Succinctity

Oh, wow! I'm glad you're OK! Our house flooded in March with the huge rains we had up here, but what we saw was nothing like what's been happening down there. I hope you all get some relief soon. I have a follow-up with Dr. Borland scheduled for Tuesday, but I will likely reschedule even if they don't, because I don't feel comfortable driving in an unfamiliar place with flooding like this going on. Gosh, stay safe.

Good luck to you on this journey! I just had the sleeve done five days ago and already am convinced it was the best decision I've ever made. I hope you have a positive experience, too, and don't have to jump through too many hoops to get there!

That's an awesome idea. I adore watermelon and would love to try to get some of my fluids (and protein!) this way when I'm allowed. Thanks for sharing!

That sounds like a fantastic feeling! I love the image of shedding all those layers of old clothes along with the excess weight. You're kicking butt and it's an inspiration.

I had my surgery on 08/09 and I feel much the same. My stomach rumbles and I get a sharp sort of crampy hunger feeling most times when I drink, even with teensy sips, but it dissipates really quickly. It seems to be worse with Water than other liquids, but it passes quickly regardless. I'm pretty sure this is normal and will pass. I can't totally tell if I'm hungry yet, either, so I'm just going with the recommended Fluid and Protein levels and gauging how I feel so I can bring it up with my doctor next week if it feels off. But I'm doing pretty great at the moment in terms of energy and whatnot, so I think that means I'm okay for intake? But if you're dealing with a lot of fatigue it may be difficult to use that as a way to measure what's working for you. All depends on your body, I guess!

We drove from Shreveport, and it took about 4 hours with a couple of short stops and a little rough weather. I'm a little astonished at the results so far, to be honest. I feel amazing today--better than normal before surgery and only a little itchiness on my large incision to tell me it's there. It makes me think they did a really good job since the incisions aren't bothering me and they're healing so well. I'm down near 20lbs in less than a week and that's had an enormous impact on the ease of certain things like showering and dressing. It may be a little less dramatic for you since there's less to lose--but maybe not, in terms of percentage of body weight!--but either way, I can't imagine the first few weeks not kicking your body into gear if everything goes well! Fingers crossed for you!

Following! All of these suggestions are making me look forward to the blended phase very much! That Buffalo chicken--yum.

This may be a little late for your original question, but Dr. Borland performed my surgery last Tuesday, 08/09/16. He was about as personable as I've ever seen a surgeon be and doesn't waste much time with non-essentials either in the consultations or on the day of surgery. I saw him in July for a consult and had the surgery four weeks later, so we bustled along. The surgery was outpatient at New Iberia Surgery Center. I was really pleased with their facilities and most of the staff members were great. My intake nurse couldn't get the IV in on first or second try and it was hella painful, but I have small and cantankerous veins so ymmv. The good news is the IV stick was probably the most painful part of the whole process. I had only the smallest amount of nausea the night of the surgery (was back at the hotel by then) and while I've had some light pain and discomfort when standing in my large incision at the belly button, nothing has been debilitating. The nursing team the assistant anesthetist (I think he was a CRNA, but not certain) were generally and very attentive. Dr. Borland came to see me at the hotel on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, checked all my vitals and the incisions, and said I could leave Thursday and he thought I'd be just fine or I could stay another night and he'd come back to see me again. I chose to leave because I missed my bed and the comfort of home. I handled the 4 hour drive back home on Thursday really well, no nausea like I'd feared. I did take the pain med for the trip because I wanted to be sleepy to help it pass easier. Dr. Borland cleared me for full liquids a little early--starting tomorrow, Saturday, and I'm looking forward to that. My stomach has been talking to me a LOT but I haven't really felt any hunger. I'm pretty tired but not exhausted like I expected to be. There was no coddling and little coaching, which suits me well enough, but if someone wants an involved team where you have a surgeon, GP, nutritionist, therapist, etc., all managing a detailed plan of care--Borland isn't for them. There are follow-up appointments and you can call him any time at work, at home, or via a pager, but it's very self-managed and that can be daunting. Overall, I'm really happy with the experience, for whatever it's worth just three days out!