Gastric Bypass Surgery - The truth about the week before!
May 02 '05
The Bottom Line Very much a TMI (To Much Info) review! You don't want an honest (detailed) account of the past week? Don't read! The stuff no one wants to talk about!
Heads up. This review is a detailed and honest account of my final week before Gastric Bypass Surgery. What happened to me may or may not be the norm. I did, however, check with a friend and some of what I went thru, she did, as well. It's just stuff that people don't usually talk about. I don't want to scare anyone that might be thinking about this surgery, but I know that I would have rather have had the scoop before hand so I could be prepared.
If you read my previous review, then you know that in 4 hours I have to be at Portsmouth Naval Hospital to get prepped for Gastric Bypass Surgery. Why am I still up at almost 4am? Several reasons. The first being, I'm scared stiff!
My In-laws came in Saturday evening to help us out for the week. Someone to help out my husband and my son in my absence, as well as help us out the first few days that I am released from the hospital. It's been nice having them spend time with Matt and Zack. We haven't seen each other since Christmas, so the visit was past due. That is a massive load off of my mind, knowing that someone will be here for them while I am away.
Getting ready for this surgery has been anything but a cake-walk. The tests, labs and so on, have nothing on the past five days. I had to learn will power in a big way. I had to find will power that I didn't know I had. My pride also took some massive dings.
Five days ago I had to start a clear liquid fast. I had to drink 1 or 2 (depending on the type) protein shakes those first three days, as well as make sure I was taking in enough liquids. Water, apple juice, broth, sugar free Popsicles and sugar free Jell-O was basically all I was allowed. Having to sit and suck on a Popsicle while my husband and son ate McDonalds made me almost want to forget the surgery. When the family ate dinner tonight, baked cheesy chicken, baked potatoes and corn, I wanted to scream. It's not their fault. They all had to eat.
To top off the fasting torture, Saturday I had to take a saline laxative to "clean out" my system, not to mention the protein shakes had to stop. I had to take 1.5 ml and then follow it three hours later with another, equal, dose. I thought that I would do better by chugging it. I knew it was going to be gross. It same something about a "ginger lemon" flavor, but I knew better.
We were given advice to added the medicine to a small amount of juice or something, to help it stay down and cover up the taste. I added apple juice and swallowed it in three large gulps. I regretted that almost immediately. The taste was worse than I had figured!
I went and laid down right after I drank it down, hoping that it would stay put. I followed it by drinking at least 8 oz of liquid, which was partly apple juice and partly water. The apple juice started to make my stomach churn worse, so I switched. Within a few minutes I felt sick. I started to take a bath, hoping the warm water would make me feel better.
I hadn't even gotten 1" of water in the tub when I started getting really hot and weak kneed. I felt like I was going to pass out. I went and laid on the bed hoping it would pass. My husband came to see if I was ok. As I went to answer him I knew I was going to be sick. I bolted past him and threw up. Since I hadn't been able to eat the three previous days, there wasn't much there. Dry heaves are no fun!
I laid down for about an hour after I finished. I was half asleep on the sofa when I had to go to the bathroom. NOW! I was only 10 feet from the bathroom, but that was 9 1/2 feet to far. Horrified, I had to call for my husband to bring me new clothes. I was embarrassed! Luckily he didn't tease me or anything. He understood that I didn't do it on purpose and felt bad that I felt so horrible. He knew I felt about 2" tall when I made a crack about having to start wearing some of my son's diapers. I was trying to make light, but he knew I felt embarrassed.
I had to RUN to the bathroom, literally, every 30 minutes or so. The second dose of laxative I knew I had to go slow with. After talking to a friend who had also went thru the same surgery, I had my husband buy me a Diet Sprite to help cover the taste. By adding a small amount to a glass, and adding about twice the amount of Diet Sprite, I was able to get the second bottle down and keep it down.
Fast forward almost four hours. I spent my time equally between the sofa and the bathroom. By this time, my in-laws had shown up to stay with us, I had had to change my clothes three times and my backside was sore, despite Charmin's claim to be the softest tissue ever. Now I had a new problem. There were 4 adults and one bathroom in a 655 sq ft apartment. My in-laws had never been here before. By this time my stomach had settled some, but it still wasn't behaving. Luckily, when they went to bed (we gave them our room and we took the sectional sofa) I had grabbed extra clothes, just in case. By morning, I was wearing the last of them.
Sunday. The day before my surgery. Should be a breeze, yes? NOPE! My bottom was very sore, but at least my stomach was behaving, sort of. I didn't get hardly any sleep due to the 50 plus trips to the bathroom I had made. My son was up at 1:30am, 3:30am and then again at 5:30am. He wanted to party! My husband took exception and made him go back to bed, but it still made for a long night!
All that was left to prepare me for my surgery was three rounds of antibiotics. I had two prescriptions. I had to take them at 2pm, 3pm and 10pm, and then nothing after midnight at all. No big deal. I had already been warned that they might make me nauseous, so I downed some Jell-O and took them. Surprisingly enough, they stayed down. Good thing, right?
Out of boredom, my bathroom runs had slowed way down, I read the side effects of the antibiotics. Vomiting. Diarrhea. Upset Stomach. I usually don't have an issue with pills and their side effects, so when they stayed down, I thought I was in the clear. WRONG!
Within 30 minutes of my first dose, I was back in the bathroom again. Luckily for me, and my bruised pride, my husband and in-laws had went to the store. Once again I didn't make it in time. I had dozed off on the sofa and woke up to a mess. I didn't even get off of the sofa this time. I wanted to cry! I had just cleaned up and gotten dressed when everyone came home. I was blessed by that little bit, anyway.
The second dose hit me harder than the first. By now I am exhausted from no sleep, no real food and trips to the bathroom. Now I was starting to get shaky when I got up. If I was up for more than a few minutes, my knees got weak. I was miserable and there was nothing anyone could do for me. As my family ate their baked cheesy chicken breasts, baked potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and corn, I sat sipping chicken broth, trying to pretend it was what they were eating. It didn't work. My stomach growled in protest as my bowels screamed for relief.
Third dose? By then I knew it was going to be a long night. I was so tired that my husband had to help me shave my legs. I couldn't stand for very long periods of time, and the warm water didn't help. My body screamed at me for torturing it this way. It refused to let me do the things I wanted and needed to do. I HATE asking for help but I had no choice. I was...am...to tired.
So, here I am. It's almost 4am on the morning of my surgery. My stomach is growling it's protest over not being fed. I'm still making bathroom runs every 45 minutes, or so, and hoping that the final dose of my meds works itself thru before I have to go to the hospital and make a fool of myself.
My body is exhausted, but my mind won't shut down. I'm thinking of the things I should have found energy to do but didn't. I'm worried about what might, or might not, happen later on today. I'm worried about my husband and my son, in case something DOES happen to me. The chances are small, but they're there. All to well do I remember the form I had to sign that said in about 20 places this or that could go wrong, leading in death, which was typed in all capitals and bold print.
So what's my point other than filling in about an hour of my time before I have to get ready? While what I went thru will be more than worth it in the end, I really wish that I had had a heads up of what was going to happen to me. Maybe some of my problems weren't the norm, but I know my friend went thru the same thing I did with the laxative. She didn't say anything until I had my husband call and ask. She didn't have to fast as long, I guess it depends on your weight before surgery, but the reaction to the laxative was the same.
Wish me luck! I know that the past, long, five days will more than be worth it after my surgery. I just have to keep reminding myself that as I change out the toilet paper roll, and my clothes, yet again.
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Epinions.com ID:
LisaDo
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Member: Lisa D
Location: Back home in Indiana!
Reviews written: 552
Trusted by: 274 members
About Me:
Proud SAHM, Navy wife and member of SHLEPS!
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