Beckyyb93

Good thinking Becky! But don't most people have Lortab after surgery? Definitely! But, if you are feeling good you can try to let up on it; it'll start to give you a feel for your real new tummy. It'll still be swollen so don't push it but I promise you will start to feel more full soon. You are just getting used to everything, everyone gets scared that they won't feel satisfied but liquids suck...it gets so much easier and much more satisfying as you graduate! Let your tummy tell you what it can and can't handle and don't stress...it'll all settle within a few weeks!

That's probably contributing to the ease, that numbs your tummy and may let you take in too much. I'd probably go slower than 11 oz in 40 minutes this close to surgery too. It'll all get figured out, also if you are feeling amazing you may want to start tapering off the Lortab because you could feel differently without it and you have to get used to getting fluids in without pain meds otherwise it'll be tough later. Don't worry too much though, just keep doing the fluids often and slowly! Good luck!

We need to keep in touch! I had a sleeve in December of 2012 and since have had esophageal spasms that are crippling and cause the worst reflux imaginable. I can eat only pudding and ice cream and other very soft foods because the spasms and reflux are so so painful. After dilating my esophagus multiple times, 5 hospital stays for malnutrition and dehydration, and Nexium 40mg twice daily we are finally resorting to a bypass. It'll be either late next week or early the week after, I'm scheduling on Monday and am just hoping and praying for relief. I'm so tired and eating is so painful. We are hoping that by eliminating the reflux, the spasms will stop as well. One can only pray, this last year has been hell. I'm going to keep up with my original post of my sleeve journey when I get the bypass.

I've never heard anything about issues with birth control after surgery and I've been on it since I was 14 for ovarian cysts. It's all about finding something that works for your hormone levels. IMO Mirena and other IUDs are extremely painful, I'm sure others will disagree but that's just my opinion. Also, BC usually makes you gain weight so don't freak out if that happens. Some people like the shot and some people like Nuva Ring because you don't have to remember to take a pill every day. Good luck!

My surgeon just required a 3 day pre-op full liquids diet to shrink your liver just to help avoid issues. It's not uncommon and is just dependent on the doc and his preference. I wouldn't be too concerned and like you said...it makes it easier for you! Good luck!

I forgot about PB2, you can find it at health food stores and occasionally grocery stores. It's basically powdered peanut butter that you put into shakes. If you put it into a chocolate shake it tastes like peanut butter cups..yum! Or, put it in vanilla to taste lots of peanut butter. It's good for you and tastes amazing!

TAKE YOUR VITAMINS! Always, never ever ever stop taking your Vitamins if you have had a sleeve or a bypass. You must take vitamins forever. I see so many patients in the clinic that have stopped taking their vitamins years after WLS and are sick. If you are Vitamin deficient you won't feel good and you are more likely to get sick. I know they suck, but take them! Please I don't want to see any of you sick in ten years!!

NOOOO!! Lol, follow the doc's orders...5 days out is way way too early for peanut butter. It's sticky and can be really tough to get down. I can't eat it without drinking so I choose not to eat it at all. You need to wait until you are cleared for soft foods which is a long ways away. I know it's hard but be patient otherwise you are going to be in pain. Soon you will be able to eat more things! Try pudding when you are cleared for full liquids, it tastes good and helped me feel more full than clears. You have to let your tummy heal, it's been through a lot! I promise it's worth the wait though!!

I had the sleeve and a hiatal hernia repaired and I have severe acid reflux to the point that we are revising to a bypass. One thing that concerns me that I've read on this thread is that people with the sleeve don't have to take Vitamins for the rest of their lives which is false. For both the bypass and the sleeve you need Vitamin supplements for the rest of your life. The choice is of course yours to make but neither is a bad option and IMO bypass isn't only for people with more weight to lose. If you are worried about the reflux you may go with the bypass but the sleeve is much less restrictive which also has pros and cons. With the sleeve, you have the option of eating ice cream, drinking soda, etc. which if those choices are made you won't lose weight. The bypass is more restrictive and will hold you accountable physiologically. Dumping syndrome doesn't usually happen unless you are eating sugar and carbs again holding you accountable because you will feel crappy if you cheat. There are pros and cons to every single surgery ever and complications and risks. You have to figure out what you are most comfortable with good luck!

I have found an app that I am absolutely obsessed with so I figured I'd share it with all of you. It's called Poshmark and is available on droid and apple for sure, I'm not sure what other phones it works on but you can also get to it online. Once you download the app you basically just take pictures of everything in your closet and describe them then price them. My favorite part of the site is trading. There is everything from $3 tops from Walmart to $1000 Chanel purses, shoes, etc. You can search for anything you are looking for and the prices are awesome! The other amazing thing is you can "bundle" so if you like lots of things from one person they will discount them and you only pay the $4.99 shipping once. When you sell stuff they give you a pre-paid Priority label and you just drop them at the post office and then get your money! I have bought, sold, and traded hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of stuff there. So go find yourself hot new clothes and sell your stuff that's too big!! It's easy! My username is the same there as it is here if you want to follow me. Happy Poshing!! P.S. if you have any posh questions, I'm a pro and am happy to help!

I've always had better luck with Nexium...it actually helps heal your reflux versus just helping with symptoms. It's expensive though so not all insurance covers it. You may just have to tweak your medicine until the acid lets up. We are much more likely to experience acid reflux because of our sleeves. Also, if you are into natural health you've probably been to Whole Foods. They have Tummy Drops in ginger and peppermint, the ginger helps majorly with reflux and is very natural. Also things like Mylanta and Tums can be helpful in the moment when the acid flares up which is always worse at night. Try propping up your pillows too, good luck!

I've never been able to tolerate ground beef...it's so so dense. I'd wait at least 3 months and then take it very slow. I'd also recommend not eating it in a patty form and definitely no hamburgers because the combo of the bread with the dense patty is extremely difficult to get down. Just be careful and let your stomach tell you how it's tolerating all of the new foods. I know it's hard to be patient but once your stomach heals, you will be able to get all kinds of stuff down pain free!!

Holy crap, girl! I just read your entire story as well and I am in absolute shock. I just turned 28 and was sleeved almost 5 months ago, and as I was reading the initial part of your story, I saw so many similarities in us! Then when I noticed your posting had slowed down (which mine did too, as I documented on my own thread pretty often in the first few months), I assumed you were out living your awesome new life. I am so so sorry to hear all of these struggles you have gone through. It definitely sounds like you've been put through the ringer. Did you end up graduating from nursing school or did these health issues prevent you from finishing? I'm sending prayers your way that this revision to bypass will be the answer/solution you've been looking for. Also, are you still with your boyfriend?! I'm so curious to hear how things (other than weight/health) are going. Please keep us updated! I just subscribed to this thread so I can read your updates. Well, I'm 20 and am a junior in college so haven't graduated yet but I have managed to stay afloat which is very difficult. The first thing to go was the sorority because it was demanding too much of my time and I was missing tons of events. I was just in and out of the hospital so much that I could barely keep up with schoolwork much less anything extra. My teachers have worked with me so much which has been amazing, I've managed to keep my GPA around 3.0 which sounds good but I was a 4.0 straight A student before I had surgery. I'll take it though, at least I've not had to drop out. I keep pushing back clinicals because it will consume so much of my time and effort that I can't possibly be in the hospital frequently. Those take 2 years and I also have a trauma studies/psychology minor so I will probably graduate a little late but with all that's gone on I'm pretty proud of myself. I'm hoping and praying that the revision will fix things and I can stay healthy so I can start my clinical work. I'm still with my boyfriend, he is amazing as ever. Him and my mom hate watching me go through all of this and just want me to feel better. They are very nervous for the revision because it's not a guaranteed fix and could have complications. They do support me 100% though and will help me through this surgery because they love me and want me to feel better. I'm just hoping and praying that things go well and I can start contributing more to the household again. I can't manage a job with school because of the constant fatigue so they are basically supporting me which makes me feel awful. They both love me so much though and tell me constantly to just focus on school and not to feel bad about not being able to work. I'm so so lucky to have both of them! I have zero social life outside of study partners and family just because I don't have the time or energy to go out much. If we can just get this eating problem under control life will be perfect! Here's to hoping!

I posted in a new thread but figured I'd put an update in this thread too in case any of my loyal followers here are still around It is now May of 2014 and I don't eat real food, I'm on 40mg of Nexium twice daily which is double what's usually used, I'm still on the Calcium channel blocker and the Amitryptiline but I have bad spasms whenever I eat or drink anything. I barely manage pudding and ice cream so get no Protein or much Water. I'm tired all the time and I haven't lost any weight. I can't eat anything other than carbs without pain so bad it lands me in the emergency room so I just eat what I can here and there, it's pretty miserable. I gave up on my surgeon until recently when I went back for one last ditch effort at fixing this and he was totally shocked that I'm still having these spasms...it's insanely rare. He wants to put a stent in but said 70-80% of people can't tolerate the pain and have to remove it right away and even if it does work it's only temporary. The second option is a revision to a bypass to eliminate the acid which is what the main cause of the spasms is. I was adverse to the idea of another surgery but after doing lots of research I decided I'm going to schedule the revision. I have to have a permanent solution, I'm 20 and am on so so much medicine so I feel like I have to give that option a try. It will be scheduled on Monday for sometime either next week or the week after. I'll try to keep everyone updated with a date. This has been a pretty awful experience for me so hopefully the bypass will fix things for me and maybe I'll even be able to lose some weight. If only I could tolerate protein or anything besides super super soft moist foods

After tons of in-depth research I have made a decision. I'm going to go ahead with the revision and schedule surgery for either next week or the week after. Since it's medically necessary the insurance should cover it with no hiccups. I'll let everyone know once I have a date then start a new revision journey thread. The reason I made this decision is after the crap ton of research I've done I now understand that the reflux is what's most likely (99% positive) the cause of the spasms. We even did a little test where I took Mylanta before I ate to combat the acid then I ate and didn't have spasms so IMO that's enough proof as to what's causing the issue. Next I did the research on the bypass and now understand perfectly how that will get rid of the acid. So, I think it's in my best interest to go through with the surgery and hope and pray that it works for me. It will be a huge undertaking but I'm ready to be able to eat without pain!

You may see if they can give you Nexium. It's expensive so not all insurance covers it but if your doctor deems it medically needed that would help. I like Nexium for acid way better than Protonix and Prilosec and Zantac and if those aren't working it is logical to try something else. Good luck with the appointment! I have an appointment on Monday to schedule my revision. I'll keep you guys updated and most likely start a new thread with my whole experience. I guess someone has to be the guinea pig and I need a permanent fix so I'm going to volunteer! Hopefully I have a good experience and it helps you guys decide what's best for your future!

I responded to your message and did confirm after more research that the reflux is causing the spasms and by eliminating the reflux the spasms would ideally stop. I'm not going to let them put the stent in and am going to demand the bypass. I'll keep you posted and do agree that we need to meet and stay in touch! Hope your hubby is having a good day, cherish those

I just read this whole thread, wow Nikki you are a very strong woman and I'm so so glad things are going better for you! Lisa, I'm having the same problems you are and I responded to another thread by you on a different site. I'm having severe esophageal spasms and have had multiple hospitalizations, lots of barium swallows, and dilations. Nothing has fixed the problem and I'm 1.5 years post-op. I also haven't lost any weight because the only thing I manage to keep down is ice cream and pudding...talk about depressing. (Just want to add that it's nothing compared to what you went through Nikki, I kind of feel bad for even complaining since you had things so so much worse) My surgeon wants to put in a stent but says that 70-80% of people can't tolerate the pain it causes so that makes me nervous. The next step is a revision to a bypass but at this point I'm not even that against going with that option. Eating is next to impossible because of the severe spasms and the reflux. My main question is, how is the revision going to stop the spasms? As far as I'm aware, the cardiac sphincter connecting your esophagus to your stomach is still in place with the bypass so while the reflux would be gone, would the spasms go away too? So, is it the reflux causing the spasms or the spasms causing the reflux? I'm not sure what I'm going to do. He wants to put the stent in next week but I'm considering skipping that and going straight for the revision if that will actually fix the spasms, plus it might give me the weight loss that I was originally seeking. I'd love an update on you Lisa and Nikki. Hope you both are feeling better!

My name is Becky, I was a very active member around here back when I got my sleeve at the end of 2012. I haven't posted anything post-op and I have quite a story so please prepare to read a novel.. Everything happened super quick and easy for me, I saw Dr. Ricks (my surgeon) in early November and qualified for surgery and got my insurance approval letter shortly after that. We scheduled surgery for late December and so it began. I bought tons of Protein powder, all the Vitamins, gasx strips, mouth spray; I mean I was 100% ready. I went to the hospital on the morning of surgery and everything was picture perfect, I woke up groggy and in pain which was to be expected. Later that evening I started getting up and walking around which helped the pain immensely. I got some sleep but was pretty uncomfortable. The next morning I went for a barium swallow and the strangest thing happened; when I swallowed the awful milky liquid it went down to the junction where my esophagus meets my stomach, spasm'd and then shot back up my throat. It was very uncomfortable but I didn't throw it up and after about an hour in the room, it went back down and we saw no leaks. I was then permitted to start liquids which was painful and very uncomfortable in my chest. I assumed it was normal, went home and began post-op. About two weeks later, I still couldn't eat or drink without severe pain so I headed into the doc's office and told him what was up. We did another barium swallow and the same thing happened. He told me that this is a rare complication and once my esophagus heals all will be well, in the meantime take the Lortab (liquid vicodin) and stay hydrated. I follow the orders, take the pain meds with my liquids so I can get things down without the severe pain. I go back in a month and the problem is not better. He decides to do a endoscopy and dilate the area that's spasming. This does not help, I'm still taking lots of pain medicine at one month post op which is bad because that crap is addictive. (Just an FYI, I'm 20 and have never smoked a cigarette or done any drugs ever. No prior addiction issues.) He wants to try to wean me off the medicine so he puts me on Amitriptiline first to help with spasms. That doesn't help so we add Cartia which is a Calcium channel blocker. This does help but doesn't come close to actually fixing the problem. Eventually about 2 months post op I was completely off the Lortab (very very difficult) and was tolerating (emphasis on tolerating versus being pain free) very soft liquids and some things like ice cream and pudding. Throughout my first 3 months post-op I was hospitalized 5-6 times and was dilated through an endoscopy every time. Nothing was helping, the doctor didn't know what to do and I got really frustrated. I basically just hated food, ate what I could tolerate which wasn't anything even close to diet friendly. Now, I'm over a year post-op with the same problem and have lost no weight because of the food I'm able to tolerate and such a low metabolism from both Vitamin and protein deficiency and chronic dehydration. I went back to the surgeon last week and begged him to fix it. He was totally shocked that I'm still having the same problems. He admitted me immediately and did another barium swallow and another endoscopy with dilation. Everything is the same if not worse than it was last year so he is taking an aggressive approach since nothing else seems to be working. He wants to put a stent into my esophagus next week but has told me that 70-80% of people don't tolerate the stent at all and it has to come back out quickly in which case he wants to convert my sleeve to a bypass. I don't really anatomically understand how a bypass would fix the problem since it's at the juncture of the stomach, you'd think that the stomach pouch from the bypass would still spasm where it touched my esophagus but he thinks as a last resort that would fix things. Has anyone else had this problem or even heard of it? I have no idea what to do, I'm just miserable and want things to be fixed.

Alright guys, I haven't forgotten about you. Here's my update: It is now over two months post op for me, I was sleeved on December 19th. After 3 endoscopy dilations, 4 hospital stays, and two different medications I'm just now starting to eat soft food. These last few months have honestly been hell. I've been on the Lortab since the day I left the hospital the first time and I went through about 360 milliliters a week which is a LOT! It was the only way I could get down enough food and Water to stay out of the hospital. About once every two weeks I'd get frustrated with all the pain and my surgeon would admit me back to the hospital to try to figure out what was causing the pain. We figured out that I was having spasms of the cardia which is basically right where your esophagus meets your stomach. They did that nasty swallow test a dozen times which basically showed the liquid going down, my cardia spasming, and then the liquid shooting back up my throat which as I'm sure you can imagine is extremely uncomfortable. It feels like your having a small heart attack when it spasms, and then it feels like you have something stuck in your throat that may or may not come back up. My surgeon couldn't figure out why this was happening, it's just some kind of freak accident. It's extremely rare to have these spasms at all much less have them start right after this type of surgery. My doctor was puzzled and was in way over his head because no one he talked to seemed to have any experience with this or know what to do about them. Most people have heard of esophageal spasms but what I have is different, it's lower and therefore is treated differently. We tried dilating through an endoscopy a few times, but that didn't seem to help much. We tried a medication called Amitriptiline which is an anti depressant and a STRONG sleep aid, but that didn't seem to help either. All the while I'm trying to make it through my semester at school with no energy, doped up on painkillers which if you guys remember I'm a nursing student and that was extraordinarily difficult. To put it into perspective, I could manage to get down about 20 oz of water a day and 1-2 pudding cups. That was it, everything else I tried was unbearable even on the painkillers. I missed classes, missed quizzes, had trouble focusing on studying, etc. It was terrible. My grades were starting to suffer and I was completely miserable. I wasn't losing any weight because my body was sure that I was starving it so it held onto everything I put in my mouth. I was starting to regret doing the surgery towards the beginning of February but there was nothing we could do about it. We tried one drug as a last ditch effort before doing something surgical like putting a stint in which may or may not have helped. We tried Diltziem which is a calcium channel blocker and is supposed to help with smooth muscle contraction. We started that on the 18th of February, within a week the spasms got about 10 times better. I was so excited, I started getting more water down and more pudding, it's still not better to the point of eating normally but i can get down almost all soft things I try which is amazing! I'm starting to have more energy, I'm catching up in school, I'm starting to hang out with my friends again, my life is getting back to normal after two months of crazy stress. I'm still having trouble with the painkillers because after two months of constant use I have a little dependency issue. I'm getting off of them slowly and am starting to try new foods. Right now, I'm eating a lot of carbs because not only are they soft and go down easily, they give me energy which I need badly. We are slowly upping the dose on the medication and I start getting a little better every day. Eventually I'm going to stop the carbs so I can lose more weight but for now the energy is more important than the weight loss. Luckily, I didn't blow this semester so badly that it's not fixable so I'm slowly fixing it and bringing my grades back up. My teachers were awesome about the missed classes and are helping me a lot. My surgeon is extremely happy, my boyfriend and mom are extremely relieved and happy and of course so am I. I've lost a total of 24 pounds in the last two months but I know I'll start losing more once I can eat more healthy and start exercising. It's been a really rocky journey, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'll probably be around a little more now that I'm feeling better. I'll keep you guys updated on my progress. Thanks for checking in on me

www.celebratevitamins.com After a while I got tired of the calcium, I like chewy ones better than I liked the ones I got there. Good luck!

I ended up going to the ER. They did an X-Ray and gave me pain medicine. I got home at about 4 am and my doctor called me at 9 and asked me to come back in so he could talk to me. He thinks I'm having esophageal spasms when I eat and prescribed me a new medication and gave me more pain medicine. I have an appointment in a week and if it's not better he wants to go back in and check it out. Thanks for all the advice, I didn't know if I was over reacting or if I should actually go to the hospital. I'm really glad I did though, they made the pain go away enough so I could get some sleep.

I went to see him again. He is confused as to why I'm still in pain. He prescribed a new medication for esophageal spasms which he thinks I'm having when I eat. I haven't noticed much of a difference yet. I have an appointment next week and he says if it's not better he may have to go back in and look around. I'm hoping it gets better!

I got a few of them from GNC online and then one from allStarHealth.com I really like allstarhealth.com so I try to buy from them whenever I can. Their customer service is awesome, shipping is fast, and they are cheap!

The doctor saw the incisions and said I was allergic to the internal stitches healing or something along those lines and told me to take Benedryl. It helped a lot and now my incisions look great! It was miserable though!