ravenjeh

I was self pay in New Iberia, Louisiana with Dr. Borland. Total cost $9800. I'm extremely happy with my experience.

You might try other acid reducers, too. I started off with prilosec, but it didn't do anything for me- I was having to chew a lot of Tums still. Now I take Pepcid in the morning and rarely need Tums. Congrats on the 32 lbs!

Unfortunately, no My head hair is falling out in droves, though. Weird how your body lets the good hair fall out, but clings to the bad hair, lol.

Hands down, Dr. Thomas Borland in New Iberia. I could not have had a better experience and still only paid $9800. While that does not include the pre-op labs, if you have insurance, it should take care of it as it's only simple bloodwork and chest x-ray. It does include the hospital stay, but it's outpatient- that's how he keeps the price so low. He has you stay in any local hotel so that he can visit and check up on you for the next couple of days. I love him!

Last night, I woke up to a horrible feeling. I had taken my medicine (antidepressants) and gone to bed. About 35 minutes later, I woke to my throat on fire and a strong taste of my pills (you know the bitter taste on your tongue before you swallow a pill..). It was so strong I thought I was going to vomit. I drank something and even ate a little bite of something hoping to cool down my throat. It gradually got better over the next 10-15 minutes until I could fall asleep again. It was almost as if the acid in my stomach washed up a pill in my throat where it sat there for a while during my sleep. Has anyone else experienced this? I don't take any PPI's or antiacids except for Tums. I used to try them all, but nothing really cured my acid so I just learned to live with it. Except I take Tums 2-3 times daily for that uncomfortable acid feeling in my stomach. So, should I take something for acid right before bed to prevent this? Ughhh, I hope and pray that I don't get gallbladder problems...

Just an update- I started taking Pepcid and my acid is virtually gone!!! I take one in the morning and one at night, and rarely I still need a Tums after a meal. And the best part is... the generic is only $4 a bottle at walmart! Thanks for the advice, guys!

5 incisions, the largest being a few millimeters below my bellybutton.

I take both Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen all the time and haven't had any problems.

Oh, wow, this sounds good! I use this same recipe with marinated artichoke hearts without the seafood. Yum! Can't wait to try this one

I have tried Prilosec, Nexium and Zantac. They might have helped some, since I don't remember having quite this much acid before. I'm definitely getting something to take today.

I have been using Body Fortress Whey Protein Isolate in Vanilla Cream from walmart because of the price and it only has 2 carbs when mixed with water. Add lots of sugar free pudding mix and splenda and it's good. However, the last time I went, they are no longer carrying the Isolate, so I had to get the Body Fortress Whey Protein in Chocolate. Costs less, but has more carbs and it is absolutely revolting. The texture and aftertaste is much much worse than the isolate I was using before. So, my advice for sweet shakes is to go for a brand of whey isolate. Something about it makes it much more palatable (and better for you). HTH

Don't worry too much about the gain. I did the same thing for no apparent reason and was able to lose it all a few days late. Your body is just trying to adjust to all this, so it can do some weird things sometimes. Just make sure you get your protein and water in and you will get back on track with the losing. Also, I notice that with me eating so much protein and cheese, I end up being constipated pretty regularly. After taking some miralax or fiber tablets, I'm able to loose more once I'm finally able to "go", lol. HTH

Juice and popsicles were great for me post op, along with sugar free powerade to keep your electrolytes up. But, I came home on clear liquids only. If you are a coffee drinker, be sure to get decaf, as the caffeine will dehydrate you more. Cream soups were amazing in the blender. Good luck!

I am doing low carb, so I eat a good bit of cheese everyday. I usually will eat a laughing cow wedge, a babybel cheese round and a little whipped cream cheese on turkey deli meat.

Wow, I had no idea people were eating salads so early out- for some reason my surgeon's guidelines say to start salads at 4-5 months post op. I've been craving one for about 3 months now, lol.

I had mine done at a surgery center and don't think I would have gotten any better quality at a hospital facility. Once I got past the waiting room, everything else looked like a hospital. I loved my experience there because since they only do one surgery at a time, I had the same two nurses before and after waking up. One sat with me for hours making sure that I was comfortable and giving me pains meds as soon as I need them. I don't think I could have gotten that much focused one on one care at a large hospital.

I am 2 and half months post op, and I average 600 calories, 60 grams of protein and try for 20 carbs daily. Of course, it being Christmas and the tastiest time of the year does not help...

Will it ever go back? I understand the largest incision is right under my bellybutton, but at almost 2 months post-op, I figured any swelling would be gone and my poor little protruding navel would go back to normal. Does anyone else have this problem?

TMI warning... I am about 5 weeks post op. I just started my second post op period yesterday. I normally have a pretty heavy period, especially on day 2 of my cycle . But I woke up this morning to having soaked through my pajamas. I went to the bathroom and pulled down my underwear and blood gushed out of my panties. It was like a bowl of blood poured out onto the floor. It really scared me. I was only asleep for 7 hours; it looked like I had this pad on for 2 days. I know our hormones are out of whack after surgery, but is this normal? I should note that I haven't felt well the past 3 days. Terrible headaches, not very hungry and tired (I took a 3 hour nap yesterday). Should I be concerned about anything? Anemia? I take a multi-Vitamin with Iron and a Calcium tablet daily.

Yay! Doesn't it feel awesome!!!

Sending a prayer for you! You'll be on the loser's bench in no time!

I did not, but from what I've read it is common for the gas to cause left side/shoulder pain. My main problem was my stomach spasming every several seconds. Just short intense pain in the center of my chest. You will feel better tomorrow! Especially after getting home...

Good luck, dying2Bhealthy! Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life!