judy1234

I had the surgery for things other than just the weight loss.
I seldom went to bars before surgery. When I looked at the menus, most of the foods are fried. I was asking so that I can prepare myself and make better choices. That's not setting myself up for failure; it's setting myself up to make the right choice with some advice from others.

Ha, I have to get used to the lingo here. When I opened this thread I thought it was about taking acid before your surgery. I was like what?!?!

Normally I don't engage in conflicting opinions because everyone has their own but felt I needed to share the other side of yours. In today's economy there are many people who live pay check to pay check. A few thousand dollars doesn't come easy in today's world unfortunately. The frustration for people to think they'll have insurance coverage then realize they don't and be faced with the prospect of raising this money on their own is overwhelming and frankly they have the right to be sad and frustrated. Your way isn't always possible. I like your thought, it's just not always viable. Especially not in a quicker time frame which most are aiming for.

Hi all,
I was sleeved on Dec 1.
I realize that everyone's experience is going to be different, but I hope that by sharing my own observations, maybe I can lessen some of the anxiety for someone else.
I did a lot of research on the sleeve right up until the day before I got it. Even with all that, I felt unprepared and pretty nervous about what was going to be a permanent change.
My friend dropped me off at the front of the hospital for my pre-op check-in. My family all lives out of town and I didn't tell a ton of people what I was up to. So I texted a few well-wishers from the waiting room and then the party started.
There were a lot of questions, a fancy air-warmed paper gown and skidproof socks to change into, and some vitals and blood taken. So far, so good.
I didn't get really, really nervous until the anesthetist showed up during the prep and I think it was because that was the first time I'd been left alone since arriving, so I had time to consider what I was about to do. I was dialing my friend to ask him to come back and take me home, but then the team swept in, being all efficient and professional, and I just kind of let it go. You know, I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I wanted to go home so I could eat. I was THAT hungry.
I don't remember much after the IV was started. I think I was transferred from the surgical gurney to my bed on an inflatable mattress, but I could have been imagining that.
I didn't have much pain at all -- more discomfort than anything. I intended to stay one night, but ended up staying two because the air from the procedure wouldn't er... move out. They said that's common. I also wasn't getting enough fluids in -- also very common.
I packed according to lists I found on here.
The clothes I wore to the hospital (t shirt, loose jacket, fleece pants, underclothes, warm socks, boots that I could just slide on) Phone charger with a looong cord An electric throw (this was GREAT!) A comb, face soap, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, and hand lotion Aquaphor (or Chapstick) A copy of my healthcare directive I braided my hair while it was damp the day I left for the hospital because it tends to tangle a lot. The band was fabric, so they let me keep it in and it held the mess together pretty well for a full day.
I didn't touch the magazines or the washcloth I'd brought along. I was given an inspirometer the week before my procedure and I brought it with me as instructed. After surgery, they gave me another one, so I just left the first one in my bag.
I also brought a heating pad on the advice of a friend who'd previously had the surgery, but I ditched it for the cozy throw. Plus the throw was nice to use in place of a pillow for the ride home. I left a bottle of Water in the car for the ride home as well. This provided a good distraction from the bumps and turns.
I wish I'd brought along
an extra set of underwear, pants, and socks shampoo and conditioner something to keep all the paperwork in an MP3 player -- my roommate was inconsiderate my FitBit to track my steps I wore the fleece pants to cover up my bottom while I trucked around the halls, but I was strongly urged to keep the hospital gown on because of the IV.
I had a couple of friends visit later on the day of the surgery and can't recall much about the time except that they brought me a sign calling me a loser and some shakes and I was really, really tired. I remember the surgeon stopping by, and a LOT of other people checking in. (I was at a university hospital, so I expect I had a few residents inspecting the surgeon's work.) It's all kind of fuzzy and I just have an impression of people popping in to ask a few questions and look at my belly.
The staples came out the day after the procedure. It hurt a little bit, but not unbearably and it was over quickly.
I was allowed to shower after that and they only gave me a couple of trial-size bottles of Johnson's, which doubles as a body wash. So it took a bit of work and a lot of energy to get my hair combed out afterward.
I had a lot of choices for "meals": vegetarian, chicken, or beef broth (all too salty); juice; Gatorade; lemonade; oatmeal; yogurt; popsicles; teas; coffees; and sherbet. I fixated on the sherbet and popsicles because for some reason, cold felt better than hot. I noticed right away that the artificial sweetener chemical aftertaste lingered and lingered and lingered. Through several cups of Water and Gatorade. The lemonade kind of helped, but I couldn't drink enough to get rid of it completely. I sucked on ice chips whenever I had them handy.
I was encouraged to walk as much as possible, and I got in a few laps. I had to pee in a bowl that fit under the toilet seat to monitor my input/output. That was kind of weird. But when you're drugged up, you get a little less self conscious.
Since this is about the hospital, I won't detail the liquid phase or any of that stuff here. I will say that I came home, put a pillow under my knees and an extra one under my melon and I slept like a frickin' princess. (I'm a week out and just now able to start sleeping on my side again.)
I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but hopefully this will give you some idea of what to expect when you go. I don't think I was well prepared by me surgical team as far as what to expect after the surgery and I plan on sharing that feedback with them. But I was prepared enough and always felt like I was in competent hands.
Welcome to the adventure, you Losers!

Dehydration can cause nausea and headaches. I would try drinking more fluids and see if that helps.

Day 18. On pureed foods since last Wednesday. Still trying to find what I can eat/tolerate. Got close to 60 grams Protein Saturday and Sunday and drank all my Water. Surprise , surprise I woke up got on the scale and gained 5 lbs overnight from Saturday to Sunday and today still up that 5 lbs. I gained 7 lbs post op and took 10 days for that to go then I dropped 10 lbs and now gain 5. Down a net 5 lbs. Kind of disappointed when I see people down 20 lbs and the weight is flying off. I know I shouldn't compare but after 3 solid weeks of liquids and gagging down Protein shakes and then having a hard time finding anything besides fat free refried Beans that my new stomach will tolerate it's kind of hard. I have upped my exercise (water walking with weights to 1 hour a day 6 days a week.)

At first I decided to keep it from my co workers etc. As surgery got closer I started telling few close friends . Then I realised I really dont care who knows. I filled in my sick leave form at work and put in capital letters OBESITY SURGERY . I then scanned it to 19 people at my work with subject title (in capitals) again ANY QUESTIONS. I guess worrying about what people think of me is of little consequence . Life is an hourglass and the sand is only at the top once. So Im having sleeve to reclaim my life if anybody judges me (and they will) I couldn't give a sh*t . Lets roll on and enjoy this life. To all you people out there who are stressing about what people thing about your surgery how about You become a stress doner and pass your stress to me and I will happily ignore it and you can give your self some relief.,deal ?

Thanks everyone for your input. I really want to keep this to myself, but I have no idea how I can. My fiancé knows and is super supportive. I did end up telling one of my sisters. Initially she asked why I couldn't do it on my own, and was concerned about the risk, but once I talked to her about it, she seemed to be on board and promised she would keep it to herself. I know my parents are going to be against it, but I'll figure out how to deal with that closer to when I get a surgery date. Work is another major concern for me, I work with all women, many of whom are incredibly big gossips. I also am pretty sure I won't get the time off without everybody knowing what's up- oh and I work at the hospital where the surgery would take place.. I know it should be confidential but I don't know how it won't get out

I am struggling with this as well. Tomorrow is my first day back at work after surgery. A couple of close coworkers know I'm having "stomach surgery", and that it's not cancer. My mom and two life long friends I never see in person know. I'm not going to lie, but I figure if I stonewall everybody they'll figure it out. Unless I just fail and stay fat. Which I fear at this point given the insane cravings I'm having. Back on point, the reason I don't want to tell my coworkers (you tell one, you've told 'em all, plus the building next door), is that several of them are JERKS about obesity. I know this from both sides of the fence as I was not obese when I started working there a decade ago. Not sure how I'm going to handle it, but I suspect I'll find out tomorrow!
UPDATE: I was too tired to say anything other than the truth. Now everybody knows. And I could care less. No one has said a negative thing to me. I realize I don't care enough about the jerks to worry over what they think.

At first I was going to hide my surgery from others. But then I felt like I was feeding into the shame and stigma that's associated with the surgery. While I have had some haters (although their protests were super polite "maybe you could just eat like that without surgery", or "have you tried exercise?") for the most part people were pretty supportive. I was also an inspiration to those who were silently thinking about the surgery. Overall I am happy with my decision to share my journey as I found friends and support in people that I didn't expect it from. What a blessing!

I'm having a tough time with this. When I first decided, I was thinking that I'd eventually be open about it, but decided to keep it on a need-to-know basis for the time being.
"Need to know" turned out to be my wife (of course) and family with whom I had events scheduled that would not have been able to cancel without hurting them.
Unfortunately, my mother is 92 and she forgets that it's a secret. She also is full of old school misinformation about WLS (it doesn't work, the surgery is a magic trick and I don't have to do anything else). I know that's she's told three people and probably more.
Meanwhile, I haven't been telling any of my close friends and I'm afraid they'll find out from someone my mother told and be upset that I didn't tell them!
My "story" has been evolving...

1. My BMI was in the high 30's and I carried it well, so people didn't consider me obese (I think).

2. I have been dropping weight very fast (57 pounds since August) and people are blown away.

3. I have been holed up in a remote vacation home and avoiding social activity for 3 months, but now I'm back in a very social community; I think people will notice that I'm only eating 4 ounces of food.

4. My current thinking is to respond to people who ask me "how are you doing it?" with:

- I discovered I had diabetes in the summer (true)
- My primary care doctor wanted to go down the diabetes treatment path (true)
- Instead, I entered a physician supervised medical Weight Loss Program (true)
- I have been an A+ patient (true)
This way, I can always concede that a surgical procedure was part of the program - if I feel the need.
Why would I feel the need?
I have a lot of close friends who would benefit from a VSG and I'd like to help them find this path...
I wish I hadn't told anyone!

So far, only my husband and two friends who have also had WLS know. I don't plan to tell more than a handful of people. Part of my reasoning is that I do NOT want my weight loss process (the losses, the stalls, the what-have-you's) to be the focus of attention. I just don't need the scrutiny.

Send a letter to both your surgeon and nephrologist requesting that they coordinate together. State that you want to make sure that all bases are covered for your care both pre and post op. Make them understand that you have concerns about how a post-op high Protein diet will be managed . Also make sure this is the bariatric program for you. If you are having issues with communication pre-op you may want to look at other programs. Your special needs will require close monitoring and good communication. Having trouble with communication pre-op is a bit of a red flag.

Well, I finally had surgery yesterday. Surgery began at 7:30, I was in my hospital room at 10:30 and by 11:30 I was up walking the halls. Pain was minimal, no nausea,heartburn, etc. the hardest part was nothing to drink the rest of the day.
Started today at 5:30 am walking the hall. By 8 am I started the phase 1 liquids. One ounce every 15 minutes has been no problem even threw in some broth and couple of Popsicles. Walked the halls so much most of the staff and half the other patients knew my name. Met with surgeon at 4 pm who said I was doing excellent and let me come home.
Feeling blessed not to have any complications so far. Thanks to everyone here who have shared their experiences and advise.

@@winklie I was laughing thinking about a middle-aged, ex-milatary white guy in sagging pants.
Just embrace the sag! Get yourself some plaid boxers, a chain wallet and a skateboard.

I'm not looking to give excuses as I know, in the end, it all comes down to me.
My HW was May. I hit 291. (I'm 5'5.5") Now, it was with some Fluid retention after being at theme parks for a few days, but it was still an eye opening moment as I had never been that close to 300. I lost down to 272 this summer. I decided to go the route of RNY as I was pretty stuck and was sick of being fat. Before my first appt, I was able to ditch another 5lbs so my official SW was 267. The surgeon wants me to lose 25lbs for surgery. I've lost another 5ish. I've been stuck here since, 262. I I keep doing ok with eating for a couple of days. Then I completely make wrong decisions for a day or two. Even though it's just a couple of days, it will set me back to 262. My preop diet will be 2 full weeks of no food, only BA shakes. I'm getting frustrated with myself and am beginning to wonder if I'll lose that last 20lbs for surgery. 242 is where he wants me. I haven't been that low since 3 kids ago! I've started crossfit and have been doing that for about 3wks now. I swear, I think I've lost an inch on my gut but no poundage. The office swears it's not to test devotion. They say it's purely to shrink the liver. The dietician told me not to stress it cause I'll lose it in the preop diet. Another counselor, though, told me to lose another 10lbs BEFORE the preop. I want to shout at them "If I could just drop weight like that, I wouldn't be here!" lol

I overheard a woman in my hospital's Water aerobics class mention that she won't be getting a surgery date in December, as hoped, due to a lack of beds as people try to get procedures done by year-end for insurance purposes.
I am only waiting for my psych eval to be completed (next week) and my insurance does not pre-certify so I was **really** hoping this might still happen in December. Bummer!!!!
I'll use the extra time to exercise and lose some more pounds but the waiting is maddening. I am sure I will feel better as soon as everything is cleared and we can set a surgery date.
I am so ready!!!!!

My surgery went well. My recovery is going well so far

Don't worry you'll do fine. I just had it done yesterday. Sending prayers your way.

Hi everyone, my surgery date is scheduled for January 5th. Anyone else having surgery then? I could have gotten it done sooner but my hubby can get time off easier if it's after the holidays. I've got my pre op appt with my surgeon on December 3rd, and my nutrition class on December 7th. I'm so excited!

Yep, I'm going to repeat the whole brain needs to catch up thing. 92 pounds down and I don't see the difference everyone else sees in me. I also do not feel as different as I expected,I'm still just as tired as ever. Perhaps because I was active before surgery and I still am, maybe because I'm older? Who knows? Anyway, because I can only see it in pictures and not in the mirror my therapist suggested looking at a side by side several times a day to give my brain the new information. I now have a before surgery/3 months post/current face pic as my screen saver..it's the only place I look several times a day. Hopefully no one else sees it and thinks I'm completely narcissistic.

Like @@Djmohr said, take pictures! I took a front, side, and back picture the night before surgery, and then I do the same photos every month. I still don't see it when I look in the mirror, but my first photos compared to my month 4 photos? It's very obvious!

Sure sounds like a form of dumping to me. The symptoms of dumping syndrome are curiously like that of hypoglycemia. Feelings like you are going to faint, sweating, dizziness, cramps, nausea, and diarrhea, either one or more of those symptoms, are common. Since you are feeling faint, sounds like a form of dumping.
You probably shouldn't eat sugar anymore. Even little bits.

Antibiotics are among the most frequently prescribed medications in modern medicine. Antibiotics cure disease by killing or injuring bacteria. After surgery antibiotics may be used to preclude wound infection. But there is a downside to the use of antibiotics. Antibiotics kill not only the harmful bacteria but also the helpful or good bacteria in the digestive system that keep our gut healthy.
Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that restore these lost good bacteria into our digestive system (in the intestines). Commonly Probiotics are recommended after gastric bypass and gastric sleeve surgery to restore our gut bacteria. When I went to store searching for probiotics, I saw a wide range of different types (and different prices). They vary by the number of friendly bacteria strains and by the number of colony forming units (CFU's). Also they vary by type of bacterial strains. Generally, Lactobacilli probiotics are most prevalent in the small intestine and Bifidobacteria probiotics are most prevalent in the large intestine (or colon).
I came across an interesting article today titled "Can some probiotics have an antibiotic effect?" at http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/09/03/can-some-probiotics-have-antibiotic-effect/?intcmp=hphz01
So I thought I would share it.

I'm at the hospital and I'm just waiting to be taken in for the procedure. I've been here since 9:30 and my surgery was scheduled for 11:30. They said they are a little backed up so it'll probably be another hour. I can't wait. I'm ready.