paradoxgal
First blog - post op 18 days
by , 11-11-2013 at 04:03 PM (1819 Views)
My surgery wasn't planned for a long period of time. I decided the beginning of October to look into it after seeing a random internet story about a girl having it done and looked amazing. I had looked into it before, but I thought I wouldn't be able to afford it, and get my husband and family/friends on board with it. I looked into it locally, but didn't have $18,000 on hand. I looked into traveling abroad to have it done, but thought that was pretty extreme.
I got serious about making the decision after many failed attempts on my own to successfully lose weight. In less than 10 years, I had three children, lots of moves, changes, even a hysterectomy and went from 180 lbs to 303 lbs. I reached 300+ on the scale, and my self worth plummeted with my health, and my spirit felt rock bottom. I was really wishing that I would just go to sleep and not wake up. That my husband and children deserved so much better than the shell of a person that existed in my place.
I decided to have the surgery on October 10th, and booked it for 2 weeks from that day - October 24th. I bought my plane tickets and put down my deposit on the surgeon - to solidify my plans and make it so I wouldn't have much room to change my mind. The next two weeks were fine. I began my pre-op diet per the surgeons directions. I cheated frequently, but I was still losing weight, and keeping my mind busy. I also decided to have my gall bladder out the same time as I read several people having some issues with gall bladder attacks after their surgery. I figured it was easier to just pay a little bit more and not have the issues that may (or may not) come.
The day of my surgery came quickly, and I hugged and kissed my kids and husband goodbye and boarded my plane to San Diego - the kids didn't and still don't know what I was leaving exactly for, I didn't want them to attempt to wrap their brain around this in their childhood.. I was thoughtful on the plane, but it was just over an hour and we were landing. Before I knew it, I was laying on a table in my gown, prepped for surgery, and watching the anesthesiologist and the surgeon attempt to place an IV (always, always a battle). I woke up and my memory of the first 12 hours is dim. My IV became clogged and was bleeding all over me, as well as my drain. 2 nurses worked for a couple hours to place a new IV, and got resettled. The next problem came the 2nd night in the hospital after my surgery. With my IV again. They had to clear it with a surge of fluids because it was clotted again. This was extremely painful. In the morning, a nurse came in and started injecting meds into my IV line, and an intense pain came. I told her, but she nodded and kept pushing through. There was a bulge under my IV bandages and an intense ache. I was realizing that she likely blew out my IV and the fluids went in beneath my skin. Over 2 weeks later it is still sore. I hope no permanent tissue damage was done.
I had my leak test and it was stated NO LEAKS. The surgeon Dr Ortiz came in and chatted, then said to remove the IV, for me to shower, then they would remove my drain in the early afternoon. Dr Morales came and removed my drain. There was a slight moment of intense pain that came when he was removing it - as if it caught on something, but the rest of it was just an off feeling of pulling and release. I also had a small drain on the other side that was a tiny thin plastic tube that drained into gauze, for my gall bladder removal.
I went over to the Marriott and settled in. The room was very clean and comfortable, just like a nice Marriott in the states. The bed was one of the most comfortable hotel beds I had ever stayed in. I would go down to the dining room to sip my broth, and catch a little TV. I did shop a little with the groups each day, but not hard core. I wanted to take it very easy. I was taken back to the airport was was home that night. I got motion sick on that flight and had diarrhea for 2 days.
Back at home recovering was difficult. I was feeling what felt like hunger. Pain and burning was starting to really take place. I was very uncomfortable the first week. It was uncomfortable to sit, lay, and even walk for too long. Not bad enough to cry, but annoying. I couldn't find anything that I wanted to drink. Protein shakes tasted gross, thick, and almost too sweet. I have never cared for artificial sweeteners. Smelling smells, seeing commercials, and having all the Halloween candy... It was hard. I wanted to eat real food so badly, and also to make the discomfort go away. I cheated a few times and paid the price of bloating and pain.
At 2 weeks out I began to be able to consume things with more substance. I started taking prilosec and feeling less discomfort. Sleeping better at night, riding in the car, cooking, cleaning, but still resting. Now that I am coming up on 3 weeks, I am feeling more confident. I am now at 276 lbs and feeling a difference already. Thats 27 lbs down, and I can feel it and see it just a little bit. I look forward to at least another 100 lbs lost, and an improved life. It has not been easy thus far. The discomfort has not been life threatening, but it's uncomfortable nonetheless. So far weighing the odds of the difficulties, I am still glad I made the choice, and hope to enjoy a longer life with my family, and an increased amount of joy that I can actually participate in life!
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