My hospital experience, last minute panic on anaethetists trolley

[Grayorm 0]

Hi folks, my experience at the hospital.

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I went in to the hospital at 07.15 and was last on the list so went down to theatre at 11.30, so plenty of time to get wound up. (I was back to my room by 1.30pm). By the time I went to theatre I was having major second thoughts. I was surprised to find that I had to walk through the corridors to theatre and for some reason imagined I would go on a trolley. I laid down on the bed in the anaesthetist’s room and started to panic.

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3 minute thought process whilst lying there being prepared.

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I don’t need this I can do it without it

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This is wrong.

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This isn’t me, I am making a huge mistake.

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What would it look like if I told them to stop right now?

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I shouldn’t care what it would look like if I have doubts I shouldn’t do it.

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If I don’t do it I know I will never get the weight off.

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I am a wuss, stay quiet and it will soon be all over.

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I all but jumped up off the trolley and shouted stop!

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Next thing I am coming round in the recovery room. As soon as I woke up I almost smiled and was soooo grateful and relieved that I had gone through with it. I hadn’t realised before what a huge emotional thing this is. It is a release from the prison that I have felt that I have been in all these years.

I struggled with breathing for 10 minutes or so, they took the tube out after I had come round because it is apparently better in bigger people to do it that way. I had an excellent nurse who never left my side and kept telling me that my sats were at 98% (oxygen in the blood) and there was nothing to worry about and to try and be calm. She was superb and got me through what was for me the toughest bit.

I was wheeled back to my room and was sleepy and had a sore throat from the tube but no other pain at all which I thought odd. The pain started at about 11pm when I assume some sort of local anaesthetic wore off. On a scale of one to ten It is only a 2. So nothing too bad. I have shoulder pain when I stand up right on the top of myshoulders, again only a 2 on the scale. I had sips of Water at first and a couple of cups of tea through the day, and was well looked after.

I was released back into the community at mid-day the day following the surgery, (today) and feel fine other than a little sore at the incision where the port is. I have no pain at all from the 4 other incisions.

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I am happy and excited at what the future now holds. I lost 15lbs in the 10 days prior to surgery on the milk/yoghurt diet. I intend to get down to my target weight very quickly, (I need to lose another 120lbs) no cheating, just a wonderful new life.

I have no doubts whatsoever that I should have done this.

Best regards to all, and thanks for the advice and support gleaned from this excellent forum.

Graham (UK)

I hope this helps prospective banders.

[losingjusme 12]

Graham,

what a great recount of your thoughts and feelings.

congrats on the loss so far and welcome to bandland!

[Alfie 58]

Hi Graham, Congratulations on becoming a banster. I think a lot of people go through those thoughts even while they are on the table. Even though right now I have no restriction, I am also very happy that I did this.

Regards,

Alfie

[nathenag 0]

Thank you for sharing such intimate thoughts, I feel scared about this process too and wonder if it is the right thing for me. It makes things so much eaiser and less scary when there are others that express their fears and insecurities.

[Helen 1]

I had the same thougths I even told my husband we should go and they can keep the money, ive changed my mind!!!

I was the same I was laying on the table and they were trying to get a needle in me to send me off, I do NOT do needles!!! he was being nice but when he said my body was in a panick which was why they couldn't find a vien, he might as well have said your dying, I justed laid there with tears rolling down my face.

When I came round I felt great, and was over the moon that it was over and felt a little silly, for being so scared.

I too had no pain not really, I can honestly say having my tonsil's out was worse.

congrats on becoming a bander:biggrin2:

[katie78 0]

WOW, one time I had surgery when I was pregnant, they gave me Reglan, an anti nausea med in my IV that made me crazy! I started to panic, think that what I'm doing will kill my baby (i had to have my gallbladder out) (she's fine) and it was so weird. My mind started to race and turn and spin and the thoughts i had were unreal! Then they gave me something else, and I was like whatever! So from now on, any surgeries I have I say NO Reglan! I wonder if they gave that to you and thats what made all the crazy thoughts????

[aubrie 6]

Welcome to bandland. I'm so proud of you! You did it. Sounds like you're doing great.

You know... It's funny. I've had surgery many times and have always been able to recall waking up in the recovery room. Once I was even convinced I had been kidnapped and was in Canada. I demanded to know how I got to Canada. Drugs sure do wierd things!!!! But I have no recollection at all of waking up in recovery after LapBand surgery. I have no recollection of being taken back to my room or even getting into my bed. My husband said I was conscious and talked to him, but it was mumble and he didn't understand anything I said. I remember waking up many hours later and feeling fine. But I had been in my room for quite some time. It was really wierd. It's like a chunck of time is missing. I've never had that happen before. I went in to surgery at 8:00 am. Surgery was just under an hour. I didn't really "wake up" until 2:00. I wonder if that's normal.

[minpinmom 2]

Thanks for sharing your personal thoughts through the process, I imagine myself in your shoes daily. I wonder if I will have second thoughts when I am where you were.

As to the funny thoughts after surgery - I have had a few major surgeries where I was in ICU for a few days and on LOTS of morphine. Let me tell you, I hallucinated, said all sorts of weird things, and didn't remember a lot of it.

My first time in ICU, I was about 18, had major surgery for sleep apnea. I was in ICU, my eyes were swollen shut so I couldn't see anything. I heard the nurses saying "we are loosing her, we are loosing her". I thought they were talking about me, had a panic attack, blood pressure shot up, started hyperventilating, they had to calm me down and gave me something in my iv that made me not care if it was me or not :-) Apparently their was an elderly patient that died in ICU that night.

Soon after, my friends came to see me, and everyone kept saying is there anything we can do for you? I told everyone that they needed to Water my plants. I was 18, lived with my parents and didn't have any plants! Too funny, they still razz me about that.

[coolcrystal 1]

Thanks for telling us your feelings.. it was nice reading that and I fear that might be me.. I go back and forth now.. though, I know I can't lose this weight on my own; I've tried too many things.. but, I worry about other things like having a foreign object in my body and wondering how it will affect my liver... and stuff like that...

Everytime I get put under, right before I go out and they are giving me that first injection that makes me loopy, I suddenly turn into some comedian and start cracking everybody up.. I tell jokes and say things that usually has the anestesioligist laughing his butt off... at my last surgery when I had to have that thing put up in my bladder so I could pee.. what's that called... dangit, I forget,, anyway, as the lady was wheeling me in there I was like "are you the lucky person who gets to do that to me?" and she was like, "yes" and I said, "boy do I feel bad for you".. I mean, ICK.. I would hate that job.

[slbindc 0]

Congratulations, Graham - I'm glad the surgery went well and that it's behind you! I was so elated to wake up in the recovery room. As they administered pain meds (morphine), I remember thinking, "wow, I understand heroin addiction."

Anyway, your recount reminded me that I was joking with the nurse when I was in pre-op as to whether or not she would put sedatives in my IV before wheeling me off to the OR to prevent me from panicking and jumping off the gurney on the way! Thank goodness, they did put a little something in my IV to relax me on the way. Once in the OR, I remember very little - and am thankful for that since one of my friends woke up DURING her ankle surgery. YIKES.

All the best on your recovery!

[Funnkyness 0]

Graham,

I told you you can do it!! You did wonderfully and you felt everything I did just 5 days ago.. Tea I forgot all about my tea.. I will have to have some today!!

I am soo proud of you and yes it is a new beginning.. a better life and a healthier body.

Sending big hugs your way!!

Stacy

[Grayorm 0]

Graham,

I told you you can do it!! You did wonderfully and you felt everything I did just 5 days ago.. Tea I forgot all about my tea.. I will have to have some today!!

I am soo proud of you and yes it is a new beginning.. a better life and a healthier body.

Sending big hugs your way!!

Stacy

Thanks for that Stacy. Onwards and upwards now eh? A new life.

One funny thing that happened to me, after the op, whnever I went to the bathroom I would look in the mirror expecting to see this thin face looking back at me. Oh well, not all at once eh?

[Shalee04 7]

Congratulations Graham!! Welcome to the bandwagon!!

I had those same thoughts while waiting for my surgery.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

Wow, it was like re-canting every second a few days ago. Even after the worst part of them sticking that thin plastic tube up my ever so dainty vein(s) in my hand(s). Yes, they had to try two times. Anyway, when I woke up in the recovery room, my aunt who works at the hospital just so happened to peek her head in at that very moment. I told her "I made it!" which cracked her up.

I am so glad I did this. For the first day I did wonder if I had done the right thing, with the pain and sleepiness - but as that has subsided over this past few days, I say YES!

Even though I keep burping and making really annoying sounds... lol!

[kbinaz 0]

I did basically the same thing. I had my little 'breakdown' while waiting to be wheeled back ( I did go on a cart). The anesthesiologist had already talked to me and the nurse had very kindly told me exactly what was going to happen and all of a sudden I burst out crying and couldn't stop. It was awful. All I could think was that they were going to cancel my surgery because A. my nose was too clogged from crying! B. I was mentally unstable. The kind nurse (and my hubby) talked me down. But let me tell you, I was really, really ready for them to stick the medicine into my I.V. so I would just go to sleep and be able to stop thinking about everything!!! And everything turned out fine! I think it was pretty normal, thanks for sharing that it happened to you, too!