3 Weeks Post-Op

I have started having dizzy/fainting spells. I can't stand for too long without getting crazy dizzy and feeling the need to faint. My heart races and I feel like it is going to jump out of my chest!

I called Dr. Rasmussen's office and we are going to check my potassium levels and glucose levels (I had this same thing happen when my potassium levels were low last year). I am also so weak and have absolutely no energy. I feel the need to sleep all day long! I am also having some funny pains in my side again.

**I got the results back from the blood draw and everything looks normal with the potassium and glucose. He wants me to drink some Gatorade to get my electrolytes up to see if that helps. I will see him in another week. I am just having a hard time understanding why I feel so weak and tired and I am getting massive amounts of nutrition from what I am eating and from the tube feeds!

I just want to feel at least semi-good for a day and not have to mentally and physically push myself to make it through a day!!

2 Week Post-Op

I had my follow up appointment with Dr. Rasmussen.

At this point in time, things are looking up. I have had some pain relief from the surgery and seem to be getting stronger. He showed me all the pictures he took and went over everything in detail of what he did.

My weight has only slightly dropped since the surgery so he decides that it will be best to continue to leave the feeding tube in and do night feeds. He is worried that if we take away the tube feeds, I will lose all the weight I gained in order to have the surgery. I am still on 1200 calories at night plus whatever I am eating during the day. We compromise and decide to have another follow up in 2 more weeks instead of a month. He will decide at that 2 week appointment what to do with the tube. I have had the tube in for 7 weeks now. I am so tired of it! Its rubbing my throat raw and continues to clog on a normal basis. But I know that this whats best for me at this time and trust Dr. Rasmussen.

So for now, I will continue to do tube feeds and eat. I see him again in 2 weeks.

Surgery Day

Surgery day is here. I have a check in time of 2:15 in the afternoon. I am Dr. Rasmussen’s last case for the day. I am not too thrilled about having to check in this late because an afternoon surgery time always means delays. I spend the morning running last minute errands and trying to get things arranged for my time off. I get a call around 11:30 from the hospital that they are changing my check in time to 1:00pm because Dr. Rasmussen is ahead of schedule.

I check in to the hospital at 1:00 and get all the usual stuff done. I get more lab work done and have all my vitals taken. I change into the lovely purple paper gown and wait. My nurse comes in it and it is one of my good friends that I worked with at the hospital, this always makes things better. She starts my IV and we do the run through of how things will go. She informs me that the OR staff should come and get me around 2:30 and hopefully no later than 3:00. I sit and wait and wait and then wait some more. Apparently things are not really ahead of schedule because I am not taken back to surgery until 3:45pm. I am taken into holding and meet with the nurses and the Anesthesiologist, Dr. Pearson. Dr. Rasmussen comes in and jokes that he is cancelling the surgery because I am one pound shy of the target weight. Not funny!

I am wheeled back into OR room #14. This is a new one for me, never been in room #14. I move over to the operating table and things are situated all around me. I wasn't given any versed at this point, which I am in favor of! I like being in control for as long as possible. Dr. Pearson proceeds to place everything on me, the BP cuff, heart monitor stickers and so on. At this point, I am pretty sure I am given something because my head starts to feel funny but it takes a while to take effect. I am still talking at this point. Dr. Pearson puts the oxygen mask on my face and I am pretty sure he gives me something else because the room starts spinning. It still takes a while to take effect because they keep telling me to take deep breaths and relax, everything will be fine. It feels like a few minutes later, and my world goes dark.

The first thing I remember is being wheeled down the hall to my room. I wake up more in my room and my family is there sharing bits of information from the surgery.

THE RESULTS: Apparently I had so much scar tissue in my upper right abdomen that Dr. Rasmussen could not even see my liver. My small intestine and stomach pouch were also attached to this scar tissue which was pulling them over to the liver. He was able to detach the pouch and intestines and free up the liver. I also have an ovarian cyst. He said he didn't remove the cyst because I don’t have lower abdominal pain. He also said there were a couple of places where the small intestine was beginning to loop over on itself which he fixed. He was able to detach the small intestine from the abdominal wall. It did not have a hole in it but he did reinforce the area with some stitches. He did some re-arranging and was able to put everything back where it belongs. Hopefully it stays there and hopefully this surgery works!!

I spend the night on the 6^th floor getting drugs and having my BP monitored. I have really low blood pressure after surgery. I see Dr. Rasmussen in the morning and I am good to go home. I eat some grapes and a bite of eggs and tell the nurse I am ready to go. I am discharged at 10:30 in the morning.

I see Dr. Rasmussen in 2 weeks for a follow up. We will watch things for the next bit to see what happens. Hopefully this feeding tube can be removed soon!!