gaijingal

I'm only two weeks out, so not drinking yet, but I had to take pain medication, and found that a lower dose had a stronger effect on me, and more quickly, than previously. That might have been because I was still on clear fluids at the time. But I can see why they're worried about increased addictions after WLS.

Well! I had to go back to Emerg, and this time went to a different hospital. However, the healthcare world is so small, I still ran into people I knew, but they were very respectful and didn't get involved in my care. The doctor who saw me took care of me, made sure my concerns were resolved and then SHOOK MY HAND for being so brave as to do something proactive about my weight and my health, and told me that he really admired me. He has a family member who is thinking about WSL, and asked for my advice, and sat down and talked to me for ages about sleeving. What was really wonderful about this was that he had a med student with him, who saw all the respect he showed for me and my struggles with my weight, and gave me an opportunity to show this budding doctor what an overweight person goes through, and that we're not just dummies who don't know not to shovel burgers in our mouths all the time. I've been really impressed with my healthcare team here. The people I thought were going to be most judgemental have been the most supportive, and the worst response I've gotten has been disinterest. I'm still not telling my friends though! (And, I got offered a job at that Emerg! Yay! Who wouldn't want to work with such a svelte, competent nurse?)

I made the decision not to tell, mostly because I didn't want to talk about it all the time, and it's nobody's business but mine. I even had my line ready -- if anybody asked I was going to say I was using "The 19th Century Lifestyle Method -- cocaine and tapeworms." I figured that would stop too much inquisition. Unfortunately, I work in the ER, and had a medical crisis when I went back to work, and was bleeding internally. I thought my sleeve had ruptured, and so did the doc, but it turned out to be an unrelated medical problem. The doc worked her hardest to keep it secret, even coding her notes, but we'll see if it comes out. It was very hard not to tell my friends who where taking care of me, but it takes one person who doesn't think it's a big deal to tell a gossip hound, and then everybody's talking about it.

DON'T get hydrocortisone in/on the actual wounds. It makes for a thicker scar. If you're still taking narcotics, it could be that, and will resolve fairly quickly after you stop taking them. (Yes, I did have itching, and it was from the morphine.) There's oral benadryl and benadryl cream, but you're right to avoid creams over the dermabond -- it WILL break it down. (I'm a nurse, I'm not just making this stuff up.) Hope this is helpful.

Hi there! I usually lurk on these sites, but every once and a while I actually want to reply to a question, but I guess it's rude to do so without introducing myself. I was sleeved May 30, 2013 by Dr. Ramos-Kelly in Tijuana. I had a BMI of 30.9 (Possibly lower, I stopped weighing myself, as i started to get worried the pre-op diet would be so effective I wouldn't be eligble for the sleeve by the time my OR date arrived.) Yes, my BMI was is low, but it's been higher, and I simply got tired of fighting all the time to get my weight down, while always firmly staying in the "obese" range. It really started to suck that I was dieting all the time, but still couldn't wear a swimsuit! I had been considering the surgery for a while, but I think the tipping point was looking at pictures of my mother from 20 years ago when I was at her retirement part a few months ago. I thought they were pictures of me. Then I looked at my father, still recovering from his 3rd knee surgery in 5 years, mostly required because he his so overweight, his knees can no longer carry him around. I realized that I didn't want to be 60, and still losing this battle. Morevoer, my sister's wedding is coming up, and I didn't want to suffer through one mrore event where I was ashamed to have my picture taken. So I made the appointment, and off I went. I didn't tell a soul (and still haven't, outside of medical practioners). My surgery went well, although I had a lot of pain immediately post-op, and I was up and walking around within 12 hours. I'm looking forward to losing the weight. The pounds are slow coming off, but my clothes are already too big. Unfortunately, I had an unrelated minor health crisis yesterday and received 3 L of IV saline. Which only weighs 6 lbs, but somehow added TEN lbs to me. Now I have to weight for that to come off before I can know where I really am weight-wise right now. I also have a reunion this summer, and fingers crossed, I will already be well on my way to stunning everyone with the new me!

Hi! There's a theater just up the hill behind the Marriot, in the same mall as the Wal-mart (everyone will tell you about the Wal-mart). It's maybe a 10 minute walk pre-sleeve, considerably longer when you're feeling rough after surgery! All the movies are in English, with Spanish subtitles. Be careful when you're choosing times. In the same theatre there's a VIP and a regular cineplex. I went to the VIP one, because I hadn't noticed that's what it was when I was checking times. It was about $10, which was ok, as the VIP theatres have cushy recliners and are pretty swanky. It was nice post-op to be able to recline out. I think if you go to a regular movie, it's about $6. Enjoy your movie!