July 17, 2012 was the big day! I finally got my lap band placed. I am so happy I cannot express it in words!
The day started by waking up (duh...) and showering with a special soap that kills bacteria on the skin. I did not wear make up (shock!) and wore my hair in a pony tail (not a shock). I wore my favorite pair of yoga pants and a shirt. I will really miss those yoga pants when I shrink down and they get too big.
My mom drove me to the hospital. We walked up to the 3rd floor day surgery area and I checked in. I got a bracelet and my mom got a pager. The same type of pager that you get at restaurants. When her pager went off it would mean that she could come back to the room and sit with me.
I got an IV, blood drawn, blood pressure taken and pulse ox checked. I passed everything and was told to gown up. I also had to wipe off my body with some sort of solution that killed bacteria. As soon as I was done using it, I broke out in a full body rash that made me feel as though I was on FIRE! It was itchy, too!! Terrible reaction! It subsided within 30 minutes. I was given Ted Hose to put on my legs to help prevent blood clots. Those suckers are so difficult to put on!! They are super tight and you have to use all of your might to get them up to your thighs. I was worn out!
The surgeon came in and told me she would get to me in about an hour. She had a surgery in front of me. I passed the time by reading my book or talking to my mom or scratching the remainder of the rash. Our TV was not working so a man had to come fix it. We watched some news shows, but nothing interesting was being reported.
Finally, it was my turn for surgery!! The anesthesiology team came in and gave me something in my IV...but I forgot to ask what it was. I would guess it was versed. Versed is used before surgery to decrease anxiety and cause a drowsy effect.
After saying bye to my mom, I was wheeled down the hall to the OR. That OR was freezing!!! They make you get up on a cold stainless steel table and strap your arms and legs down. I remember the sleep drugs going in...and everything got really blurry...and then I found myself waking up in recovery!
In recovery, I was sick to my stomach so they gave me zofran. The zofran really helped. Zofran was originally developed for use in cancer patients but it works so well that they use it for any patient now. I also got a toradol shot to help with pain. I felt much better after that. They also gave me lovenox to help prevent blood clots in the legs.
My recovery nurse was really nice. I cannot remember her name, though. I like to remember names because if they made an impression on me I like to send emails to their supervisors praising their employees for a job well done. I did see one of my old ER buddies in the recovery room working! Always nice to see a familiar face!
After I got out of the first recovery room, I was sent to another recovery room. My mom came in and we discussed what the doctor had told her. The surgery was only supposed to be a simple lap band placement and the repair of a minor hiatal hernia, but it turned into a major repair because the hernia was bigger than we anticipated. No wonder I was sick all the time with heart burn, nausea and vomiting! I was going to go back to work on Friday but I had to take the weekend off because of the surgery turning into something more major. Thank goodness I have work friends that agreed to work my shifts for me! Thank you Susan and Debbie!
I have had a lot of post op pain. Mainly in my left shoulder area. I have what is called referred shoulder pain. That means that the actual sight of injury or surgical site is in one place, but you feel the pain in your shoulder. Mine is from the hernia repair. It throbs and aches and I haven't been able to get comfortable. I have been up nearly all night with this pain. The only thing that seems to help at all is my hot rice sock placed over my neck and shoulder area.
I am still on liquids. Joy!!
Days 1-3: room temp water, room temp chicken broth
Days 4 - 14: hot or cold liquids as tolerated such as sugar free Popsicles, Slim Fast made with skim milk, Gator-aid, low fat thinned creamy soups and low sodium V8 juice.
I did not take any pictures at the hospital. I meant to, but I never got around to doing it. So, sorry about that!
Stay tuned for weight loss updates. I was not going to post my starting weight, but I do not think it would do much good to tell how much I have lost if you guys don't know where I started. So just for your information and so you will know where I started out on this journey to Skinnyland....
I am 5'9 1/2 and today I weighed in at the hospital pre surgery at 253lbs.
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