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Deegirl31

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Posts posted by Deegirl31


  1. On 03/04/2020 at 09:05, Bezy said:






    Guuuuuurl, that is rough 😞 I love Atlanta, but I would not want to drive from here to there daily (hubby does). Orlando is thick now too, no safe place (she lives in Winter Park for now). Wave at us in a few weeks as we whip through Tampa (long reach, I know LOL). I am so glad that things are getting fixed for you!




    Did you ever have a way to contact Star by phone or email directly? Messaging them through that website doesn’t seem to work at all (In fact I almost didn’t use them because I had filled out the paperwork and kept messaging /emailing them and nobody ever responded).






    I do love Atlanta also, same here about the commute though. Lol. Ya I don’t drive in Orlando especially with the I4 Ultimate project, the construction is crazy and confusing! I will surely wave as you come through. Winter Park is beautiful, especially down town. We take the Sunrail sometimes to Winter Park when family comes to visit.

    I never use the site. I call them directly and leave a message and the Dr calls back directly or whom ever you are trying to reach there. The nutritionist actually gives you her person cell to text her with any questions or concerns you have regarding weight or diet. I just saw about the gas. Yes, you will have gas and it is painful, I was only in pain for about 2 days that’s it. They do encourage you to walk, walk and walk. That’s what I did and it really helped. I have had ZERO complications since the surgery. Just now dealing with the hernia complications.


  2. On 03/04/2020 at 08:17, Bezy said:






    Super interesting on the insurance flying you around! Isn’t it amazing the random differences in health insurance!




    I saw Gorjala, apparently my endo (a woman I very much trust) brought him to town (don’t know the back story) and thinks a lot of him. She also likes Lin and the two at John’s Creek (the latter is far too far!). I agree though, overall the requirements are not on the bad side (he doesn’t require a sleep apnea test for everyone which is good and is flexible for those driving in (me me me LOL - it’s a long way across metro Atlanta anywhere near rush hour).




    sounds as if I might be near the same diet - my BMI is 35 (well rounded up). I am 5’7” (truthfully 5 7.5) and 222 (although their scale weighed me in boots etc at 236?! so assume they took some off that, still wow!). Because I had so much weight loss before and got a Tummy Tuck, I also have very little stomach (they took 11 lbs of skin during thatm egads). Honestly, I just pray it means they won’t pump a lot of gas is me as during my hysterectomy that was the bad part!




    What section of FL? My sister is in Orlando (doc there) but leaving for CO soon, family also in Sarasota and we cruise out of there often (Tampa next).


    I actually was shocked with the insurance, it’s not through our regular health plan, its like an add-on that my husbands company has. Every procedure they cover is based on The Dr’s recommendation and not insurance guidelines. The only requirement is our deductible has to be met. It’s really a nice benefit.

    I was supposed to see Dr. Gorjala but he only sees patients on certain days. I was nervous about Dr. Lytle but ended up completely at ease. A little back story, I did not want the surgery, but all of my local doctors said I needed it. My BMI was only 32 I weighed 188 and am 5’0” and had been on weight watchers after a botched hysterectomy. I had gotten up to 201. I developed a large incisional hernia and no one would fix it until I was down to my ideal weight and weight watchers and gym was not doing it fast enough. My regular insurance would not cover it because my BMI was to low, I was only borderline diabetic, and no cardiac issues or high blood pressure. I was going to file a complaint with the health insurance and our insurance advocate told me about the program. Dr. Lytle reviewed my medical records and had to convince me that my local Drs were right and that I needed to have this surgery to get the hernia fixed. I just met with a local surgeon for the hernia, through the same program and found out how bad things really are, but because I had the surgery I can be fixed. All of my large and small intestines are outside of where they are supposed to be and I have no stomach wall so they need to rebuild it. I will lose my belly button.

    I live in Central Florida half way between Daytona and Orlando. My next surgery will be in Orlando at ORMC. Atlanta is huge and I do not miss driving around there. Thankfully we were staying in Sandy Springs around the corner from the hospital. We did travel to Centennial Park when we were there for consult. The traffic is horrible there so I can understand your concern. Lol. I want to wish you luck with everything. It sounds like you have been through a lot yourself. I know everyone at Bariatric Innovations will take great care of you! The trip was well worth it. I wanted Dr. Lytle to fix my hernia also and he agreed to do it, but I needed to consult with a local surgeon first. If it wasn’t so far I would have gone with Dr Lytle but because of the seriousness of the hernia I decided to go with a local surgeon to avoid all the traveling.


  3. 02/29/2020 05:55 PM, Bezy said:






    That was quite a drive for you!





    Usually insurance still levies requirements unless in some extremely rare case where it’s done on an emergency basis. But I really am taking about on the surgeon’s requirements 🙂. Do you remember if it specifically said EKG or it just said cardiac clearance? The paper I have says Medical or cardiac clearance but the info itself doesn’t specify particular requirement (as to certain test) on that (since there are many cardiac tests that can be done of different complexities). Do you mind sharing with me how old you were at the time? Thanks!




    (PS thank God I stopped smoking more than a decade back - I have two insurance policies but their requirements aren’t bad at all and I already had a sleep apnea and scope set up for my own knowledge so at least not a huge and horrible list)


    Actually my insurance company paid for my flight and cost of the surgery. My husbands employer carries an umbrella policy for medically necessary surgeries with tops surgeons all over the United States. 


    Anyway, yes I needed a cardiac clearance, which was an EKG, required by Dr. Lytle. I was 2 weeks away from my 50th birthday 8/15/19. Congratulations on quitting smoking so long ago. You will love Dr. Lytle, he is easy going but open and honest. His requirements are not super strict in my opinion. 


  4. On 02/29/2020 at 14:29, Bezy said:








    Hi!! Could you tell me what the requirements were that the surgeon asked for (vs. the insurance company)?


    Hi Bezy,

    I have extenuating circumstances so there was no medical insurance requirements because it was strictly for medical reasons. The office required the following:
    Testing:
    EKG, colonoscopy, endoscopy, psych evaluation, support group. They also give you information to watch videos online to understand the procedure and the transition.

    Diet:
    Depending on your weight at your meeting with the nutritionist, the pre-op diet (for me) was 2 weeks soft, 2 days liquid. Yours will be based on your specific situation, so it may be longer I believe. You MUST BE SMOKE FREE and they will test you, No carbonation and no caffeine. I hope this is the info you needed and it helped. They will give you a packet once you meet with the surgeon and nutritionist.


  5. 2 hours ago, LisaDee1 said:

    Hi LisaDee1,

    Dr. Lytle is an AMAZING Dr!! You will love him and his staff at Bariatric Innovations of Atlanta! He is kind, compassionate and very honest about everything from beginning to end! He is quick with responding to any questions you have at any time. The entire staff is friendly and helpful. They truly saved my life emotionally. I have had no problems at all getting in contact with the nutritionist, or Dr. Lytle for any follow-up care needed over the phone. They will work with your local doctors as well, being that you are out of state. I have NO complications from surgery, he is very careful and thorough. I am 6 months out.

    Good luck with your upcoming surgery, you are in excellent hands. I hope this helps.

    PS since we will be surgeon sisters, please feel free to reach out to me at any time. I’m very happy for you!


  6. On 08/05/2019 at 18:23, Nay143 said:

    Awww no problem hun, thank you for your kind words. When is your surgery? Which one are you having? Xxx

    Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

    My surgery is August 15th I am having the sleeve. The rest of this week and next is going to fly by. We are flying to Atlanta for the surgery, so I have lots going on. I have a phone pre-op this week for the hospital. Then dr pre op next Tuesday and hospital pre op next Wednesday then surgery Thursday.


  7. On 08/05/2019 at 16:22, Nay143 said:

    Good luck to all of you having your surgery in August.
    I had mine gastric bypass Roux-en-Y on the 2nd july 2019 so I'm 4 and half weeks post op. Its early days but I'm doing well. The clear liquid stage was hard for me, my surgeon likes his patients to do 3 weeks liquid, 2 weeks pureed, 2 weeks soft foods. I think as long as you prepare in advanced you will be fine. I found alot of Protein powders and shakes to be sickly or too sweet after, so I've stocked up on unflavoured Protein Powder. I can't wait to start the soft foods diet.
    I'm surprised how quickly I was up and about after surgery. It helped to relieve the gas pain. I was very constipated for the first week, but then I was fine. The only thing which I'm struggling with is dairy, I have to go to the bathroom straight away if I've had any. I was told it was normal for the stomach to be sensitive to dairy after, that some cant tolerate it at all and others are ok after a few months.
    Also I was shocked to all the noises my stomach makes, it's like a rumbling growling noise, as if your hungry.

    Wishing you all the best on your weight loss journeys!

    I look forward to hearing from you and your experiences. xxx

    Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For sharing and updating your experience after surgery. I’m so exciting for you and that all has worked out well so far for you. Best of luck on the rest of your journey and positive thoughts that it’s as smooth as possible.


  8. On 08/05/2019 at 16:17, Azlanie said:



    I am currently on day 3 of the pre-op liquid diet. This was my first day on it at work, and of course, there was an ice cream social. My coworkers were awesome though and did not eat around me, so that was much appreciated! I'm surprised by how little hunger I am feeling. I contribute this to sipping Water all day and spacing my Protein shakes/jello/broth out every 2 or so hours.




    I feel better today than I did Saturday or Sunday. Yesterday I woke up with a killer headache. Today, the tylenol seemed to take care of it. I have been peeing a LOT. I think once an hour or every other hour or so.




    My preop diet is as follows:




    4 Protein Shakes per day




    4 cups of raw vegetables (or 2 cups cooked) - but no starchy veggies. I am enjoying broccoli, carrots and zucchini for now, but will have to drop the broccoli and carrots 3 days prior to surgery




    Unlimited: sugar free popsicles (not red), Jello (not red), broth, Decaf coffee or tea, sugar free juices, water




    Day before surgery: Clear Liquids, no Protein




    We can do this!


    I know you got this! It’s interesting to read the different ways the doctors do things from pre-op to post-op. I wish you the absolute best on your surgery and will be watching and supporting you!


  9. On 04/02/2019 at 20:33, nssmia said:

    Was scheduled for a sleeve recently. Then I cancelled it and decided to try weight watchers (for the 4th time) after 1 month very minimal weight loss. Currently 198 and 5ft 6in. My goal weight is160. One part of me says just keep struggling with weight watchers . The other part say go for the surgery. I'm 66 yrs old and in good health except for sleep apnea and gerd. Any suggestions much appreciated

    Sent from my SM-J727V using BariatricPal mobile app

    Hi nssmia, this is just my personal input. I am having the sleeve strictly for medical reasons. I am 50 pounds from goal, I too was on WW and I still do Walking CD’s with Leslie Sansone. It is low impact but works! The WW and exercise is just not enough to lose the weight to fix an incisional hernia, which is getting bigger. Ultimately the decision is yours, however if I did not have this issue, I have no doubt I would have lost the 50 pounds between WW, the Walk CDS and Gym. I know you can do it too! You got this! BTW I will be 50 on 8/31 my surgery date is 8/15.


  10. On 08/05/2019 at 14:57, PatsyB said:





    Me also! We can go through this together if you want. I’m nervous but making the best of it. Good luck with everything on your journey ❤️






    That's awesome! We're like Surgery Sisters! Have you started the preop diet yet? I did and it's a killer! The only thing keeping me going is knowing what good lies ahead. Good luck!!


    Hey! Gosh it took forever to find your response so I could respond. Not sure how the site works. Anyway, I love that we are Sisters now and we can certainly go through this together! Yes I have started the diet, not to bad right now. Low calorie, low fat high Protein for 7 days, then liquid diet for 4, the 3 days clear liquid. There has to be a way we can keep in touch easier than searching through pages of comments. Lol


  • On 07/26/2019 at 20:07, Midnightsun said:



    Hi, I am so sorry for everything you have been through. I myself had the sleeve June 8, 2019 for health reasons. I lost 20 lbs already and I feel good. It is so nice to not be hungry all the time. I also had a hiatal hernia repaired. I would say you already answered your question. I put on a few pounds so I would qualify and made my mind up and never looked back. I was taken off my blood pressure medicine after 1 week. I am off my Meloxicam now for my inflammation and I am doing well without it right now. I take the meloxicam and Stelara for my psoriatic arthritis. You need to do what is best for you, if you need the hernia surgery do whatever you need to get it done. This is something that could change your life for the better. If I were you I would go for it. I am glad I did. Sometimes it easier to just make a decision and not question it. Just keep going forward. Good Luck to you.


    Thank you! I have decided to move forward and surgery is August 15th. I am very happy with the way things are going and feel it is absolutely the best decision I could make for myself. I know in my heart it can only get better from here. Thank you for your encouraging words and best to you on your continued journey. 😊😊


  • On 08/02/2019 at 00:53, Deedee12 said:

    I had my preop class and my surgeon does not require any preop "liver shrinking diet"! I was shocked and I definitely asked why and their answer was "it doesn't change or affect outcome"[emoji848][emoji848]
    So no preop diet, a light Breakfast the day before and then Clear Liquids until midnight and then Water up until 2 hrs before surgery [emoji50]
    Luckily all my anticipated preop prep groceries were still in my Amazon cart ready to buy.

    Also, they didn't emphasize protection shakes, drinks etc. They want real food except if Meal Replacements are ABSOLUTELY necessary depending on how one tolerates food.....uhmmmm...

    Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

    Deedee12 you are kinda lucky. I have been struggling with what to buy. I have bought and returned so much to the store already and I’m 4 days in. I have to be on low calorie, low fat low carb diet for 7 days, then liquid diet for 4 then clear liquids for 3.


  • On 07/24/2019 at 00:38, Deedee12 said:

    Hello Deegirl31 Yes it's absolutely normal!!! Especially after a previous bad experience with infection!
    Just keep reminding yourself how safe this surgery is and due to previous complications, extra precautions should be taken by both you and your surgical team.

    If I were you, I won't cancel or reschedule as your anxiety is normal and protective.
    Keep watching/reading successful surgeries and recoveries should help ease your mind.

    PS:
    Our names are very similar and your surgery date is a day before mine! I'll be watching, praying and cheering you on as you go before me.
    Cheers to seeing you on the other side soon

    Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

    Deedee12 thank you! I honestly didn’t know why it was happening. I try to read as much positive information as I can and I do feel this is the best decision for me. I love looking at the before and after and reading all the success stories. I’m not trying to seek attention or be self-serving I’m just more nervous than I thought I was I guess. I’m trying to get as much information I can. Having any more surgery is terrifying to me and I have to have one more after the sleeve. Which is the reason for the sleeve. I am very confident in my surgeon, he gets my history and understands my situation so much I cried. It’s hard to find a dr that “gets it”. I noticed our names, and it’s really neat we are a day apart! I will be watching out for you and praying for success as we go through this together. Thank you for your great advice, I do feel better about what’s happening. ❤️


  • I’m scheduled for surgery on August 15th. I had a bad experience the last surgery I had. Not with anesthesia, but had a bad infection after. Lately I have been having dreams about going under. A few days ago I woke up yelling no and felt like I couldn’t breathe. Last night I had another dream I kept trying to take the mask off. Is this normal? Should I reschedule until this subsides.


  • On 07/20/2019 at 09:41, FluffyChix said:



    So I had same experience as @GradyCat—nothin much jacked with me except heavy calorie dense foods. My tastes did change in that I now crave healthy, clean, light foods. Still don’t eat many casserole type high cal junk—just don’t want it. Protein drinks did taste sweeter but that was easily handled. I just dilute the clear ones with Water or tea and dilute the creamy ones with Decaf coffee, Decaf teas and Greek yogurt and cultured cottage cheese. NBD.




    i have a firm philosophy with my self —it’s called “The suck-it-up-buttercup” defense. I went into the surgery with a hardline attitude that I wasn’t gonna allow my new anatomy to make me its little bi*ch. So anytime a food didn’t sit well I’d set it aside for a couple weeks then retry. I can now eat all.the.foods. I knew I wanted to get in, get out and get on with living my best life and didn’t want to get stuck in the attention/seeking loop that is our pre-surgery and post-surgery life. By definition we must focus selfishly on ourselves and I wanted to minimize that phase for the sake of my rl relationships.




    I wasnt 100%perfect—no one is, but mindset is important and can make a difference to everything even post op food tolerances!!!


    Thank you! Me too! My plan is go into this head first and to just do what I have to do! The eating thing just got me. Thank you for the advice!


  • Hi again, I am nervous nelly... I have been reading A LOT of support groups and many people are saying that after surgery they hate food, food makes them sick, Water makes them sick, certain foods they loved they now hate, certain drinks they loved and now hate. Is this a normal thing? What causes this? I have a plan and am preparing by trying different things and trying to figure out for example which Protein Shake I like best, which water flavor I like best, saving recipes to try from purée foods, to Frozen slushy drinks ( I live in Florida) to have to still get my water intake and help with nausea. I’m just worried all this effort will be for nothing? Am I wasting my time? Should I just wait until after? Do your taste buds change? What is happening?

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