Ready4success

I spent one night due to uncontrollable nausea/vomiting. I was up and moving within hours post-op, but I hurled blood into the evening, so I had to stay. Discharged the next afternoon, after having two meals without vomiting.

You go, girl! Looking good.

I agree, acid reducers and an overstuffed recliner have been a life saver. Hope you feel better soon.

I was sleeved on the 28th and I am really starting to feel the hunger vs. acid (I take omeprazole 20mg 2x a day). Today was the first day without n/v. I did feel the weakness today, and the two times I've tried a Protein Shake, I got horrible abdominal cramps and explosive diarrhea. I do feel that things are getting better everyday. Hope you start to feel better soon.

I'm only offering advice, please don't take this the wrong way. If your daughter is of normal intelligence (I'm the mom of a daughter is who isn't, so I always consider disabilities first), and this type of behavior is new to her, then it is your responsibility to find the nearest mental health crisis center and take her to be evaluated. My brother, who was a senior Computer Science major, started exhibiting signs similiar to this, and we had him committed against his will, so that he would not harm himself, but so he would also not harm others (think Batman premier in Colorado). My brother was diagnosed as bipolar, is now on medication, and receives therapy. I'm not saying that your daughter is mentally ill, but your responsibility as a mother is to make sure that she is safe. Good Luck, I hope everything works out.

Thanks!

I gave it two tries with the Premier Protein shakes, once at post-op day 3, and today at post-op day 5. Both times, I've had horrible gas, cramps, and explosive diarrhea. Should I wait a little longer and try again, or just start using non-milk based products? I like the taste and the fact that it has 30gr of protein, but it hurts so much. What do you think?

The question here is, "Are you a friend if you can't support someone even if you can't agree with what they're doing?" It is childish at best, and manipulative at worst. Everyone has issues, no doubt, but would you rather see your friend lose their eyesight, possibly legs, and have to have dialysis 3 times a week due to diabetes to make YOU happy?" I don't think any sane, rational person would want that for someone they care about. My opinion is that her friend will become supportive after she realizes this is what her friend wants to do to get healthy, and nothing will change her mind, not even ignoring her.

I was sleeved on Tuesday, and I still have a lot of pain in the incision where they pulled the stomach out. I was walking hunched over too, until I decided to try to walk like a normal person. I'm not rushing it, and I'm still taking pain meds. I will not be one of the ones going back to work in a week. That's what vacation and short term disability were made for. Hope you feel better soon.

I'm suffering with it pretty bad too. I had a hiatal hernia repair, so it was pretty bad before surgery too. The difference is that I'm not eating Whoppers and fries like before, and it's still bad. I've been taking OTC omeprazole, and some times it feels like it's working, and other times not so much. Hope you feel better.

All I can say is, "Wowwwww and amazinggggg."

Yes, I'm an OR nurse. Please do ask your surgeon about his plan to prevent embolisms. Knowing what will be done prophylactactically will make you rest a little easier. Preventing clots is actually a collective approach, and your surgeon, your anesthesiologist, your surgical team, and recovery team will all be on board with the doctor's orders. There is no way to guess who will have an embolism or who won't, so the plan is in motion before incision is made, and as I said before, it usually involves methods to thin the blood (under a controlled situation), and methods to keep your blood flowing while you're under anesthesia and while you're recovering. Depending on your pre-op lifestyle, whether you're an active or sedentary person, many go home on blood thinners to prevent clotting until you are able to get up and move around on your own. This is the reason why the surgeon wants you to get out of bed, and start walking as soon as possible after surgery. Active movement along with your doctor's plan are the best ways to prevent clotting. At your next appointment, ask your surgeon all about what he/she does to prevent embolisms, and on the day of surgery, you can ask the anesthesia personnel too. YOU are an active partner in your care, so don't be afraid to ask. Good Luck!

I'm in Cypress, and Dr. Yu was my doctor too.

I was sleeved on the 28th and was focusing on getting gas out, when I had an episode of explosive diarrhea with gas passage. I thought something was wrong, since everyone complains of constipation. I think it was the skim milk I mixed with my protein shake. Good Luck!

Drink lots of fluids, because it thins the mucous. The Z-pack, fluids, and trying for a productive cough should do the trick. Good Luck!

Good to hear!

Wow! Way to go! You'll reach goal in no time.

I've seen it in surgery. It's not uncommon. An easy way to explain it is that when we are awake, we can control how deep of a breath we take. (unless you're an asthmatic, COPDer, chronic emphysema, etc) While under anesthesia, the anesthesia personnel decides how big of a breath the mechanical ventilator will give, how many breaths given in a minute, how much of the breath is oxygenated, how much gas is in the breath, and so on and so forth. Needless to say, there area many factors involved when mechanically ventilating a person. It is basically an estimate of what the body needs while under anesthesia, and if the patient isn't tolerating it well, they may change a thing or two. For example, your sister may pull a volume of 650 while she is awake ( her breathing), well anesthesia can't set the ventilator to 650, because that could cause lung trauma (the lungs are negative pressure, ventilators produce positive pressure). So, you see that you can't be too aggressive. When you're not aggressive enough, or if the surgery is long in length, fluid can collect. When we are awake, we cough and take deep breaths to protect ourselves from that same fluid collecting. We're also given the incentive spirometer to clear the secretions. Sorry for the long book and I'm sorry your sister isn't feeling well, I hope she gets well soon.

Awake intubations aren't that uncommon. It's usually due to the person's size and body type. For people with short necks, and lots of adipose tissue around their face and chest, it's the only safe way to go. Think of it this way, if you are unsuccessful intubating a patient after you've knocked them out, you now have to mask them until the meds wear off, which is not fun, and can be dangerous if you can't secure a decent airway. Before the awake intubation, the patient is given a little versed to help them relax, and the anesthesia personnel takes a look down their throat with a scope to help guide the tube into the trachea. As soon as they visualize the cords and can guide the tube down, the patient is quickly put under. Although it sounds barbaric, the only other alternative is not having the surgery, because safety always comes first. There have been instances where they couldn't achieve an awake intubation, and anesthesia had to cancel the surgery.