Post-Op..

Okay, so I woke up in the recovery area with a 20 pound english bulldog on my chest - and he kept jumping up and down with his huge feet and digging his claws into my stomach. I lay there for a few minutes to try and orient myself when this nurse comes over and offers me ice chips. I take a big spoonful - because my mouth is sooooo dry - and promptly start puking. Note to self - suffer with the dry mouth - do not take the ice.

After a few dry heaves - I fall back asleep and the next thing I know - they wheel me and the bulldog into my private room. I'm in pain, I feel like I can't breath - and I'm very nauseous. The pain is not horrible - but it starts right under my breast bone and radiates into my back...it comes in waves. I fall back asleep.

A few hours later - a nurse comes in to check on me and I start dry heaving again - very painful - I have to stand up and hold my stomach and just let it happen. She rushes out and gets some other nurses who bring in bags of medication to hang on my IV pole....the nausea subsides but the pain intensifies.

I ask the nurse for more pain medication and after a few minutes she comes in with a new drip and hooks me up. She starts the IV and I swear it felt like someone was running a lit cigarette up my arm...I start yelling for her to stop the drip...she adjusts it and the pain surges again. This goes on for 2-3 more adjustments before she finally gets the right mixture. The pain lessens...but never goes away.

At about 6:00 the patient coordinator (Alma) come in and starts scolding me for not walking...telling the nurse to get me on my feet. The nurse defends herself saying I was in too much pain...but alma persists. She leaves and I reluctantly get out of bed. I immediately felt a little better. Don't know why - maybe it's gravity - or just the act of moving around - but I did feel marginally better.

Dr. Zapata came in around 8:00 and I asked him to prescribe a sleeping pill....which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND....After a good 5 hours of restful sleep...I felt much better. The pain was still there - but manageable. I was still getting pain shots every 6 hours....but I have to say - Dr. Zapata is very conservative with medication. Nothing he gave me knocked me out completely - I never felt like I was taking an opiate. He said - they upset your stomach and slow down healing...

I woke at 4:00 am and hit the hallways - up and down - up and down...sipping Water and chicken broth. But the back pain would not go away. I did have waves of a burning sensation near the band - again - dry heaves...I was afraid I had pulled a stitch.

At around 10:00 they did the fluoroscope - not bad - nasty tasking contrast stuff - but it's only a teaspoon full - and I have no restriction at all - they said that was good because it meant I have very little swelling. A couple of people in my group had a lot of restriction. I took a shower, walked up and down a lot more and felt stronger by the hour....but the back pain was still there.

At around 2:00 the driver picked us up and took us back to the Hotel. I walked over to the mall near the hotel and bought some over-the-counter sleeping stuff, took a 30 minute hot, hot shower and laid down...the pain was better, but still there.

We met with Alma again and I found out that another lady in our group also had the same pain symptoms. She had the dry heaves also - so that seems to be the pattern.

I stood under the shower again and let the heat soothe away the back pain and then to bed. I only slept a few hours....and got up several times that night to pee....all that Fluid they give you starts coming out with a vengeance. I really couldn't get comfortable - I would turn one way and feel Okay for a few minutes - then the burning sensation in my back would come again - so I would roll over to another position and get another 5 minutes of relief. This went on all night.

I wish I had brought a heating pad and some Tylenol PM..the medication Dr. Zapata send back to the hotel with us was pretty worthless.

Overall, it was not horrible....it was stressful - lack of sleep and pain makes you a little crabby, but we all survived. I am healing quickly and I plan on returning to work on Monday.

Would I do it again??....probably - but I would bring more comforts from home...Tylenol PM, heating pad, my own pillow.

The heating pad was a tremendous help with the back pain. The surgeon loaned me a heating pad. I thought my back pain was from laying on my back too much in the hospital but come to find out it was the gas. I had no pain in the shoulder like most people have I just had a back ache and an elephant sitting on my chest My port was placed in the center of my belly about six inches up from my belly button so I was able to lay on my sides which gave me great relief. The pain meds I was given knocked me out each time I took them so I had no problem sleeping. I was up and walking within an hour of coming out of recovery and had no nausea at all.

The experience is a little different for everybody.

I wish you much success on your weight loss journey.