YellowRose

Okay... I'm about to scream. Husband is eating his dinner (I was just sleeved last Thursday). He is crunching and slurping and sloshing, and clanging that dang spoon against the bowl. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH... I would leave the room but I am in the middle of a project. I am going to have to work this out because the smell is sickening, but the sound is deafening. .... hmmm... think I'm detoxing????!!!!! Someone lock the knife drawer, please. hahahahahaha (JUST KIDDING.... about the knives but NOT about the God awful eating noises.)

Texasmom- I had surgery on Thursday, July 30. I was glad Monday was a holiday. I only made it 1/2 day today (Tiesday). I planned to go all day but just ran out of energy. The good excuse I have is that a couple of other people have been out sick so I just used them! Lol. WARNING: the liquids you drink can cause diarriah. As I have read, it is temporary. I packed baggies, changes of undies and Wet Wipes. I'm really a controlled, classy exec type. This has caused me to REALLY plan ahead. I'm pretty resilient and work a desk job. I'm not exactly sure but the combination of surgery AND the pressure of work only allowed a half day - but it was a very productive 1/2 day .... Of course. Lol. So right after the boss got back from lunch I couldn't hardly wait to get home and flop into the bed. Got home and my dear sweet husband HAD STRIPPED THE BEDS OF ALL THE SHEETS BEFORE HE LEFT FOR WORK!!!! God blessem

ME! I had a positive experience -- funny, but positive. I wrote about it in the "Tell your story" section under "It will kick your butt". Enjoy! Details: Sleeved July 30th, Dr. Almanza Reyes

That was a HUGE concern of mine also. I knew my regular GP would NOT be supportive. I found a Health & Wellness center run by a Nurse Practitioner. He is going to do my followup. I will be going to him once a month for B12 shots & anything that might be needed. That was a RELIEF to know that there was a medical person waiting for me in the state. I was just sleeved on Thursday, June 30th. I have my first follow-up appointment on the 17th.

FIRST TIME WITH FIRST CLASS -- I had thought ahead and requested wheelchair assistance for the trip home. It can be a very long walk to some of the gates. When I arrived at the airport there was a long line at the check in. I had done my boarding pass via my smartphone so technically I was checked in. I ALSO had the option to "upgrade" to first class for $150. I grabbed it up. Originally they had me in seat #29 at the BACK of the plane. ugh. I found a airport worker and asked him what I was supposed to do. He told me to "go sit over there" and walked off. I did as commanded. haahaha... AND then afterwards thought, okay... is someone going to come and get me? I tend to ask very few questions and just observe everything around me looking for clues. Suddenly a woman appeared with a wheelchair, helped me get in, and handed me my one bag. ... by the way, I packed ONE change of clothes and packed very light so that it fit in ONE bag. Not knowing what the situation would be I wanted to be able to carry my own bag if needed. Even with that, I really didn't need my make-up lol... but I brought it anyway. So... anyway, I'm in the wheelchair going to security. THEY COULD NOT HAVE BEEN NICER AND MORE ACCOMODATING - or else I was still feeling the affects of the really good drugs! hahaah -- An agent leaned over and asked me, "Ma'am, are you able to stand up?" I said yes. "Ma'am, are you able to raise your hands above your head?" ................. hahahahaha.. and I seriously thought "YEAH! AND RIDE AROUND TJUIANA BUTT NAKED TOO!!" hahaha.... but anyway... didn't say that. I said yes. So he had me just walk through the metal detector. Let me add that they took my shoes off my feet, they took my bag and my small purse, they put it in the bins, they walked them through. One of the agents APOLOGIZED for having to check the liquid magnisium I was sent home with, but he put it back in my bag. They placed my shoes back on my feet, handed me my bag and purse. The entire experience took less than 5 minutes. I was AMAZED -- KUDOS to the San Diego Airport for such efficiency and politeness!! And we were headed to the terminal. I DID NOT KNOW THAT ONE OF THE PERKS OF FIRST CLASS WAS A MEAL! Baja chicken Wraps or a grilled chicken caesar salad, cheesecake, & choice of wine. Yeah... my first class experience and "wimpy butt" says, "No thank you, but may I have some hot tea?" It was FREEZING on the plane - or it may have been me. They brought me two blankets, but I still stayed pretty chilled. We landed back in Houston and I was wheeled out front to my waiting hubby. Kiss, kiss, hug, hug... and home. And the experience was over. Now the new adventure begins as I peel off this fat coat.

Not.. not unbearably hot, just warm. We ran the fans on Saturday. Dress accordingly and you will be okay. There is no humidity so it isn't bad at all. To make a long story short because life is moving forward at a faster pace than I care to keep up right now! lol... (In other words, I'm back at work - DAY 1 - with a long list of things to do). I had a choice of staying another night in the recovery house and getting up at 4am to go with the group that had 7:30am flights (takes anywhere from 2-4 hours to cross the border) and wait for my flight at 12:30pm -- OR -- what was behind door #2!! I won! I decided to go ahead and cross the border that evening with another guest. He already had a room reservation at the Hampton. I called and there were no reservations available. I called surrounding hotels - nothing. BUT... glimmer of hope.... the reservation guy said there "might" be a room if someone cancels. I took that chance. Besides, the gentleman - and he was a perfect gentleman - said that I could share his hotel room if needed. Yeah - my mind sort of did that thing that yours just did too, out of state, out of country, miles from home, all alone, - I felt like a true pioneer woman. Forging shelter & safety in the wilderness. hahahaha It did take us almost 3 hours to cross the border, sitting in traffic. It wasn't boring though because it was Saturday night and the place was hopping. There were street vendors everywhere. More food than you could possibly want - hahahaha especially now! It was a unique and memorable experience. There were children juggling balls & men carrying huge home-made crucifixes on their shoulders. So interesting. Please Notice - I am not in pain at this time. My belly is a little tender and I am a little tired - but the pain & gas pressure was pretty much gone. The worst was behind me. So, we finally got through the customs gate and headed to the hotel. When I got to the front desk I was offered a room for $179 - and the manager said, "It is one of our nicer suites on the 6th floor and that is the price!" I said, "ok.. I'll take it" (knowing that some bill juggling would be happening when I got back home, but at that moment it did not MATTER.) The manager picked up his bag and left for the evening and the young man at the counter continued to check me out." He said, "I'm giving you the regular rate - you just had surgery." SO -- I got the suite on the 6th floor facing Pacific Ave with a beautiful view of the bay for only $129. Wow. Seriously though, I had a little pang of regret thinking about the experience I just left - the flowers, the people, the view, the kindness, the aromas, and especially the smiles. Someday I would like to see those people again. So.. I got to my room, dumped my bag in the middle of one bed, gathered my stuff together for a good long hot shower. I had showered at the recovery house, but in respect of the other guests I just made it a quick run through - not the soaking, running, relaxing shower that I love. There are 3 bathrooms at the recovery house and there was never a wait. They were always clean. There were always towels. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT WHATSOEVER AT ANY TIME -- with the small exception of the full house. And that is not really a complaint because there was plenty of beds, chairs, & whatever you needed... just a full house. I looked at the clock and it was already almost 9pm so I took some pain meds just to help me sleep, a gasX strip, and laid down to rest. I slept straight through until around 7am (I'm a morning person). I repacked my bags, dressed, and then got a phone call from the gentleman friend - I told him I had extra bandages and tape. I went to his room and taped up his belly for him-he had lapband-so that he could catch his flight at 11:00am. After that, I wandered down to the Breakfast bar. Wow. People everywhere filling their plates high. I got a cup of juice and sat down - AND ran into the mom of another woman who had the full gastric bypass. She and I sat and talked about the experience and enjoyed the morning. So... 10:30am.... I got on the shuttle to the airport and headed home. BUT ... of course you know there is more - my "First Class Experience" -- first time I ever flew first class. I'll be right back....

But it has a fantastic ending! I will try and re-type it out today. ... Let's just say I ended up in a deluxe suite on the 6th floor overlooking San Diego bay.

Yes. Just like beef broth once it was strained but very very tasty. I've got to be creative with what I pack for fluids / lunch and it turned out great. I don't care for frozen dinners but just thought this was a creative way to use them while I'm on clear broths.

Ok. I was tired of Popsicles and juice today. I don't have a lot of groceries in the house (on purpose). I had chicken broth yesterday. Etc etc etc. I was sleeved on June 30th. So I'm still on Clear liquids. I had 2 Lean Cuisine steak tips portobello and Broccoli in the freezer. So I dumped them in a sauce pan, added about 4 cups of Water, some salt, garlic, and simmered it together. After about 30-45 minutes I strained it into small glass Soup jars and .... It was good. Selah.

Let me also add that since everyone there is about the same "thing" you VERY QUICKLY bond with each other. We ended up exchanging email addresses. Everyone helped each other. The surgery was tough, but you get over it quickly enough. BUT the memory and the kind people will last. I wish I had done MORE for the staff and workers who patiently took care of our every need. WARNING: The cook at the recovery house is AMAZING! She is the only one with a mean streak because she tortures you with the smell of her fabulous cooking!!!!!!! After your drain tube is out and AFTER your leak test is complete, be sure and see if she has some of her wonderful broth available. O WOW. It was so very very good!

Hey room-mate... just checking on you. (..member be? You were a day ahead of me and we shared the closet. hahaha) My incisions are red and puffy but not bad. I change my bandages every day so far. Today I have left them off and letting my belly air dry a little. I'll put them back on before I go lay back down.

Just got back from there yesterday ... VERY nice people. I was by myself and a little afraid. It is a little intimidating at first, but they are so very nice and it will be okay. Prepare for changing rooms, moving around, etc. Pack light & relax. The day of the surgery and the day after will be a little rough - but walk, rest, nap, and walk some more. It will pass and you will begin to feel better. SWEET SWEET caring people. And the facility, although small, is SPOTLESSLY clean and efficient.

Just spent the past 45 minutes typing out the rest of the story. Hit "reply" and it dissappeard. sigh. will try again later.

... He was sort of at a loss because she just stayed in the bed. Hopefully she got up after a while! I did sleep and rest a lot myself. LEAK TEST 101 Yiyeeee. Not as bad as getting a nail in your foot, but not in the top 10 of things to do. I guess it depends upon the person. This may or may not work for you but I was willing to try anything. It IS going to make you nauseated so ask for an anti-nausea shot when they give you the little bottle of purple dye. It sort of has a slightly metallic taste. Then go get your most favorite Popsicle from the freezer. Okay... Find a cool, comfortable spot and allow plenty of time. We were told we had 1 hour so I sipped, sucked, and then relaxed. S-l-o-w-l-y. I remember a friend telling me one time about how to take tequila shots - he said inhale first, drink, then exhale. That way the smell is blown out which lessens the taste. Lol. It worked. Guess that made the popsicle my "salt lick" lol. I got almost all of it down but left a little bit in the bottle. Just ran out of popsicle and couldn't do it.

The reality of the pain. Pain is a relative term. I have a very high pain tolerance. I was a little surprised that I felt so weak. I couldn't catch my breath. For the first day and 1/2 I kept hoping I was going to feel better sooner! I had gas when I had my tubes tied many years ago. The gas settled in my shoulders and it was painful. For ME, this time around, I did not experience that. The "gas" pain was just general pressure. And yes, the slow walking and moving helped. So to some people that pain is bad. I kept waiting for "bad" but I only got "weak" feeling and could not take deep breaths. Three ladies there a day before us were able to go shopping and such. It gave me hope that I WOULD feel better in a matter of hours. The reverse of that, AFTER the "shopping" ladies left to go home, two new ladies were brought in. One was trying to do what the rest of us were doing, but the other one went to bed. I KNOW what she was thinking.... " what in the heck have I done". She didn't want/feel like talking. Her husband was with her looking kind of bewildered. Everyone told him what she needed to be doing but bless his heart he was

Wow. I have been sleeping! It has felt great! I'll go back to Mexico in a bit for my story because there's a LOT more to cover, but WARNING must be given. I'm not trying to be funny or gross but it is just a fact. You may have diaharia as a result (drinking juices). I WAS concerned on the plane ride home. If I had known I might have worn a pad or something just in case. I did not have a problem until I got home, but there was a definite risk factor!!

Okay next part. The patio and the friendships. There was a nice private patio outside. A little bubbling fountain. The sound of peace. Many of us were put there walking and talking. Even though I was alone we sort of felt a commerdaderie of friendship. The condo has a cook, a nurse, and a couple of assistants. I cannot emphasize enough how kind they were. Sylvestry gives massages for $30. I was planning on getting one but ran out of time (another crazy story to follow) so I tipped him $20 and he at least massaged my shoulders. Ahhhhhh!!!! (I'm about to board the plane home in 10 minutes - 3 hour ride. See you on the other side)

Okay ... Where was I ... I was up and down peeing all night by myself mostly. It was not easy, but I was tough and just did what i had to do. Around 9am. We were told that we were moving to the recovery house. That was it. I asked , "in the hospital gown?" was told "Si". So I looked down the hall and everyone was dressed. SO I rapidly began pulling stuff out of my bag. I put on a knit dress/gown and a light robe, my Sandles, brushed through my hair and headed to the waiting van. The recovery house would have made a nice vacation home - but not for the 12 people everywhere. The hospitality, gentlness, care, and concern MORE than made up for the cramped quarters but it was a eye opener. At night people (workers) were on the couches, and even a mattress on the floor. There is No air conditioning but fotumately the air was cool. One night got a little warm but the night-time meds took care of that. WALK WALK WALK. SIT, rest, WALK MORE. Keep repeating that. I napped, then walked, napped, & walked. Oh don't be shocked when you walk into the amazing Aroma of the most incredible food you have ever smelled. Some were repelled, others were cruelly assaulted by the food! Lol. ...as we were offered juice, Water, and Popsicles. Popsicles were the BEST!!! They went down better than ice chips (which made me nauseated). These ESPECIALLY helped when I had to drink the purple dye for the leak test. I sipped purple, then sucked orange. It worked. OH - and ask for anti-nausea shot right before you do this!!! Worked for me. Anyway... Let me take a break and sip some watered down OJ before I continue.

Okay part 2. In the truck on the way back I went to my " happy place". Lol. I realized I was in a nice vehicle, with a chauffeur, riding around Tijuana naked. Suddenly Talking Heads song "As the Days go By..." came on the radio. I asked him to turn it up. He did. It was a surreal moment forever etched in my brain. So, got back and was led to a room to lay down, get IV Hooked up and WAIT. I ended up going last. Now must explain. My shoes were in one room. My carryon bag was in another, my purse was locked in Dr Bettencourts office. I am scattered all over the clinic. So I'm am led to the surgery room. Smells very clean. I laid down, said hi to the anesthesiologist. And I was OUT. NEXT thing I remember is hearing my name and trying to sit up. I think they laid me back down. Not sure. Next memory was needing to pee. They helped me with that. I was brought a shot containing pain meds a anti nauseous meds. Worked great BUT WARNING!!!! they must put it in the IV slowly or it will burn like Fire. Night nurse was not quite as patient with this and I yelped once. For some reason during the night I decided I wanted my stuff. I had asked about it but was told it wad "locked" up. It was not. So grabbed my IV pole and headed down the halls. Found my shoes, found my bag in another room but since I couldn't carry it I pushed it on the floor with my feet. FINALLY a helper heard the noise and carried to to my room. I just wanted my stuff around me. I was all by myself. Ok. Going to take some gasx and sip Water. More in a little bit.

First part messed up. I'm on pain meds and just getting ready to pack for the flight home. It will make more sense when I get on my laptop. Want to tell about pleasant surprises but unexpected realities. More later b

First let me say that the great people at the Jerusalem Hospital & recovery house could NOT have been nicer or more accommodating. That place was very tiny, but spotless. There were only 4 of us in our group, but there were several already at the house. So Drs Almanza Reyes and Bettencourt were very knowlegdeable and very kind. It was not a state of the art full service facility. Yes it was in a strip mall. After I got over that and realized that they were fully staffed and serious about what they do I was resolved at my choice. I was placed in one room for a heart scan. I was moved to another room for my IV and fluids to be started. As a group we were ushered up stairs to a waiting are to meet with Dr Almanza Reyes (yes dr Almanza and dr Reyes are his full name - Almanza Reyes). The surgery was discussed with us. I had special circumstances because I had very old gastric stapling from years ago. Dr explained to me that I required an xray before surgery. So we were ushered back down to the 6-8 beds in the hospital to wait our turn. Dr Bettencourt came in and removed my IV drip (left the needle only, taped of course) and put my sandles on my feet for my to go for my xray. It was kind of a "hurry" thing and I did as I was told. I was put into a brand new Ford F150 4x4, in the back seat with a Dora guitar and child's sweater (just thought that was cute). Another gentleman got in the front with the driver. And away we went. We were taking the guy to a hotel while he waited for his wife to recover ( they spoke none if little English ). So I suddenly realize that I am in tijuiana with absolutely NOTHING on but a hospital gown in the backseat. I have not a stitch of undies AND no I .D. We drove for over 30 minutes to take the man to a hotel then to the xray clinic located across town. (whole trip took over an hour) Okay. It has a good ending but I'm exhausted. Going to lay down for a while. More late. As we pull up to the xray facility, I see a waiting room with about a dozen people inside. beautiful facility be the way. I though to myself, "wow, the hospital should buy THIS place!". As I was going tp the stairs I said, " oh well, I'll never see any of theses people again.". Driver said, "Que?". I said, "never mind". I sat my naked butt down for about 5 minutes, drank some typical chalky stuff, got the xray, and headed back acoss town to the clinic.

I shared the room with Diva Dee and we were both a little shocked about the pain. I was a day behind her so was encouraged when she felt better. Hey Dee! I'm getting on a plane on 4 hour and hope the diarrhea is about over!! Yikes!!