2nd follow up done now I have questions...

[DownInSocal 12]

Before my complaint session and questions below: I am eternally grateful for having the opportunity to have surgery. My other insurance would not cover the surgical portion so the Navy was my only hope. Even with things that have happened and problems below I would do it all again 100 times. With that being said.....

I had my follow up today with the "team". It is not much of a team anymore as my doctor has "left". I am not sure what that means exactly. He was a civilian doctor working at a military hospital. Soooo he is just gone and that is all I know. No one would share. There are other doctors I can see if I asked but it is kind of awkward. I am the patient with no doctor. Not really anyone's problem. I have not seen a bariatric doctor since the day I left the hospital. Odd to anyone? If you had surgery in the states how often have you seen your doctor after surgery?

So the "team" that now seems to consist of a nurse wants to start weaning me off Prilosec. I take one in the morning and one at night. So I am supposed to start taking it once per day. I feel like I am being weaned early for an unknown reason. I don't feel 7 weeks is that long to worry about long term side effects. My tummy is still kind of sensitive. I know when I miss my dose of Prilosec. I am kind of intimidated by my now only team member as we have had trouble before.

I have been having nausea out of the blue and felt like I had to fight to get medication today. I am out of Zofran. At first they wanted to give me Reglan. That is a mess of a drug if you Google it. I refused to even fill the scrip. Now I have Phenegrin (sp). She was also stingy with it though, 12 pills and that is it. I don?t want to throw up and there is no reason to feel nauseous when there are medications that can help. For gods sake I just had most of my stomach cut out 7 weeks ago. What gives with being stingy? My other insurance reimburses the Navy for all my care (except the actual VSG surgery) so it should not be a cost issue. I have brought this up but it didn?t help.

I have options. I can cry to my PCP who is awesome but is not a bariatric doctor. I feel I should still be under care of a bariatric doctor at 7 weeks. I know my psychiatrist would prescribe me nausea if I needed it also. This whole situation is just odd and unsettling.

Thoughts from my trusted friends? How long did your doctor keep you on Prilosec?

[Malaika 50]

I am on Prilosec 1X a day. You can always get the OTC if they won't give you any more refills - I know we're s'pose to be on it for at least 3 months; however, I still have issues so I still take it.

As for the anti-nauseau - that hasn't been a problem for me unless I overeat or something gets stuck or I drink - but just for no reason, I haven't had an issue and I wouldn't take anything for it anyway unless I was throwing up constantly and it wouldn't stop.

There's no reason to continue to see your surgeon - start going to your PCP - if he knows you've had the surgery, he can take care of you - that is who I have been seeing since my surgery.

[Tiffykins 673]

How frustrating ! ! ! I won't be weaning off my Prilosec 20mg (taken once daily) until late December, and even then my surgeon wants me to take it every other day. As you know my revision was performed at a military hospital, and my surgeon just deployed. I'm pretty devastated about having to see the other "bariatric" surgeon Dr. R. I like him, and he took care of me when I was hospitalized in July with those Fluid pockets because my surgeon was TDY to Wisconsin for 2 weeks. Both of them are general surgeons, but my surgeon is head of the bariatric department and performed 85% of the bariatric procedures for the surgical group.

I would try your PCP for the Zofran. Phenegran worked wonders for my nausea, but made me extremely drowsy. I would caution driving, or attempting to work while taking it (you probably already know that, but thought I would throw out my experience).

And, just to let you know our surgical group took some cuts to the GS (civi) positions. They lost the surgery coordinator, a med tech and a receptionist.

[cajun 46]

Before my complaint session and questions below: I am eternally grateful for having the opportunity to have surgery. My other insurance would not cover the surgical portion so the Navy was my only hope. Even with things that have happened and problems below I would do it all again 100 times. With that being said.....

I had my follow up today with the "team". It is not much of a team anymore as my doctor has "left". I am not sure what that means exactly. He was a civilian doctor working at a military hospital. Soooo he is just gone and that is all I know. No one would share. There are other doctors I can see if I asked but it is kind of awkward. I am the patient with no doctor. Not really anyone's problem. I have not seen a bariatric doctor since the day I left the hospital. Odd to anyone? If you had surgery in the states how often have you seen your doctor after surgery?

So the "team" that now seems to consist of a nurse wants to start weaning me off Prilosec. I take one in the morning and one at night. So I am supposed to start taking it once per day. I feel like I am being weaned early for an unknown reason. I don't feel 7 weeks is that long to worry about long term side effects. My tummy is still kind of sensitive. I know when I miss my dose of Prilosec. I am kind of intimidated by my now only team member as we have had trouble before.

I have been having nausea out of the blue and felt like I had to fight to get medication today. I am out of Zofran. At first they wanted to give me Reglan. That is a mess of a drug if you Google it. I refused to even fill the scrip. Now I have Phenegrin (sp). She was also stingy with it though, 12 pills and that is it. I don?t want to throw up and there is no reason to feel nauseous when there are medications that can help. For gods sake I just had most of my stomach cut out 7 weeks ago. What gives with being stingy? My other insurance reimburses the Navy for all my care (except the actual VSG surgery) so it should not be a cost issue. I have brought this up but it didn?t help.

I have options. I can cry to my PCP who is awesome but is not a bariatric doctor. I feel I should still be under care of a bariatric doctor at 7 weeks. I know my psychiatrist would prescribe me nausea if I needed it also. This whole situation is just odd and unsettling.

Thoughts from my trusted friends? How long did your doctor keep you on Prilosec?

Your surgery was less than t months ago...did they say why they wanted to wean you off prilisec so soon?

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I have not seen my surgeon since surgery. He is in Mexico and I am not. My pcp prescribes Protonix. I have heard Mac say we are supposed to be on an acid reducer for 6 months. I tried the past few days not to take it and my tummy did not feel good. I was taking it before surgery, so I don't see what the big deal is to just stay on it.

I had some nausea after surgery and it eventually went away. I have no idea what caused it, or if it was related to surgery.

[Chancie 65]

I'm one of those that WANTS to see my surgen. My PCP was one of his patients too... so I use both of them. My surgen has BLISS insurance and it hasn't cost me a thing to see him, and I have insurance that pays for my PCP visits- so why wouldn't I use them both???

I was never on prilosex, but after the first month my surgen gave me Nexium. I only take it when I need it. I needed it the first month or two- infact- I just got my script filled. I wanna know its there IF I do need it.

I don't know why they want to ween you off.. but some docs just don't like to dispence ANY kinda drug- and Phenegan is one of them. One of my docs in the past did that too. only 12 pills!

Hope you get things sorted. why not try to change docs? do you have that option?

[MacMadame 81]

It's pretty common to be on a PPI for 6 months. But some people are able to get off them sooner. My post-op manual only says "at least a month". Heck, I'm a year out and I'm STILL on prilosec. I've tried to wean off it but my heartburn always comes back.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I was trying to take it every other day and it wasn't heartburn, it was more like an ache. I know the feeling from having an ulcer. I can totally see how people can mistake it for hunger.

[*susan* 1,709]

I am six months out and cannot stop taking the Prilosec either. If I go just one day without it, I am suffering.

[DownInSocal 12]

Just an update. Going off prilosec was a disaster! I got more in a hurry. However I have been screwing off and forgetting to take it twice a day for the last week with no problems so I am going to go to once a day and see how it goes.

Stand up for yourself. If you know something is not going to work then don't take no for an answer. Something like prilosec takes a few days to kick back in and I was miserable for a week. Weaning and then waiting for it to kick back in. I am not lactose intollerant and warm milk really helped calm my stomach. I would not try this though if you are showing signs of lactose intollerance after surgery.

Oh and I get to see the one person "team" soon. Who knows what this appointment has in store for me!!! I will try to make it my last if I can. I feel like my new stomach and I can take care of ourselves. We just need my PCP now.

[Jenn100 1]

Okay...I have a question...a silly one maybe...I did not think of being on medication after I get the Sleeve. I get the sleeve on Nov 10. Can anyone tell me what meds I will need to be on and what their function is? Is there anything I need to take for Fiber, like metamucal?

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Everyone goes on some type of acid reducer or PPI which stops the acid before it's even made.

Eventually, after you are off the post op diet, you may need Miralax which is not a

stimulant laxative, but helps with Constipation. Most people have diarrhea while on the liquid diet. Some people have had it bad enough where they needed to take immodium sometimes.

[LAN2k 18]

Has anyone significantly out from surgery not taking a PPI drug? I am just wondering if it is a requirement for everyone who undergoes this surgery and if the consequences of not taking an acid reducing drug would be a risk for ulcers.

[stoongal 10]

Everyone goes on some type of acid reducer or PPI which stops the acid before it's even made.

Eventually, after you are off the post op diet, you may need miralax which is not a

stimulant laxative, but helps with Constipation. Most people have diarrhea while on the liquid diet. Some people have had it bad enough where they needed to take immodium sometimes.

I guess I am the exception to that rule then, have no meds to take and never get heartburn. I do take Benefiber though and Vitamins of course.

I haven't even taken my high blood pressure meds and I probably should go back on my Lipitor for cholesterol though, as i understand that can be high after this surgery.

Cheers,

Donna:001_cool:

[LAN2k 18]

Alright Donna, thanks for posting...My doc/surgeon has me on prilosec once a day or "as needed" and regulan, (the nausea drug that I dare not google or I'll really flip!!!) I've been on regulan since in the hospital. It helps to move the food through the digestive system...and since I've consistent discomfort after eating even the most well chewed solids and sometimes even soft/mushy stuff, he wants me to continue with it a couple more months. I do hope I won't need reliance on any of these meds at some point.