educationrulz

My first NSV is that my hip has not been hurting me since I had surgery. It's amazing what the few pounds I lost on my preop diet and since surgery have done for me. I was having to take a strong NSAID for my hip and another pill to keep the NSAID from messing up my stomach. Now, I don't even need to think about it. My knees feel better too. YAY!

Congratulations Ally! It sounds like you're coming along nicely after surgery. I don't know if I can say anything to put your mind at ease because it seems like everyone is so different with how much their new stomachs can hold. I do think that in general it is not good to judge your stomach volume while on clear liquids because they are made to slide through pretty much like water. So, your volume would be limitless to some extent. Just serve yourself the recommended amount from your postop diet and you should be fine.

This is funny. I licked some Doritos on my day of Clear Liquids the day before surgery. Yummmmmyyy! Right now, I'm craving a soda real bad! I'm thinking about putting some DDP in my mouth and spitting it out but I'm scared some will slide down my throat. I'm pretty sure I'll need an ambulance if that happens considering how little I can handle in my stomach right now. :001_wub:

Here's how I handled this. I told no one except my sister before the surgery. None of my friends or coworkers knew I was having surgery. Had I not been on vacation and needed to request medical leave I would have told them it was some other kind of surgery. Who cares if they find out the truth later? Before surgery, I didn't want anyone's opinion about what I was doing and what they thought I needed to do to lose weight. I did my research and knew what I wanted to do. Since I kept quiet before surgery, I never had to hear any crap from anyone about me having surgery. Now, that the deed is done I pretty much plan to tell people I know IF they ask how I lost weight. But, I only plan to tell them I had WLS. I'm not sharing the gorey details or becoming the poster child for WLS who runs around explaining it every time someone asks. I'm not sure about telling what kind of surgery I had because once I reveal that it opens the door for more questions that I won't want to answer. If they want to know what's out there in terms of WLS, they can google it. So far, I've only talked to one friend from work and I could tell she was surprised I had kept it from her but she was supportive. I figure that after I've had surgery, what the hell can they say, "Don't do it!" "It's dangerous!" Here's what I'll say to that: TOO LATE party pooper, my stomach is all gone bye-bye! And in case you haters haven't noticed, I'm looking better every day.

Yeah girl, you are officially HERE on the bench! Congratulations!!! I am one that agrees with you about the first days being awful, but it does get better. Trying on clothes is really fun and should be even more fun after about 20 pounds or so.

My boughie size is a 40 and my doctor does some type of oversewing or reinforcement of the staple line that may decrease the volume of the sleeve. The oversewing is when they stitch around the staples to make the outer edge of the stomach more stable while it is healing after surgery. So, you would have a line of staples and then stitches of some kind all around the staples. Somebody help me if I described that wrong. I'm not sure yet if I got the oversew or the reinforcement material. I keep forgetting to ask. As far as volume goes, I can't even get in 2 tablespoons of solid food right now. This may work out in the long term as things level off, but it's frustrating now because I'm struggling to get in Protein. I sometimes have difficulty with liquids and mushies, but I think that's a side effect of the hernia repair and the stress on my esophagus. Have you talked to your surgeon about this yet?

Wow, we are all so diffirent! I developed diarrhea soon after coming home from the hospital. Once I started pureeds and quickly moved to softs (per my postop diet) things leveled off and I actually feel pretty regular right now. I've been going once a day, maybe once every day and a half at the most. I hope it stays this way but I was told to take a stool softener if I got constipated, like miralax or dulculax. However, when things get stuck, I prefer natural methods like foods that move me EVERY time. Do you like collard greens? You can try drinking the liquid part from the cooking process if the leaf part is too much for you. (This is fondly known as pot liquor for those of you'll not raised in the South). I have never eaten collard greens and not have something coming racing out by the next day! BTW, collard greens are chocked full of Vitamins that promote healing after surgery.

I didn't have this issue with my PCP because he actually did my 6 month supervised diet documentation for insurance. I do remember that when I first told him I planned to get surgery and needed him to do the documentation, he seemed surprised briefly but was back to business in a second. This past week, I had to go to a different branch of my PCP's practice and my WLS history was not in their file. So, when the nurse was updating my chart, she commented on the fact that I had lost weight since I was last there. That was my opening and I took it. You might get a minor reaction from the doc, but I doubt it will be a big deal, especially since you're going there about some other issue.

I had an IV for most of the time I was in the hospital. I got dehydrated after I came home. Drinking was extremely painful because of my hernia repair I guess and I just kind of gave up on it. Big mistake. But, I'm back on track and it's less painful now.

Congratulations Leo! I hope things are going well for you. I've always liked Dr. Garth Davis on tv. Is he pretty cool?

My doc ordered my upper gi the afternoon of my surgery. Needless to say, I was not happy. I felt like I'd been run over by a truck, could barely move, and wanted to puke at the thought of putting ANYTHING in my mouth. After unsuccessfully requesting to do it the next morning, I went on down in the wheelchair for the test. I surprisingly drank the concoction without vomiting and went back to my room and promptly fell back to sleep. The good thing was that I was able to get ice chips and liquids once I'd passed the leak test. It seems odd to think about drinking stuff so soon after surgery, but when you think about, they've actually tested your stomach for leaks in the OR so you've already had something in there before you get to your room. That second leak test isn't going to hurt your stomach anymore than the one in the OR did.

I've never been good at (or interested in) counting calories, carbs, etc... And I've dieted successfully in the past without doing so. It seems to me that if you follow the guidelines that everyone seems to agree on, to use sugar free and fat free products and to focus on proteins first, then veggies, then occasional carbs, you won't overdue the calories or the carbs. I'm working from this standpoint right now within the guidelines of my post op diet and I hope it will allow me to live "counting" free.

Not owning a scale seems to do the trick for me.:blushing: I actually haven't owned a scale for many years. I suspect that it wasn't a good thing when the pounds were creeping up on me, but it always helped when I was actively dieting because I focused on how I felt, looked, and how my clothes fit - not what the scale said. I almost broke down and bought one right before surgery because I had to lose a few pounds preop to make up for weight that I gained after my initial consult. But I was able to work it out by weighing myself here and there and I made to surgery successfully. I'm a little tempted to get one now to track my progress, but I go to various doctors enough between myself and my daughter that I can get to a scale fairly regulalry. If all else fails, I can step on one at the store. I've decided to hold off on buying one until I reach goal weight. I figure at that point I may have to start playing with my diet more to maintain weight and I'll need to be able to pull myself back after a couple of pounds of gain. I guess if you want to go cold turkey like me and some other people do, you'd have to throw yours away. :thumbup: Or, you could try putting it somewhere that's really inconvenient to get to, like in the garage or a storage closet under a bunch of stuff.

My surgeon recommends that any store bought multivitamin will be fine. I read the labels carefully and chose the chewable with the most nutrients in one pill. It's difficult to find any with enough calcium, so that one has to be separate. Right now, I'm using some samples from the docs office that are Bariatric Advantage chewable calcium with Vit D. They kind of have a sourness to them and are cherry flavored. They are huge so I hate to be bothered sucking them down but the taste is manageable. I'm on the hunt for a store brand that I can use when those run out. I guess I need to check the iron level in my multivitamin because I can't remember if it's high enough...

My general pain subsided by day 5. The pain from the hernia repair has been longer lasting and started to subside on day 10.

I'm 11 days out and until yesterday couldn't even think about pants without an elastic waist. Just last night I tried on some regular waist pants and was able to fasten them but the smaller sizes that fit everywhere else were very uncomfortable in the waist. But, I'm probably an exception to have this issue go on for so long. Luckily I haven't had to force the issue by wearing any nice pants since I'm on vacation right now. I think I may have more swelling because I've had so much trouble getting fluids in. Maybe I'm just starting to really flush some of that stuff out of my body. I'm determined to wear something cuter than my rubber waists today so I'll figure something out. :thumbup:

Your paperwork is being sent next week but you don't know if your plan covers bariatric surgery. I'm confused. Have you or your docs office talked to a UHC rep yet? Generally you need to do that before you initiate the process and they would have told you then if it was covered. I had to go through Bariatric Resource Center before I could do any of the preop requirements.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here and say that I don't think this was all THAT bad. In fact, if this is the rudest thing anyone has ever said to you then you've led a blessed life. I've had much ruder crap said to me, even by doctors. Does that make it right? No. Does that make it the end of the world, or cause to go running to a new doctor who doesn't know your history and hasn't already seen your insides? No. Unless you have questions about his general competence, technique with your banding, or track record with revisions, it doesn't seem worth it to start over with a new surgeon. Although it might have been a little out of context, your surgeon's comment ("You have to look at what you're eating when you have bariatric surgery, you can't just eat everything you see.") is very true and very important. But, it sounds like he might have been frustrated with your lack of success (hey, he's human and you're frustrated too, right?) and he let it get the best of him. Maybe his personality doesn't allow him to say things in a more nurturing way. That's not new in the world of doctors. :glare: I guess my point is that maybe your emotions about your lack of success with the band have caused you to read more into this than there is. I don't say this to criticize, blame you, or demean what you are feeling. I just think that sometimes we have to get past the small stuff and keep our eyes on the prize. My surgeon isn't warm and fuzzy either and sometimes I leave an encounter with him feeling a little disregarded emotionally. :thumbup: But, he took good care of my insides, he answers my questions, and has a great track record and reputation. I can't say this about all the doctors I've had over my 40 years of life. So, I'll just have to get my warm and fuzzies elsewhere. :blushing: Maybe you can go into your next appointment with him from the perspective of tackling the problem with the band head on and developing a plan for success. That should make you feel better and give him less time for rude comments about your weight. Please keep us up to date on how it's going and I hope this doesn't offend you. Good luck with your revision.

I think that the techniques your doctor used to learn this surgery are the way doctors around the world learn various procedures, especially watching other doctors do it. Since the head of the bariatric team trained your doctor, then it's not like he just went out and self taught himself. My only follow up questions to your doctor would be how many of his 6 VSGs were supervised by his mentor. I would be concerned if none of them were supervised. Alot of people think that the number of surgeries performed is the top factor in chosing a surgeon. I don't agree with that if you can demonstrate a proven track record with similar surgeries, openness about techniques, and access to backup in the event of problems. If you're confident about those things and comfortable with your surgeon, you should be ok. Try asking if the doctor's office can put you in contact with those 6 VSG patients so you can talk to them directly...

That is good news!

Hmmm Tiff, A fried pork chop with some eggs scrambled with cheese sounds great to me! I'm glad you mentioned chili as a mushi because I hadn't even thought of that. Gotta add some things to my menu... Danielle, I think you will hit your stride soon and be better able to tell what works for you. However, it wouldn't hurt to contact your surgeon and review this with them. You have a highly respected surgeon and from what I've heard, they would be responsive to helping you find out what the problem is. With all sincerity (an no judgement), I think you should stop experimenting with how much your sleeve can hold and see if you need some follow up care or testing. Maybe an Upper GI or EGD would determine if something is not right. I know it's not usually feasible to go to Mexico for this kind of stuff but maybe you could find a way to get it done here. Or, maybe they will simply agree with what Tiff has said and give you some nutritional support. Definitely bring your doctor in on this...

I have a lot of difficulty with drinking because of pain in my esophagus area. I'm sure this is because I had a hernia repaired during the surgery. The pain in that area was so intense when I woke in recovery and it's just fading slowly everyday. But, drinking still hurts. I'm having to experiment with what works best and it changes from day to day. Warm liquids are better going down than cold, but I discovered today that slushy cold liquids go down fairly well too. So, I've been making low cal juice slushies with my majic bullet and it has helped me stay hydrated today. I am VERY hopeful that this pain from the hernia repair will disipate over the next month or so. From what I've found on the internet, it should resolve itself. I plan to talk to my surgeon about it at my 2 week follow up. As for general pain, I was sore in my stomach area and from the gas pain for the first 4 or 5 days. That is totally gone now. Every now and then I get a twinge in one of my incisions, but I generally don't think about them. I think this is just one of those things you can't plan for until it's on you. You never know how your body will react. I usually bounce back quickly, but I didn't this time. Overall, I think you will be able to do what you need to do around the house by the time a week has passed.