Yaya

Love the typo in that last line! Yes, hopefully, from now on we can say we "ate on the right track"! Glad you are having an easy recovery. I was sleeved the day before you, and it's been smooth sailing here too!

Oh, forgot about the stomach cramps. They do feel as Serendipity described. I just sort of grit my teeth for a sec and let them pass.

I was just sleeved Tuesday, 4/9/13. The waking up after surgery was the worst for me. Bad nausea, (I think they ended up giving me three different meds for that!) and the gas pain in both my abdomen and shoulders. (But never vomited, thank goodness.) That was at 1:30 in the afternoon. After a couple of trips to the bathroom to pee, I felt way better, and by 7:00pm, I took a 20-minute walk in the hall. After that, went walking every time I had to pee. Back home the next day, still some shoulder pain from the gas, but minimal incision pain, just sort of stung off and on. And only 2 incisions stung, the other 2 I have never felt! Yesterday, I took out the catheter that was dripping lidocaine to the incision sites because carrying that bag around my neck was bothering me more than the incisions were. I was able to sit down, get up, and walk around normally, including going up and down stairs, and even did a couple minutes on an elliptical machine! Now, waking up on Friday, the shoulder pain is almost gone, and I still have never yet taken any pain medication. Haven't even filled the prescription.

I am officially sleeved! Arrived at hospital 8:30, but didn't get into OR until noon. Soooooo nauseous after recovery! Had to keep eyes closed and just moan, slurring when I tried to talk. Shoulders painful on deep breaths. But, after a few hours and a couple of good pees (sorry, TMI), i walked the hall for over 20 minutes! Slow to start drinking, but I'm catching up! No nausea there, whew! Feeling awake and so much better. I AM A SLEEVER!

Took out the pain-killer drip because it kept getting in the way. Don't notice any increase in pain without it, so what was it really doing anyway? Except for some twinges in the middle of standing up or sitting down, I don't feel any different from before the surgery. (Oh! Except for no hunger!) Got all my fluids and Protein in, walked around the house a lot, and even got on the elliptical machine for two minutes to try it out. I'm not on any kind of pain med, so tomorrow I'm going to try to drive so I can get back to my own house. (it's an hour away.)

I was sleeved Tuesday, and only two of my incision sites kind of "sting", but they take turns, they don't both hurt at the same time. Yes, sitting down/standing up and getting in/out of bed hurt for a sec, but once you are in position, it goes away. The gas pains in the shoulders are the biggest pain, but even that is not bad.

I still can't take a really deep breath without my shoulders hurting, but no problems drinking, and I am up and walking around as usual. The only thing that really bothers me is my surgeon put a small catheter into one of the incisions to slow-drip a pain-deadener, and I have to wear this bag that holds the ball of medicine that goes to the catheter. It gets in the way, and pulls on my still-sore neck. But it should come out today, and then I can move more freely. I'm at my parents' house so I can have help if I need it, and they very kindly moved into the third floor bedroom so I could have their second-floor bedroom and not have to climb so many stairs. Yay for generous parents! They both say they are proud of me for doing this. (To tell the truth, I expected negativity!)

Ihave been given some inhaler treatments (just sleeved yesterday) to open up my lungs because the anesthesia can cause your airways to close, leading to pneumonia.

I'm tomorrow too! I should be trying to sleep, but I'm nervous also (especially after signing my first will!) Let's all check back in tomorrow!

Who dat! I go in tomorrow, hope I do as well as you have!

Started considering WLS 7 years ago. Won't do RNY, too afraid of all the re-routing and the malabsorption issues, so considered lapband. After doing all the steps for insurance (sleep study, Dr-supervised diets, psych eval), I decided lapband wasn't quite right for me either, but continued seeing my PCP every 3 months, and using my CPAP ever since. Now 7 years later, after discovering the gastric sleeve, I've decided this is the best route for me. Insurance told my surgeon they only needed a lust of the diets I've done in the past 5 years, a 5-year weight history, and maybe a couple other things, all of which I did within a week of my first visit to the surgeon (3/13/13). Two days ago, my surgeon's office called with my approval, and scheduled me for next Tuesday, 4/9/13. YAY! Today, the office calls again....Oops! The approval the insurance sent with my name on it actually was for SOMEONE ELSE! And now the insurance company says they want a 6-month Dr.-supervised diet and another psych eval. (none of which they had listed when my surgeon submitted for approval) What, seeing my PCP every 3 months for SEVEN YEARS isn't enough? Forget it! I've made this decision, I'm ready for this now, I'm not waiting 6 months! Besides, I've already gotten the letter from my insurance carrier saying that thanks to Obamacare they are dropping ALL group insurance policies in December, so who needs them, I'm going self-pay! I want this! Surgery next Tuesday! Onward!

I've seen several comparisons of post-op pain to C-sections, but having never had children, I can't relate. I have, however, had cracked ribs, so how will the post-op pain compare to that? (BTW, the only thing that really got me with the ribs was a sneeze or a sudden twist. Coughing and general movement was not too bad. sleeping, however, was uncomfortable in any position for 6 weeks!)

Thanks everybody - 4 days to go and the nerves are kicking in. Just trying to figure out how long I'll be "out of the game"!

Ditto for me! I find that if I don't start eating, I can go for most of the day, but once I start, I can't stop, especially if it's something like Pasta or bread. That's kind of the definition of addicted, isn't it? It has also led to a kind of a fear of eating (feeling like I won't stop), which makes it hard to do the multiple small meals thing, thus bringing me to where I am, scheduled for surgery in 4 days!

Same surgeon. And when I went to self-pay, he actually came down on the price a bit.

Just under $14K for everything.

I'm self-pay with Surgical Specialists of LA. They have offices in Metairie, Slidell, Covington and Lafayette. Ochsner has bariatric surgeons, but don't know if they require insurance or not.

Good timing! Thanks for the quote - my surgery is Tuesday!

Where are you? That will help narrow down suggestions to those near you. I'm in SE LA.

Good for you! I have a hard time staying on diets that long, and I'm hoping the sleeve is just the tool to help keep me on track and basically physically unable to go back to my old habits of overeating. If there is just no room, I can't shovel it in, right? I am sooo looking forward to all the benefits of losing this weight!

I am in a similar situation. First visit to the doctor March 13, approved Monday this week, and scheduled for surgery next Tuesday, April 9. Less than a month start to finish! Of course, today I get the call that the insurance clearers screwed up and said I was approved when it should have been someone else, and now they want 6-month supervised diet and a full psych eval (neither of which were on the requirements they sent to my doctor!), so screw them, I'm paying for it myself! I've made this decision, and I'm doing it NOW, not in 6 months! I should have figured this would happen. Because of Obamacare coming, my insurance carrier is dropping ALL group insurance in December anyway.

Calcium should be calcium citrate, not calcium carbonate. It is absorbed more easily, and easier on the stomach.

I'm not a doctor, but I think what they worry about most is the stress on the incision sites, so no weight lifting or ab exercises. No straining with engaged ab muscles. I would think an elliptical would be just like walking, as long as you don't do too much with the arm handles. I haven't had my surgery yet, but even after telling him that I would definitely be using my ab muscles, my doctor told me I could go back to horseback riding two weeks after surgery as long as I didn't lift anything heavy or hold my breath while riding. I have to breathe through the use of the abs. I hope he's right.

My doctor told me depression is normal after wls because of the hormones being released from the fat you are losing. It should pass, so take care of yourself and know it won't be forever.

There are 6 different surgeons at Southern Surgical, so if you don't get along with one, try another. And they seem to each have priveliges at different hospitals, or you can go to their hospital in Slidell. Since it's a specialty hospital it wouldn't be a direct competitor of STPH like Lakeview is. I saw Dr. Moore 7 years ago when I chickened out of the lap band, and see Dr. Redmann now because he's on my new insurance and Dr. Moore isn't.