Geminidrive

I'm sorry you are experiencing this. I'm curious why they gave you Dilaudid unless they are combining it with an anti-nausea drug. The only suggestion I would make is to consult with another physician if possible. You may have to travel out of your area. I hope it gets better.

No regrets!!! Everything has a time and a place, this was the time.

No moodiness.....

We do need to educate people about the surgery. Perhaps it is easier for us to have the surgery, after all we are all having this because sometimes it is damn near impossible to lose the weight after trying other methods and darn it we need to tell the naysayers this. Sometimes a little courage goes a long way!

Be Confident

Be Strong

Be Brave

Be Bold

Take Action

Thanks for sharing!

I told everyone. Why not, it's not a secret. People need to be educated, so If I can educate one person then I'm happy. I have received such a positive response. Co-workers sent me cookbooks, exercise sites, gifted personal trainer consultation and continue to encourage me. I must admit that I'm not the type that leans on anyone for support or need a cheerleader, I typically fly solo, but it's nice to know that others are care.

Two days, it could be the lingering effects of the anesthesia.

Perfect case and point for you to go back to him for specific explanation and clarification. If you don't understand or like what your surgeon advises question him/her, don't let them blow you off or dismiss you. I would wait for a response from your Nutritonist and follow up with a call to your physician for greater clarity.

The cost of VSG surgery and associated costs are far less than those medical costs associated with obesity, in my opinion it is a small price to pay.

Other ways to save money:

* Sell old clothing and shoes on Ebay

* Plan a garage sale to sell old clothing

* Hire a seamstress/tailor to make alterations on older clothing

* Donate old clothing to a charity, quite a few will come to your home to pickup and will provide you with a tax receipt.

All of them are nasty, not a fan. Yuck!

It's a great doggy daycare so I plan on them staying a few days. I have a big secured backyard and they can go out there. I rarely walk them. Mastiffs don't need loads of exercise and they get plenty in the yard...they even have toys and a bed out there!

Ah, that's a good thing. I have to walk my pooch. You will be just fine, personally I prefer to be left alone.

.........hiatal hernia, reflux , GERD etc! I'm 38 years old 5'3 and 320 pounds.

These things alone should be the determining factor.....it's your body and your choice.

In my opinion its rabble-rousing at its finest, and MAYBE attention seeking behavior.

Attention. And she got it.

You can say that again.

I live alone and I came home.....I was just fine. Question, who is going to walk the dogs?

Good discipline!!! Sometimes its good to be in these situations, we have to practice control. Good for you!

So for all of you with this "Alcohol causes leaks and liver damage, and ulcers, Just got back from the dr.s for my 2 week check up . I asked him about every single concern and risks that people were saying. He said it is no different than how alcohol affects a regular liver. And started laughing when i was concerned that it would cause a leak!!! I dont know where these people get this info from. I have googled this topic, researched and came up with exactly what my doc told me. High calorie intake, and more affects of the alcohol due to ur low tolerance. My doc is one of the top leading surgeons in the Orange County area and i take his advice over anyones in this forum. Sorry to burst your bubbles. he gave clearance of 3 weeks !! So all that crap talk about leaks and things is NONSENSE from alcohol!!!!!!!! THANK YOU DOC!!!!!

Ahhhh those silly concerns about alcohol, darn what were we thinking. LOL

Fyre, I'm glad that you are ok, are you able to go back into the apartment or will you have to relocate until the building can be renovated?

I love shrimp and it was a staple during my soft stage, I just diced it up very fine and mixed it in with eggs or plain greek yogurt. You should be fine.

Congratulations!

I haven't had any problems with nuts, but then again with the exception of butternut squash Soup my stomach is cast Iron.

Perhaps it’s a good thing for people considering this surgery to be scared, perhaps this will motivate those who are on the fence and ill-informed to do their due-diligence. It’s always important to know the good and the bad of any surgery. On this forum everyone should be allowed to share his/her gastric sleeve story no matter how scary or uneventful it may be.

I have not had gastric sleeve, but my sister has and this is her horror story. In the month after her May surgery, by Dr. Chua of Aurora Sinai in Milwaukee, my sister (Jane) came down with flu like symptoms. Although she contacted her primary physician, who was aware of the recent surgery, and I believe she had an office visit with Dr. Chua, nobody showed any concern about infection. This is despite the fact that EVERYBODY knows that infection mimics flu like symptoms and it was nowhere near flu season. Nobody ever did any scans post surgery to determine of there was any issue with the healing of the internal surgery area - even though I have since learned that other patients had experienced similar issues to what my sister was about to go through.

It turned out (after three ER visits in three days, despite the fact that I said I was worried about infection from the very first visit) that a staple hadn't held and that food/fluid had been leaking into her abdomen from the stomach causing a MASSIVE infection. By the time Aurora Lakeland in Elkhorn paid any attention to this she was almost dead. She barely made it through and it was literally touch and go for WEEKS!! AND that hospital wouldn't even treat her because they don't do bariatric surgeries - she had to be airlifted to Milwaukee.

What followed were numerous surgeries, months in ICU and then regular hospital (from July 4th weekend into October), an induced coma with her hands strapped to the bed so she wouldn't inadvertantly pull out tubes and wires, being intubated for breathing assistance, additional infections, memory loss of that entire time, and leaving on a feeding tube. She has been on that feeding tube for over two years now.

Oh she's thin alright. woohoo. But she gets her food from a bag hanging on an iv rack and has to grind her meds and flush them through the feeding tube line, as well as a drain that collects Fluid from her abdomen and open wounds that need daily care. She has NO muscles left. She probably couldn't walk a block if she was allowed to.

She came home from that hospital stay with a GIANT open wound the length of her abdomen - I mean it was big enough for me to stick both my hands into - and a wound vac installed in it to constantly vacuum up the Fluid and goop that goes along with healing. That fluid drained into a plastic container that hung from tube(s) coming out of her abdomen - which she had to have with her always. It was all very painful and really gross.

That was just the first hospitalization. By January she was back in the hospital with another massive infection that had burned through her diaphragm and into her lungs. This time she spent her time in pulmonary ICU. You see they told her to start trying to eat - that they thought the holes in her stomach had closed, but they didn't do regular scans to verify this....again! They were wrong. Again.

Only this time her primary physician, Dr. Rosol of Aurora Lake Geneva, had diagnosed her with pneumonia over the phone and had given her a prescription not even strong enough to deal with pneumonia. So when she didn't get better, by the time the Aurora ER took her seriously she was again near death. This time they had to do lung surgery AND abdominal surgery to clear out and treat the raging infection caused by fluid and matter leaking from the stomach into everywhere.

So apparently this type of thing isn't that uncommon with this surgery, nor are the "fistulas" that develop as a result of this complication from this type of surgery. If the tissue around this fistula isn't so damaged that it can heal on its own it could take years. If it's damaged - as hers was from all that infection - there is no sewing it closed and it doesn't heal on its own. Imagine being on a feeding tube for the rest of your life - never tasting food, never enjoying a meal or a drink or a dessert or a holiday with your family again. Never a chocolate bar, or a bowl of Cereal, or a salad, or a glass of juice. NOTHING. All because someone convinced you that gastric sleeve surgery was the answer.

So if you are considering this surgery, don't. It's just not worth the risk. I know, if my sister could go back, she would choose fat over this lack of a life any day of the week. I grew up thin and am now fat and I would NEVER EVER EVER have a surgery to reduce my weight. Although I haven't been able to be disciplined enough to do it I know the only solution is eat less, move more. Two steps. The only solution.

Thank you for sharing your story. I'm sure this has been a very difficult time for your sister and your family.

I would not support her getting the surgery right now. She is young and she has the potential and tools to loose the weight on her own with your family's support. What I would suggest is that she find a weight loss program and also counseling first.

Total ignorance, in my humble opinion. How can anybody say major surgery to remove 85% of our stomach is 'the easy way out', is beyond me!!!! In the past I'd popped pills and would drop anywhere from 20 to 50 lbs, now THAT is the easy way out. Of course I gained it all back, plus some, EVERY time, but never the less, I took a pill or two. I think what we've done is smart, it works but anyone who thinks it's a magic bullet....they'd be wrong!

Obviously you did not see the clip. She never said this was the easy way out, she said the surgery was a tool.

I did notice that someone identified himself as a physician joined the board yesterday, but only to share his personal story. Thanks.