SkinnyDown

Good luck with everything! We'll see you on the other side.

@ Great news, about getting back in the pool. Have fun!

I quite enjoy the box broths. There are many different flavors to choose from too. Don't forget french onion soup can be strained too. That's pretty tasty stuff. I can attest to the fact that sugary stuff just isn't doing it for me either, post surgery. I have cut down even my sweetener intake at least half (If I used 4 packets, I'm now using two or even one). Everything "sweet" tastes so sickeningly sweet to me now. Weird. GOOD, (because I was a sugar-aholic), but weird. I know that has to be horrible to have both things going at same time, but Djmohr is right, you've made it through the worst day already. Soon you really won't care, and just do what you have to do.

Great job! Very impressive work you've done already. I don't know what the huge delay could be @LousPeachy. I mean we do have fax machines, right? lol Sometimes I just don't understand the slowness of the process. Keep positive!

You guys are so sweet! Thanks! Let's all keep up the good work!

Oh thank goodness for you kind people! I wonder if I don't do myself in with all the stress too. Still having these chest pains but I'm going to lie down and relax a bit and see if that doesn't help. I ate some cream Soup, that was comforting, and drank some Water. Everything seemed to be ok with that. Maybe I'm just stressed out. I don't do so well on my own, when I am sick, and my sister left today she was here the last 4 days helping me out, but had to go home. I do see my Surgeon tomorrow, so I can find out all the answers I need. Including how to know when I really need to just go to ER. I've had diarrhea since the day I got home, as I am on antibiotics, (port site infection) and every shake I drink goes right through me, after I'm done drinking it, and I've not made it to the bathroom in time a few times already! It is that immediate. My surgeon was aware, and his nurse said he'd call back if he needed to on Friday....he never did, so here I am low blood sugar, no food staying with me....beside myself. According to my scale... I have lost 9 lbs though in the last 5 days. I'll see what the official scale says tomorrow. I am so sorry, @@crystalefinley that your support has to go back to work too. Especially with a baby that needs to be taken care of. My heart goes out to you. We'll get through this, together, all of us! Prayers and well wishes for all. <3

I'm worried from the moment my feet touch the floor everyday. I was doing ok....I still am having multiple issues, but I felt a bit more under control, and see the surgeon tomorrow morning again. I however woke up from a nap and did that hiccupy burp thing and my chest L side started hurting again, like it did when I was trying to get rid of all that gas right after surgery. It's been at least 4 days since that pain subsided...does it come back? Is something else wrong? I'm afraid I'll drive myself nuts with this stuff. Then there is the whole...when is blood sugar too low? I start showing signs of low blood sugar anywhere below 100. I've woken up with 85's the past 4 days and it only gets up to 115 Now I know that's normal. I should be happy, but I guess I'm so used to high blood sugar, I'm freaking out that it's too low. I stopped taking all my diabetes meds at this point, until I see my Surgeon, tomorrow. Any help, ideas, thoughts? I guess mostly I'm afraid. Afraid of screwing up, or just keeling over because I don't know what I'm doing, or looking for the right signs that something is really wrong.

Single

I don't know if that's possible, but at this point I'd believe ANYTHING! I am dealing with an infection of port site right now, not fun. But that started while I was still in the hospital. It seems to be doing ok, so far, I see the Surgeon again on Monday, we'll see what he has to say. My advice would be, to mark the edges of the redness with a pen, and see if redness grows beyond the borders with time. Also, check if you have a fever, any other symptoms. I'd call their hotline number or emergency number at your Bariatric center, just for peace of mind. Good luck with everything! Keep us posted.

@@Tracy6035 Congratulations! Welcome to the other side. I am trying to get a shake in me right now. It's hard, I am getting in the Water they require, but the shakes are another story. I just keep trying. I had surgery on May 20th, and got home on Wednesday 27th. A few complications arose. Slowly getting better... I am allowed strained cream Soup now. So I tried cream of broccoli tonight made with milk, instead of water for the extra Protein. Great change from sickeningly sweet sugary tasting shakes! That's the first thing that has tasted somewhat good to me since the surgery. I wish you continued success and healing.

I honestly don't think I could have done this without the pain pump, and vicodin at home now. I'm in pain, not horrible now, but still, to rest well, I need pain relief. Lucky I didn't have your Dr. @@red37 I'm so allergic to Toradol, I stop breathing. Best of luck to you! Hope you get to go home tomorrow.

@@RNYGal I am sitting here in shock after reading your post. How is that even legal? How does someone not "believe" in helping his patients pain level? What happened to do no harm? You body needs to heal, and part of that is staying on top of that pain so your body can rest and relax. I am so sorry and send such positive healing thoughts your way. How brave you are. I don't know if it's feasible but is it too late to visit another Bariatric center? Did you know this going in? Is it written down somewhere, that he doesn't "believe" in using narcotics? I just feel so terrible, that you have had to go through this.

I was just woke out of a deep sleep, which I don't get much of these days, by my nurse, asking me if I will give up my single room for another patient in ER right now. I was like....are you out of your effin' mind! Then as I woke up I realized what just happened...she wasn't really asking me because she's up here on the surgical floor, someone else put her up to it. *this is a nurse I really like too. So I demand to see the admin asshat that would wake a hospital patient at 3:30 AM to change hospital rooms, most likely for someone with better insurance, I mean come on what other reason could there be? Of course the Admin-Supervisor won't come to my room to talk to me, (scaredy cat) and says she'll just have to work something else out. How about, coming up to the floor, and waking a patient, to move them....YOURSELF? Now the funny thing, is that I don't even mind that they asked me. I think that could have waited until the light of day hit my ass. I have been blessed during my whole hospital stay with my own room, happy for that, and I'd love to give that to someone else, as I know I have maybe a day or two left here, tops. But come on, in the middle of the night. I'm up now, which pisses me off greatly, It takes so much to get comfortable enough when you have 6 big holes punched in your belly...it hurts anytime you move. Then to ask someone to wake me up. I know my nurse felt bad, and did not want to do that. I felt badly for her. So....complaint to come against the Admin. That Admin was stupid to mess with me, because I'll be damned if she uses a nurse that works as hard as mine does, as her little scapegoat. That's not right, you want to mess with people who go out of their way to take good care of me? You got another thing coming. I even said to my nurse, (who has been a primary care giver, I have had her every night shift, since I was admitted) does Admin not know that the internet eats these stories up? Come on! Yes, let's move a patient recovering from surgery in the middle of the night, out of their room, and into another room, and hope that's good for their recovery. All it is good for, is lining the hospital's pockets. Now I can't sleep, I'm all worked up, I'm sick to my stomach, had to request more nausea meds, and about to request a xanax so I can try to go back to sleep. Thanks asshat admin!

@@maureenm That's so scary! I hope all is well now.

Thanks all for the beautiful support and encouraging words I am reading. You are all so kind! I haven't been on much, since I got home Wednesday. I've been working hard on just keeping afloat. I'm actually starting to feel a bit better, everyday a little improvement, and I am thankful for all the improvements, no matter how small or big. I'm healing. Fighting dehydration ...the antibiotics are doing their usual number on my belly and colon. shakes fly right through me, but dang it, I'm going to make it. fight it, kick that infection out, and carry on with my life! I bought a treadmill, I'm so excited to get moving in serious ways. I am retaining a lot of Water in my legs and feet, from being on iv fluids so long, (but that is probably helping me stay hydrated)....I can tell from how my clothes fit I am losing already. Thanks again for all the positive encouraging words.

If anyone is interested, I would love to have a surgery buddy. I'd really like to have a friend waiting for me on the other side of this, with some support and encouragement. If anyone is interested, please, get in touch!

@@Heavy to Healthy Thank you so much for writing and letting me know I wasn't alone on this journey. I am still not quite out of the woods, still have this infection, but am on antibiotics, wound is packed, that comes out in the AM, and we wait to see if it will close on it's own. I know much of my nausea is being brought on by the antibiotics and still, so many pills I have to take. I just want a little relief...so I can get my nourishment in. I'm getting my Water in ok But the antibiotic gave me nausea and diarrhea, and I'm not sure why but the hospital didn't give me my Zyrtec for a week, so I get out into the world today and it's full of pollen and I'm choking every time I lay down. Blowing my nose, miserable.... I feel like a big old mess. LOL I could use some prayers and good thoughts. SO I thank all of you have been so kind, and sweet, and positive. It's made a difference. I just keep praying to wake up for another day.

Good luck everyone, with your surgeries! Prayers for you!

Well..,.a number of reasons, and I get to go home today, finally. One full week later! I had pretty bad gas pains as all people do, and nausea, no vomiting, but I couldn't take in anything but ice chips for the first 4 days or so. I still have a hard time getting 1 or 2 shakes in me per day. Water I am constantly sipping. Then I had issues with severe Fluid retention, and they just kept saying, no we can't let you go. Something was wrong and they were waiting for it. Little did I know. I did know that my surgery was particularly difficult and they had a mishap happen during surgery. The stapler, got stuck shut with two pieces of my stomach in between. They couldn't get it open. In fact they had to call the manufacturer and get some advice while I was on the table. The other option would be to rip it out, with my stomach that was stapled together. It turns out there was some tearing. They had to make another lapro hole, so I have 6, and use another stapler to pry open the other one. what they brought through once they got the stapler open was some of my stomach. I was on the table 4.5 hours. Adhesions, and scar tissue were tough issues too. I was in recovery for 2 hours with breathing problems too. It was just one thing after another. I finally got to my room at 11:30pm I started feeling better after a few days, and thought yeah I'll be going home... and then I started feeling sick again, and blood sugars were going up despite me not eating much, blood pressure was dropping, and I was having more nausea and night sweats and chills and bam infection. In one of the port holes lol I'm not sure what to call it, but it was big and hard and red and swollen overnight. and growing. So the surgeon came up to my room, took out stitches, no anesthetic at all...and he opened me up drained what was the most nasty pus ever to come out of a zombie (because that's what I felt like at that point) used big swabs to poke all around in me and release all that pus, and then slipped a few feet of strip gauze in me, put some 2x2's and tape on, and here I am today. They did a dressing change on it this morning, shoved more strip gauze in the hole and I'm to take out the strip gauze tomorrow and keep a clean dry dressing on it until it heals. Meanwhile I'm on antibiotics and keeping my fingers crossed. I've been down this road before, with wound care after surgery. Last time it took 3 months to heal. I'm hoping this time is just a few days like they say. It seemed everything that could happen did happen. And so....I'm maybe grateful for staff who knew there was a possibility I could get sick, and for those who just didn't like how I looked. LOL You know what I mean. They could sense something was wrong with me. I'm still having a great deal of nausea, unfortunately but I am SO glad I am going home. I feel that if I can just get a good nights sleep I might actually feel better.

I can say it was the same thing so many people mention...and it is, but I hit an all time low. I guess my rock bottom. My mother died..I spent the next 6 months of my life buried up to my neck in food...in all her recipes, trying to recreate each one over, and over, and over. Eating my way through the grief until I gained 40 more lbs, and then my heart started to not work right. I am in Grade 1 heart failure, blood pressure sky high, working my heart too much, all this excess weight....I graduate from a cane to walker, and then my blood sugars are out of control, Dr. put me on 2 oral diabetes meds, then 2 different kinds of insulin. I was giving myself 4 injections minimum, and taking over 20 pills, every day. On an office visit to try to slap a band-aid on knees that need replacement, (which won't happen until I lose a considerable amount of weight), my Dr. looked me in the eyes, and told me if I didn't stop, I was going to die. I knew then....I had to make some major life changes, but not just a surgery to make my stomach tiny. I needed to work through all the many reasons why I used food, what it meant to me, what it had become to me and and why I was so addicted to it. Those were the demons that were/are harder to deal with than the 8 month program, and the 4.5 hours I spent on that operating table. I haven't had to take 3 of 4 diabetes medications in days...... They stopped 2 of my heart medications last night...... Already my health is improving. I did it for the right purposes, and I dug deeper than I thought I would, so I could also do it for the best purposes, because it was time for me to let go of my protection I had used for so many years. My fat. I am taking this day by day. I can't even predict what the results will be. I only know I am motivated, at 49, to change my life, and become the person I was meant to be.

Prayers for you both! You're going to be just fine.

@@Beauty+5 I am so sorry to hear this news. Don't give up. The surgeon might be able to advocate more for you. This makes absolutely no sense.

I get to go home tomorrow! Wednesday. Exactly one week later. lol I never planned for this kind of stay, but I was taken care of well, and I am hoping all the things that could go wrong, have gone wrong, and I'm due for some healing and better days ahead. No regrets. Even despite all the mishaps and stuff I've been through. I'm still very glad I had it done. I hope everyone who's just had surgery is doing well too!

That was exactly what I thought, I would have given up my room, no problem, at a reasonable hour. lol

@@SusanDavenporr2015 I loved your story of walking in the rain... I've always found that asking around is the best way to spread word of what you need in this world. I did just that, asked around....I wanted a treadmill and low and behold, my sister told me that my ex brother in law was actually selling one on FB, at first I asked him if I could make payments, as it was a bit pricey for me, but he not only reduced the price, he offered to bring it over and set it up. It's also exactly what I needed, a treadmill with shock absorbing features, since I have bad knees, this will be so much better for me than the concrete sidewalks, until I get my knee surgeries. And, he's hardly used it. Maybe 10 times he said! Now that's a blessing from the Universe that came almost immediately when my need arose. Ask around, you just never know who might have one to even give away! And will move it for you too! Best of luck in finding what you need.