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!
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