Gastric Bypass Girl Part 223

AND THE SAGA CONTINUES. . . .

When I had the surgery on 10/21, I acquired a burn approximately 1-1/2 inches in length.  Whatever happened, the skin was burned so badly that it turned black and was totally dead.  Well, the same thing happened with the 12/4 surgery.  Another burn appeared.  My visiting nurse has been treating these for 5 months and they are now finally healing.  We estimate that it will take another 4 to 6 weeks until they are fully healed.  My Wound Care Specialist was sorry to tell me that there would be scars.  I answered her with “My stomach looks like a Jig Saw puzzle now so scarring won’t make a difference to me!”  She just laughed!

I plan on asking the hospital to investigate the burns.  I don’t want anything, just answers.  I don’t want someone else to go through the 5 or 6 months of sometimes painful treatment that I have been dealing with since last October 21st (the first one) and December 4^th (the second one). 

In my GBG Part 218, I discussed the water pocket I had been carrying for 26 months.  I proceeded to have 2 needle drain procedures.  These helped for a few weeks but the pockets filled up again.  Since I was scheduled for Pancreas and Spleen cancer surgery, I opted to wait to do anything further on the water pockets. 

Finally on February 9^th, I had surgery to find out exactly what was leaking in my abdomen.  I ended up with a 4 inch incision in my original scar (from surgery to remove excess skin/repair 2 hernias in March 2012).  When I woke up, I was informed that I needed to have my visiting nurse pack my deep incision with rolled gauze soaked in Daikon and wrung as dry as possible.  The doctor wanted it packed 3 times a day, however, the visiting nurse is only allowed 1 visit per day and the incision was in a place that I couldn’t pack it myself so it was decided to pack it once a day.  That is good; I couldn’t have stood having the packing solution, Daikon, 3 times a day.  The visiting nurse has been a God send; I don’t know what I would have done without her. 

On February 28th^t, we noticed some green on the packing.  I had the visiting nurse call my doctor to ask for antibiotics.  Green usually means infection.  He ordered antibiotics for 7 days.  I was to see him the next Thursday so he could check my wound.

On March 14th we again called the doctor.  Again there was green on the packing.  He decided that we needed to flush the wound with a liter of Daikon solution and then pack it with the Daikon soaked rolled gauze.  Ok, time to figure out what we could use.  I have been around a long time so over the years I have had to substitute things when I didn’t have exactly what I needed.  My solution “How about a turkey baster?”  The look on the nurse’s face said it all.  “Where am I going to find a pot big enough to put her in so I can baste her?”  When she stopped laughing, we went looking for the turkey baster.  Surprisingly, it worked.  When she left, I went to the Pet Shop and to buy aquarium air tubing.  On the way into the store, a puppy on a l-o-n-g lead, wrapped itself around my ankles and down I went!  After determining I was okay, I got the air tubing, which was the wrong size, and proceeded home.  Discovering it was too small I went back later and bought the right size tubing.  When the visiting nurse came the next day, we put the two pieces together and it worked great.  Over the weeks, we have graduated from the large tubing and turkey baster to a catheter hose with a 60cc syringe and now an IV tubing and 60cc syringe.  This has been an experience that I hope I never have to go through again.  I know the nurse hopes it won’t happen again.

The wound has been healing slowly from the inside out.  This is the way you want it to heal.  Hopefully it will be completely healed in a few weeks.

As I said last week, I am about 75% healed.  My strength and energy levels are increasing daily.  All my doctors are amazed at my recovery.  I really didn’t want to go to the Rehab Center but made the decision to go for 1 week.  My cancer surgeon told me that he was sorry he talked me into going to the Rehab Center.  “I can see now that you were right, you should have gone home to recuperate.  I can’t believe the change in your health since you went to your home.”  I tried to tell him that I needed to go home but it is hard to argue with someone who doesn’t really know you and your healing capacity.

 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT SUNDAY!

STAY HEALTY AND HAPPY!

Gastric Bypass Girl Part 222

I am sorry that I have not been able to write my weekly blog parts.  The end of the year 2014 was a duzzy.  I had Pancreas and Spleen surgery for a pre-cancer condition.  This was a success and while I was recovering from that surgery, I had another emergency surgery due to a bleed out caused by ulcers.  I am slowly recuperating from this now and finally feel like getting back on my blog.  This has been a long recovery but I am progressing upward every day.

It is now 5 months since my first surgery and I am about 75% well.  I am still having wound care 7 days a week and am grateful for the wonderful care I have been receiving.  Let me tell you, the “Golden Years” ain’t what they were cracked up to be!

I am pleased about one thing I have started losing weight again.  I gained 30 pounds from the IV fluids given to me during the 10/21 surgery.  Well, when the 12/4 surgery came I had not lost the weight I had gained and, added another 15 pounds of water weight.  I have since lost 68 pounds, most of which was IV fluid.  I am continuing to lose weight and have gone from a 5X to a regular woman’s large size.  The weight loss pleases me but also makes me wonder why I was on a set plateau for over 2 years.  I intend to make an appointment with my Gastric Bypass surgeon to make sure everything is okay. 

My friend from England came 10/19/14 and she was a blessing to me.  I was a wreck when I came home from the hospital.  First off, I was still in shock over finding out I had cancer for the second time (first time was in 2007 Uterine cancer).  I was so blown away that I found myself being truly shocked when the doctor started explaining all the changes that he had made with this surgery.  I found myself being afraid for the first time in my life.  There were shots, Flu, pneumonia and Meningitis.  The last one threw me for a loop!  Was I now susceptible to Meningitis?  He then explained that it was to keep me FROM getting the Meningitis virus. 

During the surgery 10/21/14, I received a bad skin burn.  Nobody knows how or why but never the less, it was there.  They had me use ointment and bandages until it was decided to operate on it and stitch it up.  That was 12/2.  On 12/4, I awoke up at 3:00AM with heavy sweats and dizziness.  I sat on the edge of the bed until my body told me to go back to bed at 4:00AM.  When I awoke at 7:00AM, I immediately called my caregiver and told her that I needed to go to the hospital.  Since I had surgery 2 days prior, I opted to go to that hospital.  The Trauma Unit gave me every test under the sun and, later that evening it was decided to do an endoscopy the next morning.  When the surgery team left the room, I left this earth.  I flat lined I had bled out! Well, it was immediately to the operating room and over night I had Ulcer surgery.  When they sealed the first ulcer, the added blood pressure caused a second ulcer to bleed.  Before the surgery ended I was given 21 units of blood. 

I spent the next 8 days in the hospital.  I was released to a Rehabilitation Center and was there for 7 of the most miserable days of my life.  All the horror stories I had heard were true.  May I NEVER have to go to another one in my lifetime! ! ! !

When December 19^th came, I was never so happy to see my friend walk through the door of the Rehab.  I wanted to go home so bad that it was hard to keep from running out the door (however, I wasn’t strong enough to walk straight let alone run!)

As I said at the beginning of this saga, I am about 75% well and progressing a little bit every day.

 

 

 

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR,

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.

WHEN IT DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT,

DON’T IGNORE IT.

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR DOCTOR AND CHECK IT OUT!

I’M BACK ! ! ! !

Gastric Bypass Girl returns next Sunday.  Hope you will join me as I continue my blog!

Thanks to my loyal followers!

GBG