delawaregal

My PCP was supportive but cautious. I took in all the information on the procedure, Dr. Aceves and the hospital so he could check it out. Nina also offered to have other physicians that had the surgery answer any questions he has. He did check it out and said the hospital was a good one. He did not know about the sleeve and is not a fan of bypass but has been supportive and checking on me closely.

Thank you very much. That is the information I have been looking for.

Thank you but I am still wondering why we need 70 g of protein a day when there is no mal-absorption. The average adult female only needs 45-50 g of protein a day

I used money from my savings and went to Dr. Aceves in Mexico. It was 1/3 what it would have been at home. Remember to keep receipts of all your medical bills for the year to deduct the medical costs from your tax return. Weight loss surgery for obesity is an approved medical tax deduction by the IRS.

Yes I have posted that I feel flu like. I am almost 4 weeks out. I also have been having severe back pain and last night I took some of the sublingual pain meds I brought back from Mexico. That not only helped the pain it also made me more relaxed and less irritable which has been a big problem for me the past 2 weeks. I was on cymbalta for pain pre-op and I started back on it last night. I do feel slightly better today. still very tired. I am hoping the cymbalta will help me get back on track

I feel the same as you Texashopeful. I am 3.5 weeks out and I force myself to eat and drink and always feel full. It takes me so long to get anyhting in I would have to start at 5am until midnight to get in all the fluids and protein I need.

I need some encouragement. I read that people feel hungry, have energy, etc. I had my sleeve exactly 3 weeks ago and I feel like crap. I have had a cough and tons of post nasal drip since the surgery and nothing is helping. This morning I vomited due to the excess mucous. I have NO desire to eat or drink and force every sip and mouthful. I am so weak, tired and irritable. It is a huge effort just to dry my hair! If I do not feel any better next week my PCP is going to run blood work. I did not expect to feel great but I really did not expect to feel this way. I am getting scared that I will never want to eat anything again.:scared0: I started taking a multi ivtamin and B12. I got sick on the Calcium so I will wait awhile for that. I am just getting concerned because others seem to feel hungry and have tons of energy and I just feel sick and tired and discouraged. I am beginning to regret the whole thing

Hi I was sleeved on 6/15 so I am very new. Still struggling to get in the Protein and fluids. Protein is a bit easier now that I am on mushies. I have NO desire to eat or drink and must force myself. I hope that improves eventually. I want to get down to about 140 from my pre-op weight of 228

I see you posted this back in April and did not get it answered. I am also wondering why we need so much Protein if malabsorption is not a problem. I did read a study showing that sleeve patients were more likely to be Iron B12 and folate deficient. However the general population is at risk for B12 deficiency according to some studies. I really wish the docor would give a plausible reason why we need so much protein QUOTE=ouroborous;42308]Dr. Jossart, there's a pretty strong current of belief around here that after lap sleeve, it's "impossible" to absorb more than 20g of protein at a time. This is often used to say that high-protein shakes, for instance -- say 50g or 60g of protein -- are a waste of money. Many people claim that their doctors and nutritionists gave them this fact. Also, I DO find some reference to protein malabsorption on the net -- for instance, a consent form I found referenced it. However, I searched the medical databases and couldn't find ANY reference to lap sleeve significantly altering protein metabolism (intake, yes, but not basic metabolism). From what I understand, one of the primary "selling points" of the lap sleeve is that it is not malabsorptive. I guess if the smaller, scarred stomach is unable to produce sufficient gastric acids or pepsin or whatever, protein metabolism might be challenging, but that seems a stretch (and I believe it would be noted in literature). I'm starting to think that the "20 grams of protein in a sitting" meme is an urban legend. One possibility is that since the lap sleeve used to be just part of the lap sleeve plus DS procedure, which unless I'm mistaken IS malabsorptive, there may be old data floating around masquerading as current truth. I'd appreciate it if you could shed any light on this, because a lot of people are giving a lot of other people a lot of potentially incorrect advice

Ok so I was not supposed to eat any mushy food for 5 more days and last night I had some cream of wheat. Since about an hour later I have had pain.I had none before. Of sourse I went back to just fluids but the pain is constant and I am afraid I did something. I do have to add though that I am also coughing a lot and it could be the pain is also related to the coughing but I am freaking out and feel like an idiot.

I did not know about the sleeve pilication procedure until after my surgery. It is appealing because it is reversible, but is is so new that very few have been performed it and there is no outcome data at all as far as I know. I am glad that I had the regular sleeve. If I were younger I might have waited a few years to see how this newer procedure goes but I am 59 and did not have time to wait.

I was sleeved by Dr. Acees on June 15. I did have someone with me for the surgery but you will be fine alone. I traveled home alone and had connecting flights for a 10 hour trip. Do ask for wheelchair assistance at the airport for your trip home. It makes things much easier. Just tell them you just had major surgery. That way you won't get worn out walking and you can pre-board. They will give you drinks to sip on the ride to the airport. I bought a bottle of Fuze at the airport before boarding and sipped that. You can get some apple juice, tea, etc. on the plane. Sit in an aisle seat so you can go to the rest room easily. Pack lightly. I checked my carry on for the trip home so I would not have to lift it on to the overhead bin. You don't need much. If you don't mind wearing the hospital gown you don't even need PJ's though I brought some that looked like lounge wear so I could walk outside and throughout the hospital. I brought my laptop but did not use it much. Just bring a way to pay for your nexium, don't really need money for anything else. Have your last full meal at the hotel restaurant it is quite good. Good luck! I am sue you will do just fine.

I only told a few people pre-op because I did not want their opinions. Post-op, I say I had weight loss surgery. No one has been unsupportive. At 59 I just don't care what other people think very much anymore. I did not want people to think I had cancer if I lost a lot weight quickly. I also thought that maybe if someone else was thinking about it or obese they might want to talk to me about it. I just saw no reason to make up a story, but that is my personal preference. I would not be able to keep track of who knew and who did not. It's just easier I don't have to make up reasons for my eating habits and I didn't have any good reason not to tell the truth.

After monitoring all day I believe the pain is muscular due to the intense coughing I did last night. I got a little frightened because I have had no pain at all until last night. The pain does not seem deep, but close to the surface Thanks everyone

You can try some baby food too. The small jars are a good size.

I never saw your post because I was struggling with being sick after my surgery on June 15 and the title did not push me to read the thread. I am so sorry about your experience. I hope you can recover from the trauma. I know you choose not to name the doc. I heard a story about Dr. Palma from a person I was sleeved with. She was supposed to have had a sleeve 5 years ago but never had any restriction. She had had her stomach stapled in the 80's and in actuality when our doctor looked at it on XRay her stomach was wrapped in some kind of mesh and she had not been sleeved despite paying for a sleeve. Dr. Aceves would not do a sleeve he did a bypass on her. I think it is important to share the good and the bad experiences and I would certainly want to know if someone almost died under my surgeon's care. I can understand why you would be afraid of surgery now. I would be too.

Thanks Tiff but I Cannot open the file. I have excel but it says client integration is disabled

I've been eating some butternut quash soup with unflavored protein added. Probably high in carbs but I am struggling to get any protein in and can't drink one more horrible protein shake

I used to drink them as a kid. They are like egg nog minus the cream

My doc counts pudding and yogurt, pureed fruit in Phase 3, not full liquids

I took my cousin's wife (we are friends). Her family is from Mexicali and she grew up there. That made it easier for her because she did not have to hang around the hospital day and night with me. I was glad she was there for moral support and at one point I ran a fever and my IV got accidentally pulled out and they had a hard time getting it back in. The nurses did not really speak English so I did not know what they were saying. She was able to translate. I could certainly have done it all fine by myself. I was glad she was there but I would not delay until the winter just because no one can go with you. Get connected with others going on the same day as you before you go. I assume you are going to Dr. Aceves? They take wonderful care of you

Hi I am on day 11 and not only do I have NO hunger I would be happy not to drink anything. I felt very weak and tired today. It took me 15 minutes to dry my hair because my arms were so weak. I am forcing in the liquids and Protein because i know I must, but it is a struggle. I did manage to hit 70 g of protein today and 60 oz of FL but I feel so full and I am trying to get the last of this Protein shake in. I guess it is nice not to have hunger but will I ever want to eat anything again? It takes me 2 hours to drink a protein shake

I was in the same situation. Only it was because my insurance changed. I had just started the process. I did not tell the surgeon and just did not go back. It was made clear when I mentioned something to the nurse that they only follow their own patients or patients who have to relocate to the area. My PCP also told me that the bariatric docs "would not touch me if something went wrong" because of liability. I am followed by my PCP and by Dr. Aceves by phone and email. You are not likely to get his support. Some insurance companies require a BMI of 50 for the VSG because they consider it experimental.

Dr. Aceves told us to dissolve the Nexium in a small amount of water. That seems to work for me

I was on cymbalta for chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia and I know the w/d can be hell. I did stop it shortly before surgery and had no problems this time. Don't know why. The other problem with cymbalta is that it is timed released. Talk to your prescribing doc and your bariatric doc. I don't know if you a re taking it for pain or depression or both but if it is for pain maybe nortryptiline would work instead. I just was just diagnosed with vascular migraines and told to use excedrin migraine before my surgery. It worked great but I cant use it now.