KristenVSG2014

Yes, I was sleeved by Dr. Lopez on 11/3/14. All went well. No complications. You can read more through my posts about my experience.

Congratulations!!! Getting under 200 before the age of 30 has been my #1 goal. I can't wait until I reach it! You look fantastic. I can't wait to see you at your goal weight!

You would think. But I think that they give a "general" guide and then it is personalized with the followup visits. I see some people with no complications and no intolerances being advanced to the next stage early. On the flip side there are some who barely tolerate liquids and it seems they really struggle and spend more time recovering and moving through the stages. Then again I had my surgery in Mexico so I'm a little more on my own. Thankfully I've had no complications or food intolerances but I've been super careful and pay a lot of attention to my body and how I feel.

Yes, I had the sleeve 11/3. The post op plan was basically: Week 1 - clear liquids Week 2 - full liquids Week 3 - puree Week 4 - soft foods Week 5 - add back normal foods one at a time to gauge tolerance However, post op plans vary widely surgeon to surgeon so make sure you follow what your surgeon told you! It's better to be safe than sorry.

I did clear liquids one week then full liquids the second week. I added puréed food the third week but decided to keep drinking a protein shake for breakfast to meet my protein requirements.

I went back Monday last week as well and unfortunately I caught a cold. Well I have a standup desk and I could not do it. I ended up sitting a lot and leaving early every day. There were a few lunch breaks I laid in my car and slept I was so exhausted. I'm feeling better now that my cold is gone so maybe next week will be easier! I hope you get to feeling better soon. It's supposed to get a little better every day.

You look fantastic!! So inspirational ????

Oh no! I'm so sorry. I know you are only a few days ahead of me but I haven't had these issues. The worst I've had is mild reflux. What are you eating? How often are you throwing up? Are you throwing up with everything you eat or only certain foods?

"Dumping syndrome is more commonly seen with gastric bypass and caused by rapid emptying of simple carbohydrates into the jejunum-ileum, which leads patients to experience watery diarrhea, diaphoresis (extreme sweating), episodic hypoglycemia, abdominal pain, bloating, stomach rumbling, tachycardia, flushing, and nausea. The syndrome is categorized into early or late, depending on when symptoms begin and their severity. Typically, signs of early dumping syndrome include gastrointestinal upset, diarrhea, bloating, sweating, palpitations, and dizziness. Late dumping syndrome generally includes hypoglycemia, fainting, confusion, and excessive hunger. At one time, dumping syndrome wasn’t believed to occur with VSG because the duodenum remained intact. However, Tzovaras and colleagues demonstrated that VSG patients, when given an oral glucose challenge, can experience clinical symptoms of early or late dumping syndrome characterized by hypoglycemia, nausea, diaphoresis, and fainting.39 Therefore, patients should be educated about avoiding an excessive intake of simple sugars after surgery." http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/050114p44.shtml

These sound great!

My stomach grumbled and rumbled a LOT my first two weeks. Then it stopped.

Dumping Syndrome isn't very common with the sleeve because nothing is rerouted. However, I had a protein shake with 23 g of sugar a week post op and had an episode. So there are "triggers" you can avoid. When I had my gallbladder out I had dumping from certain fats (sausage, popcorn with butter, fried foods) so I just avoided those triggers.

Yes!! While I'm only 3+ weeks post op, I decided before surgery that I would switch to weighing only once a month. You see...I'm a recovering scale addict. And I wanted to use this surgery to heal myself physically, mentally and emotionally. I would weigh every day and beat myself up about it. Very self-critical. After reading so many posts about the "dreaded 3 week stall" I thought well hey, if I'm sleeved on Nov 3 then I'll just weigh in on the first of each month. That's easy to remember. So I haven't weighed myself since surgery. I'm guaranteed a decent loss on Dec 1 but I won't know if I've been going through a stall or how long it has been.

What's wrong with chicken broth and tea? Those are practically water! You're so close. Hang in there a little longer! You've got this.

Did you get to watch your leak test? I did. It was amazing to see the liquid go straight through my stomach. It helped me understand that liquids are not going to do much to fill me up. As soon as I started puréed food I noticed the restriction. Just be sure you don't drink during or up to 30 min after eating or you'll flush you food right through your stomach and won't stay full.

It will get better when you get to actual food, especially protein.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who can't turn down the pitiful faces!

Drink water constantly. Get some different flavored water enhancers so you don't get bored. Drink decaf hot tea. Anytime you feel hungry, drink water.

I definitely feel a hibernation coming on! I saw SO many posts about people freaking out about the "dreaded 3 week stall" so I figured I would save myself the insanity and just skip it all together. I'm guaranteed a loss Dec 1 and I won't know how long my stall has been. :-) I'm trying not to be a slave to the scale, @@Becca R.

Basically Week 1 is rough with gas and diet. Week 2 is no more gas and drinking gets easier but by this time I was dying to chew something. I just started Week 3 (puréed, yay!!) and back to work and I'm exhausted.

If you go to http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/320791-Kristen%27s-Journey-From-Pre-Op-and-Beyond it shows my first two weeks but of course you can ask details if you want, @@Becca R.

So happy to hear from you ladies!! Welcome to the loser's bench!

So surgery was Monday, November 3. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this journey. There were a few hiccups along the way but nothing that ever made me regret my decision. When we first arrived at the airport I called Victor but he said he was going back to TJ and would send another driver. Samuel picked us up and took us on a tour of San Diego while waiting for two more people. Once we got to the Marriott we were checked in and got to our room. We waited a bit but never met a patient advocate. This made me nervous since I had no idea what time to be ready in the morning. I couldn't call from my hotel room because I didn't have the local number. I ended up texting Victor who got in touch with Sandra. She showed up within 15 minutes and explained somehow I was put on the wrong list. This made me a little nervous but was happy at least they found me and I was still scheduled for the next day. The Marriott was wonderful in every way. They are very attentive and helped with any request we had. Their broth hit the spot! At the hospital the only issue I had was waiting over six hours for surgery. After waiting six hours I had a little nervous breakdown because I realized it was dark outside and I thought the doctor would be tired when he operated on me. I also thought maybe because I was on the wrong list at the hotel that he was overbooked and overworked and I didn't want to be the last one to be operated on. I'm sure the lack of food for 3 days contributed to that but they finally took me to the OR and gave me medicines to relax. They explained that they save the easiest for last and I was the only one that day who wasn't some type of revision and I had no other co-morbidities. After I met with Dr. Lopez and gauged his alertness I felt more confident. I feel bad for the girls in the recovery room. I can only remember dry heaving, moaning and fighting with the oxygen mask constantly. I think they had to give me lots of drugs to calm me down. My recovery went better than expected. I did have some gas pain in my chest but I worked on walking and breathing deeply each day and it has gotten better. I got what feels like a bubble stuck in my chest when I would drink despite taking small sips but this only lasted about five or six days. I did have diarrhea for 7 days though. That was rough but it helped get a lot of gas out! My MIL got me some kind of herbal tea that helps relieve gas and it was magical. I had a fever for a few days post op. I think two of my incisions were very slightly infected but I showered every day and my MIL would clean them with alcohol, put antibiotic ointment and new bandages. They look pretty good now. Day 6 post op was the magical day I finally gained my independence and didn't have to rely on someone to help me out of bed or dry me after a shower. I have decided to take part in "No Weigh November" because I would like to avoid the dreaded 3 week stall so I will not be weighing until December 1st.

Yes they were. I took them off the next morning when the anesthesia had worn off enough!

Did you have your surgery at Mi Doctor? I recognize those white thigh highs and green walls.