Newbie with tons of unanswered questions

[Bjordan2 1]

I just joined and have been trying to go through all the threads to answer my questions. It's a bit overwhelming and I couldn't find answers to some of my questions, so I figured I'd start a new one. If you know of existing threads that answer one of my questions, please feel free to link it in the comments if you can, or just reply

A little about myself: 5'9", 283 lbs, 36yrs

Questions:

1) I'm a nurse on a very busy medsurge/tele unit that is very physical. 12-13 HR shifts

-my doc said I could go back to work after 2 weeks....which does not sound right to me at all. Is this realistic? Should I try to take extra time off?

*Are there any fellow nurses able to comment on how long they took off and what it was like going back? Anything you would do differently or wish you had known? Recommendations?

2) I have celiac disease. Has anyone with celiac had any increase in symptoms or complications from the sleeve that are CD related?

3) What lifestyle or medical limitations are there afterwards? For example, I read in some forums that people get cdiff or can't have an NG tube, etc but no details are offered as to why.

4) I'm absolutely terrified I will have complications or am making the wrong choice. What can I do to prevent complications or what do you wish you would have known/done to prevent them if you had them

5) Trace Curry is my Dr, having Surgery at JoirneyLite. Anyone have problems with them or anything I should be weary of or proactive on?

6) has anyone been cured of their sleep apnea?

I know that's a lot, but any input is appreciated

Thank you!

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[Vinasu 621]

1) It depends. We all react differently. I was back at work after 3 days, and I could definitely have done 2 weeks. However, people with more comorbidities or who are otherwise more sensitive need more time.

3) Other than no NSAIDS, I have no real restrictions. In fact, I'm more free than I've been in years.

4) Drink kefir or eat yogurt every day for a month after surgery to repopulate your gut bacteria. While anecdote does not equal data, I am certain it aided in my speedy recovery and lack of nausea.

6) Most people have significant improvements in sleep apnea after the surgery.

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[2ndSpring 350]

1) I had a 5lb or less lifting restriction for 4 weeks.

4) The #1 way to steer clear of complications is to pick a surgeon with a lot of experience and good stats. You can help by following your doctors pre-op diet to shrink your liver. My surgeon told me that his job is so much easier when we do our job. Then follow the post-op diet to the letter to prevent messing up your staple line.

6) yes, definitely

[izzy13 117]

1. My sister is an RN and had sleeve surgery while working in a busy ER, if I remember correctly she took a month off bc of the lifting pushing and pulling she needed to be able to do. I was cleared for all that at my 1 mo po (I have a desk job but freelance as an EMT). My sister sometimes forgot to eat when she was working a busy shift, she had to start setting reminders to stop and eat during her 12 hr shifts.

3. In my packet it indicated that sleeve patients should never allow blind NG tubes be inserted, they need to be X-ray guided. Not sure if that's a thing from my surgeon but I wouldn't want them to punch a hole through my new stomach on accident.

4. I asked my surgeon what his rate of complications was and he indicated that they do happen rarely, mostly from pts not doing what they are supposed to but he said I had to keep an open mind that occasionally a revision to bypass is needed if there are complications with the sleeve. That's always in the back of my mind but so far, knock on wood, no issues for me my surgeon and his team have been excellent (I'm in upstate NY). In a month and a half I've lost 32 pounds and I started with a low BMI of 35, I'm off my HTN meds and feeling great.

Good luck, it's a lot to take in but do your research and you should be ok with what ever you decide!

[theantichick 2,204]

I am no longer bedside thanks to my auto-immune arthritis, but I cannot see any way I could have gone back sooner than 4-6 weeks, and I had virtually no issues post-op. I was incredibly fatigued the first month and had a lifting restriction until 4 weeks where there is no way I could have worked ER or ICU (which is my experience). Your surgeon can give you the best input on this, but I would not count on only 2 weeks off. I work as a healthcare IT analyst, and was back to work from home 5 days post-op (surgery on Wed, work from home the following Monday) and back in the office 12 days post-op. I wish I could have taken a week completely off, and then started working from home 12 days post-op. And that's for a desk job.

Frankly, I would advise asking your surgeon when his program advances you to soft/pureed foods, and when the lifting restriction is typically lifted, and I'd plan for a week (2 if possible) beyond that. I was so fatigued and fighting to get enough fluids and Protein in until the soft food stage, I couldnt' have even THOUGHT about doing anything physical. I've never worked in a hospital that had a true light duty option for nurses. If yours is different, then maybe take that under consideration.

I don't have celiac, but I have RA/PsA and my inflammatory factors have reduced post-op after an initial flare from surgery and being off my meds for a month. Not a cure, but my meds appear to be working better and we're taking biologic therapy off the table for the foreseeable future.

There is some evidence that PPI use which is very commonly needed post-op increases the risk of c.diff but I've never found a good explanation as to why. And of course, any abdominal surgery increases the risk of hospital-acquired infections.

The only restrictions I've heard that are common post-sleeve are a relative contraindication for NSAIDs and steroids, and they recommend carrying a medical information card in your wallet (or adding it to a MedicAlert if you have one) for no blind NGT/OGT. I suspect that a blind NG/OG is much more of an issue with RNY or lapband because of the pouch which isn't present with the sleeve, but I went ahead and put it on my MedicAlert. NG/OG can still be placed, just with a scope and not blind.

After recovery and advancement to a full diet, I don't have any particular restrictions from my surgeon. I take the same meds as before (though we've been able to stop several of them at this point) and my activity level is increasing (though slowly due to the RA/PsA). I do have to eat frequent small meals in order to get enough Protein and calories, and need to drink constantly to get enough fluids in, but no specific limitations.

I have not officially been declared free of my sleep apnea, but after I lost about 35 lbs my mask quit fitting and was leaking so badly I couldn't sleep. Because I could only find one mask that worked for me (a hybrid) and was already on the smallest size, I didn't see much point in trying to get re-fitted, and just quit using it. Hubby says that I only snore now if I roll onto my back, and he hasn't seen any apnea episodes. I haven't had an increase in daytime sleepiness or BP, which were indicators of my apnea. I did buy an OTC oral appliance that stops the snoring even on my back, but I haven't adjusted to it for the entire night yet, I pull it out in the early morning hours. The snoring is lessening as I lose more weight, and sometime next year I'll probably arrange for an in-home sleep study kit to get the diagnosis off my active list.

As an RN, I researched and was familiar with all of the potential complications. I tried to comply with my pre-op instructions as much as possible, and that's pretty much all you can do. I've had surgery before, so there's no unknowns with anesthesia. I had a super recovery, comparatively. I had quite a bit of nausea, but never actually threw up. I progressed quickly through the food stages set out by my surgeon, only a few things caused issues but even those things I can eat now. I did have a LOT of fatigue for the first month, but it's hard to tell how much of that was surgery and how much was RA/PsA, especially off meds. I had no issues with my incisions or healing. My surgeon told me that the complications are actually very uncommon, except for nausea/vomiting. I had had issues with n/v post-op in the past, so the surgical team took extra precautions with me, and I had zero vomiting even in recovery.

I can tell you I've not regretted it for a single second. Ok, to be fair, I had thoughts for the first week post-op of "what did I just do?" but they were fleeting and I felt better every day than the day before. Now at 3 months post-op, I feel pretty darned good, and with a few exceptions life looks pretty normal (just lighter). I wish it had been an option for me 10 years ago.

[Bjordan2 1]

Thank you all so much for your comments and great information! I really appreciate it. My nerves are beginning to settle a little. I wish I could have the surgery already and just get it over with. Unfortunately I'm only on month 3 of my 6 month pre-op. I just have an insatiable need to know everything there is to expect, but that's nearly impossible with a surgery like this.

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