This is my story; Approximately 18 month ago I was a happy, healthy, & chubby lady. Today I am weak, slow, still chubby and UN-healthy. I am now suffering from an inoperative hernia, and look like I am pregnant on the right side.
I had the Lap-Band inserted September 2008. About 12 days later I was rushed into surgery for a perforated stomach and clots of blood in my stomach. I was unable to even swallow Jell-o. I was in chronic, acute abdominal pain. I wanted to die!
Several weeks and tons of ice chips later I was discharged, did not feel good but was so anxious to get out of there. I was allowed clear liquids only. Two days later my body is wracked with pain, I am losing my mind, I feel a poison in by body and soul. Rushed back into the Emergency Room for test, xrays, blood-work, you know the whole deal. My mind was gone, I did not know 90% of what was going on. Thank God my daughter Kim was by my side and helped the nurses keep me in the bed and talk to me to keep me calm.
After TWO days of test etc, Dr Rhenke comes to bedside with clipboard and pen and begins to explain how they can't find anything from the tests, that he will have to do an Explor...................................I interrupted him and said, "Where do I sign and you WILL take that damn plastic out of me." as I scribbled my name across the whole page. He did laugh at that. But that is where my nick name "Krazzee Mary" comes in to the scene. The doctors and nurses all knew me by the nickname. Off to surgery where they removed the Lap Band and had to insert tubes 3 (three) different places to help drain out all the old blood. My surgery went well, but the recovery was laden with disasters.
ICU became my home for a week, with Kim at my bedside and me not knowing it for 75% of the time. It really took a toll on her as she had a heart attack a few weeks after I got home. In ICU a lung collapsed. A nurse goofed and gave me dye without the 240 cc H2O that it was to be mixed in. Yes my kidneys failed after that. During that time Dr Garcia stood by my bed discussing placing me on Life Support. I heard him say, "Well, she is still breathing on her own" I tried to breath, I clung to that word. I must keep breathing, I thought as I fell back to sleep. So it is important that patient's hear words and listen to people talk around their bed. I believe that by me picking up that word 'breathing' and holding in my brain, kept me alive. The next day my kidneys began working again. Kim requested that the nurse who did this to me would never touch me again.
Dr Hamade was summoned upon a request from my daughter Kim to come and investigate why I was so sick. I had contracted MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and VRE (Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus). This can be fatal.
I became psychotic in ICU, please Google ICU Psychosis. It is a reality and teach your family what to do. Kim helped heal me when I got back to a private room. The nurses call it 'Sundowning'.
I lay there for three (3) weeks with I.V's and tubes here and there. I was on ice chips and only got enough water to swallow pills. Most medicine was in liquid or through an I.V. I was fed through an I.V. The Doctors and nurses call the big bags of white stuff 'Meat and potatoes". That kept me alive. My pain was unbearable, I was knocked out most of the time. I could only use the bedside commode, and needed help. Every time the doc came in , I begged for them to get Dr. Kevorkian. I meant it, I wanted to die. I just lay there in pain and watched my body melt away. Ah, you say, that's good, yeah! you lost weight. You never want to lose weight through illness. It is sad and depressing.
The day before Thanksgiving I am helped into the car and brought home by Kim. Now I went in for the original surgery the end of September. I am discharged with Home Nursing Care that lasted through mid January of 2009. I was discharged with 3 tubes hanging from my gut. not pretty. If you are tired reading this, can you imagine, I lived it?
I want to put this out there to all of you that are so anxious to have this surgery done. There are a lot of failed stories out there and I hope my blog will encourage the men and women to speak up. Please ask me questions. I will try to answer you.
I am back to original weight prior the surgery, and that is just fine. I am just so glad to be alive, and I can sew if I can't find clothes, which the stores are carrying prettier clothes now for us chubbies, or should I say, us Healthy women:).
