shanda7182

Sounds great. I LOVE Tilapia, when I am able to eat regular food, I will try it. Thanks for sharing.

Feeling pretty good, still getting use to sipping, etc. I have lost some weight but I am not ready to update that ticker yet, will update at the 2 week mark. Otherwise, physically, im feeling well, virtually no pain, still some slight gas pain, still walking. Today I will be going to the gym for the first time, so we will see how I feel after the gym. I am trying to get my Protein and Water intake in daily, which is a struggle. Thank You for asking how im doing.

Thanks guys, its good to hear that alot of people go through this. At least it gets better with time!

Welcome to VST.com. Whatever decision you go with, we will be here to support you. After all, we are all trying to reach our weight loss goals here. Thanks for joining us. This site is great for general questions, venting and the occassional off topic chat. Good luck

Yep, it kinda sucks, yesterday was a better day for me but it has been up and down. Im feeling loco! LOL

Thanks, glad to know that im not the only one experiencing this.

Yes. Ive been doing well on hydration/protein. I guess it will just take awhile for my hormonal level to adjust and for the anesthesia to get out of my system. Im glad that im more aware so that I can try to control those emotions.

Thanks Vegas. I guess you think that all of the nerves are gone when the surgery is over but I WAS SO WRONG! It's like im more sensitive these days. LOL:svengo:

Hi all, I am so glad that I have this board! Since my surgery 9-15-09, I have been so emotional, its sad. One minute im happy as can be, next minute im frustrated, irritable, etc. But it has nothing to do with the fact that I cant eat, yes, food still looks and smells good but im not bothered by it like that. My fiance has been so supportive during all this and I have been getting really agitated with him over the smallest things (and im normally a very easy going, happy person). Thank GOD that he is very easy going himself, he hasnt complained much. I was on the phone with my father today and I was almost in tears, why I dont know, the conversation was not even sad! LOL I need to get a gripe and get one soon, im getting on my own damn nerves. Has anyone experienced this?

That sucks, are you a teacher? Just curious, they seem to get all the nasty creepy crawlies right when school starts. Im glad that you can get your fluids in though.

Thank You. Sorry to hear that you were sick. How are you managing to hydrate yourself with your tiny stomach? When we are sick, we demand more fluids and calories, so be sure to get something replenishing in your system such as Gatorade or Gatorade Zero, I think. Take Care. Hope you feel better.

Wow. what did you hear, if you dont mind me asking?

Where I worked, if you were discharge on any meds. They were generally no more than 3-5 dollars a bottle at our county hospital here in Houston and I think if you couldnt afford that, they had some other kind of plan that they worked out for you.

Yes, the hospital cannot TURN any emergency cases away, its against the law, its called the EMTLA act (cant remember if Im using the right acronym). All hospitals have to treat you regardless of financial status, insurance, etc. They have to stabilize you. Trust me, I know I worked at a county hospital, where 99% of the population had no money or insurance and believe it or not, they got great care. Most of the patients werent US citizens but you still had to stabilize their condition.

Dont be afraid, its just what they call an upper GI, similiar to an Xray. Usually they check for leaks during the operation, while you have your drain in and/or by doing an upper GI series. During the upper GI, you drink a Fluid and they can tell immediately where the fluid is going (if there is a leak, etc). It was painless, dont worry about it. Im claustrophobic too. LOL...ITs funny because my mom does MRIs and whenever they get a new machine at her job, she volunteers to have them to test it out on her. Isnt that something? I would go crazy being in that thing.:thumbup:

30.5 lbs lost...woo hoo.....look at you Krom. You are doing great.

Sorry to hear about it Tiff. It is def. hard being a military wife, im sure. Keep us posted on his new arrival date.

Wow, you guys time flies.......You all will be glad when its over. The build up is absolute torture! But it really wasnt that bad of an experience at all. Im still trying to figure out everything- like how to get in all my fluids, what my tummy is trying to tell me etc. So its def. a learning experience. Keep us updated on your progress.

Thanks JSM! I am def. taking my time with drinking and eating!! I cant wait to see how I will look in 6 months.

Thanks for checking on me! My goal weight is 135lbs, I have 99 lbs to get to goal. Im so excited! Im getting over the soreness, still walking, sipping and trying to get fluids and Protein in. Yes, the price range did go up for Dr Alanis. I dont think its so much him, the hospital (Surgical Specialty Hospital of America raised their price, which in turn raises the entire self pay price, but im sure he probably went up on his a little as well). I booked my procedure in May and I was guaranteed to get mine under the "old rate" of 11, 500k. Guess what the new rate is......almost 18 or 19 K if I remember correctly. When I went to check in the admission lady asked me what price I was quoted and I told her, she was like "wow, you are lucky, the hospital has gone up." And let me tell you, that was the BEST hospital experience EVER! I spent 2 nights in the hospital- 1 night in ICU and 1 night on the surgical unit. Gosh, those nurses were dolls, I am going to type up a nice letter and bring them flowers or fruit because they really work hard. They make sure that you have good quality outcomes related to your surgery, it was really the best money that Ive ever spent. And Dr Alanis, is soo sweet....I cannot say enough good things about him. I plan to have a plant sent to his office as well. He really does care about you. Since I am a nurse, ive met some ignorant doctors. What I really liked about him is that he was at the hospital early for my surgery, early for for first post op day and early on the day of discharge---most docs procrastinate, NOT Dr Alanis. I love him! Are you going to go with Dr Aceves? As you know, they say that he is GREAT as well, along with his staff. Just in case you want to stay in Texas, I found another sleeve surgeon a few months back that is suppose to be good and has relatively good prices. PM me if you want the details and you can do the footwork as far as more research if you like. You will be sleeved before you know it, everyone has their time! I cant wait to see the scale move.....I will weigh again on Tuesday, it should be exciting!!!! Keep in touch!

You are right, I think I will just add that ticker now!

Thank you all, this forum has been so supportive during this journey. I could not wait to come and tell you the details of my procedure. I cannot wait to see the scale start moving and all--that is the ultimate reward. So for now, I will continue to sip, ambulate and do my breathing exercises.

I was under for like an hour and a half. The actual surgery is less than that because they have to prep, count instruments, etc. Its normal to be nervous, I was VERY nervous. I kept wondering, what if I dont wake up, etc. etc. Dont let the anesthesia scare you, actually thats the best part because you dont remember anything. LOL. I just felt as if I had taken a nap and when they begin to wake me up, I woke up without a problem at all. I say do it, life is too short for us to live in fear. :cursing: If we continue to live in fear, we will never change! I am so ready to reach my goal weight, I just dont know what to do! We take risks when we get in a car, airplane, go to work, etc. We never know whats going to happen anyway. Take a chance on your life and your health, you are worth it.

Lactated Ringers or Ringers Lactate is a an isotonic solution (which means it has similiar components to our blood). Generally used after surgery or trauma to restore any fluids lost. Thank you so much for following me. It has been exciting, I cannot wait to see the scale move down. I figured all the details would help and im sure since you are having it, it helps you to mentally prepare yourself.

Well everyone, i was sleeved on 9-15-09 @ 7:30 am. I will try to get as detailed as possible because prior to being sleeved, I wanted to know all the details. I arrived to the hospital at 6 am with my mom and fiance. They took me to my room to start my IV, which they did without a problem. At around 7am, I was taken to preop holding but my family was unable to go back there. So we said our goodbyes (I wanted to cry but I didnt). LOL While in Preop holding the anesthesiologist came to speak with me regarding my medical history, etc. I told him that I was nervous and he reassured me. My preop nurse spoke with me as well and helped to calm my nerves and finally my surgeon Dr Alanis came to speak with me and I was a nervous wreck at this point. Dr Alanis re-assured me that I was in good hands. I was then rolled into the OR as Dr Alanis went to speak with my family. The OR nurse turned on some music and asked me if I mind if they had music on, I said no. I knew this was something common in the OR, since I have worked in the OR setting before, we would listen to music while we worked. Anyway, the anesthesiologist put some medicine in my IV and all I remember saying is "When am I going to go to sleep". After that everything else is a blur, so lets say I was probably asleep in less than 10 seconds. LOL The next thing I remember, the surgical crew was telling me how fantastic I did and how easy my procedure was. I was under for approximately one hour and 30 minutes (thats including instrument counting, hiatal hernia repair etc). Oh yeah, the doc found a hiatal hernia that he repaired. I had no idea that I had one. I was whisked away to the ICU (which is standard procedure for my surgeon), my family was in the room waiting for me. We laughed and I dozed off. My family left and came back later. The nursing staff was awesome!! Im a nurse and I have never seen the nurse to patient ratio staffing that they had in their ICU and Med Surg units. They woke me up faithfully every two hours for breathing exercises and ambulating. Oh yeah, I received Lactated Ringers via IV as well as some medication for my stomach--I was so sedated I dont remember what it was. I was also on a morphine pump. My highest level of pain was probably a 5 out of 10, with 10 being the highest. The worst is the gas pain, which was worst on the left side, which is where I heard is where all the activity is done on. I went for my final leak test the next morning---I passed no leaks. I was then transferred to the med surg floor. The nurses were awesome, I plan to go back up there to give them flowers or something, Ive never seen such level of nursing care. Even on the med surg unit, which is known to be the busiest, they made sure that I ambulated, did my breathing exercises and sipped on fluids. So I was discharged today around 11:30 am on the following meds: 1. Carafate (which Walgreens is out of, will have to get it tommorrow)- this protects the mucosal lining of the stomach. 2. liquid hydrocodone 3. Pepcid So all in all, it wasnt a bad experience. I am still sore in the abdominal region and I have not felt hungry at all. Can you believe that? I know I can't. The hardest part is not being able to sleep on my belly, as I have always slept on my stomach. Oh yeah, I lost -.06 lbs, which is good because I hear that alot of people are pumped full of fluids that they tend to gain. My tummy is slightly rumbly, I dont really know why, im sure its trying to get use to its new size and how to produce the acid. Well that was my experience, now im focusing on walking, sipping and breathing exercises. Thanks to all for lending support during this journey.:cursing: