mountain_lover

So I told my mom about my revision to the sleeve and she is telling me that there is a horrible rate of on-going acid reflux. She knows someone who had the surgery and they said the reflux is horrible. Can anyone tell me if this is accurate? Is this something you can prevent with antacids?[/quote

After I had surgery Dec. 2, 2009, I have had acid reflux very often and I use lots of tums and it helps some, but it doesn't stop it entirely. I never had this before surgery. I think most of my problem it that I eat too late before going to sleep. I sleep in a recliner or propped up in bed and that also helps, but it still happens sometimes. I am also taking Prilosec two times a day and that doesn't stop it from happening. I will be interested in reading some more answers on here to see what others are doing to help this problem. Even with this problem, I still do not regret having done the sleeve. I have lost a total of 86 pounds pre-op and post-op, so I am very grateful that I was able to have it done.

Mountain Lover: WOW good for you! I will watch for another post from you in the next few months. I too am at 180. Kinda holding there, I just need to get re-focused. I am so happy with the sleeve. It has made this journey possible.

I will pray for you and your family.

God Bless.

Thank you for your prayers!! I am now at 182.6 pounds and have no regrets having the sleeve. I have had acid reflux, but it is mostly due I think to my eating late in the evening.

Mountain Lover: WOW good for you! I will watch for another post from you in the next few months. I too am at 180. Kinda holding there, I just need to get re-focused. I am so happy with the sleeve. It has made this journey possible.

I will pray for you and your family.

God Bless.

Thank you for your prayers. I am now at 182.6. I have been losing very slowly. I have not been doing what I need to be doing. I have been trying to get back into exercising more often to help firm up and to help lose the weight. I need to do better with what I choose to eat. I am very happy that I had the sleeve, because it does restrict how much I can eat. I still have no regrets having the sleeve.

I am glad that everything is working out for you. I just sent you a private message right before reading this topic. Sorry that you didn't get to have Dr. Husted, but it seems as though everything is working out for you in the end. I hope you have a speedy recovery and will be on your new journey with the weight loss that you hope for. From Mountain_Lover

I noticed that I did not have a profile picture so I put one on here of me on New Year's Eve. I weighed 213 pounds and now I weigh 182.6, so I will have to update my profile picture soon.

I am glad that everything is working out for you. I just sent you a private message right before reading this topic. Sorry that you didn't get to have Dr. Husted, but it seems as though everything is working out for you in the end. I hope you have a speedy recovery and will be on your new journey with the weight loss that you hope for. From Mountain_Lover

I noticed after I posted to you, that I did not have a profile picture, so I put one on here that was taken on New Year's Eve. I weighed 213 pounds in this profile picture. I will have to update it later, because now I am at 182.6 pounds. If you go to my profile and click on my photo albums you will see how I looked before surgery. Thank you for sending me the private message about my 9 month post op and Dr. Husted.

Well, thanks for the well wishes. I had a little Detour on the road to recovery. Unfortunately I had a complication that is one of the normal surgical risks. Let me preface by saying I was a premie and have low volume crappy lungs, asthma, and sleep apnea. Even though I got up and walked that evening of surgery, used my incentive spirometry tool, I managed to get a partially collapsed lung on one side and pneumonia on the other. So, I made a trip back to Mexico yesterday because I felt like absolute doggie doodoo. We did a turn around and came back. As for the diahrrea, it had stopped by Tuesday. I guess that's just what my system was doing with all those clear liqs and when I get to fulls it should stop. In the meantime, I don't wander too far from a bathroom.

But here is the really cool part of the events of yesterday....

I called my PCP because I felt pretty certain the problem was in my lungs. But as soon as she heard I went to Mexico for surgery, she wouldn't even talk to me. She said to contact my surgeon. (Good thing I wasn't having a heart attack.)

I contacted the Mexicali coordinator and told them I felt something was wrong. Not sure if you remember, but I don't have any insurance. Anyway, they told me to come down. We drove for 3.5 hours. Dr. Aceves' sister met us on the US side of the border and drove us to the hospital. Dr. Campos (Dr. Aceves' assistant) met us at the door. He immediately did a fluoroscope to check my sleeve. It was perfect. He then did chest X-ray and made the diagnosis. He sat us down, wrote out a treatment plan and prescriptions, said I could stay the night if we wanted to but that it would be fine if I didn't. We really wanted to get back home, so we elected not to stay. 2 hours from the time we got to the hospital we were back across the border and on our way home. Cost of the trip: 1.5 tanks of gas, $35.00 cab fare for the return across the border, $3.00 parking lot fee on the US side and $80.00 for meds. Peace of mind: PRICELESS. I am sure the US bill for yesterday would have been in the thousands.

Talk about URGENT care. We left our house at noon and were back home by 10pm. I have waited in ER's longer than that. We were completely impressed with the rapid and competent care. In retrospect, I think I should have stayed because the contrast material they gave me for the fluoroscopy restarted the diahrrea so we had to stop a lot on the way home. (And there's not a lot of bathrooms in the desert.) I also could have used a bottle or 2 of IV Fluid. But I wasn't thinking too straight yesterday.

So now I am taking my meds and using my spirometer and nebulizer to get my lungs open and clear again. I slept pretty well last night and feel a little better today.

So that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

gg

I am glad that everything is working out for you. I just sent you a private message right before reading this topic. Sorry that you didn't get to have Dr. Husted, but it seems as though everything is working out for you in the end. I hope you have a speedy recovery and will be on your new journey with the weight loss that you hope for. From Mountain_Lover

Tiffykins, You are such an inspiration. It really helps to read what you have to say. Thanks From Cathy

I am coming back to give everyone an update. I have lost a total of 80 pounds pre-op and post-op. I have 41.8 more pounds to lose to reach my goal weight of 145. I am getting so excited about reaching my goal. It has been a good journey with the vertical sleeve surgery. I have been going through many family related very stressful situations and I had to be hospitalized 2 times in April and May and still dealing with some medicine issues and going to councelling as much as possible to help me get through this. Please pray for me during this time for God to help work everything out. Thank you all for your support. I have not updated my photos, but I will work on trying to get some on as soon as possibe.

hello tiffykins, Thank you for all the information. I didn't know that, I have been using the chocolate chews since surgery. Is there any certain time of the day that I should take the calcium citrate? thank you and I will be back again to see what else you have posted.

I am coming back to update my progress. I have been going through a tough time with family issues and had to go into the Hospital for a week recently to help overcome the obstacles, and was successful. Now I am on my way to losing. On April 15 I weighed 195, but I went back up to 199 while I was in the Hospital. I am happy to say that As of May 4, I now am down to my lowest weight since surgery, I am at 194.8.

I hope I can continue to lose more quickly to get to my Goal Weight of 145 pounds. It has been coming off slowly, but I am happy with the results so far. I am sure that This will help me to get back in the groove of things. I tried to post new photos on my album, but was unsuccessful, I will have to have my son to help me, He is really good at uploading photos. I will update when I lose more. Thank you for your prayers and support. I want to come back more often soon, because I need the inspiration. Cathy

Hey Gang,

Wondering what everyone uses for headaches/muscleaches? I'm almost six weeks out, and, although I feel so much better already, I still get occasional muscle aches that I used to take Aleve for. I understand Aleve is not a good choice, post-sleeve. What do the rest of you post-opers use for occassional pains?

Thanks!

Carol

Hello Carol,

I take Arthritis Strength Tylonol, But I buy the Wal-Mart Equate Brand. A person can take two tablets 3 times in 24 hours and each tablet is 650 mg of actephetaphen (Mispelled).

If you have a YMCA close by, check to see if they have an Aquatic (Swimming Pool) exercise program. It is a big help and also the Hot tub or sauna room is helpful for muscle and arthritis pain. I wish you all the best!!

So, this week marks a pretty awesome point in my WLS journey.

I started my WLS journey with the band at 270lbs, sleeve revision at 263lbs, and today I'm weighing in at 135.

I've lost literally half of pre-op self ! ! !

Just thought this is a really awesome moment for me so I thought I would share.

I bought new skinny jeans this week from Rue 21, they're a size 8/9 and they are way smaller than my other 9's in the closet. I seriously love my sleeve.

For those of you debating this surgery, do it. I couldn't be happy with my sleeve. I couldn't imagine living the life I'm living today.

Wow Tiffykins, you are such an inspiration, I hope you have been doing ok since your GB surgery!! I wish you all the best

It started yesterday after I ate and its back today as well.

Its a sharp stabbing pain under my left rib cage sort of.

Any ideas?

Maybe its not even surgery related????

Hello ishary,

I experienced a similar situation right before Christmas. My sleeve was done on Dec.2 and less than a month out I had go to the ER in an ambulance. My chest pain lasted 2-3 days before I went and 2-3 days after I went home. I was at the ER for about 8 hours or so before they found out what might possibly have been causing my pain. They did heart tests and blood tests. Further testing had to be done because of one positive blood test that usually indicates a possibility of a pulminary embolism (blood clot in the lungs). They did a CT Scan and there was no blood clot, but they did find a Hematoma on or near my spleen. They explained the size was 8 cm and could have been the result of bruising at the time of surgery when the sleeve was done. The liver and the spleen are in front of the stomach and it is easy for that to happen. I was told that I might be experiencing the pain under my left breast because of the swelling and any inflamation. Thank God I did not have a blood clot or a heart attack. I had to stay in the hospital Dec. 24-25 and was sent home. I was told that it was not infected and normally they are absorbed by the body. I have not had any more problems with it. It is better to be safe than to be sorry. If your pain continues and it continues to concern you, it would be better to have it checked out to be on the safe side.

Hope you get to feeling better!!

Well I have good news to update my story. I have now reached ONEDERLAND, I weighed

199.2 on Feb. 15, 2010. It feels so good to be out of the twos. I have not been in the hundreds for at least 20+ years.

I bought me a pair of 14 W Rider Jeans and they fit. It is so hard to believe. I am still quite a ways from my goal weight of 145, but now it seems to be more within reach. This is a great journey having the Sleeve. I am so thankful that my life has been changed by having the sleeve done on Dec. 2, 2009.

Good luck to you. I also am awaiting my surgery date. What kind of "milk shakes" are they making you drink? Thanks.

Hello NoPatience,

I no longer drink the Protein Milkshakes, but when I did I drank the ones from GNC store in the mall here in Somerset. I thought that they tasted better than the ones from Wal-Mart.

I am now OUT OF THE TWOS!!!!! Feb. 15, 2010 I weighed 199.2, but I wanted to wait a few days to post so that I could make sure that it is for real. Well this morning I am still in the ones. It feels great to be in Onederland!! It has been 20+ years since I have been out of the twos. Congratulations to everyone that is out of the twos.

I enjoyed reading everyone's comments. I have now made it to Onederland. My weight on Feb. 15, 2010 was 199.2 and it has been 20+ years since I have been out of the twos. It feels so good to say I am now in the hundreds. I still have a ways to reach my goal weight of 145, but now I know that it is getting so much closer. I am so thankful for the sleeve, it is really changing my life. I am so happy to see so many others reaching Onederland!!!!!

i have an appt with the nutritionist in a few weeks, but i thought id ask what everyone here was/is eating at 2 months post op. the past few days ive been eating roast beef with cream cheese rolled up, crackers with peperoni and cheese, tuna salad and crackers. i feel like i should not be eating as much as i am and i know crackers are probably not good but they go down fine and ive had no problems so far with anything i have eaten. i plan on going to the store tomorrow and getting some chicken breasts and veg and complex carbs, similar to the diet i was on for my pre-pre op.

I can eat anything, nuts, meat, vegatables ect... but I can only eat a few oz. at first, then wait 15-30 minutes and eat the rest. One example is this, when I go to Taco Bell, I order a Diet Fresco taco and I can eat half of it and then finish it in 15 or so minutes afterward. For supper I can eat two small pieces of pizza and before surgery I could eat half of a pizza easily. I know that I should not be eating certain things, but I am trying to eat healthier by getting in more Protein. I try to avoid real greasy foods and things containing too much sugar, because sometimes I start feeling real uncomfortable and feel like I am going to vomit. Also I don't want to get too many calories from those kinds of foods. I really like chicken and beef and I like to eat cucumbers, tomatoes or green peppers with the meat. I feel better after I eat the healthier foods such at those things. I am glad that I can't eat very much at each meal. I try to stick to 3 meals each day with 2 Snacks if I can. I know that I need to make some changes also, so I can continue to lose weight and to maintain a healtier life weight as time goes on. I always look forward to seeing a weight lose on the scales, so when I notice that the weight is coming off real slow then I try harder to get back on track. I wish you all the best.

im about half way done with my classes at Kaiser which means im half way to getting my surgery im liittle scarred not gonna lie. but i was wondering how painful was it after the surgery? how long did you wait before going back to work? and also do you get alot of the dumping syndrome? i heard you get it with the gastric bypass more. i can ask these types of questions to my doc or some other medical person haha but i think i can find more accurate answers from people who have experienced it already. thanks i hope to hear from everyone!:thumbup1:

Hello,

I had my surgery on Dec.2 and I got out of the hospital on Dec.5. The only pain I had was from the gas pains for one week. They say that is from the surgery and anethesia, it is normal. I did not have any pain at the incision site. I was my Doctor's 2nd patient that he performed the new way of doing the Sleeve. He only made one incision which was 2 inches right above my belly button. I do believe that it helped for me to heal more quickly and to not have any pain. The usual way is with 5 incisions. I had a two week appointment after surgery and my incision was healed ok and the Doctor gave me the OK to go to my Swim Exercise classes. Also I had a 10 pound weight limit if I had to lift anything for 8 weeks.

If I eat and drink liquid right after the meal, I have a tendency to have to go to the rest room real soon and have what seems to be similar to what I have read about dumping syndrone.

I know that I am suppose to wait at least 30-60 minutes after eating to drink, but I have a hard time following this advice. When I do wait I do have better results.

I wish you all the best. I really am glad that I found this forum and the ObesityHelp.com in the beginning, because I found out alot of answers to the questions I had about having surgery and what to expect. I am sure that you will get more answers as time goes by.

My Doctor said my stomach would hold about 3-5 oz after surgery and then around 9-12 months later it would possibly hold 8-10 oz. Also Dr. Husted did not perform any leak test. He did my sleeve laprascopically with only one 2 inch incision, I was his 2nd patient which he did it this way. Every thing went well with the surgery on Dec. 2, 2009. On Dec. 24 I experienced some bad chest pains and went to the ER and had to stay in the hospital for 2 days. I had a CT Scan to see if I had a blood clot in my lung, but it wasn't. They did find a hematoma (large bruise size of an orange) on my spleen. It was not infected and it had not burst, so they let me go home. It could have been bruised during surgery. I have been fine since. They said they usually are absorbed by the body and go away. I will probably have to have another CT Scan later to see if it did go away. I am really happy that I had the sleeve and I have NO regrets. I hope you find out all the information that will help you to make the right decision. I wish you all the best. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

I started a year ago wanting to have the Band and ONLY the band. But after going to Dr. Husted's seminar I was not so sure that I wanted to go through all those fills ect... and being stuck with a needle. Then when I got on ObesityHelp.com and on this forum and read alot of the postings I started leaning towards the other procedure that Medicaid would cover called the Duodenal Switch. When I went to my first Doctor appointment on April 1 of last year, Dr. Husted told me that He thought the procedure that would be best for me would be the Sleeve (which is the first part of the Duodenal Switch---without having the intestines cut or rearranged.) But Medicaid did not cover the Sleeve at that time, but he encouraged me that it would possibly be covered in the near future. I found out in November that Medicaid finally would cover the Sleeve and I got the approval and two weeks after my pre-op diet I had my Sleeve done on Dec.2, 2009. Also right before I was to have the surgery done, he told me that he was doing the surgery with only one 2 inch incision instead of the normal 5 incisions. I was his 2nd patient that he performed the new way of doing the sleeve. I did not feel any pain at the incision site, the only pain I had was gas pains from the anethesia and I had bad nausea for 1 week. I have no regrets having the sleeve done. Especially after reading all the posting of so many having a revision done from the Band to the Sleeve. Now I don't have that to worry about. I thank God for working out everything to fall in place for me to have the Sleeve instead of the Band and for leading me to such a great surgeon as Dr. Husted. I am thankful that I had a Doctor with a good reputation and lots of experience with different procedures. I wish all the best to you, whatever decision you make. You are doing what you need to do by researching the different procedures and finding out what your insurance will cover and what it will not.

So I made it past the weekend with out a big mess up, it was hard getting through with out getting any fast food being around my friends all weekend they were eating all the favorites of mine! After a almost break down I made it through it. Today Is 10 days to D-day and it was my last feeling and chance of "cheating". So I gave myself a good job dinner (totally cheating, but i believe it was the best healthy cheat I could do) I made some chicken broth home made for this week coming up, so I had a small piece of the boiled chicken that I used to make the broth, and a few of the carrots that were in the broth. Gotta admit, not smoking cigs was a little more difficult of a time this weekend due to the fact I used them a few times to get over the hunger... But I've consider this my stopping due date. (Well Monday) So after tomorrow It will be 1 week till im sleeved... And thanks to everyone for their support! I wonder how many calories Would be in that dinner I had tonight..

Hello hershey,

I enjoyed chatting with you on the forum chat room today. I know that it is so hard to make it through the different diet stages before and after surgery. The best advice I can give you is to hang in there and not give up. I can understand how difficult it must be being around other friends especially eating fast foods and favorites. You being a 25 year old male, hanging out with friends must really be rough. You sure don't want to avoid your friends at this time, so just hang in there and if you do screw up as many of us do at times, just get back on track and try harder to do the right things. JUST DONT EVER GIVE UP AND KEEP LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS JOURNEY!!! The 9th will be here before you know it and you will be sleeved and on your way to a new you. I wish you all the best. You are the same age as my youngest child. He has weight issues, so i happy that you are doing something to change at a young age. I am 55 years and I wish I could have done this so many years ago. I have been obese for over 30 years.

I really enjoyed reading this thread. I am so happy to see everyone's accomplishments.

Congratulations on making it out of the twos. I have not been out of the twos for 20+ years, but I am really close now. My daughter got me a Healthometer scale that lets me know my weight, fat %, water% and bone%. I am keeping tract of my weigh-ins in a journal. Those scales always weigh me about 3 pounds more than my regular scales. My weight on 2/05/10 was 201.4, but on the regular scales I weighed 197. I am so anxious for the Healthometer Scale to weight me out of the twos and into Onederland. Maybe in a few days I will be able to say, "I made it to Onederland". But for now I have to wait. I want to get some pictures of me taken on New Year's Eve put in an album and some new ones taken soon since I am now over 2 month out. Thanks for posting, you are all great inspirations for me to keep going.

Hi Mountain_Lover...

Thank you for sharing this. I must admit, I didn't know what you meant by Tardive, but when I looked it up, I knew exactly what you were referring to... Odd stuff. Glad to know that information, I think I shall avoid ALL drugs with those possible side effects.

How are things with your sleeve? How's the losing, and how's the acid?

Best!

Thank you for your comments. My sleeve was done on Dec.2 and everything is still going ok. I weigh 203. 34 pounds lost before surgery and 29 pounds lost after surgery. Also I feel lots better as long as I make sure I take my Ranitidene 150 mg from Wal-Mart. My doctor recommends taking it for 2 months after surgery, but I am going to take it for awhile longer and ask him next month if I need to stop taking 2 each day or can I continue.

I hope that all went well with you if you did have your surgery yesterday. Please let us know how you are doing as soon as possible. I wish you all best.

I pray that Stacie is getting some relief and that we hear from her soon. I pray that your issue will resolve itself Mountain Lover. Please let us know of any developments and of the outcome of your next visit to your doctor in March. God be with us.

Thank You for your prayers.