Lissa

I hope no one minds if I post this. I've gotten 2 or 3 questions in private messages about Coumadin and it's effects on VSG surgery. I thought I'd post this so others can find the topic if they have questions. If you are on Coumadin before VSG surgery, you definitely need to talk to your cardiologist as soon as possible. There are a couple of ways they can handle the coumadin. If you are near the time that you are supposed to come off the coumadin (usually they have you on it three months at a time), then the cardio may be able to take you off the coumadin before surgery. If not, you need to talk to your surgeon, asap. What they do from there on in will depend on why you are on coumadin. I am on it because I developed Deep Vein Thrombosis in my leg in June, 2011. That threw two clots into my lungs, or pulmonary embolisms. MY surgeon had a filter installed before my surgery to keep any clots from floating into my heart and lungs. I'll give details if you tell me you're on coumadin for the same reason. And, I had the filter removed after my VSG. I had to stop taking the coumadin a few days before the filter installation surgery, maybe 3 or 4? IIRC, I started giving myself shots of Lovenox on Monday, had the filter installed Friday (no shots on Friday), gave myself shots on Sat, Sun, Mon morning, nothing on Tuesday (VSG surgery day), and then continued to take the shots until Thursday morning and started taking coumadin again Thursday night. I didn't have to take Lovenox before the filter removal three weeks later because my pulmonary doc took me off coumadin in between there. I had a d-dimer blood test after a month with no coumadin, which showed I was still at risk for clots, so I'm back on coumadin until at least January 2012. My blood clot delayed my surgery from August 12 to August 30 because I had to be more than 3 months past the date the clot formed for safe surgery. If you have a choice between waiting until you are off the coumadin and taking the shots, wait. Lovenox injections WITH insurance cost me over $1000 for the days I was on them. My VSG surgeon did offer to have his nurse give me heparin shots instead of the Lovenox, but they couldn't let me inject myself and that would have meant two trips per day driving 1 hour north of where I live. DO inform your surgeon about the reasons you are on coumadin. A blood clot can be very serious, even fatal. Your surgeon may wish to place a filter or stent before or during surgery. My vein doctor wanted the filter instead of a permanent stent because I'm only 45 and he felt the risk to leave it in was more than the risk to take it out. BTW, if your surgeon acts like your being on coumadin is no big deal, please look for another doctor. IMO, blood clots are one of the quickest killers after any surgery and your doc should follow up on why you're on this med. In case you didn't know, most VSG/WLS surgeons do give their patients a shot of either lovenox or heparin during the surgery to help reduce the risk of clots. That's why I didn't take my shots the day of surgery. If your doc does decide a filter/stent is necessary, feel free to message me for more info. It sounds intimidating because the filter install and removal are both surgical procedures. That means I had THREE surgeries to get my sleeve. However, I don't regret one second of it and it was totally worth it to me! Good luck!!

LOL, SK!! I think they could save a ton of money if they bought Spanx. I have a couple of lower body shapers, but haven't been wearing them much. I need to start. Someone here posted about a shirt they wear which helps with the arm flaps. I need to find one of those shirts. I have a question about sizing. Do you order the size you're currently wearing or go one size up from that? I need to purchase bras. I need regular, day to day bras. I am in the bad habit of wearing my sports bras daily, but I'm starting to see some waist definition and think I'd look better if I featured my assets rather than smushing them. Anyone have suggestions about where to get measured? I do have a Lane Bryant, but their people don't seem to be well-trained to get the proper measurements.

I sometimes order from the kid's menu or the senior menu. Denny's has an awesome grilled tilapia on their senior menu! Sonny's BBQ has a rib dinner on the kid's menu which has 3 ribs and a side of veggies which is almost the perfect size for me. I sometimes order ala carte, also. I'll order a chicken breast prepared as I like it (grilled, but not cooked to death) and a veggie and ask the wait person to charge me for the items separately. It is usually cheaper than the meals on the menu. I have a card from my surgeon that explains I can't eat much, which helps. Sometimes I also order a regular meal and a box, then just divide up the food as soon as it comes to the table. I can usually get three meals out of a regular dinner at a restaurant. I've also just ordered soup and salad a couple of times. That works especially well at places like Ruby Tuesdays where you make your own salad from the salad bar. I'll put a small amount of salad greens on the plate, then add eggs, cheese, sunflower seeds, edamame and some diced ham to the salad. It's high Protein and it doesn't take a lot to fill me up. I am still mad at Red Lobster where I was charged over $6 for mashed potatoes! I was still in the mushy stage and took my son there for a birthday dinner. There was a $3 fee because I ordered the mashed without ordering a meal! Good luck with eating out. There are tons of ways to make it friendly to our new diets!

Don't be sorry for a random post. I love the fact that people ask all kinds of questions around here! I've never heard of anyone not being able to burp, but perhaps your doc could answer that question for you. Are you on an acid reducer? That might help with the flatulence. Otherwise, I'm stumped as to what to suggest. Good luck!!

Cheles, I think you've got the right attitude. This is a rebirth for you. The sleeve gives us a tool to help us lose the weight and to recreate our bodies and body images. I hope you stay in the not scared category. If it does hit you closer to time, just remember that it will soon be over. But, it sounds like you've done your homework and have looked into what to expect. You should do great!! Good luck!!

I agree with longer life and pookey!! Order soup, but don't make a big deal of it. If he asks and you're not comfortable with mentioning your surgery yet, then just say you had a big lunch or Breakfast or that you're just not really hungry right now. Say it with a smile, not a doom and gloom attitude, and he won't think a thing of it. We work ourselves up over how much we eat in front of guys, but most of them don't notice or care unless we really make a huge deal of it. My "wonderful" husband didn't really notice the change in my eating habits when we went to breakfast a couple of times after surgery. I've also been out to eat with a couple of male friends (former co-workers) since surgery and neither of them said a word either...and they have definitely seen me eat at my heaviest! If you're really worried that soup isn't enough, order a chicken salad, like Pookey suggested, eat the grilled chicken and push the lettuce part around on the plate. I've watched plenty of thinner girlfriends do that and you'd never realize they didn't eat much. Enjoy the date! He's out to prove to you that he's worth you spending your time with him, so let him be a gentleman and audition for your time. Good luck!!

(((PeaceQueen))) and (((DogMa))), Thank you both for sharing your stories. Knowing where we come from as it relates to food makes a huge difference, IMO, in dealing with "why" we became overweight. I'm thrilled to hear that you are seeing a therapist for help with your food issues. It's important to deal with the underlying causes so that we don't have further problems or crossover addictions. I applaud those who are being introspective and working to deal with the past. It definitely affects the future! Good luck to us all!

Oh, (((Ladies))), it is perfectly normal to be scared, nervous, anxious, and excited, ALL AT ONCE just before you take this huge step to make your life better. It's also perfectly normal for our minds to start telling us all kinds of crazy thing "I can do this without surgery." "I don't need to have weight loss surgery. I've got enough willpower to do this". Yeah, everyone's minds seem to play the same recordings for us. I was scared of the surgery and terrified not to have the surgery. Finally, I made a list of everything that was swirling through my head and did what I could about it. The rest, I prayed about and let it go. I was totally convinced I'd die during surgery and that would be that. BUT, I had a death sentence anyway from my docs. Either I had the surgery, or I'd die. So, I figured I may as well take the one chance I had open to me and I am SO glad that I did!!! I read something that really helped me get past my fear of surgery, and my fear of the stigma that's still somewhat attached to WLS. The quote was "If you are 100 pounds overweight, it's like having cancer. You'd have surgery for cancer and not think twice about it." I'm paraphrasing heavily and I do not, unfortunately, remember who said it. I think that's a quote of another poster's doctor, but it's very true. Once you hit the kind of weight we all have to lose, it's all but impossible to lose weight without an intervention of some kind. This surgery just happens to be the best available option for ME... and possibly for all of you as well. Good luck on your journeys! Yes, it's normal to be nervous, but what you do with it is up to you.

Quit watching the scale so closely! Or, at least, quit letting it ruin your day. Yes, it's common to fluctuate from day to day. As we drink more, or eat a little more, it's going to bounce up and down. However, the overall trend WILL be downwards, you can't eat enough NOT to lose weight. Now, with all that said, I am guilty of looking at the scale every day. I just have to make myself not care when it's bouncing up and down. Look for the NSVs and concentrate on them. It will keep you from making yourself crazy. You're rocking that sleeve!!!

Well, welcome to the loser's bench to all of you!!! We're gonna have to slide WAYYY over to make room for all the new people! BTW, Frumpy, you're gonna have to change that name pretty quickly to "Fabulous".

Congrats on being sleeved!! You've already been welcomed to the loser's bench, but I'm sliding over a bit anyway!! Good luck!!

Well, this is the place to find all the information you could ever want about the sleeve!! Welcome ladies and have fun searching. If you have specific questions, they'll certainly get answered here!! Good luck!!

I don't prefer dill pickles; I like sweet gherkins. The sweet pickles have sugar in them, but it's not overwhelming. I like to eat one with a slice of roast beef or turkey. Usually I roll up the meat with a slice of cheese and a pickle in the center. Delicious, quick and easy. I was given a bento box with it's own freezer pack and sometimes I'll pack the above for my lunch when I'm out and about. It's pretty cool to have something I know I can eat without having to find a restaurant and worry about what they are adding to the food. I also like olives (Queen stuffed olives are YUMMY), but I can only eat 1 or 2 before Rex complains about the vinegar. Sometimes, though, I just want a little salty snack in my belly!

Happy, Congrats on your approval!! Yours is a story of what can happen when you advocate for yourself!!! I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself and sticking to it. I'm sure it would have been so easy to say that it wasn't meant to be and throw in the towel, but you, instead, kept pushing for what you needed !!!! Can't wait to welcome you to the loser's bench!!!

I'm glad you're both taking Acid Reducers. Are you also watching the temp of what you are drinking? I couldn't stand really cold or really hot drinks when I was early post-op. Try drinking things at the lukewarm to slightly warm temp and see if it helps with the spasms.

Congrats!!! You do look wonderful and happy!!!

First, Crawford, welcome to the loser's bench!! I am amazed that you were sent home so quickly!! I suggest sticking to clear liquids for at least the first week, and asking your doctor about an acid reducer and some eating guidelines. Who is your doctor? Second, 5DogMa, Glad to see that you're home and feeling better!!! Good luck to both of you!!!

Well, You're all invited to join me!! The more the merrier!!!

So, tomorrow I have a full day planned of ME time! I'm going to meet a good friend for lunch and girl talk. She's been out of town training for a new job for over 3 weeks, so we have lots to catch up on. Then, we're going for the full spa treatment: waxing eyebrows and chins, pedicures, manicures, haircuts. Ahhh, it sounds so relaxing. For me, it's a combination of rewards: Hitting 1/3 of my weight lost, losing 180 pounds (DH, not dear), making my Christmas challenge and getting rid of my bi-pap machine. I haven't made ALL of them yet, but I will within the next week. Besides, I've had a stressful week and this is my Christmas gift to myself. I think the ladies will agree that this sounds like a wonderful day, no?

I really can't start the C25K program yet, based on some advice I got here and from my breathing doctor. However, I'm here to cheer all of you on, while cadging tips from ya'll on what the challenges will be when I start!

You're FINE. Our staples are titanium and, as you found out today, don't react to the MRI. That was one of my first questions because I have to have fairly regular MRI and CT Scans because of a birth defect in my brain. I've read that titanium is a naturally occurring metal in our bodies, so it shouldn't react to the MRI. I had to LOL at an episode of House several years ago. They showed a man (maybe a prison inmate) who had many metal-based tattoos which reacted to the MRI by having the ink start jumping out of his skin. I'm not sure it's THAT dramatic, but it was an interesting story.

Great job, to both of you!!!

Thanks, again, for all your support! I'm wrapping my head around it and I just got some more news. Apparently, he decided to quit counseling. I just wonder if he quit his job as well?

Faboolous dahlink!! I'm thrilled for you and doing my own happy dance here!!!

I sure don't feel like I did before surgery. From day 2 after surgery I have had more energy and felt like a new person. Before, I couldn't imagine getting up and walking to the fitness center here and then walking more than a mile on the treadmill. Now, I do it regularly. I don't remember the surgery causing me to feel down at all. I was convinced TOTALLY that I was going to die during surgery. Waking up from it was like a whole new life given to me by God. Unpleasant things have happened, but they can't take away that one major blessing that He gave me. I, too, promise all of the newbies that your physical and mental condition gets better and better. Losing the weight is a side effect!