BitterSweet*

Smh. I know exactly what you mean about going to the ER. Please just be careful and take care of yourself.

@ Arlene G, no, they would rather you pay for it. Employers get kick-backs / subsidies from the federal govt for the portion of health care they pay to insurance companies on your (and all insured people) behalf. So, the cost to insure you is not bad, but what they charge you for health care is astronomical. The point is to make money and sick people make them money, healthy people do not.

Awesome. I'm glad you did and I'm hoping you have an uneventful recovery.

If your surgeon thought it could be a PE, why didn't he do an X-ray to prove or disprove that supposition?

Hang in there. You've got this!

I hope you sought medical help, and checked out everything.....especially your gallbladder. Hope you feel better soon.

You can do it. Don't give up.

Save your money on the wraps. Can't speak on the vitamins or shakes though.

Call the office tomorrow and have the nurse explain it to you. Write down some of those medical terms so that you can research stuff on your own once you hang up. My guess is that your hernia is moderate to severe and could even be a sliding one, which is a bit more advanced than a typical hiatal hernia repair; they are very common though.

Sleeve first and get a prescription for a "Roll-a-bout" to use after ankle surgery. Best wishes!

That must be difficult. I'm so sorry.

Your friend is an inconsiderate ass. You'll lose weight instantly by getting rid of him or her; that would be really attractive. Concern yourself with your own thoughts and feelings. This journey is difficult enough without the infiltrating, negative thoughts of someone else. Value yourself, love yourself, and value your own thoughts. Do the things you know you need to because it's the right thing to do on your path to health. Best wishes to you and that hatin' ass friend in your life.

That is great that the polyps were found, and I'm assuming removed. Keep us posted.

It is normal but probably caused by mild dehydration. If you are maxing out your water consistently and don't feel as if that's the problem, try some type of SF lemon candy or anything with real lemon; it'll stimulate your salivary glands and help with a dry mouth.

She's a lucky girl, and I hope she turns the corner soon. Good job taking care of her.

Contact the nurse / doctor, they should be able to prescribe something for her. Doctors always have on-call answering services. Someone should be able to help. I'm so sorry she's having such a rough time. Is she actually feeling nauseous or just throwing up?

Honestly, grin and bear it. You'll be out of there soon enough. Your other option is to dial the operator from your room and request that the patient care coordinator (may be called something else up there) come to see you in your room because of the care you're receiving. The latter is almost a guarantee to be ignored even more by the nursing staff. They'll avoid you even more once you make a complaint while in the hospital. My advice is to do what you need to do to recover and get discharged. When you get home and are up to it, write a lengthy, detailed letter (making note of names, behavior, and comments) and send it to human resorces at the hospital. Btw, congratulations on your surgery and sorry about your crappy treatment.

I'm glad you've sought help for whatever is going on. If they suspect kidney stones, a CT scan is usually done, a urinalysis, and a CBC. Gallbladder might be the other option and they should do an abdominal ultrasound and an LFTs (liver function tests) to diagnose that. People with kidney stones are usually in extreme, horrifying pain that does not subside. Gallbladder pain mimics symptoms of a heart attack some times and causes extreme pain that feels colicky (spasm / cramp like), and a feeling that you can't breathe. Typically the pain can be in the chest, right side, and radiating to the back. Hope they figure it out and you're feeling better really soon. Good luck!

Use the patch; it's called a Scopalamine patch and it works wonders for nausea, if used before hand. Doesn't work as great after the fact. Clarify if it's supposed to be just for after surgery, because what typically happens is the patch is placed behind your ear for 24 hrs, beginning the day of surgery. Also, the 72 hrs sounds a bit off. One patch is good for 24 hrs unless it's an elevated dose of the med. It works great for nausea but will cause you to have a very dry mouth and maybe even blurry vision while you use it - all of which are normal side effects. Good luck to you!

@@moonlitestarbrite, exactly. I agree 100% and I hope @@BeagleLover understands this. It's no different than surgeons. If I need an orthopedic surgery, I would not seek out a neurosurgeon to help me. There are general practice psychologists and psychiatrists, and like every other field, there are specialists. Counselors who specialize in eating disorders are a better choice than a general practice counselor under these circumstances. @@BeagleLover, please seek help from a new counselor who specializes in eating disorders. As Chelenka stated, you may not ever fully understand the roots of your eating disorder but I think you would make much more progress with someone else. I don't know how old you are, but it really is unusual to be going to a therapist for 12 years. The point is to help you recognize behaviors, try to confront the feelings and reasoning behind it, learn and put into practice new, healthier coping strategies, and move on with your life - not continue to show up for appointments and make no progress.

@@Chelenka, that was very insightful and I appreciate your honesty.

Female hormones are stored in fat. As you are losing weight, they are being released and may cause fluctuations in your cycle to some degree; either the timing and or the amount of "flow." Perfectly normal. You'll probably also notice a good bit of weight drop off once it's over. When you go back for a follow-up, be sure you mention this so they will make sure to check your labs - because although it's normal, heavy, heavy bleeding over a long period of time can put you at risk for anemia.

@@BeagleLover, you've been in therapy for 12 years and your eating disorder still has you in it's clutches? Then, you're right, you're not ready for this surgery and pills won't fix that. People with addictions are self destructive by nature and the chosen vice (food in this case) has little to do with the problem. It could be crack cocaine or black tar heroine for that matter, and having more pills thrown at you will not fix the reason for your "binge" behavior with food. Get a therapist who specializes in eating disorders, if that's not the type you're currently seeing. It's great that you know enough to be in therapy in the first place, but if you find yourself in the same position that you were in 5 years ago, then something needs to give, and getting a new pill isn't the answer. Just my thoughts.

@@adamj32993, congratulations on your surgery, especially at your young age. You seem well informed for the most part and your bariatric team sounds like a wonderful group. Things will get better, level out, and a sense of normalcy will return. You raised a lot of questions about alcohol, and even mentioned a co-worker who developed alcoholism after gastric bypass. Part of the reason to omit alcohol is not just from a nutritional standpoint. What happened to your co-worker is very common and happens to plenty of people after weight loss surgery. Even at your young age, the necessity of a gastric sleeve and the amount of weight you need / want to lose suggests that like the rest of us, you have an unhealthy relationship with food - for whatever reasons. Not addressing and dealing with issues / reasons why we eat ourselves to the point of gaining 100+ lbs doesn't go away after having the majority of your stomach removed. The stomach gets altered, not the brain, which is really the primary reason it is suggested that alcohol is limited or eliminated entirely. Cross dependency. It is real, and can sneak up on anyone. I think you should enjoy life and if that includes alcohol, then so be it. Maybe you can come up with a plan to have a single drink instead of several drinks when you are out with friends. At your age, the likelihood of having severe, saggy skin is minimal, provided that you are working out. Weight loss through food choices alone will make you look like a smaller version of your current self. As soon as you're cleared by your surgeon, do a lot of cardio and weight training so that muscles will begin to fill in as fat drops off. Hopefully that will eliminate any chance of "man boobs." Good luck to you on your weight loss journey and with your educational pursuits.

I think we are all more alike than different. Lose your scale and you will do much better. I only like my scale when it shows weight loss. In the past I could be in a perfectly fine mood, get on the scale, and become depressed immediately. Then those same old patterns and thinking begin to creep up. Things like, if I'm not losing any weight then I might as well eat what I want. I spent all of these hours working out this week and didn't lose any weight.....no point in doing it. Any of that sound familiar? Stop weighing yourself and use clothing a size smaller as a measure of progress instead. You can do this. You've gone through too much to turn back. Pick yourself up and keep pushing!