It's a Bad Story

[Spot 20]

Hello all.

I'm going to make this pretty short and get back to it with some more gritty details. You don't need to dwell on my miseries if you're awaiting your band anyway. Plus, please be assured this isn't a common problem. It probably only happened because I was so cocky about how good I am with surgeries. Eh.

I had my band put in on Wednesday. Everything went swimmingly. Later that night, while in my hotel room (we're from WI, had banding in CO), I got really sick. I went into the ER Thursday at 5 am and didn't leave until noonish Sunday because of it. I felt better today, about 95% better, and got myself discharged, only to spend an eternity waiting on last minute connecting flights. Of course, I had a bit of a relapse during this, I don't know, 12 hour flying fiasco.

I just wanted to check in while I'm feeling half up to it, and tell you all that I'm still alive. My doctor wanted me to assure everybody out there in Lapbandland that I'm his second of 800 patients to have post operative nausea to the extent I did. Please don't get freaked about my bad story.

Catch you all in a few days or so. Good luck to all! Take peace in knowing that if there were to be X amount of complications per banding month, I took one of them for the team. Ya'll should be just fine, lol.

J

[ellenmarie 0]

I went through the same thing right after I got my band in. I thought I was going to die. It does get better. I still have bouts of nausea and have phenagren on hand just in case it gets too bad. Hope you feel better.

[vsaun123 22]

Glad you are OK and so sorry you had to go through that. Sending you good healing wishes from NY. Feel better!

[TerriF 9]

Relieved to hear you are ok. Not fun feeling like your going to throw up all the time and then having to fly on top of it.

Hopefully it will be smooth sailing the rest of the time. Take care.

[JoanneD 8]

:DWhat a great team player, for taking one for us - yay Spot!

Much more seriously, I`m glad you came out of the other side of that bad experience. Here`s hoping that`s the roughest spot (no pun intended, but effective) you'll come across.

JoanneD

[emptyNest 4]

Spot,

Thanks for checking in. Sorry about your trouble. We'll be here when you feel up to chatting. In the meantime take care of yourself.

[Peaches78 8]

Spot,

Glad to hear you mad it through ok! Everyone was a little worried here..... I'm sorry you had such troubles, here's hoping that it only gets better from here on out

Like EmptyNest said.... we will be here to chat when you are feeling better!

Warm wishes for a quick recovery and no more nausau for you from NH!!!!

Faith

[dragonflies 7]

So sorry to hear about that, Spot! Hope you feel better soon!

[kkf1979 10]

Spot,

Hope u r feeling much better. Here is wishing u a speedy recovery. Can't wait to have u back on the board actively!

[Spot 20]

Thank you, all. I'm feeling 100% better now.

So let me just start over with my tale. Surgery went fine and was discharged feeling fine hours afterward. About 3 hours after that, I was sick, sick, sick. I tried so hard not to throw up and when I couldn't handle it anymore, I actually couldn't. Nothing. Not stomach acid, nothing. That's not very fun. I finally told my husband to get me to the ER - I needed an IV, some anti-nausea stuff, sleep, and assurance I didn't just royally mess my band up. Oh, I did manage to throw up a little, once. My doctor made sure I was completely unfilled and found 2 CCs? of Fluid to take out and that's when it happened.

After not too long in the ER, my Lapband doctor had me admitted to the hospital where I stayed for days.

After the first day there, my IV line was all tweaked and kept setting off the IV pump machine thing, so they took it out to reinstall it elsewhere. I have horrible veins, even when I wasn't fat, my arm and hand veins are small, wonky, buried, and some claim non-existent. However, I've always reassured people to just keep digging - that I'm used to it and such. Anyhow, my set of nurses, and all their friends, wouldn't even freaking try. The ER nurse that came up to try said that if they could get doctor approval, she could start a line in either of my feet with her eyes closes, so with that, my regular nurse called two different doctors for approval in hopes of just getting one to answer soon. She comes back with an approval and BAM, it's in. Awesome. The second she tapes it all up real good, the second doctor calls and says absolutely NOT. *sigh*

Now I'm hearing about how wonderful a PICC line is, and how much I'll like it. I'm miserable sick and just about don't give a damn, but then they tell me it's going to be a tube inserted in my arm that will follow an artery into my freaking heart. It's installed by ultrasound. I'm now pleading with them to keep poking me - nothing. So I got a PICC line.

Another horrible thing I had to do at the hospital was the upper GI. I think that's what it was. I had to drink the bitter stuff while they took pictures... they even flipped me around on a board a bit. Anyhow, that's so not a fun test when you're so nauseated. Everything looked fine though - band still in place.

So I finally felt better on Sunday morning and got discharged from the hospital. Before I left, they made sure I took some pills that weren't too smashed up, and a bit to big. They caused an uncomfortable pain in my stomach that caused things to go swiftly downhill by the time we got to the airport to come home (I live in WI, surgery was in CO). And, of course we didn't have flights until after me being discharged so what could have been a two hour direct flight home became an 11 hour, miserable fiasco.

I'm feeling so, so much better now though. I do believe my nightmare is over ***knocks on wood*** .

[drussell4128 1]

Glad to hear you are on the mend. I am new to the site, but wanted to give you my good wishes!

[Musarion 1]

Oh my!!! I am sorry you had to go through all that! I'm so glad you are feeling better - keep us all updated.

Angela

[TerriF 9]

Hi all,

It was good to hear spot is doing better and I know woodslass was worried, but now she hasn't been on for a few days that I know of. She said she was having her one week post op appointment Tuesday. Anyone heard from her?

[Andytim08 7]

Glad you are ok now! I just wrote how great my surgery was and now am reading your post after the fact. That had to be sooooo scary!!!! What a crazy ordeal. I also hope that Woodlass is ok too. I guess that just because surgery went well, isn't a sure sign that we are out of the dark yet when it comes to post op problems... Crap!

[Woodslass 22]

Hi all,

It was good to hear spot is doing better and I know woodslass was worried, but now she hasn't been on for a few days that I know of. She said she was having her one week post op appointment Tuesday. Anyone heard from her?

I'm still here Terri. One week post op went fine, but as of week 2 I've been eating regular food and I've gained weight. Plus after talking with my husband, I think the reason I started gobbling everything was that I read this forum too much, and I've been freaking myself out. I subconsciously started reasoning that I needed to eat because when I go in for my fill on May 5th, if the surgeon sees I'm still losing weight, he won't give me a fill. And I'm hungry!

So I've been trying to keep a low profile. I try to stay away from the other topics and just come here, but it's hard to comment when most of you are still on liquids and mushies and I'm eating pizza and chinese food!

Spot, you had me tearing my hair out with worry, I am really glad you are okay now. I'll let you all know how the first fill goes.