Taylor5

I have chronic daily back & neck pain due to car accidents/back surgeries and Fibromyalgia. We traveled from Phila to MX for my surgery. Just got back a little while ago. My back & neck are bothering me more than usual from the long journey, which I expected. I am having a little tenderness/itchiness at one incision site, and then some discomfort around my rib cage toward the back (king of behind the stomach area). I think for me this is likely muscular/tissue pain from my back stuff & the surgery, but could also be attributed to trapped gas. Anyway, just wanted to reach out because if your pain meds aren't doing the trick for the pain, I have a few tricks from my personal arsenal I would recommend: First, is a heating pad (on low to med, not high) in the area near or behind where your discomfort is, but Not On Any Incision Sites! I have found this to be very soothing. I have also been using roll-on Bio-Freeze gel, which is sort of like Ben-Gay but better quality and a little less stinky, lol. Can normally get from a good pharmacy. Again, near or behind area of discomfort, but definitely not near incision site. I also have two TENS units I have been using back/forth for my lower back, which I have found to be helpful with the cramping sensation from surgery as well. Same thing as far as not putting any of these items on your actual incision sites. Obviously you just want to keep them clean/dry/protected at all times except your daily shower allowance. If you don't have TENS but want to give it a shot, CVS carries some inexpensive units now for $25-30, as well as similar stores. You could also try adding liquid Tylenol to your pain med to amplify its benefits. Just be careful not to go over the daily limit of Acetaminophen with it being such a known issue lately. Also, for itchiness at incision sites, my physical therapist after my one back surgery recommended rolling a soft wash cloth up and gently rubbing over the incision as a gentle soother and also desensitizer. Hope some of this will work for you!

Congratulations!!

Me again! Went to OCC, got my blood work & EKG, saw the nutritionist, and am now settled in at the hotel. Feeling Much better now! Also found out I am first in the morning, so def happy about that and allowing myself to get a little excited! Please disregard the exaggerated nerves and grumpiness of my earlier message, and thanks for listening

Just arrived in San Diego last night. Staying at the Sheraton on the Marina. So pretty looking off the balcony at the boats on the marina and the bay. The flight from Philly was awful, even in first class - which apparently is just bigger seats these days, much more expensive tickets, and better snacks (which did me no good on my clear liquid diet, lol). Hurting pretty badly from all my back pain & fibro issues. Van from OCC will be here at 10 to pick us up and take me for pre-op testing. If all goes well surgery is tomorrow. Feeling so weak and tired though. Kind of wishing I could stay in this big comfy bed looking out at the boats. Maybe I could be anorexic? I'm kind of getting used to this not eating thing...Just kidding, not trying to make light of anorexia - I know it's a serious illness and hope I didn't offend anyone, I'm just so tired. I'm hoping the excitement will kick in more once we get to OCC and get settled in. Best wishes to all Dec sleevers who got sleeved over the past several days - hope you are feeling good! And to everyone going in this week as well. Good luck everyone!!

Thanks for all the great info. Looks like I'm going shopping today!

Glad I'm not the only one, LOL. Thanks for the tip - GNC makes sense, duh! But it has been a long time since I've been doing all this healthy stuff. I will definitely check there. And snickerdoodle? I love snickerdoodles, so that could work for me too! Thanks a bunch

I meant to get the nectar flavors but somehow ended up with a different product - boxes of fruit flavored protein powders to mix with water sort of like an unsweetened Kool-Aid idea? I got grape & mixed berry. I got them both down, but they were pretty bland. Maybe I could use them to make popsicles or something post-op and try the Syntrax instead. I got a box of creamy chicken packets to mix with homemade soup/broth to up the protein and satiety factor in that. Thankfully that has been going very well. I was going to get a bag of Isopure unflavored protein off Amazon (my go to for mostly everything) bc they have a 1 lb bag for a decent price - but some of the reviews say they think it is a fake product. So now I'm afraid to try it. The other choice is like 3-5 lbs, and I just hate spending that much money before I know if I can tolerate something or not. I feel like I'm already spending a fortune, and some of it already wasted on stuff I don't like. Then you have people saying your tastes can change and you might not even like the same stuff post-op, so there's another concern...

Thanks guys. Guess I will check into some convenience/grocery stores. Definitely trying to buy singles as even the 4 packs are too expensive, IMHO, if you can't tolerate them. I can't imagine drinking bananas & cream, but then again I Do like banana pudding & banana cream pie, so who knows?!

Does anyone know if you can take charcoal caps with you to the hospital to take post-op and also, if anyone has used them, have they been helpful with the gas issue? I take them at home sometimes to help with GI issues...

So I am on Day 10 of my liquid diet. 2 Protein shakes per day, 1 cup of homemade veggie soup for dinner - omg can I tell you veggies and broth have never tasted so good before?! 1 bottle of low sugar Gatorade or Vitamin Water Zero per day, 2 sugar free popsicles, and the rest is all water and supplements. My son was in the hospital for a week - just got out on Monday and had to move back in w/us due to some personal & health issues, so I spent the past week commuting to and sitting on a hard plastic chair at the hospital (great for my sucky back). Now it's total chaos around here trying to get him settled in as I also try to focus on getting ready to leave for San Diego w/my husband next Monday (Xmas Day) for surgery next Weds. My stomach hurts constantly (combo of no solid food and stress I think), and I only lost 3 lbs this past week, regardless of the super low cal diet. So that's a bummer. But my son is alive, I am 3 lbs from the goal the surg/nut set for me, and I'm getting sleeved in a week, so I'm really only complaining a little Mostly I just wish the stomach ache would go away... My gripes aside, cheers to all my other "December Sleevers" about to go in, just getting out, or enjoying the first weeks of recovery! Best wishes & good luck to everyone!!

LOL, that's exactly how I felt when I had my back surgeries! At least I'll be familiar with that feeling... That is awesome - way to go!! You're making so much progress already! Keep up the great work!

I always appreciate any feedback from "those who have gone before", lol. Even when it's not the perfect story, it helps to have realistic expectations. Even the horror stories have to be considered, I feel, but of course we usually take those into account during initial research whenever possible. For me, it is really helpful to hear what things are not that pleasant or even pretty awful to experience, but then hearing the majority of people say they would still do it again is what keeps me going! So definitely thanks for sharing And good luck with your continued recovery/success!

Doesn't sound so good when you put it like that. So is it enough to make you regret doing it, or do you just wish your daily "routine" didn't have to be so regimented? My surgery is in 10 days. Seems like you pay much closer attention to other's dissatisfaction the closer you get...

I'm 12/27 too - the countdown is on!!

Congrats on your success, you look great

Daaammmnnn!!! You look freakin' amazing!! Size 4??!!! So happy for you!!

Thank you, that's good to hear. Good luck with your treatment & everything!

I'm curious, If anyone has had an issue - such as a stricture - after having your procedure in MX, if you live in the US, how was it handled by the hospital/facility where you received treatment at home? Did your health insurance cover the complication...did you have complication insurance that covered it...or did you have to pay out of pocket? Also, did doctors at home give you a hard time/treat you differently because you had your procedure outside the U.S.? Thx!

I am sooo sympathetic, my two week liquid diet starts on Monday for surgery on the 27th. I am dreading it!! They've already had me on an "extended pre-op diet" for the past 6 weeks, which for me has just been getting used to adding in more veggies, proteins (espec finding shakes/bars I like), weaning off sweets, etc. So far it hasn't been too bad because I've been doing it little by little, but Monday is going to be a shock to the system. I can't imagine going that long without real, solid food in the stomach. I know we have to do it afterward, but hopefully being sleeved, post-op, etc., helps w/getting through that, right? It's pretty much willpower and "KEEP ON GOING, THE SURGERY IS WORTH IT!!" that gets you through the 14 day diet, I guess. Good luck to you - one day down, 13 to go

Thank you for your candor, I couldn't agree more. I am scheduled for 12/27 at a different facility. I did a lot of research but it is always concerning to hear about complications, especially when they are so extreme. It's terrible that you had to go through this ordeal and the way you were treated because you didn't have the perfect success story. I hope you are feeling better now after your revision to RNY. Good luck in your continued recovery. I know I will be keeping this in mind during these last few weeks before I leave, and things to look out for while there.

See this is what has been freaking me out lately. I Already have chronic digestive issues (along with a host of other chronic pain & health issues), and since my IBS has been flared up lately, I keep questioning if this is going to make it worse. My IBS is mixed, mostly C, but sometimes D. Mainly a lot of abdominal pain, intermittent nausea, GERD - which is well controlled with OTC 20 mg Nexium - so I can always go up to 40 mg if needed - and my gastroenterologist insisted the sleeve was the better option for me, in her opinion. So, IDK. I guess because we are paying out of pocket, and our loan is not inexpensive, that I already feel like it is a burden financially for my husband/family. If I don't have a good outcome, or if my daily issues become Worse?? Ugh, I can't even imagine any of us having to deal with that....

It sounds like this is definitely helpful for those suffering from IBS-D before surgery. My problem is I'm more of a mixed bag. In general I have been IBS-C for as long as I can remember, and take a prescription medication as well as probiotics and stool softeners daily to help with that. But certain foods/supplements such as too much dairy, too much vitamin D, stress, certain activities (improper alignment of the stars, lol) tend to send me off in the other direction and then I am chained to the house with cramping and constant bathroom trips. Either way, abdominal pain and intermittent nausea are frequent friends. I'm hopeful from some of the comments that it can help improve IBS-C as well, but with some people not going for days at a time...that's definitely not a result I can wish for. I do understand why it comes as a relief to some though

Just wondering if anyone else, like me, had IBS prior to surgery? I still have about 5 weeks til my date, but this past week I have been struggling. Usually I am IBS-C, but sometimes is mixed, especially during times of stress, then will be IBS-D. Often when I eat - especially in the morning, it takes several hours for my system to work itself out and for me to be able to use the restroom normally, and get rid of nausea/abdominal pain. I do take several meds and supplements to help with this, but it is a daily balancing act. During my extended pre-op diet, I have been sampling different protein drinks and different types of vitamins. A lot of what I'm sampling is causing severe abdominal distress. I've been in bed for over 24 hours in pain, with a heating pad and using every tool I have. But I am really worried. Is this just going to get worse after the surgery? Am I setting myself up for even more pain and misery? I can't imagine things being worse, but I'm sure that's naive. Has anyone else gone into this with pre-existing IBS/GERD/Other digestive issues? If so, what helped you during recovery and to get in your protein and vitamins at first? Are you feeling better now? Do you think the surgery helped your stomach issues/made them worse/or had no real affect on them whatsoever? Thanks in advance for help/tips Not feeling very positive today and hating it...

I do okay on small amounts of dairy. But most of the premade shakes I've been sampling (just to know for the first few weeks post-op) are made with milk. I made my own with rice milk and protein powder, which I used to tolerate pretty well, but still had symptoms. Then I tried Lactaid before a bottled shake but that didn't seem to work. So, my next step is trying the lactose free milk. Beyond that I'm going with the advice I got to go with protein water. I got some of the flavored liquid mixes from the BPal store, and it went well. Thanks for the info on your experience, and please, definitely keep me/us updated! Good luck with your recovery

I'm December 27th. My husband has off that week, so I will be flying from Philadelphia to San Diego on my clear fluid diet, on Christmas Day - dreading that part, lol, but it was my choice. Definitely though, just talk with them and go with your gut - while you still have one ~ haha! Let me know how it goes, & good luck! Maybe we'll end up down there at the same time