It's been about a week and a half since band removal day, and I'm finally feeling back to normal. I felt pretty darn good the first couple days, but then I developed a bad allergic reaction to the glue they used to close the incisions. Not cool. I started oral steroids on Friday (which I was dreading), and today is the first day I feel pretty close to 100%. Heck, I even took both kids to Target with me, and they were so good, I took them to Mc Donald's to play for a bit. Why play inside, you ask? Well, because it's still only 35 degrees up here in the pleasant peninsula. That's Michigan weather for ya.
Anyhoodle, the rash is receding, I have some energy back, and the best part? No tummy problems. I don't want to rub it in, but man is it nice to not have to worry about getting stuck or not drinking right after eating or all that shizz. Yes, I mourn the absence of hunger, but it's been so long since I was on good terms with my band, that I really haven't had that advantage for a while. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm not doing so bad. I'm up about three pounds, but I can't really be too bummed about that what with having surgery and steroids.
Going forward, I don't have too much of a plan in place. My focus is still on getting healthy. Some weight loss would be nice, but I need to get my vitamin deficiencies under control, and make sure my esophageal motility stays corrected. I'm positive with the band gone these things will come. Yes, revising to the sleeve has crossed my mind, but I gotta tell ya, I'm loathe to have another surgery. Consider what my poor body has endured since December 2009: 1 c-section birth, 3 surgical removals of kidney stones, 1 gall bladder removal surgery, 3 EGDs, and 1 lap band removal. I think I've had enough anesthesia to last me a lifetime.
In other news, we're all settled in at the new house. We LOVE it. Now, I just need my sod in place, and my kids will be the happiest little tykes. Also, my mom and my sister and I booked our trip to Italy this September! So there is some good stuff to look forward to!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Another one bites the dust...
Six years and POOF! Gone, just like that. Yes, my dear blog friends, yours truly had emergency surgery Wednesday night to remove my band.
As you might have guessed from my sparse posting, this past year has been pretty crappy for me health-wise. Vitamin deficiencies, anemia, gastroparesis, etc. One thing after another, and it seemed like it would never end. Finally, in February, I found out my esophagus and pouch were dilated. Off I went for another unfill. This made sense as I had been vomiting a lot after only a few bites of food. Shortly after that, I had a gastric emptying study which showed that I do NOT, in fact, have gastroparesis.
I felt a little better after the unfill until this past Saturday when I suddenly got very bloated and achy. It hadn't gotten any better by Wednesday and the vomiting had started again, so I called my band doc. I was sent to the ER. X-rays showed a minor slip, so an Upper GI was next. That''s when we saw the writing on the wall. Even with my band deflated, the barium was just trickling through. Turns out I had developed so much scar tissue under the band, that my stoma could not relax and open up anymore. Me and my band were done.
When I talked to my surgeon this morning, he said things were actually much worse than they had appeared. The slip was much larger, and there was a chunk of food stuck in the secondary pouch. I'm so glad I trusted my instincts and got checked out.
I'm feeling ok right now. I know I will mourn my band a little, but I'm honestly just relieved. I just want to feel good again. There will not be another band for me. Truly, I'm not sure what my options are going forward. Right now though, I'm just going to concentrate on feeling better.
And that's all she wrote!
As you might have guessed from my sparse posting, this past year has been pretty crappy for me health-wise. Vitamin deficiencies, anemia, gastroparesis, etc. One thing after another, and it seemed like it would never end. Finally, in February, I found out my esophagus and pouch were dilated. Off I went for another unfill. This made sense as I had been vomiting a lot after only a few bites of food. Shortly after that, I had a gastric emptying study which showed that I do NOT, in fact, have gastroparesis.
I felt a little better after the unfill until this past Saturday when I suddenly got very bloated and achy. It hadn't gotten any better by Wednesday and the vomiting had started again, so I called my band doc. I was sent to the ER. X-rays showed a minor slip, so an Upper GI was next. That''s when we saw the writing on the wall. Even with my band deflated, the barium was just trickling through. Turns out I had developed so much scar tissue under the band, that my stoma could not relax and open up anymore. Me and my band were done.
When I talked to my surgeon this morning, he said things were actually much worse than they had appeared. The slip was much larger, and there was a chunk of food stuck in the secondary pouch. I'm so glad I trusted my instincts and got checked out.
I'm feeling ok right now. I know I will mourn my band a little, but I'm honestly just relieved. I just want to feel good again. There will not be another band for me. Truly, I'm not sure what my options are going forward. Right now though, I'm just going to concentrate on feeling better.
And that's all she wrote!
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