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Dr-Patient

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Everything posted by Dr-Patient

  1. Dr-Patient

    My 'head' wants me to eat BIG TIME

    Oh...and I REALLY want to drink a ton of Water like I used to. I love water and these periodic swallows are annoying. And I'd said I wouldn't complain about that. Oh well. I see the cycle of this process. Guess that's why we're 'here'--to commiserate, support and understand each other along this journey. Thank goodness we're not alone.
  2. Dr-Patient

    gastric sleeve complication

    Oh...one other 'tube' that may be placed is the drain--the Jackson-Pratt drain--to drain fluids from the abdominal cavity post-surgery. But the J-P does not go into the stomach and should not cause stricture, nausea, vomiting, etc., and it is removed within a week to ten days post-op. I can't be more helpful given this confusion about what's dented and some tube that shouldn't be there. But I wish her well.
  3. Dr-Patient

    gastric sleeve complication

    The only 'tube' used in the sleeve surgery is the bougie, and it is removed. It does not remain in the body. So...? Surely the surgeon didn't leave the bougie in her stomach. I second "Splatt's" question: did she hane the gastric lapband? That remains in the body. There is no indwelling tube that remains in the body with the sleeve operation.
  4. Dr-Patient

    4 Months Post Op Pics

    Great job! Congratulations on your noticeable weight loss. I'm only 6.5 weeks out; hope I do as well as you. Good for you Q: HOW do I get that 'Body Weight Ticker' thing on my posts? Thanks in advance to any reply.
  5. Dr-Patient

    gastric sleeve complication

    The "dent"...? Are you speaking about the top of the stomach (where leaks mostly occur), or (most likely), the lower part that attaches to the small intestine...? Sounds like she may have a stricture. Strictures--usually at the pylorus--the junction of the stomach and first part of the small intestine (duodenum)--is usually due to too small a bougie causing the surgeon to make that area where the stomach empties into the small bowel too narrow. Sounds like they may try to dilate the narrowed junction. Strictures are usually less complicated to fix than "leaks." Try to stay calm.
  6. Dr-Patient

    1st restaurant experience

    Thank you for the replies. Good tips. My 2nd restaurant experience today: I only ordered a crab cake appetizer (one crab cake) with remoulade sauce, spritzed with lemon. I was full. Slow sips of Water. And...I just walked the shore for 2 miles. Whoo-hoo!! Trying to get off this plateau. I need an ocean at home. (Currently in Hilton Head, SC); home tomorrow. Oh well. :-)
  7. I'm 6 wks + a few days post-VSG; 30 pounds down (including a week of stall). Last night for the first time, I went to a restaurant for a sit-down dinner. I usually ordered an appetizer, entree, wine and maybe a dessert. So this was different: 1) holding off on my Water to save room for my food; 2) passing up on ordering any wine/martini; 3) do I just get an appetizer, knowing that that amount is all I'd likely be able to eat?; 4) do I get the entree only? 5) do I tell the waitress why 'no' to this/'no' to that? I ended up only ordering an entree (which, early-bird included a soup; I picked the black bean soup). The Soup came in a rather large bowl containing maybe ~8-10 ounces. I had 3 spoonfuls and stopped. My "crabmeat-stuffed tilapia" with veggies and rice dinner came. The 'stuff' part was perfect: soft, tasty, could've had more. The fish--broiled--went down well and I ate a few pieces of the squash and the zucchini, plus I allowed a few grains of rice, but NOT even a fork full of rice. BUT, bottom line...I brought ~85 % of everything home. (And I DID tell the waitress, but really didn't have to.) Advice: Just order an appetizer, or be prepared to bring everything else home for munching later. Plus, instead of an $50-80 tab, it was $16.00--an "NSV." Any others with advice on this? Thanks.
  8. Dr-Patient

    Grocery bill since surgery?

    My grocery bill is practically NIL post-op! Maybe $10/every three days. It's crazy. I am a great cook, love to cook, always bought good food (fresh, etc.) and could 'get down' on some food. But since I can't eat much these days...! I used to buy big packs of chicken, or salmon from Sam's etc., cook some, freeze the rest; but I haven't been there at all since surgery. I don't want all that stuff staying in the freezer for what may be weeks.I need to learn how to cook 'small.' My best cooking treat so far: 2 small lobster tails from Publix. $4.99/ea. I pulled the meat from the shells, cut into chunks, topped with butter and parsley and put it in the (yes) microwave for 2 minutes [no oven!]. It didn't overcook; was tender, not rubbery. Ate 3 pieces at a time for lunch, then dinner). Lasted 2 days. Also, before surgery I did what I'd read from so many other folks: buy this, buy that and I bought a bunch of stuff that still sits on my countertop. You are not going to be an invalid post-op (Lord willing a safe operative journey). So for the first week, just make sure you have Clear liquids in the house (broths, tea, Water, crystal light, an Isopure or two), some Vitamins, etc. You do not need to clear the stores's shelves of Protein products. You will be able to later--likely within a few days--get what you need as the days and weeks progress. Plus, walking the grocery store aisles, holding the cart, makes easy exercise in your second week. Just my opinion. Oh...my 2nd restaurant trip today (see my "1st restaurant experience" previous post): I only ordered the crab cake appetizer and I was done: One crab cake with a little remoulade sauce, spritzed with lemon.
  9. Dr-Patient

    1st restaurant experience

    Oops. excuse duplicate post. I'm at a hotel and it took longer for the post to publish, so I thought it didn't go through. Sorry.
  10. Dr-Patient

    cheating

    I hate to admit that I didn't really do the pre-op diet. In fact, the day before surgery around noon, I had 2 knockwursts with baked Beans. Used Mag Citrate to clean out my gut late that afternoon/night. I did well in surgery; went home in a few hours. BUT...the primary reason we're asked to do the pre-op diet is to decrease the size/volume of the liver for safety. Post-op cheating...I was really good in the early days (I'm now at 6w 2d; 30 pounds gone), but when my blood pressure dropped to a better range, at first, it was too much, I felt dizzy and lethargic, so I sucked on potato chips for a little salt. I can't do that regularly though, because they dissolve in your mouth and next thing you know, they are down your throat. No. You're going to cheat--or, have mroe than only Protein stuff--a bit here and there, but remember the goal and get back on the horse for best results, especially in the early weeks/months. The great thing about the sleeve, you can pretty much eat what you want, you just can't have a lot of it! Good luck.
  11. Dr-Patient

    Can't do this anymore

    One week out. in your second week, can you have applesauce? I was soooooooo happy when I could eat/suck that down. Also, yogurt? Check with your doctor re any possible advancement of your allowable foods. I still have trouble getting in my Water, Protein. Hang in there, it will get better.
  12. I really want to guzzle a lot of Water and milk! Not sip it, or just 3-4 swallows at a time . Guzzle it, cuz I love water! I miss cooking my meals. I haven't found it worth my time to cook a piece of fish, or one piece of meat which will last me a couple of days. Already I've got baggies in my freezer with little portions of what I've cooked to date. I've just gotten small containers of chicken salad from here or there, or whatever. I have to get better about this, though. Bowel movements: I love the normal ones, shape and size, curly swirl. Now, rare and kinda like baby poop. I took two Perdiems last night and...it was a great morning today :-). But, six weeks since the vsg and 30 pounds are gone, so I won't complain about these things, and that includes a one week stall ~4th week.
  13. It's normal to have some anxiety, even fear before any surgery. If you fear you'll be fighting with your brain post op, you really won't, because you won't be really hungry. I, too, was done totally outpatient. 6:30 arrival, 7:30 surg start, left the facility by noon. I must've felt some pain when the nurses got me up to walk, but I only remember saying, "I'm right here, you don't have to yell." Lol. I was later told that I really didn't want to move and I kept saying, "Just give me five more minutes, just five more minutes!"...as if that would have really made any difference. I don't remember any of that thanks to the wonderful drug Versed, which causes short term amnesia. Think of why you're doing this and go forth. I'm a woman and in six weeks I'm down 30 pounds as of yest.
  14. Dr-Patient

    I Lost ******* in 2013

    Wow; that is fantastic! I had VSG Dec 4th, am down 23#s, but at a stall for the past 4 days. The scale hasn't moved. Seeing these numbers keeps me encouraged that it WILL happen...in a BIG way!
  15. Dr-Patient

    9 day post opt -- rice pudding?

    I'd say no to the rice pudding. Carbs--the enemy, especially early on. You'll have scale-stalls later on, so don't slow down your weight loss at this point with needless carbohydrates/starches. But...check with your doc or their nutritionist.
  16. "Obese people are more likely to be depressed. Depressed people are more likely to be obese." People can go from Band to VSG; depends on 1) any stomach erosion from the band, poor results from it, etc. In some patients, it's done as a 1-step procedure (right then), or 2-step: band out, recover, weeks later-->VSG. Ghrelin is the hunger hormone. Period. But even after 3 years after a VSG, the hormone finds some way to find other portals to secrete from, though not to the usual extent. Patients with heartburn before VSG will also have it afterwards, maybe even more because the VSG is a "pressurized" procedure--it increases the pressure in the upper part of what's left of your stomach. So if prone to gas/heartburn, you may get it still. Some OTC meds may help. More and more bands are being removed, and many converted to VSG, or RYGB( roux-n-Y gastric bypass).
  17. Dr-Patient

    Boogie size

    At a recent ObesityWeek conference for medical professionals, the overall consensus is that the best bougie size is 36-38. Alos, Lapbands are on a serious decline, due to erosions and other complications. For BMIs over 50, either do bypass or VSG, not Lapband.
  18. Dr-Patient

    HAIR LOSS!

    Suggestion: Maybe the 'BariatricPal host' should include the link to where you will move a post, so we all can readily access it.
  19. Dr-Patient

    What kind of drains to expect?

    It's a J-P drain. Mine stayed in for a week. No pain upon removal. I did not even feel the drain UnTIL after all the CO2 had gone from my abdomen. With the gas all gone, your organs are contiguous with the tube, and you'll feel it more, but it's no biggie.
  20. I joined this site just now so I can add my voice to this topic. I was sleeved on Dec. 4, 2013 and I am dying for a good guzzle of Water. I LOVE water and milk, and to not be able to drink it as I used to...! That is my one frustration. 22 pounds down; tomorrow makes 4 weeks. I guess that's good. But yes...sipping water is not the same as Chug-a-lugging lots of water. You/We shouldn't drink lots of anything not only because of the discomfort, but you don't want to stretch your remaining stomach pouch. But I know I'm dehydrated some because I'm not sipping all day. I want to drink! Oh well...I'll have to adjust.

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