moondoggie1983

Yeah. I’m not a green tea fan, so that’s the only one I passed on. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

This is not giving me a lot of confidence [emoji23]. Thankfully all of them were on a super sale so I only spent $20 instead of the $55 it would have been. I got a snow cone maker off amazon today in the hopes that I can use the protein drinks like a flavoring. If not, then I still have an awesome snow cone maker! [emoji23] HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I don’t know. A couple things I’ve had to change to liquids and one to ODT. The smaller things like lunesta and klonopin go down fine. Still can’t get those Bariatric chewies down. I’ve been able to keep down a lot of water/ice/pedialyte the last couple days. That’s the good news. I had about 3/4 of a cup of egg drop soup tonight and all but a small swallow stayed down. I’m getting protonix and carafate from the pharmacy tomorrow. My PCP called in the liquid form of carafate and my insurance doesn’t cover it (one week =$214!!!!). My pharmacy team knows about my WLS and assured me the carafate tablets that ARE covered by ins can be made into a slurry and they’ll tell me how when it gets changed tomorrow. So that should be fine. Tried isopure orange today. Ick. Got about 1/2 the bottle down but it causes me to get dry mouth and then slime. I think protein is just going to be difficult for me until I get to the retried beans stage. Once I get there I’ll be able to mix in some flavorless Unjury powder. I even tried to jazz up the isopure with some sf kool aid. Better, but the aftertaste and dry mouth are just terrible! I did buy one of every flavor as well as another brand so I’m hoping I can find a winner amongst them. But, feeling better today. Slowly but surely I guess. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

Ok, so I’ve been posting a lot here, so I’m guessing a lot of you are familiar with what’s been going on with me the past 5 days. Here’s my question. Did any of you have a problem with producing WAY TOO MUCH stomach acid after surgery? I’ve started taking 2 Prilosec and 2 nexium a day, but of course that all takes time to really kick in. I’ve been keeping water/ice/pedialyte in pretty well yesterday and today, but at night everything goes NUTS. Last night I was throwing up acid so hard and frequently that it was coming up through my nose (THE BURN!!!!) to the point I was dry heaving. Right after surgery I was having a problem with being hungry all the time and it was suggested then that it was too much stomach acid making my stomach rumble and grumble all the time. I’ve never really had a problem with GERD before. I mean once and a while I’d eat the wrong thing, or too late or too much and I’d get that burn in my throat and chest. But as a whole it was never too bad and a tums here and there worked great. I’m seeing my PCP tomorrow and I’m going to request carafate. Any other suggestions or ideas? Since my opm and deductibles are met after surgery, I’m thinking of asking for another EGD to check out my throat, pouch and upper intestines and getting a biopsy for h pylori while they’re down there. I’m also thinking about a barium swallow test to check out how much acid is firing at a time. Any experiences you guys have had or suggestions would be great, as always. Thanks everyone for putting up with me all the time! HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I went to my wonderful PCP. She has given me prescriptions for carafate and protonix. She also did a CMP to check my electrolytes and such. I’ve picked up some isopure to try out. Not overly impressed with the orange, but it’s also not completely terrible so I guess that’s sort of a win? Lol. I also got some islotech42 to try. It is a little bit of a smaller bottle and has 42g of protein in it. I think I should be able to find a winner somewhere in these. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

Ok. So the water and broth and popsicles stay down easy. BUT I still can’t keep a protein shake down. That’s what’s sticking and popping back up! Did anyone else have a problem with the shakes staying down for the first week or more after VSG? Is it just that they’re too rich or thick maybe? Not sure. But I’m certainly not going to the crappy ER when I can keep myself hydrated, just not protein full at this point. Any thoughts or stories of your experiences would be welcome! As always, thanks everyone! HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG CW: 243.0 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

Just an update: yesterday I was able to keep down 40oz of water/pedialyte/ice and a sf popsicle. So far today I’ve kept down 8oz of broth, almost 40oz of the mix above. I’ve only had 3 episodes of regurgitation (all small). I’ve moved out of my bedroom and into the sunroom again so I can live on the reclining couch. Laying completely flat seems to be terrible for me. I think the 2 Prilosec and 2 nexium are starting to work as well. I still can’t do the chewable vitamins or the majority of my pills. But I feel like I’m getting back on track a little. Going for the isopure tomorrow after my doctor appointment. Need to get at least a little protein in since it’s been 5 days of nothing. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

Oh! Thank you for this! I’ll be checking it out! I just can’t do the shakes right now. I plan on trying some of the isopure too. I’ve read mixed reviews but the majority tend to be positive. I want to try a few single bottles before I invest in an online order though since it’s so expensive! HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I switched to 0 nicotine and my team had no problems with that. For me it’s the physical habit, not the nicotine HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I’m requesting a test for this (I’m 10 days post VSG). Now I’m scared. I hope I don’t have it, but I suppose it’s better to fix it than not. How did you suspect you had it? HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

SAME TO ALL THIS HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

My NUT says about 1000-1200 calories a day. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

Were you as a whole pleaded with the panni, or if you had it to do over again, would you have done something along the lines of the mommy make over? Tummy tuck and boobs together I believe. Since my insurance won’t pay a cent for ANYTHING including the panni, I’m just wondering how you would go about it. Like I said, I’m a long way off from that, but I’m a crazy planner. Thankfully I have a good plastic surgeon here that I already see (Botox for migraines) and he does excellent work. But it’s not going to be cheap no matter what I do. Also, how does the panni work? Do they just remove the apron? Do they fix the belly button placement at all? HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 236 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I’m sure I’ll have the apron. My tummy is my big part too. Since I’m female I’ll need my boobs done too. I also have large arms, but I’m not to worried about the skin there for now. I’ve lost 20 lbs since VSG on5/10/18. I can already see my tummy drooping. Personally my insurance doesn’t cover any kind of reconstruction surgery, but it’s worth it for the health benefits. I can’t get any plastics until my weight has stabilized, so like 18 months to 2 years from now. I was worried about the skin too, but it either happens or it doesn’t. If I feel like I want it later, I’ll get it. But I’m not letting extra skin keep me from getting healthy. If you haven’t done it already, look around on YouTube and IG and stuff for skin pics. It sounds dirty, but it’s actually people who have done these surgeries showing off their extra skin. You’ll see it’s not as bad as you think it’s going to be most of the time. My best advice is, the smaller you are when you have surgery, the less extra skin you’ll end up having. I was able to lose 59 lbs in the year of NUT visits required my by insurance before I could have my sleeve. To me, the extra skin was worth the health benefits. You’ll have to figure out if it’s the same for you. Good luck on your journey! HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 238.6 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

Ok. So I’ve been on my Optifast diet for 10 days. At least 3 shakes a day and then either a bar or a soup. Or just 5 shakes. Any combination of the 5 items as long as I do at least 3 shakes a day. I’m also adding protein powder to these items so I get an extra 21g protein. And I’m averaging 90+ oz of water a day. So that’s the background. Now, I have had my period for 4 days. It is super heavy and I’m so crampy! This is the worst period I’ve had since my early 20’s! And it shows no signs of stopping! I do have PCOS (I was diagnosed at 17). I also have the Nexplanon implant. That’s what’s so crazy! I had it put in January 2017 and after about 3-4 months, I stopped having a period altogether. Has anyone else experienced this? Any idea as to what’s going on here? I’m going to be super embarrassed if I’m still dealing with this in 3 days when its surgery day! [emoji37] HW: 311 CW: 257 SW: We’ll see on May 10! First goal weight: 191 lbs Second goal weight: 159 lbs Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I wouldn’t. I have 4 stages after vsg. Liquid, full liquid, purée and soft, and then normal. Bars aren’t allowed until stage 4. If anything, I’d try a little unsweetened apple sauce, sf pudding or cottage cheese. Maybe even try a scrambled egg. I tried to move into full liquid early, with some strained cream of chicken soup, and now I can’t keep anything down. I’m like 99% sure that the 1/4 of soup I had didn’t cause this, but I wouldn’t take the risk. And I certainly wouldn’t try to move to a full textured and solid good right out of the liquid phase. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 238.6 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I’m just going to throw something random out in this thread. Obviously I’m still not keeping lots down, but I’ve accidentally discovered that if I have something red, the odds of my vomiting skyrocket. I’ve been doing only ice and crystal light lemonade today, and I’ve only thrown up twice. I’m wondering if perhaps I’ve developed a sensitivity to red dye. Since I couldn’t keep my Bariatric chewies down, I bought some flintstones vitamins today because I’m something is better than nothing right? Wasn’t paying attention, chewed up a red one and 5 minutes later it came right back up. I know red 40 can cause hyperactivity in kids (and it actually made my insomnia worse when I was using the cherry sf koolaid). Now I’m wondering if it’s possible that the red dye is messing with me. I’m going to avoid anything red until my appointment on Monday and see how that goes. I just thought it was a weird development. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 238.6 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I had this in the ER a couple days ago when I went in for dehydration. The nurse only personally knew one person who had had a Bariatric Surgery and it was her ex who was 500 lbs. She asked me in a very honest manner why I did it when I wasn’t super heavy like that. We ended up having a really nice discussion about comorbities and such. I even showed her my 4 small and well healing tummy incisions. She was coming from a place of honest curiosity and I got to have a nice moment helping her learn a little more about the subject. When she said I didn’t look big enough to need it compared to the 500 lb guy she knew, I just said Thank You! I’m not overly sensitive about someone saying something like that. I never assume they’re being a jerk and implying that I should have just dieted and crap. Honestly, most people, especially health care people, aren’t back handed like that. I honestly took it as a compliment and then we had a nice conversation for like 20 minutes and she learned new stuff. It worked out well for all involved. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 238.6 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I was a type 2 on Victoza, glipizide and metformin. I stopped the Victoza on day 2 of the pre-op diet because I was bottoming out. The day before surgery I stopped the metformin and glipizide. My highest a1c was 8.1. A few months before surgery I was at 6.2 I had the sleeve on 5/10/18. The first couple days were great minus the 24 hours of gas pain right after surgery. On day 6, things went downhill quickly. I’m not able to keep a lot of liquids or any protein down right now. I’m not telling you this to freak you out or anything because my situation seems pretty rare. I’ll be seeing my doctor on Monday to see what’s up with this. The reason I’m telling you this is because I have had ZERO carbs for 4 days now, and I’ve been fine. On my pre-op diet I was getting between 80 and 120 carbs a day. It’s not that you can NEVER have carbs, it’s that you can’t have ridiculous amounts of them anymore. Instead of eating carbs first thing at your meals, you have to get the protein FIRST. The final sleeve diet isn’t ridiculous. It’s a restriction surgery so you’re only going to be able to eat 1/4-1/2 cup portions to start with (when you finally get out of the liquid stage). The rest is common sense. Don’t eat crap food like cake, pastries, white sugars, bread and pasta. Do eat your protein. Do eat your veggies. Don’t eat fried food or stuff cooked in fats and butters. Eat healthy basically. Does that mean you can never have a piece of cake for your bday? Of course not. But you don’t get to do it often. It’s here that I’m going to tell you that there are two distinct camps of people. Group A believes in everything in moderation. Group B is the never have any bad foods again. I’m camp A. To me, there are no “bad” foods, but only foods that have nutritional value and those that don’t. I know that every diet I failed was because it was a “you can never have THIS again EVER!” diet. It’s fine for a bit, then you give into cravings and binge out. BUT, I notice a lot of the group B people are those who have RNY or DS surgeries rather than sleeve. I believe they’re much stricter because they get dumping syndrome so easily. I’ve rambled on for long enough here I think. [emoji23] But if you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Don’t let your friends failure deter you from something that can prolong and maybe save your life. And remember to research your different options for surgeries. Find the one that’s the best fit for you. Good luck! Message me if you want to ask anything HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 238.6 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

Not so much. I’m on trileptal 3 times a day. I just got the liquid delivered today because I haven’t been able to get the tablets down. I also take lamictal and that won’t go either so I just got the ODT version of that. $89! The klonopin and lunesta I can keep down long enough to get some benefits, but the trazadone is also a no go. And the chewable Bariatric vitamins and calcium? Forget about it! That’s straight to barf city! Basically I just puke all the time now. I had been concerned that the VSG wasn’t working initially because I only lost like 3 lbs in the first 5 days. Thanks to not holding anything down I’m down 17lbs in 9 days. Everything went so well the first 5 days! I should have known it would go to poop soon! I have terrible luck. I hope you’re doing better though HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 238.6 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I still haven’t gotten protein in for about 3 (?) days. Still vomiting everything back up. But I guess I’m keeping down enough fluid to not be super dehydrated. I made an appointment with my PCP for Monday. I’m going to ask about getting an endoscope again to check everything out. I was just regurgitating everything initially, but now I’m actually vomiting. I also had a slight fever yesterday, and my face was hot and itchy (like when you have a sunburn). But I took a little liquid Tylenol and I’m no longer hot and feverish. It seems like it could be an over production of stomach acid, an ulcer, a stricture or any number of things. I had a CT scan during that mess of a hospital visit which came back clear. But it seems like it really doesn’t work for diagnosing anything like ulcers. Honestly my goal is to sleep as much as possible until Monday afternoon. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 238.6 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

All of this. I’m only 8 days out and this is where I am. I also have bipolar meds, but I can’t take them. I did well the first 5 days after surgery and now nothing wants to go down and stay down. I went to the ER yesterday and that was a complete clusterf**k. I’ve made an appointment with my PCP for Monday afternoon. Hopefully she’ll be able to help me out. Let me know if you get this solved. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG 5/10/18 CW: 243.0 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

So I did great with getting my liquids and protein until yesterday. All of a sudden I couldn’t keep anything down. Not even water. No nausea or feeling like crap. No pains or fever or anything. Well, hiccups. Lots of those. But every time I sipped anything, I would salivate like crazy for 20 minutes and then it popped right back up. It never felt like it got to my stomach; rather it was like it got lodged in my upper chest. When it came back up, there were no stomach contractions or stomach acid. So here I am, in the ER. I’m going to be getting some IV fluids and a CT scan. My DO here thinks it’s most likely esophageal swelling where the esophagus meets the new pouch, and the CT scan will show that. I’m sure I’m in for lots of waiting, but I’ll be glad to have this figured out! I’m thirsty and honestly more annoyed than anything. Lol. Keep you guys posted. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG CW: 244.8 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

Just a quick update: I left the hospital AMA. I was there for ELEVEN HOURS. It took 3 hours in the ER to get 1 bag of fluid IV with the reglan and Prilosec. Another hour and a half to get the CT scan. Over an hour to get the results, which were ready after 17 minutes. Then I got another IV (just fluid, no meds) and was taken upstairs to my room. When I hadn’t heard a word from anyone at midnight I walked to the nurses station and asked what was up. I hadn’t had any of my daily meds (some are psychiatric so IMPORTANT) and I’d been sitting with an empty IV bag for 4 hours. Well, turns out my doctor had left for a vacation this evening but decided to be on call and do all his work through the computer system. Well that’s fine, but after FOUR HOURS he still hadn’t submitted ANY orders for me. They tried to email him, no response. They called him, voicemail full. They tried to text him, no response. So I told them to get the paperwork I’m signing myself out. They tried to pull the old BS line about if you leave AMA your insurance won’t cover your stay. Which is bogus. Sorry guys, but I’ve worked in lots of medical fields, including billing, and that’s not true. So, I left. I just got home. I know there are going to be people who think this was a stupid decision, and if that’s you opinion, fine. But for me it was the right way to go for several reasons. One, like I said, I’ve worked in medical. The CT came back clean and I drank 3 full cups of nasty contrast in 60 minutes to have that test performed, so I’m obviously able to take in fluids again. Two, I’ve been dehydrated before (and much worse than this considering I had no dehydration symptoms and was just trying to be proactive) and the typical treatment is 1-3 IV bags and back out the door. Three, not being able to contact my doctor and providing NOTHING, not even my regularly prescribed medications, is completely unacceptable and I would be able to treat myself better at home, for free. And four, if they were to provide me with any prescription medications it would be the reglan and a scopolamine patch. The patch gives me hives and I never was nauseous to begin with. And I would NEVER take Reglan outside of 1-2 IV doses. It has incredibly terrible side effects that are irreversible. These include Tardive Dyskenesia, Parkinsonism, dystonia, depression and suicide (I’m already bipolar so no thanks!) and Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrom. Sorry, but like I said I’ve worked all over in medical, so I know the games. Just an FYI, I was a CPhT, an MA, a CNA, a medical biller and worked in plastics, endocrinology and ENT. So I know the risks. The whole situation was completely unacceptable and I am incredibly disappointed in this facility’s hospital and ER departments. And here’s the real effing problem. The doctor on call tonight? The one who went on vacation and no one could reach? THAT IS MY SURGEON!!! Now, he’s top notch. Best in this area of the US. But, for any type of immediate care, I will be going to my PCP or my PCP’s ER. He can check on my surgical sites, run labs and do weigh ins, but I’ll be taking any serious issues that hopefully don’t pop up to my regular provider. I am MORE than satisfied with the pre-op and actual operation portion of this journey and I would still recommend him AS A SURGEON to anyone. But for follow-up or emergencies? Not a chance. So, agree with my decision to leave AMA or not, but I did, I consider it the best choice for myself and I am independently educated in many aspects of the healthcare system. What I experienced today was complete bull. Oh. And I’ve already had 16oz of water since I got the vending machine on my way out and it’s been peachy keen. I also picked up nexium to add to my Prilosec to decrease my stomachs production of acid each day. Anyway, thanks for being there for me everyone! It meant so much to not be completely alone. I hope none of you have to deal with anything like this. Bless you all and have a wonderful night. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG CW: 243.0 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

[emoji23] I love you Frustr8! You always make my day. HW: 311 SW: 255 VSG CW: 243.0 First goal weight: 209 Second goal weight: 191 lbs Third goal weight: 159 lbs Final Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC