My Surgery Dec 28th (Part 1)

[Vivinthewoods 0]

I am banded and at home, oh how good that feels. I was banded on Monday (Dec 28th) and was supposed to come home the same day, but ended up staying overnight, I arrived home Tuesday afternoon, very tied, as I did not get any sleep in hospital and only got 3 hours the night before. I slept so soundly last night, I took the pain med prescription the Dr. gave me just before going to bed and it just knocked me out - wonderful!

I’d like to document my experience, in case it helps others who have not been banded and this may prompt questions for you ask your surgeon, the nurses etc.

I’ll start with my last day of regular eating (Saturday 26 Dec). I cooked our favorite dinner of extra jumbo shrimp, tossed with red peppers, garlic and Pasta. I felt a bit like a condemned man, having his last meal! The next day was the Clear Liquids diet, (the day prior to surgery) which went fine. I had my last drink of Water at 11:00 p.m. and went to bed. After 3 hours I woke and could not get off to sleep, so got up, took a shower, dressed. Dear Husband [DH] and I left home at 4:00 a.m. and headed to the hospital. We arrived there at 5:00, an hour early, but as I thought my surgeon had all his patients arrive at the same time I did not mind being early, hoping to be first in line. Well some of the other patients had the same idea – I was the 4th to arrive. My Dr. would be doing 6 surgeries that day.

I had a 2 hour wait in the general waiting area, as there was not a room ready; at 7:00 a.m. we were moved into a room and I changed into the hospital gown, got into bed and had my vitals taken. Hours passed and no one had stopped by to tell us anything; by mid-day DH went to the nurse’s station to find out how things were progressing. DH was told I would be next to go to the holding area, where I would meet with my Dr. and the anesthesiologist. We continued our wait. My Mouth is so dry, now 12 hours without a slip of water and both DH and I are getting stiff from hospital chairs and the bed. At 1:00 p.m. my Dr. comes in and says things are backed up, as so many doctors are performing surgeries today (not sure why other doctor’s surgeries would affect me!), he says as it is getting late he will book a room for me and have me stay overnight.

I have two dogs and had arranged for a friend to let them out in the morning and early afternoon, thinking I would be home by late afternoon and now I would not, so DH had to leave to see to our babies and as it is a 100 mile round trip from the hospital to our house, we agreed he would just come back the next day. This was hard, knowing he would not be there for me, but it seemed the best thing to do. The things I brought to the hospital – lip balm, dressing gown, glasses etc. had to be locked away at the nurse’s station or go home with my husband, as they could not be left while I am having surgery, I have them locked up, so I can have my stuff when I come to. Now I have nothing – no husband or anything else just a backless hospital gown!

At 2:00 p.m. they start my I.V. – I think, it can’t be long now. I walk up and down the corridor pushing my I.V. on wheels because I am so utterly bored, I can’t read as my glasses and reading material are locked up. I see one of the other Lap-Band patience, who has had her surgery and is being walked around be her husband. They are amazed that I am whizzing around be myself, not realizing I am still waiting for my surgery! I see another patience, who arrived an hour after me and she too has had her surgery – what is going on!!!!! I go to the nurse’s station and discover I have been bump to the sixth position – now I am mad!

I watch Oprah and the 5:00 news – now nearly 13 hours since I arrived at the hospital! Finally a nurse comes in to wheel me to the ‘holding area’. He is sweet and sympathetic and thinks it is awful the way I have been bumped to the end of the line.

In the holding area I am hooked up to the monitors and compression things are put on my legs. My Dr. stops by, I don’t say anything about how frustrated I am – I don’t want to make the man who will be plunging a knife into me mad! The anesthesiologist stops by, we exchange information and then, about 6:30 I am wheeled into the op room. Just time to look around the room and see the shot go into my IV line and that’s it – lights out for me.

DH tells me, he got a call from my doctor at 7:30 to say all went well and that there were no complications. I woke up in the recovery room at 8:45, feeling as if I had just woken from a lovely dream. Funny, but the first sensation I had was how cozy my feet felt, (they had been cold all day) and now they were warm and fuzzy – I must have sheepskin slippers on! Later I saw it was only that ‘egg-crate foam’ wrapped around my feet. The next sensation was my tummy area (between my boobs and bellybutton), yes it hurt, but no more than I would have expected. It felt as if I had a lump or heavy weight inside my chest. I could feel the incisions, more on the right side than the left – I guess that is where the port is sitting. I transferred my thoughts back to my cozy feet! I asked the recovery room nurse if I should get up and start walking, she replied, “they will have you up walking all night when you get to your room”. After monitoring me for a while (I was impressed that it seemed to be a 1 nurse/1 patient ratio) I was wheeled to a room on the ninth floor, this is the cardiology floor – I guess they just had a spare room going.

I was transferred from the wheeling bed to the room bed, they turned me on my left side, as the nurses pulled the bed transferring thingy from under me – this was painful, but when they rolled me to the right side it was agony as they yanked and pulled on that thing. By the time I was settled it was 10:00 p.m. and the nurse asked if I would like something to drink. It had now been 23 hours without even a sip of water passing my lips! To me that was torture, not even the airlines can do that to you now!!!! I had some apple juice and some water, totally forgetting that I was to take just tiny sips! I hope I did not stretch my new tummy as soon as the thing was made!!! Then the nurse asked if I would like a meal! That’s when I remembered my tiny tummy and the reason I was there – I had to tell the nurse I was on a clear liquid diet. I also told her I should be up walking, she said, “no, you go to sleep”. I said again that the recovery nurse said I should be walking, to which she replied, that’s downstairs, you are on the heart floor now and we don’t walk”.

Well I have been sitting too long writing this, so will continue my story tomorrow - I need to walk now.

[Marine mom 3]

Good grief! What a pain! I hope you are feeling ok, now.

[Mimilou2004 13]

Well, Viv, I can see why you are posting your experiences, I am eagerly awaiting chapter 2!!!! Good thing you are a survivor!!!!!

Mimi

[alicia3138 1]

I can't believe all the patients show up at the same time. That seems ridiculous.

[ocreina41 0]

Viv I was banded on the same day however I went in at 8:30am and was home by 2pm. Sorry to hear about your banding be dragged out to the max...I hope you are doing better now at home. I wish you the best 2010 and stay on those liquids!

[Vivinthewoods 0]

Sorry I did not get back yesterday to finish my surgery tale, I just felt the need to move around and then by the afternoon the sun was out, so I sat out on the patio, the warming sun on my face, I pulled my t-shirt up and let the sun shine on my incisions - lovely!

Today, 4 days after surgery, I feel so well. I don’t have any pain, just a little discomfort from gas and after sitting for a while. Yesterday DH and I walked the dogs and this morning I took both of them myself, they were good and did not pull on their leashes.

OK, to continue, and the next part of my story I am ashamed of part of it. By writing this I am confessing how selfish I was while in hospital and hopefully, in the retelling, I will ease my guilt.

One thing I forgot to mention is, when in the recovery room I heard I would be going to the 9th floor, I asked if it was possible to get my things from the 3rd floor nurse’s station. No I could not, as that station had close 30 mins. earlier. Oh well, it would just have to wait until they opened in the morning.

Back in my room on the 9th floor: - The nurse asked if I would like something for pain; as she would not allow me walk I will try to sleep, so I say yes. She injects Morphine into my IV line, saying that’s all they have. I don’t care, it feels pretty good! No pain in my tummy, but I can’t sleep. I try all night to drop off, but sleep alludes me. By 5:00 a.m. (Tuesday) I ask if I can get up and walk, ‘No’ – they will have to have someone to walk with me and they have an emergency, the patient in the next room is bleeding! I decide to get up myself and as my IV is attached to the wall I can only walk 8 paces away from it and then back again. It feels good to be up and walking and I keep pacing. I am reminded of the scene, in the movie, ‘Midnight Express’, where the insane prisoners walk over and over again in circles.

By 6:00 a.m. I think DH should be awake and I’ll give him a call – he does not know where I am in this hospital. I dial the number and I’m asked to enter a pin number! I find out that the 50 miles from home to the hospital is a long-distant call. I call the operator to see if she will put the call through, her reply, “how do you intend to pay for this call”, of course I can’t pay, I own nothing, but a backless gown and foam egg-crate slippers – I don’t bother to try and negotiate deal. I am beginning to feel cut off from the world. Let’s see if I can get my bag from the 3rd floor, I call the operator and ask for the 3rd floor nurse’s station; it takes several calls before getting to the right person, who says there is a ticket in my file that has to be brought to their station. I inform the nurse and wait but nothing happens.

Now what I am ashamed of, I start to cry and can’t stop. I am really feeling sorry for myself - like a prisoner, chained to the wall by my IV, only able to walk a few steps in any direction and no communication with the outside world. How can I contact DH? In true prisoner fashion I need to get a message out. I search the draws for a pen and paper – none. There is a board in the room, where the on-duty nurses have written their name – yippee, a marker has been left on a ledge! Now for something to write on; the only thing I can find is a tissue box, which I turn over and write “please call”, I write my home number and “message, call” and the hospital number. I have now found by unraveling my IV line and stretching it across the bed I can stand at the door of my room. I wait for someone to pass, I am still crying. A nurse or maybe it was an Intern goes by and I ask if she has a cell phone, she does and dials home and passes the phone to me. DH does not pick up, but I leave my room phone number. I still can’t stop crying! Nurses come and go and ask what is wrong with me and all I can say is, “I don’t know”.

A shift change and an angel of mercy unhooks me from the wall and I become mobile. This nurse ties up my gown, so my bottom is not on display. I head to the nurse’s station and ask if the ticket in my file can be sent downstairs. The lovely nurse knows I am on a clear liquid diet and says she will get something I can have for Breakfast. Things are looking up. The phone rings, DH calls, he had been in the shower, but would be with me in an hour. I have a few ounces of chicken broth for breakfast – delicious! DH arrives at the same time my bag does – it is now 10:00 a.m.

I have a pneumonia shot and pain meds for the trip home and by 11:00 I am discharged.

I felt ashamed that I was such a wimp, a blubbering piece of jelly, making such a fool of myself. I was on a floor with very critically ill patients, I had minor elective surgery and all I was worried about was getting a bag and walking around! The nurses were all busy and I’m sure rushed off their feet. I am normally such a positive person. Maybe it was the lack of food or fluids, or the anesthetic.

I will say, I think the actual surgery went very well, with just about the amount of pain I would expect. I did not have a sore throat from the tubes and the gas pains are minimal and now, four days out, I am feeling great.

Edited January 1, 2010 by Vivinthewoods

[Vivinthewoods 0]

Dear Mimi,

Yes, thank you, I am a survivor. I have bounced back and I'm doing wonderfully!

[Vivinthewoods 0]

Hi MissyMS,

I can't believe how good I feel now and I'm letting go of the negative things that happened. Thanks for asking

[Marine mom 3]

i'm so glad you are feeling better!

[Vivinthewoods 0]

Hi Alicia,

I agree, as you say it is just ridiculous to have all patients turn up at the same time. If other surgeons can manage their patients a few hours apart, I don't know why mine can't!

I wish you much success for the New Year.

[Vivinthewoods 0]

Dear Ocreina,

I'm so pleased your surgery was quick and that you were back home so soon. I'm sure I will laugh about this one day! The liquids are going well, hope yours are too.

Have a great New Year.

[ElfiePoo 109]

Viv,

Yes, in the grand scheme of things, there were far more critically ill patients needing care *BUT* you also had just had surgery and were in need of care. There was no excuse for their treatment of you on the day of surgery or while in the hospital. As for not letting you walk around, sounds like the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing.

I'm glad you're home and feeling better.

P.S. My cousin is an RN and she says you don't ever really want to be in a hospital if you expect to get good care. There just aren't enough nurses to go around for all the patients.

.

[Vivinthewoods 0]

Viv,

Yes, in the grand scheme of things, there were far more critically ill patients needing care *BUT* you also had just had surgery and were in need of care. There was no excuse for their treatment of you on the day of surgery or while in the hospital. As for not letting you walk around, sounds like the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing.

I'm glad you're home and feeling better.

P.S. My cousin is an RN and she says you don't ever really want to be in a hospital if you expect to get good care. There just aren't enough nurses to go around for all the patients.

.

Dear ElfiePoo,

Thank you for your sympathetic comments, they are much appreciated.

Yes, the RN’s are so overworked and it is their care that matters the most to a patient in hospital. The majority I came in contact with were truly dedicated, caring and friendly.

I'm doing great, even got on the treadmill for 15 mins - a slow pace and no incline, but it's a start.:smile2:

[Mimilou2004 13]

Viv, thank you for finishing your story. I would have been crying, too!!!! I am glad all is well and that you are healing and recuperating.

Mimi

[Vivinthewoods 0]

Viv, thank you for finishing your story. I would have been crying, too!!!! I am glad all is well and that you are healing and recuperating.

Mimi

Thanks Mimi,

It was good to get it out of my system by writing.

Hey, you are doing fantastically with the Band! Going way past your goal. How long have you been banded? I hope it works that well for me. Kudos to you!

Viv