mamamckinzie

Libbe! You did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How did it go? Give us a play by play when you feel up to it. Good luck on the leak test! We will be cheering you on as you make your way around the bases and into the dug out!!!!!

LadyBug! You are almost all the around the bases! Keep up the walking, sipping, resting and we will cheer you on into the Dugout! Welcome to the other side!

Woot! Woot! Your going to do fantastic! Stay ahead of the pain and use the pain medication. It will help you heal faster. Take care and good luck!

Welcome! So glad you found us! Keep us posted!

Dr. Kowalski at KC Bariataric Center

So sorry to hear about your Grandma but I am glad you are able to go up to Philly. Keep us posted and we will make you an "honorary August All Star"!

From a purely medical standpoint?......Absolutely NOT! If you had broken your arm and it was in a cast at two weeks would you want to arm wrestle? You are in the very EARLY stages of healing from a MAJOR surgerical procedure. Your stomach is still swollen and trying to recover from trauma. Your liver is in high gear processing all the fat breakdown from a very low caloric diet. The alcohol will go thru your new stomach very quickly and hit your liver hard. After everything you have done to get to this point is "partying" really worth it? Do you have to have a drink in order to have fun? Can't you go and have fun without alcohol? Later after you are all healed you can have a drink in moderation but remember it will never be the same as it was before due to the fact of how hard it will hit your system and quickly raise your blood alcohol level faster than a normal size stomach. I hope you make the right decision.

Way to ROCK THAT SLEEVE!!! Happy cruising!

You do not need to be on the ledge sister! Sleeve world is great! Not a walk in the park the first few weeks but each day gets better and better. It is so nice to unchained from hungry,hungry, tummy. I like my tiny tummy. I can manage it! I feel like I did when I was in my 20's on the hunger scale. It's been soooo long I had forgotten. So even though it is very normal to have some anxiety right before surgery it will all work out for the best. You are making the right decision for your health! Good luck and wishing you a smooth and safe surgery and recovery!

My sentiments exactly! BRONZE IT BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Meme! I kinda like it up here in the booth

Woot! Woot! My first week since surgery and I have lost 8.4lbs! Plus I know it will NOT be coming back this time!. I LOVE MY SLEEVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jmiller, Look on the forum page and scroll down till you see 2011 sleevers,click and go to August 2011 and join us August All-Stars!!!!!!!!!!!

We have a big group getting ready to hit it out of the park starting Monday! 8 SunnyinSD, Ladybug86, MeMeMEEE, Kayla, Toyia, Casuzarry, Lynaa4life, Forensikchic, Tarada9, MAKF, Wondering1, LisaM 9 nurselisa22, LindaS, red dress girl, Shell77, 2nd chance 10 Indymom, Happylife, Houston_Rich, cinderella123, lisak119 11 Jimmy James, missjanab, PhatGurl80, hereigoagain, 12 Ms.girl, sdorr Let's all give them a great big team shout out for best wishes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can do it!!!!!!!!!!! The dugout and the stands are going wild!!!!!!!!!

Glad everthing went so smooth! Take care! Sip,walk,rest, repeat! And give your wife a big hug from all of us here! I know all of us are sure thankful for our supportive loved ones during this time!!!!

It might be best to have your Rheumy and your Bari confer as to which procedure would be optimal in your case. You would be considered a high risk patient since you are RA & on Metho. I personally was not interested in Plication due to post operative risk factors of necrosis,suture tear, scarring, etc. I had my hubby look at the procedure (he is a DVM) and he did not like it at all. I too have an Auto Immune Disease called Primary Biliary Cirrhosis. It is a rare liver disease that attacks the biliary tree in the liver. I had VSG done last Monday and I feel good. Good luck with your decision!!!

BigMan, AWWW! Now ya went ahead and got me all teary eyed! Thanks! I don't know how I could of got thru the preop/postop phase without all of the wonderful support from everyone.

They only thing that was difficult for me was the bowel prep. It really ripped me up and was just plain horrible. Apply vaseline before you start to protect yourself. The prep nurse was super nice. They will take you upstairs so you can change and give you a nice black bag to put your belongings into. Then they will ask you all the medical questions several times. Then the anes doc will come in and go over with what he will be doing. Then Dr. Kowalski will come by and talk to you too. After you been hooked up to IV's they will bring your sig other up to you. Then they will wheel you to OR and give you your happy medicine. You sig other will have a pager given to them upon arrival if I remember right. After recovery you will be transfered to your private room. You will have a cath in place (thank goodness) so you wont need to get out of bed or wait for someone to take you to the bathroom. You will be given pain meds thru a pain pump. Dr. K will also give 3 rounds of Toradol. It is strong nsaid that will help with the swelling and pain. The nursing staff is very nice and knowledgable to bariataric patients. However, if they get too busy to give you your first walk after surgery (3 hours post) go ahead and have your sig other walk you. Just unplug your iv mach from the wall, it will run on battery, grab your cath bag and keep it below your waist and off you go. We walked not only the hall that was in front of my room but also went thru the doors and made a circle cuz no one was there at night. Some really nice paintings to check out too! On your 2nd day in the morning you will do your swallow test. The stuff taste bad but not horrific. For lunch you will get a small container of broth and Jello and 1 popsicle. Then after Dr. K get to look it over he will call the nurses and let them know you can go home. Plan on late afternoon. While you are there your sig other gets free meals from the dining room. Also, the recliner chair sucks. Ask for a cot. The rooms are small but it will fit. Any other questions just ask and good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man oh man that feels good to have those puppies taken out! Steri-strips in place and all is looking good. Be glad when the bruising goes away too.

Hey MAKJ I am a Dr. Kowalski patient too! Mine was last Monday and it went very well! Very little pain. Dr. Kowalski is fantastic! Feeling really good 5 days out!

AWWWWW!! Now THATS True Love!!!!

Mine went very smooth! Hubby and I left at 7:30am in order to arrive at the hosptial at 10:00.Got signed in and they took me up to preop and asked all the questions, etc, weighed in, arm band put on, iv line placed. Then they brought hubby up. Then came the anes doc and the my surgeon. At noon they wheeled me off to OR and I really dont remember anything until I was woke up by a nurse and transfered to my room. Surgery was suppose to an hour and recovery and hour but I was in recovery longer cuz my heartrate was so low. Slept alot at first, got hooked up to my pain pump and chilled out! I had a cath in place which I for one am always grateful for so I do not have to wait for someone to help me go to the bathroom. I had a cannula for oxygen cuz of the pain pump. I had them add a humidifer too it so that my nose would not dry out and start bleeding. They were suppose to get me up for a walk 3 hours after surgery but they too busy and were not able to get to me. My hubby got upset (he is a veterinarian so he knows the dangers of blood clots) so I told him just chill and you can get me up for a walkabout. No big deal. So that is what we did. The only problems I had were my low heart rate. Other than that it went very smooth. Did the swallow test mid afternoon. Once that was check by the surgeon I was able to be released. So the drain was removed and all my fluids, cath, and iv line and out the door I went!

WOOT!!! WOOT!!!! You are firmly on your way to new you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Bryn!! I got ya beat for who is the baby!!!!! lol! Surgery August 1st 6lbs gone! In 5 days! Just waiting on my poor budda belly to heal..hehe

Dahlia, Yep I am home! Was discharged last Tuesday (2nd) about 3pm. I had pain on my left side and shoulder so I used the pain meds and a heating pad. The heating pad helped alot. My surgery was done in the Kansas City area (Overland Park , KS) at Hospital Spine & Specialty. I was able to stay pretty doped up so I was not in pain. Dr. K also give 3 rounds of a strong non steroidal called Toradol...very nice! Been walking 30 minutes each day since Wed. Today is the best day so far. No nausea or vomiting...thank goodness. I could not tolerate the liquid lortab so I used left over vicdoin and cut it in half. Here is to a new us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!