smkeller

I'm sixty-three and two weeks out. Not much discomfort now. I didn't even get an epidural, which you probably will, and that lasts a day or two by itself. They will give you IV pain meds too.Ask for what you need. I personally haven't had any nausea or vomiting, but that can be rough, trying to get your first Water down. Really though, this is laprascopic surgery, fairly minor as surgeries go. Not in the class of a 'C' section, for example. I had no sharp or stabbing pain ever. The gas is a drag, but you can walk it out. Take LOTS or GasX, chews and strips, AND Tums. Don't be afriad; you'll be fine. If I did it, you can too.

It might have something to do with eating too soon before sitting down for it. I am assuming that you hadn't eaten yet this morning.

Same here two weeks out. Everything's still in, but sometimes I don't know...

That's pretty much what I did too. I even left internet bank info, passwords and such for my twenty year old son. He was the only one who knew. I didn't tell my wife because she was not supportive of the idea, let alone the actual doing. It's been two weeks, and we've talked once.

I was sleeved 7/29 also, but I haven't lost that much weight. I actually have more energy, but I don't have to work (retired), so I can't say what that would be like. Let your PCP know. You may have to include some glucose in your diet, or more carbs for awhile. There are many more here that are more expert than I. Good luck.

I have been using a cpap for five years now. Can't say I love it, but I get rest now. I recently came upon this sobering statistic: "You are THREE times more likely to die from ANY cause with untreated sleep apnea". I'd start using the machine. at least until you lose weight.

We share our operation dates you and I, so we are sleeve brothers, My surgery went very well too, considering that I was in an ER with chest pains two days before I was to fly to Mexicali. I informed Dr. Aceves and he said - "C'on down" we will retest you here and send you back if we need to. Great, I'm 63;how many more shots am I going to get at this? The tests were negative again, for an attack, but he used additional drugs and precautions during the procedure. When tried to administer a spinal epidural my heart rate dropped to 50 bpm. 'You're one of the sensitive types,' my anesthesiologist told me later. They got it done though, even though it took them almost two hours. Such a ninny... I had my PCP write me a weak prescription for Ativan (Lorazeapam) because I hadn't flown in 15 years. It did help with the flights, but it REALLY helped after the operation getting to sleep for naps and at night Combined with the pain pills of course. I have had some queasiness but no nausea or vomiting to this day. The only thing that is troubling me now a depression that I can't seem to shake off or figure out. It started, I think, when my ride and I left Mexicali for the return trip to San Diego. We headed out across the desert where i was born and raised. The desert has always seemed like the sea to me - a great mystery. Not this time though; it just made me sad. Sad to think of all the people that I had know there in my youth, and knew I would never see again. Sad because my Grandparents and Uncle are buried beneath its sand. Sad too, because I was leaving warm and caring people to return to uncertain life of self-inflicted solitude. Maybe I'll just go and get some more Ativan and mix another shake. Best wishes, and when you find out how to insert those things please let me know. Steve n

Yes, this has pretty much been my experience as well.

Probably because the pressure is less, just a guess[ .quote name=swizzly' timestamp='1312735149' post='190988] I haven't really had any of this. My sense of smell is not changed at all. I've only tasted a couple of things that tasted different/bad (mostly sweet things). I haven't had a different body odor, fuzzy tongue or really bad breath. I have noticed that sometimes my urine smells different, even though it's pretty clear (I drink 2-3 l of Water a day). ETA: Something super weird is that since surgery, I can neither hear nor feel myself pee. It's totally silent. WTF is that about? If I change my posture a bit, I can make it make some noise, but if I don't, I can't really tell when I'm done unless I look. Seriously, wtf.

Well, it's not even really much of a surgery. You're groggy and out of it for 2 or three days. There is plenty of pain medication. The pains are achy rather than stab-by.. the main thing is that there is a whole new relationship going on between your mouth and the rest of you. The gas pains are the worst, but you know it's just trapped air trying to find it's way out. You figure out how to help it after a awhile. You'll do fine. I'm 8 days out now and have trouble remembering it.

Yes, you are right, this isn't the time. He is lucky to be in such good hands. (you).

No, it's just teen talk for 'that's just so obvious, ya know, ya know' No harm meant.

I am only 8 days out but I have not experienced this. Is this everybody?

A duh...

Hi, I am a week out too, but I don't have to deal with much family. I think that it is easier if we can spent some 'self' time to get used to what we have to do now. I admire your courage for taking on so much.

You can get a 42 day supply of omeprazole at any Wal-mart or Sams for 19$. OTC. Let one soak in a couple of tablespoons of Water in the morning and drink it down.

Plan well, take lots of GasX strips and especially chews, two or three boxes. You can give them to others if you don't need them all. I also took along a bottle of Tums! Yes, Tums. A real life saver. I wound up giving the last third to cutie pie, who said it really helped her. I got my doctor to give me some weak (1mg) Lorazepam for flying, but wound up using it to sleep and relax. The other thing that is never mentioned here... don't rush home or anywhere after surgery. Go slow, Stay a couple of extra days in a nice hotel and just relax.This is a life changing moment, slow it down, savor it. Get used to your new self before having to go back to the hustle-bustle of airports or kids. Good luck, you'll do fine.

Ya know, ATLGirl, I was sleeved a week ago and I haven't climbed up on a scale once, nope, not once. I ain't weighing, just not going to do it. I'm not where I want to be, not be a long shot, and I don't need some short-ass little machine telling me what I already know - that I'm still too heavy. When I pass by a mirror or a window, and I don't see Mount Kilimanjaro hanging out in front of me, then maybe I let that little know-it-all machine talk to me. But until then it's just nose down and chin up working the program. I hope this helps, love and kisses. know. ning.

Dear Lily, I am so sorry to hear of your pain and suffering. Are you seeing your regular doctor and/or a specialist too about this? I hope so. I will, however, pass along to you my own practice of flushing out my lower intestine opening area (trying to be nice) with an influx of warm Water from a pressure hose, which I have found to be very beneficial. I presently use - and have for the last two or three years, a twenty dollar Wal-mart pet washing nozzle with a plastic hose that connects at the shower head with a button to toggle to regular shower use. I started this because as I became heavier and heavier, I simply could not reach 'down and under' enough the get clean. Sometimes, in public places on a hot day, I would be embarrassingly reminded of that failure. Also, with any needed repeated cleaning from illness' causing diarrhea or sores, or what ever, that area became RAW, itchy, then sweat gets down there and - UGH, just nothing that makes for a good day. So... one day after I had done my number two, I dutifully climbed into an available shower because showering after going #2 had become my practice by that time, I noticed that this shower had a really nice metal hand-held nozzle on a hose. An idea occured to me to try and clean myself by jamming the head of the nozzle up against my... you know, rear gateway, and force a stream of warm water up in there. Well, not only did it feel somewhat sinfully good, but it loosened a considerable amount of matter that would be just sitting in those tubes for up to a whole twenty-four hours. It made something of a mess on the floor, but it was a shower, and there was soap, so it did all go down the drain eventually. After a while this completely eliminated the need for abrasive paper use and the feeling that half of it was still "up there" It has became addictive, and I do it to this day; usually after morning coffee. Amazing how little Charmin you have to buy. I don't know if this will help you, but it is a lot cheaper and easier than surgery if if does. Love and best wishes, and please don't tell anyone I told you about this. Not even my wife knows.

'but I wish they had pushed treatment on what they thought was an abscess at the time. Either way, he would be in the same boat he is now, because he was treated, just not as aggressively as they are doing now....' "Any fool can see the danger once the damage is done" - Aristotle I am sorry, But my sympathies are NOT with the medical profession as yours obviously are; mine are with this suffering patient who is lucky to be alive. It is NOT good enough that the doctor made a bad decision, a 'medical call." He made a MISTAKE that has caused the patient great suffering and almost his life. He got his money and moved on. This is NOT experimental surgery. I have never heard of revision surgery over unstable and damaged tissue. This doctor is looking at making a fortune doing WLS. His patient is looking at the rest of his life with problems and pain. My advice: Get a lawyer.

I'm glad he is a fighter and seems to be doing better. Best of luck on everything. Get a lawyer; this stuff isn't supposed to happen. It's not bad luck, it's bad practice. Get a medical lawyer to look at the case.

Wow, Tiffykins, you are something else. I have noticed among those of us who are seeking fervently and even desperately for solutions - mostly surgical, to our WL problems, an alarming tendency to see the WL surgeon as a saint in disguise, a friend, or even a member of your family. Someone who's sole purpose in life is to address your need and made you feel better about yourself. The fact that far the majority of these doctors are men, and far the majority of WL seekers are women makes this projection almost impossible to break. In this fantasy the doctor can do no wrong, never needs to be questioned, nothing he says never needs to be challenged or examined. This is not good. In reality, your doctor is making hundred's of thousands of dollars on simple one-hour operations. They are becoming millionaires. Once they have been paid for your operation, you just really become a drag if you have problems or surgery complications later on. They could be making another ten or twenty grand in the hour or two that they have to listen to your problems. This may be precious stuff for us, because these are OUR lives and family's lives, but they have their OWN lives and family's lives that they need to attend to; send kids to college, plan for vacations, etc. As a group, I. believe that we, the WLS Consumer needs to get wise, and start taking taking names and kicking butt. We make a terrible error in not tracking accountability, costs, complications, recovery times and everything else that would benefit the hundreds of thousands of newbies who are and will be following in our footsteps. We tell these stories often leaving out important but maybe embarrassing details about what really happens in these incidents. I would like to see a more serious purpose develop in our sharing; Support, yes; sympathy, yes; encouragement, yes...but above and beyond that, real factual information; data, just the facts ma'am kind of thing that could be gathered, collated and be made useful, replacing just anecdotal information. Something to think about when sharing your story.

I just had my sleeve done on Friday the 29th by Dr, Aceves. I am doing very well and I had some complication coming into surgery that were handled well. I have just been driven to San Diego by Ernesto to wait until my flight out tomorrow morning. My whole trip was nine days,- the last three in the home of a local, private family that treated me like a baby ; cooking broths - fresh, making Jello, mixing Protein drinks; fawning over me, TV, internet. I even got a haircut gratis by the mother, Carmen. And a good one too. Half the price of staying in a hotel - only 50$ includes everything. If you are interested e-mail me and I will put you in touch with them. They only have one room to let, so it's first come, first serve. I feel sad now having to leave such new friends. Helped me to a dentist for for some crown work. Ernesto knows where it is so he will pick you up there when you have to return to San Diego.