of the room each night just to get a comfortable night's sleep lol

It was enoxaparin (more commonly known here as lovenox) Hope it's ok to post links, just wanted you to be able to easily find some info on it: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DR600617

I think the fact that we are over weight (can be hard to feel for a good place to stick) and combine that with being dehydrated a bit due to not being able to drink fluids before surgery leads to the difficulty with drawing blood and placing iv's. So thankful they can do it while under for those of us that have shy veins! lol

Dr. Garcia does give compression stockings but not the SCD's. They do try to get you up and walking asap and I was also given a shot in my stomach each day to prevent clots. I had high bloodpressure problems so was not able to be up walking as much so I had the shots, walked when I could and when laying down made sure to keep my legs moving.

So glad you are doing ok! Welcome to the other side! The phone in our room at the Mariott was weird, lines kept getting crossed and we had it ring quite a bit but no one was there. They had someone up to fix it in a hurry so just let them know and hopefully they can straighten it out quick for you.

I would recommend pj's or sweats, 2 piece because they often come in to check your incisions and drain and it's much nicer to just pull up your shirt then having to hike your nightshirt up all the way. For me I wore the hospital gowns in the hospital but pulled on an oversized pair of sweatpants when I wanted to walk the halls. Didn't want to worry about the booty hanging out lol I just pushed the front down under my belly so it didn't rub on anything. They also had big pockets which were great for putting the drain in when walking. Whatever you bring I definitely recommend pockets for that reason. Since I had another 2 nights in the hotel after leaving the hospital I just lived in a comfy t-shirt and those big sweatpants. I had a hard time finding a good pair in the womens section so I just hit the mens section and found a great drawstring pair plenty big enough to give me comfort room while the belly was healing. I packed that set of clothes and something nice to wear just in case we wanted to go anywhere or go down and eat in the hotel.

You guys are in my prayers! Won't say good luck because once you get there you will be in great hands safe travels and can't wait to hear some updates!

I'm feeling exactly the same triciavr77! I want to get all my things lined up and ready. My husband keeps telling me to just relax it'll all be fine and I'm trying to get my paperwork and items in order well ahead of time so I CAN relax. Stress, spazz, stress some more lol This has been years of wait to get to this point I just want things to go smoothly. It feels almost like "nesting" when you're pregnant, have to have everything ready for the baby's arrival lol I guess I can just say that I'm bringing a new life home from the hospital. A whole new me. This is the year, we're busting out of this crowded fishbowl and living again! I wish you all the best of luck on your journey

There are alot of costs to the surgery and sometimes it's hard to look at them all but then again I have to remind myself that if I don't do anything how much will healthcare cost me down the road. Thankfully there are ways to save a bit, like AmandaRae said consignment stores should save you a bit when you're dropping sizes. Splurge on one thing if you want to Celebrate a goal but save on the daily wardrobe until you get down to a steady size (or make your splurge item a new watch or earrings, etc to make the dollars go even farther since you won't grow out of those items.) There are lots of consignment stores and even clothing swaps that alot of local support groups do. Save on Vitamins by shopping around, coupons can definitely help here (some doctors try to get you to stick to their brand protien shakes, vitamins, etc but I'd rather compare ingredients to the doctors favorite brand and shop around) Don't be afraid to contact the manufacturers to try new products and find coupons to save. Also I just want to throw out there that for me I'm spending a bit on a medical alert bracelet for post-op. The dangers of a blind ng tube are too scary not too. In an emergency situation it's a good thing to have and would just put my mind at ease. Thanks for keeping our eyes open SoCalDixieGal

Same here, the tax delay kind of put a kink in the works Now I'm just kind of winging it and hoping returns come quickly so I can reschedule if needed.

Thank you for posting in such great detail! All those experiences really help put my mind at ease. Can't wait for the next update. Sending good thoughts your way, rest, recover and enjoy the whole new you

alma Orozco Alma@Ready4Achange.com 1-800-270-7120 ext. 3 1-877-270-7120 fax 1-210-745-1114 direct Hope that helps