Monday started out as a really great day. My sister stayed with me and helped me get to my Dr. appointments. I started out on the elliptical machine. I was able to go 15 minutes! Our first stop was to my surgeon's office to check my incisions. All are OK and off we go to find a plus-sized resale shop. Found it, but it's closed. Guess what's next door, a Great Harvest Bread Company. My sister decides she needs to go in there and get some bread. I decided to go to and buy something for the kids. Boy, did that take resolve!!! We ended up at Pappadeaux for lunch. Lunch consisted of a part of a cup of lobster bisque. One word for that: YUM! After the quick lunch we headed to the Hematologist's office. My iron is still low but better than before I had my surgery. I had to have another iron infusion. The nurse who tried to do my IV missed the vein the first time. She had to look for another vein and still didn't do a great job. Boy, that infusion hurt. I have a huge bruise the size of an old silver dollar to show for it. Gonna have to ask for a different nurse next time. That lady wasn't very good at sticks!
Tuesday started out as a fair day. The weather was yucky and I was feeling a little nauseated. I still hopped on the elliptical. Twenty minutes on the elliptical today! I felt a little better when I was done. Our only real stop today was going to be going to the salon. The roots were getting a little long and I needed to feel like a new woman. We needed to go see Big Daddy at the store so we stopped real quick at Lowe's and picked up some stuff. The next stop was to the bookstore for some books and then the salon. Mom enjoyed her chicken salad sandwich while I experienced a transformation. The last stop for the day was at World Market. We decided to pick up my younger child and head home. Forgetting that I needed to sign paperwork for the taxes, I received a call from Big Daddy to meet him at the tax preparer's office. By this time I'm so tired I could cry. However, it still had to be done. Over an hour later I'm finally on my way home. Needless to say, it was an early evening.
Today was the first day I could roll over in the bed with very minimal pain. I had managed to sleep all night and felt pretty good this morning! The scale this morning read 305! Guess I'm doing something right! Back on the elliptical. Today I decided to up the ante...25 minutes! I breezed right through it! Our only plan for today was to go to lunch with my sister downtown. We met her near her building and walked to Landry's. It was a nice walk...and more exercise! Today was a beautiful day. We dined on the Riverwalk and watched the tourists go by. Because my mom has never experienced the madness that surrounds "Fiesta" in San Antonio, I decided we needed to make a stop at the Official Fiesta store. For those who are unfamiliar with Fiesta it is similar to Mardi Gras but is more family friendly. We purchased a few items and I then directed her to my favorite place to get a pinata and some tissue paper flowers to update my Fiesta wreath. It was a great outing today. I needed a nap when we got home. Thankfully I was able to catch a short but energizing nap.
Tomorrow my mom will return home. "Nanny McPhee" has decided her work here is done. Big Daddy is off from work tomorrow he has the privilege of driving the Boss Lady to her first post-op appointment with the surgeon. He says the only other errand we have to run tomorrow is to pick up some hunting gear for him. I'm anxiously awaiting the release from the doc so I can start driving my new car again. I am also ready to go back to work on Friday. It should be a relatively slow day in the office and will allow me the opportunity to catch up on my paperwork.
Guess I need to turn in for the evening. Hope y'all are having a great day! See ya on the flip side--The Boss Lady.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The Skinny Since Post-Op
I'm feeling MUCH better. I've been up and around since right after my surgery...they had me up and walking 4 hrs after surgery. Yesterday was a better day than the day before...I finally got to eat something other than broth and jello. I had an egg...and I don't really like eggs that much, but at least it was something different. I took out my pain ball this morning...the Marcaine was almost out & I'm tired of carrying it around. The scale says I'm down to 313...that's 14 lbs since before I went into the hospital, 22 lbs after surgery (and all of the fluids) and 29 lbs since I began this journey! Guess I'm doing well. Also, I just seem to be moving better and I haven't even taken my lortab yet this morning! I got on the elliptical day before yesterday and walked for 3 minutes. Today I will walk on it for more than 5 minutes, in addition to the other walking I will do.
I just don't see the loss when I look in the mirror. Perhaps in another week!
I just don't see the loss when I look in the mirror. Perhaps in another week!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The Big Day!
I came home from the hospital yesterday. One thing I can say about the surgery is...thank God for the meds!
I arrived at the hospital on Monday around noon. We waited almost 20 minutes for someone to help us "go to the right area." While we were waiting I received a call from the surgical area wondering where we were. They proceeded to call to the area where I was and hurry the lady so we could go upstairs. I was in the room with an IV started by 12:45pm. Around 3pm they took me back to the operating room. The last thing I remember is telling everyone goodbye. My surgery lasted 2 1/2 hours...an hour longer than he expected it to last.
I awoke in recovery around 6:30pm. I asked why I had been down there so long and was told it was because they were waiting for my room. Eventually they moved me upstairs to a private room where I met my family again. My family said the surgery had taken longer than they had expected because my liver was fatty and it had made it difficult to do the surgery. The doctor had also told them that because I had lost the weight it still gave them enough room to maneuver and do the surgery laproscopically. Thankfully I came through the surgery without any difficulty.
Later that evening I was up and walking around the room...not a lot, just to the bathroom and back to the bed. I received some pain medication and oxygen to help make things easier and awoke feeling better around 2am. Up to the bathroom and back to bed for a few more hours until I was asked to get up around 4am. At 4am I was up and on the scale for my first weigh in. To my horror the scale read 335 lbs! What!?!? I know I didn't weigh that much when I came in here! The nurses told me, "Don't worry, everyone shows some sort of gain because of the IV fluids they get." Yeah, right! Well, I took it and decided that was the most I would ever weigh again. From now on it's all downhill. They told me I needed to pick a route...hall A,B, or C. I picked all three and began my first steps toward starting over.
I walked the halls several times that day. I enjoyed a breakfast of chicken broth, sugar free jello and a bottle of water. I also began sipping water every 15 minutes or so, lining up the little cups like shot glasses..filling them with imaginary tequila. Lunch brought the same meal but included beef broth this time instead of chicken broth. Dinner was the same course as breakfast. Yum. Actually, it wasn't that bad. More walking that evening and I was finally able to get my first shower. Oh, what a glorious feeling that was! Eventually I fell into the bed for a good night's sleep.
I woke a few times in the night to receive some more pain meds and help in replacing the oxygen. I woke up on my own around 4:30am and decided to go ahead and get up to walk. I began walking around the floor again. This time I was able to walk much easier and faster. I can tell now that I am making some progress.
Today is the day I will go home! Yippee! It is Wednesday and I have survived more than 24 hours with my RNY gastric bypass. I actually looked forward to stepping on the scales today. It showed a minimal loss but that's OK. The doctor stopped by around 6:30am and said I could leave just as soon as he could get some papers faxed over to the hospital.
Because no one stayed with me at the hospital that night, I called my mom and husband to see who could pick me up. The hospital staff estimated I'd be leaving around 9am. We sat there until 11am before we were allowed to leave the hospital. Finally, home-bound at last!
I arrived at the hospital on Monday around noon. We waited almost 20 minutes for someone to help us "go to the right area." While we were waiting I received a call from the surgical area wondering where we were. They proceeded to call to the area where I was and hurry the lady so we could go upstairs. I was in the room with an IV started by 12:45pm. Around 3pm they took me back to the operating room. The last thing I remember is telling everyone goodbye. My surgery lasted 2 1/2 hours...an hour longer than he expected it to last.
I awoke in recovery around 6:30pm. I asked why I had been down there so long and was told it was because they were waiting for my room. Eventually they moved me upstairs to a private room where I met my family again. My family said the surgery had taken longer than they had expected because my liver was fatty and it had made it difficult to do the surgery. The doctor had also told them that because I had lost the weight it still gave them enough room to maneuver and do the surgery laproscopically. Thankfully I came through the surgery without any difficulty.
Later that evening I was up and walking around the room...not a lot, just to the bathroom and back to the bed. I received some pain medication and oxygen to help make things easier and awoke feeling better around 2am. Up to the bathroom and back to bed for a few more hours until I was asked to get up around 4am. At 4am I was up and on the scale for my first weigh in. To my horror the scale read 335 lbs! What!?!? I know I didn't weigh that much when I came in here! The nurses told me, "Don't worry, everyone shows some sort of gain because of the IV fluids they get." Yeah, right! Well, I took it and decided that was the most I would ever weigh again. From now on it's all downhill. They told me I needed to pick a route...hall A,B, or C. I picked all three and began my first steps toward starting over.
I walked the halls several times that day. I enjoyed a breakfast of chicken broth, sugar free jello and a bottle of water. I also began sipping water every 15 minutes or so, lining up the little cups like shot glasses..filling them with imaginary tequila. Lunch brought the same meal but included beef broth this time instead of chicken broth. Dinner was the same course as breakfast. Yum. Actually, it wasn't that bad. More walking that evening and I was finally able to get my first shower. Oh, what a glorious feeling that was! Eventually I fell into the bed for a good night's sleep.
I woke a few times in the night to receive some more pain meds and help in replacing the oxygen. I woke up on my own around 4:30am and decided to go ahead and get up to walk. I began walking around the floor again. This time I was able to walk much easier and faster. I can tell now that I am making some progress.
Today is the day I will go home! Yippee! It is Wednesday and I have survived more than 24 hours with my RNY gastric bypass. I actually looked forward to stepping on the scales today. It showed a minimal loss but that's OK. The doctor stopped by around 6:30am and said I could leave just as soon as he could get some papers faxed over to the hospital.
Because no one stayed with me at the hospital that night, I called my mom and husband to see who could pick me up. The hospital staff estimated I'd be leaving around 9am. We sat there until 11am before we were allowed to leave the hospital. Finally, home-bound at last!
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Come Monday...It Will Be All Right
In less than 24 hours from now I will eat my last oversized meal. Well, maybe not. I feel like I have eaten many "last meals" over the course of the last few days. I don't think I've done very well in controlling my portions like I should, either. I *can* say, however, that I am getting tired of food. I don't know that I've ever admitted that before. Nothing really sounds good to me...even ice cream. Now that's a shocking statement! I am *so* ready to begin my new life and new relationship with food and exercise.
Now, let me back up a little bit and fill you in on the pre-op appointment and lab work.
Tuesday was a *very* busy day. Although I only live 35 minutes from the hospital where I will have my laproscopic RNY surgery, it took me more than an hour to get there for my labwork. This hospital has recently completed renovations and added a new wing. They have moved the Labor & Delivery department to the new wing. This has left large private rooms available for recovering gastric bypass patients. After I completed my blood work and other labs I had the chance to tour a room. These rooms are very nice! I am equally excited that I will have a private room and not be subjected to an additional fee from the insurance as private rooms are all that are offered at this particular hospital for gastric surgery.
A word about the staff I encountered at the hospital. Gloria, the preadmission tech was fantastic! She went out of her way to help me feel welcome and comfortable with the procedures for the day. Next, I met George, the vampire. He was very nice and had a great personality. George teased with me as he took the many vials of blood necessary to complete my labs. Next I met with Patty who very gently explained the processes which would occur come Monday. Brenda, the respiratory therapist was the sweetest lady. She was the lightest touch when inserting the needle in to draw blood gasses. I've always heard this was a very painful process (not in this experience). Brenda talked to me the entire time and told me that she had been an RT at the hospital since it opened. My last lab of the day was a chest x-ray. Unfortunately for me, the hospital is changing to a new paperless system and they had difficulty with the equipment. This change caused me to endure 4 or more x-rays in the attempt to have one scan correctly into the computer.
My next stop was later in the afternoon. It was my final visit with Dr. Duperier before my surgery. Because Patty had asked for the labs to be completed quickly, Dr. D had all of the results when I arrived. He said everything looked great except for my anemia. He said my iron was low and he felt I needed an iron infusion. I'm not really sure what that means but I understand that I should feel *much* better after the infusion. I decided to be generous and not throw the surgery scheduler under the bus at this juncture. I'll have time for that later, when I am less emotional about the whole situation I have been through with her. Right now, I just need to worry about me.
As the old Jimmy Buffett song goes, "Come Monday, it'll be all right..." I'm looking forward to Monday and the many changes and challenges I am about to face.
Now, let me back up a little bit and fill you in on the pre-op appointment and lab work.
Tuesday was a *very* busy day. Although I only live 35 minutes from the hospital where I will have my laproscopic RNY surgery, it took me more than an hour to get there for my labwork. This hospital has recently completed renovations and added a new wing. They have moved the Labor & Delivery department to the new wing. This has left large private rooms available for recovering gastric bypass patients. After I completed my blood work and other labs I had the chance to tour a room. These rooms are very nice! I am equally excited that I will have a private room and not be subjected to an additional fee from the insurance as private rooms are all that are offered at this particular hospital for gastric surgery.
A word about the staff I encountered at the hospital. Gloria, the preadmission tech was fantastic! She went out of her way to help me feel welcome and comfortable with the procedures for the day. Next, I met George, the vampire. He was very nice and had a great personality. George teased with me as he took the many vials of blood necessary to complete my labs. Next I met with Patty who very gently explained the processes which would occur come Monday. Brenda, the respiratory therapist was the sweetest lady. She was the lightest touch when inserting the needle in to draw blood gasses. I've always heard this was a very painful process (not in this experience). Brenda talked to me the entire time and told me that she had been an RT at the hospital since it opened. My last lab of the day was a chest x-ray. Unfortunately for me, the hospital is changing to a new paperless system and they had difficulty with the equipment. This change caused me to endure 4 or more x-rays in the attempt to have one scan correctly into the computer.
My next stop was later in the afternoon. It was my final visit with Dr. Duperier before my surgery. Because Patty had asked for the labs to be completed quickly, Dr. D had all of the results when I arrived. He said everything looked great except for my anemia. He said my iron was low and he felt I needed an iron infusion. I'm not really sure what that means but I understand that I should feel *much* better after the infusion. I decided to be generous and not throw the surgery scheduler under the bus at this juncture. I'll have time for that later, when I am less emotional about the whole situation I have been through with her. Right now, I just need to worry about me.
As the old Jimmy Buffett song goes, "Come Monday, it'll be all right..." I'm looking forward to Monday and the many changes and challenges I am about to face.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
At Last...
Well, yesterday was one for the books. I began the day by calling my patient advocate to relate the most recent occurrence with the surgery scheduler (see previous post). Shortly after leaving a message she returned my call and had followed up with the insurance department, trying to make sure they all had all over the same information. As the day wore on my patient advocate, the surgery scheduler, the insurance department, and my insurance company all had a big pow-wow to discover what exactly they were missing in order to finalize my surgery. The common denominator was, guess what, yes...it was that same letter that I had emailed to my patient advocate and also emailed twice to the surgery scheduler and was told it was the wrong letter.
Around lunch time I was called by the surgery scheduler and informed if the insurance company was unable to produce the letter by the end of the day then my surgery would be rescheduled. I was devastate and angry. NO matter how many times I have said, "The letter I emailed y'all last week is EXACTLY what you are needing, she still refused to listen to me. Having no other recourse than to try to find someone else to help me, I called in a healthcare advocate.
Healthcare Advocates are an additional benefit provided by my husband's employer. They are the mediators between insurance companies, their providers and patients. The lady who helped me was able to get all parties to listen and agree to hold off until tomorrow about the "no surgery" timeline. She questioned each one of them about the receipt of the email that I had stated I had sent to them. Each one claimed they never received the email (even though the surgery scheduler stated it was still the wrong letter). I asked for additional email addresses and emailed the letter to them again. After my scheduled visit with a family I returned to the office to fax and then hand deliver a copy of the letter that I had emailed. As I was faxing the letter to the surgery scheduler, she called to say that they had received the letter and she was faxing me paperwork to complete before my pre-op appointment and pre-admission appointments scheduled for....tomorrow (today)!
I will hang in there and not let them get the best of me. I will hang in there...I will hang in there!!!!!
Around lunch time I was called by the surgery scheduler and informed if the insurance company was unable to produce the letter by the end of the day then my surgery would be rescheduled. I was devastate and angry. NO matter how many times I have said, "The letter I emailed y'all last week is EXACTLY what you are needing, she still refused to listen to me. Having no other recourse than to try to find someone else to help me, I called in a healthcare advocate.
Healthcare Advocates are an additional benefit provided by my husband's employer. They are the mediators between insurance companies, their providers and patients. The lady who helped me was able to get all parties to listen and agree to hold off until tomorrow about the "no surgery" timeline. She questioned each one of them about the receipt of the email that I had stated I had sent to them. Each one claimed they never received the email (even though the surgery scheduler stated it was still the wrong letter). I asked for additional email addresses and emailed the letter to them again. After my scheduled visit with a family I returned to the office to fax and then hand deliver a copy of the letter that I had emailed. As I was faxing the letter to the surgery scheduler, she called to say that they had received the letter and she was faxing me paperwork to complete before my pre-op appointment and pre-admission appointments scheduled for....tomorrow (today)!
I will hang in there and not let them get the best of me. I will hang in there...I will hang in there!!!!!
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