**WARNING FUNNY PICTURE ATTACHED** haha


The first process journey is FINALLY over. I did it! I had sleeve surgery last Wednesday (9.4)
Lets take a little journey through the night before surgery and my hospital stay.

Day before surgery. It really hadnt hit me yet, I wasnt nervous or scared. I just simply felt like something was going to come up when I got to the hospital. My parents and I stayed in a hotel the night before since we live 2 hours from the hospital where it all happened. I tossed and turned, text, and facebooked friends until 1am and finally tuckered out enough to go to sleep. I woke up around 445, got my shower and made my way to the hospital... arrived about 10 minutes late.... I swear I will probably be late for my own funeral. I walk up to the first lady and get my arm band... everyone saw the fear on my face... I still wasnt nervous yet though. They call my name to go back without my parents... I have to give a urine sample, get in my gown, get my socks on and lay on a bed while a nurse asks me questions. They finally call my parents in, they try to crack jokes, keep me calm (i still wasnt nervous). Soon my doctor comes in (its around 630 now) and has a little talk with me.. I ask him "did you get enough sleep last night? no partying right? what about have you had your morning pick me up" he just laughs at me and says I got plenty of sleep and everything will be just fine... youre at the beginning of the day so thats a plus for you. He leaves the room and its just me and my parents. They pray with me and I begin to cry... this is when all my fear set in, my nervousness, my brain starts running a million miles an hour. Finally its time to roll me down the hall. I'm smiling the whole way (pretty sure it was a fake smile or... FINALLY im going to be small smile). I wasnt really thinking anything rolling down the halls it all was kind of a blur. I get to where my anesthesiologist is and he talks to me for a little bit. Im in a "room" that was separated by curtains... you could still see people running around like on those ER shoes... some were just simply trying to wake up (it was around 7 at this time) and some were trying to figure out where they were going to stick their next patient HA. I seriously felt like I was on one of those tv shoes. everything was such a fast pace. My anesthesiologist knew I was terrified (I guess I had the look on my face... but I was calm... at this point) Several women come to my bed (I'm not sure what their title was) One gave me an IV and I dont even remember what the other did. The woman was doing something to me (the one i dont remember what she did) but while doing it she rubbed my head and told me that I was going to be okay and kept reassuring me of everything. She made me feel at such peace. But I started crying and having an anxiety attack. She stayed beside me as they rolled me to the operating room. While I was crying and freaking out (I was super scared by then) the woman who gave my IV said I just gave you a little something to calm down. two seconds later I was in the operating room. I remember trying to look around at who was in there. They said to me "okay Rachel we are going to move you to this small bed" I remember moving over to it and thinking "I know I'm not the biggest person thats ever been on this table and I can barely fit!!" one of the last things I remember before waking up is a womans cold hands touching me saying to move over some. I "screamed" but really wasnt loud I just felt it was "YOUR HANDS ARE SO COLD" she giggled and said I'm sorry.... Thats all I remember until I woke up to......



"Rachel, Rachel... I need you to open your eyes... Rachel... I need you to stay awake".... I thought this whole time i was saying something... maybe I was.....who knows....she just kept saying my name. I do remember thinking "LADY IM AWAKE STOP LET ME SLEEP" haha. but of course they couldn't... I do remember saying "wheres my parents" in the response to which I got "in your room". I wanted to know when I could see them.... "in 30 minutes" it seemed like 5 minutes.... I was so disappointed when I rolled into my room to no family. Someone in the hospital sent my parents to Dr. Coopers room instead of PATIENT Coopers Room. Ha. They finally came to my room. I remember smiling and falling back to sleep.


I had super horrible nausea from the anesthesia. I was dry heaving every 30 minutes or so... It was SO painful. I had alot of gas from the surgery as well.. which was also super painful. But I didnt feel much pain from the actual surgery. I had to get constant nausea medicine (I have a bruise from getting so many shots)

I was supposed to go home Saturday but my doctor said I wasnt drinking enough liquids on my own to go home (I was tired and it was uncomfortable to drink) He said I needed to go home but the only way I could was to get a pic line. Some of you may not be familiar with a pic line but its kind of like an IV but much more dangerous. Instead of going from a small vein it goes into a large vein to your heart. I was to get that set up to go home with it in my arm. I felt like I was failing already. I didnt feel like I was with everyone else that had surgery around my date. I felt like I wasnt progressing like I was supposed to... SO DISCOURAGED... SO MAD! but the nurses assured me that it happens quite often.


ONE week later. I'm still on my pic line but I'm able to get down 32 ounces of fluid instead of the 5-10 ounces in the hospital. I go back to my doctor tomorrow for my one week post op and I'm praying to the good Lord I will be able to get it out. Its HARD to get 64 ounces ESPECIALLY with 101 ounces in pic line fluid!!!

I've lost 7 pounds since my surgery date and 15 total since my consult (2 weeks prior) with my doctor



I'm on a road to a NEW me. a NEW start! Better everything! WATCH OUT WORLD.... THERES A NEW RACHEL COMING TO TOWN!!!