Nanook

Well I'm back from my RNY that I had on Thursday and feel a lot better now that I'm home. Was released at 9:30 AM Saturday but as most of us know it takes a while and left at 1:00PM. At first the pain was so great along with headaches that I was experiencing a bit of self doubt about this surgery. I had some scar tissue from the removal of the lap band last October so I suppose it took a little longer. That incision for the big stapler is pretty sore. And I don't remember if this happened with the lap band but after this surgery I physically appear larger but refuse to get on the scale:ohmy: I won't discusss the hospital or the staff because even though there were a few bad experiences there were more positive, can't be perfect but did have a male nurse from Hell who probably needed the vacation he took to Italy today:cursing: OK I lied I did discuss but I'll try not to from now on! Anyway I had a bit of a scare as my bp was way up the day I dealt with, I'll call him "Biff" (male nurse from Hell) and it just increased during the day and got worse and my headaches got worse and body temp rose. So they called in an on-call surgeon and she waited until things got better as she didn't want to have to go in there that night due to some infection. Trust me I'd pull the cord before I'd let them do that again!! So I'm on liquids, clear for a couple days and my meds are going down and the headaches are starting to subside. Maybe because I'm back on my antidepressants. Plus I can sleep as that was nearly impossible except during the surgery! But I just thought since I could sit up a bit I'd share while it's still fresh in my mind, my short term memory is not too good, not due to the surgery:blushing:. I thought for those of you it would benefit, as I'm certainly not a procedure pusher that I would share in case it helps someone. Take care, Nancy.:tongue_smilie:

Thanks Headhunter, Today I know what it's like to be kicked to death in the ribs by feral donkeys! My group has a combined vits/sups etc... where you only take four chewables a day which is much different than the huge amount my daughter took and could never get down! But I have to take the protein everyday which is no big deal, well now it is of course but in the future shouldn't be. Anyway if these damn headaches would go away life would be much better. Thanks for your support, Nancy.

Seren... I haven't read all the responses but have been involved with fat acceptance groups and most of them feel the same way. What can I say but weight seems to be the only acceptable form of prejudice today, I'm sure people will argue that. So it may not be that you are black or blind. There are some stupid people out there who act like this. It could be she had a germ phobia but most fat people have felt this from time to time, like we're sucking up everyones oxygen and smell. Actually I believe some people feel they will "catch" obesity! Sorry if you're having issues, no one deserves to be treated like that. Take care Nancy.

Sistasassy, Your dog is really cute what kind is it? Nancy.

Can you call your primary, if you're worried about your heart they may send you in. I had chest pains when I had the band and my primary sent me to the ER to rule out my heart which it wasn't and it ended up being acid reflux and a hiatal hernia. If you're worried and you surgeon is that non-responsive about your health you should call your primary. We have to be our own health advocates. Good luck, Nancy. PS mine would last seconds but come back that often too like a spasm.

I haven't been here as long as Green had and a lot of you but could tell by her posts that she was a good person and uplifting considering what she was going through, she will be missed, Nancy.

If you need CPAP equipment you can go online and order it from www.directhomemedical.com . I'm sure there are plenty of other companies to order from and you could probably overnight them. That's how I get replacement parts now. wwwcpaptalk.com is a forum you can join if you have questions about your machine. They're good at giving advice on where to get the cheapest equipment also. Good luck to you, Nancy.

Thanks Corliss for sharing that with me, that's awful! I know being a mother of a daughter who also had it done that it is really scary when there are complications with it and hers has been so mild compared to your daughter's. I hope your daughter's health improves and it does show the dangers of WLS, RNY in your case and how real it is and unpredictable it can be. If I was able to lose weight the band I would consider the sleeve but I need the malabsorption of the RNY. Take care, Nancy.

Corliss, Sorry your daughter had such comps from her RNY. Do you mind me asking what they were. My daughter had hers a year ago and besides a stricture has been complication free so far. My RNY is this Thursday. Thanks Nancy.

I don't know what the major difference I will feel once I have the bypass on Thursday but am looking forward to it. As one who never did well with the band this was my only choice. It's really difficult to know which surgery to choose in the first place, initially I wanted the RNY but chickend out at the last moment. In hindsite that was a mistake but I was fortuneate not to have major complications with the band and was able to have my insurance pay for the removal and revision to RNY. At my age with my comorbs I believe the RNY really is the best solution for me. I know ahead of time that any surgery can fail in the long run but I did have different expectations from the band which were not realistic. I also know that with the RNY my diabetes II will "cured" in a short amount of time. I also know that I don't have to worry about restriction variations with RNY as it will be there from the start. Dumping syndrome occurs somewhere between 40% and 50% of the people who have RNY so its not something you can count on so you still have to be careful with your sugar/fat. Drinking before and after eating is something you have to restrict also as you're basically a self flusher now because you don't have the pyloris valve anymore. And chewing very well is important so that you don't stretch your pouch or your new stoma. Anyway I'm having RNY because I want to lose weight and I didn't with the lap band. Whatever that percentage is that doesn't lose with the band I am a part of. I'll post when I can to let people know who aren't RNYers themselves what it's like to be a bypasser and compare it to being a bander. I'm curious to know what the small pouch feels like compared to a banded pouch and what foods I can tolerate etc... So whoever can come up with the best way to decide which surgery is the best fit for each individual wins the lottery in my book because it's not always an easy thing to figure out beforehand. Good luck to all of us who are having or had WLS as it's not easy for anyone, Nancy.

Good luck to you Linds, I'm having my RNY on the 11th, my daughter had it a year ago and has already lost close to 150lbs. I'm sure it's going to be much different than the band and will be a learning experience for us both, good luck, Nancy.:blushing:

Thanks Sara, I just need more help than the lap band gives, mainly the malabsorption. I wish it would have worked with just the lap band but I just was one of the unlucky ones. Good luck to you also, Nancy.

Good luck Deb, I did have to go through every thing again, including the psych eval and testing. Some of it was due to my surgeon and some due to my insurance company and some due to the fact that I'm revising. It's good that your husband is involved anyway, maybe he can come up with questions that you won't think of and he's also a back up if you forget something. It sounds like your ball is rolling a lot faster than mine did though so that's a good thing. Keeps us posted! Take care Nancy.

Doug and I often think of the life we'd have - read, how freaking rich we'd be - if we didnt have kids, lol. Wait till your "kids" are in their 20s and living at home going to college and grad school. That's when they really milk you dry! But of course you want your children educated and to have a better life than you had so we do it.......

I think if you want to learn more about DS you might want to check out wwwobesityhelp.com. I thought about it before I got my band removed as it seemed like the most fail proof surgery but for me it meant traveling over two hours and I didn't feel good about that. Also my daughter had RNY a year ago and so I've first hand experienced that along with her and I'm hoping that will be the right procedure for me this time. Also I have faith in my surgeon and he wouldn't recomend that surgery for me at my size. He does three procedures and DS is not one of them. Anyway good luck with your decision, I wouldn't push any surgery as it we all know what works for one doesn't necessarily work for all. It takes a lot of time to figure it out and it took me six months before I had faith enough to go on to revise. I know that you'll research this as a revisioner it's serious business! Take care Nancy.

Good luck with your "talk" I know how they can be and thanks, I'll keep up with my progress and hope it's all good! Take care Nancy.

Insideout, Congrats on your surgery keep us posted on how you're doing, thanks Nancy.

Well you can tell him that the bypass has been done much longer than any other WLS and considering the fact that you had the lap band and it really was never successful you'd like to have a surgery that actually will work for you. I know the fear factor involved and got the Lap band for the same reason and mine didn't work. After I was banded my daughter got the RNY and has lost close to 150 lbs in one year. Want to talk about fear factor think about having your own child go through it! But I was there with her through the whole thing and so far so good and her whole life has changed for the better! My RNY is next Thursday and if I can do half as well as she has I'll be happy! Good luck to you I know it's not easy but I think you gave the lap band a pretty good try, 3 years, my God, you're a patient woman!! Take care Nancy.

Thanks Gone4ever, and congrats on your success! Nancy.

Deb, I hope things get better for you soon. My daughter had her RNY a year ago and I was there right along with her through the whole thing and it can be rough. I won't be able to compare the two surgeries (lap band and RNY) until next week but I'm preparing myself for more pain and a recovery that maybe a bit longer. Anyway keep me/us posted on how you're doing. Take care Nancy.

Thanks Seppi I appreciate it, Nancy.

Headhunter, Your post made me laugh! I'm still BrandyII on most forums but I left this one after some "drama" and when I came back it wouldn't accept my old screen name and came back with a new one. I remember your drama quite well too but at least we're all doing well now and are healthier! Take care Nancy.:wub:

I had mine removed last October as an out-patient but I still haven't gotten any info from the insuranced company about what was charged or what they paid. If you had it put in out-patient look at what they charged you minus the $10,000+ or so they charged for just the lap band equipment. Good luck to you Nancy.

Hope things continue to go well with you, mine is in less than two weeks and I just want to get it over with! Take care, Nancy.

I think we all wish synthroid would help us lose weight but mine hasn't yet!