MommyTawnie

Well I had my follow up appointment today and I was given a perfect bill of health. Which as some of you may know is a blessing at this point. I sat and talked with my doctor about my experience over the last couple of weeks and he informed me that he has never seen a patient develope a leak the way I did at a month out. Why is it I always hit the odds when it comes to rare events? I wish the odds would fall in my favor for the lotto. LoL Anyway My leak is healed my pneumonia is gone and my lung has opened back up. I am back to myself for the most part..

Well after all that happend over the last 2 weeks or should I say 3 weeks I am only 4lbs away from Onderland!! I have had a rough go of this, but it's getting better now that I am "fixed" The leak in my new stomach and the pneumonia on top of a collapsed lung did a number on me, but a 9 day stay at the hospital and all my nutrients delivered to my by IV it healed over and cleared up.. I can't believe I am this close to crossing the first milestone!! I am weighing every day right now just till I cross over once there the weighing will go back to every other week.. Thanks for all the kind words and thoughts of prayer. It helped me through a tough time.. Love To All my Sleeve Buddies!!

The doctor thinks it was just a pin size hole that overtime turned into a bigger problem.. I had a drain tube in for a week and never had any problems with the purple koolaid showing up in the bulb. Sometimes things just happen for unexplained reasons. I am just glad that I am back on track and loosing again!!

My first week I lost a big huge 15lbs. My 2nd week I lost 7lbs. My 3rd week was another 5 lbs. My 4th week was another 7lbs. My 5th week I stalled "was in the hospital for 9 days hooked up to nutrients so I didn't loose/gain anything. My 6th week I have lost another 6lbs. So all in all I am down 40lbs since my surgery on December 21st. I am now going into my 7th week and I am ready for the scales to move some more even if it is a little I will be thrilled.. Congrats on your weight loss journey it's a wonderful experience!!

Call your doctor and get things checked out. If you feel there is something wrong don't hesitate about going. I put off going to the doctor for a week because I thought I was experiencing normal gas pains. Turned out I had a leak on top of pneumonia. Always listen to what your body tells you. Also the tightness you are feeling in your chest may be your bodies way of letting you know you are full. I had the same feeling and would stop eating a couple of hours later I would eat a little big more if my body would let me. Never take any chances when it comes to your health. One doctor visit could save you a lot of trouble in the future..

I used the same ppi at first and it did nothing for me. If it is time release I wouldn't pour it on anything I would try my best to swollow it down. I was swollowing regular pain pills the same night I came out of surgery. And I had a hole repaired in my esophagus which made swollowing a bit harder, but I managed. Now I am on Nexium and it works amazing!!

Everyone is different and everyone advances at different rates. I am going on 7 weeks out and I am just now able to eat a little bit more then a couple of bites. My surgeon told me my body will let me know when it's ready for more.. If you have the feeling of being full or if I eat one more bite Im gonna vomit then listen to what it's telling you and STOP eating.. You will advance soon enough. I have lost 40 lbs since day of surgery listening to my body and doing what it tells me..

Yep that's right I am 5 weeks out and have been in the hospital the past week with a leak in my stomach and pneumonia. My surgeon came back early from vacation to take over care on my case. He said it is very rare that a leak happens this far out, but apparently it happens. I have been in the hospital 1 week tomorrow. 1 week it's driving me nuts!! I haven't got to tuck my kids in and kiss them goodnight in so long. My daughter is sleeping in bed with daddy because she misses me and wants to sleep where I sleep. Both children are sick now and there's nothing I can do to take care of them. Right now we are trying to go at a game plan to drain the fluid that's built up because of the leak. Possibly putting in a stint at the same time. I go in on Monday for an upper GI and we will go from there on treatment. If nothing else I can resume treatment at home with the picc line they put in last week. I am taking nutrients through iv which I would contintue taking at home for a while if treatment goes home with me. I'm not loosing weight right now, but who cares as long as I get better I can get back on track later. LoL Just n update for anybody that was wondering how its going there you go..

Guys I didn't know I had a leak. Everyone says you will know if you have a leak I honestly did not know. I dealt with real bad gas pains the first couple of days that was in my left ribs as well as left part of my chest. When the pain started back I figured it was just the old gas making it's way out finally. I called the doctors office and they thought the same thing. There were never any red flags till 4 days later I was at the hospital in more pain. The 1st hospital I went to apparently had no intentions of finding out what was wrong with me. They did a ct of my heart and that was it. Everything showed up clean "hello my heart wasn't the problem" anyway they sent me home with pain meds and told me to take it easy. I went to dinner the next night and was feeling a little under the weather, but hey I had been hurting all week it was no different. Only this time I started running a temp of 103-104 by the time we got hom 3 hours later. The next morning hubby called my surgeon and he told him to get me back to the hospital. Although he was on vacation he can order test and scans to run. I arrived at the hospital and the nurse/hubby thought maybe I had just caught the flu and my body was just sore. Boy we were all wrong. The X-Ray showed I had pneumonia in my left lung as well as the bottom part of it being collapsed in. The ct scan that was done that night "full abdominal ct with contrast" showed an absess as well as fluid. The fluid could only come from 1 place my stomach. Even though we can't see the leak we all know its there. I go in the morning for another EGD Scoping and hopefully get the fluid/absess drained.. Even though you are more then a month out if you feel there's something wrong get it looked at!! I should have listened to my body 2 weeks ago and had it looked at when I first started hurting. Instead I blamed it on gas. Now look at me a week in the hospital antibiotics constantly running through me and not to mention the horrible horrible pain I feel because of the fluid. The pneumonia is now cleared up so that's a plus but I can't go anywhere until the leak is better. I just hope my homecoming is sooner then later. I miss getting to see my babies all the time.. Take care of yourself and always do what the doctors tell you!!

2 weeks recovery time isn't enough for any kind of open procedure. Mine was laproscopic and I went back at 2 weeks it was to soon. My body started aching all the time,and I just felt horrible all the time. Give your body more rest, and try your hardest to get in what protein you can.. Your body needs it!!

My husband and I joined this fitness program through his job called Kinetics. They sent us a welcome pachage that included a really awesome set of digital scales "calculates BMI, Body Fat, Etc." Mine always show 2 lbs less then the surgeons office scales, but atleast I know it's only 2 lbs and not a big HUGE difference when I weight again..

Ok so last week I posted a topic on here about some really bad pain I was having in my left shoulder and left rib area. Some responded back and I do appriciate that, and to those of you that did here is an update on what's going on with me at this moment. As of Sunday January 23 I was hospitalized for pneumonia as well as an absess on the outside of my left lung and Fluid built up around my diaphragm "a leak from the stomach". The 2 together are very VERY painful and leave me in a feeling of wanting to cry all the time. My family came up from Oklahoma for a day and a half to stay with me at the hospital, but work calls them home. Dear Hubby is staying at home with the children "no body to baby sit 2 kids for an undetermined amount of time". I know this is a minor set back and I plan to jump back out there with my shoes on and my mind focused. Right now I just have to focus on healing. To all out there that have any doubts about the pain you are feeling don't be afraid to get it checked out. Never be AFRAID!! If I could have stuck to that myself I wouldn't be where I am at today in a hospital unable to eat/drink anything because of a leak, and pneumonia..

Everyone is different in the amount of weight they will loose over the first few months. Don't be upset with an 18lb lost would you have been able to get that 18lbs off by yourself? Plus another thing to look at you are starting off with less weight to loose than most others on here as well.. You will loose the weight you just have to give it time!!!

Thank You all.. In the original post I had talked about how I was having pain in my left shoulder "above the left breast, bellow the collar bone" and how it was down in my left ribs. I had called my surgeons office about it and they said it sounded like normal excess gas pains from surgery "They have some patiants that complain with gas pains 3 months out" They told me to take it easy and if it didn't get better in a few days to call them back. That was Tuesday that I was finally able to talk to them. Friday I called back because I couldn't take them pain any longer. It was to much for me to be comfortable with, and I was already a big cry baby that day because I was hurting all week. Anyway off subject I called the surgeons office back and they told me that if its hurting still then I need to go to the nearest ER and get it looked at it didn't sound like it was gas pains any longer. The first hospital I went to was in our home town. We sat there and waited for hours before finally getting called back and after they took me back they stuck me twice to put an iv in. Finally i went back for what I thought was a complete CT Scan of my abdomin "boy was I wrong" They scanned my heart and the top part of my lungs for blood clots said everything was clear and perfect and that I could go home. The following night "Saturday" we had dinner with hubby's boss and co-workers. I felt ok "still in pain" so I sat back and listened to everyone chat around 8 I couldn't take it anymore we had to go home. By the time we left the restaraunt and got home my temp was 103.2 I took some tyelnol and a cool shower and went to bed. All night long I ran fever as high as 104.7 and as low as 102.9. Finally hubby was able to get ahold of my surgeon and thank goodness for that. He told hubby to bring me straight to the hospital he was calling ahead for test, but he wanted me here asap. That was around 9:30 we live an hour away so I got here around noon. Got checked in and the test started. First on the list was the chest x-ray which showed pneumonia 2nd on the list was blood work which showed elevated white blood cell count. 3rd on the list came around 10 that night and that was the Contrast CT Scan of my abdonimal area all the way down to my pelvis. That is what showed the fluid build up around the diaphragm and the absess on the outside of the lung. It was from that ever so scary OMG What if It happens to Me Leak!! I never knew I had it and never felt any pain in my stomach/abdominal area. It was always in my chest/shoulder and down my ribs all where the pain from pneumonia presents. I am not pleased with the hospital in our home town and will probably never use them again simply because had they found this Friday Night I would probably be typing this at home instead of in a hospital room over an hour away from my family,,

Well tonight will be my first night going out to dinner since my surgery 1 month ago.. I am excited/nervous at the same time. It's a dinner with my hubbys co-workers and boss, and I don't want to look like an idiot eating in front of them. I have been cleared for chopped meats since 2 weeks post op, and as of yesterday been cleared for salads again. I went and bought a new shirt for the occasion, and to my surprise it was a 1X OMG really a 1X!! 1 month ago I was barely fitting into a 3X.. I probably spent more then I should have $20 for a shirt that was on sale and a shirt I am probably going to be able to wear for a short while, but who cares right?? A little treat now and then is alright. I don't plan on buying anything else other then goodwill/yard sale clothes for the next 6-9 months. LoL Going off subject back to what I was orginally talking about. I plan on ordering the tilapia so I figure that will keep some eyes off of me. I am just dreading to hear the remarks some may say.. Hopefully night but they may you never know.. Any way wish me luck on my first night out!!

When I was 140-150lbs I was in a size 6-8. I am 5'3 and when I started my supervised diet in March 2010 I was 254. My goal is 140lbs.. The doctor that did my surgery was clear that 140lbs for my height is a reasonable goal. He then went on to tell me I could loose down to 130 and it still be reasonable..

Sunday night I ate something that didn't agree with me and I got sick sick sick.. The vomiting was so bad I pulled a muscle in my left shoulder. I called the doctor on Tuesday because crazy me I figured it was just lingering gas pains. Well it wasn't the nurse told me they see it alot when some one gets sick the way that I did. The force from the vomiting and cause major problems. I got it looked at and thank goodness nothing was wrong with my stomach "biggest fear when the pain started" The muscle right above my left breast and just below my colar bone is apparently pulled or strained as they called it. I opted not to take pain meds because of all the pills I just got finished with because of the H. Pylori Bacteria. It has been 4 days now and I am taking it as easy as I can with 2 kids and a demanding household, but good grief it feels like the pain is getting worse. If I take a hot shower/long hot bath the pain subsides long enough for me to get to sleep. By the time morning comes it starts hurting again by the time I go to bed I am in so much pain it hurts to breath. I have noticed an increase in my heartbeat and it has me worried.. Is there anything I can do to make this pain go away? The doctors not concerned about it because they see it often, but I am.. I am not very good with handleing pain and this has me to the point of wanting to curl up on the couch and cry. If it's happend to you what in the world did you do to ease the pain? Tylenol isn't helping by the way "I know I will take tylenol but not vicoden crazy woman" Please Help!!

I don't know how much was charged to insurance because of my 2 sleep studies. I just know that I got a bill for $40 a visit so $80 total. It is rediculous how much a simple procedure like sleeping under a camera can cost. My husband had back surgery November of 09 and we recieved a bill in March 10 for $129, 000 kid you not. Of course we didn't have to pay that amount "surgery was covered at 100%" We called insurance and they got it taken care of.. Our total cost for a $129, 000 procedure was $40 and that was because he had blood work drawn at the hospital which fell under a doctors visit not part of the procedure. Call insurance and let them know about the bill you recieved they should take care of it right then..

I had H. Pylori and because of that my surgery was almost cancelled. Well not cancelled but pushed back 2 weeks. Because our insurance was changing in January my doctor decided to go ahead and do the surgery. He told me himself if I had chose the Bypass it would have been cancelled no question about it.. With the sleeve they are removing your stomach not leaving it in. If they leave the part of your stomach you are no longer going to use how in the world are they going to treat the Gerd? It makes no sense to me. After sleeve surgery you can go on treatment for Gerd and live a normal life. I would get a 2nd opinion before going through with a surgery your not really sure of..

To answer your questions. Yes I do only eat about a 1/4 of my meat and I am done. If I feel like I could eat more I do indulge in a few veggies "green beans have become a favorite" And I do snack on other stuff if I feel like I can handle it without getting sick to my stomach. Baked Lays are a favorite as well. Usually 3-4 of them and I am satisfied and it doesn't undo all that I have done for the day. My calorie intake is between 500-600 a day depending on which meal/snack I had that day.. It does get easier I promise, and once you start on more solid foods don't be surprised if you feel full faster..

I will be 1 month post op tomorrow and I am 8 lbs away from being in onederland!! I never thought I would get there so quickly. I feel wonderful other then a pulled muscle in my left shoulder area "got sick one night after eating and the force from vomiting caused a pulled muscle" I am eating everything I was eating prior to surgery minus the deserts, sodas, etc. My protein always comes first. If I get full off of meat alone then so be it. Atleast I got the healty part of the meal in.. I did however have a cheat moment more of a span of 3 days. I made my children cookies one day and set one aside for me. It took me 3 days to eat that one cookie and after I felt horrible for doing it.. It's not effecting my weight loss, but geeze if I hadn't of eaten that 1 cookie maybe I would be 7lbs from onederland.. Oh well it's not going to happen again so I am past it.. Any way I start back on salads tomorrow YaY!!!

I stick to the main meal times. 8-8:30 1 egg poched with a slice of deli turkey 10 I usually enjoy a nice cheese square 12-1 Another slice of Turkey or chicken Cubes I found at our local grocery store 2-3 Either an atkins shake 15g of Protein or a kellogs Protein Shake 10g of protein 5-7 dinner usually consists of 1/4 chicken breast "grilled" or 1/4 pork chop "grilled" If I feel like I need to eat something after my last meal I enjoy another slice of turkey or a square of colby cheese.. These meals with the amount of liquid I am drinking a day I never have problems with feeling like I could eat something.. I am 4 weeks out "1 month tomorrow" and I finally get to introduce salads back to my menu YaY!! Take it easy on the amount of food/calories you are consuming.. Eating that close together isn't giving you much time to take in liquids "Water, krystal light, etc." Your body does need protein "60g atleast in a day" Pay attentiong because most Soups don't have much in there.

At 4 weeks out I am only getting in maybe 500 calories and that's pushing it.. I always start with my meat/protein at meal time and for breakfast I eat 1 poched egg and a slice of deli sliced turkey. For my morning snack I take in a Atkins shake for lunch I usually nibble on a slice of turkey. Then a kellogs shake for my afternoon snack. For dinner usually a grilled chicken breast, or a grilled pork chop.. Usually no more then a 1/4 of either item and I am done for the evening. I drink lots of water when I'm not eating/drinking my meals.. I've never been so thrilled over eating so little.. LoL