Jane L.
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October 2006

Sep 30, 2006

Oct. 1, 2006I'm Home!!!
 Original Post by Jane Lane at 1:00 PM PST on 10/01/2006
 Waverly, NY – RNY (09/28/2006) – Douglas D. McKane M.D.
 
 
 Hi all,
 Thank you all so much for the prayers and well wishes. I savored each and every one. I am sorry my going to ICU was a scare. It is routinely done if one has a BMI over 50 and I was at 51 or if one has sleep apnea or heart-lung problems. They said i really did not need to be in there Well, my vitals were stable from the git go. I did have considerable pain in the upper abdominal area. Seems the epidural only takes care of the lower abdomin which in my case was blessedly numb. I hated the morphine cause it made me so nauseous. They did let me supplememt with another drug so really tried to give me relief. Now I feel ok except if I move. The gas is unbelievable. I burp every time I drink my meal. It became very tedious on my back and so painful to move to my side so I am so glad to be home in hubby's recliner. I hope to finally get a good night's sleep tho I probably will still stick my finger out for the O2 check and my arm for BP check. I learned that ice chips are marvelous when you have a sore throat and extreme thirst. I also learned that the clear liquid diet I thougt was awful before surgery, tasted pretty darn good after surgery. So I am now on the losers bench for sure but can't linger there as I am at "walk and water" stage now. Jane Lane





Oct.5,06 First Post-Op visit
 Original Post by Jane Lane at 11:50 AM PST on 10/05/2006
 Waverly, NY – RNY (09/28/2006) – Douglas D. McKane M.D.
   
 Hi all,
 I just returned from my first post-op visit and I have lost 13 pounds already in only one week. Wow! Boy they pull that drain up from your toenails, I think. Did you see how long that sucker is? Half of my staples are gone and the rest by next visit. Can't believe I had to have a tooth extracted in the middle of all this. At least now I can enjoy my popsicles with out pain. Jane

September 2006

Aug 31, 2006

September 7, 2006—Today is a great day. When I call the surgeon’s office to check on the status of my approval, I was told it had just arrived and I was approved. My joy is overwhelming. At least if the tests were difficult to get through, my insurance company did not frog around giving the approval. I am grateful this part of the journey was easy. What a merry-go-round or rather roller coaster run, this is turning out to be.

 



September 13, 2006—I have begun to tell my clients that will be on leave for four to six weeks. I have shared the information of my supervisor and started the process of the personnel department. You can even imagine the horror I felt when the surgeon himself called me today to say he had spoken with an endocrinologist about my case. He now wants me to collect a 24-hour urine. If it does not come back normal, he said he would not do the operation. He tells me that if I have a hormone imbalance and that would be why I’ve deposited so much weight around my midsection.
As I am telling all this to my husband, the phone rings and it is my minister asking me for information till she hears how much I am coming unglued. She offers to come and say a prayer with me tomorrow nite. Could this be a sign from above? I certainly hope so cause my emotions are now raw with the on again off again of this all.
Once again, I go back to the boards to look this all up. It has me really unnerved, is that I know I have a small nodule on my adrenal gland called an adenoma. This could be the culprit. The only good news is that it is usually noncancerous. Only one in 10,000 is. Of course being a nurse, I need only here, a lumps and bumps to begin to worry myself about the dreaded It would appear, one needs to have a large secretion to be eligible for the associated disease of Cushings disease. I do not see any real signs of this illness in my body

 

 



September 15,2006—My minister comes to the house and talks with me. I’m pleasantly surprised that she would go on a limb and say what she said. She actually stated that she could see how motivated I was to get healthy .she also said that this was a worthy cause for which God would answer my prayer. We discussed the fact that the surgeon was not the only one of the world and was certainly extremely cautious. Her prayer with me left me strangely serene for the weekend .I knew there would be no test result since this test takes five days. On Monday morning, I again implored my friend to look at that 2004 scan. When I had talked to my physician’s assistant, she did not remember my even having an adenoma but reassured me, if it had been cancerous, I would’ve had problems by now. My friend told me the adenoma was 2.3 cm, which is considered small. I had remembered reading been a name and check them for cancer, unless they were over 4 cm. another curious thing is that this adenoma was described as “watery and non- hyper functioning.” To me, that does not sound like it is even producing anything like a hormone at all. I can hope can’t I?

 

 



September 19, 2006—Okay today is day 5 and I called to check. No results. Surgeon says he will call as soon as he knows. My patience is shot. I have stopped telling clients. I have stopped all preparation. Thank God for support on Obesity Help.com

 

 



September 20, 2006—Surgeon calls late in the day to say he has no news. By now my heart has stopped at the mention he is on the phone. He tells me the test will now take 2 more days to be finished cause it was sent out. I think I will just explode with the stress. I am to cancel my pre-op on Friday the 22 but keep 4-p.m. appt. with him and hubby. He says we can “lean” on the hospital early next week if I am having surgery. The big IF. My mind set;
Still in holding pattern!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi folks, I collected my 24 hour urine last Thurs-Fri. hoping to have a final answer Fri nite. Office said no results. I called a friend who worked in another lab and learned this test takes 5 days for a result. Minister came to pray with me and basically said that I will probably have my prayer answered because it is a worthy cause and I am so motivated to get healthy. Surprised she went out on a limb like that but grateful for the prayer. So I impatiently wait till Tues. of this week and call again. No results. Surgeon calls today to say it will be Friday before they know cause the test had to be "sent out" I had babies faster than this and that took 3 days for each one. So let's see, I" m still scheduled for the surgery on Thursday of next week, but my pre-op testing to be done this Friday morning is cancelled till we get the results on Friday afternoon-believe that when I see it. By then, they can just check me in to the local Behavioral Science Unit where I can merrily have my overdue meltdown and happily make ceramics or basket weave all day. Is it a prerequisite that one be at their wits end before this surgery. Cause it sure seems to be a contest in perserverence in one way or the other. Jane '

 

 



September 21,2006-Oh no, the Surgeon is on the phone again. What now? My heart is in my throat. He says, “ the test results were PERFECTLY NORMAL. We can proceed with the normal schedule of events meaning I go for pre op tomorrow. Talk about just in the nick of time.

 

 



September 22, 2006—Everything goes pretty smoothly for the PRE-Op. Some of the facts are new to me like the fact that I will be given shots of heparin. I guess the threat of a blood clot is very real. I guess it means that despite the pain now need to get my butt out of bed and move it right from the get-go. Now I can just go to this exam and am OK No, I have to give them blood pressure reading of 200/100. That raised the nurse’s eyebrow. I had never at my worst at a reading above 180/90. I didn’t even feel stressed. We have a good laugh about how I teach, stress management at my job. I can only imagine, seven days of waiting for a test that to me. Of course, when I came home, the reading went down to 130/80.I was extremely grateful. It was in that range. When the nurse took it before our meeting with the surgeon. She had the nerve to say it wasn’t good, and I’m thinking; “ Lady should have seen it this morning!!!!!” So meeting went well and he did not address the pressure so I am home free as long as I can stay healthy i.e., no colds for 5 more days……

 

August 2006

Jul 31, 2006

August 8, 2006 All of my encounters to date have been pleasant except for this one. There are no words to describe the Physician”s Assistant I encountered. What comes to mind is rude, alarming, foreboding, unpleasant, unprofessional. I hope I do not have to have a lot of contact with her again. While I would like to report h ER to the Surgeon, I will not because I do not want to rock any boats before my surgery. Maybe later. She said, the most incredible things to me during the physical. My blood pressure was 140/88. She commented that my blood pressure was totally out of control. She said she was going to refer me for a stress test because of my age and family history. She told me she had to worry about whether or not they could get me off the all our table. Now that’s a real confidence booster, I would say. She told me that if my blood sugar was over 400, there would be no surgery. I informed her that I have never had any readings even in the 200 range, and she scoffed. To top this all off, I produced a positive Guiac test, blood in my stool. She delivered this information with great alarm.

My post on the message board for this day reveals my reaction.
I just went through the roughest physical from Hell today. This female PA., all but talked me out of the surgery. She must have listed 53 things that will prevent me from it if my blood work and pre op tests aren't perfect. She does not like it that I am 60,overweight smoked in the past, and have a parent who died of congestive heart failure-at 89 I might add. Don't we all have a relative or two with cardiac problems if they live past 70? Even tho I told her I had a Stress test 2 years ago from which I was told no Coronary Artery disease, she wants me to see Cardiologist " to see if I will make it off the table. She feels that at 140/ 85, my blood pressure is "Out of Control" I thought it great considering I have been at 170 over 80 before. She said they would not touch me if my blood sugar came out 400+ I told her I have never even been in the near 200 range before. Lastly, she found blood in my stool which I will get rechecked but I have also had a very clean colonoscopy 4 years ago. Don‘t get me wrong , I believe they should be through in their pre op testing but to alarm one this far ahead of time is appaling, I think. Any advice?
Jane

 


August 18, 2006 –Today I visited the equivalent of a PC P, which in my case is a nurse practitioner, who I know and trust, these last five years. I was pleasantly surprised when she agreed to write my letter of approval. She was especially happy that I had outlined my past dietary experiences. I am so grateful that my insurance company does not require me to do anymore nonproductive dieting. The absolute great news from this exam was that my Guiac test came back normal. Therefore, no further testing is necessary. This is a relief, as it could have really postponed my surgery. They also did an EKG, which was also normal. They did a urine test to see it my Diabetes has affected my kidneys. Since this was also my annual checkup, I also received a Pap smear and boob exam .I guess I might as well know that all is well in new systems before surgery. She also ordered my annual mammogram. Most blessedly, she reassured me that 140/88 was a good low-pressure for me, given my age and weight. Some different attitude from the surgeon’s Physicians assistant.
 

 

 


August 30, 2006—I received a call from a surgeon’s office that was not good. I am told by the office manager and one of my blood tests called serum cortisol was out of the normal range Even though it was only two points out of range, she said the insurance company would most certainly deny my request for payment. I cannot believe this is happening over two lousy points, and I may not get my surgery. So I go on a trusty Internet and learn all kinds of scary stuff about this. This is the stress hormone that is elevated. Considering the work I do, and the fact that I am obese, it is no wonder it is elevated. I call the office manager packed the next day, and explain my worry. She very nicely reassures me that they’ve only had one patient they had to refer on for actual treatment. Most of the time the repeat test comes back normal. Okay, I can handle this. The net tells me the highest readings are obtained in the early morning, which was precisely when I went the first time. This time, I will go late in the day and hope for the best. I rescheduled my mammogram, early morning, assuming it will come out OK, and it did. I stay relaxed, all afternoon and have my blood drawn again. Of course, I must wait the weekend before I can find out the results. Monday morning, my faithful friend who works at the hospital looks at the results, and I am a normal range. Thank the good Lord, a dodged that bullet.

 


August 25,2006—Big day-to-day. I have my stress test this morning, followed by my pulmonary function studies test. If I’m not too wiped out, I will also get my chest x-ray. I immediately like a male nurse, who does my stress test. After he flies around the room to set things up he asked me how I’m feeling. I tell them that my entire surgery rests on whether or not I pass this test. I did not know that there was a modification to the test. That is apparently OK to do .He explains that I will walk longer, but at less of an incline. They will also look at my heart on the inside with an echocardiogram. When the technician starts the test I tell her, she better not find a baby. This test resembles a sonogram when you first look at the screen .I then get up and do the walk till I can breathe no more. He was so good and kind to me, I sent the hospital a commendation letter on his behalf cause he deserved it and I was grateful. You will see why in my next two posts. The following messages that I’ve placed on the messageboard tells it all.
Wish me luck or say a prayer!
Hi, I have to pass my stress test tomorrow for the surgery. I've talked the talk and must now walk the walk. Two years ago, I passed with flying colors. However I am now 60 pounds heavier. I walk fine on the level but once they lift that treadmill high enough I will most assuredly become winded as I did before. I just need to go far enough to prove my heart can withstand this surgery. I am concerned since this feels like my last BIG hurdle to this pre-op stuff. Please be with me, Jane
Passed my stress test with a dramatic ending!
Hi all, Thanks one and all again for your encouragement for my pre-op tests today. Picture this! I am on the highest incline at the very end of my treadmill walk. I am beat and panting like a stuck hog. The nurse has been great like a cheerleader all the way cause he knows I have to pass this test for my surgery. Anyway, at the precise moment he is counting down my time and about to push medication into a needle in my hand, [medicine so they can get better pictures for echo cardiogram to follow my walking] I move that hand to grab the patient gown cause it is riding on the treadmill and I am about to step on it and fall. The nurse screams so I give him back my hand and grab for the gown with my other hand nearly toppling me to the floor of the treadmill, Talk about drama, He stops the machine so I quickly waddle to the exam table where I fall down and am breathing like a beached whale!!!!!He then tells me I passed but if I'd fallen, we would have had to repeat the test all over cause the technician would not have gotten her reading while I was the most stressed!!!!!!!! I initially flunked my pulmonary test, which I had not been the least bit concerned about. Must have been all those years smoking even though I have been off the cigs for 2 and a half years. They had to give me an inhaler and repeat the tests then I passed. Hope this works for the surgery too. Do we get breathing benefits too from this surgery? Bye for now Jane tired but relieved
Chest X-ray went well. Hopefully, I have not started a Cancer there. This is my greatest phobia in life, I must admit.

 

June 2006

May 31, 2006

June 9, 2006 I had my first surgical consult with Dr. McKane. It seems like everywhere I went these last couple of weeks, I was presented with information on Bariatric surgery or people who have had it done recently or in the past. each and every one of them with the exception of one I heard about, has done marvelous and is glad they went through it The consult was interesting and very informative. I feel Dr. McKane is a very experienced surgeon with a complete staff for all aspects of this. He feels I am a good candidate for the surgery. There is potentially one problem, however. When I told them I knew I had a hiatal hernia, he told me it would be a “showstopper” if it is too big. Great genetics again. I must go get the films and take them to his office. I can’t bear to think that after I made up my mind to have this procedure done, with all its risks and potential complications, it might be denied after all.
 

 


June 29, 2006 I spent four hours today in an intake process. I received information from an office manager, a social worker and a dietitian. They lectured us as a group, and then saw us individually. It was a real hoot be interviewed by one of my own. She asked a lot of questions, some of which were thought-provoking. She made me aware that some degree of depression is normal around three to four weeks and usually resolves itself with the addition of real food. I very much liked the nutritionist because she seemed to really know her stuff while presenting it a compassionate way. It was a little disturbing to see an obvious post up patient, looking miserable and an obvious distress waiting to see the doctor. I, of course ,was curious about her condition. I can’t believe I have to wait six weeks to get back in for the physical. Sure is a busy office

 

About Me
Waverly, NY
Location
51.5
BMI
RNY
Surgery
09/28/2006
Surgery Date
May 19, 2006
Member Since
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