therealme

Try not to worry re: the lack of sleep. We were put under general sedation and that put's a huge strain on our entire body!!! I've always been an easy sleeper and my insomnia was unbelievable in the first 2 weeks!! I've also been the type of gal to always have my cycle every 28 days but, after the surgery, I went 42 days!! (yes, i was a bit scared and took 3 pregnancy tests!!). Again, don't worry....it's the darn general sedation that messes us up!!

I am in British Columbia, BC. I live in a small town, Maple Ridge, that's about 1 hr from Vancouver. After much researching, I have found a dr. that does the sleeve surgeries (i think) and i've also looked up some gastroenterologists. i'm going to try to get into my dr tomorrow. Unfortunately, I had ANOTHER attack tonight after my dinner (which was shrimp). thank goodness it only lasted an hr due to me taking pain meds the second i knew that it was starting again. This better clear up soon because i'm not sure how much more i can take!! Interestingly enough, when i was telling my girlfriend today about my recent ordeals she said that her mom's (who had 2 weight loss surgeries done in the 80's) surgeon removed her gallbladder at the time of her 2nd wls because "gallbladder's don't like the tinier stomach's and like to act up after". i found that very interesting, so i'm going to try to find more info on that. i'll keep you all updated!!!!

Hi Everyone, I contacted my sleeve dr last night, Dr. Alvarez (who is amazing!!), and he believes it to be gallbladder dyskineisa which is basically colic of the gb. AND i have all of the symptoms!! unfortunately, my family dr says that "we" need to find a surgeon near us that has some experience with my type of history so i have to look into that more. the good news is that my family dr. agreed with dr. alvarez and says it's not strictures-it's gallbladder related. once again, thank you all for the amazing support-i'll keep you updated!!

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR WELL WISHES!!! unfortunately, things did not go that well at the hospital. the dr. said that, although it sounds like gallbladder stones, there's only a 1% chance that the ultrasound was wrong (because it showed that there were no stones). and, due to me living in canada and the sleeve being unheard of here, he had no options for me except to go see my family dr. and my family dr. can search around for a surgeon that's specialized in the sleeve. well, the little problem remains that there is no one (that i know of) that is familiar with the sleeve!!! the emerg dr. also thought that it might be a stricture which, of course, is really bad news. does anyone know of anyone else getting strictures? i'll keep everyone updated (although this may take months to get into a specialist!!!)

i wish it were gallbladder pain!!! but u/s rule that out! this morning i woke up feeling groggy and had a headache from narcotics (which is why i hate them) so i decided that i should eat something to prevent stomach rot. i scrambled some eggs and after 3 bites the excruciating pain returned. i've now taken more percocet (which it hasn't helped much) and i am waiting for my dad to pick me up and drive me to the hospital. will keep you all informed. very worried.

Hi Everyone, I have a question that I really need help with.....I'm 4 months post-op and things have been going well until 2 weeks ago. During thanksgiving dinner, I ate some extremely dry, overcooked ham and one brussel sprout. Later that night I start having some discomfort in my tummy. this quickly progressed to the most unbearable pain that was twisting my stomach and causing searing pains that radiated everywhere but especially on my right side. The 10/10 pain lasted about an hour but I had abdominal tendereness for 2 days following. I ended up in emerg and, after an ultrasound, the dr. could only determine that it was from what i ate that night. Now, as of tonight, the same thing has happened to me again!!! and it was just as painful as before. this time I had gone out for dinner with my girlfriend and ate some chicken and a few nachos. Then, at the movies, I ate some popcorn. I know, I know people are probably thinking "popcorn!" but i've been eating popcorn since week 7 with no problems at all (with my dr.'s permission)!!! Does anyone have any suggestions as to what is going on? and, if it was the popcorn, then why now? I feel like I tolerated more foods back in the early post-op days and i'm getting scared that something is wrong.

I actually had to go back and double check that I hadn't written this post because this decribes me EXACTLY!!! and i'm also 4 months post-op!! thank you so much for writing this and expressing everything that i've been feeling! it's been very hard trying to understand why i am sabotaging the effects of this amazing surgery by still grazing and eating all the time! i've also started going to overeater anonymous meetings to help me deal with this-i had to come to terms with the fact that food still controls my life. i'm also trying to be more aware and recognize when i'm grazing and it's due to stress. i also do not get any side effects from eating high fat or surgary foods. and i don't believe i've ever had dumping syndrome....the only thing that has happened to me was that after consuming a dinner of very overdone and dry ham (which i did not chew well or slow) and 1 brussel sprout, i then exprerienced the most horrific abdominal pain and ended up in emerg. the cause of the pain remains unknown but i suspect it was due to the above food items. has anyone else ever had this??

hey everyone, just a few questions...... does being in ketosis indicate that your body is burning fat not muscle? how does the body get into a state of ketosis? by consuming <40 grams carb daily? the only time i ever monitored my ketones is when i had gestational diabetes and it was extremely bad to have ketones then so this is a different way of thinking for me now!

OMG!! I never heard that chewing gum was a no no either and i am a gumaholic! i've been chewing it non-stop for the past 3 post op weeks! A.Walker-good luck and please let us know what your dr. says

i know how you feel donna!! i'm also eating 600-800 of the right calories and the scale has stopped for me too! although i have to admit some days i only get in 1500ml water. i'm also taking benefiber but (due to severe constipation) i also started taking lactulose (stool softner). it's frustrating!!!

Hey everyone! i'm glad to hear that everyone's surgeries went as well as mine did!!!!!!!!! i was sleeved on july 15 by Dr. Alvarez and couldn't be happier! He and his staff were amazing! Day 2 was the hardest with me but, now that i'm home, i'm feeling great. fluids have been going down really well and, here's a tip to the pre-sleevers....make your own chicken broth before surgery. IT'S A GODSEND! it's so good and fresh tasting-i've been living off of it. CLK/Cheri-i'm like you in that i'm waiting to weigh myself until thursday due to swelling (although it's been hard not to jump on that scale! lol)

WOW! i'm so excited for all of us as i read all these posts! i'm flying to texas tomorrow and then my surgery is on thursday (can't wait!). i'll keep you posted and will be thinking of everyone that's joining the loser's bench like me!

OMG!!! i'm getting so excited!! reading everyone's posts just reaffirms everything for me that i've been feeling! i start my pre-op diet tomorrow and i'm going to take my "before" photos tonight! good luck to everyone in the upcoming days...........yay!!

sounds good to me!! when do you start the pre-op? and where is dr. rodriquez's clinic?

i'm from canada as well and up until a week ago, i was also planning on going alone. luckily for me my sister in law is now going as well. i completely understand your fears but i also wanted the surgery asap and spoke to other canadians that did it by themselves-it is possible and you'll do great!!! who's your surgeon? it may also help to read the thread "any other canadians out there?"-it really helped me. good luck and keep us posted!

dianng, i can definately relate!!! i've been envisioning what i'll finally be able to wear!! a black cocktail dress, gorgeous shoes, little pretty underwear, a leather jacket with a belted waist (i've always wanted a belted waist but thought it would never happen in this life time (lol)). i can't wait!!!

yeah, me too!!! roseryandmusic...i want to know if we have the same dr! my dr. is dr.alvarez and my surgery date is set for july 15th (along with my sister-in-law)

Can anyone vouch for the protein drinks/powder sold at BariatricEating.com?? i was interested in it because it is aimed for bariatric patients but wanted to know what the taste was like....

My surgery is also going to be on JULY 15TH!!! Boy, there sure are a lot of July 15th sleevers (lol)!!!! i'll be flying to san antonio,tx and then travelling across the border to Dr. Alvarez. i'm getting so excited, i can't wait!! Has anyone heard about the protein shakes/powder that is sold at bariatricEating.com? are they any good? i'm interested in them mainly because they are for people who have had WLS

Hi BearKat, who's your dr in mexico? Mine is on July 15th and i'm going to Dr.Alvarez

Welcome vsg2010 & BonBon!! I am new to this site as well and have never officially introduced myself. I had to laugh when i read vsg2010's intro.....i just turned 33 yrs old and i have a 3 yr old & a 13 week old baby. i also just told my husband and my mom....my mom was instantly supportive (which i found suprising) and my husband took awhile to warn up to the idea of going to mexico/dr.alvarez. i'm planning on surgery for mid-july....trying to organize who'll help look after the kids while my husband is at work has not been easy! i would also like to say that i have found this site incredibly informative & supportive. i've learned so much info....thanks everyone!!

hey everyone, thanks for all your input!! i didn't mean to imply that it was a way to keep on indulging over the summer months (well, maybe, when it comes to having an ice cold beer on a hot summer day!!) but it was more about having so much company around me for meal times. i didn't realize that the post-op diet was such a short time. it's funny, because my appetite has already decreased and food isn't as enjoyable since making the decision to go ahead with the sleeve. thanks again for all the input...i'm glad that everyone who has been sleeved thinks it is a realistic time for me!! my gut has been telling me to do it now so...i'll let you know what date i book! SParkle - good luck with your upcoming surgery!!!!

:001_unsure:Hi everyone, my question is....WHEN would be the best time of the year to be sleeved? now that i've finally made the decision to have it done, i want it done asap because i cannot wait to start my new life (yay!!) but my family is cautioning me to wait until summer is over. the only reason for doing this is because we just bought a trailer and they are wanting me to enjoy the summer/bbq's. so my question is how unrealistic is it of me to think that i can entertain all summer while recuperating from surgery and doing liquids/puree and learning how to eat with a sleeve? was it really that difficult as a newbie? also, not sure if i would tell everyone so how would i handle the pureed food (lol) in front of people?

thanks so much for the info, eloquentblue!! my consult is on june 9th. i'm going to have to investigate how much i could get back on my return as i'm currently on maternity leave. i'll let you know how the consult goes.......

hi eloquentblue, i'm planning on getting sleeved and will probably go to PSSC due to location/reputation but my concern is still the high cost. i noticed that you said you were able to write off a majority of the $22000. how did you do that? also, how far did it take to drive to edmonds? i live in maple ridge, bc