Paul_Y

I have Fep Blue (Basic) and my surgery was back in October, so here are my costs (approximations): $25 (x5) DR visits for qualification, but would have had most anyways $0 RD counseling $0 Labs $180 Stress Test ($75 + meds & supplies) $200 EGD consultation fee $150 EGD $75 Pulmonary Function Test $70 Surgeon office visits ($35 x 2) $600 Emory Bariatric program fee (mandantory, includes group counseling’s for life) $300 Emory Hospital charges ($150 per night) $150 Surgeon fee (anesthesiologist covered by hospital)

Funny thing is, I was told no straw by my surgon and both RD's before surgery. After surgery I was reminded by the nursing staff about no straws and no more than 2-4oz, for the first week. So what was the very first thing they MADE me do on day two? They made me drink that disgusting dye for a leak check, by straw, and it was about 8oz to complete the test.

The most common recommended Protein after this surgery is whey Protein Isolate because the Isolate is absorbed by the body the quickest because it is the most pure form of Whey protein. I chose to have a mixed blend due to cost (cheaper Wal-Mart brand) and a thought that the Whey Protein Concentrate has the rest of the amino acids that will get absorbed in the first stage of the intestines. But I agree with everyone else's statement that 20-25g at a time is just right. My particular shake is 26g per scoop (6-8oz water/milk) and I have one or two per day depending on my food choices. One first thing in the morning and the second I decide after work.

I agree, you look great! Please share your present diet and exercise routine. I would also like to know when you actually started exercising? I am now 5-weeks post-op and am eager to start cycling again, but am concerned of dehydration and lack of energy.

If you MUST have the sweets, then definately use the alternatives like Splenda, Stevia, ... I know that there is some controversey over them being 0-10 calories per serving, but that is still far better than real sugar/honey. There are many generic options out there that tast the same as the name brands and there are even different styles such as brown sugar. Many of them can even be used for baking. There are even Splenda cake mixes and icing marketed towards diabetics. But be aware that many of those have high 'carbs' and list nothing under 'sugars'.

My surgery was on Monday morning and I have four horizontal incisions and one drain tube hole. The drainage hole is really like an open cut and I change the loose dressing daily until there is no more oozing. The four main incisions are covered in a transparent wax materiel and my surgeon said that I would not be able to remove it unless I tried very hard so it is ok to take showers. My nurses said that I should avoid direct flow from the shower because it could cause it to wash away. What has been your experience with this type of closure? Question two: I am experiencing a lot of back pain because I am favoring my stomach. I walk slow, deliberate, and hunched over. I have lots of rolling cramps which I understand to be normal, but I also have a persistent pain about 4" below my far right incision. It feels like something is attached there and when I stretch or move it is tearing apart. I am three weeks out from my follow-up appt and I live two hours away from the hospital so I can't just drop by and ask him what to do. Coincidentally, that is the only incision which has any bruising however minimal. Do you have any guess as to the source or time for this pain?

I've done lots of reading on the two main types of whey Protein (Concentrate vs Isolate). My RD recommends Isolate because it gets metabolized in the body very quickly and that is what your healing wounds need. However, your body also needs other amino acids to be present in the body to actually repair the cells. That is where the Whey Concentrate comes in. Since I am one of the lucky ones who became lactose intolerant after surgery, I chose to go with a less expensive (Body Fortress) Whey Protein which is a mix of the two. I would have preferred the Isolate to be listed first, but I guess second isn’t horrible. If I was able to get 16-24oz of milk down, I would have gone pure Isolate. Here is a quick lesson of the difference for those who are not familiar with Whey Protein. In a nutshell, raw milk gets dehydrated and then filtered to produce Whey Protein Concentrate. It can then be further refined/filtered to remove other amino acids to produce Protein Isolate.

Not sure what your situation is, but even if you don't have Blue Cross insurance, you should consider going to the Federal Blue Cross website and looking at the "Blue Centers of Distinction". Even if you have another insurance (or none at all), they have done a lot of the satisfaction surveys for you. http://www.bcbs.com/why-bcbs/blue-distinction/blue-distinction-bariatric/bluedistinctionbariatric.pdf (Please don't take this as a plug for Blue Cross/Shield, but rather as information to make you better informed about some reputable surgeons).

UPDATE: Between days 18 and 20, all of them came off and the incisions look pretty good to me. All are sealed and I only see two stitches at either end of one of the incisions. Looks Like I'm safe for taking a bath.

I went in for my final consult and appointment on a Wednesday and was expecting 2-4 weeks to prepare. They had a last minute opening on the following Monday and the Dr said I was fine with just 2-days liquids. I took it upon myself to make that last week count and went full liquid for 4-days. His only real requirement of me was the Magnesium Citrate the afternoon before and nothing after 7pm.

All of my close friends and family know because I told them after I was approved. Now I may make ocasional comments about a specific diet food on FaceBook here or there, and I ocasionally get a PM asking me what it was about. I don't hide it if asked by aquantences because they will either disaprove or ask about it because one of their loved ones is considering it. I am not "proud that I had WLS", but I am "proud that I am improving my life and ability to be more active with my son and wife".

UPDATE: I did trigger a light gag-reflex this morning while brushing my teeth. I didn't try a second time, because today is my first day attempting to return to work.

Ok, I know this may sound weird, but I just noticed that I no longer have any gag reflex. I was brushing my teeth and then my tongue. I had avoided the back of my tongue because it had been sore, but decided to brush it tonight anyways. I noticed that I never gagged like I used to. I tried all the normal spots and even further back and nothing. I have also stated in some of my other posts that I have not vomited a single time since surgery. I did have plenty of nausea on Fri/Sat probably due to lactose intolerance, but I have been off any anti nausea meds since yesterday morning. Thinking back on it, I think I may have overeaten a few times causing cramps that probably should have been expelled. I know that this may seem like a blessing at first glance, but I am concerned that one of my body's important defense mechanisms is not working. I wil definitely call my surgeon tomorrow about this, but has anyone else experienced anything like this?

Well it is almost 2-weeks after surgery and I still have never vomited and I still have no gag-reflex. My surgeon was surprised, but said give it a few weeks to see if it will repair itself, and if not he would refer me to a tongue and throat specialist. I have done tons of research on this and I can find no instances of it occurring during a VSG. There is possibility to damage the Vagus nerve with the VSG, but that normally results in bowel problems. There have been several instances of Vagus nerve damage during intubation which would result in loss of gag-reflex. I am scared because this is a major self defense mechanism which has now been disabled. but I have been unwilling to try syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting. Maybe in a few weeks.

Working!

I have not been here very long, but the email reminders are not working for me. When I click the link in my email that someone has replied to one of my threads, I get directed to the main forums page and not the specific thread. It has always done that for me so I am now in the habit of clicking the link, then "your profile", then "My Content", and then choosing any threads with updates (manually). Here is where the link gets redirected to: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/index.php?showtopic=&view=getnewpost I know that can not possibly be the correct intention. I assume that the generator is having problems feeding in the appropriate GET string and some of it is being truncated by the browser and then the forum dumps all of it to default with the above when it gets confused.

From what I understand, it is just a round of special antibiotics and they just need to adjust the anesthesia if it is soon before surgery. In my EGD they discovered a small hiatal hernia that would be repaired during surgery, but they said it ended up being too small to worry about. You will be fine.

Thank you Terry, that is what I have been doing. I am starting to see two ends of what appear to be thin clear stitches on one of them, but I am avoiding it like the plague because I don't want to set off a reaction that could cause pain.

I am not sure if this should be post-op or nutrition but anyways, I had surgery on Monday, came home Wednesday and started what I thought to be the perfect diet going into this: 8oz milk with Protein powder 8oz pudding with Fiber powder 8oz milk with Protein Powder 8oz pudding with fiber powder mix of Water and juice through the day Friday I lost all desire for any sweet drinks and the thought of milk repulses me. Saturday, I had instead loose grits with mushy bacon bits and mixed-in egg. I got 4oz down fine but then an hour later nausea. I can only slightly tolerate fruit juice or frozen Splenda fruit bars (Eddy's). I know total Fluid intake today will be less than 30oz and that scares me. According to post-op literature, I am treating this as food rejection and re-attempting a clear diet for 2-days; but I am still scared I will dehydrate. I have not vomited since surgery, but the feeling is strongly there all day now. I am taking GasX, Tums, Roxicet, and Promethegan suppositories (for nausea) on appropriate schedules. I walk around the house as much as my back can tolerate. Please help so I don't need to go back and get put on IVs.

Ok, you cannot weigh yourself multiple times per day and expect meaningful results. Think about it, get a kitchen scale and measure a glass with 8oz of beverage in it, now weigh it empty. That is how much Fluid weighs. Now, consider how many oz of different density fluids you drink in a day, and subtract random bowel movements and urinations. Come on, get real, the old adage "you don't gain weight from the food you eat pound by pound", well that is only half the story. One pound is 3500 calories; period. Rapid weight loss immediately before and after surgery is surrounded by a little sleight of hand. Your colon cleanse emptied your intestines of much weight. Your stay in the hospital dehydrated you, even more weight. So that is instant gratification, anyone can do that; it is called a CRASH DIET. Where we are making the long-term gains is by maintaining a calorie deficit. If you only ingest 500-800 calories per day now, and you were maintaining prior to surgery with 2500-3000 calories, then there is our real goal. We have deducted 1500-2000 calories and you should lose about a pound every other day. Once you begin exercising and keep this same calorie intake, you will lose even more, it is that simple. This surgery is NOT a magic bullet that just sheds the pounds away, it is a tool to help control your appetite, and change your eating lifestyle for the rest of your life. Be positive because you know you will lose 1-3+ pounds per week (provided you eat based on your dietician's advice) for the rest of the time you are overweight. Remember all of the DIETS that have failed you in the past, be positive about this tool and let it work for you. I am weighing myself once per week; on a Tuesday morning, after my BM before I take my meds. That way it will be consistent, I can look forward to it, and it will be true loss and not just a bad hydration moment.

Thanks for the suggestions, I went back to a clear diet and felt much better on Sunday and was able to get 67oz down. I continued feeling better on Monday (today) and have included some NSA apple sauce and some clam chowder (with Water instead of milk). After hearing several others complain about milk, I think that is what happened to me. I will give it a few days without any milk and see if things continue to progress as nornal. I know I can get lactaid, but I started on pro-biotics and I got some whey Protein that can mix with water or fruit juice, so I will try that before going back to milk. Thanks again, you people are the best.

Betty, that is my concern, I have no external staples or stitches. They used some kind of glue/wax stuff that I have never seen before. The best I can explain is that it is like flexible hot-glue. I have searched Google and can't find anything similar. and my concern is do I listen to the Surgeon who applied it, or the nurses who work with the recovering patients. I am relegated to just taking a quick shower every other day for fear of bursting open, or at a minumum leaving a huge scar. Don't get me wrong, I like the presentation of the stuff and the concept, my four main wounds look great and I can see the healing without any puss or scabs and the sides look well lined up to leave minimal scars. My concern is the durability to withstand multiple showers before it should gradually flake itself off.

I had briefely considered a maternity belt for that exact possibility, but I could not bring myself to ask my wife to go get one for me. Maybe one of those cheap WalMart fat burning belts that is made for larger than me may work tho.

No, I have no requirement for two days of clear diet, but I do need to take a colon clense the day before (Magnesium Citrate) at 3pm and 7pm and only clear liquids after I start that. As far as GNC, I do have one of them local, but I have lost all faith in them when the lady told me all of the Protein powders are mostly the same, it doesn't really matter which one I choose. I have done further google'ing and seem to find that low carb is better than low calorie or low fat diets. But I agree about contacting your surgeon. Mine does not seem to have a preference because it is mainly for the habit for the post-op diet, but I just want to optimize my personal surgery success.

I just had my final Dr. visit yesterday (Wednesday) and he had an opening for Monday; I took it. My question is that since I do not have the traditional 2-3 weeks of pre-diet and a full week of liquid diet, what is my best option? I just checked out the options from WalMart and they have a decent selection of ready shakes: SlimFast (high carb/med sugar, moderate Protein, low fat) Atkins Advantage (very low carbs/sugar, moderate protein, high fat - 9/3.5g) Boost - High Protein (high carb/low sugar, high protein - 25g, low fat) EAS Lite - (moderate carb/low sugar, high protein - 20g, low fat) - not Meal Replacement, designed for post workout. I think the purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver to make the surgery safer; if that is the primary objective, then from the above, the Atkins should be best. Is there something better that I can purchase local? I got a 4-pack of the Atkins and it tasts ok, but wanted advice before buying more. My plan was to drink 4-5 meal replacement shakes and then drink 1-2 V8's, but I just noticed that they have 11g sugars each.