Lapse lapse lapse

Damn.  Didn't know it had been THAT long since I had posted here.  Still much more catching up to do *whew*

So, on to the actual surgery. 
I didn't sleep at all the night before.  When, 4AM rolled around, I was fully awake.  I got up, took a shower, brushed my teeth...careful NOT to swallow any of the toothpaste as instructed.
I got back into some PJ type clothes.  I figured I was just going to have to take it all off anyway in an hour or two so might as well be comfortable.....Hello Kitty slippers included.
We got to hospital and checked in.  I was almost immediately taken to a room to undress and get vitals.  My family got to come in with me, so that was nice. The not-so-nice was the damn IV.  Man, I hate those!  It always hurts so much!
The doctor came in and asked how I was feeling, blah blah....did I have any questions or anything.  I shook my head and he left.  Said he'd they would be in to take me to surgery in a few moments.
Ok, then the nerves kicked in a little.  Once the nurse came in to wheel me in and my family left.....I got nervous. 
I got wheeled in to the OR and had to smile when they had "Locked out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars playing while they gave me the anesthesia. 
The next thing I remember is being in the recovery room, gasping in the full-on air they had in my mask.  I couldn't breathe there was so much air coming through!  I grabbed at the mask but the nurses told me to relax.  Finally, they took it off and I was in my room.  It was a nice room, almost like a little apartment.
I was glad to have had a room to myself.
I did, however, lay there for a while thinking, "Oh my GOD, what did I do to myself?!"
I was hurting.  Getting in and out of bed was crazy, and I hated dragging that damn IV around with me.
Luckily, my hubby stayed with me the whole time and helped me out so much.  I don't know what I would have done without him, in this instance and any other.

Going to restroom was a chore.  I was also wearing a truss or something similar and it was pretty tight and cumbersome. 
Later that day, I got wheeled to xray.  Where they gave me some root beer tasting liquid to drink while they looked at me in the xray machine.  They wanted to make sure nothing was leaking.  And, there wasn't.  So, I got sent back to my room to "eat" lunch.  This consisted of a popsicle, decaf tea, water.  It wasn't bad, because I totally had no appetite.  I was on and off sleeping all day.  I was given some anti-nausea medicine and some hydracodone for the pain.  And that was pretty much my Wednesday. 
I was told that I would most likely have just an overnight in the hospital.  But, on Thursday, they didn't want to release me because my heart rate was high.  I was really sick of being in the hospital at that point.  Every few hours, they would wake me up, take my vitals and check my blood sugar.  I would just be getting to sleep good and then BAM! the lights go on.  UGH!!!
Thursday was uneventful.  Same lunch.  Same waking me up every few hours.  It was getting better to maneuver in and out of bed, and I was doing my walking around in the hall. Everyone said I was doing well. 
When Friday rolled around, I was really REALLY ready to get out of there.  Some time after lunch, the doctor came in and released me.  I made it home about 5 pm that day. 

Next up

Now, there was a physical to take.  I was really nervous about this.  I thought for sure my heart would not pass inspection.  It was just an irrational fear.  My father had passed away from a heart attack so naturally, my mind churns with disappointment.  Turns out, all those tests came out good.  Hooray! 
Next came the 11 day pre-op diet my surgeon required.  UGH!  I had daily I had 4 protein shakes, 2 cups of broth, 2 cups of raw greens or 1 cup of cooked.  At least I got to eat....although 'greens' were never a strong suit with me.  I enjoyed the lettuce.  Luckily, my hubs is a trained chef, so he doctored up the broths to make them tolerable. Compared to others that were going the whole liquid diet pre-op....mine wasn't so bad. 

Then I get news that, my PCP didn't want to clear me unless I saw a GI specialist on account of my enzymes being so high.  DRAT!  We were already a week from my surgery date.  How in the hell was I going to get an appointment with my GI before then?!  I told the girls at my surgeons office that my PCP was giving me a hard time about my liver tests.  I had told them it had been about a year since I saw my GI.  Then they asked me if I had done an ultrasound and what not.  I said yes.  They were on it!  They called my GI office for the test results and them sent them to my PCP.  She cleared me after learning I had a diagnosed case of fatty liver.  Whew. 
Now, everything is in place.

In the beginning...

So OK......I had been on this bariatric journey for a while.  I have thought about this for years and done my research.  I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  But, the real legwork started in August of last year actually.  I had jumped through a lot of hoops with a certain hospital here in town.  I went to a seminar, to their dietitian, and to a psychiatrist.   Only to find out when I was actually booking the surgery that they do not do any kind payment plans or offer assistance of any kind. I was crushed.  My insurance does not cover any bariatric surgery, not even if medically necessary.  Man, I was screwed.  They want you to "get healthy" and this type of surgery would help butttttttttt....if you don't have insurance, they don't want to deal with you....unless you're rolling in dough (figuratively speaking, of course). 
Anyway, I thought my hopes were dashed for ever having this kind of thing.  
Fate stepped in, I suppose.  I came into the means to have it done.  I found an excellent doctor that offered the surgery for almost HALF of what the other hospital was going to charge me.  So, I had a consultation with him and I knew exactly what I wanted.  Having been to other seminars and online research, had given me a lot of information.  He was stoked and so was I.
Luckily, since I had seen a psychiatrist previously I did not have to see another one.  So, that was one step down.  I did still have to see their dietitian, though.  No problem.  Took care of that in a week's time.  I set my surgery date.  I asked off from my job.  And the wheels were all in motion....

Hi.  Hello.  Welcome.

I will be chronicling my bariatric weight loss here.  Also, throwing in some vents, screams, tears, laughs,  unique insights and sarcastic views ....so buckle up, buttercups.