Tiffany Talbert Corbet

Oh, yes, I just did that about 10 days ago. Had to drink the entire bottle, and about gagged and lost it all on the last swallow. UGH. I found Cottenelle personal wet wipes with aloe that made the "burning" a bit bearable. I started about 11 a.m. and was done about bedtime (10 p.m.) Good luck with your surgery! Guessing it's tomorrow? You'll do great, and this will be in your rearview mirror (no pun intended) and just a distant memory of "been there, done that".

Have you tried Vitamin Water Zero? This would increase your Vitamins and help you fight the flu and possibly help give you a little more energy. Did they give you a B12 shot in the hospital? That's supposed to help with the energy level as well. Also, to help get at least a little Protein in, there is the Special K Protein Water (Strawberry Kiwi or strawberry Lemonade) that you mix with water. Maybe the dairy of the shakes is messing with your icky of the flu only making it worse. Granted, each Special K Protein water only has 5g of protein per serving, but at least it's something. I hope you get better!

Glad you're going home! Continued success!

Miss Michi....my surgeon used staples inside (to close the sleeve) and stitches were used to close the sutures of the incisions where the laproscopic machine points were placed. Hopefully this will be the same for you. I wish both you and Beetracy a peaceful sleep and keep the faith! Your surgical teams will take good care of you! Good luck!!

mocanitanj....I was sleeved last Friday. I was barely using the morphine in recovery and only took 4 of the 40 Vicatin they sent home with me on Saturday. The hospital will do everything they can to keep you comfortable, just make sure you are honest with your nurses. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, and a large hate for using medications if I can manage not to. No matter your tolerance, it is managable, just try not to "tough" it out. If you need it, push that button or take that pill as needed. You will get through it just fine. Good luck!!!

Oh, girlfriend.....hang on! It may take 30 min, it could take longer, but once it kicks in, it will not stop for hours. I started mine about 11 a.m. and it finally stopped right about bedtime. I didn't have any issues the next morning. I did this exactly one week ago with surgery on Friday at noon. I pray you have a wonderful nursing staff to take care of you, that your surgeon is as good as mine is, that they give you several small stitches to help alleviate scaring, and you are made as comfortable post-op as I was. Keep us posted on how it's going......GOOD LUCK!!!

I am 6 days post-op. Surgery was last Friday (11/16). Recovery was great! I am so blessed to have had the nurses to care for me that I did, and to have the health I have that I have been able to be as paid free as I have been. While in the hospital, I made a conscious effort to use the morphine as little as possible and listen to my body as much as possible before hitting the button. They gave me a prescription for Vicadin to fill for home use. I've only taken 4 of the 40 prescribed, and the last one I took was Sunday night to help me sleep. The main reason I took those was for the stitch pain of my incision on the top part of my bellybutton. Each day (as many say on here) has only gotten better. Today's success is I can stand and straighten up without a tightness in my abdomen. I got out and walked 2 miles this morning with no issues. I have been released back to work on 12/3 so I can use next week to get my stamina back prior to returning to work and running around the office as I did pre-op. Yesterday I was released for Stage 2 diet for a month, and then to start Stage 3 at that time. The dietician said I could start to introduce small amounts of Protein such as chicken and turkey to see how they are tolerated, but for the most part, stay with smooth or liquid foods, no fruit and no breads, rice, crackers, etc. All in all, I believe I have been very blessed with my recovery and am very thankful for that. I wish everyone else the same success!

Sorry Trish! Good luck with your decision. I'm sure you'll give it the proper attention and thought to come up with the right solution for you.

I requested from 11/15 (day before surgery since they required a bowel prep) until 11/30. Today (day 5), I feel like I could go back to work on Monday, but being the Office Manager in addition to my Exec Asst duties, it would require me running around the office quite a bit. just walking 2/3 of a mile right now wears me out, so I asked the dr to clear me to return on 12/3 so I can use next week to get my stamina back to be able to handle days like I was prior to surgery. I've read several posts, and a majority of those I have read suggest at least 2 weeks off to recover. Much luck to you on your recovery! I hope it's a smooth as mine has been.

Oh, Terri. I do hope you're able to get an appointment at U of Penn and get someone who knows what they're doing to find a treatment or surgical procedure to help you aleviate this pain. Your cartoon says it all. How does a MD degree (or an RN degree for that matter) automatically make a person think they understand the severeness of someone elses pain? Yes, there are those who will milk it, or are hypocondriacs, but for goodness sakes, you've been seeing this doctor for well over a year and he STILL hasn't caught on to the level of your pain? SOMEONE is NOT paying attention. Maybe it's time to find a new dr? Or is he the closest in your network? So sorry for these back issues you're having. The good thing is, thanks to the sleeve, you're helping to alleviate some of the severity of the pain. With the amount of weight you've lost, the pain this go around wasn't nearly what it could have been. Good luck!!

I was graduated to Stage 2 Diet today, and we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast after. I figured I could have a couple eggs and a bite or 2 of oatmeal and yogurt.....NOPE! I ate 1 1/2 eggs, started mixing a spoonful of the oatmeal with milk, and had to push it away. The eggs had settled into my sleeve and NOTHING else was going to be welcome. I could tell it wasn't happy with what I had given it, so I stayed on the safe side and brought the oatmeal and yogurt home. Got a bit nausious, but mostly, just had that over-full, uncomfortable feeling. Next time I'll just fine the ONE thing on the menu I want and eat what I'm comfortable with. The restaurant will be there for a next time.

I had the scariest problem last night! I've had coughing fits before, but always chalked it up to my alergies draining. My hubby asked if I was ok, and if I wanted him to get me a glass of Water. I told him no, I was trying to talk myself into getting up to get one. When I got up to get a glass of water, there was such a sharp pain directly under one of my incisions that I felt like someone was poking me with an icepick! As I walked to the bathroom the pain subsided some, but once I got to the doorway, I had to brace myself in the doorway as another sharp pain about put me on the floor. I broke out into a full-body cold sweat. (taking deep breaths only made it worse) I finally gave up from all the pain and I told my hubby and sis that we needed to head to the ER. (this was at 1 a.m.) My sis suggested I call the Nurse Practitioner, since we were told to call anytime we had an issue. When I got her on the phone (she was pretty quick to answer her cell), and told her what was going on, she asked if I had tried to drink anything. I told her no, that it scared me a little to try that. She suggested drinking something and if the pain continued to call her back, but she believed I may have simply stretched something from the coughing, and would be ok. I took, a drink of water and nothing happened. I stayed up for the next 1 1/2 hrs drinking water about every 10 - 15 min and none of the pain ever returned. Did or has anyone experienced the same thing? Did it go away when you drank something too? Talk about scary!

I'm on that same wagon! Sleeved last Friday and trying so hard to be good about staying on the clear liquid diet until my follow up appt on Wed morning where I find out if I get to progress to Level 2 diet (soft foods, mushies, etc.). I've neer looked forward to getting to have soft boiled eggs, cottage cheese or creamy Peanut Butter in my life! Good luck to you! So happy to hear you're healing well and quickly.

Hello everyone, Well, I DID IT! I was sleeved yesterday (11/16) at noon. I still can't believe it's over already. We arrived at the hospital at 10 a.m., where they checked me and took me back to pre-op area. The nurse there....Kathy, was GREAT. She was very attentive, talkative and interactive. While she was asking me all the health history questions, she asked me how I got to the point where I knew the 'sleeve' was what i wanted to do. I told her that between meeting with my PCP where he recommended it, attending the seminar held by the surgeon and his Nurse Practitioner, I decided it was the one of the 3 that had the best results without being the most extreme. (Yes, I know, taking 85% of my stomach is extreme, but...) Once pre-op was completed, and it took a specialist to get the IV started in my upper left arm, the surgery nurse came in and took me down to the operating room. There they inflated a new matress they have that when inflated, makes it so those who are moving your from your bed to the surgery table don't have to strain quite as much and it's much easier on their backs. After I was situated, the anesthesiologist started placing the monitoring pads on my upper chest. Then he said he wanted to put this mask on me to give me more oxygen and help calm me down a little. (I didn't think I was having problems stayin calm....but what ever). That is essentially all I remember. I don't remember waking up in recovery, and I don't remember being moved from recovery to my room. All I remember was that my hubby, sister, sis-in-law and mom-in-law were in the room chit chatting until I woke up. Then the nurse explained what everything was, and handed me the morphine drip button. I tried very hard to not use it any more often than necessary. Overnight, the nurses would come it to check my vitals, give me a shot for this, add another bag of something to the IV, ask how I was etc. I have to admit, I don't think I slept for more than 2 hrs at a stretch. At about 5 a.m., the tech came in and asked if I wanted to move to the chair. I did, of course, as I had been lying down since 11 a.m. the day before. My mouth was a dry mess, and all they offered were lemon flavored mouth swabs (YUCK). I would use that to get the most of the try out, and then I would dip it into a cup of water and rinse a little more that way, making sure I did not swallow. At about 7:30 a.m., Sydney (the tech) came in and announced we were heading down to x-ray where they could do a leak test. While I as standing there, they handed me this tall milk white container with the barium in it. As I stood there the x-ray tech asked me to take a couple big drinks (which kind of scared me with the sleeve!) so he could see it running through my esophagus and to my stomach to witness if there were any leaks. After 4 different views, he was done (it took all of about 10 min) I was sent back to my room to wait for the Dr. with the results. A couple hours later, the doctor showed up and said he was pleased with how surgery went, and that the leak test showed no issues. He would come back after noon and see how things are going and likely send me home. After he left, the lead nurse (Deanna) removed the catheter....(damned glad I don't have to do THAT very often) the nurses and my sister helped me shower and change into my street clothes (all but my t-shirt since I was still connected to the IV). Once they got the orders to remove me from the IV, I was able to put on my t-shirts. Dr. came in about 1:15 or so and asked if I wanted to go home. So, I asked him if he wanted to send me home. He said definitely. Everything is going well, and he wrote orders for the nurses and then wrote a prescription for vicoden for me. Deanna came back in with the final papers for me to sign, and then I got to leave (via wheelchair to my hubby waiting in the car at the door). We then took a trip to the closest pharmacy to get my prescription filled....they didn't have the dosage he was asing for...so we tried another...same issue. Then we tried a 3rd, and by then we realized the dr had added his cell number to the bottom of the prescription, so the pharmacist called to discuss the dosage and find out if it could be modified. He said yes, so we got the medicine and headed home. I have now declared where I will be the next couple of days while I recover (recliner in the front room). This first day hasn't been all that aweful, but it hasn't been a cake walk either. I have quite a bit of discomfort where the air bubble is sitting on my diaphram, and from the 1 - 1 1/2" incision at the top of my bellybutton to remove the stomach through. Other than that, the pain is rather minimal. I hope all that have an upcoming surgery date, will go ahead and do it. By reading all the posts on here, I know that day 2 will be better than today, and day 3 better than that and so on. I can't wait for the New Year and the new me!!

Jugee44, Good to hear! I'm in the same boat you are....haven't had a BM either, but as you said, we are still on clear liquids, so I don't expect it quite yet. My follow up appt comes Wed, and if I keep progressing at this pace, I'm hoping the dr. will let me move on to Stage 2 and start eating poached eggs (scrambled, etc.), cottage cheese, peanut butter, blended soups, etc. I've never looked so forward to having any of them before in my life, and right now I can't wait! But, as you said, I'm really not that hungry, so I doubt it will be for much more than the fact that I "can" have it over that I'm hungry for it. Congrats! Keep in touch so we can keep track of each others progress....and Good Luck!!

Good luck, Allison! I was sleeved on Friday and am having a pretty good recovery. Went in at 10 a.m. on Friday, home by 3 on Sat. I wish you a quick recovery, and as good of nurses as I had during your stay in the hospital.

You will do great! The biggest thing (and I may have mentioned this in the original post) was to not stress. I've never had surgery prior to this, so everything was new an a little scary....but the surgical team was AWESOME, the nurses were VERY attentive and helped me with even the littlest things. Today (Day 2 post-op) I'm doing ok. My incision at the top of my bellybutton is still the most sensitive and painful when standing up or sitting down, but once I'm u por down, it doesn't hurt, so I'm thinking sitting as long as I can to let it heal may be best. I'm also having a little bit of a struggle getting my sips down. Seems once they get to the entrace of my stomach, they back up just a little and there's a "sqeeze" like sensation where the fluid is trying to get through a very narrow tube. I'm hoping this is just still swelling that is causing it and in a day or 2 I'll be able to drink a bit more without discomfort. Good luck you all! While I'm having a bit of a challenge days 1 and 2, I'm sure once I'm a week out or so, everything will start getting easier. Good news is, I weighed this morning and I'm already back to pre-op weight! whoot whoot!

Ok, so it's not so bad either, but man, I'm glad I don't have to have surgery more often. I was prescribed 10 oz. of Magnesium Citrate 24 hours before surgery to "clean my bowels" (yeah, probably TMI). Anyway, first.....IT TASTES AWFUL!!!! I don't care WHAT they flavor it with...it's just plain AWFUL. It says to drink liquid when you take it as well, but man, there's nothing that can help that taste. I chose grape and though drinking grape Propel Zero might help. NOPE. So, I poured the MC into a glass and filled the remainder of the glass with the Propel hoping this would dilute it and make it a little easier to get down.....NOPE. So then, I just made myself do it. The glass of MC mixed with Propel and a Trenta Black Iced Tea 1/2 the Water 4 equal (to be specific ) from Starbucks sitting next to it. I made a deal with myself. If I would take 3 large drinks of the MC I could take 2 drinks of the tea. If I did this every 5 min, I could have it down in 30 min. Somehow, some way, I managed to get it done (but not before wanting to vomit on the last swallow). OMG....it was NASTY! I might be over reacting, and if I'm freaking anyone out, I'm sorry. I just want you to be prepared so you can find something to help you get through it to if they require it of you as well. Before I started any of this, I made sure to get a few movies from redbox, picked up my scolopene (sp?) patch at the pharmacy, grabbed some propel to mix with my grape & watermelon Protein bullets when I get home, and praise the saits, Charmin was on sale too. Just a small tip...grab some Cottonelle w/Aloe cleansing wipes to help with the discomfort. If this bit of discomfort is a small amount to pay for the benefits of my surgery tomorrow....I'm happy to pay the price. Good luck to all who are venturing toward their surgery day.

Good luck!! I'm tomorrow at noon.

I just picked mine up at the pharmacy today. The Nurse practioner prescribed it to me on the day we set my surgery date (9/26). I don't see why your PCP couldn't prescribe one as well. I will be putting it on tonight before I go to bed. I've never had surgery, so not sure how I will respond to anesthesia. I don't get naucious very often, but I don't mind being prepared so I don't. Surgery tomorrow at noon....will be so glad to get to the other side and start the healing! Good luck to you!!

Does she know you had the surgery and where you are in what you are able to eat at this stage post-surgery? I know my mother-in-law is chomping at the bit to know what she can make for me post-surgery (surgery is tomorrow). I'm really looking forward to having her deviled eggs again (she loves making those things). Everytime I see her she's asking "what can I make that you can have"? If your mom-in-law is as involved, maybe you can call her and find out what the planned menu is and see if she is wondering what to make so you can enjoy as well? I know not everyone is as lucky as I am with my mom-in-law, but you never know. Good luck!

Yeah you! Since I can't do it, give yourself a big self-hug and pat yourself on the back!!! Great going!

I'm right there with Kelly123. I'm on day 12 of my 2 week liquid diet. 5 8 oz. glasses of milk with Carnation Instant Breakfast no sugar added (I swear, if I have to smell one more chocolate shake, I'm going to hurl). I am allowed any sugar-free clear liquid and sugar-free jell-o. The pudding is not on my list. So far, my only cheat has been a couple spoons of unsweetened applesauce. I've had plenty of opportunities to cheat, and still found myself following orders. I must really want this! I was told that the liquid diet is to shrink the liver as well, since it is the primary store of fat. The smaller we can get it, the less likely it can be nicked during surgery. Our stomach sits beind it, so making it easier to get out of the way only benefits everyone. Plus, I kind of wonder, if in some small way, they're trying to get us into new habits. I was taught it takes 7 days to learn a habit, 21 to break one. Well, with the 2 week pre-op diet being mostly low sugar and Clear Liquids, and post-op being clear liquids only, thats 21 days to learn how to survive on much less sugar and to concentrate on what you're eating. Are they perhaps in a subconscious way trying to train our brains? Nurse told me typically patients who do thier diet will lose between 9 and 20 lbs. Looks like I'm normal. I have lost about 10 lbs in the last 2 weeks. Today I was up a couple oz., but I'm pretty sure I'll lose another 1 - 3 by Friday for surgery day. Good luck everyone!!

I'm on day 11 of my 2 week liquid diet. I thought it would be more of a struggle than it has been. Mine is pretty strict. Only allowed 5 8 oz. glasses of 2% milk (I drink skim or 1%) with Carnation Instant Breakfast no sugar added. Then I can have V8, Diet V8, Crystal Light, any non-calorie beverage (not including sodas), and up to 2 cups of broth. First few days were better than I expected. And even when I started to get sick of the chocolate or vanilla options, I started to experiment with the spices in my cabinet. Since we are near the holidays and I know it's highly unlikely I will get to have pumpkin pie, I started adding pumpkin pie spice, some extra nutmeg and cinnamon to my vanilla and it really tasted close to pumpkin pie! I also have Apple Pie spice that I have tried. The chocolate isn't too bad, and I grabbed some ready to drink bottles to put in my drawer at work. Those I find best to pour over ice and drink as chocolate milk. If you get tired of the consistency of the "milk", try adding some crushed ice and put it in a blender (or bullet) and mix it. Gives it a thicker consistency that resembles a milkshake and really helps to fill you up. That's about the extent of my knowledge. I will let you know, it hasn't been easy. My hubby and I drove 4 hours south to stay with my sister. On the way we stopped so he could get lunch at Wendy's. I stood there reading the menu and there were MAYBE 2 items on that menu I could have. After trying to convince myself that a small chili would be ok because it's mostly Protein, I heard myself order "2 1% Chocolate Milks and a large unsweet tea". Hubby said he was proud of me and thought that if I cheated now in the middle of my liquid diet before the surgery, we were going to be in trouble post surgery being successful. There were other obstacles throughout the weekend, as we all then attending our cousin's wedding. Yep, cake, cupcakes, spinach dip & chips, etc. Again, somehow I managed to make it through with only unsweet tea. Good luck! You can DO THIS!! There's a saying I wrote on a post-it....maybe it will help you too. Nothing tastes as good as Thin feels.

Good luck! I'm right behind you on 11/16!!