2 Weeks 2 Days Post-Op

This morning I am 2 weeks 2 days post-op. I am sitting on a loss of 21 lbs so far! I have had a lot of tiny struggles this past week that have kept me from updating my blog. I had an appointment to have my staples removed on Friday December 7th. The day before I noticed some swelling in my main incision and some discoloration. I was also in a lot more pain than usual. Instead of panicking I just decided that everything was okay and I would go to my appointment the following day to make sure. I'm really glad I had an appointment because my incision had become infected. That morning while taking a shower, one of the scabs loosened up and my incision began leaking a lot of a pinkish red fluid. I got really scared and worried, got out of the shower and called my husband, Anthony, right away. He is a medic and always knows what to do! He told me to cover it and he would be home in 30 minutes. Whenever he got home he took my temperature and I had a fever, another sure sign of infection. Whenever we finally went to the doctor, they confirmed Anthony's suspicions. I was healing perfectly on 5 of the incisions, but the largest and most painful of them was indeed infected. They ended up calling in several doctors to look at it to decide what course of action they should take, and I must say I WAS NOT pleased to hear the outcome. I am extremely sensitive to pain and I have really bad anxiety when it comes to wound care. They decided to remove all of the staples from every incision, including the infected one which was already super painful. They offered me lidocane to numb the area and I GLADLY accepted. After what they did to me, I don't know how it wasn't mandatory! They took all of the small incision staples out first and placed steri-strips over them. That part was a piece of cake! The part to come, not so much. They then removed the staples from the main incision. The doctor noticed that there was a very large amount of fluid in the cavity and decided that before proceeding it would have to be drained. He grabbed a scalpel and re-cut a small portion of the top that had already healed shut over the previous week. It gave them a small opening for fluid to escape. They began pressing all around the incision trying to remove as much fluid as possible. It was terrible pressure and even with the lidocane it didn't feel good at all. After about 5-10 minutes, they still weren't getting the results that they wanted and they decided to go deeper. He ended up cutting the entire incision back open and part inside the wound that had already healed. He wanted to check for a hernia while I was open and he had to stick his finger in my wound. He had pretty big hands and sunk his entire finger in there. He pulled at every angle possible and even being numb I have never been in more pain in my entire life. It was so terrible. If Anthony hadn't been there holding my hand I probably would have ripped a hole in the chair cushion. We were then informed that it needed to be packed with gauze and that this would be a reoccurring thing that we would do at home. Again, Thank God my husband is a medic! They packed me full of gauze soaked in saline, bandaged me up and sent me on my way. My husband has been doing this for me twice a day since then. Because they counteracted all healing up to that point the gave me a refill on my pain meds which has been a complete lifesaver when it comes to having my wound cleaned and repacked. I go in every Monday and Friday to have my wound inspected and so far everything is going well. It is starting to be extremely itchy and I hope that we only need to do it for another week or so! Because they refilled my pain meds I get sick when I eat, which isn't fun at all. Nausea is probably the worst feeling I've been getting lately. I have been having a hard time getting in the necessary amounts of protein because of now nauseous my medicine makes me. I am going to post some pretty graphic photos below of my incision and what it looks like during being cleaned and packed. I forgot to take profile photos, but will try to do that tonight.

Photos That Go With 2 Weeks 2 Days Post-Op

This is my main incision after we suspected infection:

 This is the incision after the staples have been removed and was about to be cleaned:

 This is a closer view:

 This is a "wick" of the gauze that is packed into the wound:

 This is gauze that was removed during a change:

 This is the incision about a week into packing it. It is producing a lot less fluid:

 This is me all bandaged up:

1 Week 2 Days Post-Op

Today I am 1 week 2 days post op. I am already down a little over 14lbs and my rings are starting to feel loose. I had a scare one week post op where I was feeling some pain in my leg. I went to the hospital because I would rather be safe than sorry. They ended up doing a leg ultrasound to rule out blood clots which if gone untreated can result in death. Good news. There were no clots and I was being paranoid. The morning I experienced these pains was also the first day that I had not taken pain meds. The doctors all think that I had this pain all along from walking funny after surgery, only I didn't feel it until then because of the narcotics I was prescribed for pain. Everything seems to be going okay now. I am having a little difficulty getting in all 60 grams of protein that I need daily. I just get so full so easily that it can be hard on me. I do get nauseous from time to time where I am unable to eat without becoming sick. Hopefully once I get back to eating solid foods I will no longer suffer from nausea!  I have not taken measurements of my body because I am still slightly swollen in the belly and I still have my staples. The staples will hopefully be removed tomorrow morning at my 10-day post-op follow up appointment. If so I will take additional photos and upload them. I am also skipping the profile photos this week because I don't think that they are comparable to the ones last week. I will however post a photo of my staples from 7-days post op.

5 Days Post-Op

Today is the day that I am finally feeling well enough to update my blog. I am 5 days post-op. I am already down  6.4 Lbs. I am still swollen so the numbers won't reflect the actual loss until probably around 2 weeks post-op. Still, seeing a 6.4 loss is encouraging. 

DAY OF SURGERY- TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH:
The morning of the 27th I was at the hospital at 6 AM. The chaplain met with us and said a prayer lifting up the people who were having major surgeries that day. It was very comforting to have someone there willing to do that for us. After our prayer the nurses came out and got me. They took me back to the pre-operative area and had me change into a gown and set me up on an IV. Once we were done with that they allowed Anthony to come back and sit with me until it was time to go to Anesthesia. They asked him to hug and kiss me goodbye, and the next thing I know, my anesthesiologist gave me something in my IV and I was instantly feeling loopy. Anthony left as they rolled me to the OR. The last thing I remember was a lot of people and machines surrounding me in a very bright room. Nurses were all saying my name loudly, and then I fell completely asleep.

Next thing I know, I'm waking up to a doctor and a male nurse in my room. This ended up being my ICU room where I would be the rest of my 3 days stay. I was groggy and in and out of sleep. I can't really recall what the nurse and doctors were doing. Once I was finally awake enough and was conscience for more than 10 minutes at a time, they allowed Anthony to come back and see me. I looked a hot mess, but I was so happy to have him near me and holding my hand again.

That day I slept a lot and ended up walking a few laps in the ICU hallways with Anthony and my nurses help. I wasn't able to have anything to drink, and I had a catheter and an IV allowing me to intake and release fluids. I slept good, for about an hour at a time. I had to have my blood pressure and blood sugar taken every hour. I had high blood sugar and so I was out in an insulin drip for a good majority of my hospital stay. I was given a blood thinner every few hours and had massagers on my legs to prevent blood clots. Anthony was not allowed to stay overnight in the ICU but they did allow him every day from 6AM - 10PM.


WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH:
This was the morning of my swallow study. The purpose of the swallow study was to make sure that there were no leaks in my pouch and to ensure that I would successfully be able to intake fluids. I had to drink a solution in front of an X-Ray machine. This liquid completely filled me up in 2 sips and I was required to take six. It had the taste and consistency of liquid laundry detergent. It was a wonder that it didn't make me throw up. They took several X-Rays of my pouch as I was drinking and my results came out perfect. The next hour I began drinking protein supplements and lots of fluids. I was also walking a lot more the second day in preparation to hopefully go home the following day. My catheter was also taken out and I waited to use the bathroom for the first time on my own. It was a difficult task and I required assistance from Anthony.

The night of the 28th was particularly hard on me as I got mucus stuck in the back of my throat and I was required to cough it up. I had to hold a pillow close to my stomach while attempting to cough it up for  over an hour and I experienced some of the worst pain I had had since being out of surgery. It was even harder on me that Anthony was not allowed to be there.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH:
This was the day that I would eventually come home. I was taken off of my insulin, oxygen, and IV pain medication. I started taking my oral medication and I was keeping down fluids. It was basically a waiting game. This day also had a pretty big challenge. My fluid bag had to be removed from my upper right incision before I could go home, and my left middle incision had to be probed. I am extremely squeamish when it comes to wounds, blood, pretty much anything nasty. Thankfully, my husband is an Army Medic and Certified EMT. He was there for the demonstration so that it could be done at home. I don't know what I would do without him! We finally received our clearance and I was sent home!


COMING HOME:
Coming home has felt great. I have had my ups and downs while being here. Mainly the hardest thing it taking in the necessary amount of protein and fluids without being nauseous or getting unmanageable gas bubbles. I was able to shower for the first time, which was very hard. Anthony showered with me to help me along. I think today I may be able to take one without assistance. I gain new range of motion every day and I am feeling healthier already. I am very pleased with the outcome so far.  I call tomorrow to schedule my 10-day check up and they will determine if I am ready to have my staples removed then. I will update probably on Tuesday with profile photos and updated weight, even though by then it still may not be accurate.


Photographs of things mentioned in the post are located in the post below. For some reason Blogger is messing up my formatting of photos today. Frustrating!!!

Photos That Go With 5 Days Post-Op Entry

Me right after surgery:

 Me with Anthony right after surgery:

 Me sitting in my bed that turned into a chair:

 These are my incisions before taking my first shower:

 This is my worst incision, the one that has to be probed:

 This tiny incision is where my fluid bag was removed from:

This is me, GOING HOME:

Final Pre-Op Appointment

I went in for my final pre-op appointment this morning. They drew my blood, made me pee in a cup, and did height and weight check. I saw a nurse who went over the basics and an anesthesiologist who went over how they will sedate me. I was informed that there is a good chance that because I will be in ICU after the surgery is performed that my husband may not be allowed to stay overnight in the hospital with me. My husband is my biggest supporter and I won't feel right if he can't be there with me the entire time. I also have never had even a minor surgery, so I feel as thought I need him there for mental support! I hope that my Doctor and Nurses can see that and make an exception. All he needs is a chair. Military men can sleep ANYWHERE! I just received my phone call with my report time and I have to be at Evans Army Community Hospital at 6:15 tomorrow morning. I am the first surgery of the day. I have already taken my magnesium citrate drink and I'm not feeling too well. I can only have clear liquids from here on out and after midnight I'm not allowed to have anything. I am in and out of the bathroom and I went as far as to ask Anthony if he can get a ride home from work tonight because I don't know that I could make the drive without going to the bathroom. Feeling trapped in your house like that doesn't feel too great! Tonight I have to shower and wash with a surgical scrub sponge and then again tomorrow morning before I go in. It looks like it's going to be an early morning. I hate waking up early because I get my best sleep between 5-9 AM after Anthony leaves for work. The next time I post I will be POST OP! So exciting. Even though I feel terrible right now, I know that this is what's best for my health and in a month or so I will have more confidence in myself and feel much better in a healthier body! Thank you, everyone, for your support! I will post again very soon!

1 Day Pre-Op

Tomorrow is the big day! Roughly 24 hours from now I will be admitted to the hospital for my Gastric Bypass! I just dropped Anthony off at work and I am getting ready to go to my last Pre-Op appointment. They will be doing labs to make sure I haven't been smoking, drinking alcohol, and to make sure I have been taking my supplements and vitamins properly. They will also go in depth with me about the surgical process from the very beginning to the end. I promised before photos, and I'm finally getting around to uploading them. I am a pretty big procrastinator and like to wait until the last minute to do everything. haha.

Here they are:

Looking at these photographs, I feel like, "That's not me. That's not who I see in the mirror." I feel like I see my personality more than my physical self. I hope to see physical beauty as well as inner beauty after my bypass. Every woman deserves to feel beautiful and physically desired.

3 Days Pre-Op

Today I am 3 days pre-op. I go in on Monday at 8:30 for my pre-op appointment and then at 2:00 I have to take a laxative. After this laxative I will be on a clear liquid diet until surgery the following day and then for another 72 hours after surgery. My last dinner will be tomorrow night, and then my last meal will be Monday morning. Thinking about this is so bizarre to me. Knowing that I won't have a bite of real solid food again until mid-January is kinda hard to think about. I am definitely NOT looking forward to this part. I'm actually really dreading it! Anthony and I went out today and got me chewable or liquid versions of all of my vitamins today. Everything was going great until I tried the Zinc droplets. They were so terrible that I immediately regretted putting them in my mouth. I doubled over the sink and nearly vomited. They were taken back to the store several hours later after my stomachache was gone and the bad taste in my mouth went away. Thank goodness that The Vitamin Shoppe lets you return opened supplements or I would have been out about $10. I took some measurements today as well and I am posting them. I have gained a few pounds over the Thanksgiving holiday, but I also normally weigh myself in the morning on an empty stomach, rather than at night, so that may be a contributing factor as well. Anywho, here goes.


Taken at home:
3 Days Pre-Op Measurements:
Weight: 254 lbs
Height: 5' 3"
Waist: 55"
Bust: 52"
BMI: 45


These measurements are a little worse than my previous ones at 4 weeks pre-op, but hey, I wanted to be able to eat one last good holiday meal!

Pre-Op photos will be taken in the next 2 days and uploaded. Until I hit my goal weight all of my photos will be fully clothed. Once I reach my goal I will post ones in a swimsuit, or bra and panties. I am taking plenty of photos to document my progress and want to be able to see my body transform with and without clothes.


To those of you who read this, thank you. Your support means everything to me.
Please feel free to add me on Facebook and message me about anything.
http://www.facebook.com/sdbeaudry

1 Week Pre-Op

Technically, yesterday I was 1 week Pre-Op. I am excited and still looking forward to my surgery. I was told that I have to get a catheter prior to surgery and I think I am more afraid of getting that done than the actual procedure! Thanksgiving is tomorrow and that will be the last huge meal that I have. We are making Turkey, obviously. We are also going to have baked macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, deviled eggs, pigs in a blanket, caramel apple cheesecake, stuffing, steamed broccoli and cauliflour, and cabbage! Every year after we eat we decorate our Christmas tree and the house. It is my favorite time of the year! We will probably end up making Christmas cookies tomorrow night too, since I won't be able to have then in December. I will take pictures of everything and post them for all to see! I will also post photos of myself at my pre-surgery weight and will take my body measurements again probably the day before surgery! Only 6 days to go!

Inspiration

I found a Journal page for an insightful woman who has had Weight Loss Surgery. She lists struggles, hi-lights, and accomplishments.  Her story has helped me to know what to expect, realize that this is a very real process, and has given me hope for the future. I hope that one day my story can be that for someone else.

Please CLICK HERE to visit her journal.

4 Weeks Pre-Op

Today I am 4 weeks Pre-Op. This is going to be an embarrassing post for me because I am going to list my pre-op weight and measurements. Putting it out there for the whole world to see can be tough, but if this blog can help someone and be their strength, then I want them to see it.

Taken at home:
4 Weeks Pre-Op Measurements:
Weight: 249.8 lbs
Height: 5' 3"
Waist: 55"
Bust: 52"
BMI: 44.2

I would include a photo today, but my husband is still at NTC, so I don't have anyone readily available to take one for me. I will certainly post one the day before my surgery.

My ultimate goal is to be a healthy weight for my height, which my doctor says is between 112 lbs and 130 lbs. He thinks that even a loss of 100 lbs would be a success putting me at a weight around 150 lbs.

If I want to hit the lower side of the spectrum it is going to take great dedication to my diet and exercise post-op, and I am prepared for that.

I would like to fit into a size 6-9. I have never fit in a size 6, but when I was at a size 9 for a brief moment of my high school career, I was almost completely happy with myself and my weight.


I will update again before surgery with a photo and my doctors office measurements.

Final Clearance!

Today I went to my final clearance appointment and scheduled my surgery date! My surgeon went over what my goals afterwards should be and how to achieve them. My height today was 5' 3/4" and my weight was 252.03 lbs. making my BMI over 45. I have an excess of around 134 lbs. and My surgeon wants me to aim for a goal weight between 130-150 lbs. I however would like to strive for a lower weight in case I end up gaining a small portion back - this way I still won't be overweight if that happens... My Pre-op and Pre-admissions appointment is set for November 15th and my surgery is scheduled for November 27th. I am so excited about the surgery and I am ready to be healthy again! Also, today marks 3 weeks without any type of soda, caffeine, or carbonated beverages! I am glad that i will be able to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family and friends before surgery, but I am going to be sure not to gorge myself and make sure that I give all leftovers away! I am also thankful that my surgeon doesn't see a need for me to do a pre-op liquid diet! I will update again after my pre-op appointment and then again after surgery! Soon it will be time for my before photos!!!

Psychological Evaluation

I had my final psychiatrist appointment on Monday, October 8th. At this appointment we went over all of my assessment answers. They have you take a few different self-help tests and then your answers are compared to 700 other bariatric patients answers. The reasoning for this is to see where you rank among other people ranging from good to poor. In each 4 areas of my testing I ranked good in three and average in one. I was also screened for depression / suicidal personality and eating disorders. Because I showed no signs of either, I passed my evaluation not needing any additional education or therapy regarding my bypass. I got a letter to give to my surgeon stating that I have no psychological contradictions to surgery and no problems that could impair my ability to voluntarily consent for surgery and comply with all pre and post - operative requirements. He also states that my ability to benefit from the procedure and maintain the lifestyle changes necessary for long term success are good.

This was the BIG appointment. Whether the psychiatrist thinks you are ready or not is the biggest obstacle in the bariatric program. If he says that you aren't ready you will have to take more classes than what is already required and will have to go to therapy until the problems are fixed, which can take a very long time. Because I am a "First - Time - Go" I was able to schedule my Final Clearance appointment.

The final clearance appointment is the very last appointment before you come in for surgery and is when you schedule your surgery date. My surgeon, Dr. Mayfield, said that scheduling is anywhere from 2-4 weeks out from your final clearance date. I am hoping to schedule my appointment for November 19th or 20th, right as my husband, Anthony, gets home from training at NTC. I know that it is right before Thanksgiving and Christmas time, the time of year we eat the most, but the sooner I get it the better. I don't want to wait and then have to deal with deployment stress and the stresses of being a bariatric patient all at the same time early next year.

I am going to take the first available surgery date after my husband gets home from NTC.

Supplements

In preparation for my surgery date, which I schedule on the 17th at my final clearance appointment, I have been researching bariatric supplements. I will begin taking the supplements prior to surgery and after surgery with approval from my surgeon. The supplements are used to help with vitamin and mineral deficiencies after surgery. Supplements are a daily part of a gastric bypass patients life following surgery. I found information on Celebrate Bariatric Supplements and I am going to try them out. They offer a "Celebrate Sample Pack" for $3.00, and in turn send you a $3.00 coupon for your first order, so essentially, It's a free sample if you end up choosing their supplements. Their website states:

"Each pack contains a sample of the following: chewable multivitamin, chewable Calcium PLUS, chewable Calcium PLUS 500, chewable Iron, ENS, ENS+Protein and Creamy Bite. This is the minimum samples that you will receive. Based on availability, we will attempt to provide you several flavors of our multivitamin, calcium and iron products."


So there is a good chance that I will be able to try more than the ones listed. If anyone has used these or tried them feel free to leave comments about your experience. I will update this post after I try them with my personal opinion of the brand. If you would like more information on these supplements you can visit their website at Celebrate Vitamins.

Eleven Little Obstacles

When you are a bariatric candidate as a spouse in the Army there is a certain amount of education that goes along with the procedure to ensure that you're stable enough to undergo such a surgery and understand the life-long changes and impact that it will have on your life. There are 11 mandatory appointments that you must go through and complete successfully in order to receive a final clearance and schedule your surgery date.

The Wellness Center:
The first 2 appointments are at the Wellness Center. You have to get your resting metabolic rate checked and they hook you up to a breathing machine. I was kind of nervous to have this done, because the machine looks intimidating.


They hook you up to it and it sends your results to a computer. you just breathe into it normally for 15 minutes - in my case they had me lay down and relax. It was painless enough. The second appointment is to receive your results after a doctor is able to analyze them and they can tell you how many calories you burn in a single day without any physical activity. This can help to determine how many calories you should intake to lose weight.

The Nutrition Care Clinic:
The next 4 appointments are completed with the Nutrition Care Clinic. The first and second appointment are bariatric classes, where you learn about the different procedures available to you and the nutrition you will need upon choosing each one. You go over supplements and vitamins and learn how important they will be to your health after the weight loss surgery is performed. The third is an individual consultation with your dietitian to determine the nutrition you should be consuming prior to your surgery so that you will be more prepared after the surgery and will already have some new goals and routines set in place before coming home from the hospital. The fourth appointment with the Nutrition Care Clinic was my favorite because it was a support group meeting. There were people there who haven't had the surgery, people who just got it done, and people who are years out from their surgery. Going and talking to others who have chosen a healthier lifestyle, just like you is so encouraging and you get a lot of great tips and motivation from them. It was a wonderful experience. I will continue going to the support group once a month after my surgery is complete.

Bariatric Orientation:
As your seventh appointment, you must go to a Bariatric Orientation with one of the performing surgeons. Dr. Mayfield led my Orientation and was a straight forward, honest speaker about the topic. He stressed how he would not do anything to us that he wouldn't do to his family - and thus it is his personal opinion to not perform the Gastric Banding procedure. He was very informative about statistics in the US for obesity and gave wonderful information about the procedures.

Psychological Evaluation:
There are 3 appointments with a Psychiatrist that you must complete and be cleared from in order to receive the surgery. I have only attended one of these so far and my second one is this afternoon. I don't know how I feel about Dr. Drozd. I feel like he is just there to study you, but perhaps that's the way it should be. I am confident in my ability to pass the psych e-val.

FINAL CLEARANCE:
This is the eleventh appointment that everyone cannot wait to schedule! At your final clearance appointment you go over pre-op information, decide on the surgery that is right for you, and set your surgery date! My Final Clearance appointment has already been scheduled and I go in for it on October 17! (They usually don't schedule this until after they receive the psych e-val but my surgeon is confident that there won't be any problems.) I can set my surgery date anywhere from 2-4 weeks out from my final clearance, but I will probably end up waiting 5 weeks or so because my husband, Anthony, will be at NTC from late OCT to late NOV.

The Dietitian Visit

My doctor put in a referral for me to see a dietitian at the Nutrition Care Clinic at Evans Army Hospital at Fort Carson. I went eagerly to find out what I could do to become healthy again and to one day be able to conceive. Little did I know, my dietitian was also the bariatric dietitian. We began discussing options when the fact that I qualify for bariatric surgery arose. I have high cholesterol and a BMI over 40. According to Army standards I qualify to have any one of the bariatric surgeries done at one of their facilities. I wanted to get started immediately and came to the realization that if I don't do something drastic about my weight soon, I could die from weight related problems in the future. I want to be able to run around with my children one day, and I surely want to live long enough to watch them grow with my husband. She put in my referral to general surgery that day.

How It All Began

My husband, Anthony, and I moved to Colorado in September of 2011. It was his first active duty PCS. We decided that we wanted to start talking about trying to have a baby once we were settled in, and about 6 months later started talking about the possibilities. I was unable to become pregnant and went to my doctor for help. What I got instead was a run-around. They put me through numerous tests but all led to no answers. Finally my doctor brought up the fact that my weight was probably the main issue to my infertility. I knew that I had become overweight since high school and getting married... but it caught me off guard to hear that I was "morbidly obese." I asked for help the same day. I was referred to a dietitian and so began my weight loss and health journey.