Complications

Things had been going well for me. I've been happy at my new size, regularly wearing a size 14 and an L (sometimes an XL depending on brand). The actual weight loss has slowed right down but when I go for my monthly weigh-ins (with my own Dr.), we find that the inches are steadily giving up the ghost. My body is forming a figure with curves (in the right places :-)

However for several months I've had pains in my upper abdomen, almost my chest really, just under my ribcage on the left side. Made an appointment with the surgeon at the Bariatric clinic and he scheduled me for a CT scan. Took some weeks for me to be contacted by the lab, but I received a letter with my CT scan appointment approx. 3 months later. Well waited my turn and went for my scan, by this time my pains had become somewhat more frequent. Annoying but not severe. As prep for the scan I had to drink 3L of some yellow stuff over a period of 1 1/2 hours, this really bloated me. After the scan my pain became more constant and not as localized spreading across the entire front, not just the left side anymore. I had the scan on a Thurs., received a call from the clinic on Mon. that the surgeon wanted to see me the next day, Tues. Well I couldn't make the 1 1/4h drive to the city that day so had to wait until the following Tues. for my appointment. We are now talking July 17.

Over the weekend my pain became intense; I had one day where I curled up into a fetal position and found an old bottle of Tylenol w/codeine to cope with pain. Called the clinic on Mon. discussed my options and decided to just hang in there until the next day for my appointment. I tried to get them to tell me what was wrong with me but of course they wouldn't say. This was very frustrating. "The doctor must interpret the results for you". "We are not allowed to give information over the phone."

So, I went to see the surgeon and I did pack a hospital bag, just in case. Well, he told me the CT scan showed I had a twisted bowel and this was a possible indicator that I had an intestinal hernia. They should due exploratory surgery as soon as possible to determine and correct if found. I agreed that I'd like it done asap, as I couldn't put up with the pain anymore. So he admitted me then and there!

I had surgery around about just after lunch. They found a hernia, pushed everything back inside and sewed up the hole, first of course untwisting the bowel. I then stayed in the hospital from that Tuesday until I was discharged at 5 o'clock Thursday evening. Everything went fine with the surgery, completely successful and my recovery has been fine. No problems. I was up and walking around within hours of waking. At this point 5 days post-op I'm tender, get sore after a bit of walking and not allowed to lift things until my surgeon gives me permission. My follow-up appointment is Jul. 30 where I expect to be given the all clear. I have six lapriscopic incisions which is rather annoying as I had just recently been noting that my previous incisions were just at the point where they were virtually disappearing and now I've got six new shiny red ones! Of course they are under steristrips at the moment but those will fall off during the week to come.

This is a potential complication from the Gastric Bypass Surgery, Roux-en-Y which I had preformed on me in Nov. 2011. It is not unusual but it is relatively uncommon. It happened to me. Could it happened again? Yes, but very unlikely. How has this affected me? Not at all. I consider this only a small bump in the road. If I had stayed at my previous weight & size, I was a time bomb and would have been dealing with any number of health issues by this time that would be life and death matters. If anyone had told me I would have to deal with this complication before I had the surgery I would have still gone ahead with it!

One defining moment for me was when I was laying on the gurney before the op. and the anesthetist came out and asked me a bunch of questions. The he says "well, besides this your a healthy woman. I say we're ready." Nobody and I mean nobody has ever told me I am healthy, that was a life affirming moment. Consider this, about four years ago I went to see a new doctor for the first time and almost the first thing he said to me was "Whoa, you're a mess!". Needless to say, I never went back to him.

"Whoa, you're a mess." to "You are a healthy woman". Thanks! I've come a long way, baby!

Time for a Diet Upgrade & Weigh-In

Wed. was the beginning of my new diet, "Full Fluids".  This one will, once again, last two weeks but it is the final 2week diet after this I will go through a series of 1 week diets as I adjust my body to accepting solid foods again.  This diet basically adds just a few new items to what I am already eating but they are big ticket items that make me feel like I'm actually "eating" again.

I can now have hot cereal such as oatmeal or cream of wheat, made very thin; low fat, artificial sweetened yogourt with no chunks in it; and low fat, cream soups made with skim (0%) milk, strained.  I can also have low fat artificial sweetened puddings if I want but I never used to eat them so I don't see the point in eating them now just for the sake of it.  I've also stopped eating the jello, too, now, since I don't like it.  I must continue with the three Boosts a day and of course, the vitamin supplements which are for life.  In case you've forgotten I'm taking Calcium +D, twice a day and a pre-natal supplement once a day (this is because they have twice as many nutrients than a regular one a day multi-vitamin.  Even men who've had the operation take the pre-natal for life.)

Of course, I'm in heaven with the new food!  I love cream of wheat and am glad to have real fibre back in my diet.  Yogourt is one of my favourite foods and the cream soups are a hot meal, finally!  Suitable ones I can eat are hard to find though.  Tomato soup is fine.  But others even when they say low fat often have the milk products already added, in the canned versions. So I can't have these since they are made with cream (not skim milk).  So far we've only found Knorr packaged soups which you add your own milk to and only in Cream of Broccoli.  But we'll keep looking around and try some health food stores too because this is definitely a food I want to eat for life.

Other good news!  I did a weigh in on Tuesday in preparation for the new diet and have now lost 43lbs but more important than the numbers I have also gone down 2 clothes sizes.  Clothes I was wearing before I started the Opti-Fast (Oct. 8) are all too big for me now!  I'm reaching to the back (well middle) of my closet and wearing clothes I haven't worn in years.  I'm losing it all in my abdomen and my friend says you can see it in my face.  I can see my toes when I look down!  That's a new sensation.  But even more importantly my mobility has improved exponentially.  I can bend over, touch the ground, tie my shoes, put on my pants, generally move around with so much ease now where before I started this program I had serious mobility issues that were just getting worse.  I feel healthier.

As far as surgery recuperation: all my incisions are now exposed and healing nicely.  Some have little scabs, a few are already healed.  I'm still tender on the outside and a somewhat sore on the inside.  Sleeping is still an issue but nowhere near as painful as before.  I can sleep on my side now, once I slowly get into position but still wake a few times a night.  But as I said it is nowhere near as bad so I'm just grateful it is improving and figure another week should do it.

Walking is going fine.  I'm back to going to Daily Mass, so I walk to church and back every morning plus I walk downtown whenever I need to.  I'm walking wherever I have to go, if possible and we are parking at the back of parking lots, trying to just make life naturally more active.  Plus several times a week, I'm going out for a walk around the neighbourhood going a little further when I feel I can.  I feel I'm doing fine at this stage.  I'm still slow because my insides are sore but I can walk, just not fast.

Be back again either in 2 weeks when the diet changes to "Pureed Foods" or after Dec. 6, my one month check up at the clinic, whichever comes first.  You do the math, too early in the morning for me and I have to go get ready for church.

Am Still Alive!

Got home from hospital last night.  Surgery was successful, no complications.  Everythink OK.  But I am in agony.  This is my first ever surgery and I never really contemplated the surgery itself.  I'll post all the details about the surgery, hospital stay and recovery as soon as I don't hurt so much.