former_vbg

I was an out of state patient at Forest Park with Dr. Stewart. Overall, it was ok, but personally I was not happy with Forest Park at all. I found many of the nurses to be either rude or just simply unaware of what people need who go through WLS. Many of the nurses had very poor skills in drawing blood. On morning #2, they wake me at 4AM to draw blood. THey weren't wearing gloves which is an OSHA violation. I'm ok with not using gloves to find a vein, but not wearing gloves when drawing blood is a problem. Yes, I am probably more of a risk to them than them to me, but it still made me furious. It also took FIVE different nurses, before finally calling the Phlebotomist (sp?) to come up and he dres blood the first time. I have had blood drawn multiple times before and there has never been a problem drawing blood on me. I was also upset that I was told prior to arriving there that this was a hospital. It is NOT. If anything goes seriously wrong, you have to hope they can stabilize you to get transported to a fully functioning hospital. The day before I went in to get my paperwork done and I realized this, it TOTALLY freaked me out. I asked one of the nurses about what would happen to me if something went wrong. She pointed to this mobile thing on wheels that had those paddles they use to recucitate people and it had some other things in that station I don't remember. Bottomline, better hope you don't have anything major go wrong and if you do that you can get transported in time to get taken care of. Another issue with the nurses was on day #2, I had ALOT of pain in my lower left which I knew to expect. I asked for a trapeze bar because it was painful trying to pull myself up to get out of bed. Know what the nurse told me? She told me to raise my hands up and pull myself up higher in the bed and then swing my legs out. I was like WTF, do you not realize I just had major abdominal surgery? Finally, after complaining to the ON-CALL doctor, I got the trapeze bar several hours later. The one that topped the cake for me was on day #2, the Forest Park staff Doctor who oversees the patients for the surgical docs who do our surgery walks into my room that afternoon WITH my chart held by her hip saying, "I see you had the DS surgery, you should be ok to go home today". My heart sunk when she said that thinking.... I BETTER NOT have had the DS surgery. I just looked at her and said, "I wasn't supposed to have the DS surgery". So, then she says, "what surgery did you have?" If I had been feeling better I probably would have lept up and strangled the lady. Ok, maybe not, but I sure felt like it. I told her I was supposed to have the Sleeve. She says, "Oh, ok and then after a few more exchanges, she walks out". A few minutes later, I beeped the nurses station and asked to speak to the head nurse. I was LIVID! I told her that this doctor was NOT going to make the decision of whether I would be released if she couldn't take 30 seconds to read my DAMN chart before she walks in my room. Her response was, "well, she is busy, we have lots of patients". I'm like, I don't care how many patients she has. It's her JOB to at least know what procedure people have had before making stupid statements like that. I could go on. I guess my suggestion to you is to make sure you have someone there that can be your advocate. I was ther by myself and this just added to the stress. Probably the only positive thing I can say about Forest Park is they do have Patient Advocates and that lady came to see me before surgery and then afterwards. I told her exactly what I thought of the facility. She was very kind and understanding, apologized for the ongoing issues I had been having and promised to make notes with her reports. Maybe my complaints have helped, but not sure. I would NEVER go back there- ever. I will also make sure that before I ever have another surgery that I find out if it is a hospital or surgical center. I would be ok w/a surgical center for something less invasive- but never something like this but that is me.

I'm just going to give my opinion on this. First, I think it's good to have aggressive goals. I think it helps keep people motivated and stay on track. However, setting too high of goals without giving yourself permission to modify your goal along the way may be setting yourself up for failure. I'm not saying it's not possible to reach that goal, but it is pretty aggressive. I had really hoped to meet my goal within 6 months, but I had almost a 2 month stall (months 4 and 5) and it became very frustrating. I realized that I wasn't going to meet my final goal within 6 months, but knew that it would just take me a little longer. Everyone is different, there are a few people that report not really having any or many stalls, but since you have been on here for some time, you have probably read about many people who have. The most common stall being at about the 3 week mark after surgery which I think has more to do with transitioning from the pureed foods to regular foods. Your body will be adjusting to these changes and as a result, your body will sometimes hold onto the weight longer than you want. If you stay true to the program, you will likely still be loosing inches. I guess my suggestion for you is to go ahead and keep that original goal, but be willing to tell yourself that its ok if you don't make it in that time frame. You will know after about 3 or 4 months how things will start to work in terms of your weight loss. You have probably also seen people talk about the "honeymoon" phase which for some is 3 months, others 6 months, etc. Again, each person is different. Just learn to listen to your body, do your best to stay on track, but don't beat yourself if you get side tracked once in awhile. We are human, and while we have to learn to use the surgery as a tool, unless you live under a rock, there will be times when you are in work or social situations where food choices will make it difficult to stay on track. You will do great, you have a great attitude and I'm certain everyone here will be available for support as you need or want it.

I only drink diet soda but to answer your question- absolutely not. It is not causing any bad cravings and I am continuing to lose.

OMG- that is a good, "Never trust a fart". Still laughing at that one as I type this. So very true!!! Only thing to add is if you encounter a new food that you thought would be fine as you are introducing things back into your diet, find a bathroom soon if your stomach starts to gurgle and feel slight cramps. That's your tummy saying, "I don't feel good and I'm gonna get it outta here soon!!!" A few months after surgery I became lactose intolerant and it took less than 10 minutes for the first "incident". Not a good situation... I now know the signs and don't mess around, no pun intended.

So, a couple of days ago I got an offer in the mail from Omaha Steak Company- looks pretty interesting. The potatoes and scallops are something I will likely give to someone else or maybe just keep a small amount for myself, but trying to stay away from the carbs. They are offering the following items for $59.99 plus $17.99 shipping. Talk about lots of protein!!! Enough food for weeks of meals for one person (with a sleeve of course- LOL)!!! * 4 (5 oz) Filet Mignons * 4 (5 oz) Top Sirloins * 4 (4 oz) Boneless Pork Chops * 2 (4 1/2 oz) stuffed Sole with Scallops and Crabmeat * 4 (4 oz) Omaha Steak Burgers * 4 (3 oz) Gourmet Franks * 8 Potatoes au Gratin * 4 steak burgers * 6 piece cutlery set and cutting board What do you guys think?

That's fabulous! Were you doing anything different the past few days or do you think your body just was ready to let the weight go? Great work!!

I think I was not so much surprised but expecting it. Probably because I had done so much research on Aetna's policies, and had bombarded them with documentation that it was like, "they BETTER" approve me.... lol. You still have some doubt wondering if there was some little thing you missed. Luckily for me, I got my approval in a few days..

Down 4# this week! Another good week!! 6# more til goal. I would be uber pleased if I could surpass this challenge!! Will just see how things go. Surgery weight: 271 Starting V-Day Challenge weight: 179 Current weight: 166 Valentines goal weight: 160 Final goal weight: 135

I will be making my order then! Yummy! Not sure I have room in my freezer for all this, but will figure something out. :-)

You really should be careful about allowing yourself anything pure in sugar. You really want to get yourself focused on sticking to your meal plan and if you start allowing yourself treats from early on, you will likely experience longer stalls and slower weight loss and that's if your carb monsters don't take over. It would be better to wait at least 4 or 5 months before you allow sweets as a treat back into your eating to be sure you have a handle on what your body can handle. Personally, anytime I find that I have a treat with high bad carbs/ sugar, I pay for it with a 1 to 3# weight gain which comes off but only after getting back on plan for several days or even longer in some cases. Just be careful. You need to try to approach this with a new attitude towards healthy eating.

Some have it worse than others, but personally my gas pain was pretty intense. What happens is when they "blow" your stomach up with carbon dioxide so they have room to work, they do deflate as much as possible but there is some that is left behind that your body has to work itself out. Most people complain of extreme pain in the left shoulder, and sometimes in different areas of their abdomen. Some only have it for a few days, others say it lasts off and on for a couple of weeks as was the case for me. Honestly, it does hurt, but it's not anything you should think about in terms of making the decision of whether to have the surgery. It will pass, and before long it will become a distant memory.

The high "test" stuff? Not sure I understand what you mean. I can't speak for everyone here, but I'm pretty sure those that say they are drinking soda are drinking the diet soda. At least that is the case for me. There are no calories in diet soda. It does not cause me to crave foods sweet or otherwise.

I sure will. My appt is in a couple weeks. I'm going to friend you so in case I forget where this thread is I can get back to you. :-)

Well, I had bloodwork done at 3 and 6 months, and nothing came up showing a problem- but I don't know that he specifically checked for that. What do they have to request when checking?

Very interesting, thank you for sharing this. I'm not sure it would have kept me from having the surgery because my quality of life was just not that great and at the rate I was going it was not going to get any better. I actually have been having short term memory issues for a few years now and I just turned 40 last October- so way too early to be having that problem. Most people tell me its because I always have too much on my plate to deal with. Perhaps, but it has gotten worse over the past year or two (before my sleeve surgery). My PCP dismisses this when I talk to him about it, and so I made an appointment to see a neurologist this month. I might bring a copy of this article with me though just to see what he says about it. I'm doing some more googling though on this subject just to see what pops up. Here is another article I found if anyone is interested. http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100301/Study-shows-ghrelin-prevents-acute-liver-damage-reduces-oxidative-stress-and-inflammation.aspx

Just reading this thread. I hope things are turning around for you. Any updates? Hope they are good ones.

I think what everyone has already said is excellent advice. The only thing to probably stress is that I really think that if you do the 5 day pouch test, you will find you can't eat a cup and a half in one sitting. There is a difference between eating a cup and a half of say a milk shake or a piece of cake because you are starting to get into what is referred to as "slider foods". That is the very reason they say to get your Proteins in first..... proteins in first.... I would be willing to bet that you wouldn't be able to eat a cup and a half of chicken or turkey in one sitting. Let that be your test to see where your at and like others have said, get yourself re-focused on your final goal. You know that even while pregnant you will need to stay focused on healthy eating and that should help you with weight gain for the baby. Good luck! You can do it.

I have always been the one that is colder in a group of people, but not always that bad of a difference. Lately, I am FREEZING!!! I am sitting here at work with my winter coat sitting at my desk. Of course, most are guys sitting around me- so of course they are fine. Argh!! I think I'm going to be one of those temperature guages and see what the temp really is. I swear it feels like its in the mid 60's. Now, on a sunny breezy day, ok.... but it's winter. I get home and CRANK up the heat in the house just to get my bones warm from being cold all day. I guess I figured it has to do with having lost so much hair that I'm not retaining heat like I was, plus I don't have near the "insulation" I used to either. Either way, I know I am COLD A LOT!!!!

I ditto your post! I would love to participate- just send me a PM with the pertinent information. Also, on the whole wearing makeup thing. I'm not into wearing much makeup, am more a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal, always have been. That being said I do have a professional job and when I'm heavy I tend to only wear concealer and nothing else, maybe eye liner. I don't know that I will ever get to the point of eyeshadow and all that, but I do enjoy trying to make myself look nicer in the morning before work. Whether its wearing jewelry or adding a scarf, etc. I also know that I present myself differently because I feel better about myself- especially knowing I won't be the fattest person in the room anymore. And, that when I talk with someone I don't have to spend time (or as much) wondering what fat characteristics I have. I am starting to notice my face seems to have a bit of looseness now instead of the plump chipmunk face I had. Oh well, I'd rather have that than the chipmunk face.

It's super common for people to stall a few weeks out from surgery. Some reasons for it include the fact that you just went through major surgery and your body is adjusting from the shock. Second, that you are transitioning from liquids to mushies to solids and that is yet another adjustment for your body. Try to start in on some exercise as much as you safely can, and really watch your calorie/ carb intake (whichever you choose to focus on). Carbs can be healthy if they are healthy and not hidden in other things that "seem" healthy.

I *** DITTO **** that one! It's nice that you guys come on here and share your experiences. I find it especially helpful as a single gal going through this and need a guy to chime in once in awhile, married or not. You guys ROCK!!!

104# lost in 6 months and 14 days. Surgery 6/21/11. 32 to 35# more to go!

Seriously, 3 to 6" heals? Not even when I was thin did I like wearing heals that high. WOW!!! Maybe its the spread across my toes or something, but even 2" heals tend to hurt after a little while. Any sort of "healed" dressy shoe with a wide toe just looks boxy and ugly to me so I tend to stick to the flat or 1" heals. Although the past 2 days I have worn 2" heals, but I must say I take the shoes off first thing I get in the car after work....

It's interesting to hear you mention this about revamping your final goal. I am 32# away from the final goal i set for myself in the beginning. I'm 5'4" and thought I would set it for 135. We will see how things go, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe I might shoot for 125. I'm not trying to be vain about the weight loss, but I have so darn much loose skin and part of me thinks that if I am going to have plastics down the road, it would be better more likely for the surgeon to be able to have the skin be more taunt afterwards. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

I actually had the exact same pain you described. It really became an issue for me about 2 wks post op and had not experienced that level of pain in the prior 2 wks and so I was conerned as well. It felt like someone was literally stabbing me with a knife. If I coughed, laughed, bent in a certain way, OMG, it was murder. Basically, after FINALLY getting through to someone at my Dr.'s office (they never answer their phones believe it or not), they said that it isn't common but it can happen. Basically, they said it was likely a combination of a couple things. First there is such a thing a deferred pain. Meaning where the source of the pain is coming from may show up somewhere else. Second, it could be the final stages of the gas trying to get out of your tummy from the surgery and Third, that the muscles and "stuff" do get moved around a bit during surgery and it can take time for everything to heal up. I would say it took another week, maybe 2 weeks for it to finally go away completely. Even getting in and out of the car to drive was painful because when I would lift my left leg in, it put pressure on the area that hurt. Hang in there, you have been checked out, and I'm sure this will pass. Just give yourself time to rest.