Home post op

Hi everyone I am home. Passing gas up and down so that's good. I get up and do 5 laps around the apartment. Taking my pain meds. Belly is quite sore, but I still have my q pump so the burn is not to bad. The SI joint thing went away what a relief that added so much pain to my experience completely unrelated to my surgery lol. My doc gave me tordol an NSAID . I questioned him but he reassured me a short course would be ok and I jumped at it. I think it worked hope it hold that SI joint.
Buttttttttttttttttt
I went into atrial fib last nite so walking is a bit more tiring and I think it makes me pee very frequently cuz it runs more fluid through the kidneys and a faster rate then normal so I have been up every two hours to the br all night ick!
I have to take my Bp medicine crushed and it tastes gross but you got to do what you got to do.

Post op

I had surgery at 815 this morning , it lasted almost three hours. When I woke  up I had major pain but no severe nausea. They medicated me til my pain was about a 6 and transferred me to my room. The wonderful nurses did a thorough exam which entailed a bit more movement then was comfortable. Their attitude was the best medicine encouraging, caring, and skilled: awesome! I used my pcs button and got my pain to 2/10, rested, and most important of all BURPED. Gas release is crucial after laparoscopic procedures. I got up and walked before 4 pm it wasn't to bad at all and I knew I had to do it, then I sat up in a chair for30 min. Took a nap and feel pretty damn good all in all.

A few details: my dr saying in the or before I went out " can we get a warm blankie, where are the warm blankies" the ice packs to my low back, my wonderful supportive son by my side before and after, and mouth swabs!

Letter to myself night before surgery

Dear Rachael,
   No matter how hard it gets remember why you are doing this.
To be able
To get healthy
To travel
To be there for your grandkids
To be there for your kids

Yes it will be hard but you can do it. You tried for over 50 years to lose the wt yourself and this is your chance to really get it done. Use the tool to change your habits. Focus on goals, exercising , and eating to live. It will not be easy but you have survived this long and faced many obstacles and emerged victorious. Your family loves you and wants you to succeed. They want a mom, sister, grandmother that can be with them a long time and go places with them. You can be that person.

Drama drama drama

I am a drama queen
Hopefully it's like a play and I am getting all the complications done in rehearsal instead of opening night.
After my IVC filter I developed a raging pain in the top of my thigh and my right butt cheek. It actually started before they did the filter on the table. I called the doc from CVIR he said it could not be from the filter. I called my chiropractor and when I got there my hip Was completely out my right foot was literally 2 inches shorter. He put ice on it for a few  then adjusted me but when i got home I could not get Comfortable unless I laid on my stomach ( haven't done that since I was 8). Been putting ice packs on it all day trying to rest fair condition right now. Also my damn drs office called me Friday to tell me I needed to drive all the way to their office (45 min in good traffic) to be weighed Monday. I was like I am working 9-5 monday I just weighed myself thursday at the pcps and I was reduced to 428 net reduction 20 lbs since I started low carb and optifast. They finally agreed to let me weigh at my pcps office Monday and call them.
The wt loss will be no problem as I can't eat at all today, I have 3/4ths of a protein shake which was made with 1. Optifast shake 1 1/2 scoop unjury protein powder plus ice.

Just as I feared

(this paragraph was posted a month ago)

Then there is my MRSA which is meth resistant staph aureous. This infection used to be named a nosocomial or hospital acquired infection but they changed it to MRSA and now it seems to be treated like leprosy. You are labelled for life and isolated whenever you are in the hospital. Which means i get a private room which works for me but it irritates me that I am treated like a leper and the hospital the freaking source of the microorganism is absolved of all blame or responsibility.

(wrote this today)

I got bad news yesterday. My nasal swab was positive for mrsa. MRSA is a nosocomial infection which means its hospital acquired and the organism is resistant to treatment. As a nurse for almost thirty years I guess it's inevitable to be colonized but it's devastating to be told your surgery may be delayed because they have to do you last so they can decontaminate, you will be unable to be on the bariatric floor but will be placed on a floor on isolation, and have to get an infectious disease clearance.

I did not take the news well I got very upset on the phone asking why i can not be on the bariatric floor that i have heard such good things about? Isolation is isolation. I will have a private room they are all private on the bariatric floor. she started off with you may have to be in ICU I could understand if they wanted to watch me closely but to be put on a medical floor its odd. I just do not get it.

So I made an appointment with a doc for Monday and I am starting some antibiotics that have from my last infection, I am going to bath in hibicleanse everyday and may do a nasal lavage with it . I feel desperate!

Less then 2 weeks to go

Today I went to bluepoint for my dietician and doctor appointment. I have had my issues with some people at the office and today was no different. I think they just plain do not like me. Not everyone but at least two are cold curt and borderline insulting. I am an advocate for my own health care (what nurse isnt) and I ask questions. i do not know if this can be resolved but I am nOot taking it sitting down. When they ask me how it is going I say fine except the way certain people treat me. If I get the chance I will write them a  evaluation that is truthful. I do not think I am unreasonable but maybe i am. either way BE NICE it wont kill you and it goes a long way when dealing with people having a major life changing surgery sheeesh.
Ok so I am excited and nervous but not to bad yet. I am in day three of my two week optifast (adjust by me of course) diet. I had reduced 12 lbs per my PCP's scale then the bluepoint scale said i gained back 5 lbs. At that time i was doing less then 2000 calories a day low carb no cheating. I was like F this and had a candy bar. What is the point of being good and still gain. Not a good attitude I know. I admit the candy did not taste as good as I thought it would and I got back on track pretty quickly. my FINAL meal pre op was sunday night. I went out with the family to my old favorite italian restraunt and had pasta spinach soup and lovely italian bread and desert but i forgot about the brownies i had at home and didnt have one. I made my son take them the next day once I started my optifast diet. I was proud of myself for not eating those!
Today my wt at bluepoint was back to the 12 lbs reduced but the scale fluctuated to a 2 lb gain (I guess I was not being still) I about freaked out. The girl weighing me was a bit unfriendly but I think she was feeling unwell (cough or cold).
Then there is the MRSA issue. I have been concerned that I will have an active site near my surgery date and maybe get a systemic infection even though the worst one I had (left leg) that required 5 days hospitalization never cultured positive in my blood. I mentioned it to my doctor he was not concerned since I have nothing active right now. The nurse at the hospital said I must have a swab of nose and throat prior to my surgery. So I am working on that now.

Bucket list

I have many desires but I want a concise list to focus on in the coming months to rewire my brain and change my habits.

• Walk up and down steps " hands free"
• Go to Africa on a mission trip.- this one includes the fitting in an airplane seat and being able to walk at least 1 mile!
• Meet a man I can attract and be attracted to.
• LIVE LARGE - philosophically not physically

I think that's enough to focus on. I want to keep these four things in my mind when the going gets rough. Might even laminate the list.

found an interesting blog

I found this blog with lots of great info recipes and inspiration
she has a giveaway here is the link
Eggface Back to Bariatric Basics Giveaway
I blog on a few bariatric sites also so i will post this entry there to. More people see it there lol
this is what I am calling my lost weekend
I am having my last meals before I get back in my low carb lifestyle for LIFE
I start my pre op optifast diet for 2 weeks pre op on 9/10 I am altering it a bit for a few reasons
one I bought my optifast on eBay and 1 deal fell through
two I think its a bit much as some people do not have to do it at all
three I need it more then others due to my bmi and lack of real wt reduction pre op (I went crazy at first after I made my decision and gained wt)
four I think the carb count on the optifast is to high according to my docs instruction i should be eating 120 carbs a day thats a lot and I am diabetic it makes me uncomfortable
fifth as my psyc eval said I am a narcissist and I don't think things apply to me. My cues to look out for are YES BUT that certainly applies to this situation. here is my adjustment

Optifast Schedule
Day/date-September	shakes		soups	bars	Total meals
	optifast	unjury
Monday/10	2		2	2	6
Tuesday/11	1	1	2	2	6*
Wednesday/12	1	1	2	2	6*
Thursday/13	2		2	2	6
Friday/14	1	1	2	2	6*
Saturday/15	Coffee w/unjury	1	Low carb dinner
Sunday/16	Coffee w/unjury	1	Low carb dinner
Monday/17	2	1	1	1	5*
Tuesday/18	2	1	1	1	5*
Wednesday/19	2	1	1	1	5*
Thursday/20	2	1	1	1	5*
Friday/21	2	1	1	1	5*
Saturday/22	2	1	1	1	5*
Sunday/23	2	1	1	1	5*
Monday/24	Clear liquid diet NPO after midnight
Day of surgery

* = substituting 1 unjury shake for optifast

I cried today not sure why

So I was at work Wednesday the 29th, had a bitch at a Drs office kinda yell at me, and next thing I know I am crying. Back in my younger years as a new nurse I would cry whenever I had a confrontation. I hated that so much I trained myself not to cry. I haven't done that in many years so this was a shock. I think I am just in a fragile state. I have gotten alot done for my WLS here is my checklist

Pre op testing checklist

☒     Cardiac clearance redo

❏     Incentive spirometer “bag” from Kathy

❏     IVC filter placement scheduled IAH 9/21 w/CVIR

☒     Labs

☒     Chest xray

☒     Ekg

☒     Sleep study

☒     GI consult: colonoscopy& EGD

☒     Medical clearance

☒     Psychiatric consult

☒     Education program

❏     Nutrition and surgery pre op post op class@IFOH 9/20

☒     Behavior modification/compliance

☒     Nutrition counseling

❏     1:1 Coaching with RN-IFOH bariatric education

❏     Doctor and Dietician appointment scheduled 9/12

I got some reassurance from my cardiologist. I had an appointment friday morning and I went into Atrial fib the afternoon before (right after my 2 hour nutrition class at my baritric drs office) I was still in FIB when I went to the appointment. I have been very worried that my fib state would postpone my WLS. In discussing it with him we worked through many aspects of my condition. The new medicine has changed the episodes from completely debilitating:  I would be dizzy, short of breath with any exertion, and have a raging headache to functional: I do not have the headache, shortness of breath, or dizziness. I just can feel a little fluttery in the chest and I have limited energy. Thus I am able to go to work driving myself where as before I was laid up in bed. The Doc says the main thing is to maintain my anticoagulation and control the rate by doubling one of my meds while I am in FIB. I also will need to be off my anticoagulant prior to my IVC placement and pre op WLS. We will bridge that time with lovenox (a shot that anti coagulates you). So now I have a plan.

Unfortunately it is now saturday and I am still in FIB. YUCK! Just wish I would convert already.