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SampTheChamp

Gastric Bypass Patients
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Posts posted by SampTheChamp

  3. Posted

    2 minutes ago, JustLynn said:

    Leak in the sleeve staple line caused me to become septic. I was fine the day of surgery and then the night before discharge I was in so much pain and they kept telling me that it was gas. It was only after I literally could not stand up that they determined something serious was going on.

    After the sepsis was addressed (apparently it was pretty dire) he wanted to convert me to bypass to "fix" it, but I was still in the frame of wanting to stay VSG since that was what I decided going in. Most of the time we were just waiting to see if it would heal on its own and while it did leak less and less (after what felt like a hundred barium swallow tests) he ended up doing a shunt to direct the leakage back into the intestines.

    This was apparently the first time he had done this procedure, but he was confident that he could do it and that it would resolve the issue while still leaving me with the sleeve. It worked well and I recovered enough to discharge, which he did by "surprise" on a Friday evening 44 days post first surgery. I doubt the surgical floor had ever seen someone pack up so quickly.

    Seriously, without the awesome surgical nurses and techs caring for me 24x7 and Dr Fitzer or his staff coming to see me daily it would have been brutal. The hospital also let my husband stay in the room with me for the duration (he works remotely) and that was a HUGE thing.

    I'm sorry that you had to go through that but, super glad you made it out on top. Dr. Fitzer and staff are REAL DEAL!!! Reston Hospital were phenomenal as well. Buckle up. Your life is about to get REAL GOOD!! I'm excited for you!

    JustLynn reacted to this

  5. Posted

    1 minute ago, 12345shs16 said:

    I had bypass on July 25th, and I’ve lost 36 pounds. It’s been a while at this weight. I don’t understand how people are at 5 months and have lost 80 pounds!

    It happens. I lost 24 the first week. I lost really quick. I hit 100 pounds in like 4/5ish months. It's insane. Just try to enjoy the ride my friend. Its gets much better. Trust me! You interested in coming to Dr. Fitzer's monthly support group? They are awesome and super supportive. The next one is September 10th at Reston Hopital. Pavillion II, classroom B @6pm.

  8. Posted

    4 minutes ago, FINFAN3DP said:

    That is my huge problem. I will not try anything new. Ever. Which is another reason i'm worried about getting the surgery.

    The will to live will force you to try something new. It's a no brainer. You'll be in great hands. I am beyond pleased with my results and the way I feel. I feel like a "machine"!!! It's awesome. As a former athlete, I feel better now than I did when I was a well trained athlete. I strongly encourage you to come to the next support group like my 2 brothers @gr8ful1 and @reboot mentioned. You'll get all that you could ever ask for while there. Plus I'll be there. I'm kinda awesome!! Hahaha. I hope that you come take us up on our offer. We got your back!!!

    reboot reacted to this

  9. Posted

    3 minutes ago, reboot said:

    I just wanted to give a thumbs up to a few of the things that SampTheChamp and gr8ful1 said. I too had been told for years that I needed to consider this, but always fell into the "I can do this myself if I put my mind to it" trap. The recommendations to look into this started 8 years ago when I was diagnosed with high blood pressure... I ignored them. Then I got sleep apnea - I still said no. Then I had a heart attack - AT 36 YEARS OLD - that still wasn't enough. It wasn't until I found my 2 year old son on top of me screaming"Wake up Daddy" after my blood pressure got so high that I fainted that I decided to do anything.

    I called three different surgeons, then met a patient of Dr. Fitzer. I came in for my appointment and felt good but was still on the fence. It wasn't until I attended one of his support groups, and met, in person a number of his patients that have been through the process (Including these two guys) that I decided to go through with it. In the area - there is no one better than him. I'm 61 days out until surgery and absolutely can't wait. Having seen the new lives that people have been blessed with is beyond words. It will be a whole new life for me, and it can be for you too.

    I strongly recommend you come out to the next group meeting which I believe is on September 3rd in Reston (correct me guys if I'm wrong). In the meantime, you don't have much to lose (except the low cost of the sessions) with starting the nutrition counseling with Jessica - who is awesome by the way! If you decide to go through with it, you'll be glad you got a head start on the counseling which is required by most insurance (mine is 6 months). You really aren't committed to anything until about a month or so before the surgery, so you have that much time to really decide.

    Wow! Well said.

  10. Posted

    19 minutes ago, gr8ful1 said:

    Hi Fin! I too had some serious doubts when I first started considering weight loss surgery four years ago. It's not just a surgery, but a new lifestyle, and you have to get your mind right before you proceed. Would you consider attending a support group? Dr. Fitzer's office offers 2 monthly support groups to his patients. The groups are especially welcoming to pre-surgery patients, and everyone is very open about sharing their own experiences and answering your questions. The support group definitely helped me with my fears and made me feel less alone in my journey.

    By the way, I am exactly 2 weeks out from gastric bypass surgery, and sleep apnea was my only major co-morbidity as well. But I knew that I could be told I have diabetes or hypertension at any given checkup, and I didn't want to wait for that to happen, or worse. I am doing great. I am not disgusted by food now, which was one of my fears pre-op. I feel like I now have a control over food, as opposed to food having control over me. And that is a GREAT feeling. :-)

    Well said man

  12. Posted

    14 minutes ago, FINFAN3DP said:

    Hi All,

    I had my consultation with Dr. Fitzer about a 3 weeks ago. Since then, Heather has called a couple times to set up appt with dietician. I haven't called her back. I'm 390lbs, but have only one health issue, sleep apnea. Everything else is good. I'm scared to make the next step because i don't want to be sick to my stomach for the rest of my life. Happy to read you guys success stories, but still don't know if this is for me.

    Fin

    I understand your concerns, but I am 7 months post op gastric bypass and I'm definitely not sick everyday. This surgery saved my life. I love life everyday. Dr. Fitzer is amazing along with his staff. He knows his stuff. I hope you reconsider. Being heavy like we are, we need something to help us get our lives back on track. This is the chance to do so. I'd do it 1000 times over again. That's how much I love and appreciate the second chance at life. We are all here for you. Please reach out. You wont regret this opportunity. Dont let it pass. At that size, we are all at risk for something to happen at any given second. Time is now. Let's make it happen.

  15. Posted

    22 minutes ago, reboot said:

    I just had my 2nd (and last) visit with Suzanne. I was shocked to get my surgery date right afterwards... October 8 (the day before my 37th birthday). My family was a little irritated by the date, but I'm thrilled. I can't imagine a better birthday present.

    Exactly!!! Congrats bro!!! I had mine done right before Christmas and it was definitely the Christmas gift I could've ever gotten. I'm so pumped for you bro.

  16. Posted

    7 hours ago, Little Green said:

    Yes! You stated this so eloquently. I'm not going to weigh in prior to my 2-week follow-up and then after that I think I'll reserve weigh-ins for once or twice a month. (At my weight it will be awhile before clothes stop fitting so that won't be a good guide for me.) I did the obsessive naked post-BM don't-drink-any-water daily morning weigh-ins for almost two years and it was exhausting and depressing especially when you knew you did EVERYTHING right and the scale wouldn't budge.

    As bari patients we have a program to follow - hydrate, walk, eat nutritious whole foods in small quantities. If we do that, we cannot fail.

    So long, scale!

    Well said.

  17. Posted

    2 minutes ago, gr8ful1 said:

    I know. She's leaving June 1st. That said, Jessica seemed nice, but she really just quietly observed and didn't really interact with me after introductions. She looks like she is still in college (maybe she is graduating this month). So she probably doesn't have a lot of experience with bariatric patients. Hopefully we can still learn a lot from her!

    I just emailed her expressing my sadness of her leaving. Waiting for a reply. Makes me so sad. Shawn, the PA is leaving, or already left. She was with me through my process. That makes me super sad. All new faces now I'm thinking its gonna be so uncomfortable.

  20. Posted

    11 minutes ago, indacrucible said:

    Yeah....I used to be so snappy with my kids if the scale didn’t show what I hoped...my WHOLE family paid for it...

    I don’t need the scale to shame me.

    I know what I’m eating and this is my life now, not a diet. There is no end. So it feels much more like my life than a diet where I’ll hit a number and FINALLY be happy.

    Best of luck to all of y’all!! And sampthechamp- let me know how it goes!

    You Rock!!!! Well said and it's the truth!!!

  21. Posted

    2 hours ago, KimTriesRNY said:

    This is great. I hate how sometimes I’m in a good mood and I step on the scale for my weekly weigh in and if it’s not what I’m expecting, or what I need it to be for my surgeons next goal then my mood is in the dumps the rest of the day. Maybe I’ll be able to put my scale away some day too.

    Yes indeed!! That scale has the power to mess up my ENTIRE day if I don't see what I want to see. Imma try leaving the scale alone for a while and see if that helps settle me down. It's exhausting thinking about weight loss 24/7. I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted from it. We'll see.

    Sleeved36 and indacrucible reacted to this

  23. Posted

    I like your style. I think I wanna try this. I am addicted to the scale and it is so stressful. I'm doing well, but the need to check the scale several times a day is a bit much. I want to start weighing every few weeks. I hope I can stick to it. I think it will do me some good to just focus on how i feel. The weight will come off as long as I do my part. I think your idea is definitely worth trying. Thanks and good luck to you. You are doing great.

    ProudGrammy, indacrucible and Hop_Scotch reacted to this

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