There's no place like home.

I was really, really ready to go home.
The worst part of the surgery was waiting for it to start. I don’t remember anything after kissing DH goodbye and waking for a bit in the recovery room at least that is where I think I was someone was everything was over and that I would be going to my room soon. Next thing I knew, I was being wheeled into a hallway where DH, the kids, Mom and my sister were. Somehow I was moved into a bed that I was to be in for the next three days.
My hospital visit was four days. My blood pressure went way too low and my oxygen saturation wasn’t high enough.
The rest of that first day I slept and mostly finished clearing those drugs from surgery out of my system.
The second day I felt much better than I expected too. I was almost pain free. I remarked how surprised I was about the ease recovery seemed to be and the nurse replied “well you do have two liters of morphine on board” oh yeah I also had a pain ball installed for internal pain management. It would release small amounts of painkillers on a continuous basis.
The room temperature was comfortable for me but Mom was freezing. I found out later that morphine makes your system run hot.
I had a Foley catheter installed which was a God send, I didn’t have to get up and constantly use the bathroom.
The second day they worked on bringing my blood pressure in line and I walked from the bed to almost the next room. The next time it was hallway down the hall and the next the whole hallway. I did the other direction next time. My Foley had been removed by then so the next time I walked I had to turn around and head back to the room to go potty. Being up and active had stimulated my bladder.
The third day Dr. Pilcher came in at 6 am for his regular visit. My O2 saturation was still low so he wanted me to stay an extra day. Since he was going to be out of town on Friday he was going to have an associate look at me and determine release. That was okay, I mean what could I do? We waited and waited the next morning to see the doctor. Well she didn’t see her patients at 6 am it was 4pm before she came in to see me. She told me that if I could keep my O2 level up for two hours she would release me. I worked on that by keeping an eye on the monitor and deep breathing every time it dropped levels. Finally the nurse said I was clear to go and we wasted no time packing up our stuff and getting out of there.
We forgot to bring a pillow to hold against me but I didn’t need it. DH is a good driver. Once we got on the expressways there was not problem. I was on my way

go!

I’m really, really ready. If I don’t have it now I ain’t going get it. I probably won’t need it anyway. I’m all packed, got my ducks in a row. Mom is due soon to stay with me at the hospital. Tomorrow morning I will bathe with the special soap, pack up my CPAP and take my meds with minimal water. Need to be at Methodist Specialty and Transplant at 8:00 o’clock. Jon is going to spend the night at Amanda’s so they won’t be taking so many cars to the hospital in the am.
I told Jerome last night that it seems strange to be going into the hospital feeling fine knowing that I’ll be coming out feeling beat-up. I don’t think I need to tell him anything about my last wishes. Anything he decides will be fine with me. He knows I don’t want to be on life support and all that stuff. There are quality of life issues that are more important I’m sure he knows. Quality of life is the main reason I am doing the WLS surgery anyway. It may seem like a drastic step but I have tried all the other options. That is most likely why it took me so long to reach this conclusion and why I am comfortable with my decision
Oh! Mom’s here the next part of my life begins.

Get set

The visit to the Dr.’s office seemed long. Only because I was anxious about if I had gained or not. After I filled out and signed more paperwork and paid the co-pay for the surgery Isaac called me out to be weighed. Well I was 287 neither a gain nor a loss since the last time. That was only since last week though.

I then went back out to wait with DH for the DR. I was relieved but I didn’t know what to expect.

When Dr. Pilcher finally called us in to his office there really wasn’t anything to it . He talked about the my stats.He said I had done well on the diet portion. He had to schedule another surgery at my time so my surgery would be at 11:30. I think that’s what he said J. knows for sure as he has to get me to the hospital. Dr Pilcher said that J’s job would be to shoo visitors out so I could rest.

I mentioned that my creatine levels were wonky during the drug study and I had to have more testing done. He re-checked, but he looked of the blood work they had done at the hospital pre-op visit and said that the creatine level was right on target now. Everything was good, but the iron levels were lower than he would like so I should take a supplement. He said that he wanted to let me know that he was asked to speak out of town on Friday but that one of his associates would cover. I would most likely be released on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.

I then asked him all the questions I had for him.

Can I stop the Niaspan ER ? Since I could not take the baby aspirin it was giving me the itchiness and rashes. I can stop taking the Niaspan now. He said he would face the wrath of Dr. Shimotsu.

DD wants me to take her Nestle Healthcare productAdvanced Recovery. This is a protien supplement that is to aid healing. Funny thing their dietitian is named the same as our DD, the dietitian. Dr. Pilcher said that would be fine to take the product before surgery; to replace my protein drinks with one of these but since it was not a clear liquid not to use it until I was on the stage two: Soft Protein Foods and to only take 2 oz. It is high in calories

Which medications/vitamins do I take the morning of the surgery? He told me to take my regular morning med on the day of surgery and bring the Copaxone just in case. i don't need to bring any drugs as they have a last of my medications and will supply all that I need.

Was my MS going to make recovery or surgery any more difficult? Dr. Pilcher has had four other patients who have had MS and there were not any problems I fact the decreased body mass probably contributed to an alleviation of some symptoms. I told him that one of my goals was to have less body mass to move around and hopefully not have to use the wheelchair so much.

I expected my period to start on Tuesday. Dr. Pilcher said that that would not be a problem for him or the nursing staff they were used to that kind of thing. The surgery may cause me to start postpone or even stop my periods completely since I had already be heading that way.

That was it. Dr Pilcher then took me to the front office where I had make my next four appointments and I bought some iron and chewable calcium.

That night J and J and I went out to the Mexican Restaurant for dinner. My “last meal” so to speak.
It is all set now and I’m all set for the surgery too.

Get ready...

On Thursday I meet with Dr. Pilcher for the pre-op appointment. I am afraid that there will be some last minute glitch that prevents me from having WLS. It is just about that T.O.M. but that won’t affect the procedure I’ll just be even more uncomfortable. I have the money for the co-pay of $1258 that they want up-front. If I have gained weight or have any active rashes they would re-schedule the surgery.

These are the things that I think I will need:
CPAP machine
Robe
Slippers
Notepad and pen
Meds that are normally taken
Basic toiletries, chapstick, lotion, Deodorant
Electric shaver
Walker, labeled
Socks to wear in bed
Baby wipes or antibacterial wipes to freshen up
Insurance card? and medication list
Glasses and glasses case
Book/ bookmark




Last Thursday, DD, took me to my pre-op hospital check-in. I filled out paperwork. They drew eight vials of blood. I had an EKG.

Other WLS patients recommend having these things on hand for when you get home:
sf syrups,different flavors of Crystal-lite, Wyler’s, cranberry drinks, all sugar free,.
(you need a good variety because you never know which kind will taste good after surgery) SF popsicles and several different kinds of pre-made SF Jello.SF Listerine breath strips, and Gas-X thin strips

DD brought me some Impact advanced Recovery nutrition drinks that she wants me to start using five days before surgery.


All I have to do is wait and worry.

Lady Darth Vader

This is me wearing my CPAP mask. YesterdayI went to the sleep study doctor. He told me that the mask was helping me but that I still needed to lose weight. Well Duh! Anyway I don’t have to see him again for 6 months. He said my head pains were probably from having the forehead band too tight. It just needed to touch my forehead to stop the leaks. I should try cushioning the pad with Dr. Scholl’s padding for insoles. He also increased the pressure on my CPAP from eight to ten. I need to take the machine and mask with me for surgery. I will need to wear the mask in the hospital.

They test you while you are asleep?

As a teacher I am intimately familiar with tests. I have given pre-test, post tests, mid-term tests final tests. Tests on what you know, what you don’t know and on what you should know. I know about tests that use numbers, figures, colors, shapes and tests with physical objects and tests about abstract concepts. Now the doctor wants me to take a test while I am sleeping. How am I supposed to prepare? What about being alert so you can do your best?

So I was tested on something I thought I knew how to do. For the sleep test I showed up at the testing facility showered and shampooed and powder-less as requested at 8pm. I was to sleep from 11pm to 5 am. During that time they would watch and record me. They just had to attach a few leads to record data about movements. I had 5 glued to my scalp, two around each eye, and two on each leg. I was fitted with an elastic band over my breasts and another under my breasts with sensors in them attached to wire leads. Finally, a tube was place near my nostrils to measure my breathing. Then I had to go potty. After the technician helped me to the bathroom and reattached any wires that had loose she bid me “good night” if I needed anything just call out they be listening. I was supposed to relax and go to sleep while they watched.

I finally dozed off then awoke an hour later wrapped in wires and constricted by some kind of elastic boa. I had to go potty again. The entire going awaking and potty experience was repeated twice more. The last time I had 20 minutes to go in the sleep study so as so as I was hooked up again I had to be unhooked. My DH was waiting in the lobby to take me home. I removed about 2 pounds of glue from my body where the wire were attached and re-attached. My hair was sticking out all over because it was full of glue also and my face felt dry and crackled. I donned the same clothes I had arrived in and DH took me on the short trip home where I stumbled into my bedroom and promptly –fell asleep

The study showed I don’t know how to sleep. I was awaking myself too much. It was decided that I needed, not a pill or night’s sleep with-out being connected and watched and uncomfortable, but a C.P.A.P. machine. C.P.A.P. stands for continuous positive air pressure. The treatment consists of wearing a mask over your nose and mouth as air is delivered to your lungs. I suppose FATnose (Forcing Air Through Nose) didn’t sound as good.

I chose the less intimidating facemask. It had “nose pillows” that sounded good. Only it meant I would have to place these plugs in my nostrils to deliver air and keep my mouth closed. I adjusted to all that and even fell asleep. Then I would awake suddenly when the air had reached maximum pressure and turn off the machine and mask. Then fall back asleep. In the morning I would find the mask on my night table and try again the next night.

After about a month I decided this wasn’t working. The machine had a disk in it that collected information on how often and how long I wore the mask. I didn’t want to be labeled as non-compliant. That might cause my weight loss surgery to be postponed. So I called the sleep center. The tech said that the air was probably blowing my mouth open and waking me up. I had to come in the next week and get a different mask.” In the meantime try using a chin strap to keep your mouth closed”, he told me. Well that didn’t work. I felt like my head was caught in a trap.

I went in the next week and chose a full-face mask. Then I had to get used to it. I have to sleep on the side of my pillow. Every night I adjust the straps so that air doesn’t leak out around the edges of the mask. My forehead hurts from the pressure of the straps around it. I have to fill the humidifier every other day. I do find that I wear the mask longer though.

Second sleep study after I had “adjusted” to the new mask. I still had not adjusted to sleeping soundly with all those wires attached. Today I go to see the doctor and evaluate my performance on the second sleep test. I hope I pass.