I just wanted to post a recap of my eventful week.

Saturday night - out to dinner with a group of my girlfriends. Indulged in 4oz of chicken satay with peanut sauce, and 2oz of creme brulee. YUMMY right, yeah not so great by the time I got home (2 hours after eating). Explosive diarrhea and dry heaving.

Sunday- Felt puny and kind of lethargic but otherwise "okay".

Monday- with every sip, swallow my stomach ached, and cramped, with a pain radiating up to my left collarbone shoulder area called surgeon left message.

Tuesday- was hellbent on eating so I ate through the pain, but knew something was not "right"

Wednesday - no response from surgeon, called again left yet another message. Still hurting, but managed to eat about 300 calories

Thursday- pain is worse, head to the ER at 9pm, got a bag of fluids, 2 percocets (didn't even help with the pain), iv Levaquin, and a diagnosis of a UTI. Lovely civilian contract doctor at a military ER. It's a stickler subject with me.

Friday - called my bariatric surgeon's nurse direct line, left message, called me back within 15 minutes, and got me in for a gallbladder ultrasound, and abdominal CT with contrast. GB u/s revealed 1/3 of GB is full of stones, cancelled the CT because they wanted me to drink 32oz of contrast Fluid in 30 minutes, yeah that's not going to happen considering I've been lucky to get in 20oz of fluid a day for the last week.

Surgeon's schedule is booked until February 22nd. I told the nurse there is NO way I can tolerate this pain for that long, and I want the surgeon to call me.

Saturday- 10am, cell phone rings, unfamiliar number, sugeon calling from his cell phone. He hadn't received my 2 messages, wanted to know who I spoke with, and to come in on Tuesday at 10am to get me on the OR roster to have my gallbladder removed.

Least to say, it's a been a week from hell for me. Not mention the weight loss from the previous week, but now the constant pain I get when eating and drinking anything.

I haven't felt this bad since early out in my recovery. I have a prescription for cipro for the "UTI" that the surgeon wants me to go ahead and take, and some phenegran that I'm taking before eating to keep me from puking up my guts.

I'm hoping to have surgery on Thursday or Friday. I knew it was my gallbladder all along, but I was hoping it was related to the Wellbutrin, or something trivial.

If you wouldn't mind saying a quick prayer, sending some good thoughts, some good ole' cajun voodoo or even slinging a chicken around my way would be appreciated. I'm petrified of another surgery. I told the surgeon that's the only reason I refused to see another surgeon. I'm not willing to have a Captain operate on me. My surgeon is a LT. Col, and has 20 + years experience. I'm not willing to just let any "joe schmoe" cut on me. He just laughed and said " well, I can't blame you, and I'm sorry I didn't get your message." He knows I'm a demanding patient, and he understands the reasons behind it.

So, if I go MIA for awhile, please keep me in your thoughts. These next 2 days, I'm going to be cooking and cleaning. John is home and off stand-by (THANK THE GOOD LORD ABOVE). I'll be preparing some meals for them so they don't have to eat out a bunch. I have to get the house completely cleaned because I won't want to come home to a dirty house. I just need to tidy up. John can run the dishwasher and washer/dryer, but scrubbing toilets and cooking is not his forte.

Thanks for all of your support and encouragement. I'll try to either text or update someone via email so they can let y'all know what's going on. I won't have my laptop, and the web version/skin of VST on my Iphone sucks.

For those of you on my Facebook, I'll be able to update there easily once I'm out of recovery and in a room.

See, she's already giggling and she hasn't even had surgery yet. That's our girl!!! Take good care and let us know, ok?

Great great news! I'm so glad you'll be rid of that darn thing! Please keep us updated when you can. Definitely swingin Lizards for you!

Tiffy for me, I didn't feel any pain the day of surgery, or the next day.

I was surprised when I woke up the third day and it was the most uncomfortable. That lasted about a week. Just thought you might appreciate a little warning that I thought I was home free with no pain the first two days and got a little surprise day 3.

Another update:

Went in saw Dr. R this morning, and did another ultrasound in office this morning, and my gallbladder inflammation and irritation seems to be significantly decreased. He attributes this to the fact that I haven't eaten anything other than Soup, crackers, and some sliced chicken breast for the last 5 days. So, he thinks the surgery will be a bit easier.

Surgery is scheduled for Thursday morning. I go in tomorrow for labs, pre-admission paperwork, chest xray, and ekg.

Thank you all for your well wishes, and prayers. I feel better knowing that Dr. R is going to be doing the surgery, and that he is confident that I will okay through this. He's happy with my weightloss thus far, and even told me I could lose more if I wanted to. I just giggled at him, and said, I'm happy where I'm at.

He said just the fact that I'm 122lbs lighter than I was will definitely make surgery and recovery easier on my body. He seems to think that I'll be able to go home late Thursday as long as I can keep fluids down, and there are no complications.

Many thanks and I'll update once we get home or on Friday.

Great news, Tiff. You have already proven that you are a Wonder Woman. I'm sure you'll do great. All will be well.

Tiffy is going to do great. After everything you have been through, this will be nothing.

Sending healing thoughts your way for a quick recovery!

Thanks everyone ! ! !

I went today and had my pre-op labs and paperwork done.

I check in at 6:00am, and then surgery is at 7:30am. I'm the first one in due to my latex allergy. They want to make sure the OR is latex-free and that they get me done first so I can have as much time as I need in recovery.

I'm really hoping to be home by tomorrow afternoon sometime. I truly appreciate all of your well wishes and prayers. I don't know what I'd do without y'all ! ! !

I'll text someone as soon as I can to let y'all know I'm okay.

Hey Tiff!

So sorry to hear about your gallbladder... :-( I just found your post tonight. I will be praying for you. Hope the surgery goes well and that you have a quick recovery...

Believe it or not I just returned from the doctor and he had me do a ultrasound on my gallbladder and said that mine is almost totally full of gallstones... :w00t:

I don't know what I should. :thumbup:

The doctor here in Nicaragua says that I need to have it. The sooner the better. I don't know if that is what I should do or wait until I am having problems... I feel fine. I haven't had any pain or anything...

Oh well... I guess I'll have to figure it out.

Let us know when you get back from the hospital. Praying for you!

Hey Tiff!

So sorry to hear about your gallbladder... :-( I just found your post tonight. I will be praying for you. Hope the surgery goes well and that you have a quick recovery...

Believe it or not I just returned from the doctor and he had me do a ultrasound on my gallbladder and said that mine is almost totally full of gallstones... :drool5:

I don't know what I should. :thumbup1:

The doctor here in Nicaragua says that I need to have it. The sooner the better. I don't know if that is what I should do or wait until I am having problems... I feel fine. I haven't had any pain or anything...

Oh well... I guess I'll have to figure it out.

Let us know when you get back from the hospital. Praying for you!

Charity,

It is so much safer to have it as elective surgery, instead of waiting until you get all inflamed and in pain, with abnormal lab values and possibly pancreatitis. I'd schedule it asap if I were you, and get it done while you are stable.

I agree with that. I waited until it was an emergency and I was sorry. It was so painful when I went to the emergency room and much more expensive in the end, from getting pancreatitis.

Tiffy, thinking of you this morning! Swinging a few Lizards around!

Thanks everyone ! ! !

I went today and had my pre-op labs and paperwork done.

I check in at 6:00am, and then surgery is at 7:30am. I'm the first one in due to my latex allergy. They want to make sure the OR is latex-free and that they get me done first so I can have as much time as I need in recovery.

I'm really hoping to be home by tomorrow afternoon sometime. I truly appreciate all of your well wishes and prayers. I don't know what I'd do without y'all ! ! !

I'll text someone as soon as I can to let y'all know I'm okay.

Tiff,

You're probably all done and in recovery room by now...just wanted you to know I've been praying for a smooth surgery and recovery today, for you. Hope you are back home and resting well soon!

Here's an update from Tiffykins:

"Everything went well, I'm actually on my way home. Dr R did an endoscopy as well & said my sleeve looks fabulous."

:thumbup1:

Here's an update from Tiffykins:

"Everything went well, I'm actually on my way home. Dr R did an endoscopy as well & said my sleeve looks fabulous."

:thumbup1:

That is great news!

Thanks Randi for updating everyone.

Surgery was smooth sailing. The endoscopy revealed a nice, tight little tummy with zero abnormalities. I have pictures, but only have one picture of the staple line that leaked. It's just a bunch of scar tissue nothing exciting to see. He also took pictures of my small/large intestines, gallbladder, and some scar tissue that was hanging around in my abdomen.

Surgery took 1 hour, and my recovery was completely uneventful. I was up and walking in about 1.5 hour, and sipping grape juice, chewing on some Teddy Grahams. I felt like a 6 yr old kiddo.

The most awesome thing happened. The OR nurse that was in on my revision and my leak repair was somehow assigned to me today. She had the sleeve a couple of weeks after I did. She was going to get the band until she saw what it had done to my stomach. She's dropped 80lbs. They took such amazing care of me, and I only cried a little bit when kissing John as they wheeled me back.

I honestly can not thank you all enough for all your prayers, good thoughts, and support through all of this. I have been home since around noon. Sipping Water, and hanging out in the recliner. I've got good drugs, and feel pretty good. A little tender under my rib, but other than that, I'm doing great.

I can't drive for 7 days, and am on a lifting restriction for 4 weeks because he took down some more of the large amounts of scar tissue.

Many thanks again ! ! !