Tiffykins

They found it on my final (3rd) leak test right before discharge. I sipped the 2oz of tang flavored gastrographin contrast solution, and felt immediate, hellacious pain radiate across my abdomen. I had zero symptoms before. I was up walking around, launding, no fever, no vomiting, no pain, until I drank that 2oz of Fluid. My IV fluids had been discontinued. I was feeling great. They had me lay back on the ct table, and that's when the leak was found. I knew immediately when I swallowed that stuff that I had a leak. My staple line was weakened due to the damage the band had done, and the gastrographin caused it to open up. My sleeve is actually "shorter" than other sleeve patients not only because of my height, but because they had to remove more tissue, my sleeve is a little more "straight" instead of banana shaped. That's why I'm so vocal about people advancing their post-op diets too quickly. I was doing what I was supposed to do, and I still had a leak. I think typical symptoms of a leak are fever, chronic pain, vomiting, and/or inability to keep anything down.

You got it chickee ! ! ! I am so excited for you. Keep us posted, and can't wait to hear an update.

Lucy, I absolutely love your attitude about all you've endured. I'm so glad you are feeling better, and each day will get better. Keep us posted ! ! !

Hi and welcome to VST. I absolutely love the sleeve for the same reasons you listed. I had a band, hated life, now I love my sleeve. Here are some questions I asked: How many sleeves has the specific surgeon performed? (once 300 sleeves are done, complications decrease, and technique is well executed and pretty precise) What size boughie do you use? Do you oversew the staple line? What is the recommended pre/post-op diet? Leak and complication stats? Do you offer a support group? Will I have access to a nutritionist? How long is the typical recovery? How many leak tests are performed and what type of contrast Fluid is used? (Barium is a no-no for leak tests.) How many nights in the hospital? Vitamin/supplement regimen recommended for VSG? Those are the main ones that concerned me. Good luck at the seminar, and keep us posted on how everything goes with the insurance company.

Stacie, I'm so sorry you are having to endure a leak. I had one as well, and it was a very long road to a full recovery, BUT, I can tell you once you get passed these speed bumps, life with the sleeve is awesome. I had a leak 2 days post-op my band to sleeve revision. I had leak repair surgery, where they sutured the leaked area with heavy sutures. My lungs would not recover after the 2nd surgery so I landed in ICU on a ventilator, in a medically induced coma for 5 days with a grave prognosis for survival. Once my vitals stabilized I was woken up, and then released a couple of days later with a central line in my arm and force fed 1800 calories a day through a TPN bag and sent home with drains and an in-home health care nurse. I was only 32 at the time, with an 11 year old son, and my husband was deployed to Afghanistan and was not allowed to come home. I completely empathize with you, but what got me through all of the trials of the complications, was my sheer determination to recover and beat the odds. My mother drove to FL from TX to get my son. I was alone for over 3 weeks and not able to eat or drink anything for 22 days. Nothing passed my lips from June 2 to the 25th with the exception of 2oz of contrast Fluid used for the leak tests. I won't deny being scared, and wondering what the heck was I thinking, but I have zero regrets because I survived, and learned about myself, and my strength to endure pure hell. I know it's not everyone's mentality, but I honestly believe that a positive attitude will help you overcome these obstacles through your journey. I was hospitalized for a week, 6 weeks post-op for abscesses in my abdomen and pelvic cavity. I was dehydrated, and once again came home with drains in my abdomen for a 2-3 weeks. But, I am stronger because of it. It's been researched, and documented that positive mental status will help you recover. You can and will "WIN" if you want to. You can and will "RECOVER" if you can will yourself to believe it. That's the only thing that got me through my recovery. I had to resign from my job, and now can not find another one. My husband went through severe emotional distress due to my condition/complications while being in a war zone. BUT, here I am almost 8 months out, and firmly believe that I endured all of it, and I've won. I'm healthy, happy, and my life is full of joy because of the trials and tribulations I endured, I cherish every day more than the last. If you need to talk, vent, or cry, please feel free to contact me via Private Message feature here.

Thank you so much. I'm just really discouraged. I had been maintaining for almost a month. Feeling great, eating right, and just enjoying life. Then BAM, I stepped on the scale and BAM loss of 4 pounds. I don't know what's going on. In my head, I just can't figure it out. I have some Atkins endulge bars that are like little candy bars, and I do really honey roasted peanuts. I guess, I'm just going to have to bite the bullet, and increase my carb counts. I have a 10 pound window of maintenance of 140-150. Least to say, today I'm at 143. I just keep seeing the numbers drop. I didn't work out at all last week just because I was not in it emotionally or mentally with all the stress of John possibly going to Haiti. So, I plan on getting back on track with working out because that seemed to help me maintain. It's a daunting task. I do not want to lose anymore weight. I'm content with where I'm at right now, well actually I was ecstatic at 147-148. I look healthy, and my body is doing great. Thanks for all the support. I am just going to buckle down on the carb count, and start hitting the gym again.

I confess that I need to steer clear of all fertility/ovulation/pregnancy boards/forums. I confess there is part of me that wants to be pregnant right now, then the other part of me knows I need to maintain. I confess that even though I've increased my carbs, and calorie intake, I've dropped weight this week. I confess that I'm super scared I am not going to get this d*mn maintenance thing down. I confess I don't want to have to start drinking protein supplements again just to get in more calories.

Yeppers, if I wait too long between meals, or if I get busy running errands, and don't eat until later in the day, I kind of feel like my stomach is clamped down. I usually drink something warm to relax my stomach, and then I'm able to eat normally. I haven't thrown up, but I do understand what you dealt with those days.

Sliming can and will happen if you eat too fast, or do not chew well early out. I slimed with both surgeries. It's different than the band though. The sleeve it doesn't last as long, and it isn't wretching feeling that you get with the band. For me it's an overproduction of this slimy spit in your mouth, kind of like when you need to vomit, your salivary glands over produce spit. I vomitted a few times early out because of food intolerances. I still eat super slow, but now that I am further out, I do not have to chew food to pulverized consistency. I chew my food well, but it's not icky flavored mush in my mouth.

You got it Barbara. Keep us posted, and know we're all praying and thinking of you.

My first psych eval was pretty hilarious to be honest. I had to take a test on a computer with all the crazy questions like "would you like to be a florist?" "Is your dad a good man?" There were also True/False and Multiple choice questions that were pretty out there. It was pretty much profiling my personality, and my behavioral tendencies. Plus, I had to answer some standard mental health questions as well. I had to answer the same anxiety, depression, suicide questions. I had never been to a psych either, and was nervous. After the testing, I met with him, and we discussed the WLS of my choice, the pros and cons, my lifestyle, and why I chose LapBand. I also discussed how my husband was handling the decision I had made to have WLS. It wasn't stressful or embarassing once I sat down in the chair and actually talked to him. For my revision surgery, I had to meet with a different psych only bc my husband was deployed during my surgery dates. They wanted to make sure I could handle major surgery even without my husband home. I didn't have to take any tests with her. We just discussed my complications with the band, why I wanted to revise, and how I was going to "cope" without my husband.

My surgeon doesn't prescribe it immediately after surgery. I had to go on Prilosec 20mg once daily once I moved onto mushies/puree food. I would eat, then have this gnawing twinge almost pain in my stomach, and then I would kind of burp. Back then, I was eating less than 2-3oz per meal of mushies. I went on Prilosec and within 10 days or so, those feelings and discomfort went away. I'm still on it, and have been cleared to wean myself off of it. I take my Prilosec early in the a.m. and it's labeled to wait 1 hour after taking it before eating anything. I have this mental block with stopping it. I've been thriving, and doing so fabulous. I'm scared that I don't want to screw up my regimen/schedule. I just got a 90 day refill so I may start weaning off of them sometime in February. I hate heartburn, the discomfort and gassiness. My PCM is completely supportive of me being on Prilosec. Does your PCM have experience with VSG patients? I'm not sure how Prevacid really works. Did he give you a specific reason why he's against Nexium? I know some insurance companies don't cover Nexium. Edit to Add: I just read and watched videos provided on the Prevacid website. It's a PPI just like all the other ones so I'm not sure why he would be against Nexium but all for Prevacid.

WOOHOOO, I'm so ecstatic for you and can't wait for an update ! ! !

I agree with everything that Cajun said. Also, this surgery is more about technique and experience. Once the surgeon has at least 300 sleeves done, he has his technique down pat and the risk of complications decrease significantly. The surgeons use a measuring tool called a boughie to determine how big or small the stomach will be. The standard size is between a 32fr and 36fr. A surgeon can use the 32fr (which is the smallest that is recommended), but his technique could suck, and then you may not have the same results as someone else who had a more experienced surgeon. Geez, I hope that makes sense. Also, when researching surgeons, make sure you consider all the factors of follow up care, complication rates, years of experience, facilities that are available for your surgery and recovery. Don't let cost be the only determining factor.

I can and do use straws now, and for about the last 2 months. During my initial recovery, I could not use a straw because it did put more air in my stomach, and it was uncomfortable. Now, I have zero issues with straws.

I'm in chat for a bit, I've been in there for awhile, but got tied up doing some troops laundry that are down in Haiti. I'm sorry I missed Hershey in there, I was right in the middle of switching out Haiti laundry.

I'm with you on sticking with your surgeon's recommendations. I am 3.5 months further out than you and can barely get in 950 calories a day. I'm maintaining with about 50grams of carbs, 60-70grams of Protein daily. I have no idea how I could literally force more food in. I've read the same stuff about increasing the calories and carbs, but for me I stuck close to my surgeon's recommendations until I got close to goal. I started my more intense workout regimen once I was getting carbs in. I do not eat 90 minutes before heading to the gym or doing my cardio here at home. I've tried eating before working out, and it makes me feel horrible. I do come home and eat a small meal about 30 minutes post-workout. I usually eat a couple of deli meat rollups with cream cheese, or even a few crackers with chicken salad. I hate Breakfast food, and always work-out mid morning. Maybe I'll try eating portion of a bagel, pre-workout and see how I feel. If not, I'll stick with what I've been doing. It's worked for me. I called my nutritionist and had a phone consult. She suggested, I increase carbs, and protein to help me maintain since I'm working out on a regular basis, and trying to burn this last bit of flab I have while building more lean muscle mass. I have never gotten dizzy, light headed, nor nauseated during or after my work out sessions unless I ate immediately before getting started. Then, I wanted to blow chunks and never eat again.

Gatorade, the stuff sweetened with Splenda, called G2. I drank the heck out of that stuff. SF popsicles also were my go-to. I probably ate 2-4 of those bad boys a day. I also bought the Celestial herbal tea that were fruit flavors. They are not overly sweet, and I really loved the peach and orange flavor.

Having any type of surgery is nerve-wracking. Really, I had to weigh the risks of being fat for the rest of my life vs. the minimal risk of surgery. I, too, had zero health issues related to my morbid obesity. I'm 5'2" tall, and my starting pre-sleeve weight was 263. At that weight I could not conceive children with my husband, I could not walk around the mall for more than an hour without my knee throbbing, and even though I didn't have any high blood pressure, cholesterol issues, or diabetes, another 10 years and not being able to get the weight off and keep it off, it was inevitable that I would be on meds for multiple co-morbidities if I didn't get surgical intervention. I had surgery so I would be around and not miserably fat to see my 11 yr old son (not my husband's biological child just so I don't cause any confusion) graduate high school, go to college and get married. There will be a recovery period, but once the weight starts coming off, your energy will soar, you'll start feeling better about yourself, and you'll be a shining example for your daughter to lead a healthy, and active lifestyle. Most patients return to normal working activity in a week to two weeks depending on their job. I know that it's stressful, and can be overwhelming. But, I honestly believe that having surgery will give you the life you've always wanted. Can you talk to some members of a support group near you? Or, if you have a surgeon, maybe talking to some of his/her past patients? Also, discussing these concerns with your surgeon may give you some peace of mind. You do have to be in a good place mentally for any surgery. Extra stress and frustration can slow down recovery time.

Hi and welcome to VST. You can definitely have steak. I eat it very regularly be it beef steak or venison steaks. I have absolutely zero food restrictions. I eat barbque beef, chicken and venison frequently. I never did eat a lot of seafood pre-op so shrimp is never on my menu. It's a texture thing for me. I stick to Mahi Mahi, and some salmon occasionally. I haven't found anything that I can't eat. I don't like eggs, and did try to eat some scrambled, but they didn't settle with me early out. I don't enjoy fried or super oily foods, but that just helps with leading a healthy lifestyle overall. It is a big decision, and make sure you research all the options, and find what works best for you and your lifestyle. Weigh out the complications, not just immediately post-op, but long term as well. I absolutely love my life that the sleeve has given me. I lead a very normal life, and eat out 2-3 days a week with a group of friends. They all know I've had surgery, and are all supportive. Since I had to have my band removed, the sleeve was an easy choice vs. the other options out there. I'm about a week shy of 8 months post-op, at goal for the last month, and I do still follow the Protein first rule about 85-90% of the time at meals. Sometimes, I want to have Pasta or rice first, and I try to make up for it with my next meal. I've posted a couple of threads called "food for thought" with photos of what I eat. They can give you a visual on what I am eating on a regular basis. You can get to those threads through the search feature, or hitting my profile, go to statistics and hit the line that says "all threads started by". I honestly don't feel deprived or that I'm missing out on anything. Everything is in moderation, and I've expanded our family dinner menu since having this surgery. It's been really great because we are all eating healthier, and are more mindful of what we put in our mouth. Best wishes in your decision.

I had 4 with my band surgery, and they used all of those plus one other one. I had sutures with band surgery over the port incision which my revision surgeon used the same incision to remove the excised portion of the stomach. With my revision incision, all they used was a type of skin glue, no sutures, no staples, and it took almost 3 weeks for the skin glue to finally flake off in the shower. It wasn't the blue/dermabond type of skin glue. It was pretty cool because I had zero sutures or staples. Because of my complications, I did end up with more incisions. I have a total of 10 or 11 scars on my abdomen, but all of them are shrinking and fading pretty good. I did buy some Mederma, but I'm not good applying it on a regular basis. I caught it on sale for $20 from skinwest.com I heard that prefer-on stuff works to help fade scars just as good as the Mederma.

I'll be more than happy to attempt to answer your questions via the Private messaging feature on this site. I checked out your email exchange, and it's for a social networking/meet-up site and I don't feel comfortable emailing through that venue. You can Private message me here by clicking on my username by the picture, and click Send Private Message.

Best wishes for you tomorrow. Nerves are normal, and once you are into recovery, you'll wonder what you were worried about. For me the gas pain was more frustrating than actual pain from the incision sites. Gas X strips, and a heating pad can help with gas discomfort. Post an update when you get home and are feeling better.

I'm super proud of for staying motivated. I agree that you can't force your body to do. If you need to hold off, and build more strength, then do it. Set a new goal, and you'll get there.