Since the surgery
My parents were worried that I wouldn't be able to climb the stairs at home, so they agreed to rent a hospital bed for me that could be put downstairs for the first couple of weeks. I tried that, but wasn't able to sleep well there, so I tried the stairs and did OK. My first night in my own bed was the best I'd had in a long time, so we arranged for the hospital bed to go back to the rental company.
July 6, 2001
I have a had a few bad days. Like when I drank a cold drink first thing in the morning. Bad idea. I suffered real bad cramps. That was my stomach telling me it is better to drink a warm liquid first thing in the morning. Thank goodness my father makes the best coffee in the world.
I have an infection (not related to the operation) that requires me to take some super strong antibiotics. This has a bad effect on my digestion system. I visit the restroom on a regular basis.
The good days are great and there are many more of them than the bad. I have more energy everyday. I am able to bend over and pick things up off the floor because my back doesn't hurt me so much. My back is not cured but it is getting better. My knees are real good. They haven't hurt since I came back from the hospital. I think laying on my back for four days straight gave them the time to heal properly. All of this results in me being able to get into and out of the car easier. I know, not a big feat, but still it is significant to me.
July 17, 2001
A spot on my incision developed an abscess and Dr. Reiss had to reopen that part and drain it. Ouch! Think of surgery with no anesthesia. Now that wound must be drained, irrigated and packed twice a day. The doc prescribed a home health nurse to come and do it, but so far that hasn't worked out, so my wife is playing nurse for the time being. She must have a strong stomach because most people think it is kind of gross. Because of this new development I am still on the super strong antibiotics, but I have found a way to alleviate some of the digestive side effects.
One of the worst things about the journey for me is that I still haven't been able to swim since the surgery. Swimming is the only exercise that I enjoy at this point and I really miss it. But it's worth missing a summer of swimming for the benefits I will gain.
At this point I have lost 55 pounds. That's over 10% of my pre-op body weight. I am off many of the medications I was taking before surgery. My knee pain is gone and my back pain is much more bearable.
August 10, 2001
Even though I still have a deep hole in my abdomen, I am thrilled with my surgery. Every day I do something that I couldn't have done one or two years ago. This morning, my sweet nieces came running inside to tell me they had caught their first fish. I walked down to the water to see, then walked back up to the car to go out and buy a disposable camera to take their pictures with the fish. Then I walked back down to the water and cleaned the fish (by this time they had caught about 5) so that the girls could eat their first catch. No way would I have been able to do any of that before the surgery.
My wife is happy because I am able to help her with more housework and do more things for myself. My knee pain has come back (perhaps due to all the walking I've been doing) but still no back pain, so I'm feeling great. I feel so lucky and thank the Lord every day for all my blessings, but especially this surgery.
January 4, 2002
Things have kept getting better and better. As of last week, I've lost 135 pounds. My wife and I were able to travel to see her family for Christmas for the first time in two years. My blood pressure continues to get better and better and my primary care doctor keeps decreasing my medication for it.
I still take as many pills as I did before surgery, but now most of them are vitamins, supplements, and of course the Actigall (to prevent gall stones from forming during rapid weight loss).
I can eat any and all kinds of foods and it seems I can eat about the same amount as a person who doesn't have a problem with food. Sometimes, something doesn't agree with me and I throw up, but it isn't as bad as throwing up before the surgery because there's no stomach acid.
The hole in my abdomen still needs daily attention. The lesson learned from this experience is keep asking questions because you never know who will have a helpful answer. I was having trouble early on with the adhesive we were using to keep the dressing on my wound. It really tore up my skin. We kept asking people what we could do to help it and got a couple of good ideas. Dr. Reiss suggested using my binder (from the hospital) to keep the dressing in place instead of the tape. That worked some of the time. Then the guy who sells us our wound care supplies told us about a product called Skin Prep by Smith & Nephew. It comes in individually wrapped towelettes that you wipe on the skin before applying the tape. Boy has that helped. We have also started asking everyone we see if there is anything we can go to help the wound heal faster. Someone suggested vitamin C supplements so I'm taking those. On Thursday, the nurse practitioner at my endocrinologist's office told us about a medicine called Regranex which is used on diabetic foot ulcers to help them heal. It is very expensive, but luckily we have a prescription plan with our insurance that paid for it. I'll let you know if it works.