Saltmistrose

Hi guys! I am pre-op for the sleeve, but I do have some experience with surgeries and hospitalizations. I just had a hernia repaired a few weeks ago and I was "A" o.k. with my 6 day hospital stay. I was in a lot of pain I had 11 incisions from my laprascopic hernia repair. I am about 3 weeks beyond that surgery now and I am waiting for my next sugery, my gastric sleeve surgery, to be scheduled. I took the blinkers, earplugs, socks/slippers, nighties, underwear changes, cell phone, book, robe, travel pillow, and a dress (without a waistband), the others have mentioned. In addition, I took a small pocket travel fan (from Brookstones) with me. The heat in the hospital gave me prickly heat, and I really appreciated the breeze from the fan. Additionally, I use a CPAP and I always take it with me to the hospital. I gave some thought to taking my own favorite little lap blanket with me to toss on and off at will. I took earpones to use the radio and MP3 player of my cell phone with. My phone also had a camera in it and of course I could send the post surgery shots to friends and family via the cell phone. I took my own shampoo, liquid soap, toothpaste/toiletries. Don't forget the lip balm or some moisturizing cream (it is so dry and hot in the hospital). Baby wipes are essential to my life here at home as well as the hospital. I use them for my bottom as well as my face and hands. BTW I used unscented/sensitive skin products, and avoid the harsh generic hospital issue toiletries. I also prefer to have my own refillable Water bottle. Magazines are easy to come by if you want them. My purse usually has a mini survival kit which includes paper and pens and soft tissues. I'm not sure what I forgot, but all this stuff fit in 1 small bag plus my purse. I will re-repost if I remember anything I forgot to mention. Good luck to those of you who beat me into the hospital for their sleeve surgeries. Hopefully, I will be on my way soon too. Karen

Hello there friends! Well I guess I will take this opportunity to tell a little bit of "my story". Ever since high school I have been overweight. My mom was thin but her side of the family were large childless women. I suspect there was a bit of POS (polycystic ovary syndrome) in the family, which I have. I lost a lot of weight in my early 20ties on the Scarsdale diet. I recall being about 5'6" and weighing about 138 lbs. My family thought I was fat. In a few years the weight came back and more. From there on out it was impossible to loose weight. After years of struggles I finally just stopped talking about my weight and somewhere along the way gave up any hope that I could do anything to change my weight "ever" again. I took on feeling the blame for not being disciplined and/or strong enough to "help" myself back to a healthy weight. I worked like a fiend (3 jobs). I worked full time through university and grad school. I bought a house I traveled. I gave up hope of finding a partner. I settled into life as I believed I was to know it for years. I was busy with my "career" which was as a social worker for the Baltimore VA Medcial Center. I thought I was on track for the rest of my working life and had my house in Baltimore to hide in, with the new car in front of that house. Then life took a wicked twist. I was involved in a accident at work and I developed Fibromyalgia. I also developed sleep apenea and had a major clnical despressive episode. I also experienced my 1st panic attacks. After seeking treatment for my Fibromyalgia pain, I went onto a internet chat web site to try to find out more about how I was being treated for my medical and mental health problems. I happened up the web site where I met my current partner. Long story short, I retired early due to the problems that were plauging me and a change in the management of my job. My partner is a "kiwi" (from New Zealand). They had a job in NZ I did not. They had children in NZ, I did not have children (just aging parents and miserable siblings). I moved to New Zealand about 6 years ago. I worked for a short while in NZ, but eventually was unable to contiue to work here. I became financially depenent for the first time in my adult life. I became more depressed and gained more weight of course. My mom had been diagnosed with Alzhiemers diesease and a couple of years ago, she became more ill and died in January of 2010, at the age of 88. She was being cared for by my dad at home and I traveled home 2 times that year to care for her and to get her set up in hospice care. Unpon returning from her memorial in Spring of 2010, I became very ill. I was airlifted off the island where I live (Waiheke Island) and ended up having surgery for a golf ball size gallstone and the removal of my gallbladder. Upon coming out of recovery after surgery, I sneezed. I felt something pop in my stomach. The medical team said I was wrong about my belief that I had popped my sutures. In December 2011, I was sitting on the toilet and saw the 1st appearance of a ventral post surgical hernia. Here begins my "back door" decision making process to have WLS. After reading extensively about hernia repair surgery, I realized there was very little hope that a hernia repair would be sucessful with me at my weight of 311 lbs. It was then thought about WLS for the 1st time. I did not have diabetes "yet" or high blood pressure "yet". Both sides of my family have dieabetes and it was just a matter of time before I developed it, I believed. I set up an appointment with a surgeon here and discussed my thoughts about the WLS that was needed to help me sucessfully repair my now "growing" hernia. During my initial meeting with the surgeon, I discovered how emotionally sensitive and depressed I really was about my weight. My life quality wasn't really so good and I was very depressed. I was felt so disempowered. I also felt very guilty and totally to blame for my "fat" and "fatty life style". Somewhere along in this meeting, I began to change how I felt about myself and my weight. I was refered to the "public" system for weight loss surgery. The public system here gives free care to qualifiing patients here in New Zealand. Well here is where the 1st age related "warning bell" goes off in my story. I was advised by the the hospital that I could not be entered on the WLS waiting list, because I was over the age of 50. Public surgery was restricted to people under the age of 50 because they were believed to be the age group that held the most hope for health improvements from this expensive medical proceedure. Health care is rationed here under the public scheme. Fortunately, I retained my private health insurance when I retired from U.S. federal system. I had Federal Retiree Blue Cross/Blue Shield (Overseas) coverage. The same surgeon from the public system was now to be my surgeon under my private medical insurance coverage. I met with him several times along with his staff. He also was to be the surgeon that would do the hernia repair surgery for me. After being evaluated by the surgeon, his dietician, and his psychologist, I was advised that I would have to do several things to get the surgeon to consent to do my surgery. I was pissed that after I had finally made "my decision" to have WLS, someone was going to deny me the surgery, because they didn't think I was "fit" enought for the proceedure. No ego here, I might suggest. Anyway, I had to go in the pre-surgery diet, get my wake/sleep cycle in order, get an exercise plan in place, get my depression in a better state, get ongoing mental health support in place, and come back to the surgeon's dieticician in 5 weeks for another meeting and evaluation. I did this and I lost about 25 lbs., had a daily sleeping/waking schedule, changed my anti-depressant medications, and got a mental health worker/social worker to meet with me on and ongoing basis. The surgeon then met with me again and consented to do both surgeries. The decision was made to do the hernia repair surgery 1st (not simultaneously, as the "great I" had wannted). However, I was returning to the U.S. for a 2 month stay in June of 2012. This being said, I was to return to NZ and have the hernia repaired as soon as possible (under the "public" system). I was to be put on the waiting list for the surgery and my priority adjusted, if my need for the surgery became more urgent along the way. During my stay in the U.S. the hernia grew and painfully pitched me endlessly. The day after I got back to NZ, I had an appointment in the surgeon's clinic at the hospital. After much "hemming and hawing" I had my hernia repaired on Sept. 28th, 2012. It was done laprascopicly. I woke up with 11 incisions and an 8" X 8" piece of mesh having been stitched into me. I felt the pain rip through me, when I tried to walk to the toilet. I felt like I was being napalmed. I felt like I was on fire. Thank God the worst of this was over in about 3 days. I was in hospital for about 7 days. Today is 3 weeks since the surgery and I am almost pain free. I have an appointment with my surgeon on Oct. 30th. I am expecting that I will be having my gastric sleeve done in the private hospital sometime mid November to mid December. When I 1st posted on this forum, I had just been looking on various sites looking at other WLS cases. More specificly, I was looking post operative WLS cases that were having body sculpting surgeries to deal with their various "skin flaps". I couldn't find any cases of people that looked like me, or who were around my age. I noted that "most" of these people were younger than me. It then dawned on me that maybe I had ignored an important factor in making my decision to have the WLS. I guess the facts are the ideas about my health concerns and my desire to change my life in a positive way, are the basis for making this choice to have WLS. I think I still believe that I have made the best decision for my case and my situation(s). I also believe that using the available technology and support I have found online, is a vital part of my support plan and network. Thanks to all for listening and please excuse my typos and English errors. Be well all and stay strong on the journey. Karen

Thanks to everyone for the informative and supportive comments to my posting. I am sure I will have more to say as things progress for me. It really is nice to reach out and find some soul mates out there. I wish everyone the best on their journey as well. Be well my friends and stay tuned for additional postings.

Well I am not over sixty yet, but I am 56 years old and wondering if I am crazy for deciding to have a sleeve done in the next few weeks. I never thought much about my age, but thought more about my health, when making this decision. I have no diabetes yet, or high blood pressure. I developed a hernia after a gallblader and gallstone surgery and decided that in order to have the repair for the hernia fixed (and stay fixed) I needed to do something long term about my long standing weight problems. So I ended up going through the back door for weight loss surgery. Maybe the long way around to this decision, but I thought a good decision, despite my age. However, when looking a pictures of various others and especially those whose who have had body sculpting folllowing surgery, I wonder where I fit in all this? Am I nuts or what? I also am hoping to gain somre more quality years to my life as well by having the gastric sleeve done. Any ideas from some of you older sleevers? Thanks!

Hi LSG: Well, if your question is anyone a beginner from Baltimore, then the answer is yes. However, although I still have my house in Baltimore, I have lived in New Zealand for the last 6 years. Just got back from another visit back home a few weeks ago. I am waiting for a hernia repair to be completed on the public medicine scheme here and then will have a gastric sleeve done a few weeks after the hernia repair, on my private medical insurance. I am a retiree from the federal government. I am very impatient with the waiting for my surgeon to schedule me in for the hernia repair. I am very uncomfortable. The same guy will do both of my surgieries. I went through a bit of trial to get approved for the sleeve surgery, with the surgeon. But that is now over and done with. Had to develope a pretty elaborate plan for my life after the surgery to get the final o.k. from him. You can reach me to chat some more through this site. Hang in there! Saltmistrose (Karen)