GassyGurl

I had the patch, but left it on 3 days. Actually I forgot about it. My vision was blurry, and slowly got better over a few days. Nurse said it's normal.

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Hope you feel better soon! Mine comes out on Monday. Not because of stones, but because it's non functioning. Has been since before my sleeve last August. just wish I knew it back then. Good luck!

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I was given a 'start this now' diet. Then there was a preop diet based on Bmi. My start now diet was basically the Atkins diet. High Protein, low carb.

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My high bmi was 35.4. I had to be super careful not to drop below 35 or my insurance wouldn't cover me. I had to do 6 months of supervised weight loss, and not be able to lost 2 lbs. For other reasons, I had to be self pay VS use insurance.

I and am down a total of 59 lbs, and the Dr told me he thought losing 60 lbs was a realistic expectation. I'm 9 months out and have no regrets.

I would make sure you understand your insurance requirements inside and out. Don't rely on what the surgeon or anyone else tells you, get clarification from your insurance company. When you're on the edge (35/36), you might have to maintain your weight and not lose too much. It depends on what your insurance company wants. 6 months of weigh in? Or a starting weight.



My consult wasn't much different than any other Dr visit. Weigh, BP and vitals, wait, wait and finally see the Dr. Some of the visits would have been with the counselor, and some with the nutritionist. My practice provided me with a binder and setup 6 months worth of appointments and even my surgery date during my consult.

If you're googling or searching, try the keywords low bmi, or lightweight. Good luck!

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If it was me, I'd question the Dr. Why does he recommend them? Is it specific to your bmi/history/situation? Or does he recommend that for all patients? I found my surgical practice would drop some requirements when asked. At least you'd understand their reasoning.

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So, I didn't have an open incision exactly like yours. But I did have one of my incisions where the glue came out and left a gaping (few mm) deep hole. I could see muscle, I swear. My Dr had me keep it dry and covered, and it healed slowly from the inside. New skin grew in and eventually it closed.

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I paid $9000 in Ft Lauderdale with Bariatrix, FL. Most places I talked to in the US do not include preop testing. I had to have ekg, bloodwork and a psych consult, but my insurance covered all of that. My experience was wonderful.

Dr Taggar and Dr Wizman are part of Bariatrix, FL. Dr shillingford is also at the same hospital and has a great self pay price.

Dr Umbach at Blossom bariatrics in Las Vegas also has a great self pay program.

All of these will probably require a hotel room either for your companion, or a night before/after. If you truly want all inclusive, look into Mexico. At first, it sounds scary, but once you review testimonials it sounds better than the US. Plus, preop testing and hotels are normally included. Overall, it's a great option.

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32 minutes ago, proudgrammy said:

@GassyGurl

with any/all liquids you dump??

you are dehydrated always?

am i understanding what you said?

kathy

not all liquids. and not all the time. I am not dehydrated as I drink Decaf coffee and plenty of propel.

for example - I drink the same Premier Protein shakes every day. 1 out of 10 times I will get a fast heartbeat (120), feel tired. sometimes I'm so groggy I almost pass out. Nurse/PCP and surgeon all say dumping! the other 9 times I drink the shake, no issues.

We're allowed high Protein Cereal soaked in milk on our plan. same problem. no problems with dry cereal. only wet.

thick oatmeal w/protein powder and flax seed is fine. same mixture, but runny = problems.

Soup? cant eat it. broth is ok, but any sort of creamy soup with Protein Powder (even low fat) = same problem

I can eat sugar fine. I can tolerate carbs. like I can eat a small red potato. but mash it up with a little fairlife milk ? dumping!

it was frustrating at first, and still is at times as it's not predictable. but I know it will pass, and I've never had any sort of bathroom problems related to it, so I just grin and bear it. and make a note of it. I have wondered if there is a slight blood sugar issue occurring, but haven't pursued it. i am still in the pre-diabetic range (low end) even though I'm at a normal BMI and have lost 60#.

So, I'm sure all of this googling has shown that leaks are rare. From what I've read, you would know if you had a leak, no doubt. And as far as I know, all surgeons test for leaks, either in the Or with air, blue dye, or a swallow test later on.

Congrats on your surgery, sounds like you're doing well. Except for the Gerd. Are you taking an acid reducer?

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Don't stress too much. There are plenty of people who get at least two of them fixed at a time, and there are people who have all three done. I had a type Ii hiatial hernia and it was fixed with a few stitches. Some Dr's seem to have wonky rules, but let's just hope yours will fix them all at once.

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Our nurse is fond of saying 'dry is deadly'. So true for me! For me, taking a sip makes it worse and I hurl. Luckily it's only happened 2 to 3 times. I've had to tell myself it's OK to skip it or pitch it if it's dry. No guilt!

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Thats who I used. Nicole was super easy to talk to. No complaints.

I wasn't really dizzy, just groggy. My eyes were blurry, and I couldn't read my phone very well for a few days. The nurse walked with me once, but then was convinced I was steady on my feet and cut me loose.

Good luck!

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My emergency c-section was 26 years ago, and much worse than my sleeve surgery. With the c-section, I was throwing up, and allergic to the pain meds. For the sleeve, no nausea or vomiting, no pain (except gas) and I felt great. Night and day!

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I woke up in the recovery room around 11am and was awake the rest of the day. I asked for ice, but was only given mouth swabs. Wanted to use the bathroom, but the nurse brought me a bed pan. I felt a little foggy, but fine. I didn't even get pain meds till I got to my room, but I didn't need them. And I transferred myself from one bed to another when I got to my room.

I was shocked how great my experience was.

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10 hours ago, The Dora Milaje said:

I have dumping, but I had it for years (pretty much all of my life) before surgery so it's not surprising it would continue for me. I have dealt with this so long and any food can cause it for me so no rhythm or rhyme to it.

I think I have experienced it pre-surgery too. back in the day, if I drank a sugary drink, i'd get all of the dumping symptoms. I just never knew what it was. anything like a wine cooler, glass of OJ or syrupy sweet drink would almost always do it. and I was like 120#.

from my understanding, there are 2 types of dumping. the more immediate early type, and late dumping syndrome. late dumping has many of the same symptoms, but cam include hypoglycemia.

I know there are better sources than wikipedia, but according to wikipedia, about 75% of people have early dumping and 25% get late dumping. I get mostly early dumping, but have had late dumping a handful of times. for me, it's much worse, as my blood sugar goes haywire.

HW: 195, 44 inch waist. Size 16
CW: 137, 33ish inch waist, size small, or 4-6
GW: 130ish

Still learning every day! In need of toning and a Tummy Tuck. But loving the new healthier me.

 

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I took 4 weeks, because I could. I was out doing yard work in under a week. I did get tired around the 3 week mark and took a daily nap for about 3 - 4 days. My nurse said my body was relearning where to look for fuel. I wish I took 6 weeks! I haven't had that much time off in 26 years and it was fabulous.

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Has anyone gotten by and been happy with less than a Tummy Tuck?

I have had an apron since 1991. Got up over 195, and even now at 137, I still have a flap that covers my hip bones, and hangs down about 3 inches. I am pretty sure there is still a lot of fat in there vs just skin. above my belly button seems ok, but I wouldn't object if it were flatter. Right now, I can wear a size 4 shorts, but I still have a pooch so I cover it with a shirt. now that it's getting hot, the rashes are coming back. ~sigh~

Obviously a full TT is the best way to get it all tight, and flat. But I'm not sure if it's bad enough for a TT, so I have been pondering if I would be ok with some Lipo. Based on pictures I've seen online, and stuff I've read, I think either a panni, mini TT or enhanced TT would be what I'm looking for. But I figured I'd consider less extreme sounding options such as lipo too.

if you had just lipo, what kind? pretty much no chance insurance will cover anything for me. I don't want to bear my stomach. no bikinis for me! I dont want a Fleur De lis either. no vertical scar. I just want to get rid of the pooch that's been left over since my C-section almost 27 years ago.

what does everyone else do? go big or go home? or think something is better than nothing?

thanks!

I wonder if I'm having a form of reactive hypoglycemia. From what I read, it's all lumped together but reactive hypoglycemia has a drop in blood sugar too. I'm still in the pre-diabetic range but my Dr isn't concerned nor has advised me to test sugar. Just one of those things I wonder about. But the bottom line is always 'don't eat that'. I wish it was that easy!

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I am a sleeve patient and dump with liquids or liquidy soupy food. Sometimes a Protein Shake will do it, and it isn't necessarily tied to sugar, fat, carbs for me. I get heart palpitations and am very drowsy. No bathroom problems. It sucks!

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My Dr told me I could take NSAIDS with no restrictions. A few Dr's allow it with a Ppi. Some not at all. Even the two Dr's in the my practice have different viewpoints. Do the research yourself, have an intelligent conversation with your Dr, and understand the risks.

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I'm 9 months out and have this same pain. My PCP called it colon cramps (sort of like IBS) since I didn't have the typical gall bladder symptoms, except pain. Since it's still there, we are doing another ultra sound and hida scan to see if it is a sick gall bladder. She also prescribed me a medicine for stomach cramps, and it's helping. It's called hyoscyamine. Definitely check with your Dr if you get the nausea, vomiting and funky colored stool. I felt better after reading plenty of stories of other sleevers who found relief from this medicine.

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I am not sure about the tablets. I mix the ground flax in oatmeal, or yogurt. i'm looking for other ideas too.

I just learned too that if you can ground your own, even better. the store bought ground version degrades after a while, according to our nutritionist. i'm not sure what timeframe, but my next go around might be whole flax that I put through my coffee grinder. maybe do a weeks batch at a time.

but I like your idea of trying for 3 months, then waiting for blood work. this is hard enough as it is. I certainly dont need to grind my own if store bought helps sufficiently.