Born in Missouri

@countryrae2001. I sent you a private message. Click the word balloons in the upper right corner of your profile page.

I showed up at the ER of the hospital where I received my bariatric surgery. I didn't hold back telling the ER staff about my experiences. They were all shocked and angry. They all insisted that I file a formal grievance. I don't take blood thinners or aspirin, etc. I just tend to bruise. Heavily. My surgeon is very experienced and the surgery was a success. The disaster had to do with not treating me as a chronic pain patient and a bariatric patient in unison. I brought PAIN with me to the hospital, just like I brought my coconut Chapstick. Focusing on the bariatric patient in me and neglecting the chronic pain patient who shared my body was the tragedy. It was also unforgivable that my belly was never examined by my doctor or the hospitalist before discharge. I literally went from the recovery room to my inpatient room and was discharged the next day without seeing my doctor or receiving a discharge exam by the hospitalist, by a nurse, NOBODY. Apparently, the hospitalist only dropped by to discuss my pain-management grievance. I had a drain with my gallbladder or knee replacement surgeries (I can't remember), but not with this one. I suspect that my surgeon uses a different method. Different is not always bad. Again, the surgery was a success... but to make sure that no one else has to go through what I did, I was encouraged by several nurses at the hospital to lodge a grievance. My only goal is to see that protocols are changed. I don't want some nurse getting in trouble. The hospitalist was obviously trying to save her own butt, and, I believe, wouldn't hesitate to try and throw some nurse under the bus.

I was mentioning to another new buddy (privately) that my bruising is extensive. My whole belly is black and blue, and a few other colors! An outline of South America is on the left, and Africa on the right. I think I see Barbados somewhere, too. I had no drain, so there was nothing to remove. My incisions are coated with a clear seal of some sort. They are each about one-inch long. They are tender but they do not hurt. I'm going to visit my primary care physician tomorrow to look at my incision sites since no one at the hospital bothered. My primary used to be an ER doctor, so she is fearless! My daughter got me the hydration/electrolyte tabs you suggested. Thank you MUCHLY.

I hadn't thought about a scale. Terrific idea.

Do you mean those mustard and relish containers used by restaurants? I'm confused.

Inspiring! Great! You look beautiful. You were beautiful before, too.

I haven't weighed myself once since I started my pre-op diet or even after my gastric bypass surgery four days ago.

Sorry to hear about your gastroparesis. What advice did your doctor give you to deal with this condition?

@BajanSleeve I think I've bonded to you like one parakeet to another. Every time I post, you reply. You have such a kind face, too. You live in Barbados? Kindly fill me in. How extensive was your bruising? Believe it or not, I was discharged without anyone looking at my surgery site. The doctor didn't even meet with me after my surgery the next day. I think they just wanted my self-advocate hiney out of there. The whole thing still seems surreal. I can live with a hospital stay that lacked compassion and customized pain management as long as the surgery was successful.

Doing better hydrating myself. It was just a matter of finding something that actually tasted good. That something is called WTRMLNWTR (Watermelon Water). It's 12 fl oz of clear, cold-pressed juiced watermelon with no water added or pulp. 550mg potassium, 95mg lycopene, 60% Vit C, 4% iron, 2% calcium, 4% Vit A, 8% magnesium, 1g protein. I found it in the refrigerator aisle at Target. A tad pricey. I also got some white grape juice and more bone broth.

I am so weak. Water, peach jell-O, out of broth. I can't think. I don't know what to do. I made a mistake about starting my protein too early, so that's out. Where am I supposed to get energy? I don't know what to do. I'm afraid of getting too weak to function. Help. How do I fix this?

The positive vibes on this forum are contagious.

@BajanSleeve You asked about my insurance coverage. I refer to most of my insurance company's pre-surgical requirements as their "fat-shaming" requirements. What other elective procedures require a trip to a shrink? Are knee or hip replacements patients asked to meet with a psychologist? What about breast enhancement surgery or having one's tubes tied? Yes, I see some merit in finding out if one has the mettle to handle all the lifestyle changes involved following a bypass or sleeve, but I doubt if one visit is enough to truly assess this. I don't know if more women than men have weight loss surgeries, but it feels like another set of patronizing roadblocks to shame women who are fat. I just had to get that out. Perhaps there are those among us who disagree. For me, when an insurance company imposes a separate co-pay of $2,500 on this particular surgery but not on other types of elective surgeries, I feel singled out. I also had to pay the customary $350 because this was a one-night inpatient procedure. (And what a glorious unmanaged pain nightmare that was!)

I never thought I'd say this, but flatulence is my new best friend. I'm trying to come up with a "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit" mantra for bloating and relief via flatulence, but my brain cells are on vacation and I'm honestly too weak to rhyme. Too weak to rhyme! Yes, I'm too weak to rhyme.

No one contacted my family after the surgery either (even though they had all of their cell numbers). My pharmacist daughter was even stopped by a security officer for looking suspicious and "meandering". When the time comes, I will complain aplenty, but right now it's probably better if I try to love on myself, heal, and not get myself in a tizzy about poor practice post-op protocols.

Back home after one night's stay. Surgery was a success. I wish I could say the same about the "customized" and "nurturing" care I received at the hospital. It wasn't the nurses, but the hospitalist and my doctor who completely dropped the ball with my pain management. The pain from the gastric bypass wasn't the problem. Believe it or not, HOSPITAL PEOPLE, some patients have existing chronic pain that needs to be managed. When your body is dependent on 300mg of morphine a day for pain relief, 1 mg. every 3 hours doesn't cut it. And an increase of a hefty 1mg is the equivalent of a teaspoon of Jell-O. I was beside myself with unmanaged agony and withdrawal. I was ready to leave against medical advice, if necessary. I notified the charge nurse and went up the line trying to get my distress resolved. The hospital finally discharged me with no apology or concern. Even the discharge papers were inaccurate. This is an issue I brought up numerous times during the pre-surgery visits. The biggest breakdown in communication was with the hospitalist on-call at two in the morning who knew next to nothing about me. And it didn't help that the inexperienced nurse who was attending me (the one who brought me ice water with a straw and offered me a 7-UP earlier in the evening; I declined the straw and the carbonated beverage, btw) told the hospitalist that I was "demanding" more pain relief. Demanding?! More like begging and moaning. I felt as though I received one-size-fits-all post-op care. And they were probably glad to see me go. No one likes a self-advocate, not really. Be a good little patient and don't question your care. I'm home now. Medicated properly and going through a normal recovery. It's a struggle to get enough protein and I feel like I'm not meeting my liquid quota either, but I'm trying. Even though my hospital experience was an unfortunate one, my surgery was a success -- and that's the important thing. I wish I could be more positive in every detail, but I think honesty is more valuable, particularly for anyone with chronic pain who anticipated TOTAL pain management.

Maybe he's insecure about what the new you might be. Some people are afraid of how change will affect them. Is he heavy too? Maybe he doesn't have the cojones, and needs you to fail because he's the one who'd fail. Don't be bullied into NOT pursuing what is right for your life. Does he support you in other things? If not, I see a pattern. If he's not supporting you unconditionally in something as important as this to YOU, I see something very, very wrong with this man. Gotta go. My surgery is today and I have to leave for the hospital soon.

OMG. I'm a June buddy, too. Today is my day. June 13, 2018. I'm #3 on my surgeon's OR schedule, so I probably won't have my surgery until early afternoon. First a week of liver-shrinking HELLo-kitty, now almost a full day of nada á la nada. Leaving in about an hour. Excited but anxious. Nervous but relieved. Oh, no. I've forgotten what a cheeseburger tastes like.

Thanks, everyone. I'm off to the hospital in about an hour.

@BajanSleeve Ha! I tried everything short of barbed wire to get those things to stay on. Transdermal patches just won't stay put even with an overlay patch on top. This conversation reminds me of the childhood saying, "I'm rubber you're glue, whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you!" Better head for bed. Big day tomorrow.

@BajanSleeve Excellent suggestions! Coconut chapstick in my purse! Darn, no oral hydration gel. Good thing I'm bringing my pharmacist daughter with me. I'll let her pick up my OTC supplies. Good idea about the patch. Unfortunately, the adhesives in medical patches don't stick to me. Hyperhidrosis. I tried Fentanyl patches with two different kinds of adhesives from two different drug companies and neither one stayed on more than a couple of hours. Ondansetron is the prescription med (in tablet form) that I take for nausea. I was told that I'd be staying one night after my surgery --- unless, of course, there are complications, which I don't expect.

@BajanSleeve Thank you for your kind words of acknowledgment and support. Tomorrow is my surgery. I'm #3 on the surgeon's OR schedule so I have to wait until around 1 o'clock for my turn on the table. I feel okay. Joining this forum was just what I needed. I feel as though I'm getting a big group hug from people who not only understand and empathize with me but wish me well. So many beautiful people here... It's ten minutes to midnight. Time for me to stop my liquid diet and prepare for tomorrow. I hope I don't forget anything like my glasses or C-pap. I better start packing now.

@Orchids&Dragons Yes, It is a fun avatar, isn't it? Much better than that big capital M with a green background. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to upload an animated gif, too.

I'm familiar with many non-weight bearing exercises and have no problem working out that way. Walking was my preferred form of exercise before my injury. I also enjoyed making a fool of myself dancing to oldie music in private. I keep up on all the new research in pain management. Meds like ziconotide (Prialt) which is derived from marine cone snail toxin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziconotidehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziconotide There is also research exploring the powers of yeast to aid in pain relief for those suffering from moderate to severe pain. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924617/

Nothing you have described is silly. Pain is a real thing and is experienced differently. Some people have a higher tolerance for pain is all. Don't beat up on yourself by minimizing your best efforts. Hang in there.