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Jan 02, 2011

The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy laproscopic surgery went as expected.  I woke up so nautious and gagging.  They gave me every type of anti-nausea medication.  A nurse in the middle of the night figured out I got nautious every time I pushed my pain pump.  Oh and I got itchy from it too.  She was such an aloof no-nonsence nurse but she knew her stuff!! 

It was blizzarding outside the whole time I was in surgery.  My aunt stayed until I woke up and I had to tell her to leave.  She packed an overnight bag and barelymade it home safely.  A patch of interstate within walking distance of my home had a 100-car-pile-up that wasn't cleared for over 12 hours.  Thankfully no one was killed.  No friends or family could visit or send flowers.  No travel advised in the metro area.  All highways in a 300 mile radius were closed.  Stores closed.  The whole town just shut down. 

My blood pressure was really high.  Higher than when I was in labor with any of my kids.  Like 147 over 105.  I asked if I could lay on my left side- usually made my blood pressure decline.  The nurse didn't think it was such a good idea, but couldn't hurt.  Sure enough it dropped to 120/80 and by discharge it was my normal 110/70 numbers.

The night in the hospital with recovery I had quite a few different nurses.  They were rotating sleeps in empty beds - the evening shift and morning shifts couldn't come in and they couldn't leave the hospital.  The morning after surgery Dr. Fabian couldn't do rounds because he was stuck in his home too.  He called and said that I looked like I was doing fine.  I was pretty groggy that early in the morning.  He said that because of the blizzard it would be safer if I stayed.  Even if I just wanted to stay at the hotel acrossed the street if I was worried that insurance wouldn't cover the extended stay.  Again, very kind and considerate.  

Just before 3 pm, Dr. Monroe came in and basically told me to get out.  Not very pleased with his bedside manner at all.  He was matter of fact - we are between 2 blizzards right now and if you don't get out before the second blizzard hits at 3 pm you might not get out of here for a few days.  Umm ok, confusing.

Will have to wait for my 2 week appt to talk to Dr. Fabian about checking my insulin resistance and getting back on metformin.  Dr. Monroe didn't even want to hear about it.  He just said that after my weight is lost I would no longer need that medication so it's pointless.  Again Dr. Fabian=good-kind caring partner in your own care.  He even tolerates my silly hockey references.  Dr. Monroe=bad  cool, succinct, abrubt.

So the first few bites were absolutely agonizing!  For some reason I pictured a Bugs Bunny cartoon where the villian is riddled with bullet holes and water pours out of every one of them.   I could probably count on my fingers the # of calories I've consumed in the last 48 hours.  I am just not that hungry.  The only pain that I feel is a lot of gas trapped...I would give anything in my checking account to pass gas in any way - ladylike or not. 

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