frazildazil

New Zealand…and no it's not connected to Australia lol
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm the same date as well. I'm heading to Mexico on the 19th fly home to New Zealand on the 24th December. I miss Christmas Day with my family but I can wait to be on the losers bench!!
NZ KIWI GIRL!!

I'm the same date as well. I'm heading to Mexico on the 19th fly home to New Zealand on the 24th December. I miss Christmas Day with my family but I can wait to be on the losers bench!!
NZ KIWI GIRL!!

The best Christmas present EVER! Words cannot describe what I'm feeling but let me just say they are good! Anyone else having surgery this day?

Same here....I got a little excited!!
NZ KIWI GIRL!!

I too came here because I thought that you dropped acid before beginning your pre-op diet. lol

Ha, I have to get used to the lingo here. When I opened this thread I thought it was about taking acid before your surgery. I was like what?!?!

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 know many pre-op patients have questions about the process. Each one of us is different but I thought I'd share my experience around the surgery and recovery in case it is beneficial to anyone preparing to undergo VSG.
Based on my BMI, my doctor put me on a one-week pre-op liquid Protein diet. This consisted of three Protein shakes a day and otherwise Clear liquids. The first couple of days were tough, but by day 3-4 my system had gotten over its carb withdrawal and I tolerated the diet fairly well. I also used this time to wean off of caffeine since my surgeon didn't allow any for 8 weeks post surgery. During the pre-op diet phase I dropped 8 pounts, from 285 to 277.
On my surgery day, I arrived at the hospital fairly early. The nursing staff prepared me (IV, gown, support stockings, etc.) and I met briefly with the surgeon and anesthesiologist. I was wheeled into the very cold operating room. Shortly thereafter I was given the IV anesthetic and was fast asleep.
I woke up in the recovery area. This was easily the most uncomfortable part of the process as I was coming out of general anesthesia, hooked up to everything and now had a wonderful (not!) urine catheter placed. As I came out of the fog, I remember trying unsuccessfully to negotiate with the nurse to remove the catheter as it was very uncomfortable. After 20-30 minutes in this area I was moved to a wheelchair (a surprisingly challenging endeavor) and was wheeled to my room.
Once in the room the PCA pump was attached. This helped greatly with my comfort level. I was also allowed to start sucking on ice chips. I did experience some gas pains but they were manageable. The nursing staff got me up to walk within a couple of hours.
My particular facility was absolutely wonderful. It is a small satellite surgery facility of a large hospital and is in the same building as the surgical practice. I think most of the patients are part of the weight loss surgery program. On my particular surgery day I think my nurse had two patients, so I was able to get as much attention as I needed.
One key item they were monitoring was my blood sugar which was running low. This was surprising as prior to surgery I was a Type-II diabetic with a normal glucose of 115-120. They gave me IV glucose a couple of times and were monitoring it closely.
I progressively felt better throughout the day and evening and walked a few more times. There wasn't much sleeping as it seemed like every 10 minutes someone was in the room to do something. The day shift nurse had been bringing me ice chips in a small medicine cup. The night shift nurse brought a large cup of them with a spoon (what an angel!)
By about 3am I was able to get myself out of bed and move to a nearby chair, managing all of the lines and connections carefully. I found that the more mobile I was the better I felt.
At 5am I was told that we needed to begin preparing for my discharge. This involved giving me a glass of ice Water which I sipped on. It also involved removal of the catheter and the surgical drain, both of which were momentarily painful. I did feel better after that though. One more walk, a visit from the surgeon and his assistant, and I was discharged a little more than 24 hours after arrival. We stopped at the downstairs pharmacy for the liquid narcotic pain medication.
At home, day 1 post-op involved mostly sleeping and relaxing. I had to sleep in a recliner for a couple of days to limit suture pain. I used the narcotic pain med a couple times that day. I began sipping and walking, encountering a little pain but nothing unbearable.
By day 2 post-op I was feeling much better. On day 2 I stopped the narcotic pain meds and switched to liquid Tylenol. I had been told I could drive as soon as I was off the narcotics, so switching to liquid Tylenol meant I wasn't tied to the house. By that evening I felt well enough to drive myself to a meeting of an organization I'm involved with. Moving slowly but without much pain, it was nice to get out a little.
I noticed I had real challenges with capacity of my new stomach for the first couple of days. It seemed like it would only hold a couple of sips or maybe a teaspoon of broth. On day 3 this got better, and by day 4 I was able to drink liquids and even broth and Soup without much restriction. I think this was the post-op swelling going down a little.
My surgery was on a Tuesday and I came home Wednesday morning. My first venture out was Thursday evening. I returned to work the following Monday without any real issues but I have a fairly sedentary office job.
I have to say that my recovery was quicker than I expected with relatively few issues and no complications. I know this isn't the rule for everyone. I think it helped that despite weight and Type-II Diabetes I was in generally good physical condition which probably made things easier.
I'm now about 10 weeks post surgery. I successfully transitioned diet from liquid to pureed to soft foods and then to regular foods. I've experienced two stalls (one early and one now). I've dropped two shirt and pant sizes and am almost ready for a third. I'm still learning how to manage my weight loss and diet while traveling extensively for business. I have yet to get locked into an aggressive exercise regimen but am trying to do so. But overall this has been a totally positive experience and a decision I am 100% happy with.

Having my husband pick me up over his shoulder.
Not squashing anyone on the bus
Fitting my old clothes and smaller ones.
Having my husband want me all the time
And to be lighter for when I Crossfit and get some pull-ups out!
NZ KIWI GIRL!!

Start preop diet on 12/11 and liquids 2 days prior! Getting excited and nervous. I've never been under anesthesia so I'm most nervous about that and I'm scared to death I'm going to vomit after and rip a staple! I've got 2 babies (a 2yr old and a 5 month old) so I'm also worried about the "down time" but I know in the long run this is the right decision!

So, as the anesthesiologist was leaving and they were ready to take me to the OR, the surgeon came in and cancelled my surgery. He wasn't comfortable with my newly developed cough/cold. I know he felt badly about it (as tears rolled down my cheeks) and he promised he would get me back in by month's end. His PA just called to tell me he opened 12/28 to do my VSG. Thanksgiving AND Christmas on the liquid pre-op diet - ugh. But as he told me, I'll have many more Thanksgivings and Christmases to enjoy in good health. I know God is in control so I'm okay.

Imagine being able to comfortably fit in a regular sized tub and take a bubble bath?? AND the Water will actually cover you?? Can't wait.

I talked to her about it and she is just scared. Tomorrow morning !!!! On my way to being healthier and happier. Thanks for the support frazildazil

I'm 21 December
NZ KIWI GIRL!!

Having my husband pick me up over his shoulder.
Not squashing anyone on the bus
Fitting my old clothes and smaller ones.
Having my husband want me all the time
And to be lighter for when I Crossfit and get some pull-ups out!
NZ KIWI GIRL!!

Hi...I'm getting sleeved on December 16th at MBC. Dr Valenzuela is performing my surgery. I'm excited. I've heard nothing but good things about Dr. Valenzuela and MBC. I'll be returning home on December 21st. Hopefully our paths will cross, if not good luck!!

Not Dr. Almanza. Dr. Altamirano is the Dr. A I believe she means and he is wonderful.

Yup, I meant Dr Altamirano, sorry about the confusion and thanks for the warning.

Why is she saying not to? Maybe have her read all the information as well. I'd imagine she is worried she will loose you. But your doing this so you can live longer, be healthy and happy!! You've got this you aren't being selfish!!!
NZ KIWI GIRL!!

My surgery is 12/2. I was doing okay until my daughter started asking me not to do it. Now I'm feeling panicky. I'm doing this for me and now I feel like I'm being selfish. I'm excited too and looking forward to a healthier and happier self.

December 21st for me!

Gas X STRIPS, at least 3 boxes. You cannot buy the strips in Mexico so make sure to bring plenty. I went to Mexico last month for my surgery and went through at least 2 boxes. Extension cord so you can plug in your electronics as the plug ins may not be in good locations (you probably don't need an adapter depending on where you go). Hibclens and gold Dial soap for showering and keeping the incisions clean. Extra tape and gauze. Chapstick is a good idea, Loose clothing is a must. The days I stayed in the hospital I just kept the gown on, but you will need pajama pants and loose shirts. EXTRA UNDERWEAR! I can't stress this enough. Never trust a fart.
Those were the things I used the most.

I'm flying all the way back to New Zealand 17hrs on total. Wish me luck!!
NZ KIWI GIRL!!

Hi, I'm December 21 per op starts week after next. Getting excited
NZ KIWI GIRL!!