Yes my big day finally arrived. I didn't sleep well lastnight at all, so I was up pretty early even though I didn't have to leave for the surgery center until 10:30 a.m. This was good because it gave me time to do some housework like the kitchen floor, clean the bathroom, change the sheets, get all the laundry done.... so that I can really kick back and recuperate for the next few days (yeah what can I say, I like a clean house!). The down side was that I couldn't have anything to eat or drink after midnight lastnight so I was pretty thirsty all morning.
So finally got to the surgery center at 11:00 for my 12:00 surgery, but found out they were running behind, because when they started the surgery on two of the earlier patients they discovered that each of them had a hernia, which the surgeon repaired, so that made their surgeries take a little longer. The nurse told me they usually get about one patient a day with a hernia but it's unusual to get two back to back. They repair them because eventually the hernia could cause problems with the lap band.
It was about a 45 minute delay and that wasn't too bad except of course, I was
really thirsty by this time. Eventually they brought me back to the pre-op area. First I got weighed and I was so relieved to see that not only had I lost the 10 pounds in seven days the surgeon had ordered (and he is known to cancel surgery if you don't achieve that goal) but I'd actually lost 12. Go me! I knew on my scale that I'd succeeded but you just never know what the doctor's scale will show. They then had me put on a huge gown and a huge comfy robe that I was drowning in, then I kicked back in a big comfy recliner, they took my blood pressure -- which was absolutely normal, which was a very happy surprise. At both of my sleep studies last month it had been really high. I've lost 22 pounds since the sleep study and it's amazing what a difference just that amount of weight makes, I guess. Then I read my book for awhile. The nurse gave me a shot of Heparin in the leg to help prevent clotting. Then finally the doctor came out from his previous patient and said hi to me, and congratulated me on the good job on losing the weight. The anesthesiologist also came to talk to me, he was great, very nice. Then they hooked up the IV and I walked to the operating room and got up on the table. I was surrounded by nurses and the anesthesiologist and before I knew it, that was it. Next thing I was aware of was being in the recovery room.
At first it hurt more than I expected. That doesn't mean it hurt really bad, but I guess I thought the drugs they gave me in the OR would keep me from feeling any pain at all for awhile. I had a little trouble taking deep breaths, it would feel like I kind of hit a wall with a deep breath. The nurse said that's because of the numbing medication they inject during surgery and that would wear off. They brought me a nice yummy cup of ice water which I sipped continuously, with no problems.
After about an hour the nurse asked if I was ready to walk, and I was. So we walked down the hall to the "step down" area. All the nurses commented on how fast I was walking -- "You're doing GREAT!". So then it was back to a recliner, and sipping more water. I had been slowly coming more wide awake as I tried to fight off the effects of the anesthesia. I was only in the step-down area about 20 minutes and I was ready to go home!
I had no trouble walking to the car or dealing with the 20 minute ride home. No problems getting up stairs or moving around the house. I did start to feel more pain from my waist up to right under the breasts. I had expected it to be incision pain but it was more like I'd gotten punched in the stomach. It was certainly bearable. For a little while I had kind of a sharp pain on the left side right behind the lower ribs, so I decided it was time to take some pain medicine and that did the trick.
I've been sipping water ever since I got home and my mouth is still dry. I feel very full and there is no room for food in my tummy, or at least that's how it feels. I did have a cup of chicken broth just to get
something in my system besides water for the day, but I really have no desire for anything else right now. The doctor also told me he wanted me to take four 10-minute walks today, again to help prevent blood clots. Oh, and I have had some minor intermittent pain in my shoulder as other people have complained about, but it goes away for quite awhile and then comes back briefly. It's mildly uncomfortable but no big deal.
So now it's 8:30, about 7 hours since my surgery was completed, and I'm feeling great. Very mild pain, very mild feeling of hitting that wall when I take a deep breath. I notice that when I touch my stomach (below the waist) it is numb so I guess the numbing medicine is still in effect. I've been talking on the phone, sending e-mails, playing my computer game, watching TV.
I haven't had any trouble laying on the couch and getting up from a laying position. We'll see how the night goes, everyone (including the doctor) told me my most painful day will probably be tomorrow so I'll be ready for that.
Everybody is different and we'll each have different surgery experiences but hopefully for those of you heading into surgery soon, this is another story to help give you some idea what to expect!
- Surgery AUGUST 1, 2008!!!!! - 
306/277/150
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