I'm Officially Wrapped!

Hello Everyone,


I am home just now and I hope at least some of this makes sense. The surgery got changed to yesterday morning early and the surgery hurt much less than the original pain I had. I could not believe it went so well.

I learned three important things.

1. I have a "small" esophagus. Smaller than anyone thought.
2. The hiatal hernia was much smaller than they thought as well.
3. My DeMeester score was of the charts.

I learned those things today when the doc dismissed me. Hubby learned them yesterday morning after the surgery.

My only major complaints are:

My neck is swollen from the HUGE tube (the doc's words) that went down my throat.
I can't speak above a whisper (hubby loves that one).
It's 110 degrees here already in my part of Oklahoma and we're supposed to set a record today. I'm just very relieved to have it over and be home.

I was diagnosed with "positional sleep apnea" about a year ago. The CPAP with oxygen never helped me at all. The only night I spent at the hospital (last night) the oxygen was removed about 6 pm. My oxygen level stayed good and I ate a bit of jello. I watched a movie and had a few more small spoons of jello and turned out the light.

The oxygen was removed but not the oxygen monitor. After 10 minutes it sounded the little alarm and I looked at it immediately. It went down 10 points and as I stirred in bed a little, it went back up. Same thing happened every 10 minutes for several hours. Sleeping on my back is when the oxygen goes down so I turned onto my right side. The alarm sounded again and again and so I turned to my left side. It kept sounding till about 4:10 am and I gave up and the nurse who happened to come in hooked me back up to oxygen.

I slept from about 5 am till a little after 6 when I woke up with jello refluxing from above the wrap site. I'm able to burp and I kept burping the sour jello till they brought in the breakfast tray and I could eat a bit of cream of wheat. NO MORE NOTHING that late in the evening.

Doc came in and said some of the oxygen stuff was leftovers from the anaesthesia and some of the "acid" was just an acid taste. Says he's heard it before many times and that he'd just past a patient in the cafeteria who hugged him for her surgery done two weeks ago. He said I couldn't be wrapped any better and that things will slowly get back to normal. The acid in general is about 95% better and so far the chest pain and the gastritis are minimal.

Surgery and the prep/enrolling at the hospital were a down-right hoot. The RN who checked me in said, "My husband has it bad like you but he won't have the surgery. Too much risk and not any guarantee of the outcome". I almost slapped her.

I told her that wasn't a good thing for a nurse to say to a patient going into the surgery. She then tried to back off that she'd said it at all. I wanted to slap her again. Then she said her husband "does just fine" on 20 mg of Nexium twice a day. I told her all the Nexium on the planet wasn't helping me and that my LES was wide open. It didn't phase her at all. She told me to "calm down" and I decided not to say anything further at all. She tried twice to insert an IV and couldn't do it and sent for a lady who did it the first time and who was in the end a much better nurse.

This morning when the cafeteria gal brought in my tray it had coffee with caffeine, milk which I cannot use because my small blood vessels rupture, Ensure which has Soy which I cannot take and some cream of wheat of which I took a few bites.

Before she took the tray away I told her the surgery I'd had and why I couldn't eat any of the stuff and she said, "My mother has acid too but 'she just lives with it". I would have slapped her but she wasn't a nurse. She assured me I'm "get over it"

The days ahead will tell the whole story. I have had the surgery. I know all too well what needing the surgery and waiting so long have done to me and it isn't pretty. I remain hopeful and am attempting to live one day at a time. Before the surgery my hope had run out completely.

I'd been treated for everything in the book until the proper testing was finally done and the really good chance of treating what was most likely the problem behind everything was finally addressed.

I was given Toradol for pain after surgery for the first time and it did NOT make me nauseated. I had no nausea to speak of at all. If you have not had it and get nauseated easily you might check into this stuff.

I'm still wearing the elastic stomach pad and it really helps support my abdomen. My back still hurts but I've laid around so much I'm not surprised. I hope to get some rest tonight and start off even better tomorrow.

It's a big day here at our house and everyone - friends and family - have been wonderful. Calls from out of town, offers of food, cards, emails and tons of FB posts have been very comforting.

I hope to be an encourager here now instead of a whiner but give me a little time to heal. It's been a long and winding road but I think I have a chance to get back on track now for the first time in a very long time.

Thanks to all of you who have helped me and I hope to be of help even in a small way to anyone considering this surgery. Just give me a holler.

On the Road Again!
Rita

As I read this, Take It Easy is on the radio! (It's a sign!)

Glad to hear about your wrap and hope the next few weeks go quickly and as comforting as possible. Sorry to hear about the experience with some of the hospital staff, but it's good that you spoke up. :)

Take it easy!

Emily

Congratulations on your wrap. Sounds like you are on your way to feeling better already.

And, you are already helping others just by posting your story! Glad too that you are getting so much support from family and friends.

Hope you sleep better tonight.

Sewfun

Post Edited (sewfun) : 8/2/2011 4:45:53 PM (GMT-6)

halloweenbaby

congratulations ! on your successful operation

oh and btw

sounds like you met nurse ratched ........and her twin sister!

from the classic book and movie "one flew over the cuckoos nest"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nurse_Ratched

Hi Rita,

Congratulations on a successful surgery. So pleased you are starting to feel better already. Long may it continue & I hope it will not be too long before you are enjoying life again.

It also amazes me how some health professionals have no people skills. They may be technically brilliant but cannot hold a conversation without opening theirs mouths & putting both feet firmly in.

Take each day as it comes & listen to your body. Will be thinking of you.

Best wishes

Lynda

Rita
I am so glad to hear from you and I can only say that anyone who downplays GERD and HH and LES has never had to go through the horrors of it..

I am so happy that you are going to stay with us..
WELCOME TO THE WRAPPED CLUB!!!!!

Rest and get your strength back, don't push your recovery

Stay with us we want to know how you are doing as you recover...

Sandi

Post Edited (kyheart) : 8/2/2011 5:58:29 PM (GMT-6)

Best of luck, Rita! Keep us posted!

Hi Rita

So pleased you are doing well. Sounds like you are having a 'rough time in your old town tonight' LOL Its winter here so I'm struggling to keep warm by the fire today.

Continue to heal well & good luck with your diet.

Take care

Lynda

I need some help.

My surgery was on Monday. I didn't have any nausea/acid that day. On Tuesday when I woke up at the hospital I had no acid but I burped some. On Wednesday (yesterday) I had horrible pain and woke with what felt like some acid but no real nausea. This morning I woke up (Thursday) with a really acidic taste in my mouth and a good bit of nausea. I have been up since about 5 am and it's nearly 8 now. I'll call the surgeon's office for the anti-nausea cream because I actually forgot to ask for an Rx when I left the hospital Tuesday afternoon.

I have had only liquids till last night when I smashed up some mac and cheese. It tasted good and felt alright at bedtime when I took a sleeping pill. The pill is rather large in size (not in dosage) and I'm wondering if it went down passed the wrap site at all. I did burp this morning and felt something hard/rough like part of the pill. That's all it could have been because the mac and cheese was not hard.

I'm not saying the mac and cheese was a good idea and I'm going back to liquids only but I'm scared.

Did any of you who have had the surgery wake up this soon after surgery with nausea and/or acid? I can't tell which it is for sure - acid or just nausea. I'm also having lots of diarrhea.

I'm panicking here.

Please help if you can.

Rita
I have to agree with Joy, it does sound like the pill got stuck.. if it is a tablet, you might try crushing it and mixing it with a bit of yogurt or pudding. Try not to panic.. I know that is hard when you do not know what you are experiencing.. that is why I came here to panic.. they all helped me
I had the diarrhea also, as Joy said.. liquid in, liquid out...
once you get past the swelling..which may be part of your experience.. it will continue to swell until about day 14, then it will begin to go down.. as the wrap swells you will be more comfortable sticking to liquids..I was anyway.. everyone has their own experience with it, I can only relay my own...

take each day as it comes...better days to come..
Reach for the Sunshine (no heat though)
Sandi

I just read your post on my thread.. I will be here as often as I can be to encourage and support you when you are discouraged or frustrated..(and any other time too) I experienced those feelings and everyone supported me.. I made it through and so will you!!!
You are right.. a positive attitude does help.. but we all have times when our attitude takes a nose dive.. come here and tell us what's going on and we will all try to help you through.....

Post Edited (kyheart) : 8/4/2011 7:28:39 PM (GMT-6)

HB,
I felt pretty rotten during my recovery too. So vent away! I believe it helps you feel better to let it out.
I feel you will get through this rough patch soon. Hang in there.

I actually had a pretty good night last night (Thursday) and a pretty darn good day today considering all I've had is soup. LOL

Not much gas, no big shoulder pain today and while I still can't talk my neck and throat aren't as sore.

thanks!

I am glad to read that you had a good night and day on Friday.  I wish you many more good days.  I do understand how the bad days can bring us down and make us feel like we may never see up again.

Blessings,

Kitt