goirish78

I once had a pill get stuck in my esophagus pre-sleeve which caused a small erosion - it hurt like nobody's business. I couldn't really eat or drink, and finally had to go to the doc to get liquid lidocaine for the pain. Needless to say, it's an experience I don't care to repeat, so I'll probably be crushing any pills I may need to take 'till the cows come home. Hope you feel better soon!

Hi Susan, Thanks so much for trying to fix this for me; unfortunately, it's still the wrong profile for Dr. Peters. The one I was trying to link to is this one (his newer one that has his updated information and picture): http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/surgeons/1527-michael-peters/ Thanks so much for your help!!

Was I reading that wrong? All she was asking is if there are different post-op plans out there, which clearly there are (just as there are different pre-op plans). While I agree that jumping to wontons probably isn't the best move at this point, it is for her to decide, and I think everyone who responded recommended she talk to her doc. Is there really a need for the harshness and sarcasm?

Yes, definitely call your doctor, but it seems like all plans are different. My purees started on Thursday and I was just sleeved on Monday.

I was just sleeved on July 15th and yes, I'm also experiencing this although I will say it is getting a little better, especially as you find yourself able to burp and toot a bit more as the gas from surgery starts to subside. I always loved drinking plain ice water, but since the surgery, I tolerate cool or room temperature water with Crystal Light liquid drops better than plain water (search me...no idea why). I hope you feel better soon - I have a feeling next week will be better for all of us!

I was just sleeved on Monday, also with no co-morbidities but at a high BMI (57) after a literal lifetime of dieting and exercise (first diet started at 6 mos old when my mother was ordered to stop breastfeeding as I was gaining too much weight; my first WWers meeting was when I was 5 years old). I'd just like to make two points: 1) "Society" is in love with hypocrisy: according to the "general view", we're all supposed to be thin. If we aren't naturally thin, and we diet and exercise, we're often made fun of at the checkout line of the grocery store for being fatties buying healthy food and at the gym for being fatties on treadmills, bikes, etc. When those same diets don't work long term, we're derided as failures. However, if we try to accept our weight and live as healthfully as possible, we're chastized for being fat, lazy slobs. Then, after years of this nonsensical Catch-22, some of us seek out a surgical intervention, and are rebuffed yet again for not having done Step 1 adequately, and accused of not having enough willpower. Call me crazy, but I think that "society" can shove it. 2) So who isn't subjected to the above scenario? People who are naturally thin (whether they eat healthfully or exercise or not) and people who maybe had a little weight to lose at one point, and were fortunate enough to have metabolisms that toed the party line and got them down to where they wanted to be with small diet changes and exercise. Once in awhile, you have the "unicorns" (as I call them) who do it all with diet and exercise and lose substantial amounts of weight (in my book, >40-50 lbs) and keep it off. You know what? Those people are literally less than 3-4% (depending on which research you're reading) of the number of people who lose weight. And they're generally only accepted by the former groups if they constantly proclaim how they're a changed person and finally saw the light, etc. etc. (i.e. divesting themselves of who they were before). Thus, for whatever it's worth, after a lifetime of observation, I've arrived at the following conclusion: Do what YOU think is right for you, and to hell with everyone else's opinions, suggestions, comments, etc. no matter how well-intentioned (or not) they may be. Only you know what your journey has been, and only you can decide what your journey will be. Surgery has risks, possible complications, is kinda scary, and will be a lot of work, and that's just the first part. It all comes down to really weighing the pros and cons in your situation and making the decision that you feel is right. Good luck and be well!

I used to have a Camelbak water bottle and loved it! If we're really allowed to use it, then I'll run right out and get another!

I'm about 4 days out from surgery, resting at home with no complications (knock on wood). I'm able to sleep regularly without pain meds, however when I wake up in the morning or after a nap, I have a horribly acrid/bitter taste in my mouth. I'm not having problems with reflux, so it's not an acidic taste. Any insight?

Getting pregnant definitely factored into my decision to have the sleeve; I've been overweight my whole life, and tried every diet imaginable. While I've always had a normal cycle, I have many of the classic physical attributes of PCOS. I didn't have any co-morbidities, although I did have a very high BMI (56), and since my fiance and I are a bit older (he's 38 and I'll be 35 in October) and hoping for a honeymoon baby after we marry next summer, I finally decided it was time to do the sleeve. I just had my surgery on Monday and I'm feeling pretty good considering I'm only 4 days post-op. My OB/GYN luckily works closely with my surgeon on various medical studies, and they both agree that due to my age, we can start trying to conceive between 10 months and a year out from surgery. My fiance is adopted and we both agree that we are committed to building a family no matter what, but I still would love the opportunity to experience pregnancy and create a little person that's got some of each of us. Hopefully it will happen...fingers crossed!

I still have some gas tightness/pain in my stomach and chest area, particularly when I try to eat or drink anything. Like CA, I'm also post-op since Monday, and I also walked my behind off in the hospital and it didn't help AT ALL. At one point I remember being desperate enough that I asked one of the nurses to try popping me with a pin . The gas is starting to subside a bit, but I am still feeling it.

Hey again, teacher friends, the link to the teacher discussion forum is here: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/241-teachers/ just in case we want to start teaching/sleeve-related conversations there

Here is the link to my surgeon's profile: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/surgeons/1527-michael-peters/ I would really appreciate it if someone could help me add it, as I have a really good review for him. I've tried three times using Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer, and it's not working.

I second the comment about birth control. My surgeon insists on a month long regimen of Lovenox blood thinning injections to prevent blood clots post-surgery, which means no birth control pills for a month. My fiance and I talked about it pre-surgery, and agreed that we are going to wait until after the blood thinner is done and I'm back on the pills, because as much as we want to have children, we want me healthy and stable first.

My surgeon is Dr. Michael Peters in Newark, DE and he used to be on my profile along with his picture, but as soon as I went to enter a review for him today, the whole "My Surgeon" section of my profile completely vanished. Please help

It's a group here on VST, Amber. It's just a link directly to the group so you don't have to go searching for it

CA, I wouldn't worry too much about meeting the 64 oz mark since we were sleeved so recently. The surgeon, NP, and nut all told me that just keeping any Water down right now is of paramount importance, and not to worry so much about ounces until we're a little further along. Makes sense...any amount of H20 can't help us if it's coming back up

We've got a support group for teachers right here: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/groups/show/111-teachers/ C'mon over - it would be great if the group could be more active Also, for those of you I haven't met yet, I'm Tara, I live in Claymont, DE and I'm a teacher of the deaf. Just had my surgery on Monday and so far, so good (except for the gas pains, which seem to be in no hurry to subside

Hi everyone!! I'm Tara and just got my surgery date last week - July 15th is the big day a year (or 34 years, depending on how you look at it in the making. Getting a date after a year of pre-op requirements felt awesome; and now starts the really hard work. I'm a teacher and, for the first time ever, I took the summer off to be able to focus on my surgery and recovery. I look forward to getting to know some of you as we journey on

Honestly, there are risks associated with everything in life. You can't unring the bell, so to speak, so go on about your life and just file the information in your mind. If risk factors were everything, then according to the odds and the genetics of both sides of my family, I should be diabetic, have advancing heart disease, major problems with cholesterol, and a bout with melanoma and breast cancer. None of those have come to pass yet, but there's no guarantee they won't in the future. However, for now, I'm choosing to make the good decisions I need to for myself, and I don't have the energy or the inclination to worry about thing over which I have little to no control.

I walked over 30 laps in two days in the hospital, but unfortunately it didn't really help. I plan to keep walking now that I'm home, but I've pretty much made my peace with the fact that it may just take awhile for the gas to dissipate.

Right there with ya, CA. I tried one of the Gas-X thin strips under my tongue in the hospital, and it didn't do much, but I'm going to try again. I have the same problem with getting too much air when I drink, even though I'm taking tiny little sips of Water and letting it sit in my mouth for a few seconds so that any air I've got in my mouth dissipates before I swallow. The drain was such a pain, and I was so relieved when it was finally removed this morning. For the first time I was able to lay down and really sleep when I got home this afternoon; that felt good, even though the gas shifted with me (wish it would just make its exit already). I tried having a little bit of Protein drink at dinner time and was able to get down about 2 ounces. I may try a few bites of Jello with my water before I head to bed.