EweLewz

So, surgery is Thursday...I woke up this morning, and my little boy crawled into my bed- and suddenly I had this overwhelming terror of something going wrong in surgery. I thought- my God, I don't want to die having an elective surgery. I know the risks are low- but it's still surgery. I'm sort of having a hard time shaking it. (Sorry for the heavy subject matter-lol). For the life of me, I can not figure out why Insurance companies consder Bariatric surgery elective. Breast implants and face lifts are elective surgery (in my book.) Speaking stricky for myself, the pre-op anxiety was worse for my wife. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You are doing the rght thing for the right reasons. What could possibly happen if you don't take care is potentially much worse.

Hi all, I was sleeved on 2/22, spent one night in the hispital and am home. I have been able to distinguish gas pain from the surgery pain. The gas pain is sharper, as it comes and goes The surgery pain is simply the feeling of tightness. My surgeon described the sleeve discomfort perfectly. he said the sensation is similar to putting on brand new leather shoes. There is limited flexibility and a feeling of tightness. My diet consists of protein shakes, non fat yogurt and sugar-free Popsicle s. I need to walk more and drink more water. I would appreciate any/all advice for the following questions: 1. How do we deal with work clothes? It's too expensive to buy new clothes every time we lose 10 pounds. I work in an office, so sweats are not an option. 2. Juicer preference. There is a ton of information on the Magic Bullet and Ninja. Do you use either? which do you prefer? Why? 3. What is your most comfortable sleeping position. Trying to get comfortable isn't easy. Thanks in advance!

Assuming you will be in the hospital for one day: Bring shampoo and a brush///hairdryer if needed. Heavy duty socks (they will provide) as you will be instructed to walk every two hours. A positive attitude and willingness to follow all of the doctors and nurses orders.

I was sleeved yesterday and am home today. Dr. Feiz performed the surgey at Marina Del Rey hospital. Need;ess to say, I am sore as hell, but walking helps rid the body of the air they use during the procedure.. Ironically, I weighed a pound more when I was dscharged than upon my arrival. The nurse conveyed that is perfectly normal, due to the amountof liquids they pump into you. See all of you in the post-op forums! Best of luck to all.

I finally received my surgery time. I go in at 6:30am tomorrow. Surgery is scheduled for 8:00am. Will provide updates asap. Good luck to all sleevers! :-) Yiraini01 - Here's to a speedy recovery!

Surgery scheduled for tomorrow, after experiencing every possible delay. I suppose it's for the best. The liquid diet is for the birds. Makes my 1200 calorie a day diet seem like bliss. Did anyone else need to take the test where they put an IV in you and pump up your heart rate? Afterwards, I felt like I ran a marathon. Personally, I found it more uncomfortable than the throat-scope. Last blood test today. Waiting for my surgery time. Good luck to all. Remember to keep us posted!

Surgery in two days. Launching my 48 hour, all liquid diet right now. Already looking past the surgery to a happier, healthier life. It helps the anxiety.

I would like an invite too. Surgery in two days. I lost 11lbs on my pre-surgey diet. Now the 48 hours liquid diet begins. At least the destination is worth the journey!

Personally, I feel if we all agreed with each other, this board would be unnecessary. I admit that I resent posts that state the sole reason for obesity is a love affair with food, but those who feel that way are certainly entitled. PdxMan brought up a few points that I appreciated because I hadn't thought about looking at my peers. I thought his question that asked "what do your peers look" like incite-full, as I did think of that angle. Although his question strengthened my position (I work in a dept of 3, where only 1 of us is fit), I look forward to reading everyone's views. After all, isn't that the reason we are all reading this?

LovinCheryl, you brought up an excellent point. I have been in the computer industry since 1983. As much as I would love to throw out my college degree and thirty years of experience, I can't. There are many jobs that keep you physically fit, but it's too late for me to change occupations. Not a lot of companies looking for overweight 50 year old people looking to re-train themselves in a new career. Even if I was lucky enough to find such a job, the compensation would leave me homeless. That's not an excuse, it's a fact.

Best to luck to all sleever's this week. I go on Friday. Not looking forward to the discomfort, but will be happy to have the surgery behind me.

10lbs down, surgery in 4 days. IV heart test appointment on Wed (2/20). ***Interesting Read*** Upon completing my pre-op physical, my family doctor advised me to not lose any more weight, but to hover @ 10lbs lost. He told me of an incident where one of his other pre-op patients lost 19 lbs prior to surgery and his insurance company pulled his authorization for the sleeve procedure! I have no reason to doubt my doctor, but that seems ridiculous!

I can't thank this site enough for providing a forum to settle my reservations and concerns. This procedure is not a simple one, though I believe my only choice is proceed with it and change my bad eating habits.

I also wondered why people who don't drink anymore still consider themselves alcoholics. If an obese person loses his/her weight, they don't refer to themselves as being obese. My cousin, who is in AA said the difference between an alcoholic and a drunk is a drunk doesn't have to go to AA. Congrat's on your weight loss. You've done a hell of a job!

With all due respect, the last couple of replies that blame food as the sole reason all of us are overweight is simply not true. My wife is 5'7 and weighs 125lbs. She easily consumes more than 500 calories a day more than I do. There are many more aspects to weight than calories consumed. The amount of activity we partake in, genetics, medication and body type are all factors. Unfortunately, the war against weight isn't caused or remedied by one factor. Being able to share our specific stories enables us to learn from each other. While the fork represents a major battle, it does not represent the entire war.

Webchickadee - Great post, thank you much! My surgery is in 10 days. I am very much looking forward to resuming life as I once enjoyed it.

ith11 - Wow, online the day after surgery. That's pretty reassuring to the rest of us. Here's for a speedy recovery! Please keep us posted. My surgery is in 10 days.

That's a good question. I asked my surgeon the same question. He replied that leakage is very rare, and only occurs in 1 to 3% of all patients. Apparently, your stomach is placed in a sterile bag during the process. This insures that there are no remnants left in your chest cavity. After the procedure has been completed, air is pumped into your stomach. At this time the surgeon can check for leaks...this process is similar to how you find a link in a bicycle inner tube...placing it under water and looking for bubbles. He told me the procedure won't end until the entire stomach is inspected for leaks.

Best of luck to you Sara! Please keep us posted. Our thoughts are with you.

Starting pre-op diet today (1200 cal's a day). Surgery is scheduled for 2/22. Only have physical and final blood work to do. The EGD left me with a sore throat, which only lasted two days. Hard to concentrate on anything else.

I'm on 2/22. I had my EGD yesterday. Not painful, but no fun. My "Ready for surgery" appointment is tomorrow, then the final blood work. Ready to get the show on the road.

asifitsthelast - It's obviously a slow process, but you will get there. Think about what you have already endured. You're on your way now!

Of course hearing that this rarely happens doesn't help you too much, but you will get through this. I would love to hear an explanation from your doctor as I do not believe any of us has seen anything like it. I am curious if the mistake was made during the procedure, or if it occurred during after-care. Your road is bumpy, but you are in our thoughts.

This has turned into a nightmare. Nothing short of it. However, you will get past this and endure. I would have a rather straight talk with your doctor about all of this, as it seems unusual (compared to what others have experienced). Best of luck on your progress and wishing you a speedy recovery!

Dr. Feiz will sleeve me on 2/22. Now jumping through Dr appointments to satisfy Ins requirements. Surgery will be performed in Marina Del Rey.