ceow

This is my first post. I will try not to write a book. If this is in the wrong forum I apologize.
I have been researching the gastric sleeve surgery for a while now. At my last doctor appointment in December, with my endocrinologist, he suggested that it could be an option for me because I have uncontrolled type 2 diabetes. To be honest I dismissed it right away because I was embarrassed that I would even qualify for weight loss surgery. At that time I weighed 248 BMI 36.5 and my A!C was 11.2. Since then I have been doing my best to eat low carb and get my diabetes under control. I also have hashimotos thyroid and this makes losing weight even harder. I have managed to lose 22 pounds in the past 4 months and have hit a wall. I always hit a wall and I am tired of being frustrated. I have lost and gained the same 25-30 pounds for the past 6 years and added dealing with type 2 diabetes 3 years ago. I am already taking metformin and Victoza and my doctor said if I can't get my A1c down insulin is my nest step. My ideal weight is 145 and I feel like I will never get there on my own.
Am I crazy to be thinking about going to Mexico to have gastric sleeve surgery? My current BMI is 32 with the 22 pounds I lost so my insurance won't cover the surgery. They said I have to have at least 35 BMI and then with my type 2 they would approve me. I am not going to gain weight just to qualify for surgery. I have made some progress on my own, but I really want the help that this surgery could give me as well as the likely-hood that my diabetes would improve greatly.

I am looking for advice from anyone in a similar situation that chose surgery. Are you happy with your decision?
Thank you.

I got my approval and date today for my revision. What did I get in return? The most intense bought of reflux I have had in a month. Just a reminder of why I am doing this. April 10th can't get here fast enough!

Just started back on this site for quite a while and came across your story. So glad your doing better. I'm scheduled to have my surgery done at Emory as well. Looking back is there anything you would have done differently and are you happy with your surgeon?

I am in the waiting room at Emory Hospital-Atlanta. I am so hungry! Will be in the best sleep ever in a little while. I'm anxious about this. I have had mult abdominal surgeries and was never really nervous. I had an illness a yr. ago and was in the hospital. I was coded because I went into renal & respiratory failure. That worries me now, but more than anything, my oldest daughter is pregnant with our first grand baby, a boy. That has been the center of my thoughts for the last few months. Will check in afterwards. Good luck and prayers for me, please!
Carol

I smoked many years ago and quit cold turkey twice. It has been close to 24 yr since I had a cigarette. I cannot stand to be around it any more. The smell just makes me want to hurl. (This is a good thing. I don't think I will ever want another one). food for thought (no pun intended), 2 yr ago, I was at work (doc office). My bro-in-law showed up. When I got up front, he was pacing and then proceeded to tell me that my husband/his brother had collapsed at work (ga power). They had already shocked him mult times with no response. We get to the hospital & cardiologist is waiting with us, for him to arrive. We go through history. Never had any sugar, bp, cholesterol, or lipid issues. The doctor they asked if he smoked, I answered yes. The response was always....well, there's the culprit. He had to be flown from hometown hosp to Emory because he had traumatic brain injuries. All could have been avoided. I did tell him that if I ever smelled smoke again on him, I was gone. Never will be choice through that again because of non compliance.

Hair loss is normal. Any time your body goes through trauma, your hair will fall out. This is a wee bit different. You have got to stay on your Vitamins and make sure you get 60gm of Protein a day (that was my instruction). I was given a name of a specific Vitamin that CVS didn't carry. We were told probably GNC or Amazon would be the only place to get it. Actually 3-collagen with hyaluronic acid for hair, skin & nails and it is at GNC. chondroitin and glucosamine for bones & joints, especially if you are post menopausal.

Well, I still have an open incision. Thank goodness for my daughter, who has been a willing participant in removing and repacking the incision. Home health comes 3 days a wk and they have been great. I feel much better than I did 2 wk ago, but still have lots of healing to do. My weight loss has been approx a lb a day. I want it to go faster! Glad to be alive, though.

Well, I posted that I had to go back in the hosp a second time. I came home and was then readmitted 2 days later with horribly infected incision site. 3 admissions in 1.5 wk. I have been home for 2 days now. It's the first time since my surg date that I don't feel like I'm going to die or need to go back. Thank you, Jesus! Tomorrow will be 2 wk out from surg. It will get better!

My story is a little different. I had my by pass on 2/21/17, went home on 2/24. That night was horrible. I left the hospital vomiting and sick, BIG mistake! I was unable to take any pain, nausea, or Maint meds. I could barely move or even suck on ice. That night I began hallucinating and having breathing difficulties even though I was sent home on O2. I was readmitted 2/25 with chf, dehydration, & uncontrolled pain. Discharged on 2/28. All that time, I cont to tell them my pain was off the charts and 1 of 5 of my incisions was getting redder and harder. Discharged anyway. Follow up with pcp on 3/2. Breathing was very labored & required O2. I was sent for Ct scan to rule out blood clot. That morning my "bad" incision had begun to ooze. 4X4's covering it. By the time we finished Ct, my drainage had soaked through 3 towels! I was sent back to the hospital. Admitted the 3rd time in just over a wk. Incision was reopened and drained of more than a quart of nasty infection. I was discharged 3/4. 3/7 will mark my 2wk post op. I was sent home with incision open with packing that has to be changed daily and dressing change twice daily. This is the first time I don't feel like I'm heading back to the hospital or feel like I am dying. This is NOT typical, but everyone should pay attention to the little things because they can turn into BIG things fast!

I am 1 wk postop. I live in Atlanta and my surgeon is world renowned. At 4 days, I went home. Was emergency re admitted on 5th with congestive heart failure, pneumonitis, & mult other issues. I think these problems are with my crazy body, not surgery itself. Now, I'm running a fever. I love seeing these awesome quick results! I'm wondering if some other people with other significant med problems have rebounded better than me. Tell me when the surg pain and back pain (for me), get better.

I had my surgery Tues 2/21. Went home late Friday night. Back in under urgent admit Saturday. Congestive heart failure with pneumonitis! I began hallucinating couldn't catch my breath and in unbearable pain because I was unable to take pill or liquid meds and unable to keep an ice chip down. Mon. 27. I want to feel good again. I know this was an informed decision. I have worked in health field for my entire life. Not sure what I could have done differently. I probably won't post again for a while.

Thank you. I wish that I had found this site before YESTERDAY!

I am in the waiting room at Emory Hospital-Atlanta. I am so hungry! Will be in the best sleep ever in a little while. I'm anxious about this. I have had mult abdominal surgeries and was never really nervous. I had an illness a yr. ago and was in the hospital. I was coded because I went into renal & respiratory failure. That worries me now, but more than anything, my oldest daughter is pregnant with our first grand baby, a boy. That has been the center of my thoughts for the last few months. Will check in afterwards. Good luck and prayers for me, please!

Carol

I'm not sure I'm doing this right. I think I'm responding, but still getting questions that I answered. Maybe with time.

Still trying to get the hang of this. I want to get done to 145-150. I was happy during that time, but soon after had serious medical issues, and lost my job.

I would love to get back down to 145-150. At that time my life took a turn for the worse and I m ready to take it back.

I would be thrilled to get to 150. That was where I was about 2 ye ago before everything fell apart.

I would like to be able to afford some plastics after all is finished. I lost my job almost 2 yr ago. Working in a doctors office and was laid off due to a significant illness-was coded in the hospital and had renal and respiratory failure. Her reasoning was that I was too much of a risk. Anyway, I'm over all that (can't you tell)? No paycheck, no plastics.

Time will fix it. It's trauma to your body. If you have ever had surgery before or had a serious illness, you probably had it happen before.

Tomorrow is my last day before surgery. I have done the liquids & tomorrow I will stick a bottle of mag citrate. I work in the med field. Believe me, you want to do it. It will decrease your risks. If anything happens to get nicked, you would have crap leaking. It's just an easy thing to do to improve odds of complications.

I am having my bypass Tues 2/21.

I may just use a picture from my daughters wedding. I looked hideous! This surgery came about because I am having approx 100 episodes of reflux in a 24hr period. I have had multiple episodes of aspiration pneumonia with one of which I was coded, taken to ICU and then went into respiratory and renal failure. My average weight about 2 yr ago was 145. I have gained close to 80 pounds. I have other health issues, but my pcp suggested that I see my gi doc. Found out that a bypass will fix the reflux, get the wt down, and hopefully my bp and lipids will be better as well.

Yes, but it's nothing like our reg gas pains. It is totally different.

After your surgery, you will have upper body pain in your shoulders and back. When they do your surg, they have to expand your stomach with gas to make more room for movement. Your body has to absorb it. It will go away in a few days. I had a laparoscopic procedure done in the past and felt like my shoulder was broken. The surg told me why after the fact. Before? I don't know, possibly change of diet. Who knows. Just wanted to share what you may feel postop.

This is normal. My daughter had this happen and we went to a dermatologist. He said that any time your body goes through a major trauma, Hair loss will happen and it will come back. She was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and was in and out of the hospital- sometimes for a mo at a time. It's your body's way of fighting.