jsd2

"I had a few issues 1 month post op and was in the hospital not able to eat for about 3 weeks. My docs took care of me and avoided reoperation.I would 100% do it again this surgery has changed my life. No more BP meds and I can sleep c-pap free,no achy feet,knees,back unless I really do something to cause it. I really empathize with the OP and anyone who has experienced severe complications like these. The fact remains that the risks while present are low and these folks represent that 1% . I wish nothing but the best for the OP and anyone else going through a horrific experience with the sleeve. The sleeve still saves more lives than it takes." To everyone who has asked about my mom over the last year: Unfortunately my mother passed away due to her complications from her weight loss surgery. She was confident and optimistic until the end thinking it was just another stupid thing she would have to live through. She was wrong, she died of malnutrition, pneumonia and other complications attributed to the surgery. I almost deleted the email alert that someone had replied to her post but I'm glad I didn't I'm glad I came to this site and read her story again. It's funny that she set the account up and linked it to my email because she didn't have one at the time. I think it's kind of a blessing though to get a reminder like this about her. To the person who wrote the previous reply- f*** you. I don't really care if you think the surgery helps more people than it hurts because I absolutely think you're wrong. Wait another 10 years and see the long term effects of this horrible procedure. These doctors are slicing you apart and telling you that you don't need a part of your body that God decided you did based on very few years of research. I don't know what the answer is for any of you. Surgery, pills, diet, exercise, I don't know. I do know that if I could rewind the clock and had the sweet pleasure of being with my preciousmom again that week before her first surgery I'd say- please don't do this it will kill you. Do what you want, all of you will anyway. But before you go through this please, please, please research it, watch the biggest loser and extreme weight loss and know that no matter what lies you are being told - there is another way. on behalf of my mother- RIP Mommy, I love and miss you forever!!!!!

I did the same thing and was only getting around 4-600 calories for most of my time on the high protein diet although it was recomended to get 8-900 calories. It was tough to get much more in for me even tho I was getting in more than the recomended grams of protein- around 100 each day when 80 was the target. I spent sooooo much money on the food I was determined not to cheat and make it all be for nothing, but there were several times I just couldn't take it anymore! My worst offenses in my opinion were 2 or 3 sweet potato tater tots from sonic one night, a can of diet coke on the third of my nine days, a huge slice of greasy pepperoni pizza the Friday before my Monday surgery and a piece of sugar free gum the morning of surgery. I felt so awful and guilty for failing the diet and talked to the doc, he said more people cheat worse than that and that he only had to cancel 1 surgery for a patient who had a full meal the night before surgery. He also said they can tell while they're inside whether you've cheated or not- 2 weeks of super high protein and low cal and carb cleans out your intestines, bowel and decreases the fat in your liver- patients who cheat tend to have "greasy" intestines per the doc, gross! So many of us have food issues, that's why we're here! Losing 12 or 19 lbs on the diet is great, they're looking for weight loss so there is more room to work in your tummy and the size of your liver decreases making surgery easier and safer.

That was my thinking too! If weight loss= hair loss the weight loss was a bigger improvement! Then I lost my hair and only lost 47 lbs, not the trade off I was looking for! My hair loss started right after surgery and has continued to about 5 months, it's slowed considerably in the last few weeks. When I was fatter, I had long gorgeous super thick hair that I thought was my best asset...hopefully it will grow back the same eventually but my bigger concern is getting the rest of the weight off and keeping off!

Thank you so much for the input! I am really angry at myself along with the doctor's and you're right- nothing will fix that externally, it's something I will have to work through. I'm so glad you've been able to get beyond that and your health has improved, that's the most important thing! When you feel terrible or are in pain it's difficult to let the desire for retribution to go, I hope that with time and healing I will get to that point. I've been lucky- I am grateful for my life and the small improvements that come sooooo slowly!

Good for you that you've got that desire! Walking helps prevent blood clots in the legs which is a big risk after surgery. My doc suggested waiting for real exercise-exercise (weights, heavy cardio etc) until the 6 week appointment when they had us meet with an exercise physiologist. I had it done laproscopically and they said to use the same rule as sex- do it when you're comfortable. By 6 weeks alot of healing has taken place and you should be able to rock on that eliptical!

I'm so sorry you had that experience. I was claustrophobic during my sleep study and the anxiety had me feeling the same way! When you've been beaten down by people telling you you're fat or talking to you negatively it's easy to think that's what everyone will do. I hope you have a positive experience with the nutritionist, psychologist etc... I think most of them are working in this field because they really want to help overweight people (or were one themselves) and not because they are fat haters. I tried several times to get approval for the surgery and couldn't get it past insurance. Each time I was denied I got knocked further and further down emotionally, got more depressed and gained more weight. I was not strong enough to go self-pay and I honestly was shocked when I actually got the approval. There was no way I would have been able to save or set aside the money even if it meant losing weight to save my life. I didn't think I would be strong enough to go through the entire process another time or that I would be able to lose any weight, let alone 15 pounds before the surgery- I thought I would be the one person who forced them to cancel due to weight gain. Most of us are emotional eaters and when you take away our coping mechanism we get frustrated and scared and feel like we have failed or will fail. For what it's worth, you aren't alone, other people have felt or are feeling this way right now. You aren't alone, even though we don't always admit it, alot of us are scared, depressed, feel fat and worthless. You aren't alone, people will read this post and identify with it like I did, they will feel compassion for you and send you good wishes and prayer. You aren't alone, support may come in the strangest of places, even if it's on a message board, you deserve it, it's being given by people who know, who've been fat, who understand. You are not alone, you don't have to stand unsupported and without cheerleaders, let us support you, cheer you on and rejoice with you in your triumphs. You are not alone! Your feelings and emotions are valid and even if you feel like giving up, continue to reach out for support, there are lots of us here to provide it!

*UPDATE* For all who asked: I talked to a local malpractice attorney, he said no one legitimate would take my case. It seems if a doctor has been reckless, negligent and unprofessional, it would be best if they killed you. The problem it seems, I haven't died yet and it isn't "profitible" for them to file suit. He was really very nice and explained some of what I suspected- it would require hiring specialists to say what the doctors did was wrong which would be thousands of dollars on their end. Since I didn't lose my life, or at least a limb, the case is likely worth less than 50k and they would eat up most of it in expert testimony. How can that be? seriously? oh well, there has to be a dollar amount placed on everything and apparently this isn't worth a whole lot! His suggestion was to call the hospital and talk to their patient liason or the risk management department and complain about my stay. I replied it wasn't a hotel and I didn't need to complain, what they did was grossly negligent and almost cost me my life and my daughter her mother. I'm on the fence about trying another attorney, I don't want to hear the same thing but I also don't want a sleaze ball giving my high expectations and hopes that can't be realized. I AM pissed, I've been hurting, I DID suffer for way too long, NO ONE listened to me, I DESERVE compensation for the misery they put me through, I want them to pay for what they did, I want everyone to know what they did. I'm petty and childish and want retribution for the wrongdoing, to feel vindicated in a courtroom, in front of a judge and jury, to be able to look at them and tell them what they did came close to ruining my life and ask who would have mothered my child had I died? To remind them the hippocratic oath says to do no harm and they failed, they harmed me, left me in pain, didn't ease my suffering, blew me off as just another fatty who didn't care enough to take care of themselves and what were they supposed to do? fix all the damage I did to my body over 40 years? My biggest concern is for other patients seen both at the hospitals and by the doctors involved. I really don't want to ruin anyones career but I also don't want these doctors thinking that the bare minimum is good enough. We are patients, living, breathing human beings who are at the mercy of people who take one look at you or review your file and decide you're a complainer, you can't tolerate a small amount of pain, you're a drug seeker, you like the attention, you're a hypochondriac, you should just shut up and be quiet or better yet, just stay home. I'm still not able to eat and drink enough to sustain myself but found milk and bread settle my stomach so I don't feel like i'm constantly spinning from the nausea. The problem with that has been a temporary 5 lb weight gain- sooo scary, i've lost all but a pound, back up to 301, great! Having some temporary relief has made it worth it though, I honestly hoped I would die some days because the nausea and vomiting were so bad, feeling that vomit well up from your toes and the waiting, trying to stop it from happening, worrying about the pills you took earlier and whether they were in your intestines or stuck in your pouch and would come up with the vomit, being so tired you aren't sure you'll actually live through another stomach spasm because when they start they don't stop, even if you've vomited up everything and you just lie there, with your eyes bulging out and your mouth open with your tongue pushed out and you can't slow it enough to even catch your breath. So the good news is that my PCP referred me to not 1 but 2 departments at the University where I will see a gastroenterologist and another bariatric surgeon to get some insight into the complications and hopefully a long term fix. If anyone can help, it's the University hospita,l and I am so thankful that my PCP was able to get me in there! The blood clots in my arm have not subsided which is slightly unusual and makes me worry, alot. For anyone with hand or arm problems, it's similar to nerve issues like carpal tunnel or guyon canal compression etc.... i'm having pain, numbness and tingling just like I did before I had surgery on my hands. My arm is still swollen and i've woken up with my hand huge and cold several times this week. It feels like theres a rubber band at my anticubital that is tightening and irritating the nerves. The scary thing is that neuropathy and nerve issues can be the result of med toxicity and could be permanent. I don't believe that is the case, I think it's just from the vericose veins and the blood clots. I hope that's the scenario, but to find out either way and see if it requires surgery, I have been referred to a vascular surgeon. yay! I've gotten a reprieve from the terrible trips to the lab for blood draws! My insurance carrier has covered a home PT monitor to check my clotting times. It only takes a drop of blood and gives the score which I call in to the doctors office every day. It has been running high so they decreased my coumadin which means only3 pills instead of 6 every morning- I can't tell you what a relief it has been! I took some flowers to the lab tech who had been drawing my blood these last few weeks. She was my hero, she gave me tiny infant foot warmers that I would put on before I went every day so they could increase the blood flow and make it easier for them to get. She listened to everything I said about where to try a stick and avoided the veins I told her to, even though she could see them and really wanted to poke them, she believed me when I said they would blow if she got one or worse yet, roll and hide when she went to stick which causes them to poke you and then dig, dig, dig for the vein they know is there- they won't get it and you'll be miserable, eventually scar tissue forms and there won't be any more blood draws in that spot. The greatest things through all of this have been the support, compassion and sincerety i've been met with while sharing my story. My primary doc was so open, honest and apologetic for what I went through, not even my surgeon has admitted anything went wrong but my PCP knew something wasn't right, he listened to me and fought for me. When I said I couldn't go back to my surgeon's office he personally contacted specialists and got me in to the best ones he could find. I'm much more optimistic and hopeful that someone, somewhere will figure out my issues and help me. It has to keep going up from here right? :-)

I saw a commercial for the Fructis stuff and wanted to try it. I've used that brand and like it so I don't feel like I would be dissapointed. Doesn't it have caffeine in it which is supposed to help with scalp stimulation?

My doc said the 3 month mark was the worst too. It's supposed to take that much time for your Protein stores to wain and you can get protein, Vitamin and nutrient deficient. They recommended Biotin along with plenty of protein and said many people keep their hair and lose relatively little which comes back after another couple months. My experience was nothing like that! I lost hair from the day I had surgery- seriously. I had long, nearly waist length, thick brown hair that I had trimmed the week before surgery. When I got up and started walking a few hours after surgery I noticed a couple strands on my sweater but nothing to worry about. When I got home and showered it felt like I was losing a bunch in the shower but I thought I was just over-sensitive about it. I was re-admitted to the hospital a week and half after surgery and was losing fistfulls by then. I showed my doctor who told me, again, it takes months to lose your protein stores so it probably wasn't anything to worry about, maybe just the shock of the surgery. By the time I left the hospital 2 weeks later my hair felt thinner and I would pull handfulls out of my brush every day to show the doctor and nurses but they were unimpressed. When I got home it was about a month post surgery and I was self conscious about the hair loss so I thought if I got it cut it would be less noticible and less distressing for me. I took it from mid to lower back up to my shoulders and got a cute curly bob. I asked the hair dresser repeatedly if you could see bald Patches but she said she didn't see anything. Looking back at the pic right after the haircut I can't believe how thick my hair was still! The cut did nothing for the hair loss, it came out in handfulls every time I ran my hand over it, I woke up and my bed would be covered, pillowcase and sheets, with strand after strand of hair. It got so upsetting that I changed the color of my sheets- didn't work. About 3 weeks ago it had gotten to the point that I only had some long straggly strands at my neck left and had big noticible bald patches at the very front and top of my head as well as the temples, big fist sized sections of what looked like to me like tiny little grey coconut hairs! My daughter helped me cut the longer strands and I went to a cheap haircut place where I thought I was going to ask them to just use the clippers and shave the rest off. The stylist was so nice and tried to save what she could even though I told her she didn't have to try. She was able to give me a cute pixie cut which I went home and bleached a light ash blonde. The lighter hair color was the best thing I could have done- there are some platinum highlights that make the bald patches alot less noticable and alleviated some of my self-consciousness. I figured I would wind up in a wig for a while at least but thankfully it didn't come to that for me. I've spoken to other people who have lost hair to have it come back in a year or two and still others who haven't lost any at all. I hope you get lucky like that!

Aww, so sorry about your wait! It is totally frustrating when you feel like you have everything lined up and are soooo ready just to have wait or worse- get denied. I first applied back in 2008, I called my carrier and asked all the right questions about BMI, proof of failed diets and whether co-morbidities had to be present. The rep I talked to for the insurance carrier told me (incorrectly) that the benefit was available at 100% with no requirements. I went to a sleep doc, did a psych eval, was poked and prodded, tested and re-tested and assured I was a perfect candidate. When we submitted to the insurance carrier they promptly denied it, I tried to appeal but was denied again. The next time was 09 and I went tthrough the same process, this time I was denied and found out the reason was I didn't have 5 consecutive years of documented weights and BMI from my PCP- literally the only requirement! Well what fat girl goes to the doctor every year to be weighed??? In 2011 I had all the documentation needed so I waited until the 2012 plan year started to apply and put enough into my flex spending account to pay the deductible and co-insurance. I had my "first" doctors appointment in February again and the paperwork was sent to my insurance carrier with the explanation that it would take 4 weeks to 3 months to get a response and then I would have to schedule all of my other doctors appointments and then try to get a date for surgery. Well 4 years of waiting was enough for me, I explained the situation to the office staff at the surgeons office who were unsympathetic and negative about whether I could speed the procees up but I didn't let that deter me! I called my carrier at the one week mark and was able to get the claim escalated for review and was told I would get an answer within 5 business days- great! but not good enough! I was anxious after doing years of research, trying WW 2 more times, buying tons of slimfast, atkins and off-brand diet bars and drinks. I wasn't losing weight but gaining it with every year that passed. I called back after 2 days and spoke to the supervisor of the person doing the escalated review and they gave me a verbal authorization for surgery! I called and spoke to the office staff who actually put me on the schedule without the paper confirmation- from first doc appointment to approval it was 2 weeks, a week later were my final appointments and I started the Protein diet, 9 days later I had surgery- start to finish 1 month, or 4 years, depends on how you look at it! I have UHC which many people told me was an easy carrier to get approved through, not my initial experiences. I think the only reason it moved fast for me the last time was because I told literally everyone my sob story of trying for 4 years to get it approved and they begrudgingly listened and actually were able to do something about it. I hope things work out for you and you get an answer quickly, but hey, if they don't call you, you keep calling until you talk to that one person who listens!

I am a big believer in homemade scrubs, they save a ton of money! I've used sea salt and olive oil, fill a jar 2/3 with course sea salt, the pink is nice but any kind works, then just pour in olive oil and add a drop or two of essential oil- really nice in the summer! I use plain old baking soda year-round as a scrub- full body and face- and it exfoliates really gently and makes your skin glow :-) It doesn't dry you out either and makes your lotion absorb really well! It's supposed to be the caffeine that tightens you up and helps with cellulite and the oil moisturizes so here is a coffee grounds scrub recipe- http://www.ehow.com/how_5103198_make-cellulite-cream-caffeine.html Just coffee, coffee grounds and sugar, sounds delicious!

I still feel that way and I am almost 6 months out! I have asked myself the same question- why did I do this to myself? and I can't stand when my daughter tries to be sympathetic because I often feel like it's all my own fault and I shouldn't get sympathy! Due to complications I'm not getting in my protein and just recently have been able to get in close to 48 oz of fluid a day. I'm also all out of protein stores and vitamin and nutrient deficient which makes it worse. If you feel like you're having trouble and feeling worse rather than better- don't be afraid to speak up and talk to your doctor! If you are having complications or just need some dietary advice it's better to get things checked out or fixed before you get ill. Maybe it's just a taste thing or you need a thiamine or niacin supplement, things like that are easy to correct and make a huge difference. Hope you're feeling better soon!

You didn't fail and shouldn't feel bad about what's happened, the procedure failed you and not the other way around. :-) I've had a rough experience with the sleeve, started out @ 347, was down to 331 the day of surgery and couldn't get under 314 for months. Even now I can't manage to break 300 and it's been almost 6 months since surgery. I didn't tell anyone I was having WLS except my daughter and a very few close friends- 2. Even so, I've been embarressed by the miserable failure I feel my surgery has been and wish nobody knew. Who wants to have weight loss surgery and still be fat?! lol Because of complications with the sleeve, it has been recommended to me to have gastric bypass as a second step or even duodenal switch. My head is still swimming and I haven't made a decision but I can tell you this much- if I decided to go through another procedure, I wouldn't tell anyone. When you feel like a failure the first time after all the hard work, positivity and high expectations, it can make you super wary to talk about it the second time. Good for you for making the right decision for you and taking control back of your weight loss journey!

Any cream with caffeine is supposed to diminish the visibility. I've heard homemade body scrubs using coffee grounds and coconut oil massaged into the skin can also help.

That is awesome! The constant blowing of mine was always too much and made me feel like I was a dog with my head out the car window and couldn't catch my breath!