It's Done!

****This blog might contain what you might feel is Too Much Information, so you might want to skip this one. I will just say that I am doing well and thank you so much for your thoughts and your prayers! :)****

Well, Monday, September 13th, 2010 I had ERCP, (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography). I was very nervous going into it. Not because of the surgery, but the thought of being under anestetic that long and not knowing if I was going to have to stay or get to come home. I just wanted to come home.

As soon as we got to the hospital I needed a bathroom. The nerves were that bad. Luckily we arrived 15 mins early so I had time. Then we get down to ECRP and the room was FULL! The receptionist was the only one there and she asked my name and told me to have a seat. Well, anyone that knows me and my germaphobic ways-- I protested and told her I'd be standing in the hallway. I was to be there at 10:30 and at that time I was yet to be signed in. I was nervous. Once I was signed in, they were immediately ready for me so off I went.

Larry and I laughed several times during the day because my vitals were taken several times, by serveral different people and EVERY SINGLE person was beyond shocked when everything came back normal! I at one point said right in front of the nurse I didn't like-That I thought it was funny that people come in and obviously assume that because I am this morbidly obesese woman that I am unhealthy. NEWS FLASH!!! I am healthy!
The nurse that I didn't like said, Oh, this gown is going to be border line for fitting you. Would you like a bigger one? WELL YEAH! --Ok skinny people, if you have a person that can squeeze into an XL or that can comfortably fit into an XXL--Give them the 2X! So, she sets my gown on my bed. Asks me to #1 in a cup for a pregnancy test and then come back and "Put this BIG OLE gown on". Thanks witch! I am pretty sure you don't need to say things like that to someone that looks in a mirror everyday and knows how big they are. This wasn't the only reason I didn't like her. She was VERY SLOPPY with her work and VERY UNORGANIZED. She was rushed because the surgeon was ready for me because someone canceled on him just before me and I get that, but you know what??? When you have someone getting ready to go into surgery and they are scared to death....chill out. Calm down. Don't make them more scared than they already are. Her bedside manners, or lack there of, and her sloppiness caused me to lose all faith in her and her ability to do her job.
I will give her this...I told her straight up that if she was not confident in her ability to start an IV that she needed to find someone else that was. I told her that I didn't have a lot to choose from as far as veins go and that they blow easily. She searched a few seconds and immediately called in for an ultrasound to be done of my arm and that lady got it on the first stick AND it didn't even bruise afterwards! YEAH! Once I got back to my room after that and I was telling Larry how great it went, my "wonderful" nurse Tammy starts arguing with us about Major hospital having portable ultrasound machines. Good grief! This woman never stops! We DIDN'T say Major didn't have them, we said Major never used one on me before to start an IV. So then she says, NO, all the hospitals have them we have 3 within 10 feet of each other. WHO CARES! We didn't say they don't have them! LOL!

Ok, enough about nurse Tammy that I clearly didn't like....So, another lady comes in to talk to me about the study that I qualified for that could possibly lower my chances of pancreatitis. She explained that I may or may not get the drug in the study, but that's how it works and I was perfectly fine with that. She also told me that it is a suppository (sp?), the surgeon neglected to tell me that, BUT she explained it would be done while I was still out and so I agreed to go ahead and do it. Then, not long after that Dr. Fogel came in and introduced himself to Larry and we spoke briefly and we were ready to go. :)

They wheeled me down to the surgery room, well just outside the door and I was able to tell Larry goodbye. The anestetic team came and introduced themselves and I LOVED that nurse on that team. She was so kind, and so comforting. As it got closer she could tell I was getting more nervous and called me out on it. :) She assured me that I was in great hands and everything was going to be fine. She was going over my vitals and was telling me that I was very healthy and I was making her job very easy. She said, once I was out that they would move me to the table. I said, PLEASE don't drop me getting me to that table. She promised they wouldn't. Then the mask went over my face and the anestetic went into my IV and that was it. It was just after 12:30 when they started and I woke in recovery at 2:55.

They woke me saying that I had puked everywhere, but not to worry about it they got it all out. Luckily, I had NO clue and quite frankly didn't care. LOL! Not to be rude, but my throat hurt so bad, that was all I could focus on. Right after that I was signed off to go back to my room with Larry. Not long after returning I needed to go to the bathroom and realized that when I got sick in recovery I had peed my pants, or rather my gown since that is all I had on under the covers. LOL! That is so humiliating, but Tammy said that that is very normal and not to worry about it. So, I go into the bathroom and change into my clothes so that I can be comfortable and Tammy changes my bedding and then from then on out I was golden. I was ready to go home. My pain was very minimal. Mostly my throat just hurt. I had to be given a few bags of fluid and wait for the surgeon to come in with my report. My gosh, that took FOREVER!

He came in and said that they found exactly what they thought they would find. The sphincter of oddi was very tight. He cut it and put a stint in and told me that in two weeks I needed to go to my local hospital for an xray to make sure stint comes out on it's own. If it does not then I will have to schedule an endoscopy with Dr. Mokeba to remove it. ((Let's just hope it comes out)). He said that I did very well during surgery and that everything went as planned.

I didn't sleep well that night. It was 8:45 when we got home that night. I was tired. I am used to sleeping on my belly and side and couldn't do either so needless to say I didn't sleep well.

Yesterday I was good. My throat still hurt very badly, and my stomach felt achy, but not in pain if that makes any sense at all. By the time last night rolled in I was hungry. Larry made me potato soup and I think I might have over done it. I didn't sleep the greatest last night and since I have eaten I have had pain on my right side, but I think it's just my body trying to process that food. All in all I am doing great. I have not had to take any pain meds at all. I probably very easily could have last night, but opted to tough it out. I believe today I am going to go back to the liquid diet just to give me a break because I am so sore this morning. Maybe this evening I will be able to try something with more substance to it.

I would like to take the time to thank all of you for your prayers, your thoughts, and all your well wishes. I could not have gone through this without your support and I appreciate it more than you will know. Thank you for checking in on me again! Hopefully this surgery will do what it needs to do and I will be well on my way to recovery and great health with no more attacks. :)
Love,
Jennifer