My Hospital Experience....LONG POST!!!

Day 1 (June 6): I arrived at the hospital around 7:00 a.m. because the hospital failed to do my blood work (pre admission) before the actulal surgery date. First, I had to sign some paperwork. Then, a lady came and got me and my mother so that I could start my bloodwork and EKG, etc... After all of that was over, I was led back to the waiting room. My mother and I sat there for a while conversing, before she dozed off. The lady came in, called my name, and we were then led to a back room. In the back, I was weighed (367-10 pounds down since my pre-op) and then we were placed in a single patient waiting room. The nursing assistant came back, went over some more paperwork with me (I'm self pay) and discussed whatever I wanted with her. She then told me to go ahead and put on my gown and they'll be back to check on me as well as to give me an IV. My mother and I waited for what seems like an eternity!! She'd fallen asleep, as had I...and my nerves had gotten the best of me. I had to urinate about 8 times from the time the lady left us, until the time another lady returned to give me an IV as well as a heprin(sp?) shot (which I later found out is used as a blood thinner to prevent clotting). Oh, and they gave my mother a FREE MEAL CARD, so that she could eat in their cafeteria that day (that was really thoughtful)!!


Finally, I was being wheeled out of the single patient room into the "recovery area" of the hospital. That was the last time I saw my mother until after my surgery. While in the recovery room, vibrating leg braces, for a lack of a better term, were placed on my legs (again this was something commonly done by this hospital to keep one's blood from clotting). Then, the anethesiologist came in to talk with me, as did my surgeon, and before long, I was taken to the OR. I remember seeing the interns prepping things for the doctor's use, and the other people in there were talking about my tattoos as they told me to breathe in and out this oxygen through a machine. Before I knew it, all I heard was....ROBIN, ROBIN, ROBIN, wake up, wake up, are you up??? I looked up....I kept feeling as if I had to burp and my mouth was EXTREMELY DRY....like desert DRY. I kept asking to burp and if they had something for my mouth! Then, I looked up to the ceiling and said, THANK YOU GOD I MADE  IT THROUGH!!


The rest of that day is a complete blur because I slept it off!


DAY 2 (June 7): The night before all I could remember was the constant in and out of the nurses, etc....I was feeling as if I were in the twilight zone. It seemed like as soon as I'd drift off, here came ANOTHER nurse, etc. Well, they finally started trying to get me to drink some water, OMG, I felt as if that was the hardest thing in the world to do. I kept getting nauseated, and the doctor decided to keep me another day so that I could have an xray as well as be watched over the night! Thank God for great doctors!! Again, I was poked and awakened, and poked some more ALL night long. However, I managed to get up and walk around the nurses station 10 times. I was determined to get OUT of that hospital. 


DAY 2 1/2 (June 8); I slept most of the day, but I was starting to get water down a lot better. The swallow test gave off the impression that I was okay. So, we knew that I'd be dismissed, it was just the AGONY of knowing WHEN would we be dismissed. So, determined to show my doctor that I was ready, I got up walked around the nurses station 10 more times, and tried to drink as much water as I could stomach (not much at all). Yet, time wasn't on our side. Finally, my doctor and his personal nurse came in, talked with me, and then told me that they'd let me leave because they felt confident that I was ready to go home. Oh, I was elated. However, they warned me that since I live a small distance (1 hour 30 min) from the hospital that I'd need to stop every 30 mins, walk around the car about 3-4 times to prevent clotting. 


Of course, I skipped alot because I'm a VERY wordy person, but I must say that I'm VERY pleased with my OVERALL services rendered. My mom slept in a BED right next to me the entire hospital stay (no cots, no chairs pushed together)! They checked on me constantly, and whatever I asked of them, they complied. I couldn't have chosen a BETTER hospital, surgeon , or staff to help make my stay comfortable!! Everyone was EXTRA nice, and if they didn't know something, they searched for the answer. 


I'm home, but I haven't STOPPED praying!  My surgeon said that if nothing has occurred after 30 days, that he usually doesn't look for anything to go wrong. So, I'll be praying consistently...........Please, keep PRAYING for me!!! 

The Day has COME & GONE!!!

Hello Everyone!!! If you're reading this, then you know that I'm ALIVE!!! LOL. I had my surgery on Monday, June 6, 2011, and I wasn't released from the hospital until Wednesday, June 8, 2011. The doctor wanted to run a "leak test" to make sure I was okay, because every time I drank water, I began to get nauseated.

My experience in the hospital was GREAT! The doctors, nurses, and staff were all pleasant, informative, and they actually seemed as if THEY enjoyed doing what they do!! Anyone going into a hospital for ANY length of time can definitely appreciate that!! I sure did!

I'm staying with my mom. She and my granny didn't feel as if I should be home alone, so I'm being held hostage at their home! I'm planning to escape tomorrow......there's definitely NO PLACE like HOME!

Later, when I feel up to  it, I plan to give you a detail by detail description of my hospital stay....ya'll know that I'm SCRUPULOUS!!!

Please, continue to KEEP me in your prayers!!!  The texts, phone calls, home visits, hospital visits, etc......have really made my days EASIER!! This was a life changing surgery, and it's good to know people out there still CARE!!!

Love you ALL!!!! God Bless You!!!

Officially 1 Week Away from Surgery! Whoo Hooo!!

Today is May 30, 2011 (Memorial's Day) and I am officially ONE week away from my surgery! I'm a lot bit excited!! This is almost SURREAL for me now, especially since I'm getting closer and closer to show time! LOL. Now, don't get me wrong........I will only do as well as the SURGERY allows me to! I'm praying daily that God guides the hands of the surgeons, as well as make my recovery woes as minimal as possible! Please pray this same prayer!!! Also, I don't want you to see me out in public and ASSUME that you know how much weight I should have lost at a certain point! Though this is a WLS, it isn't a predictor of how much weight comes off & when...I DIDN'T PUT ON ALL OF THE WEIGHT OVERNIGHT (JUST AS ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY), AND I CAN'T EXPECT TO LOSE IT ALL IN A MONTHS TIME (THOUGH I REALLY WISH THAT WERE POSSIBLE). Along with this surgery, many have what the vetereans call a "STALL" ( a point in which no weight is being lost), and though the STALL won't last forever, it has been known to last up to months!!! So, let's also pray I have no STALLS and if in fact it is inevitable, let's pray it only lasts a few days or a week at most! :) Okay, you all....the COUNTDOWN is really ON now......June 6, 2011 is my NEW birthday!! Feel free to give me gifts! I accept gifts of all kind, but the kind that folds always makes me :)!!

Happy Memorial's Day!!! Thank a SERVICEMAN (WOMAN) today!!

2 Week Pre-Op Diet!!

Today, I'm exactly 2 weeks away from surgery. I woke up in a sea of emotions. I've begun to get nervous. I keep thinking about all of the negatives, rather than the positives even though I know that the pros outweigh the cons. Today I had to start a 2-week doctor supervised diet. It's a LIQUID diet!! Yes, I am on a NOTHING BUT LIQUIDS diet for 2 weeks. I'm praying I survive!! Here's what my diet consists of:


I have to drink 8-10 oz. 8 oz. glasses of water a day.
I have to drink a slim fast drink 3 times a day.
I can also have sugar free popsicles, sugar free jello, etc...throughout the day to supplement the water & slim fast!!

YIPPPE??? No, not really!

Please keep me in your prayers! This is a BATTLE, simply because I've had a love affair with food for so long. Parting ways is going to be hard, but it's NECESSARY!!!!

Emotional Roller Coaster.......God's Ram in the Bush!!!

Hello Everyone,

Today, I went to Oxford, Mississippi for a few appointments. My first appointment was with a psychologist. She talked with my mother, grandmother, and me about what to expect from the surgery. Her main concern was knowing whether or not I have a support system in place during this transition. She was pleased to see that I had people backing me, and I'm sure she was even more pleased to get that check I wrote her for $150.00 for an hour visit...lol! I'm definitely in the WRONG profession!!!

Next, it was on to Dr. King's office. Dr. King is the surgeon who is going to perform my surgery. Most of his staff (except the front desk gal) is very friendly! They make you feel VERY comfortable, and they try to get you excited about what is to come........HOWEVER, Dr. King was running about 1 hour 30 minutes behind schedule today, due to an extra surgery he had to perform, so I had already become a bit agitated. Yet, after finally speaking with Dr. King and being rubbed on & felt up by the man, I felt as if we were old friends....lmbo! He, too, made me feel comfortable and he agreed that having VSG (Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy) was my best option.

Now, here comes the EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER RIDE that I didn't sign up for.......

After talking with Dr. King, I was set to go pay for the surgery and head on over to the hospital for pre-admissions. My grandmother and I headed to desk, and the lady put in my card number, and the whole computer shut down! I was overly agitated. She then got the computer to come back on, but NOW the printer wouldn't work. SO, finally she got both my payment from my card through, as well as was able to print me off a receipt! Then, it was time to process my grandmother's card. The payment WOULDN'T go through at all. We've used my grandmother's card for a previous oral surgery for me, and I paid it off. Yet, when I would call the company to hear the AVAILABLE CREDIT, it would say ZERO. So, I opted to speak with a representative. I told him my dilemma, and he ASSURED me that everything would be okay.....au contraire mon friar......it wasn't...so I was really beginning to feel as if I were about to retreat to doomsland and become a hermit, because I've waited for so long to have this surgical procedure.

So, the lady felt as if it were because of the machines, and she said that she'd try tomorrow, and give me a call if things didn't pan out. Well, by the time we went through ALL of that, I got to the hospital to PRE-ADMIT, and they were CLOSED for the day! Needless to say, they're going to have to just take all of my info over the phone, etc....because Oxford, MS is almost about a 2 hour drive.....and I don't plan to make it again until the day of my surgery!

Well, after feeling somewhat defeated because I was faced with trying to see how I could come up with the other $4200 for the half of my surgery that my grandmother's card didn't pay for....I simply just prayed a prayer. LORD, IF THIS INDEED YOUR WILL.....LET IT BE DONE. So, when I got to my mom's house, we got on the computer and applied for another CARE CREDIT card in my grandmother's name.....they approved her on the spot for $3500.......$700.....short of the amount I need, but GOD I bless your name....I went from needing $4200, to only needing $700....and I knew that it would be so much easier for me to obtain!

MORAL IS THIS.....Satan will always make the possible seem impossible, but GOD will show you that with him & through him ALL things are possible! Lord, I thank you for showing up once again when I needed you most. You showed me that my TRUST in you has more credence than any "no" Satan can try to dish out! Lord, it is your will!!!! Thank you!!!


GOD PROVIDED ME A RAM....I JUST HAD TO SHAKE THE BUSH A LITTLE TO GET IT!!

The COUNTDOWN Begins Today......

I try NOT to post daily, but whenever I feel like something important should be shared I try to keep you all abreast of it! :) Well, today begins the 30 day countdown until my actual surgery date. The surgery is now scheduled for June 6, 2011, but you know how those unforseen things can come up when you least expect them to. I think now I'm actually getting excited.

Yesterday, I wore some new pants I bought a few weekends ago, and they were the size that I originally wore before losing the weight  I lost on my own the first time! Those pants were actually TIGHT in the waist. I was depressed. That means, I've not only gained the weight back from my first attempt of losing it, but I've gained some extra weight as well. I've noticed how this extra weight is affecting my body too! I can't stand for long periods of time without getting tired, I'm having trouble getting comfortable at night (thus causing me to not be able to sleep well), and even as I type this blog, my arms are hurting. This is ridiculous! I almost can't imagine how people bigger than me can make it on a day to day basis.

Next week, I plan to start walking. I want to go ahead and get back in the habit of exercising daily, so that once I do recover from surgery, I can start back exercising.

If you have any tips about low-impact exercises I can do now, please let me know!!

When it Rains it Pours.....

This week has started off to a very rocky start. There has been flooding all over the city, and it didn't seem as if it were ever going to stop raining, but it did....FINALLY!! However, the Mississippi River is said to crest at about 48 feet, and it's close to 43 feet now. So, who knows what's going to happen in weeks to come?

What I do know is that on Monday, May 9, 2011, I have to go to Oxford, Ms. to see a psychologist, talk with Dr. King, and complete pre-admissions tests before surgery! It all seems a bit surreal right now!! I'm excited, but there's always that little thing in the back of your mind that causes you to still have some skepticism. I have to take my grandmother (83) and my mother with me to this visit. One reason is because my grandmother is actually helping me finance this surgery, and the other reason is because the doctor suggests that you have a support system in place.

Anybody that knows my grandmother, knows that she will feed anybody & everybody she can! She's really big on not wasting food, thus causing me to be the one whose chosen to eat up whatever is left! LOL. So, having her to go with me to talk with the doctor is a great idea! I think she needs to know how important it is that I eat right as well as what is to be expected during my recovery time.

This surgery is a costing me a PRETTY PENNY! It's over $12, 000.00 and I am paying for it all out of pocket. With that being said, I'm am more than SERIOUS about doing right (i.e. eating healthier, exercising) and really sticking to it! It'll be a shame to spend thousands of dollars on a wls only to gain all of the weight back, or not lose the most weight you can in the initial stages of the surgery! I absolutely refuse to be that person!

I actually see this as a ONE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY!! God gives us some opportunities often, and others only once. I plan to seize the moment...carpe diem! Please keep me in your prayers!!!


Dictionary:

wls =weight loss surgery

carpe diem=seize the day...lol

I'll let you all know how the doctor visit goes..........