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.

yeay for an uneventful surgery Tiffy. I hope you feel even better soon, and I am glad you are feeling better. Cheering you on.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

That is great news Tiff,, Your a real winner!

Go Tiff, Go Tiff, Go Tiff, Go Tiff!!!!!

I'm so happy to read this Tiffy!

Very glad to hear you're doing so well! Pretty cool you got the same nurse too, I bet that doesn't happen too often! :thumbup: You kick butt, girl!

Hello Tiffykins,

You are in my thoughts and prayers. Hope all goes well for you and you have a speedy recovery.

Hey Girl...how the heck are you doing? I haven't heard anything from you in a while...how's your progress? Tell me what's happening with ya....

I am glad you're feeling good Tiffy. I hope every day you feel better.

What a relief to have it over with, huh! Glad its behind you. Smooth sailing from now on!

Linda

Great news Tiff. I knew you would do great...you are a strong woman! And all the love and support you've received is just a return on all you have given!!!

Take good care of yourself!

Thank you God for answered prayer! Tiff you sound terrific...I am very happy things went well and your at home now. Take it easy and you'll be back on your feet in no time. Your really a blessing to all of us. Thanks so much.

Tiffy, G R E A T N E W S !

And, as a side bonus, you get to sit and watch the super bowl, not have anything thing to do with the work involved. HA

Good for you, I am so happy for you.

Now, we just need to get Charritymaroquin to belly up to the bar and get hers out.

Charitymarroquin: GET YOUR GALL BLADDER TAKEN OUT BEFORE IT CAUSES YOU TROUBLE. Seriously, you do NOT want that pain. It is not small. If your Dr. says it is full of stones, that is like a bomb just waiting to go off inside you. I had a stone lodge in the duct and it was very infected ugly mess. Wish my PCP would have detected the stones before all that happened. You have the luxury of schedualing this now, when it acts up, you will not. It will be emergency surgery and a very painful wait before that. Tiffy did just fine. You will do just fine. Get it gone!

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. :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!

Hey Tiffy! Glad to hear that you made it through surgery ok. How are you feeling now?

Hey Carolyn, I know I need to do something... :-( I don't have insurance though... but here in Nicaragua it is alot cheaper, but it is still going to be around a $1,000. Which when you are missionary and do not receive a salary still makes it difficult...

I have been thinking about trying a gallbladder/liver flush to flush out at least some of the stones. Have anyone here tried that? And I don't know it that is safe or ok after being sleeved.

It's pretty nasty. You drink Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil and Salt Water and different times. But if it worked it would be better than surgery. Do you think it's ok for me to try it?

Charrity, NO! Do not try that "flush". OMG! Work a deal with the Dr./hospital for some kind of payments. Call your parents. Call your church. I will make a donation! (a small one, ha)Good heavens girl, you deserve full treatment. Just to ease your mind, if you had lost the weight on your own (with out surgery) you would have had the same gall bladder problems. I did. So, it is not "because you had WLS". Please consider this important enough to your overall long term health to take care of it properly.

God Bless you and your work.

Hey Tiffy! Glad to hear that you made it through surgery ok. How are you feeling now?

Hey Carolyn, I know I need to do something... :-( I don't have insurance though... but here in Nicaragua it is alot cheaper, but it is still going to be around a $1,000. Which when you are missionary and do not receive a salary still makes it difficult...

I have been thinking about trying a gallbladder/liver flush to flush out at least some of the stones. Have anyone here tried that? And I don't know it that is safe or ok after being sleeved.

It's pretty nasty. You drink Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil and Salt Water and different times. But if it worked it would be better than surgery. Do you think it's ok for me to try it?

Charity,

Please don't do that, too risky. Your gallbladder duct is incredibly small and if one of those stones breaks loose you will create an attack that will force you into surgery. Not to mention what those liquids could do to your sleeve. I have scanned patients with gallbladder dz and it is so painful. Please find a way to get your surgery with a good surgeon, it is worth it.

Good luck,

Linda

Charity, I would not even attempt to flush those stones out. The common bile duct is very easily damaged, and you could possibly cause a stone to lodge in there. That will only complicate matters more.

I was on a very bland, liquid diet for 5 days before surgery just so the surgery would be less complicated. Luckily, it worked for me, but I was only allowed to eat chicken noodle Soup, boiled chicken breast, saltine crackers and lots of Water. I was not allowed to have anything with much flavor, fat, or color.

My GB was so inflamed that the surgeon would not perform surgery until the inflammation decreased. He said due to the scar tissue in my abdomen, and an inflamed GB, I was asking for complications.

I feel so much better today. I am able to eat without pain and discomfort. Truly, the only discomfort I have is a twinge of pain under my right rib area.

Do not delay in having the surgery. Gallbladder disease can lead to many other health related problems. Your pancreas can easily become inflamed and infected as well. Just because you are not having symptoms doesn't mean that you won't in a moments notice. You do not want it to rupture, and then cause more internal issues.

Please, Charity get your gallbladder removed ASAP.