Surgery

Surgery

During March, I had my consult with my surgeon, Dr. Raymond Taddeucci. When I weighed in, I was 334 lbs, so I had already lost 4 lbs. from “eating right and exercise”. We talked, and he answered my questions about what might happen with me and my medications for my mental illness post surgery. I told him about how I have usually experienced a mania or a “mixed” episode after any of my surgeries, followed by a humongous crash that left me unable to function. He told me that I shouldn’t have any problems post op, but that I’ll want to cut my larger pills (such as Seroqual) in half. I was fine with that arrangement, and went on my merry way.

Two weeks before surgery, I started my slim fast plan, though I used Soy protein drinks with 8^th continent light vanilla soy milk for added protein (One cup of the soy milk is 60 calories, has 7 grams of protein, 1 gram of heart healthy fat, and more nutrients than are found in skim milk, plus, being lactose intolerant, these shakes are much better for my digestive system!)

The day before surgery, I was on clear liquid only. My wonderful mother-in-law had come in the day before from Michigan, where we used to live to help with the girls. As a fun activity, we went to the Shrine Circus, which we all loved. Since I had been told I could have 7-up, Mom got me a Sierra Mist. Now, in the past few weeks, I had completely cut out pop (or soda, or coke depending on where you’re from), so when I drank it, my whole body felt like I was filled up with air. I guess I learned the hard way that I really need to stay away from anything carbonated!

The next morning at 4:30, after having the kind of sleep where you wake up every hour on the hour to make sure you are not late, I got up, woke my husband up, and got ready for surgery.

We got there at 5:30, checked in, and I was weighed-I was down another 16 pounds, which made my total lost before surgery twenty pounds! I was so thrilled! About 7, they wheeled me back to surgery, I was given anesthesia, and the next thing I remember it was about 11:00 and I was in recovery. My first thought was what had gone wrong because the surgery is supposed to take only 45 minutes to 1 hour and a half, and here it was about 3 and a half hours later. My second thought was my back is killing me!

It turns out that I have a very unique anatomy. Most people who are obese carry their fat on the inside of their muscle. Not me. My fat lies on top of the muscle, creating a challenge that my surgeon had never before faced. Basically, one of the reasons it was so difficult is that the tubing that connects the port to the lap-band, doesn’t have much slack, and in order to place the port on a muscle, they had to create a place where the muscle was available. When I first had the surgery, the port are looked very strange because of all the swelling. Now that I am three weeks out, it kind of looks like I have another belly button.

I couldn’t have anything to eat or drink until I did a swallow test the next morning at 7:00. But I was on an IV. I did have a minor panic attack as I was in the recovery room, but I was fine all day until it was time for me to have my Seroqual, Klonopin, and Ambien. Because I could not take them by mouth, I wasn’t able to hve them. That night was miserable – a combination of hypomanic behavior, racing thoughts, being tired but unable to sleep, and panic attacks. I couldn’t wait until I could go home and take my medications, but by about 8 am, I was in a full-blown mania.

After they were sure I could handle clear liquids, they sent me a “full liquids” lunch. After I had “passed” the test that I could handle cream soup and a sugar –free carnation instant breakfast, my husband had arrived and I was sent home. As soon as I got home, I took my Klonopin, and sat down in my comfy chair to relax. My husband went out to get my medicine, then went to Target and bought me the storage ottoman that I had been drooling over so I could be extra comfy. Even my snuggie was ready for me.

That night, I took my normal night medications, having cut all the “hoarse pills” in half. Then I swallowed one pill a ta time, 5 minutes apart. While I didn’t sleep perfect, I did sleep ok and long. The next day, I was still hypomanic, but I was getting better control about my thoughts and actions. It only got better, though the pain was more than I had imagined.

Next- weeks 1-3 after surgery. Look for this posting within the next week. Thanks for reading. Email me at WLNutjob@gmail.com with any questions or suggestions regarding dealing with WLS, a major mental illness, or both!