Elisabethsew

You had a great post-op course and recovered fast!

You've already proven you can do whatever you set your mind to so I have no doubt you'll do Kona. Reading your blog and now this post convinced me not to wait until the spring to have my knee replacements surgery. I'm doing it in early Sept. and will complete the rehab and use THAT as my starting point to see where I can go. I might not be able to do all you did/do, but I sure will be able to much more than I can now.

Unlike you, Kate has an army of nannies so she can go off on speaking engagements promoting her books. I never saw the show so I have no idea how she talks to the hubby. As for the octomom, whomever the MD was that implanted her with all those fertilized eggs should be strung up!

Your know darn well we ladies WILL be checking out what happens in this room. I suspect you men will lurk in the powder room as well! LOL. Shhhhhhh... he's sleeping. LOL.

The band and the sleeve are both restrictive procedures. Anything that can get by the band (candy, ice-cream, cookies, etc) can also get down a sleeved stomach. It IS all about good choices. It's also about learning new ways to cope and not turning to food.

I push myself and recover quickly. If you work 12-13 hour shifts, schedule one shift with a day off after it. That way you'll know if you can handle it. I was a little tired but did fine.

They have 3 pools at the hotel. Yes, I did go outside and also went to the pharmacy on the corner by the ER entrance. This is where they bring you for pre-op testing. The first day in the hospital you meet with the medical MD, the anesthesiologist, the assistant surgeon (Campos), and Dr. Aceves. You get 2 pills pre-op and then fall asleep. They tell you when you're going to the OR, recovery room, and then back to your room. The second day I was up walking around, showered, and watched a little TV but mostly checked online to see how my students were doing. Day three you have the final leak test and are given your OR report, your chest x-ray, and your post surgery films to take home along with a 2 week supply of Nexium and some Toradol.

WOW. You certainly went through hell but I'm glad that you, your baby, and the family are all well and happy. You should be commended for being able to keep any weight off given the nightmare you went through. Congratulations on getting a date for the sleeve. You'll find it's nothing like the band and in your case, that's life saving.

Congratulations! You are truly a success story and people like you keep me motivated. I know you're loving your new life.

I'm sorry to hear about your Dad and hope that all goes well for you there.

Is it just me or does anyone really care about Kate & Jon and their brood of kids? Why are they in the news? The ones I feel sorry for are the kids. The money that the family gets for their "reality" show goes to the parents. NOTHING goes into a trust for the kids who, in my opinion, are being exploited for greed. I have never watched the show but am constantly seeing these people in the news and on magazine covers. Sad!

I might not be the biggest Obama supporter but the man is getting flack for taking his wife on a date? Give me a break! The story goes that Obama promised Michelle that he would take her to dinner and a Broadway show once campaigning was over with. He and Michelle boarded a small plane and did just that. The press is claiming that this was a poor choice given the recession that the country is in. Since when can't a couple plan a short trip? It seems to me that we have more important things to focus on in this country than date night for the Obamas.

My surgeon advised no heavy lifting (> 15 pounds) for 4-6 weeks post-op. I walked post-op and then started doing some light exercising at 3 weeks. I'm now back to working out two times a week. I hate exercise but consider it a necessary evil so I do it. LOL. The good news? As the weight comes off, the workout becomes a bit easier allowing you to step it up a bit more. Now that summer is finally here, I'm looking forward to adding swimming to the routine. I have yet to experience that "endorphin" thing. LOL.

Once I got to the soft phase of the pre-op diet, I was in heaven. LOL. Some of my favorites were (and remain), 1/4 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese. I like it as is for breakfast or lunch but you can add Splenda and it tastes like the inside of a cannoli. Add a little cocoa powder to make it a chocolate one. I love tilapia. I take a piece of foil and put the fish on it, cut an orange and drizzle the juice on top, and add a little salt and pepper. Close the foil and toss it on the grill or in the oven at 400 degrees for about 6-8 min. and dinner is done. You can use lemon in place of the orange if you prefer that taste. I can make a meal out of a small sweet potato. I make an "x" in one, toss it into the oven right on the grate and bake it at 500 degrees for 45 minutes. The outside skin peels off easily and the inside is creamy and sweet. I add a little salt and that's it.

I love the idea of making of list of "thing I want to do" and gardening is something I love. I'll be having two total knee replacements in a few months and really feel I'll have my life back once the rehab is over. I also think making long and short term goals with rewards is important. We're working to be healthy and rewarding milestones is a good thing. When I get out of the 200's, I am definitely going to take a weekend trip.

I got a little protein (5 g) from drinking the Kelloggs Lemon Protein Water. Like you, I could not stand the taste of any of the Protein drinks. I called and was allowed to use a soy drink (Soy Slender - health isle of grocery store) that tasted good... no awful taste. It had 8 g of protein, a few carbs and Fiber. Call and ask if you can use it. I started it on day 5 post-op.

MUP means the nexium dissolves in water. Yes, you can take Protonix and yes, you can crush it. The only pills that can't be crushed are ones that say LA (long acting), ER (extended release), and pills that are enteric coated (like some aspirins) because they dissolve in the small intestine, NOT the stomach. If you do get the Nexium in Mexico, ask for the 40 mg mups and break them in half. Dr. Aceves prescribes 20 mg a day for 3 months. Buying the larger dose is cheaper and you get double the amount for a few dollars more. If your Protonix is covered, don't bother with the Nexium.

You make a good point. One of the things I am loving about the sleeve is that no food is a bad food unless I decide it is. With the band, people had a laundry list of what they could not tolerate eating anymore. The sleeve allows me to make healthy choices because no food is not tolerated. Now that fruits and veggies are "in season" I am enjoying them in small portions.

I agree! The Gas X did nothing and I packed too much. Walking and trying to bend down as close to the floor as you can get helped the most.

Congratulations on your decision to have surgery. Dr. Aceves is wonderful and so is the staff. When I arrived at the hospital, "Lucy" was literally waiting at the door for me and pre-op testing began that minute... no waiting at all. My poorest eating habit was portion control. My eyes weren't bigger than my belly and my belly was never full. With the sleeve, you DO feel full and if you try to push that full feeling, you get a wave of nausea. As for drinking with eating, I just don't put a glass or a beverage next to my plate. One time, I did have a bottle of Water near me and unconsciously took a drink. It didn't do any harm but it was at the end of the meal and caused me to feel overly full. I'm a nurse so I know what you mean about eating on the run. You'll still be able to eat your lunch in 30 min but the quantity of what you eat will be a lot less.

I am cutting and pasting the highlights from the thread I started on Protein bar I brought with me, showered, and fell asleep. I took the antibiotic they gave me before I went to sleep but did not take the ativan. At 7 AM on 4/1, I was picked up and taken to my room in the hospital. I was seen by a medical internist who reviewed my tests (all good), an assistant surgeon (who was sleeved the day after me), an anesthesiologist, and finally, by the surgeon, Dr. Aceves. All questions were answered and I was the second sleeve of the day. I got dramamine and versed to take 30 minutes prior to the OR and that knocked me out. LOL. My IV was inserted in the OR and I had spinal and general anesthesia. The spinal dramatically decreases the amount of general needed. Since I don't do well with general (severe nausea), I elected for the spinal too and had NO problems in the recovery room. All I remember about the recovery room was being asked if I had pain... nope, and being told I was going back to my room. I got some IV pain medication at @ 4 AM and then had sublingual (under the tongue) toradol @ 1 PM. For me, this surgery was a lot less painful than the band. At noon, I had to drink small sips of Water. An hour after that I drank apple juice with a blue dye in it. This is the second test (first done in OR) for leaks. I have a drain near where the port was and the hope is that no blue color comes through to the bag. I passed. After that, I was brought hot tea, tang OJ, and apple juice. My IV was taken out this evening. Tomorrow morning, I go for the last leak test and will have to drink a radiograffin substance. If I pass that test (and I have no doubt I will), the drain gets removed at noon. I will leave the hospital at 5:45 AM on Saturday to make my flight in San Diego for home. I have nothing but positive things to say about this experience. As a registered nurse I was very watchful and am impressed with the care, cleanliness, and professionalism I observed. 4/3/09 I just did the last test to make sure there were no leaks and passed. The penrose drain will be coming out in a few hours and I've been walking a lot. I'm packing for the return trip and will be leaving Mexico at 5:45 AM. Dr. Aceves gives you copies of ALL the tests/results you had and writes a brief note so you can give it to your primary physician. They also give you a 2 week supply of Nexium and some sublingual pain medication in case you need it. I've only needed pain medication a total of 3 times since I arrived. 4/5/09 Thanks to everyone. I left Mexico at 5:45 AM yesterday and made it home at 9:45 PM... a LONG trip. The worst part was sitting on the plane so long but I felt much better when I got off and walked the entire length of the airport to the baggage area. My advice is to keep moving. sleeping in my own med was heaven! The hospital gives you a 2 week supply of dissolvable nexium and 8 sublingual pain pills. I took nothing for pain today (post-op day 4). For the first time in years, I laid flat on my back on one pillow and had no heart burn and no regurgitation. The most discomfort is on my left side where the drain was and where they took the port out. It's not unusual to be able to sleep on your left side for several weeks. My suture lines are all healing nicely and the sutures are dissolvable. Continued drainage from the penrose drain is to be expected for up to 10 days or so. I shower and wash with soap, pat dry, and fold a gauze pad over the wound and paper tape it in place. It doesn't drain through. I'm sore and tired and still am trying to move the gas out of my body. Yesterday, my back hurt and now that's gone. Today, it's my left shoulder and when I get up and move, the pain lessens. As for work, I am already correcting dissertation proposals from my students (my P/T job). I will return to work in the hospital on Wed. No heavy lifting is allowed for 4-6 weeks post-op and no swimming or soaking in a tub is allowed until after 15 days (don't want bacteria entering the drain site). I guess that's the update for now. 4/6/09 It's post-op day 5 and I finally feel good. The jet lag is gone and the awful gas pain that landed in my left shoulder is also history. I decided not to take anything for pain (last pill was Sat night) yesterday or last night (slows peristalsis and I wanted the gas gone) and it worked. LOL. I was able to sleep on my left and right sides as well as my back. The most tender spot is near where the port was removed and where the drain was. In my case, those 2 spots are close. It feels like I did 300 sit-ups but the more I move, the better I feel. I tried 5 different protein drinks/powders when I was banded and hated them all. This time, I bought 3 different types and just can't get past the awful protein taste. I called the patient coordinator and asked if I could use a soy based drink that has 7 g protein, 1 sugar carb, 3 Fiber carbs, and 70 cal in 8 oz. Normally, this is not allowed until post-op day 11. Thankfully, I got the OK and Soy Slender is now my best friend. LOL. It tastes like chocolate milk. I also purchased Special K protein water. This product is expensive and only has 5 grams of protein in each bottle (50 cals) but it's a way for me to keep drinking (tastes like a lite lemonade) and get some protein in. The greatest "gift" happened when I decided to bite the bullet and get on the scale... down 7 pounds since Tuesday. 4/7/09 Post-op day 6 went well. I drove to the grocery store and walked all the isles, packed the stuff, loaded the car, and came home and had a lovely Breakfast of tea and soy slender after putting everything away. I must say, looking at all the food in the store did make me crave some favorites but my eye is on getting healthy and healing properly. Because others in the house are not joining me on my liquid diet phase, I spent the afternoon cooking some meals ahead. My preference is to cook a lot, portion it out, and freeze it so there's always something available on days I don't feel like cooking. By the time I was done, I was tired so I caught up on paperwork and now I'm watching some TV. Tomorrow evening, I am going back to work but am easing into it and only working 8 hours. If that goes OK, I'll do my 12.5 hour shift on Thursday. My back is sore and so is the area where the port was but each day is better than the one before. Of course, I can't wait for Saturday... hello full fluids! LOL. The tomato Soup is calling. 4/9/09 It's post-op day 8 and I had no problems doing an 8 hour shift so, tonight, it's back to my regular 12.5 hour shift. I'm tired of the liquid diet but it's only prescribed for another 2 days so I'll survive. I never looked so forward to full fluids. LOL. Chewing gum helps ease the urge to chew. 4/13/09 I was out all day today and had to have some fasting blood work done so breakfast was out. Since it was a nice day, I went shopping with a friend to look for some new tops. At 12:45, she was hungry so we went to a diner. That was fun. I scanned the 7 pages of the menu and came up with 2 choices; soup or a milkshake. I opted for a cup of coffee and matza ball soup minus the ball. LOL. My friend asked if I would be OK if she ordered "real" food which I was fine with. I don't eat beef so the burger didn't bother me but those 2 onion rings and fries did smell wonderful. I ate my soup and was not hungry but it was hard watching all that food come out to a crowded diner. Once I was out of there, we went back to shopping and I never felt hungry. I'm now home and not physically hungry at all. 4/14/09 I am already bored with full fluids. LOL. I don't like the protein powders and am not getting in the required protein. I got a little inventive and diluted 1/3 cup of part skim ricotta cheese with some skim milk to get it to the tomato soup stage of thickness and found that to be very satisfying. Coffee still takes weird but I do have a cup in the AM. THAT is the one thing I really miss. I go to a soft diet on Saturday so the protein sources will be more plentiful. One thing I do enjoy is hot chocolate. I found one that's only 25 calories and it makes a good dessert. 4/16/09 I am now 15 days post-op and I think I have felt physical hunger twice in that time. It's strange not to feel hungry because it's a first for me. I was always hungry with the band. 4/18/09 Today, I was able to advance my diet from full fluids to soft. My body is craving real food and I decided on tuna fish salad for lunch. Knowing I get full fast, I opted for coffee only for breakfast. I was able to enjoy 1/3 cup of tuna salad with no bread or lettuce. I have not been getting in the needed daily protein so I wanted to maximize the good calories and did not feel ready to try soft bread. I ate slowly and enjoyed lunch and the amount filled me up. With a lot more opportunities for adequate protein intake on a soft diet, I am VERY glad to be done with the full Fluid phase. As per post-op instructions, I will not advance to solids until 30 days out from surgery... May 2. 4/20/09 I prepared some homemade lasagna tonight and cut a piece that was about 4" square to have for dinner. It was about 2" high and I was only able to eat about 2/3 of the portion. I am learning to listen to my body telling me I am full. Since I never had restriction with the band, this is a whole new learning curve for me. Taking "one more bite" would have resulted in an over stuffed and uncomfortable feeling. My "normal" way of eating would have been to consume a piece double the size I cut and go back for more. It's new, but nice, to "feel" full after a reasonable amount of food intake. 5/1/09 I had my surgery one month ago today and have lost 18 pounds. Tomorrow, I advance to a regular diet. I'm not hungry, I feel restriction, and I feel great. As far as the soreness goes, I was out planting flowers one week after surgery. I felt some twinges where the port was removed at the 2 week post-op point but it was nothing. All the incisions are healed nicely and I'm back to exercising. 5/4/09 On May 2, I was allowed to go back to an unrestricted diet and eats solids. I am still surprised at how little I am eating and at how much I need to chew food in order to get it down. This is something I never had to do with the band as food easily went down with that. All my gherlin must have been cut out because I never feel hungry and I notice that I get the hiccups when my stomach is full. It takes just a small amount of food for me to feel full and I'm in no hurry to go back to solids.

I am feeling great. I went back to work in a week and have actually slept on one pillow flat on my back since coming home from Mexico. Prior to the revision, I stopped eating and drinking 6-8 hours before I went to bed in the hopes I would not wake up gagging on stomach acid. I finally took to sleeping in a chair.

I've only had my surgery shy of 2 months ago so I'm still dealing with my food addiction and will be for quite some time as I have a lot of weight to lose. I did read that many successful weight loss people develop substitution addictions. I can easily see myself having to resist becoming a shop-a-holic and will probably have to use a lot of restraint to stop myself from buying too much. Wearing cute clothes in small sizes is something I always wanted to do but never could. Has anyone suffered from this? Anyone worried about it?

You ladies are just days away from your new life! I know you're excited and you better keep us posted. :-)

After suffering with the band, I decided to revise to the sleeve and am just shy of 2 months post-op. I dealt with a lot of guilt when I had the band because I followed all the rules but could not make the band work for me. My banding surgery took place over 3 years ago and we weren't hearing much about complications when I decided to have the procedure. Now, more people are coming forward and it seems like people either do great with the band or regret the day they decided to get one. It seems like a lot of people are deciding to revise to the sleeve and I haven't met anyone who is not happy with his/her decision. I wanted to feel full on small amounts of food and that's what the VSG does for me. My heartburn and relux are gone and I'm able to eat healthy foods again. The band actually prevented me from eating fruits, vegetables, and a host of other things and I'm loving being able to eat anything in small amounts. I look forward to hearing how others are doing.