iggychic

Thanks dear I do wear much smaller jeans now But ya, sadly I do still regret it. My complications left me with challenges that will last a lifetime My biggest challenge will be to stop losing weight as my stomach is now too small because of all the scar tissue built up from the late leak and it's repair. I could have gotten off my arse and done this another way. Actually the lapband would have been a better choice for me given my history (I was only overweight for a few years after multiple failed pregnancies and fertility treatments). And my poor little guy, who spent most of his early life in hospital is back to being afraid to go to the doctor or have his parents go because he thinks they will keep us away again. I hate seeing that fear after he'd gotten over it The thing is though, it's done and there is nothing to do but move forward, so off I go I am hoping to hear the OP found herself a stash of morphine and is sleeping like a baby in a brand new used hospital bed!

Blood from the abdomen does not drain out the whoo ha. (Quick answer). Blood in your body cavity will be absorbed by the body over time (over a long time if you have severe bleeding) or through a drainage tube if your doctor places one, but it won't be picked up by any female devices known to man or woman kind That said, there are many issues in surgery that effect your cycle. First, rapid weight loss throws your hormone levels into shock. You produce massive levels of estrogen which can trigger a cycle for most, but for some actually have the opposite effect. So changes in your cycle are normal with weight loss. Secondly the effects of the trauma to our bodies can do the same thing. Many people experience this after a major surgery where anesthesia is involved. You might find that your cycle changes a bit for the first six months or more after surgery (depending on how long you see rapid weight loss). I found that my once sporadic cycle regulated while going through IVF and stayed that way for the first time in my life for two years afterwards, but now that I've had the surgery I'm back to the "whenever my body feels the need" cycle, which can be once a month, every few weeks, or I often skip a month. So back to normal weight...back to normal cycles...or abnormal in my case. But rest assured, its not blood from surgery. Just wacky girl germs getting to you

Nutritionists are kind of like the interior decorator of the architecture world. Anyone can hang their hat on a shingle and be a decorator, but if you go to school and actually learn your craft you are a designer. No one knows the difference, until they try to use your skill set and find that the decorator likes pretty colors and the designer actually knows you can't install plumbing on an exterior wall in the arctic. My son has had a feeding disorder all of his life. Some programs have nuts, some have higher degrees. Most are kind of useless when you deal with rare diseases (my son's issue) but you can tell which is which with just about 32 seconds conversation. In general, the higher the level of arrogance, the lower the level of their degree.

Pascale, first, I'm so sorry you are going through this. I know where you are coming from because I have been there myself. I was not as lucky as you. My leak was not discovered for several weeks so it damaged my lungs and I ended up in a pulminary unit for care before they could attempt to fix the leak. I was weeks without any fluids (NPO SUCKS!) and I was hours away from my husband and son when I finally was given proper care. I spent two months in hell, another two just trying to find the strength to be alive again, and boy do I have regrets! Mostly because, like you, it was my choice to do this WHen I was sick I posted here daily and some dear people went along my terribly bumpy ride with me here. The thread is gone now, but it did help to have support here. My family and friends were darling and all stepped in to help me and my son, but it's still hard to be away. I cried like a baby constantly...and I'm a heart hearted old ******...I never cry LOL Do a few things....first, get some art from the kids for your hospital walls. It helps Secondly...my son loaned me "Charlie". He's a big soft stuffed toy that is always with us when we are sick. Poor Charlie...Gad I cried over that silly old dog's fur almost daily but it helped me to have a piece of my child in my hospital room when I was alone and feeling down, even if he did make me cry. Bring a pillow from home. Leave it in a colored pillowcase so that you can tell it's yours and the cleaning folks won't take it accidentally. Ask for the delux version of the hospital bed. They inflate and adjust to your needs (soft, medium, hard, whatever you like best). They are for longer term patients and help when you can't move around. Don't stick the needle with the blood thinner into the mattress however or you'll deflate it...don't ask how I know that DON'T BE NICE!!!!! HONEY IF YOU NEED PAIN MEDS ASK FOR THEM NOW!!!! If your doc disagrees ask for another doctor. No I'm not kidding. There is no reason to suffer as you are and the stint won't make that suffering easier! Insist. Pain meds are available for a reason. I was on a pump (on demand) and used it quite a bit. For me, the narcotics would bring my blood pressure down dangerously low (on paper) but they still gave them to me because they determined that even if it was low I wasn't having any additional symptoms of low BP so it was ok. Don't suffer. Don't be nice....get something to help you darling. And night and day when you hurt or feel sad or happy or mean or whatever....post here and someone will respond. Many people don't like the position I have on the sleeve...but they were still there for me when I was at my worst. I declined the Chaplin twice and just whined here and felt much better. Ohhhh and when on the good drugs, be sure to post...I read a couple of mine and they were doozies Hugs sweetheart. I don't know you, but we're sisters in this at this point so I'll try to stay along for the ride with you if you don't mind.

My Breakfast is a shot of sugar free vanilla syrup, 8oz of skim milk and six oz of cafinated coffee for a home made latte. I did abstain, and honestly I don't know the diff between caffeinated or not (I was never effected by caffein) but once my doc allowed it (at three months, but my term was longer because of complications) I went back to the regular stuff. It's easier because it's what everyone else drinks around here. I use a kurieg (I think one is by them and the other machine is by cuisinart?) and do single servings. costco sells large boxes of them cheap. The Kurieg machine has no reservoir (kind of like the single cup ones you see in hotels now) and I have to say it preforms better than the much more expensive cuisinart machine. I have one on the top floor of the house and one on the main level so I tend to use whichever is handier, but for the bucks, the cheap K machine was a better choice than the Cuisinart, even without a reservoir.

Mine was 20K with a BMI at 35 done in the states. The complications added half a million or so to the bill...this is typically not covered by insurance for an elective procedure. I wouldn't do it again. But if I was nuts enough to do so I'd be danged sure to have a coinsurance policy to cover any possible complications.

Sue, I think we agree more than not. But to be clear, I have never said to a person here or elsewhere, that they should not have the surgery. I have been asked many times and my answer is always that one should weigh their options, look at the risks, and look at their life as a whole to determine if this is their best choice. I've suggested to a couple of young moms that they should consider waiting to move forward until they had either help at home or their children were older, but I've always said that this is a personal decision that they must make. I do feel that there are groups of people who are a bad choice for this surgery. I feel that the law isn't our friend with cosmetic surgery and there should be protections put into place for those not ready or who don't really need it, but never have I said, you shouldn't have the surgery. It wouldn't be right as this is a personal decision for everyone who has it.

I've spent over two years worth of nights in hospital with my son when he was a baby so I'm kind of an expert LOL It's not scary. Big hospitals and small, there are people there constantly...too constantly if you ask me If you are worried about the boogie man, rest assured you have a bell to push and the nurses will make sure it's close to your hand so that in an emergency you can get them quickly (you can also hit the boogie man with it...it's on a bit of a club normally) . I prefer a tablet to a phone myself. I was in for a month following my surgery and the pain meds caused my eyes to ummm hell I don't know but I couldn't stand reading the tiny text on my phone. I actually had to set my ipad settings up for old folks eyes to even see that LOL I would take something like that...you might not use it but if you want it and can't sleep etc, it's nice to have. Roommates...e gads the stories I could tell. They're a pain in the arse typically...honestly I think once we had an easy one, the rest were horrible, but for only one or two nights it won't be too much of an issue. Most of our hospital stays we were too sick to be put with other people (how do you feel thankful for that lol) so I enjoyed a lot of private rooms. This last stay for me was private and I am glad. Given the nature of the issues we deal with after surgery (diarrhea, blah blah) it's nice to have private space. If it's only one night I wouldn't bring much, but a couple of things I never go without are a pillow of my own (use a colored pillow case so it does not accidentally get mixed with theirs) and an extension cord. Plugs are always in difficult places and you won't feel like getting out of bed and crawling under it to get to the plug I also bring some sort of face cleaning wipe. For me it helps with the grungy feel you get after surgery. Oh and a cup! I hate plastic, that said, given this surgery you probably won't need it. They're not scary places, just dirty You'll be fine if you disinfect heh heh

DOn't drink for two months after surgery as the alcohol can damage your healing tummy (picture pouring it on an open wound...and wounds inside heal slower) but that said, at two months and a second...ok not really it was more like three because I did have significant complications, I had some wine. It went down fine, though I do drink slower now. I will say that I don't have the issue of it hitting me harder. I drink slower because I just do...just like I eat slower, so I don't drink as much as I used to, but I can easily have two or three decent sized glasses of wine and it's no different than prior to the surgery....EXCEPT....I get sober very quickly if I do feel the slightest twinge of tipsy Which is just fine with me. I don't drink hard liquor so I can't help you with that experience, but my husband says he was hoping I'd become a cheap date (I do like good wine LOL) and it hasn't worked out for him that way heh heh

We must have read different posts...perhaps the nailed to the cross line threw me off a bit...or many of the others telling me to get a life.... Just to be clear Laura, I don't think this surgery is right for many people, slightly fat and even obese or morbidly obese. It is a good choice for many, and I'd say it's a better choice than many other choices, including RNY (which is in my opinion a horrible surgery...but tell that to a successful RNY patient LOL) but I do think there are other options. I also think that a good 50% or more of the people who have this surgery are not ready to have it. They haven't dealt with their head issues and feel that cutting out their stomach will fix everything. You see it here all the time!!!

THanks for clarifying Laura, I did misunderstand you I used to post in those areas Laura but frankly I got tired of the constant "Fiddleman" like posts berating me for even mentioning this isn't all sunshine and giggles. The lower the BMI the uglier the response quite often and you should have seen some of the PM's. Heck I rarely post on VSG anymore because I get tired of the shushing Despite what some prefer to think, I actually live a very happy and secure life. It is only in a forum specifically dedicated to a medical condition I've been involved in that my posts are "Focused" specifically, which means that some people think that all I do is moan and groan about what I've done to myself. I find it beyond annoying that people can't understand that I post about vsg issues in the vsg forum but that it's not an all consuming passion of mine LOL I also post only about old houses in the old house forums. One would think I wouldn't enter a mid century modern because I only discuss issues with victorians I don't post about vsg in the selective immuno therapy forums....I only post about IgG issues. Why is it in those other forums people understand that you discuss what you discuss because of the focus of the forum, but here people can't understand that? I'm rambling, time for a burger and fries Ok cottage cheese LOL

Fiddle...I was not morbidly obese so my posts are likely not directed to the 45+ BMI patients. See the thing is, you 98%....it was all good for you, so you don't want us to discuss the negatives, but frankly, the negatives are death. DEAD, GONE, FOREVER REMOVED. THese are far off concepts to those who had an easy outcome. You lost weight, you feel great, all is well. Nifty keen hun but some of us die. And we don't like our voices to be quieted by the 98%. There are people for whom this surgery is a bad choice. I was one of them. Low BMI, no comorbidities, etc. I will fight to my death to keep those people from taking this route, like it or not. When god throws a lesson in our faces we can shut up or we can share that lesson. This surgery is not for everyone. Phyllis took her last breath at 8:15 Alaska time tonight. A victim of WLS. She won't need an extra large casket Fiddle. But is that really all it's about? Her 2% voice should be heard. My voice should be heard. And if you can't deal with that, mute it, but don't dare attempt to tell me that we don't have a place in the conversation.

I deeply regret having had this surgery, which has left me with the likelyhood of needing a feeding tube for life. I caused my family horrific emotional pain, set my child's development back several steps, and suffered pretty horrible pain myself. And now a dear friend of mine lies in a hospital bed with kidney failure as a result of her WLS (RNY). She was disconnected from all life support last week and is expected to die in the next few days. I know another woman who has a death sentence over her head as a result of the sleeve surgery. I can't go back, so I have to go forward, but I'd be happy to see this surgery denied a lot more often until they can ensure safer outcomes. As the WLS market grows, so do the stories of people who literally are dying or have died because of WLS. I think it's a horribly overused treatment that should be a last ditch effort as a life saving procedure only. And even then...people will die. I wish my dear friend had just stayed "fat". At least we'd still hear her laughter.

She was somewhat isolated MS. and I think a group like this would have helped. That said, she couldn't do anything aside from a transplant, so her path has been determined for about a year. These complications....they're all so vague and far away until they hit home.

TY for your kind thoughts. No she didn't. She was probably 350 plus when she had the surgery. A beautiful woman with a beautiful heart that was strained due to her weight, so she did need to do something, but RNY probably wasn't the best choice, yet typically in alaska its the only choice they discuss (old school). It is a complication with RNY that is an issue to consider. One of the reasons I went with the sleeve was because of this complication. She is still hanging on, but it's only a matter of time. Heart breaking really. Even if you have to take the most conservative action possible....it's worth it to still have options. Once you go RNY you can't go backwards THe sleeve isn't everything, but it's also not an end of the road treatment as RNY is.