valentine

Hey guys! I'm ten days post-op and have lost 9 pounds since surgery day. This is on the low end but my starting BMI was 33. I only did the liquid pre-op diet for about 4 days beforehand and lost 3 pounds. Actually, I started this whole long process last summer, when I was trying to get the lap band but my insurance company denied me. At the time I was 215 pounds was 4 pounds shy of a BMI of 40. So they denied me even though I had high blood pressure and cholesterol. I was on meds for the BP but they required 3 meds for BP to be considered "serious enough." I was only on ONE. If I'd weighed 219 at my first office visit, they would have approved me regardless of my comorbidities. Kind of sickening. So I was self-pay. By the time I had surgery, I had lost 35 pounds. In the end, I'm glad to have the sleeve...

Are heparin injections standard? I didn't know I'd be doing this after surgery. It's the one thing that surprised me, that I didn't know in advance. Anyway, I do them 3 times a day. They are easy to do and don't hurt. The most difficult thing was finding a pharmacy that carried them. I had to get my script filled in TX before flying back. I called over a dozen pharmacies. Finally I found ONE place who could fill it, but they could only fill 15 vials. I needed a total of 42 because I was prescribed 3 shots a day for two weeks. So I filled what I could and now that I'm home I'll have to call around and find another pharmacy who can give me the rest of my supply. One drug was totally impossible for me to fill before leaving San Antonio---- Zegerid powder. My surgeon has everyone take it 3 times a day for 3 months whether patients feel like they need it or not. A pharmacist suggested an OTC brand to use until I could find what my doctor prescribed. So my challenges here in the first week of surgery are getting in all my liquids in and finding a place that can fill my drugs, lol.

Hi Guys! I was sleeved on Monday 7/18 in TX and flew home to PA yesterday (Thursday). I'm feeling pretty good. Sore & tired, but otherwise good. If I didn't have a 1 yr old & 3 yr old to take care of, it would be much easier. My biggest challenge right now is getting in all my liquids. My surgeon said the goal is 64 oz of Water and 2 Protein drinks (80g protein total). That's the minimum actually, and I haven't met the goal once so far. Tuesday: (after passing my "leak test") I managed 20 oz of water throughout the day. Wednesday: 8 oz of a Protein Drink plus 12 oz of water. 1 oz of French Onion Soup from Panera (just broth). Thursday: 16 oz bottle of water, 8 oz protein drink x 2 for a total of 65g protein. Today I mixed 14 oz of FF Lactaid with a packet of Syntrax nectar and a serving of vanilla Protein powder. That's a total of 65g of protein in one giant drink. Your body can't really absorb more than 40g of protein at a time so I divided it in half. I drank the first half this morning (it took well over an hour to get it all down) and put the other half away for later. I think I'll be able to get in all my protein today but getting in all the water will be difficult. I can only take baby sips all day long.....

Thanks for letting me know. I wasn't sure which one was priority, so thank you. I'll focus on the water today.

All I can think of is that I my blood pressure has been high lately and I'm not currently taking any meds for it. A few days before surgery, my BP was 130/110. Then after surgery it was still high. I saw it go as high as 210/120 but it went down to 140/95 by the time I was discharged. Maybe the heparin just makes it less likely for the high BP to make me throw a clot.....

My sleeve is scheduled for July 18 in San Antonio, TX (but I live in Pittsburgh). So excited!

I'm scheduled for July 18. Can't wait!! I'm getting it done in San Antonio but I live in Pittsburgh. So this will be a surga-cation. One of my girlfriends from high school will pick me up from the airport and hang out with me for the whole week. I'm super excited to have some girl time.

July 18.

Dr. Patel is doing my surgery in a few weeks. I'm from Pittsburgh and did my whole insurance process up here and was denied. So, after I decided to self-pay I found him in San Antonio (I grew up in TX) because it's half the price down in TX compared to here. So I probably can't answer many questions for you but I just wanted to say hi b/c I noticed no one had replied.

Hey guys! I'm tentatively planning on getting VSG in July. My two boys are ages 3 & 1. I'll be flying from PA to TX to get my surgery done. It's way cheaper in TX ($27,000 vs $14,000). Plus, my parents live in TX and can help me with my kids in the immediate days after surgery. So here's my question---how long should I plan on staying in TX after surgery? Is ten days enough? Will I need 2 weeks? How long do you think I'll need help with my two boys. I've had c-sections before but I'm not sure how the pain compares. My biggest concern is getting home to PA...with two kids in tow and at least one layover at the airport. Obviously, I'd just check-in my luggage to save myself the hassle. Thoughts? http://stealingskinny.blogspot.com/

Hey guys! I'm wondering how long I'll need help with my 2 little boys (3 & 1) right after surgery. Here's my situation. I'm tentatively planning on getting VSG in July. I'll be flying from Pittsburgh to TX to get my surgery done. My parents live in TX and can help me with my kids in the immediate days after surgery. So here's my question---how long should I plan on staying with them after surgery? Is ten days enough? Will I need 2 weeks? How long do you think I'll need help with my two boys? I've had c-sections before but I'm not sure how the pain compares. My biggest concern is getting home to Pittsburgh...with two kids in tow and at least one layover at the airport. Obviously, I'd just check-in my luggage to save myself the hassle. I'm just trying to plan how long after surgery I'll stay with my parents in TX. Thoughts?

I wish you the best with your VSG. I was denied the band by my insurance company this past January...I was really disappointed but now that I'll be a self-pay I'm planning to get the sleeve instead. Hoping for July, so maybe we'll do it around the same time. You've had success with your previous WLS so I know you'll have success with this one too. And hopefully less complications. http://stealingskinny.blogspot.com/