Duke483

I'm about three weeks post op. I wore 46 inch pants the day of the operation. Now, I'm in 40s. I can fit into 38's but they're a bit snug. Looks like I'm buying new pants every two weeks. I've gone from XXXL to XL in sweats.

On 1/22/2020 at 10:09 AM, Duke483 said:

None. But I've only had half a Jello and half a yogurt. Plus Water of course.

Another update. Had my post op last Friday. Down 20 pounds since surgery on 20 Jan. I've gone from 3XL to XL and my pants size from 46 to 40. I can get into 38 but it's a tad tight.

On 11/23/2019 at 8:47 AM, chim said:

My Dr claim he remove a hernia during surgery. I feel like he shouldn't have because i don't remember giving consent for that. I am actually very upset about the situation because i don't feel I had a hernia problem. I feel like suing him at this point because I am in more pain than i need to be because of this and my bellybutton is swollen an looks ugly

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The incision near the belly button is where the camera was inserted. Shouldn't have a thing to do with a hernia.

BTW, are you aware that a hiatal hernia is a major cause of reflux?

The only one who will get rich from a lawsuit is the lawyer.

4 minutes ago, melmet42 said:

4 days post op and I feel really bloated still, is this normal? I’m passing gas as best I can, but I still feel like my stomach is very hard and stretched. Any thoughts would be helpful.

I had my sleeve this last Monday, the 20th, and I'm just now getting to the point where my abs are not painful when I sit up. I'm still a bit bloated but better. I gained nine pounds during the surgery which must have been Water gain from the IVs because that's all gone now. Perhaps you've just got a lot of water to pass. I was 257 the morning of the surgery. On Tuesday I was 266. This morning I was down to 256.

1 minute ago, rene50 said:

To Duke:

Wow! It sounds like you are doing great. No nausea?

None. But I've only had half a Jello and half a yogurt. Plus Water of course.

On 12/17/2019 at 9:06 AM, Duke483 said:

Time for an update.

As I mentioned prior, my pre-op is scheduled for 27 Dec and surgery for 20 Jan. I've been working on my prerequisites and knocked out a biggie this morning. I've done the psych eval, the supervised weight loss program, and insurance is in place. Had a bit of trouble with the stress test (I do not do treadmills well.) so had to do a cardiac catherization. Did that last week and no blockage so the cardiac physician is thumbs up for surgery. Also had to do a EGD which I did this AM. The EGD showed a hiatal hernia and some Barrets. I knew about those so that was no surprise. My surgeon performed the EGD and said he wanted to be sure I understood the risks of a sleeve v. bypass wrt GERD but that he saw nothing that would prevent doing either.

Yes, I realize the bypass is superior to the sleeve for GERD but I much prefer the sleeve. The GERD has been well controlled for the past three years.

I have three things left.

I have to do a chest x-ray. (I've already told the physician that it will show a spot. That spot has been there for years so that shouldn't be a concern.)

I've got to do the pre-op.

The surgeon told me I need to lose 25 pounds at our initial consult. I've lost 15 and it's still over a month till surgery.

Had the sleeve done on Monday. Also corrected a hiatal hernia. Things went well. Only paid is when I set up or roll over. Well controlled with tylenol. Tuesday weight was up about nine pounds. Lost all that today. Must have been IV fluids.

1 hour ago, rene50 said:

Is anyone else concerned about negativity from family and friends? I'm having my surgery during a family vacation at a resort in MX and only a few family members know my plans. I'm choosing not to tell most people because I don't think I can deal with negativity and a million questions. I've done my research, and I'm comfortable with my decision. (okay, a little nervous)

One family member is actually traveling there with me and my husband. He and his wife are both hypochondriacs, and when he finds out about the surgery, he is going to completely freak out and try to talk me out of it. I love him dearly, but I'm not going to tell him until the last minute because I don't want to give him time to Google a bunch of scary stuff to text me. I will have to tell him before I leave the resort for surgery because he'll wonder where I am. Having surgery when I have lots of support sounded like a great idea, but now I'm realizing there a few people who are going to be negative and I'll have to deal with them too.

Waiting til the last minute to inform him sounds like the best course of action. Inform him by text of your procedure, that you're about to enter the operating room, and that you're turning your phone off.

My insurance person told me that I had to be very careful about these dates. For example, if I had an appointment with my personal physician near the end of October, my next appointment had to be no later than 30 November. If the appointment was 1 December, the insurance would make me start over. I have medicare/tricare.

The truly absurd thing about this three month weight monitoring/control thing was there is no requirement to gain/lose weight. Why do it?

The answer is this: as an insurance commissioner told me, insurance companies look for any reason/excuse to refuse to pay. Fortunately, I knew a man who knew the commissioner who had to threaten them with loss of license to get them to pay.

Furthermore, since the success/failure records are pretty much the same, it should be apparent that the actual pre-op diet chosen isn't all that important. They all work, even the one with the glass of wine the night before surgery.

And, yes, I realize the surgeon only desires the best for his patients. I wish there was more research to support this or that diet.

After reading the differences in pre-op diets, I do believe if I were to go through this again I would have far more questions about those diets.

11 hours ago, jubug09 said:

My surgeons office told us specifically not to use Bone Broth and they HATE Premier Protein with a passion. I don't get it but apparently the pp are too processed with chemicals they don't like. And I think they are concerned with the sodium or fat levels in Bone Broth. It sure would be tasty tho lol


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One of the things this site demonstrates is how much of the dietary experience is the personal preferences of the surgeon and his staff.

6 minutes ago, rene50 said:

Same with me, I will be picked up for my surgery at 0530. Let us know how you are doing. 💙

I will update.

Sleeve surgery a week from today (20 Jan). Been on pre-op liquid diet since 8 Jan. Not as bad as I anticipated.

My big complaint is that I have to be at the hospital at 0530. Wish I could sleep a bit longer.

I had to be there for my ESD at 0530 as well. Of course, nothing happened till 0800. Just like the Army, Hurry Up and Wait.

On 12/27/2019 at 8:38 PM, Krimsonbutterflies said:

What is HPMR? I'm so excited for you? Are you isolating yourself to stay focused or are you still able to stay socially active and on task?

High Protein Meal Replacement, a liquid meal prescribed for pre-op diets. Surgeon said specifically that it wasn't for post op, too

On 12/30/2019 at 9:10 PM, Anessava said:

Just starting this whole process after considering it for four years. Need to do classes for my insurance, which I am ok with because I like time to research and plan. What do I need to know or questions I should remember to ask during this whole process?

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I would inquire about the pre-op diet required by the surgeon. As you've probably noticed, the surgeon's requirements for pre-op definitely vary. Obviously, there's no magic pre-op diet so find one you'll be comfortable with.

10 hours ago, Krimsonbutterflies said:

What is HPMR? I'm so excited for you? Are you isolating yourself to stay focused or are you still able to stay socially active and on task?

High Protein Meal Replacement, a liquid meal prescribed for pre-op diets. Surgeon said specifically that it wasn't for post op, takes too long to digest. You can get it in the store here.

On 12/17/2019 at 9:06 AM, Duke483 said:

Time for an update.

As I mentioned prior, my pre-op is scheduled for 27 Dec and surgery for 20 Jan. I've been working on my prerequisites and knocked out a biggie this morning. I've done the psych eval, the supervised weight loss program, and insurance is in place. Had a bit of trouble with the stress test (I do not do treadmills well.) so had to do a cardiac catherization. Did that last week and no blockage so the cardiac physician is thumbs up for surgery. Also had to do a EGD which I did this AM. The EGD showed a hiatal hernia and some Barrets. I knew about those so that was no surprise. My surgeon performed the EGD and said he wanted to be sure I understood the risks of a sleeve v. bypass wrt GERD but that he saw nothing that would prevent doing either.

Yes, I realize the bypass is superior to the sleeve for GERD but I much prefer the sleeve. The GERD has been well controlled for the past three years.

I have three things left.

I have to do a chest x-ray. (I've already told the physician that it will show a spot. That spot has been there for years so that shouldn't be a concern.)

I've got to do the pre-op.

The surgeon told me I need to lose 25 pounds at our initial consult. I've lost 15 and it's still over a month till surgery.

Just finished the pre-op consultation for my gastric sleeve. Everything good to go for surgery on 20 Jan. Have to be at the hospital at 0530 (oh, joy). Expect to stay till next day. Pre-op diet is HPMR thrice daily beginning 12 Jan. Only Clear Liquids on 19 Jan.

Anyone use an App like Baritastic to track their progress?

My surgeon's office also stated that medicare doesn't do 'pre-approvals'. But, medicare does retain the right to 'audit' the surgeries they perform. My offices requires an acknowledgement that if medicare audit shows the surgery didn't meet their requirements, then the patient may receive a bill. I was willing to pay out-of-pocket so this isn't a big deal.

And, yes, a medicare requirement is to fail the medically supervised weight loss program. I've yet to see a definition of 'failure'.

Just took six boxes of clothes to a neighbor who has a son who can use them. I'm 30 days prior to surgery and I've lost 16 pounds and one, almost two, pants sizes.

Time for an update.

As I mentioned prior, my pre-op is scheduled for 27 Dec and surgery for 20 Jan. I've been working on my prerequisites and knocked out a biggie this morning. I've done the psych eval, the supervised weight loss program, and insurance is in place. Had a bit of trouble with the stress test (I do not do treadmills well.) so had to do a cardiac catherization. Did that last week and no blockage so the cardiac physician is thumbs up for surgery. Also had to do a EGD which I did this AM. The EGD showed a hiatal hernia and some Barrets. I knew about those so that was no surprise. My surgeon performed the EGD and said he wanted to be sure I understood the risks of a sleeve v. bypass wrt GERD but that he saw nothing that would prevent doing either.

Yes, I realize the bypass is superior to the sleeve for GERD but I much prefer the sleeve. The GERD has been well controlled for the past three years.

I have three things left.

I have to do a chest x-ray. (I've already told the physician that it will show a spot. That spot has been there for years so that shouldn't be a concern.)

I've got to do the pre-op.

The surgeon told me I need to lose 25 pounds at our initial consult. I've lost 15 and it's still over a month till surgery.

My gastric sleeve surgery is scheduled for 20 Jan.

My pre-op appointment is scheduled for 27 Dec.