Thursday, January 13, 2011

VSG Pre-op Survival Kit

Only four days until surgery!  We are getting down to the wire now.  For real.  Tomorrow will be my last day to eat real food.  That's not really accurate because I have not been eating a "normal" diet since October 29, 2010.  I've been on the liquid protein diet since then.  Two protein shakes a day, plus a lean protein and one cup of veggies for dinner.  Have I always stuck to that?  No.  The fact is, I still have all of my stomach so it's been hard.  But, regardless of my little flub ups, I've still managed to lose 28 lbs since starting the diet.  As I mentioned previously, my goal was 30 lbs before surgery and I'm still hoping to hit that mark.

So what am I going to do on my official last day of eating real food?  Well, first of all, I'm going to St. Louis.  I may have mentioned before that my husband had a traumatic accident last year and had very serious injuries.  He's still not completely healed and will have some degree of being disabled for the rest of his life.  I'm taking him to St. Louis tomorrow for a followup with his surgeon.  This poses a little challenge being on the liquid protein diet.  So, I'm going prepared. 

I have made a VSG pre-op survival pack for this little trip (it's a two hour drive one way.)  I am going to take two or three very large bottles of water.  Also, one scoop of Unjury Chicken Soup flavor protein powder, two individual baggies filled with enough instant decaf tea and splenda to mix with 24oz. of water, one Great Value sugar free cherry limeade drink mix, one muscle milk light protein bar, one package of Extra sugar free gum chocolate mint flavor and one package of sugar free lifesavers.  The olive oil isn't part of my survival pack... it's just on the counter because I like to cook with it.  A lot.  Hopefully we can just hit a drive through and my husband can get him a fast lunch and I'll get some water to mix my Unjury with (or have the protein bar.) 

When we get home tomorrow, my family is coming over for a large dinner.  I'm cooking a big pan of mostaccioli for everyone.  And, yes, I'm going to eat some.  I have not had pasta in forever!  So, I'm really going to enjoy it.  I'm also looking forward to it because my sister will be up from Tennessee.  I miss seeing her since she moved, and while I just saw her at Thanksgiving, it's just too long! 

When I get up Saturday morning, that will be it, no more food.  I'll be on clear liquids from then on out.  I also will have to do a bowel prep using Magnesium Citrate.  Not really looking forward to it, was hoping I wouldn't have to, but it is what it is.  I will not be able to have anything after midnight Sunday.  The hospital is supposed to call me tomorrow to tell me when to be at the hospital on Monday.  The day after surgery, I will have an Upper GI to check for leaks.  If no leaks are detected, I'll be able to start clear fluids once more.  If I do well, I may get to come home Wednesday evening. 

I had a mini freak out the other night after talking with another patient of my surgeon's.  She had a leak and it progressed into sepsis.  He was out of town for six weeks and was not there for her followup.  It went undiagnosed and was told it was probably gas.  She ended up in a bad situation and that really scared me.  I called my surgeon's office with my concerns.  The assured me that if I presented with pain and a fever, they would do an upper GI and CT scan to rule out a leak.  I feel a little better about my decision to go ahead with surgery.  I know what signs to look for with a leak and can be pretty persistent.  She said she felt if he was there for her followup, it could have been caught, along with having a drain placed after surgery. 

Up until that point, I wasn't nervous at all.  I've had several surgeries in the past few years and it just seems like no big deal.  Now, I'm a bit concerned about complications.  I'll do a lot of praying between now and then and am confident that all will be fine. 

I also did my pre-op registration at the hospital the other day.  It was very simple, just a bunch of questions.  They did a MRSA swab in my nostrils.  That was something new to me, I've never had that before.  They said if it came back positive, the surgeon will treat me for it.  I've never shown signs of MRSA so it's a little confusing.  I guess it's a new thing they are doing.  

Well, I guess that's it for now.  I'll hope to post at least one more update before surgery.  I plan on taking my laptop to the hospital so hopefully I can update there as well.

2 comments:

  1. The MRSA check is a great way to screen & prevent you getting MRSA infection after surgery. Lots of good surgeons are doing things to stop it BEFORE it infects surgical incisions; my NOLA docs are very proactive on that as well.
    Good luck with everything! I'm thinking of you as the days bring us closer!

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  2. You're gonna be on the losers' bench before you know it. Please keep us posted

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