A New Oufit - Smaller Size!!!

My husband and I went to a wedding of some friends at the weekend.  I'm going to blow my own trumpet here - the dress I'm wearing in the photo below is a size smaller and from a shop I never used to be able to get clothes at!  Size XL which is equivalent to a 24 (NZ & AUS sizes) from City Chic.  Stoked - and it even fit better than when I tried it on a couple of weeks ago :)

Me and Hubby

All dressed up (excuse the mess!)

YAY!!!

Thanks for the feedback on the pain.  Still hasn't gone away and stopped me from going to work the last couple of days as too sore when upright.  I called the clinic, and am booked in on Thursday to get some steroids and local anaestetic to ease the pain.  This was part of the reply:

"Unfortunately some times there is nerve entrapment where the trocars go through into the abdominal muscle, and this can cause pain. It happens in about 1% of people. It will generally go away with time, but if it is causing you some distress, one option we have is injecting some steroid (Kenacort) and Local anaesthetic into the area, which softens the tissue around the entrapped nerve and this releases it and lessens the pain you feel. It hurts more on standing because the abdominal muscle is stretched tightening where the entrapped nerve is, and releases somewhat when sitting down and the muscle is more relaxed."

I'm not surprised Im one of those 1%.  I mean after the op, the surgeon said that my hepatic artery was in the opposite direction (20% of people have that), and my anaphylatic reaction to the muscle relaxant happens to 1 in 2000-2500 people.  Maybe I'm one for breaking the odds.  Now if I could just win lotto....:)

Yay also to see more people from the Hutt Valley commenting on the blog - be nice to meet you both in person sometime :)

Allergy testing, and surgery day...take 2

The all important allergy testing finally arrived.  It suddenly sunk in that it was happening after arriving home from a fabulous mini break in Auckland with some awesome school friends who are both pregant at the moment.

I arrived at the hospital and I have to say the service was very prompt.  I got to see the specialist before the time I was due.  This is almost unheard of in the public system!

I was led down to the room for testing, walked through the door and saw this:

While I am not afraid of needles - this many and knowing they were going to be tested on me - just a little daunting.

Anyway after explaining what happened to cause the reaction and going through what would happen in the testing - it started.  The results were less than spectacular.  Below, you can see my back with each site circuled where a substance was tested - there were a lot!  The only one apparently showing a big reaction was the histamine control (which was meant to).  The suxamethonium only gave a small raise and a warm feeling, nothing else.  The tests were repeated twice more, and very little was seen.

So what did she get from that?  Well it confirmed what could be used, rather than what couldn't be used.  She also recommended instead of being injected through a line, the muscle relaxant should be put through an IV drip for more control. 

Result:  It is all go on Friday!   Got confirmation from the hospital, best wishes from the clinic, and all going well by about midday on Friday (today...just in NZ)  I will become a bandit!!!

I'm excited, a little nervous, but mainly over it and just want it down so I can get on with the post-op progress.  Thanks for all your support and comments, either here, facebook, texts, emails, or even in person.  All the support has made me feel very loved, and reading others blogs has been very insightful and inspiring.

I go into the op losing 25.2 kilos pre-op.  Apparently the surgeon is over the moon with the progress.  Yay!

So what weighs about 25 kilos?

 This rather large baby

This dog

This shark

The amount of weight Kelly Osbourne lost between these two pictures!

Next post should be brought to you POST OP  :)

The Aftermath - Week 7 Pre Op

After arriving home - it honestly took about 3-4 days before my mind was clear of the daze of the drugs, apparently thats normal.

My body felt like lead, muscles in my arms and legs ached (also apparently normal side effect).  Plus a sore neck where that bloody big needle was in me. The best position was standing, but with no energy I was predominantly in bed for the next 24 hours.

On the Sunday, more mobile, I baked to take my mind off things and keep busy (easier for me, and during this process I have grown to love baking - its like an escape).  Anyway, this is what I produced!

Firstly - My first attempt at a Christmas Fruit Cake - With a few dashes of Rum

Secondly - Hazelnut and caramel truffles - I did taste one - delicious :)

The weather had improved remarkably so those truffles had to be made quickly and chilled to help set.

In Week 7 I lost 2 more kilos - totalling 17.1 kilos lost - a bonus to everything else that happened.

On the Monday - had the day off - still too sore and out of it.  The anaestetist rang and explained what had happened and what was going to happen from there.  He stated that he was 99.9% sure I was allergic to the drug suxamethonium which is a muscle relaxant. It was pointed out to me, that I was in the right place to have the reaction, where it could be treated.  Anywhere else, and I would be dead.  Oh joy!  However I needed to wait 6 weeks for my cells to recharge to react to allergy testing.  Once it was confirmed, I could then have the operation with another suitable drug.  He also sent a letter outlining what happened and what not to give me in possible future situations. Arghhhhhh....more waiting!!!!!!  Now I know I am a teacher who has to be patient, but seriously - I am so not a patient person outside of work!!! 
The other thing is that I will now have to wear a medic alert bracelet, as it is the most popular drug of that type to use.  I have heard now they are a bit better looking that in years past.  I checked the website:

 

The bead ones are cool, although maybe not completely practical.  A bit of time to make that decision though!


What was nice though, was that the nurse from the Surgical Obesity Clinic rang to check I was ok and what happened. The dietician also emailed and was available to chat anytime.
We also returned to Boulcott which was weird - like the scene of the crime.  Everyone knew who I was, and me knew nobody - pretty intense.  Any who - got a refund for the time being.  Better in my account than theirs!
My department were lovely at school.  I got flowers and a card - very sweet.

 


Went back to school on Tuesday - too early.  I know people care, and I dont want to sound ungrateful, but I wish that other than my closer peeps at work, that everyone else would just leave me alone.  I also wish that I had a tape recorder that I could just play the story and walk away.  There were all the aww tilt head sideways.  You must be so disappointed (really...nooo I was stoked..WTF).  Some people at work are just plain nosey and dwelling on the negative.  I just wanted to move on, and the constant questions just got me depressed.  The students were really my saviour.  Being teens, its all about them - so while they cared that I was ok - it was quickly back to their dramas, nice.

I lasted the week - and made it to senior clearance and their leavers dinner on the Friday night.  One bonus - instead of liquids as pre planned - I could actually eat a normal meal.  I had carbs (kumara) for the first time in weeks and it was nice :)



When things don't go as planned :( (Part 2 of 2)

So Anaphylactic shock means I was allergic to one of the drugs the anaestetist gave me - in this case it seemed the muscle relaxant that stops me moving during the operation was thought to have caused it.

According to the report, my blood pressure decreased, my respiratory rate decreased, as did my circulation.  I later found out that if I was not in the operating theatre under specialist care at the time it happened, I would have died - woah!

Now according to reports and what people have said, I had a tube put down my throat to breath, I had a central line put into my jugular vein which lead to my heart to put adrenalin straight into me to get me going again (see pic of it below)

Not me- but same deal

From the blue piece to the right was in me going to my heart!

Now I also was transferred by ambulance from Boulcott to Hutt Hospital (I was unconscious so don't remember that).  I was bummed to know that the lights and sirens weren't used though - although since the two buildings are beside each other, I guess thats reasonable ;)

Now my poor husband was conscious the whole time, and got a call 21 minutes after he left me.  He ran (doesn't generally run - bad knee) back to the hospital in 3 minutes.  White as a ghost, they took his blood pressure to make sure he was ok - it was high surprisingly (well duh, not that much of a surprise).  When he saw the surgeon coming towards him, he thought I was dead - but no takes more than that...

Anyway, he was in the ambulance as I was transferred.  I was taken to ICU where I eventually became conscious after a while.  I woke not knowing anything, but only responded to Anthony calling me Munter (after doctors used Cassandra for a while)!  From reports I was in and out of consciousness for a while.  When I remember things, the tube from my throat had been removed but had scratched up my throat.  I had vague recollections of something being pulled out of my throat in a semi conscious state - that must have been it.  I had tubes in me, IV drip, electrodes stuck to me, oxygen tubes, various tubes and lines in me and a catheter - my underwear had gone!!! (note - don't wear underwear you want to keep when going to hospital, it may be cut off).  I wasn't in the best state.

Anyway, I soon realised the op hasn't gone ahead.  I patted my stomach area and found nothing.  Anthony told me, and I got upset.  Various doctors, nurses came in.  I got angry at Anthony as I wanted to go to the toilet ( had a catheter in me).  He said I couldn't go and held me down as I got quite agressive about it ( the adrenalin apparently plays a part in that).  I called him various names (which I do regret now).  Luckily, since he has had operations - he knew this would happen and found it funny more than anything...phew!

I got my way though, but had to go on a wheelchair toilet.  I think I was in and out of consciousness for the afternoon, but slowly improving.  My O2 was low and I beeped a lot.  Later on that night, they gave me a low carb meal, the drip was removed, and the surgeon came and saw me. It had never happened before to him, but assured me that the operation would go ahead, just a matter of finding out what drug I reacted to and I had to wait six weeks to take allergy tests.  My cells need to 'recharge' to react properly and that is how long it takes.  NOT HAPPY.  But nothing I could do about it either.

And so, I dozed on and off - throughout the night and through about three nurses shifts.  By morning, I had improved enough to go to the toilet by myself and get bored.  I just wanted to go home. I had to wait to be discharged by the surgeon and doctor and get all the tubes etc taken out of me.  Once that was done, it ended up being about lunchtime when I got to go home, and to my own bed to recover.