BitterSweet*

Uhhmm ok. This poster has a medical MJ card and is able to legally purchase it in the state he or she resides in (California). Additionally, there are various forms medical MJ can be taken; it's not necessary to actually smoke it - which I agree is not healthy and certainly not ideal while trying to heal from surgery.
I've never smoked a day in my life, but I have seen hundreds and hundreds of patients in the course of my medical career who utilize medical MJ to alleviate chemo side effects. And it works. I would much rather advocate for a natural substance than have someone throw a myriad of pills at me for whatever ailment I had.
To the poster, I wish you well and I'm certain a common ground can be reached after speaking with your surgeon. It's not my place to determine what works or doesn't work for you, regardless of what research or science says. Poppin' prescribed pills isn't healthy either. Those drugs have to be processed by the liver and kidneys and they take a toll after a while. Good luck to you, especially success with weight loss.

How bad it will be depends on what your body used to look like at a normal weight. If you drop enough that you are close to that weight, your boobs will likely be around that same pre-fat size.......just deflated, or having less volume / fullness. If you had ass before, it will shrink relative to the rest of you, but your genetics will still shine through.
Either way, the best advice I can give you is to do weight training. No matter where you start or what your genetic makeup is, weights can create a new you. Do lots of squats and lunges with heavy weights, and you will marvel at the changes. Lean muscle will also help loose skin look better. I don't know about you, but I want to look fit and trim, not skinny. I like having curves.

@@JerseyJules, thanks for the education but LapBands do in fact have a high failure rate that is unrelated to compliance.
FYI: Being compliant with nutritional guidelines will not prevent a LapBand from slipping; eroding, breaking; adhering to one's liver; port site infections......shall I go on? None of the things I listed have anything to do with someone not eating Protein dense meals as required following WLS. They are just very common complications of having a device that's capable of migrating even when you vomit.
Also, I don't need the education about LapBands because I researched them for over two years; more people than not have complications from them. How do I know? I'm a registered nurse at a tertiary hospital that's also a Bariatric Center of Excellence and I work in PACU. Every single day that I work I have no less than one patient having a band revision surgery, or band removal due to infection, failure, or erosion. Every single day.
I'm not here to debate with you, I am here to support you and others; and if you were so sold on a LapBand (enough to educate me on it), then you'd be post-op right now.
It is ok to be unsure. You did the right thing backing out and once again..........you owe no one but yourself an explanation and the benefit of more education and research. We all owe that to ourselves. You're the one who will have to live with your choice, not any of us. Good luck to you on your weight loss journey. I sincerely mean that.

I like my 600 lb life and Biggest Loser. I will confess to watching both shows while eating a mound of Chinese food and thinking to myself, that's a damn shame to be THAT big. Like I'm any different. Smh. Just shameful.
Those shows demonstrate some of the terrible behaviors, excuses, and lies we tend to tell ourselves, so I find them helpful in that regard.

Yes, most likely a result of the antibiotics given to you in the hospital. It never hurts to notify your doctor of any issues, but I'd start treating it with OTC creams like you usually would.

The sleeve will be covered if it is done at a military facility that has a bariatric program. If you don't live near a post that has one, you'll have to get a referral from your PCP to a bariatric center, where you will have to follow whatever their protocols are; Tricare will only cover gastric bypass.
If there is a bariatric program at your post's hospital, you have to do the following to have a VSG:
-Get a referral from your PCP to the bariatric program.
-Attend the bariatric seminar, meet the surgeon and other members of the bariatric team (nutritionist, nurse, coordinating staff). You will be weighed and vitals taken which will be used to measure your progress and compliance.
-Attend their nutrition / weight loss program. One class is required, but continued participation is suggested.
-Maintain a food diary per the guidelines provided in the nutrition class (MyFitnessPal etc).
-Maintain or lose weight. Weight loss is not required, but you CAN NOT gain weight.
-Stop smoking. They will routinely check for cessastion via a urine test.
-Attend one bariatric support group meeting.
-Have a one-on-one session with the nutritionist who will check your food diary for compliance. Once cleared by the nutritionist, you'll be scheduled for a Psych appt.
-Get cleared by the psychiatrist (usually one appt, but more than one session may be required).
-After the psych clearance, an EGD will be scheduled to check for H. Pylori, hernias, and you may also have an ultrasound to check your gallbladder.
-Bloodwork is redone and if you see any specialists (cardiologist, pulmonologist etc), they'll need to clear you for surgery.
-Final meeting with surgeon. Surgery date scheduled.
-Length of time from beginning the program to having surgery varies. Could be a couple of months or closer to 6.
Hope this helps.

It's always better to be cautious and seek help if you are really concerned......that being said, if you can point to where it hurts on your chest with one finger, it's not your heart. True chest pain is very difficult to ignore. As we get older, everyone gets premature ventricle contractions (PVCs) and some people can actually feel them when they occur; that may explain your feeling. If you are dehydrated and change your position (sitting to standing etc), your heart rate will speed up to sort of catch up and compensate for a low blood pressure (due to dehydration). That can also cause a weird or funny feeling. Lastly, reflux will create a funny feeling that can be misconstrued as chest discomfort. Trust your instincts when you really feel like something is wrong.

Dead @ "powdered sugar"!!!!! Dying!!!!!

I like my 600 lb life and Biggest Loser. I will confess to watching both shows while eating a mound of Chinese food and thinking to myself, that's a damn shame to be THAT big. Like I'm any different. Smh. Just shameful.
Those shows demonstrate some of the terrible behaviors, excuses, and lies we tend to tell ourselves, so I find them helpful in that regard.

I like my 600 lb life and Biggest Loser. I will confess to watching both shows while eating a mound of Chinese food and thinking to myself, that's a damn shame to be THAT big. Like I'm any different. Smh. Just shameful.
Those shows demonstrate some of the terrible behaviors, excuses, and lies we tend to tell ourselves, so I find them helpful in that regard.

This is utterly ridiculous and now I'm pissed for you. Something is obviously not right and it is their freakin' job to figure it out and to effectively manage your symptoms while doing so.
I pray that you go back and when you get there, please ask to speak to the nursing supervisor of the hospital (not the unit you may get placed in) and demand to speak with the Patient Advocate. Someone will listen to you. We are so worried about you.

Unless you have developed a severe allergic reaction to the antibiotics that you're taking, they should not be stopped. An antibiotic course of treatment has to be completed to prevent future resistance to the drugs. What kind of medicine are they practicing over there?
The fact that you are now negative for H. Pylori means that the antibiotics are doing exactly what they are designed to do. Why in the world would they advise you to do something that will actually cause you harm? I am so sorry you're going through this and I really think it is time for a second opinion, even if it is just with your PCP initially. Please. You need to speak until you are heard because your recovery is far from normal.

I second what @@emsgirl114 said. My PCP is treating my H. Pylori, not my bariatric surgeon. Btw, if your wife was not tested for H. Pylori, she needs to be at her next follow-up appointment. Bloodwork can detect an infection as well, not just a biopsy from an EGD.
Until you know for sure that she is free of it, avoid kissing. Not that you probably feel like it given your unrelenting nausea, but H. Pylori can be transmitted through saliva and it is possible to become reinfected. I did not realize that until my last appointment with my surgeon.

I decline all invites to workout with others. I'd much rather be alone with my own thoughts, competing against my last performance, and jamming to some music.
I get super annoyed when people interrupt my time on the track. If you want to invite me to your church, leave a church flyer or card on my car. If you're trying to "holla", keep it moving; I'm not interested in your tips - that's what my trainer is for. Booty watch from a distance like the rest of the weirdos.

Agreed. As long as you actually go for your follow-up appointments and get your labs drawn, you shouldn't have any issues - certainly not life threatening ones.

@@Mumsicle, Dying laughing at the description of your sisters!! ????????

I like my 600 lb life and Biggest Loser. I will confess to watching both shows while eating a mound of Chinese food and thinking to myself, that's a damn shame to be THAT big. Like I'm any different. Smh. Just shameful.
Those shows demonstrate some of the terrible behaviors, excuses, and lies we tend to tell ourselves, so I find them helpful in that regard.

@@Lipstick Lady, Agreed.
@@JerseyJules, the complications with the Band are indeed great; they just don't work which is why so many surgeons simply won't do them anymore. Who would want to have WLS and not lose weight? Nobody.
I think you definitely made the right choice in backing out and you don't have to justify that choice with anyone but the person who stares back at you in the mirror. We're all here to support each other and if you do end up changing your mind, you're entitled to do so and we will be here to support you.

I like my 600 lb life and Biggest Loser. I will confess to watching both shows while eating a mound of Chinese food and thinking to myself, that's a damn shame to be THAT big. Like I'm any different. Smh. Just shameful.
Those shows demonstrate some of the terrible behaviors, excuses, and lies we tend to tell ourselves, so I find them helpful in that regard.

I decline all invites to workout with others. I'd much rather be alone with my own thoughts, competing against my last performance, and jamming to some music.
I get super annoyed when people interrupt my time on the track. If you want to invite me to your church, leave a church flyer or card on my car. If you're trying to "holla", keep it moving; I'm not interested in your tips - that's what my trainer is for. Booty watch from a distance like the rest of the weirdos.

@@JerseyJules, thanks for the education but LapBands do in fact have a high failure rate that is unrelated to compliance.
FYI: Being compliant with nutritional guidelines will not prevent a LapBand from slipping; eroding, breaking; adhering to one's liver; port site infections......shall I go on? None of the things I listed have anything to do with someone not eating Protein dense meals as required following WLS. They are just very common complications of having a device that's capable of migrating even when you vomit.
Also, I don't need the education about LapBands because I researched them for over two years; more people than not have complications from them. How do I know? I'm a registered nurse at a tertiary hospital that's also a Bariatric Center of Excellence and I work in PACU. Every single day that I work I have no less than one patient having a band revision surgery, or band removal due to infection, failure, or erosion. Every single day.
I'm not here to debate with you, I am here to support you and others; and if you were so sold on a LapBand (enough to educate me on it), then you'd be post-op right now.
It is ok to be unsure. You did the right thing backing out and once again..........you owe no one but yourself an explanation and the benefit of more education and research. We all owe that to ourselves. You're the one who will have to live with your choice, not any of us. Good luck to you on your weight loss journey. I sincerely mean that.

JP drains are used because cut things bleed. Whether a surgeon uses a drain or not varies, but I can assure you the bloody drainage happens whether a drain is there to collect it or not. I'd much rather have a drain to collect that Fluid instead of it just leaking into my peritoneal cavity.
The people who've had JP drains post VSG will tell you that A LOT of Fluid collects in them. Risking developing an abscess from that drainage is scarier than having the drain. I've had 4 JP drains before and they didn't bother me at all; not even when they were pulled out.

@@JerseyJules, thanks for the education but LapBands do in fact have a high failure rate that is unrelated to compliance.
FYI: Being compliant with nutritional guidelines will not prevent a LapBand from slipping; eroding, breaking; adhering to one's liver; port site infections......shall I go on? None of the things I listed have anything to do with someone not eating Protein dense meals as required following WLS. They are just very common complications of having a device that's capable of migrating even when you vomit.
Also, I don't need the education about LapBands because I researched them for over two years; more people than not have complications from them. How do I know? I'm a registered nurse at a tertiary hospital that's also a Bariatric Center of Excellence and I work in PACU. Every single day that I work I have no less than one patient having a band revision surgery, or band removal due to infection, failure, or erosion. Every single day.
I'm not here to debate with you, I am here to support you and others; and if you were so sold on a LapBand (enough to educate me on it), then you'd be post-op right now.
It is ok to be unsure. You did the right thing backing out and once again..........you owe no one but yourself an explanation and the benefit of more education and research. We all owe that to ourselves. You're the one who will have to live with your choice, not any of us. Good luck to you on your weight loss journey. I sincerely mean that.

@@Lipstick Lady, Agreed.
@@JerseyJules, the complications with the Band are indeed great; they just don't work which is why so many surgeons simply won't do them anymore. Who would want to have WLS and not lose weight? Nobody.
I think you definitely made the right choice in backing out and you don't have to justify that choice with anyone but the person who stares back at you in the mirror. We're all here to support each other and if you do end up changing your mind, you're entitled to do so and we will be here to support you.

I think it's great to have expectations but being realistic is also very necessary. 60 lbs in less than 2 months means that you have lost more than 1 pound per day. More than a pound per day.
That rate of loss was bound to slow down at some point. You're obviously doing the right thing so just keep pushing through; you'll get there! Congratulations on your success so far!