Keeping a Positive Attitude

[JessterNC 92]

I am a little over 4 weeks post-op and as far as my surgery is concerned, things have been great. I have lost over 30 pounds, didn't really have any problems after surgery, am walking over 1.5 miles a day and was able to start the school year by attending all of the work days ( even though I was exhausted when I got home). The fact I was able to go back to school was HUGE since I missed most of the 2nd semester due to problems with my abdomen.

Monday was our last work day and I really felt like things were off to a great start, I was ready for the students to arrive on Tuesday and get things off on the right foot. I ate dinner Monday night and had a snack of sugar free pudding and settled down to try and get some rest, then it started. I started to vomit, and I didn't stop for 2 hours, every 10-15 minutes. I thought maybe I had eaten too fast, maybe my sleeve didn't like the chocolate pudding that night, but at least it stopped and I was able to fall asleep around 1130. Not the way I wanted to night before the 1st day of school to be, but I felt I was going to be okay. Then around 130 AM it started again. I started vomiting again, but this time I was also in extreme pain. I felt like someone had my abdomen in a giant vice and was squeezing like crazy. I knew what it was, but I didn't want to believe it. I had been down this road before. My wife took me to the local ER, there was no way I could make it the 3 hours to the hospital where my sleeve was performed and they started pumping pain meds and stuff to stop the nausea and vomiting into me. The CAT scan confirmed it, I had another intestinal blockage.

The ER doctor called my sleeve surgeon and he said to transfer me to Chapel Hill. So the first day of school, the day I had looked forward to all summer, found me not in my classroom meeting my students, I was in the back of an ambulance, being rushed to Chapel Hill facing the possibility of my 5th abdominal operation in 18 months. My wife is also a teacher and I told her to stay home, let me get there and find out what is going on and she could come down as soon as things were settled at home.

Finally, as I was being put in the ambulance they were able to stop my vomiting, I had been sick like that for over 12 hours. We made the 3 hour trip in a little over 2 hours. As soon as I got in my room I was met by a team of doctors. They decided to see if the obstruction would clear on its own so I didn't have to go through another operation. So every 2 hours I was given shots of pain meds, every 3 hours shots to control my vomiting and nothing by mouth.

On Wednesday, I had some former students who are now students at the university come by and see me. I slowly started to feel better and late Wednesday evening the blockage cleared. They let me try liquids Thursday morning, and soft foods for lunch. Everything went okay and they agreed to discharge me Thursday evening. I was put on a very restrictive diet, basically if it wont go through a large straw, I cant have it. I wont be using a straw, but I am on soft foods for the next few months.

My wife and I got home around 930 Thursday evening. I asked the doctors if I could go to work on Friday and at first they told me no. But I kept asking, that is where I needed to be and they finally agreed to let me go. I made it through the day. I was so exhausted when we got home, I sat on the couch and fell asleep around 730. I woke up around 11 hurting pretty badly so I took my pain meds and was finally able to go back to sleep.

Here I sit on Saturday morning, very sore, very tired, but happy to be home, happy to be still feeling like my life is going to be normal. We are still on track to have my hernias fixed in December, but this almost derailed all of it. Even though things are going well, I got my reality check and have to constantly remind myself this is a process and I still have a long way to go. I cant tell you how scared I was, how I felt that once again, something was going to happen to mess everything up. But thankfully that wasn't the case.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I guess what I hope I remember, is to stay positive, no matter what life throws at me, this is a journey and like all journeys there may be some detours or stops along the way, but I will get there in the end.

Have a great day

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I am so, so sorry you had such an awful week and were so disappointed about not being able to start with your students. You must be an awesome teacher to have former students care about you so much, to visit you in the hospital.

I am so glad you were able to get some treatment. I will keep you in my prayers. I hope you have a restful and uneventful weekend so you can safely return to the classroom on Monday.

[Mini_me007 121]

I'm so very sorry these last few days have been so scary and excruciatingly painful. What a credit you are to your profession! I pray you have a restorative weekend, and the road in front of you is not fraught with so many bumps.