MAY-JUNE-JULY 2020 BYPASSERS UNITE!! Veterans Welcome too!

[Lily66 425]

14 hours ago, MaybeMeow said:

Got a call. They're moving me up to 11:30am tomorrow. Feels perfect. Today... I feel ready.

Thinking of YOU this morning, MaybeMeow! So excited for you and praying all goes exceptionally well!💝

[613cnn 11]

@maybemeow!! How are you? Thinking about you :) how are you feeling?

[Lici 7]

Hey @MaybeMeow how did your surgery go? Hope you are having a great recovery. I Got out of the hospital this afternoon and feel great.

[MaybeMeow 129]

Hello Gang! So sorry for going MIA on you. I just got home from the hospital one hour ago. While my surgery went well, I became extremely nauseated in recovery and stayed that way for the next 48 hours. Gang... if there had been a death-button I might've pushed it. I can't describe the misery and I won't try but I did at one point become delirious because I was so miserable for so long. ANYWAY... they did everything they could to relieve me and eventually it just stopped. So then I was in this glorious high. The pain, which I only noticed AFTER the nausea left is mild to moderate and tylenol helps. I am home and sipping and walking. I just ate a 1oz Jello shot with 2 grams Protein and it seems to be going ok. I was thinking about my Bypass buds and hoping Lici and Chubby were faring better than I. I am so happy to be home in bed surrounded by a body pillow and my dog and listening to the happy sounds of my family in the house. I will post a play-by-play as I really appreciated when others did it for me but I'm going to close my eyes for a bit first. Thank you so much for sending the good thoughts. Lici it sounds like yours was a breeze and I'm so pleased. More soon!

[Groovymommy 20]

@MaybeMeow so sorry to hear about your difficulty with the nausea! Is this the first time you've been under general? Have you had problems with anesthesia before?

Anyway, get plenty of rest and THANK YOU for the update. Also for reminding me to go find my body pillow from when I was pregnant, so glad I kept that thing!

[Dave In Houston 199]

So glad to hear you are home and doing better.

I always get bad nausea from anesthesia. The worst in my life, though, was motion sickness on the ferry back to the mainland from Cozumel. The waves were so high and I was bent over the rail constantly. The thought went through my mind, "If I just jump, it will all be over."

Six months later, that ferry crashed in a similar storm and 100+ people were killed.

[Lici 7]

@MaybeMeow So glad you are doing better and home. I know that makes a huge difference. Sorry to hear you had a tough time. Hoping the worst is behind you!

[MaybeMeow 129]

Hi gang. Making an attempt to check in again. First let me say I know that I’ve had a rougher time than most so if you’re reading mine and it concerns you don’t think that my experience is the normal. I still find getting on electronics makes me queasy and I’m thinking that’s because of all the meds I received in the hospital. So I’m dictating this on my phone please forgive the grammatical errors and wrong words.

I’ll summarize my experience for those who are waiting for surgery and appreciate the details. I found them beneficial when I was waiting.

Check in was quick it was pretty empty in the area. I kissed my husband goodbye, a friendly nurse weighed me and put me in an empty “stall”where I took off all my clothes and put on a hospital gown. I forgot to takeoff my wedding ring so she put it in a little capsule and put it in the bag with my clothes and said I’m taking this to your husband in the waiting room right now. Then she started my IV and then sat there with me and chatted. She went through a little bit of paperwork that I had to sign. And then stayed and talked with me more. It was very kind of her. They were running just a little bit behind so I sat there for about 40 minutes and we talked the whole time. Then everything else happened quickly two other nurses came in and the three ladies rolled me into the coke bright large operating room they were chatting joyfully asking me questions. Before I knew it all the sudden the room started spinning and I asked “did you already give me some thing because the room is spinning” and one of the nurses said “oh I’m so sorry yes we just started the fentinal it must work fast on you cuz it usually takes people a minute to feel it. it will help control your pain after the... ” and that’s all I remember until I was being wheeled into my hospital room where my husband was waiting for me.

He told me The surgery took about 45 minutes and I’d been in recovery for a couple hours. Because apparently I was a light-weight and the meds were still heavily affecting me. I was happy to see him and to know the surgery went well. But pretty quickly I started feeling really nauseous.

I’m gonna go ahead and skip ahead because the next 36 hours were pretty miserable I received a great deal of attentive care and an enormous amount of meds trying to curb the nausea nothing really helpEd except those that knocked me out. I was also running a low fever. Never got above 101 but it added to the misery. and their concern. I recall the surgeon visiting about 24 hours in. He said mild short term nausea was fairly common but they rarely had people suffering for this long. But every once in a while. He did mention a woman who was in the hospital for four days with nausea. But said that she left feeling great. He promised me it would go away. He said that and the fever were most likely just signs that my body was angry about the surgery. All of my blood work and my heart rate and blood pressure were excellent so there was no sign of any other kind of trauma... just an angry system. And he was right. After a painful shot of a drug called Phenergan which was probably the eighth thing I had been given. I slept for four hours straight and when I woke up all the sudden on day two I felt much better. Like everyone else does I started walking and sipping. The pain in the hospital was very mild here on day three at hone it’s a little more significant. But Tylenol is helping and I’m not needing any thing heavier.

I am queasy which brings back some waves of fear that I might go back to where I was. So I’m just really focusing on drinking Protein chicken broth and getting my Water in. The only other thing I’m taking is Tylenol 500 mg every three hours. Plus Prilosec. I’m listening to a great book on audible and pushing thru. The scars are small I have six of them they seem to be healing well. My tummy does make a lot of noise. I burp a lot and hiccups hurt. I’ve started passing some gas which is a relief. I’m concerned about Constipation but that’s something to worry about later. all in all this feels like the recovery from a major surgery. And it’s going well. Again, from all the reading I did ahead of time most people have an easier time than I’m having. But none of my issues are serious complications.

I’m taking this one step at a time determined to heal well. So that I have the mental strength to tackle the next hurdles of the eating.. I know there are a couple of you who are going soon! Wishing you the best. Please check in and let us know how you’re doing.

Before I go I just wanna share a couple things that have been very helpful. Making the Jell-O shots with geno pro protein have been a lifesaver.. They are 1 ounce each and give you 2 g of protein and they taste really good even though it’s sugar-free. I’m loving my glider that I had from my breast-feeding days. Particularly because I don’t have a recliner. I encourage everyone who doesn’t have a recliner to buy a body pillow. I got a great one on Amazon that is like a horseshoe. You can wrap it around to support both sides and then tuck one end under your back. I also encourage you to invest in a really comfy pair of pajamas that are a little big for you. I splurged on a pair of Bamboo pants and short sleeve shirt it’s so soft. I plan to wear it all week. The binder hasn’t been that helpful so if you don’t have one I wouldn’t recommend spending the money on it. That’s all I have to share for now. I’ll check in again soon. Hope everyone is doing well in their preparation or their postop.

Sent from my iPhone

[Groovymommy 20]

Oh @MaybeMeow glad to hear you're doing better. Hang in there and get plenty of rest.

Next Tuesday my husband is just going to drop me off, because my hospital's policy is no visitors allowed in pre-op, recovery, or even in the patient rooms (unless you're giving birth I guess). So I'll be by myself but I'm not too stressed about it. They did tell me a nurse will take charge of my belongings and lock them up while I'm in surgery, and encouraged me not to bring anything except essentials.

[ssjiminez@yahoo.com 1]

Hi everyone! My nickname is Gata. Im 62 years old and weigh 314 lbs. I’m scheduled for Dswitch on the 16th. All the information I’ve been reading from such sincere hearts is helping me tremendously. To hear some say they’re nervous and excited. Others saying that while waiting nervously they’ve gained weight helps me feel better. I can relate to so many of your comments. My Dr. snapped at me today for gaining 5 lbs (made me feel really bad). I’ve been waiting since January, but what little I lost , came back in no time from the nerves! Anyway, I’m still super excited, I started my liquids today (so far so good). I purchased a variety of fat free cream Soups which I added Protein Powder to. Also purchased jellos and nonfat yogurt and low fat cottage cheese. All recommended by my dietician. I feel a little lost, but I will continue reading. I wasn’t sure wether to let my family know, but your texts have helped me make up my mind not to. Thank you all again for sharing your experiences!

Note to self:walk, walk, walk🙂

[MaybeMeow 129]

On 6/12/2020 at 2:18 PM, Groovymommy said:

Oh @MaybeMeow glad to hear you're doing better. Hang in there and get plenty of rest.

Next Tuesday my husband is just going to drop me off, because my hospital's policy is no visitors allowed in pre-op, recovery, or even in the patient rooms (unless you're giving birth I guess). So I'll be by myself but I'm not too stressed about it. They did tell me a nurse will take charge of my belongings and lock them up while I'm in surgery, and encouraged me not to bring anything except essentials.

Honestly I wonder if things will change by them. I hearing more and more people who were told "no one" are now being allowed one guest. I'm glad you're not stressed about it. Honestly, Groovy, if you don't get the nausea it's pretty much a breeze. They wait on you hand and foot. Recovery is a challenge. It's so ... BORING. I don't feel like eating at all and I'm hyper focused on fluids. But the head hunger... I realize I use treats to keep my spirits up and that is going to be the biggest hurdle thru this. I've told my family not to hesitate with their eating but that I am not available to help or prepare anything. My hubs took the rest of the week off so Monday should be interesting. I'll just be preparing lunch for my kiddo but I have a lot of carting around to do. This takes a great deal of mental focus. I actually told my darling 11 year old daughter today how much I loved her but then said "Mom doesn't have any energy for you. Forgive me. Feel free to pop in the bedroom and chat for a few minutes anytime but know I can only give you a few minutes at a time." And god love her, she got it. We are very close and she's an only child so this is VERY different from the norm but she pops in for 5 minutes every hour and then either goes on her own or I turn on my audio book again and she gets the picture and dances out the door. It's an emotional filled time. And my body is still in deep recovery. But each day is little easier. One day at a time! ONWARD all!

Edited June 13, 2020 by MaybeMeow

[MaybeMeow 129]

On 6/12/2020 at 4:35 PM, ssjiminez@yahoo.com said:

Hi everyone! My nickname is Gata. Im 62 years old and weigh 314 lbs. I’m scheduled for Dswitch on the 16th. All the information I’ve been reading from such sincere hearts is helping me tremendously. To hear some say they’re nervous and excited. Others saying that while waiting nervously they’ve gained weight helps me feel better. I can relate to so many of your comments. My Dr. snapped at me today for gaining 5 lbs (made me feel really bad). I’ve been waiting since January, but what little I lost , came back in no time from the nerves! Anyway, I’m still super excited, I started my liquids today (so far so good). I purchased a variety of fat free cream Soups which I added Protein Powder to. Also purchased jellos and nonfat yogurt and low fat cottage cheese. All recommended by my dietician. I feel a little lost, but I will continue reading. I wasn’t sure wether to let my family know, but your texts have helped me make up my mind not to. Thank you all again for sharing your experiences!

Note to self:walk, walk, walk🙂

WELCOME! The more the merrier. If my doc were the snapping kind I would've gotten it too. 6 pounds heavier from my 1st appt to my 2nd that were 6 weeks apart. This Covid thing is a game changer. I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Do keep reading. I don't think there's a thing you're going thru that others haven't as well. And it helps to share. Even the trival stuff! ONWARD!

[MaybeMeow 129]

How’s everyone feeling today? We’ve got some newly post ops and a couple about to go. @Groovymommy I’m getting excited for you! Today is decidedly better for me. Less soreness. Less queasy. I had some fat free Greek yogurt with a little unsweetened applesauce ( about 3 tablespoons) and my Protein broth. My family is currently eating burgers with all the fixings including guacamole and fried eggs, seasoned curly fries and chocolate cake. So I am hiding out in the bedroom. I am determined to not let my choice to do this surgery make them feel guilty for indulging. Those fries smell amazing. But frankly I’m just relieved I think so cuz that is the opposite of nausea.

Check in Bypassers!

ONWARD!

[Lily66 425]

13 hours ago, MaybeMeow said:

How’s everyone feeling today? We’ve got some newly post ops and a couple about to go. @Groovymommy I’m getting excited for you! Today is decidedly better for me. Less soreness. Less queasy. I had some fat free Greek yogurt with a little unsweetened applesauce ( about 3 tablespoons) and my Protein broth. My family is currently eating burgers with all the fixings including guacamole and fried eggs, seasoned curly fries and chocolate cake. So I am hiding out in the bedroom. I am determined to not let my choice to do this surgery make them feel guilty for indulging. Those fries smell amazing. But frankly I’m just relieved I think so cuz that is the opposite of nausea.

Check in Bypassers!

ONWARD!

SO proud of you, MaybeMeow! You’re coming right along. You and I share a similar philosophy: “I am determined to not let MY CHOICE to do this surgery make them feel guilty for indulging.”. I’m right there with you! Hubs is 6ft and BMI of 21, can and does eat whatever he wants. Why should he suffer my journey? If tables were turned I sure wouldn’t want him placing that control on me.

At first, post op there were tough moments, I was green eyed monster over his Chilli’s Steak quesadilla carryout, or his home made key lime pie in fridge, but each time I resisted and let myself feel HAPPY for him, I grew stronger in my resolve and strength—and HE grew stronger in his love and respect for me. food was NOT scaring nor tempting me ANY LONGER. I have since then taken one bite of his ‘this or that’ to find I no longer have a taste for it and THAT WAS WONDERFULLY LIBERATING!

Keep on Keepin’ on Strong Woman!💃💪💝

Edited June 15, 2020 by Lily66

[Ashley.Sheridan 1]

Hey everyone! I am new to this forum. I am scheduled for bypass on 7/14. I have my pre-op appt on 6/30, that’s when I’ll be starting my surgeons pre-op diet. My surgeon doesn’t require all liquids for the pre-op. Thank you sweet baby Jesus. I hope everyone has a great surgery and quick recovery!