NewLeaf15

I had my one week follow up appointment today and they removed my drain. They said to stay on liquids until Thursday and on Friday I can start puree food. I'm so excited for that! I'm down 13 pounds. So far so good.

I was sleeved on the 21st as well. I was sent home with pain medication but I haven't taken any because I haven't felt any severe pain to truly take it. This has been an honest learning process. I tried placing the Protein in the Soups and it was awful. I think I wasn't mixing it right, then I tried to add it to plain yogurt and it was awful as well. I finally bought the Isopure Zero Carb ready to drink Protein and it has been the best thing to get my protein in. The Water fluids have been a bit hard to get down. I agree with you on the popsicles.. I bit a piece and it didn't fully go down as liquid and it caused awful pain so now i'm careful. I had posted earlier that I've been able to drink more than I thought without any discomfort (except water), but at times the pain does kick in when it's saying I'm drinking too fast.

What Soups are you eating the Isopure with?

I tried chicken and vegetable broth with powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury unflavored Protein Powder (not Isopure). It The Isopure that I have is the drink protein and not the powder. It's 40 grams of protein in one bottle.

I actually just returned from the supermarket and bought the Oikos Triple Zero yogurt (zero sugar, zero fat, zero artificial sweeteners); it's pretty good.

I'm 5 days post-op and I experienced the breakout the 2nd day. I've never had an issue with pimples or any type of breakouts, so it was odd for me to see a pimple. I hope it normalizes over time.

I hope you're feeling better!

I was sleeved on the 21st as well. I was sent home with pain medication but I haven't taken any because I haven't felt any severe pain to truly take it. This has been an honest learning process. I tried placing the Protein in the Soups and it was awful. I think I wasn't mixing it right, then I tried to add it to plain yogurt and it was awful as well. I finally bought the Isopure Zero Carb ready to drink Protein and it has been the best thing to get my protein in. The Water fluids have been a bit hard to get down. I agree with you on the popsicles.. I bit a piece and it didn't fully go down as liquid and it caused awful pain so now i'm careful. I had posted earlier that I've been able to drink more than I thought without any discomfort (except water), but at times the pain does kick in when it's saying I'm drinking too fast.

I posted almost the same thing after surgery! By day 3 I was getting all my liquids in with NO issues. You are fine! Like @@Kindle said, we just all experience this a little differently.

Thank you! Like I said, dehydration during the holidays and ending up in a hospital is not something I want, and I'm sure my mother wouldn't be too happy about that. That's why I'm trying my best to constantly drink.

Merry Christmas!

One of the strangest things for me after surgery was how hard it was to drink plain Water. I found that just about any liquid was easier to drink than Water. Try Decaf tea. Try water with Mio drops or another enhancer. Try different temperatures: room temperature, warm, or even ice cold. Try sugar-free Popsicles. Try ice. Try broth/soup. You may find some temperatures are easier than others.

Fortunately, you can count all non-caffeinated beverages toward your Fluid total, including your Protein shakes.

Just keep trying. It will get easier. For me, I was eventually able to drink plain water without difficulty.

Yeah, the water oddly puts pressure in my belly, but Protein I can just drink and drink. It's trial and error at this point. One thing I learned is that Skim Milk goes right through me. I wanted a cold glass of milk with protein and it went right through me. I tried again later on at night and it was the same thing so perhaps my pouch is not happy with milk, who knows. Thank you for your reply.

Be thankful you can drink so easily. No you aren't doing any harm to your sleeve....liquids flow right through your sleeve into your intestines. Meeting both Protein and fluids goal this early is excellent! I couldn't tolerate plain Water either. Same with artificial sweeteners and lactose. But shakes, Soup, juice, sports drinks, etc, went down just fine. All of these intolerances passed after 4 months.

If 100 people had WLS you would get 100 different versions of what WLS is like. All of them are normal....for that person. So relax and enjoy YOUR journey.

Thank you for your response! I seriously thought I was doing something wrong because I was able to drink more than I thought I could tolerate. I'm trying my best to get in my regular fluids but Protein hasn't been an issue. Well I started off with adding powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury to cream Soups and I couldn't get the taste down my throat, I tried in the yogurt as well, it wasn't working for me. I went to GNC and bought the ready to Isopure Zero Carb drinks that has 40 grams of protein so it's easier. Yes, you're right, everyone's journey is different. Thank you for clarifying I'm doing fine

I could drink a lot after surgery. It took me awhile to where I felt full. But now I can eat a egg and be stuffed. Kinda goes by the day for me.

Thank you for your response. I just feel like my body is always asking for liquids and I'm always drinking. I hope I have the same when it comes to the food stage. Thanks again!

Hello,

Merry Christmas to all!

Well I'm a little confused if I'm drinking correctly. I'm 4 days post surgery and I feel like I can drink all the Protein with no restriction which scares me, however the odd thing is that it hurts when I drink plain Water. Mentally I'm afraid of being dehydrated so I always have a drink in my hand, whether it's a Protein Drink or Water. I can honestly drink more than just a sip. I had a full cup of broth in about 20 minutes. Should I slow down? Am I stretching the pouch unintentionally? Am I harming my sleeve?

I'm not comparing at all, however I communicated with another person that had the surgery the same day and we were following up with each other's recovery (same surgeon). She said she hasn't been able to drink a full bottle of water. She says that she sips and when it hurts she stops for 15 minutes and drinks a little more. Is that how I'm supposed to do it?

I think I'm just freaking out because I can drink more than I expected.

suggestions? advice?

thank you!

Hello Everyone,

I just returned from my 2 night stay at the hospital. I was sleeved on Monday morning and I must say I didn't have any pain or complications. I didn't feel any gas pain. The only thing I've been feeling today is when I place a spoonful of Soup, I don't know if it hurts because I'm full or I'm eating too fast... I still can't distinguish the discomfort... With the Water it's the same thing... I take a few sips of the Water from the medicine cups and it starts hurting. Is that being full or my stomach being sensitive? I just made a butternut squash soap with Protein and I can't get more than 2 spoons. Any suggestions?

Thank you!

This morning the Surgeon's Coordinator emailed me and said:

You are absolutely not bothering me. Of course you're stressed out. You can see any physician to get your pre-op clearance, even a walk-in clinic. I have had patients with similar situations. We should be able to get the results tomorrow afternoon from the stress test. Where are you having it done?

I replied and asked her if she could possibly send me the paperwork just in case. I'm going to take the stress test tomorrow and hoping my primary will still clear me but I want to have a second opinion as well. These next 2 days will be the longest ever.

How are things going?

Thank you for asking. I haven't been on the site since last Tuesday. My update is that I went for the exercise stress test last Tuesday which was the day before surgery and that afternoon my PCP said he wouldn't clear me because it came back abnormal again. I did a lot of crying and I was down that night. The Bariatric center called me to reschedule surgery for Dec 21st (next Monday), until I received clearance from the Cardiologist. I saw the cardiologist on Thursday and he said that he believes it's a "false-positive." He said that at times it could be the breast affecting the test, which I thought it was a very odd thing but that's what he said. He said he wants to be 100% sure it's a "false-positive" before he clears me, so on Thursday morning they're doing an echo stress test.

He said that test will indicate if something is actually wrong or it's nothing. He thinks it's nothing but he doesn't feel comfortable clearing me until he's sure which I understand. Once/if the cardiologist clears me on Thursday then the PCP will clear me as everything else came back normal. I'm scheduled for next Monday, and at this point in the process I feel numb and I don't want to get my hopes up for another disappointment. I'm going on Thursday for that test and that same afternoon I should hear from the doctor what it is... fingers crossed.

You'll be in my thoughts! I've been where you are and the thoughts of something being wrong is definitely hard to handle at times.

Thank you! I went for the stress echo this morning and the doctor told me that my heart is 100% good to go. He cleared me so I'm all good. I can't even begin explaining to you the stress I went through for clearance but at least I know I have a healthy heart with no blockage or anything. I'm scheduled for Monday morning. I went also for another pre-op today but since I'm a hard stick, they said they're going to do a PICC Line, which I'm scared, but I heard it's not painful (hopefully). I'll keep you posted.

This morning the Surgeon's Coordinator emailed me and said:

You are absolutely not bothering me. Of course you're stressed out. You can see any physician to get your pre-op clearance, even a walk-in clinic. I have had patients with similar situations. We should be able to get the results tomorrow afternoon from the stress test. Where are you having it done?

I replied and asked her if she could possibly send me the paperwork just in case. I'm going to take the stress test tomorrow and hoping my primary will still clear me but I want to have a second opinion as well. These next 2 days will be the longest ever.

How are things going?

Thank you for asking. I haven't been on the site since last Tuesday. My update is that I went for the exercise stress test last Tuesday which was the day before surgery and that afternoon my PCP said he wouldn't clear me because it came back abnormal again. I did a lot of crying and I was down that night. The Bariatric center called me to reschedule surgery for Dec 21st (next Monday), until I received clearance from the Cardiologist. I saw the cardiologist on Thursday and he said that he believes it's a "false-positive." He said that at times it could be the breast affecting the test, which I thought it was a very odd thing but that's what he said. He said he wants to be 100% sure it's a "false-positive" before he clears me, so on Thursday morning they're doing an echo stress test.

He said that test will indicate if something is actually wrong or it's nothing. He thinks it's nothing but he doesn't feel comfortable clearing me until he's sure which I understand. Once/if the cardiologist clears me on Thursday then the PCP will clear me as everything else came back normal. I'm scheduled for next Monday, and at this point in the process I feel numb and I don't want to get my hopes up for another disappointment. I'm going on Thursday for that test and that same afternoon I should hear from the doctor what it is... fingers crossed.

This morning the Surgeon's Coordinator emailed me and said:

You are absolutely not bothering me. Of course you're stressed out. You can see any physician to get your pre-op clearance, even a walk-in clinic. I have had patients with similar situations. We should be able to get the results tomorrow afternoon from the stress test. Where are you having it done?

I replied and asked her if she could possibly send me the paperwork just in case. I'm going to take the stress test tomorrow and hoping my primary will still clear me but I want to have a second opinion as well. These next 2 days will be the longest ever.

He's asking for the stress test because if you die in surgery because of a heart issue your family can sue him. If you only had an EKG within the last week or two, then it isn't his fault that you are now unfortunately trying to squeeze in a stress test before surgery. He is covering his a*s, which given the amount of malpractice claims in our country, is not surprising. If the EKG was done several weeks ago and only now this is a problem, then I say raise hell.

I am all about telling doctors where they can go. I have zero tolerance for those who are lazy or who think they get to play God when it comes to approving the surgery or for that matter approving anything I want that is medically valid. My own sleeve doctor hated me and I wrote several whoppingly bad reviews about him online, because I refuse to be treated like a fat lazy idiot who knows nothing about medicine and who has no say in my own health. If a doctor is sincerely being a jerk, you tell him where to go and if he doesn't want to be cooperative you tell him you will be happy to have your attorney contact him. If, however, as it sounds in this case, a doctor is being overly cautious because you are a high risk patient and he doesn't want to end up in court because a minor EKG abnormality resulted in a major heart issue during surgery, try to not freak out too much. If you were in his shoes and you could be sued because you didn't investigate a potential heart problem, you probably wouldn't care too much about making the patient mad either.

It is very possible the stress test will reveal nothing and you will be good to go for surgery. If, however the stress test comes back with a problem that prevents you from having surgery, your doctor being an overcautious pia could potentially save your life. Either way you end up alive....which is really the best case scenario even if it doesn't feel like it right now.

I absolutely agree with you. Honestly if it was any other doctor that told me to do a stress test, I wouldn't have reacted the way I am. This doctor has never been supportive about having surgery. He kept saying that I should just do it naturally. That I have time to lose weight. I told him I still wanted to move forward with the surgery and every single time I go to him for some type of approval, he is always protesting and giving me issues. I think that's the part I'm most upset at... at 4PM on Friday, he decides to call my insurance to have a stress test. He kept saying, "just pray it doesn't come out with any abnormalities. You need to just pray. I won't allow you to have surgery." I think his biggest offense because he mentioned it to me a few times is that the surgeon dismissed him on the phone when he called. Anyways, yes, if there is truly something wrong, then I completely understand, and I do hope so but they pushed this test to Tuesday morning.. the day before the surgery. Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it.

Question.. Does you PCP have to do your pre-op physical? I would check to see if you can get your pre-op/EKG repeated by a Occupational Medicine clinic (one that does DOT physicals). My doctor said if I couldn't get into my PCP I could go there.

I'm going to email tonight the Surgeon's coordinator and see what she says... If I recall correctly, I think they have a doctor that would give me clearance, because I remember telling her from the beginning that he wasn't supportive and I believe that's what she told me, but I'm not 100% sure.

Just wondering.......is this doctor unsupportive in general? Does he dismiss your concerns on a regular basis? If you get denied this time around based on his recommendations which you do not agree with, that is the time for a new PCP and a second opinion. You are not stuck with this doctor forever, and his has to cough up your medical records when you demand them. I wish you the best.

Thank you Miss Mac. I appreciate it. He's always like that.. I'm sticking for now because I need him to approve me, but I don't plan to see him ever again. The only reason I had picked him 2 years ago was because Cigna required you to pick a PCP and I went based on location, however it's ALWAYS an issue with this doctor. I'm hoping that the center would have another doctor in case this one doesn't clear me. He gave the original consent before the paperwork was submitted. Now he won't clear me. Honestly if it was another doctor, I wouldn't be acting like this but because since day 1 he has always given me problems, and making jump through hoops which makes me feel he is trying to stress me out right before surgery. Thanks again for your reply.

Hello,

I haven't slept all weekend because I'm a nervous wreck right now. On Friday I went for both clearances (PCP & Pulmonary Doctor) and I was cleared from the Pulmonary Doctor and my PCP said he was going to send his clearance. On Friday at about 4PM my PCP calls me and says that he won't clear me until I get a stress test. He said my EKG shows abnormalities. He said that he was surprised no one else caught it. He said he won't clear me for surgery until I go in. My insurance won't pay for that exam so he had to do a peer to peer to prove I need it. Now I'm scheduled for a stress test on Tuesday at 6AM, and I'm scheduled for surgery on Wednesday morning. I'm upset because this doctor since day 1 has ALWAYS given me problems. He didn't want to authorize the surgery in the first place so I pretty much had to plead him that I need this for me. Every single time I go to the doctor he gives me issues, and he said on Friday that if it doesn't come back normal that he won't clear me and I would need to go to a heart doctor and he could recommend one. He said you can just postpone it. I'm paying Cobra right now which is an arm and a leg for this insurance. I finally sorted out my insurance issue and now he comes with this last minute. He said it was a "mild" change on my EKG but he said he's not going to risk himself by clearing me. "I'll just have to wait." I'm beyond livid. He called my surgeon and my surgeon wasn't concerned at all, and my PCP was annoyed because the surgeon dismissed him as if he didn't have time. Well that's how my PCP explained it to me. My blood work and all other exams came back normal. I don't suffer from high blood pressure nor am I diabetic.

I bought relaxing tea over the weekend because I can't even think or sleep. Out of the entire process, he stressed me out the most on Friday. He has never wanted me to do this surgery. He was always against it. My mom keeps telling me to relax because it won't help with the exam on Tuesday. How can I relax when he pretty much told me he will cancel it if the exam shows something. He said, "You can just do it some other time." I plan to email the doctor's coordinator and get her opinion, but I'm seriously stressed out.

Any thoughts? Perhaps I just needed to Vent

I'll throw this in. I went to cardiologist for a letter of clearance. I expected to go in, maybe get ekg, and leave with a letter. I actually had to make two more appointments. One for a sonogram of my heart and one for stress test. I have no heart problems. I do have a Lillie high blood pressure. I certainly didn't think I needed those other two tests. Anyway it all came back normal, as expected. My point is, you might allow a little time for those tests that may or may not be required.

Good luck with everything!!!

I think that's my fear - Additional appointments or paperwork needed prior to next week's surgery, or even the day of surgery the hospital saying they're missing something. I'm trying to stay on top of everything to the best of my ability.

Thank you!

Good luck to you both! My date is Dec 8th. Starting my pre op diet tomorrow. Trying to decide what I would like for dinner tonight. As bad as it sounds, I think Red Lobster it will be :-)

Good Luck on your surgery!

Good luck to you Newleaf15! I am scheduled for December 11th, so I completely understand your anxiety. I managed to get all the appointments on the same day which will be on the 4th for me. That's also when I will start my 1 week pre-op diet. To manage the anxiety, I'm focusing my energy the next couple of weeks on preparing my apt and myself in general for the procedure and afterwards (ex. Ordering items online, and making sure I have all the Vitamins and other items that I've read on the forums that will come in handy post-op).

Thanks! You're right after me. I have 3 appointments left. I had the pre-op visit today. My program doesn't have me on a pre-op diet at all. I'm also focusing on cleaning and organizing my place for post surgery.

Hello,

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving Weekend.

I'm at my final stage for next week's surgery (Dec 9th). I tried to book my final appointments in one or two days, but of course that didn't work out. I have 4 appointments this week on four different days.

Mon - Pre-Op at the Hospital - more exams

Wed - The VSG Class from 9AM - 12PM

Thur - Clearance with the pulmonary doctor

Fri - Clearance with my PCP

I just hope it's smooth sailing this week prior to surgery. I'm getting my place prepped this week. I feel like my anxiety is on high gear at this point. I'm trying to prep for the hospital as well.

Any advice at this point in the process?

Thank you!

I have Cigna and my paperwork was submitted on a Tuesday and I was approved by Thursday morning.

My date is set for December 9, 2015!! Less than a month!!

I'm scheduled for the same day.

Congrats!