gatorman

Glad to see so many new sleevers here in Florida and especially here in Jacksonville! I'm also really excited to see so many people are doing well after having their sleeves done. Great news on my front. . . I've officially lost over 100 pounds! I am now at 101 pounds down! I am so excited. I only have about 40 to 50 more to go and I am at my goal weight!

Keep up the good work everyone. Before you know it you will be at your goal weight too!

Gatorman, You didn't have to stay in for 2 nights? I'm totally shocked by that, since it's the minimum my doctor does. I'm also gonna have a drain for a week (ugh). It will all be worth it when it's over. I'm starting to get really nervous now about what's going to happen.

I was a self pay patient, which could have been part of the reason for the shorter stay, but honestly I felt fine and they had already done all of the testing to check for leaks, I'm not sure they could have been able to keep me around for 2 nights. I might have just snuck out on my own.

Wishes, I was in the hospital for probably 26 hours total and if they would have let me go earlier I would have. Truly within an hour of going off the pain pump I was just itching to go home and get in my own bed and see my kids. I had surgery on Friday and by Sunday night I had good energy and was ready to go back to work on Monday, although I didn't make it back to work until Tuesday.

Thanks for the welcome Gatorman! I see you're down 93 pounds - very impressive! When were you sleeved? Did you have yours done at St Lukes? I had my band done at Memorial, as well as having worked there several years ago so the St Lukes thing is going to be completely new to me. I have no idea what to expect. So I'll gladly take any insight you'd be willing to share, both for the hospital and what to expect post-op. Thanks!

I was sleeved on April 14th at St. Luke's. They were great a St. Luke's and I didn't have any problem there at all. Post-op expect to be on a pain pump for a while. Get up walking as soon as you can, and enjoy the pump! LOL. I quit using pain medication all together when they took me off the pump. I really didn't have many problems post-op but I did get a little down about day 2 or 3 wondering if I did the right thing. That quickly passed though as I started to eat more. Getting used to changing the way you eat was hard for me and I got sick a lot they first couple of weeks, but since you had a band you will probably do better at recognizing the signs quicker than I did. By two months out I feel I had everything down pat and know the signs of when enough is enough. I've pretty much quit carbs all together (every once and a while I might have a bite of bread) and focus on eating my Proteins.

Truly this is the best thing I've ever done and I suggest it to anyone who has ever struggled with obesity!

Welcome Eddie! I am sure you will end up being successful and thinking the sleeve is the best thing you've ever done, I know I do! Dr. Webb did my follow up in the hospital and he was great.

Longer-Life, I love Dr. Depari and Dr. Webb. I obviously know Dr. Depari better since he did my surgery and followups but they are both great. Having the sleeve has certainly changed my life.

Yesterday, I saw my primary care Dr for the first time since the surgery. He was shocked at how much weight I've lost as well as the fact that my BP dropped as much as it has.

Hello fellow Florida Sleevers! I had my surgery on April 14 and have lost just over 93lbs. I live in Jacksonville, and used Dr. Depari who is affiliated with Novus Centers and Dr. Webb. This has been the best decision of my life. I have basically cut out carbs, haven't had a Diet Coke since March and am loving it all. I have become somewhat of a Life Saver Junkie though. I noticed that my breath and tastes were changing and learned it was from the fat burning off, so I do find myself wanting mints a good bit, but otherwise nothing major to report.

Good luck to all who are about to have surgery, you will be in my prayers and hope you will be as successful and happy as so many others here have been!

I'm having great success. After the initial phase of learning to eat, things are going great. I've lost about 93lbs and have gone from a Size 48 waist to a Size 38 in just 4 months! I am so happy I got my sleeve and will tell anyone who struggles with their weight to look into it!

Had my surgey yesterday and am still in the hospital. I'm in more pain than I expected!! Ive been in and out of consciousness and threw up. That was very painful!!! I'll keep you all posted

Hang in there Stacy. You will start to feel better and I promise you will agree soon enough that this is the best thing you have ever done!

I had my Sleeve on April 14th and the weight is continuing to drop!

Well, I replied, but I'm not sure if it went through, but I was saying how you're the first person I've seen who has used Dr. Webb also.

I used Dr. Deperi from Dr. Webb's group. But Dr Webb did my followups in the hospital. Love both of them and I'm really looking forward to continued weight loss.

Thanks for the encouragement! I am currently taking prevacid and my doctor told me if I want that I can take pepcid or other chewables if I need to.

I am trying to add foods slowly and I'm looking forward to continuing to make friends here.

My name is Chris and Dr. Deperi in Jacksonville, FL did my sleeve on April 14, 2011. So far so good and I would recommend Dr. Deperi or any of the other doctors who work with Novus Centers in Jacksonville.

Hello everyone. I signed up for this forum about a year ago and kind of quit looking at it after my insurance refused to pay for surgery. We were able to save up some money and on April 14th I had my sleeve done! I lost 20 pounds on my pre-surgery diet and since the 14th, I've lost another 25 pounds.

I will begin soft foods on Thursday, but I'm nervous, since I can barely handle anything still. I get a lot of reflux often from just a sip of Water and when I do eat applesauce or mashed potatoes right now I get a little nauseous. Is there anything I need to be doing differently?

Well, my VSG was on 4/7 and I am recovering as best as I can. Dr. Koppman was great and Flagler Hospital was truly wonderful.

I am adjusting poorly to this new stomach so I do have some buyer's remorse...however that has nothing to do with the surgeon or the hospital.

I don't think I was prepared for the pain I would be in and how uncomfortable eating would become after surgery. I feel as if I'm developing an aversion to food. Just thinking about my next meal fills me with anxiety. I can completely understand now why the recovery literature warns against anorexia.

I just hope and pray that I feel normal one day soon and can eat without pain/discomfort or nausea.

Best of luck to you Gatorman...your journey will be different from mine, I'm sure, and I hope it is a pain-free as possible.

-NiceGirl

Sorry to hear you are in such pain and so uncomfortable NiceGirl. I am sure that it will get better soon.

One of the interesting things he told me yesterday is that ex-athletes normally breeze through recovery so I am hoping that will be the case with me. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

BJean, I will definitely keep everyone updated on my progress. I hope to get the okay today from my financial adviser and if I do I will start the next step. It was funny yesterday since the doctor said he would never tell a patient to do one procedure over another if he didn't medically have to, but he would always advise a Sleeve if the option was there.

Hey Les, I thought it was spelled with a "K" Klonopin...I do take it and I agree it does help with anxiety, and it's long lasting without projecting a false sense of reality. Thanks for sharing your personal experience, I'm really glad you did. BTW, I take the generic brand: "Clonazepam", do you?

Lan it is Klonopin. I took it for a while and it worked great. Now I just take Xanax and I am actually happier with it. I used to take the generic brand "Clonazepam" as well.:tongue_smilie:

gatorman, we'll look forward to hearing how your appointment goes tomorrow with your surgeon and whether he suggests the band or sleeve or bypass. Good luck!

Well my surgeons office, said that I can pretty much make up my own mind on which surgery I can do, so needless to say VSG here I come. I met two different VSG patients today at my surgeon's office and they both look great! I can't wait. It looks like I am about 2 months out. I hope to schedule a date within the next month!!!

Anyone know how common it is for sleep apnea to resolve (IE, be "cured") after WLS?

I've heard WILDLY varying statistics, from "it never goes away, it just gets better" to "80% of patients who get the sleeve don't need the CPAP anymore."

I'm guessing that the real answer is somewhere in between the two, but I don't want to just get my hopes up based on wishful thinking. Anyone know any hard numbers?

I don't have any hard numbers, but I have an appointment with my doctor later today and I will let you know if he has any.

I have always just heard that if you are obese and lose weight that sleep apnea will often be reversed and I am hoping mine is when I get the sleeve done.

Congrats! I hope it goes great for you.

Lan, I have fought depression & anxiety for years now and have tried pretty much everything. I've had very good results with a combination of Lexapro and Wellbutrin. Zoloft didn't really do anything for me. I hope you can find what works best for you. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the info Swift. I'm going to have my wife look at this too, so I can put her mind more at ease about all the Sleeve.

I've heard some people have the surgeon submit for a 2 part DS - with the sleeve being the first stage. They just never went back to have the 2nd part done. Is your BMI high enough to qualify for DS?

Possibly. My BMI is at 44 right now.

I have just been approved by my insurance (UHC) for the sleeve with Dr. John Koppman of US Bariatrics in St. Augustine, FL. Has anyone else been sleeved with him? I feel very comfortable with him so far and confident that the hopsital and the team he works with will do a great job for me.

Yet...I was hoping to get some feedback from someone that had already worked with him.

My surgery is not scheduled yet, as I still have my cardiology appt to attend, but I hope to be sleeved by mid-April.

Thanks for any feedback you can give!!

NiceGirl, I hope your surgery went great! I am in Jacksonville as well. I have been to a seminar at N FL Bariatics with Dr. Herrera at St. Vincent's and have an appointment with Novus Centers and Dr. Webb at Memorial tomorrow. Dr Herrera has only done 4 VSG's so I will probably use Dr. Webb. I would love to hear how Dr Koppman did.

I am in Florida and BCBS of Florida won't cover any WLS, or at least my plan won't. I was told to appeal and that I could probably get them to pay for By-pass or LB but now that I am 100% leaning toward the Sleeve I found out they won't pay for it at all. Honestly, since I had already figured I was going to have to self-pay I am not even going to try and fight it. I don't want to wait any longer to get my new life started. I have been overweight too long and I don't want to go through another 6 months of "Physician Approved" dieting. I've tried everything, adipex, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Grapefruit. . .always to yo-yo back up.

Good luck and I hope you have won your appeal.

Hello Di and others. I too was really leaning toward the LB but between this site and a friend who had by-pass before VSG was available and his wife who is looking into VSG, I am almost 100% leaning toward the Sleeve. I have a consultation tomorrow with the surgeon and since I'm self-paying I hope to schedule the surgery in mid-June.

Good luck to you!

Hi there and welcome. From someone that has experienced both the band and the sleeve, I can honestly tell you the sleeve is so much better.

Best wishes on your consult, and keep us posted on your progress. I had my band and VSG revision here in Florida.

I will definitely keep you informed! The complications are scary, and since my father died 10 years ago from complications from surgery due his body filling up with stomach acid, this whole thing is even scarier, but I am sure that the VSG is the way I'm going! I will put my trust in God to protect me and guide the surgeons hands.