kbl

sam... congratulations on getting the sleeve. so glad you posted. it is nice to have an RN experience with dr aceves. i sure look forward to joining you on the looser bench. kelly

deedee..... sorry that you and your husband are facing the struggle of infertility. i also had infertility issues. so i have been there done that... so if you ever need to vent you can vent to me. i understand the heartache of wanting a child. our daughter was born last october after 13 years.... so do not loose hope. if need be you will be able to find a way for ivf. set up a fund and let family donate or in stead of birthday or christmas... they can donate to your fund. also you are still really young so there are RE who will give you a price that has a money back guarantee. there is also financing for ivf. sending fertile thoughts kelly

so sorry you are feeling bad.... wish i had the answer for you. kelly

thanks for sharing.... i can really tell you are both loosing weight. as i wait for the surgery i love to see pictures. thanks again for sharing. kelly

so sorry that you had a terrible experience. i am also an ICU nurse and have been a nurse for 22 years. i have to agree with pccindy that this does not sound like a reaction to versed. however.... for any future surgeries you may have, you should tell your health care providers about this situation. so that they can be take extra precautions and observe you in the far chance you have a abnormal response from versed or other medications they may administer. i do recall many years ago taking care of a post cardiac bypass pt that woke up post operation freaked out. he told us that he was awake during surgery and could not move to tell anybody.... he was freaked out!!!! the doctors were telling him that this was not possible until the patient was able to tell the doctors what they discussed during his case, what music they had playing in the or and where they were going for dinner that night..... well then everyone believed him. yes this happened in the good ole USA.

this said... i know that this can happen.... was it a mistake? more then likely. could this have been a rare unknown response your body had from a particular drug..... possible. again so sorry that you did not feel supported. i do not believe that i ever saw your post...... but i am glad that i saw this one so that i could let you know that i am thinking about you and hope you are able to recover soon. kelly

i will keep you in my thoughts.... today and tomorrow. looking forward to a good report on the other side. kelly

the VSG only effects the stomach, therefore there will not be any problem having a colonoscopy in the future. with a colonoscopy they take a camera and look at your colon. think about your anatomy esophagus... stomach... small intestine... colon... rectum. if in the future you need an EGD.... esophagus/gastric/duodenal(first portion of the small intestine) then your gastric doctor would just need your medical history so that he could determine if the test was needed and then the proper equipment to use. hope this helps. kelly

I also am considered a lightweight. I have BMI of 31.8-32 (think i have gain some weight). I plan of having the sleeve. August was my plan sleeve date.... but life has a way of changing things up..... so I do not know yet the timing but look forward to being on the looser's bench. Good luck.... I know even as a lightweight... obese is obese. Just look forward to being at a healthy weight. kelly

as a blessed mom through the gift of surrogacy and as an intended mom to be in august, i would think that having a BMI over 30 would limit you from being a gestational surrogate with most agencies and most fertility clinics. i do know that with the sleeve, after a period of time you can have a pregnancy...... i do not know if it would have stopped me from selecting a surrogate. most who go through infertility to the point that a gestational surrogate is an option are the very end of treatment options. the surrogates health was my biggest concern... mentally and physically. so it may have been of concern for me and i have a BMI of 31.8 and want the sleeve my self. just when you are at the point of selection... it may have made a difference. good luck and thank you for your willingness to carry a dream. kelly

sam, i agree due to the drugs i take the band was not even an option, i have had RA for 24 years and i feel like i have taken all the drugs. so i guess my situation will be different. my mom had the sleeve in feb and has RA so i know what her doctor and our RA doctor instructed. thanks for the reply.

hi sam, wow so exciting for you. i did read a post you wrote on another thread about you having RA. i also have RA, it seems we have a lot in common, what did dr aceves say about your RA medications. super excited for you.... hope to tag along early august just working out the timing for our family. about the block... i have heard that also. hopefully one of the others who have had the surgery will comment. kelly

my mini food processor is a Black and Decker, i think. it may not be that good for the Protein Drinks. but will work great for the mushy soft phase. kelly

i also have a mini food processor which cost about 8-12 dollars. i use my processor all the time for general food prep. i have had mine for 13 plus years. i think this would work well for you.

to sam 30204... from one rn to another.... sure like your log off. kelly

gary you look great! what an inspiration. thanks for posting the before and after photos... that is my favorite part! kelly

i'm right there......but just thinking about stopping. anyway good luck.

I think we might be married to the same guy....kelly

hi bookleen.... as for me..... my situation is somewhat different then most... i am waiting for time to pass. see i have a new baby coming the end of august. i was not able to carry a pregnancy to term due to non weight related infertility issues so i have a gestational carrier who is pregnant with our child. so i am planning on having surgery the first week in august and then the baby is due to be born about the third week in august. we will induce about 39 weeks gestation if the baby does not come sooner. i am hoping that i will have a couple of weeks to re-coop before our addition. i do have a 6 month old right now so when the time comes i will have an 11 month old and a new baby(we are 2 1/2 weeks away from knowing the sex)... i figure i will be so busy then there will me no time for head hunger or "what was i thinking" and i figure i will already be tired. the other... and real reason i am planning on the timing is so that my recovery from surgery and my maternity time off work will happen at the same time. because i had and am having my children with a surrogate i do not get to use sick time off work for the maternity leave. if i have surgery i will be able to use sick time until i have used it all. so then i can use my vacation time later in the year for a family vacation...... see trying to work the system rules to best benefit me and my family. i will be self pay so i will not have to jump through the hoops for insurance approval. i did talk with my mom's sleeve doctor and he would not do surgery on me for the fact that i was a low bmi..... i think that it is totally crazy. i have been obese my whole life. i remember even as a small child the pediatrician telling me to loose weight. over the years i have lost and regained. now i am at my heaviest and they tell me i need to diet. give me a break i need to loose 70-80 lbs. i have a hard time loosing 10 lbs and then gain back 12. i guess their plan is for people to keep on the diet yo-yo for more years to finally hit the magic scale number that says... WOW you are fat now you qualify... or you have such co-morbidities that you qualify. so with that said i am planning on going to mexicalli with dr aceves. i have contacted the office and talked to monica. i need to fill out my full health history for the doctor. also i need to start renewing my expired passport. so i am still around but the timing is the issue with me. how are things going on your end? i am still so excited at even the hope that this tool is the answer for my life long battle with the bulg. my mom recently had the sleeve.... feb 2. she is doing great. down 40 plus pounds. wearing cloths she has not worn in 3 years. she still has alot more to loose but it seems effortless. she eats such a small amount and is totally satisfied. she can eat anything just in small amounts. she is loving the sleeve and is a big cheerleader for me and i am for her. so that also keeps me excited for the things to come. kelly

i know for myself and my mom... we both have Rheumatoid arthritis and take all kinds of medications for this, which includes NSAIDS. the sleeve was the only WLS option for us due to the drugs we take just to be able to function, my mom's sleeve was in feb of 2010 and i will hopefully have surgery in 8/2010. my mom has had no issues taking any of her medications. so i know that a motrin would be fine... just take it with a little bit of food so that it is easier on you stomach. which is suggested even if you have not had the sleeve. kelly

hi... well i have been a RN for the past 21 years working in the ICU. so in my experience. we always have people totally undress and wear only a gown to surgery. so... no panties please. as for your privacy in surgery.... well, you will have a sterile draping that will cover you from head to toe with only an opening where they do the surgical procedure. so you are covered during surgery. the only time you will be exposed is after you have been put to sleep by the anesthesia doctor. you will be draped for surgery and then at the end of the case when they remove the drape and put your gown back on. i would like to add, for those of you who are not in health care or have not experienced surgery before..... after 21 years in nursing, one naked butt looks like the next. i see so many naked people it does not even cross my mind. i am mindful to keep people's privacy but when you are in the health care field and work with acute care you really do not think anything about it. kelly

new grad.... totally understand. so work for one year. get some experience under your belt and then take the time off you need. kelly

just wanted to pipe in.... i struggled with infertility for 13 years. exhausting every medical procedure in hopes of a child. my infertility was not weight related... but no mater the reason the hurt and longing is the same. in the end i was unable to carry a pregnancy. this year at the age of 43 my beautiful daughter was born via the help of a gestational carrier. she is the most wonderful aspect of my life. we have a new baby to be born this coming august. so all i can say for all of you that long for a child is to hold tight to the dream. i will be your biggest cheerleader. kelly

hi brookleen... welcome. i am also in the planning and hoping phase. i have a low bmi of 31.8 and have searched out a doctor that recently did my mom's sleeve. he states i do not qualify and would not do the surgery even with self pay... anyway i am looking at going to mexico in august. we will see if it happens. the more i read on this forum and see the successes of other i am so excited about getting sleeved. the planning and hoping is thrilling see a light in the dark tunnel of obesity. again welcome and keep us posted on your journey. kelly

congratulations!!!!

i can only answer about the drain... i have not had the surgery but i have been an rn for the past 21 years. not all doctors will use the drain so it may not apply to you. it is called a JP drain. it is a small tube that they will place in in abdomen to drain any of the Fluid they use for irrigation and also so that if you have any post op bleeding it will drain. the staff will monitor the drainage for color and volume. the drain is very small and is attached to a bulb to serve as a collection system. when empty to bulb is squeezed. this give the bulb some suction so the the fluid will drain. as the bulb fills there is less suction. the drain is attached to the out side with a suture and when it is time to pull out the sutures are removed and the drain is pulled. usually an RN will remove but some of the surgeons remove as well. the removal is not really painful but maybe a little uncomfortable but happens very quickly. usually the drain is removed a couple of days post op. hope this helps, good luck. kelly