Welcome to My World,

small as it is, anyway.

Today is Day 13 after my gastric bypass surgery, and I decided to start this blog to share my experiences with weight loss surgery (WLS) or gastric bypass surgery. So many of the sites that discuss what to expect really don't deal with the average day-by-day experiences. Most deal just with diet, and so many of them contradict each other, depending on the clinic or surgeon. While this little blog won't set a standard, it will guide you through one woman's experiences in what worked and what did not.

So far, it's been interesting, to say the least. Let me at first mention that I have very little tolerance for pain...

Presurgery - Surgeon orders a presurgery diet of 10 days of liquids without explanation, though his nurse says that it is to clean out my digestive tract, etc. Some web research tells me that some surgeons order this to deplete glycogen levels in the liver. Since I have no idea what the actual reason for the order is (and I have to work for a living, something that I just can't see happening on a diet of chicken broth and sugar-free jello,) I vow to do the best that I can and go on.

I checked into the hospital (3-26-2007), and the torture rack they provided for me (AKA hospital bed) weighed me a 274. One word of advice: Never, ever let them give you the room across from the nurses station. They still forget to bring you pain meds when you ask, and the noise is incredible.

On Days 1-2, if you had thoughtfully handed me something with enough caliber to end my misery, I would have gladly opted out of the whole experience. I remember one particular point in my morphine-induced haze when all of the joys of labor suddenly became fresh again, and I swore that I would never, ever have another child or volunteer for another surgery. One thing that surprised me the most was the effect that the anesthesia had on my lungs - it was very difficult to breathe the way that one is supposed to. My lungs felt very stiff and almost burned, so instead of breathing regularly as was my goal, I alternated between not breathing deeply enough and trying to pass out and hyperventilating.

On Day 3, I made myself get up and walk the halls, hoping that I would be allowed to go home. The surgeon came in and checked me over about 5:00 pm then released me complete with a JP drain and over 20 staples. I promptly installed myself in my big, comfy recliner while husband went and had my prescriptions filled.

Day 4: Out of curiosity, I climb on my home scales and discover that I have gained 10 pounds while in the hospital. Husband says not to worry as it just fluids. Still, that just doesn't help my feelings a whole lot. I so, however, actually managed to sleep the whole night through. While I can't stay awake all day, I am motoring around the house more, and my lungs are starting to feel like they are actually back to normal.

Day 5: Went to town and managed to navigate all of Lowe's then part of Wal-Mart before relegating myself to the sit-n-shop. I was just too worn out to do much more than that. This was also the first day that I did not take a nap.

Day 7: I managed to open yet another kitchen drawer by catching it on my JP drain tubing (which conveniently hangs a little over a foot out of my abdomen, catching on all manner of objects). I call the surgeon and am told to come in. Once I get there, he tells me that he is going to remove the staples and drain a week early. (YAY!) His nurse mumbles something about going to get the "staple-getter-outer" (no kidding) and I wonder if I am supposed to be worried. It was an incredibly gross moment having the tube pulled out, but it was great to have it gone. I am STILL peeling the glue from the catheter tape off of my leg.

Days 8-11: I am kind-of surprised at how tired I am staying. I seem to have a good day and then a bad day... Good days are those in which I feel like getting out and actually doing around, and bad days are those in which I feel like I am a little-old-woman (I'm 37, BTW.) I take naps pretty frequently.

Day 9: My first experience with dumping syndrome. I bought a box of sugar-free cookies (Murray brand). I ate two of them and promptly got very sick. Went to bed about 8:00 pm and slept until almost 8:00 the next morning.

Day 12: The pain has decreased to mostly soreness around the main surgical site. Husband sits me down out of concern to discuss my general apathy. I tell him that I don't feel depressed - mostly just really tired. He quizzes me about what I am eating (am I getting enough protein?) and I promise that I am.

Day 13: This morning the scales say 258 pounds. (I haven't seen that in a long, long time.) My owies are looking pretty good, and I for one of the rare times in life, I am extremely grateful for my fair skin. I think my scarring will be minimal.

I am going to try to get out and about today, aiming mostly for some exercise. I am going to go back to work tomorrow, and I am a little concerned about making it through the day as I teach 8th graders, and they are not the calmest segment of the school-age population to deal with. I did arrange to have a sub on hand for 1/2 days Monday through Wednesday, and if I can tough it out, I am going to stay all day anyway to get caught up on my grades.

PS - Here is a pretty good day-by-day guide that I found on the web:

http://www.answers.com/topic/roux-en-y-gastric-bypass-surgery

Actual experiences will vary. Too bad that I didn't find this BEFORE I went into the hospital.