Tiffykins

Thank you. . .

Let us know how you are feeling tomorrow.

I gargeld with warm salt Water, and spit it out. It seemed to help with the itchiness/fuzziness. I would stick with just plain water to drink. If you were having an allergic reaction, I would think your tongue would be swollen already.

Calm down, take a deep breath. Yes, my tongue was icky after surgery, and stayed yucky for a couple of weeks. Did the pill go down okay? Not get stuck, are you in pain? Cramping in your abdomen?

I wish I could eat corn, but alas it just doesn't work for me right now. I recently bought some Mahi Mahi steaks that are frozen and in individual freezer bags. If the rain would ever let up here, I'd get the grill out. I gave my George Foreman grill to my bestie in Texas because I never used it. Now, I'm regretting that decision, big time !

That is such great news! ! !

I am not familiar with appeal processes, but your letter is very concise, and you have amazing reference/resources. I wish the very best for you during the appeal process.

Congrats Judy ! ! !

I am not posting my experience to try to discourage anyone. Please know that is not my intentions. I will honestly tell you that yes, the leak surgery and recovery was all stressful, but not for one second do I regret my decision to get that god-forsaken band out of my body. I can only imagine if I would of kept it in longer. I was my surgeon's 1st leak, and he has over 500 staple lines, plus over 200 bands under his belt. I honestly believe that my stomach was so severely torn up from the band that I would of had a leak regardless of my surgeon. I survived and am a better person for it. It was not a horrific experience. I fought through it, and I will stand by what I tell people all the time. A person's attitude and outlook on the situation makes all the difference. My husband is/was deployed during my entire experience, and his unit wouldn't let him come home. My family is in Texas, and I literally have 1 friend here. No matter how miserable I was, I got up every day, and faced it knowing that I was going to WIN.

NPO (nil per os) - Nothing by mouth, no eating/drinking, not even ice chips TPN - Total parenteral nutrients I had a pic line (similar to a central line) that was a flexible catheter (it was over a foot long)that led directly to my heart in my left arm that fed me 1800 calories per day via liquid nutrients/protein/folic acid/insulin/just about everything my body needed.

I have a couple of friends who swear by Spanx. They both had gastric bypass and can't stand the excess skin especially the pannus. I can barely tolerate wearing panties therefore I'll just be "lumpy" until I absolutely have to wear some sort of shaper. Spanx are a bit pricey, and I've heard you can find better bargains on ebay and amazon. Welcome to Spanx.com the Official Site of Spanx by Sara Blakely

I'm 3.5 months post-op and have yet to hit a true stall. A stall is 2 weeks consistent with no weight loss. I had 1 week where I only lost 1 pound. The following week I lost 7lbs. I would have to say (all the research, threads by others, and what my band surgeon told me) that it's the body adjusting to instant, rapid weight loss immediately following surgery. It's truly shock/trauma to your body, and your body wants to hold onto the pounds. Many people say once the stall breaks, they lose several pounds.

I'm not a Kaiser patient, but I can help with some of your other questions. I had the band and revised to the sleeve after 8 short months due to a flipped port causing all kinds of problems. I don't believe the band is reversible. Once it's sewn in there, it's forever changed your anatomy. In my case, it destroyed my stomach tissue. I am unsure of any details on the MRI. I have titanium staples in my knee, and have been able to have MRIs. Gastrectomies (partial and there are cases of people living with absolutely no stomach) have been performed for decades. Especially for patients with stomach cancer, and/or horrible ulcers. It's only a "new" procedure for weight loss surgery, and even then it's not completely "new" anymore. There are some members on obesity help that have been several years out with great results. Leaks are most likely to occur during the healing process which I believe is within the first 3 months. Welcome to the forum, and ask away. Hopefully, someone can help with the Kaiser portion of your questions.

I agree with the other ladies that it sounds like it could very well be the food choices. I do not get a "full signal" either so I have to really watch how much I'm eating. I know now that I get more "mushies/soft foods" in than I can dense protein. If I were you I would measure out 3-4oz of food (not by weight), but by volume. 4oz is 1/2 cup, and stick to that amount. See how you feel after eating just that small amount, and make sure you are waiting to drink. See how long you stay full.

I was definitely an emotional wreck post-op. Then, about 2 weeks ago, I found myself being emotional ago. I chalked it up to hormone levels fluctuating. Plus, not to overshare, but my periods have been off since surgery, and I get super cranky the week before. The cramping is better, and it's a lot lighter than before, but I'm super moody.

I had a leak with my revision from band to sleeve. I had a 2nd surgery to repair the leak. My leak was 5mm, and I know exactly how you feel with the pain and nausea. I was on TPN from June 10 to June 25th. I was completely NPO during that time. Then started clears for 17 days. I was on Phenegran and Reglan during that time, and the Phenegran was my lifesaver. I've lost 74lbs (as of today) 3.5 months post-op. I never regretted my revision, but I know that it is frustrating. The only thing that kept me going is knowing that I was going to get better. Recovery is slow, and can wear you down. I was hospitalized mid-July, for one week, because they found 3 abscess/fluid pockets in my abdominal cavity. They believe it was from leftover bacteria from the leak repair surgery. I know it seems like a huge mistake, but once you get over this speed bump you will see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am so very happy with the sleeve, and have learned a completely different way of eating. It was a tough transition to solids, and some days are still better than others. I have found that my attitude definitely made all the difference in the world. You just have to fight through it all, I know it's easier said than done some days. But, don't give up. I'll keep you in my thoughts, and if you ever want to talk, feel free to send me a message on here, and we can chat.

My feet have shrunk substantially. None of my shoes fit and I'm still 40lbs from goal. I used to wear an 8.5Wide, now I can wear a 7.5 or 8 regular width(depending on the style of shoe). Some flip flops I still need an 8.5, but tennis shoes, or runners I need a 7.5. I was more upset about my shoes not fitting than I was about my clothes. I seriously love shoes ! ! !

I'm thinking of you today ! ! !

I would take it, but I'm out of Motrin and I'm not getting out of the house again tonight. Thank you for the suggestion.

I thought about that today, and figured I'd go ahead and get this tooth taken care of while we wait. This stupid tooth was found last year during my routine exam. The root is dead, and he told me that it would either need to be pulled or have the root canal. Well, it wasn't bothering me until now. I just hope they can get me in tomorrow. My stomach is absolutely torn up because of the anbesol, and because the Motrin and Tylenol I've been rotating since yesterday. I just wish I could lay in bed and go to sleep, but I'm up every 30-45 minutes applying more ointment to my mouth.

I had a band for 8 months. Had to revise to the sleeve due to complications. Mainly a flipped port, and the band was actually tugging on my stomach. The band is NOT reversible. Once all the swelling goes down, you will quit losing until you get a good fill (which could take months), lots of appointments, slow weight loss, and frustrations with some days food not going down, some days being able to eat too much. You still feel hungry especially if you don't have restriction. Then, there's always the lovely too tight fills, and have to have some taken out. The sleeve has been amazing for me. I've enjoyed the immediate restrictions. I did complications including a leak due to the damage the band did to my stomach. I only had my band for 8 months. I lost 25-27 pounds the first 3 months, lost restriction (because my stomach healed and couldn't get restriction), gained back about 15-16 pounds over the next 5 months. Was in miserable pain (6-8 pain scale wise) daily, and couldn't even bend over my washing machine, couldn't lift anything over 5lbs, my quality of life was miserable. The sleeve and band are like night and day. I love that I do not have to worry about fills. My labwork has been perfect every month. I am able to eat whatever I want and do not have to worry about things getting stuck, or vomiting because something isn't settling "right" with me that day.

He's active duty Air Force, and their deployments average about 6 months. He's been gone since mid-March. Thanks for listening. I think what sent me over the edge was hearing him so miserable. We've both been troopers through this thing. He was denied coming home during my surgery/complications, and I got over being pissed about that situation. Now, this has just brought up all the frustration. He's been through pure hell over there this go around. This is his 4th deployment, and he said this is by far the worst one yet. It's not a long delay, and I'm grateful it's not a true extension. We were just so prepared for this week to finally happen.

I bought a loose fitting, all cotton sports bra, no wire, and it snapped in the front. I had a baggy shirt, no panties (sorry for the too much info), and I had plenty of stretchy pants that were not too snug around my stomach.

I'm so elated for you, and your upcoming date. I'll definitely be thinking of you, a quick recovery, and can't wait to hear your progress ! ! !