chowchows

Was just looking back over my posts, and realized these might be helpful also so I wanted to put links all in the same posts. When the pain first started I thought it might be a leak but my doc thought it was acid reflux. After a few days that seemed to make sense as it would come and go, and I decided that I had developed horrible acid reflux that I would have to live with. This went on for almost two months and then I passed my first gallstone, but I thought it was dumping syndrome. My experiences were somewhat different from the stories I read on the vertical sleeve board, and it would make sense that our bodies are slightly different and therefore might react differently (and each individual person might react even more differently), so I thought linking to these might help Mermaid, or anyone else having these kinds of issues. Of course, pain might be something totally unrelated to acid or gallbladder, so talk to your doctor.

Oh my, can I tell you about what I thought was acid reflux, and instead turned into a horrible gallbladder mess! Here are the threads concerning my saga: My trip to the ER questions about surgery back in ER and had surgery Feel free to ask any questions. This is just my opinion, but I have never heard of gallbladder issues getting better. I am 1000% better since I had it out. I am two months out from surgery and the few issues I had with digestive problems shortly afterwards are gone. I eat what I want and do just fine. If I had it all to do over again I would have insisted they take it out the first time I was in the hospital! Hope you find the answers you need to get to feeling better. Gallbladder issues are no fun! I have heard from more than one person that a gallbladder attack is worse that labor with no pain meds...and when you are having one a week it gets old quickly! Oh, and turns out that what I thought was acid was pain extending out from pancreas and gallbladder...I have no more 'acid issues' now that my gallbladder is gone!

Don't know if it's the same thing, but the pains I get are not acid. Everyone thought they were for a long time, until they did so many tests on me with the gallbladder issues. They are a combination of gas or overfullness and the scar tissue I have developed around the plication. I no longer get the full stop feeling I got early on, I just start hurting now as I eat more.

I'm so sorry to hear about all of these things you have been through. I wish you a continued success in healing/getting better! Take care!

Thank you for all the info. I really appreciate it!

I second that!

How did you come to your diagnosis on this? What kind of doctor was able to help you? Thanks!

I had mine done at the end of April 2011. I have lost essentially 50 lbs and gone from a 22/24 to a 14/16. Okay I guess, but not as much as I wanted. I have only lost about a pound in the last 3 weeks. I think I may be getting to the end of my losing.

Try searching EuroGirl's posts or try private mailing her.

Mine comes and goes. It is usually worse in the evenings, which is typical of gas. I can go a week without any issues, then it seems like I have problems for several days in a row.

You're pretty spot on for where I was at the month out mark. I just hit the 6 month mark and I feel like I can eat a lot more just in the last couple of weeks.

And I apologize if you felt like I was slamming your choice. I actually was very impressed with the fact that he was on the message board answering questions. Back in the original days of me considering wls, I was thinking about the band and wondering how I would get it filled back here in the US. I was researching prices and that was where I came across posts of people listing docs that would/wouldn't fill bands if you had it done in the US and how much it cost. Several people mentioned being quoted a large amount for a fill with Dr. Watkins, and others said 'no, he doesn't charge that much'. The discussion ensued and it turned out that the ones being quoted a larger amount all said that they had told him that they had it done in Mexico. I'm sure if you searched you could find several threads about the issue, it wasn't something I made up, just something I read and thought was odd. I personally can't say if it's true or not, as I got scared away from the band due to other posts I was reading and therefore had no need to pursue the issue. I had not even thought of it again until I saw the discussion about him on here. I was really curious as to whether it was truth or fiction to be honest. I saw so much garbage on some of the doctor owned message boards, and I had narrowed my surgery choices down, that I stopped going to any board except this one and VST. I'm glad you like him and his staff. We all have different needs and opinions and I hope everyone can find the doctor that fits them!

That's interesting. Sometimes I feel sorry for my body and all that I have put it through with the weight gain and surgery. We put ourselves through so much with our weight gain, and then even our tool to fix it makes us feel strange.

I have similar pains and the simple answer is that gas causes my pain. The issue is two part-one, my stomach is smaller and gas enclosed in it is more painful than the average person because there is less space for it to expand. Secondly, I don't digest as well as the average person since I lost my gallbladder, which results in more gas. It is a vicious cycle. I notice that when I am good, I have no pain. I don't always have it when I am bad, but I can feel a little more pressure in that area when I am bad, and then sometimes it's full on pain. GasX doesn't do anything for me. Charcoal caps and lying on my left side are the only things that help me. I actually figured out what it was by accident during the whole gallbladder time. I never had the pain until July, then I experienced it for a few weeks and it didn't return until late August. I realize now that I was starting to have problems then digesting. When I was having the barium swallow they noted huge gas bubbles in my stomach and one day I rolled over on my left side and it caused me to burp a lot and then the pain subsided. Wow, I NEVER would have thought gas pains could feel like this. That being said, your issue might not be gas. I worried for almost two months that I had a leak. The one good thing about the whole gallbaldder episode was that they looked at me from every angle, twice, and found no issue with my stomach. I would get checked out and at least that would give you peace of mind if everything is ok. I am a big hypocrite on that, because it took me months, but I've learned to be better safe than sorry! Good luck and keep us updated!

Am I wrong, or wasn't Michelle trying to drum up business for one certain doctor? I didn't read all of the posts, but I remember something of that nature being said.

That's awesome! It took me three months to do that! Congrats!

Not a hater, just saying what I have seen in several places..didn't say it was gospel truth. Some of the people on other boards who go to doctors in America act as if those of us who went to Mexico or Europe went to the scourge of the Earth doctors, and that seems to be ok to say. As someone who has lived all around the world, in several different countries, I know that there is bad health care all over the world, including America. Dr. Watkins has some really positive points, mainly that he was willing to talk to people on a message board and give assistance and the fact that he is local for some people. That being said, personally I would go to Mexico all over again if given the choice between him or a doctor in Mexico. That is just my personal opinion, just as there are certain doctors where I live that I would not go to for general care. It's a matter of personal perception and preference. I know there are a couple of people on this board that used Dr. Watkins and and are very happy with their surgeries and I think that's great. As far as I know I am the only one (willing to admit at least, lol) on this board that went to dr. verboonen, so sometimes I feel like he is seen as 'one of those docs'. I researched a lot, made my decision and don't get my panties in a wad over what others might think of my choice of docs. Read back through my 200+ posts before you slam me over one post. I'm guessing you had your surgery with Watkins, or are thinking about it. Make an educated decision and don't worry what others on a message board think about your decision...if you do worry you will have to quit your job and spend all your time on the Internet defending it, because someone, somewhere, will ALWAYS see it different than you do. Best of luck with everything!

At the end of August I was starting to notice an appreciable amount of hair loss. Right about that time I started having gallbladder issues and had to change my diet to almost no fat. In order to do that, I started drinking protein shakes again for lunch (then eating VERY carefully amongst a select few low fat items for dinner and snacks). I think the increased protein slowed my hair loss. It is much less noticeable than it was two months ago. If I notice it falling out again I am going to try increasing my protein (I was taking in around the 60-80 grams my doc recommended after the initial surgery, but I had gotten kind of lazy with that during the summer and was only taking in about 40-50 grams) and see if it helps!

Hey Lena, How are you doing these days? You've been on my mind lately. Hope all is well..just haven't heard from you in awhile! CC

Just over two weeks out from surgery and going for my checkup. I am happy to report that I am able to wear tight jeans again and eat most anything I want. I develop a lot of gas and burp a lot, but I can live with that. Life is much better without the GB and all the fun issues it was throwing at me!

I am just now (5 months) at the point where I can eat steak. I have been eating ground sirloin from the beginning of my real food journey, but the doc told me that steak is very hard to digest so I have stayed away from it. Maybe the sirloin was less tender than the ribeye? Even now I will occasionally have something that my stomach doesn't like. When I do that I wait a couple of weeks and try again, and it's usually ok the second time around. My doc told me I wouldn't be fully healed until after 6 months out, and I would run into issues like this from time to time. (of course with the gallbladder issues I took several steps back with my diet, as I wasn't able to digest much between August and late Sept...I'm pretty much back to where I was before though now.)

Hang in there...this is normal. I think we all went through this between 2 and 3 weeks out. Take it from a very inpatient person, it will start moving again.

I had heard that he says that patients that go to other countries for their surgeries need to be punished. I heard that he charges like 5 times the amount for fills for patients who had their band or banded/plication done in another country, in order to 'punish' them. Not sure if that's true (as I don't have a band and have never even talked to his office) but some people on another board were talking about it.

I didn't know he had TWO ...I had only heard about the one!

I think the majority of us who are several months out have the same feelings. I think you summed it up pretty well. It isn't quite what I expected, and I do have cravings and the weight loss is slow, but I'm getting there. How much more do you have to go till you reach your 'goal weight'?