Smooth Sailing

Cinderella · December 4, 2010

Hi everyone, now I'm on the other side!!

I was sleeved on Thursday morning, had one day of mostly sleeping with a couple of bouts of nausea... but the nurses did NOT want me to throw up, and got me anti-nausea injections right away... and now I'm back home!!

I don't feel too bad. A little gas going on, but the doc gave me a prescription for Priolosec, which I will fill on Monday. I'lll make it through the weekend as I am.

New York Presbyterian has a GORGEOUS surgical recovery wing, with really nice nurses and every kind of care you could need. I wasn't afraid for one second, but always surrounded by loving, expert care.

I wish all of you could have as good of an experience as I did, and thank you, Dr. Alfons Pomp.

Sleeved and happy at last!

PlannerGirl · December 4, 2010

Hi everyone, now I'm on the other side!!

I was sleeved on Thursday morning, had one day of mostly sleeping with a couple of bouts of nausea... but the nurses did NOT want me to throw up, and got me anti-nausea injections right away... and now I'm back home!!

I don't feel too bad. A little gas going on, but the doc gave me a prescription for Priolosec, which I will fill on Monday. I'lll make it through the weekend as I am.

New York Presbyterian has a GORGEOUS surgical recovery wing, with really nice nurses and every kind of care you could need. I wasn't afraid for one second, but always surrounded by loving, expert care.

I wish all of you could have as good of an experience as I did, and thank you, Dr. Alfons Pomp.

Sleeved and happy at last!

Welcome to the club! Yay for you!

Lila21 · December 5, 2010

Thanks for sharing, that's great news!!

Cinderella · December 7, 2010

To all the Sleevers out there, sitting and worrying about the surgery.... for me, it was not nearly so bad as I feared.

I do think that having the best, and most experienced surgeron, is everything. ASK THE QUESTIONS, and do your research.

When you talk to your surgeon before surgery, ask the important questions, such as. "How do you handle post-surgical nausea in the Recovery Room and after?"... and "What size Bougie do you think you generally prefer using?"

Boguies are the instruments they put into your stomach and shape the new stomach around. They range in size, and the smaller the Bougie, the smaller your new stomach. My surgeon used a Size 60 Bougie... but they go down as small as Size 32, and up as large as 70 or 80, I believe. The smaller the stomach, the harder it is going to be for you to eat after surgery at first, because of the swelling.

Remember, that aside from making the stomach smaller, the most important thing is to remove the line of "hormones" that secrete Gherlin and other hormones, make sure they plan to remove that.

Ask whether you'll have a "pain pump" after surgery, and for how long. Make sure that the doctor leaves orders for pain medication and nausea medication after he leaves for the day.

Be SURE you find out whether the surgical staples will be oversewn. This is very important, because when the staples are NOT oversewn, there is more chance of leaks. Some surgeons even add an outside row of "adhesive tape" to make an even stronger seal.

Nobody knows how a person is going to react to surgery, and this is fairly major surgery. But if you follow your doctors instructions for the pre-op diet, and do as much as you can to get your abdomen in shape, it will make you recovery much faster and your surgery safer.

Good luck, everyone!