Trainbuff26

He's going to be my surgeon for the sleeve gastrectomy. He works at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina. Anyone here ever had him? If so, what did you think?

Hey everyone! I was sleeved on May 17, and I've been doing great with it, but a week after I went back to college in August I began having an unusual problem: I started burping all the time. It happened basically overnight; one morning I woke up and realized I could bring up a burp whenever I wanted to and I could not rid myself of it. Gas-X did nothing, and both the Reglin and some other medicine my surgeon had me try did nothing (and that Reglin made me feel really bad!) On top of that, I just didn't feel right and knew something was wrong. Well, last Thursday when I went for my check-up and had some bloodwork done, I talked about this with my surgeon and he had me undergo an Upper GI X-Ray. And what do you know: they found I had a hiatal hernia. I know some of you guys had one before you had the sleeve, but 'veI got one afterwards. Reading about it online, it seems that most people don't know they have one, but I do, and that the best ways to treat it are to eat small meals, lose weight, take heartburn medicine, and not lay down after a meal (which I never do). I'm doing all these things because of my sleeve, and I was taking 40mg Nexium, but he prescribed me 60mg Dexilant to see if that would help. I can't really tell a difference, so it looks like I'm going to have it repaired near the end of the year. I'd like to ask: has anyone here dealt with one of these? Did you have the same symptoms? I did a forum search on here about hiatal hernias and it seems some people had the same symptoms, but I just want to make sure. I'm curious how I'll feel if I have it repaired, as it requires another laproscopic surgery. If any of you can tell me anything about these things, I'd love to hear it. Other than that, my sleeve has not caused me one problem and I've now lost 206 pounds in all, counting my weight-loss before the surgery. Thanks!

Yes, If I'm going to have this hernia surgery it'll be this year as I believe the insurance company will cover it completely. My surgeon said it might have been dormant when he worked on me and then decided to wake up. Lol, let me explain: I did have the surgery this year, but I lost 140 pounds on my own without the sleeve and even though he told me I didn't have to have it by this point, I still wanted it so I did and I've lost 66 more thanks to it. My weight loss was slowing down around the time I had it, so I was very happy. As I like to say, he converted me from an H1 Hummer to a Toyota Prius

I actually asked my surgeon right after surgery if I had had any hernias, as I had read of many people on here having on going in, and he said I didn't, so yeah I find it really odd that one has just now formed. Oh well, it looks like I'll probably have it fixed later. I tell you, I hope I never have to have another GI Tract done; that barium stuff was beyond nasty! The one thing that scares me about having hernia repair surgery is the fact that I'll be blown up again since it's laproscopic; the gas pain I had from my sleeve was very unpleasant and I don't want to feel that again. But I'm thinking that he wouldn't have to blow me up as much for this surgery. And no, it's definitely not the gas from my sleeve surgery causing me to burp; that gas was gone two days after surgery. I'm also having no heartburn, just burps. And it always feels like there's something in my throat or stomach because of it. This hernia is trolling me I believe

Hey everyone! I was sleeved back on May 17 and up until this point I have had absolutely no problems. However, for the past two weeks or so, it seems I am constantly burping; I can open my mouth and something will come out or can I easily pull one out of my stomach. I am taking my Nexium religiously and haven't had any heartburn. When I contacted my surgeon he said it probably wasn't reflux and called me in a prescription of Reglin. I've been taking it since Saturday but haven't really seen an improvement. And to be honest, while the burps were simply annoying at first, they're now starting to give me a bit of discomfort. Any ideas what's causing this? Should I keep taking the Reglin and let it work on me for a little while longer? Or does this indeed sound like reflux and I need to go on something else? Any advice would be appreciated. I'm still loving my sleeve though!

Hello everyone! One month ago, on May 17, I went into the operating room and received my brand new sleeve. And what a month it has been! The first two days were the worst - I underestimated both the gas pain and how tired I would be. Had it not been for the gas pain, I would have felt great, but it really hit me hard. However, come the day I was released from the hospital, it was all gone and I felt like myself again. I have to say, I feel like my recovery has been a lot easier and quicker than some I've read on here. I have not touched my pain or nausea medicine at all, I've had no heartburn, no depression, no fatigue, everything I've eaten has gone down just fine, and I can eat more than the one or two tablespoons some people talk about on here so I guess my swelling is gone. I've only thrown up once, and it wasn't food related; oh no, I learned the hard way that when your ursodiol (gallstone prevention medication) says for you to take it with food, you do as it says and bottled water is not a substitute. I have really small bouts of nausea here and there, but it's usually when I take my vitamins or in-between my meals. They quickly pass over, and don't happen often. Before surgery, I was able to lose 140 pounds, and post-op I have so far lost 21, bringing me to a total of 161 pounds. But, I weigh today, and I hope I've lost more! I go swimming and walking everyday for my exercise (I bought a shakeweight for men too but it wears me out really quick!). So here I am, one month out and doing very well. I'm not sure what size bougie my surgeon used on me, so I'm going to ask him when I go back. I go to see him on June 30, and I believe this is the day he will place me back on solid foods. I have noticed I get some weird cravings - I want a burrito from Taco Bell, and I never ate there before, for instance. I am missing solid food and can't wait to start eating normally again; I want to feel how this sleeve really works. I haven't weighed what I do now in years, and I'm amazed. I hope to post on here again, as I'm not done yet and have much more work to do. But before I finish, I do have an NSV I'd like to share. As several of you know, I love anything to do with trains and railroading (I think my name and avatar give that away). If you search the internet, you'll find online train stores that sell t-shirts with all sorts of railroad logos and artwork on them. However, they don't make most shirts like these beyond 3x sizes, so I was once left in the cold from wearing any of these awesome shirts. But yesterday, in the mail came a shirt I ordered from one these sites in a 3x size. I put it on, and it fit great! Finally, I have a railroad shirt to show off to the world. I just might post a pic, but I'm some what leery of doing that. But when you once wore a 6x size shirt and can suddenly fit into a 3x shirt, it makes a world of difference.

It's now come to this: after months of nutrition classes, doctors appointments, and a psychiatric evaluation, I will be having a sleeve gastrectomy tomorrow. As I sit writing this I am both excited and a little nervous. I know what it's like to be put to sleep because I had my tonsils and adenoids taken out when I was seven, but still, this is major surgery and I've not surgery for a long time. I'm having this done at a young age (I'm 19) because I have a bad family history when it comes to heart problems, blood pressure, diabetes, and so on. I'd like to avoid all that. I also don't know what it's like to be thin, so that prospect alone excites me about having the surgery. As of today, I have lost 133 pounds pre-op, but I want to lose about 140 more or so (the BMI calculator says I should be 150-160). The hospital I'm going to is very nice and I have a great surgeon and nutritionist. I do have to stay for two nights, but that's ok, though I kinda wish I could go home the same day. I hope I get a private room. My surgery is scheduled for 7AM and I'm the first of three surgeries my surgeon is doing that day - one sleeve and two bypasses. He told me he's done seven sleeves, so I'll be his eighth. This doesn't scare me though, as he's done countless bands and bypasses, as well as many revisions (he told me he had recently worked on a woman who had her stomach stapled back in the 1980's). He did tell me he had leaks in two but that was because he was using a different type of staple. The hospital has wi-fi and will let me have my cellphone so I won't be disconnected from the world. I've read so much on this site and know what to expect, so I'm ready. I'm hoping my age and the fact I've been exercising for several months keeps the pain and soreness at a minimum. You guys are great, I love this site, I'll try to post more, and look for me in the chatroom that night, as I'll try to be in it (if I'm not too out of it!) Well, I think it's time for this train to load up and await his departure for a whole new station

When I was very young (not even a year old), I had a condition called "Pyloric Stenosis" that required a pyloromyotomy procedure which divides the muscle of the pylorus. Does anyone here know in-depth about this condition? If so, will anything about me having it affect me after the surgery? I'm 19 years old and I still have the scar from this surgery; looking at it makes me wonder if having a sleeve gastrectomy would do anything different to me since I had this procedure so long ago

I'm asking this questions because I'm due to be sleeved on May 17, but for the past six months I have been dieting and exercising like I never have before in my life. I was 437 pounds when I started and now sit at 325, 112 pounds lost. I've also noticed that my weight loss has slowed down a considerable amount and was wondering if you guys believe it will speed back up again once I have the procedure. Any thoughts?

Me and you are in the same boat; I too am 19 and getting sleeved in May. I don't have any weight-related health problems such as back pain but I can see myself having some later on, plus I have a bad family history of medical problems, so I'm hoping this surgery will spare me from most of that

Hello everyone! I discovered this forum yesterday and decided to join today. The name's BJ, and I'm currently 19 years old and scheduled to be sleeved on May 17, 2011. I start my pre-operative diet on April 26. I've been overweight all of my life and decided last year that enough was enough; I wanted bariatric surgery. Actually, thoughts of surgery were in my mind back even when I was 15. I originally planned to have the lap-band, but after reading about the sleeve gastrectomy surgery, I figured it would be the best option. I never considered gastric bypass; it scared me too much. As my surgery date draws near, I am feeling nervous, but at the same time I also feel excited, as it will be the beginning of my new life. September of 2010 is when I weighed the most; I clocked in at 437 pounds. After learning that, and talking to my surgeon, I began my own diet and exercise routine, and have lost 106 pounds so far, bringing me down to 331 pounds. But I feel I could easily gain all that weight back, and see this surgery as the ultimate tool in not doing so. I hope to make lots of new friends on here and ask various questions. I kinda hope that I won't be as sore or in as much pain after the surgery due to my age. And I did tell my surgeon that I want a picture of my taken-out stomach after the surgery; heck, maybe he'll even show it to me in person before that. Lol. Only my family knows the type of surgery I'm having; I've told my friends I'm simply "having an operation". It'll be a fun day telling them what I did.

Thanks everyone; I already feel very welcomed to this site. As for the protein drinks, my nutritionist gave me a link to some she recommended that come in several flavors. They look pretty good to me. I myself find it interesting that I'll be having the surgery at a young age; since there's only around six years of data on this surgery, I guess I'll get to be one of the long term "pioneers" of it