Catgyrl68

Yes!! In fact, that's all I can do right now besides pee. I was told I may not be released from the hospital until I passed gas or had a BM. Well, the gas just wasn't happening, but I did have diarrhea. I was like a baby showing mommy her first poop! Showed the nurse and said, "Does that count?" LOL. I'm not even worried about it. There's no solid food in my system, so I can't expect anything solid to come out. Not doing too well in the passing gas, either, but I am burping quite a bit. I'll take anything I can get.

LOL! Me, too! I just walked in the door and had to pull out all of my "literature" to figure out what I'm supposed to eat/drink/take now. What I do know is this: my heating pad feels HEAVENLY on my back right now. That and... My toilet. :-)

I got my Heparin shots in the arm, too. Three so far, with one more to go!

Hey everybody! Sorry I couldn't post after surgery yesterday. I was in LA LA LAND! I'm with libra_lisa, my back hurts more than my tummy. I don't remember anything after arriving in the OR. Had some tummy spasms last night, but those have subsided. Probably wont be using the pain pump much today because it makes me so sleepy. Only had one small incidence of nausea, the first time I got up to pee, but nothing since. Burping more so than "tooting" LOL. No drainage from the wounds. I got up, combed my hair, brushed my teeth and now feel half human. Oh, and I've walked the whole LONG hallway twice around. Still having s bit if trouble with the spirometer, but am working on it. I think I'm healing very nicely. Our Bariatric director came in at 7:00 am to bring me a paper and see how I was doing. The staff here has been absolutely amazing. None of the shots or IVs hurt (a large feat for this needle-phobe). I'm just so happy right now!

Well, I will be in 2 hours. Bag and CPAP packed; house clean(ish); fridge stocked (mostly liquids). And I actually slept pretty well last night. Not so nervous yet, but I'm sure that will come when they try to start the IV. As I'm not allowed to drink anything this morning, I'll probably be a little dehydrated, which makes it hard to find veins. :-( Best wishes to my fellow surgie patients libra_lisa and Teresasturn!! Here's to minimal pain, marathon sessions around the hospital floor, and everything "staying down"!

Cool! I will reply as soon as I'm able. :-)

Well, I'm all set for my surgery tomorrow at 1:00 PM, and lo and behold... Aunt Flow decides to visit me 3 days early!! So gross! Has anyone had any experience with this when they had their surgery? I just cannot imagine laying there without anything to... uh... "sop up the mess" so to speak. LOL! I don't know why I'm so mortified by this. I'm positive my doctor has seen anything and everything by now.

Yes, thank you all so much for the advice! I'm glad I could provide a brief moment of levity. Hey, at least I won't have to worry about cramps, since I'll be on good drugs.

Prayers and best wishes to you tomorrow! I'll be dreaming of you as the "MJ Juice" runs through my veins, as well. LOL! WE CAN DO THIS!

Thank you! Hey, I don't care what kind of granny panties I have to wear, as long as they let me wear a pad. I've already packed extra underwear and pads.

Mine is on Friday, too! I'm SO ready for this, it's ridiculous! I have my bag all packed - 90% of it is PILLOW! I'm also wearing the same thing home as I'm wearing to the hospital: PJ pants and baggy t-shirt. Not even gonna bother with a bra, but the iPad and phone is a must! I must be able to communicate with you all and read words of encouragement while I'm there. Good luck to you, and see you "on the other side"!!

I just downloaded the app and added you! It will be a little while before I start walking, as my surgery is Friday, but I wanted to get set up beforehand!

I just got a call from my bariatric coordinator telling me that the doctor finished his report and she had just submitted it to my insurance company for approval. I should hear something within 2 weeks. AAAAAAHHHHHH!!! I wasn't ready for it to be this soon. I had thought they would need to wait for the sleep study results to come in next week, but she said that wouldn't really have any effect, except that insurance may ask for "additional information". At that time, they would submit the sleep study findings. But the report they submitted showed my BMI at 40.5, so I am hoping that things will just sail through based on that. I can now proceed with my bloodwork, which is normally done about 30 days prior to surgery. I plan to do it tomorrow because I will be in the area of the hospital anyway. Holy crap! This may actually happen in time for my 45th birthday (February 3rd)!!

Vicki - I heard back exactly a week after my paperwork was submitted. I go to preop on Thursday, and my surgery is set for 1/18!! So fricken excited, it's not even funny. My apartment is all clean, and fridge and cupboards emptied of "bad food". Thank goodness I start liquid diet on Friday.

Well, the past couple of weeks have been most eventful. I've had my sleep study; gotten the results (moderate obstructive sleep apnea - picked up my CPAP this afternoon); completed all my bloodwork, and... RECEIVED APPROVAL FROM MY INSURANCE COMPANY! My pre-op is scheduled for next Thursday, 1/10. The earliest I can have surgery is Friday, 1/18 (if he has openings). If not, it will be the following week. OMGOMGOMG! I cannot believe its happened this quickly. My first informational session was on 11/14, and from that day on, it's been non-stop appointments. My Bariatric Coordinator is simply an angel. She's worked so hard, and kept me informed every step of the way. I'm a wee bit scared now, but there's more excitement than fear. I'm going to call them tomorrow to set my date. I don't see any point in postponing it. My dad is ill, and I want to get this done so I can be around and healthy enough to take care of him for however much longer we have him.

I just got my lab results back, and for the most part everything is within the normal range. My white cells are slightly elevated (they have been most of my life), as well as a couple of other results. I did my research (at 2:00 a.m. - yes, I am a dork!), and found that possible iron deficiency anemia could be the cause of those results. Mind you, they're not outrageously elevated (within 2 points over the high end of normal). Other than that, everything else looks fine (glucose, kidneys, blood clotting, etc.) Do you think this is something major that may stall the process? I sure hope not. I just have one more test to do (the ever-so-fun stool sample to test for H. Pylori bacteria (cause of ulcers). I hope to get that done in the next few days.

Just got my date: Friday, January 18th at 1:00 pm!!

Well, I got my date: Friday, January 18, 2013 at 1:00 PM!!! Laverne1908 - Nope, all I have to do is a shake thing (2 shakes and a "sensible meal) beginning one week prior to surgery. I'm sure they'll try to make me purchase the Bariatric Advantage ones. They're supposed to last me for the pre-op week, plus one week post-op (at 3 shakes a day). kisersassy - My dad has lung cancer, and can barely get up and around anymore. My sister and I have to run all his errands and transport him to/from all of his appointments. My dad is the type who will fret over the smallest things. He also doesn't like change of any kind, so he just doesn't understand. It's okay. I have enough support around me to get me through this. My biggest hurdle was telling my lunch buddy, who eats nothing but crap. I was sure she was going to give me a hard time, but I just told her this morning, and she seems to be fine with it. I told her "Don't give me any grief when I can't eat the same stuff you do!" LOL!

Thank you so much, everyone! I hope to get my date by tomorrow afternoon. I'm trying to now get my surgery done as soon as they can get me in. No point in putting it off. I spent the weekend cleaning my apartment, including cleaning out my fridge and cupboards. I now have almost NO food - LOL! I went out shopping and bought just the basics I will need for the first couple of weeks (broth, crystal light, etc.) at pre-op on Thursday I will be picking up my Bariatric Advantage shake mix and Vitamins. Had a bit of an emotional afternoon. My dad is very worried about the surgery, and just does not understand why I am doing it. I tried explaining the procedure, and he's worried because its not reversible. Why would I want to reverse weight loss? As I started verbalizing what it's like to be obese, and the role that has played in my life (or lack thereof), I started getting very emotional. I guess I've never verbalized it to anyone before. I also tried to explain that I know of the complications; however, if I let any of life's difficulties stop me from doing what I have to do (like I have most of my life), I wouldn't get anywhere and would continue being miserable. Only after I'd told him that my coworker whose had the surgery done by the same surgeon is at work, looking and feeling wonderful, did he calm down a bit. I feel a bit selfish right now for causing him worry. He has enough things to worry about wi his wn health issues. But I feel if I don't do this now, I will never get the chance. Thank you for listening to my vent. :-)

Thank you, ladies! I'm going to make it a point to keep my protein up.

Me too!! Does that make us horribly vain? Well, if it does, SO BE IT! I'm more concerned about this than I am about getting in all my Protein, liquids, etc. Maybe because it's completely beyond our control??

Well, I completed what I believe to be the last step in my process prior to insurance approval: my sleep study. I had my sleep study last Friday. It was the worst night's sleep of my life. I am an extremely light sleeper, so I hear every little noise around me (which is why I usually have a fan running, so the "hum" of it will lull me to sleep). The bed was hard as a rock; the pillows were hard and "crunchy" (made noise whenever I moved); and let's not even get into all the crap glued to my face and body. I was told that if they detected any breathing issues, they would come in about 3-4 hours into the study and give me the CPAP. I figured since I never really got into deep sleep, and could feel myself breathing all the time, I wouldn't need it. WRONG! She came in with the full face mask at about 12:30 a.m. I failed to mention that I'm a wee bit claustrophobic, so had it not been for the fact that I was groggy and half asleep, I would've had a panic attack. But I was so tired, I let her put the mask on. She also came in again a couple of hours later to reattach one of the wires on my leg that had come loose. Anyway, the mask stayed on until 5:00 a.m., when I just couldn't take it anymore. She had the humidifier hooked up to it, and it was squirting Water all over the place, which caused me to wake up constantly. I called her in and told her about it, and she commented that I was never able to get back to sleep after she put the mask on (DUH!) I came home, washed the glue crap out of my hair, and had the best 3 hours of sleep in my life in my own bed, with my own pillows. :-) For those of you with sleep apnea, do you think I will be prescribed a mask? If so, I absolutely cannot have the full face mask. Sorry for the long post. Thank you for listening.

Thank you ladies! I will admit that my diet has never been very iron-rich for my whole life. I've had high WBC counts since I was 18 years old. Iron supplements have helped in the past, but have always made me constipated, so I stopped taking them. I know they will be a regular part of my life post-surgery, though. Crossing my fingers!

Thanks, everyone! It really must be fate for me to have this surgery. My dad had a last-minute chemo appointment today (we didn't know he would be going until this morning), and the first person I saw when I walked in was my bariatric coordinator! (my surgeon has an office next to the Infusion center). I had just completed my bloodwork a few hours before. I also saw the bariatric director, as well as the nurse who has been helping me. Only person I didn't see was the surgeon. LOL! Praying my bloodwork comes back okay.

Wow! Thank you all so much for your support and information. I just love this site. I just had the study done last week, and will get the results next Wednesday. So, I don't yet know which type of apnea I have. I have absolutely NO problem with wearing a CPAP mask. I would just like to get one that's comfortable and won't make me feel like Hannibal Lecter. LOL It's not even a vanity thing, either. I live alone and don't have a "honey" (though I'm always hoping that will change!), so I could care less what I look like when I'm sleeping. Strangely, as poorly as I slept during the study, I did feel different when I left. My congestion had cleared up, and my head felt a little clearer. I can only imagine how much better I will feel with a full night's sleep. :-)