macman

I feel fortunate being able to sit here and tell my story to all of you. We all have had issues, concerns and problems that we have to deal with as part of our decision to undergo weight loss surgery. At least in my case I downplayed some of the potential side effects. I did not think they could happen to me. But they did; here is my story. My insurance (BCBS of Illinois) required a six month managed plan before they would approve weight loss surgery. Although at times this seemed a long period of time, I learned a lot about the surgeries, my motivation to eat, the importance of following a food plan and taking on exercise, something I had never done. During the six months i received tremendous support from The Weight Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. I felt particularly good about the center. Not only did they house one of the best Trauma Centers in Massachusetts, they also hosted a Medical School and one of the leading cardiac care centers in the northeast. It was good to know there was a level of support beyond the surgery itself. During the pre surgery intake meeting I discussed side effects including blood clots with my surgeon, Dr Donald Czerniach. Blood Clots, although rare, do happen as part of any surgical procedure. I did not have a history of clots so no special attention was paid to this. He also emphasized that I continue with my 5-6 day a week cardio program right up until surgery. He made a point of telling me how important this would be in the recovery period. Little did I realize how critical this would be. During the six months I lost 42 pounds and felt very good about where I was going. My surgery happened on December 23. Everything went well. I was in the hospital overnight due to my use of CPAP. But pain was minimal, I stopped pain meds after 48 hours, I was able to drink Water and moved around well. I stopped taking blood pressure medication. Quickly I was able to get the recommended Protein levels and I felt good. In fact on my 2 week followup visit, I joked with the NP, wondering if 85% of my stomach had actually been removed. I got clearance to begin increasing my exercise levels, slowly building up cardio levels and they expanded my liquid only diet to include cottage cheese, yogurt and cream Soups. At that point I had lost 20 pounds and could have been the poster boy for a successful wls. The next day, I began to exercise with 20 minutes of cardio. I felt good but later that day developed a cramp in my right calf, below the knee. The cramp would not go away. I went to bed thinking I had pushed it a little and the cramp would be gone in the morning. In the morning the cramp was still there, as I walked to the bathroom for my morning usual, I became light headed, nauseous and eventually disoriented. My wife helped me back into bed, where I spent the day resting and sleeping. When I got out of bed later in the day all the symptoms were still present, so we called 911. At this point I was not sure what was happening but I was thinking about blood clots. After spending 6 hours in the ER at UMass Medical Center, and doing about every test possible, the diagnosis was that I had a blood clot in my leg. I also had a blood clot in my lung, and it was very large. Their thinking was that the original clot had formed in my calf, behind the knee. They were very confident that it had developed from the surgery a couple weeks earlier. A large piece had broken off the original clot and traveled through the vein, through the heart and lodged in the opening to my lungs. I was admitted to the Cardiac ICU. They began a traditional therapy involving heparin to stop additional clots from forming and allow the body to begin the process of breaking the clots down. They were very concerned about the Pulmonary Embolism moving. We discussed using a TPA clot buster to break the PE apart but one of the dangers was increased risk of internal bleeding, especially with surgery a few weeks ago. We decided not to do it. After 12 hours they switched to shots of lovanox in my stomach in place of the heparin. The Doctors thought it a bit more aggressive in helping to break down the clot. Later that day I suffered what everyone now calls the meteor shower. The PE that was lodged in the opening to the lung started to move. It totally blocked the vein, causing a back up of blood into the heart. Blood began leaking from the heart. At this point I was in incredible pain and thought "this is it"! Morphine did not help, finally a dose of fentinol slowed things down and allowed me to control my breathing. Blood was still backing up. One of two things was about to happen; the heart was about to explode from all the built up pressure or the clot would blow through the opening in the vein and break open. Luckily the PE gave way first, causing a "meteor shower" of smaller clots that proceeded into the veins entering the lungs and also the lung itself. I was one lucky guy! In the words of the Chief CICU, "I had dodged one very large bullett"! Over the next few days they worked on stabilizing me and started a pain regimen that would allow me to go home. I learned that blood clots are broken down by the body over time. They anticipated four to six moths before all was back to normal. Today I am home after spending 10 days in the hospital. I am on oxygen because my breathing is still impaired by the clots. I am taking 50 mg of Oxycontin slow release, every 12 hours. This is to provide a background layer of pain relief in case the clots decide to break apart. And I have 5 mg of Oxycodone for any short term pain issues. I am still on my liquid diet, 29 days, and I am looking forward to moving to pureed foods later this week. A couple thoughts: 1. I did a lot of research on wls. The sleeve was absolutely the best choice for me. I was warned about the possibility of blood clots, but I did not think it would happen to me. The reality is that it can happen to anyone, no matter how prepared you think you are. 2. When the surgeon talks about a pre surgery exercise program, do what he says. Pre surgery, I was out of breath after climbing stairs and knew I had to be better. Over 12 weeks pre surgery, I steadily increased my cardio levels until I was doing 30 minutes on a recumbent bike 5-6 days a week. The Chief of the CICU and my surgeon both told me I survived the built up pressure in my heart because I prepared my heart for surgery with cardio exercise. They said it was strong with no residual problems from the clots. I am thankful that I listened to the Surgeon and to members of the fitness challenge forum for motivation to push myself to my goals! Thank You 3. in making the original wls decision I choose to be involved with a major medical center, a program of excellence in bariatric surgery and a facility with all the life support I might need if something were to go wrong. I am glad I did that. It probably saved my life. 4. If given a do-over, I would do the surgery again. With the same doctors, hospital and support groups. The decision to do wls was not easy. But it is the right thing for me. 5. I knew ahead of time how important a support network would be in helping me through the plan. Little did I realize how critical it would become. I am thankful for the love and support of my wife of 34 years, Lynne. She has been an absolute rock and has been a huge, positive impact on my success so far. The importance of a support network can not be underscored. If it is family, friends, this forum; we all need one.

Surgery Date 12/23/13 HW: 362 SW: 322 CW: 294 Spent 10 days in the hospital, been home for 4 days. Nutrition has not been a high priority. Just starting to get back into my proper diet. Still on liquids, hoping to make a change to pureed after my nutritional consult later this week.

Hello everyone. I am back after having surgery 2 weeks ago. All in all everything went very well. I stopped pain meds after two days and have been able to get in my protein and water on a regular basis. I am on full liquids until the 15th but am getting around well. I met with the surgeon yesterday and he cleared me to do whatever cardio I felt that I could handle. So today was my first day back on the recumbent bike. I started at 20 minutes and completed 3.5 miles. I can not lift more than 20 pounds for another four weeks so it will have to be cardio for now. For this month I'll set a goal of 50 miles. It feels good to begin some activity again

Jenny you look absolutely amazing! Congratulations on you success

Lipstick Lady we are in the same boat. Before my sleeve ( two weeks ago) i was never cold. In fact I was always the one checking the thermostat to make sure my wife did not turn it up on me. But since the operation I am freezing. It doesn't help that it is cold outside, but I have spent my last two weeks wearing my thermals all day! I sure hope this gets better

Water, Fruit2 O, Propel, Vitamin Water Zero, Crystal Light, Snapple Diet Iced Tea, Diet Green Tea are all on my list of approved liquids. You can also add sugar free flavorings to water; crystal light, mio, etc

Yes for me, all liquid counts toward the liquid total

I've had a lot of congestion, cough and sneezing for the past week, which is week 2 post surgery. I was worried about upsetting stitches with all the coughing. My surgeon recommended Robitussin for the cough, and any nasal spray that I wanted to use. I did not have to take anything stronger but they also said I could use Zyrtec D.

My insurance required a six month managed plan so every time I checked in I was weighed. All they required was to show I could lose weight, not a specific amount. I have heard many posters on this forum say that Surgeons would not perform the surgery unless the patient could show they could stick to a plan and lose weight

My surgery lasted about an hour so they never put one in

Sorry I misread your question. I thought you asked about pre op diets. Every surgeon has their own set of guidelines. I would still suggest that you speak with a NUT that is affiliated with the surgeon to see what they recommend. I had surgery December 23. I am still on a liquid diet util January 15.

Tank Are you talking with a NUT about pre op diets? How long before your surgery? Many surgeons have a team of people that are there to help with a plan. It would be helpful to know where you are in the process? I was in a six month program My NUT suggested I track calories with MyFitness Pal on a daily basis. It helped me track food I was eating and I learned about nutritional content. Then she put me on a 2000 calorie per day diet. Over time I reduced the calories to 1800, 1600, and eventually 1400 per day. A month later I started a cardio program, starting at 20 minutes per day on the recumbent bike. I eventually got to 45 minutes 4-5 times per week. Over a four month period I lost 42 pounds before surgery. I had the time to do this before surgery because of insurance requirements.

This weeks stats: HW. 362 SW. 320 CW 303 Total weight lost 59 lbs, 19 since surgery on 12/23. Still on liquids for another 10 days

I had an upper GI test as part of my required surgical pre testing. The test was performed in a hospital Radiology Department. It involved standing behind an xray mchine, drinking a barium solution and taking pictures as the fluid mpved through my system. I did this a second time while laying on the table and turning 360 degrees, twice. The Radiology Dr said they were trying to seee all aspects of the digestive system, including trying to check for potential hernias. It took about 30 minutes oin total. The worst part was drinking the bariem fluid. The taste was not bad, but it was very heavy. Conssistency of Milk of Magnesia.

Thanks for posting! Good information. Initially I had the most problem with not drinking at meals. I was a huge drinker. I'm sure it has been part of the reason I weigh what I do. I have worked on this during my pre op period with relatively good results. I am currently on a liquid diet so I have not put into play since surgery.

I agree with most here, Quest Bars have been my preference. White chocolate raspberry and mixed berry bliss are favorites

Congratulations on your success so far! Continue to stay after it!

I prefer the Unjury powder of any that I have tried

Hello You will probably hear this from many people on this board, WLS is a tool to help with managing your weight. it is only one piece of the puzzle, albeit a big one. I think you have to address the whole person because problems or issues in an individual that contributed to the pre weight loss situations will still be there. Anxieties or addictions that contributed to an individual's current situation will only be a barrier to success if not addressed as part of the preperation for surgery.. A psych eval was part of my scheduled pre work, and I think should be part of every individuals decision logic to get this surgery. Getting a handle on my issues with food before the surgery can only help me later.

Hi Mirabb Congratulations on your commitment to following the six month plan. It is not easy but it is a terrific pre cursor to what needs to happen after the surgery. I too had to have a six month managed plan. Although I was ready with a couple months to go, I learned a lot about myself and my ability to stick with the plan. And lost 42 pounds along the way. For me, it was about a month from my first meeting with the surgeon to the actual surgery. In that time I had to wait about 15 days for insurance approval, some required pre op testing, upper GI & Chest Xray and a pre surgical physical. I am 10 days post op and doing well. I feel terrific. I was off pain meds day two, left the hospital with no blood pressure meds and have lost 15 pounds.All in all, I am happy with what has happened.

Thanks for posting. Good information to have for reference

I was told that I would have to take an antacid forever. Thee Surgeon wrote me a 12 month script for prescription qualit Zantac.

The time before surgery is a great time to begin experimenting with sources of Protein to determine what you like. There is an unbelievable amount of choices. It seems that everyone sells a protein powder. I think whey is the first choice, but many folks also use soy or rice based protein. If you do some searches there have been posts about where to get samples of protein to help you make some choices. Personally I like unjury chocolate Splendor and strawberry Sorbet. They advertise as medical quality protein. I like the taste and the quality is excellent. It does appear to be a little more expensive. I also use Syntrax Nectars Fuzzy Navel. I purchased this on Amazon and got it because I can mix it with Water, so it has the consistency of a light drink.

I am the guy who always turned the heat down. Or was asking my wife if she moved the thermostat? Since my sleeve surgery on 12/23 I am the one who is freezing! Seems the tables have turned.

I will not be cleared to exercise again until mid month, but I should be able to start working on cardio at that point. I am going to set a goal of 50 miles on the recumbent bike.