Elisabethsew

The general trend in medicine is 3 weeks to heal and 6 weeks to be fully recovered so 6 weeks is what I use.

My "trigger time" seems to be late afternoon. I'm done with cleaning, laundry, etc., and dinner is usually planned out and/or ready to go so I have some "down" time. Once I have dinner, I can't fit in any desserts or anymore food or drinks. LOL.

I maintain that no matter what surgery you have, the real work is developing new coping patterns and breaking bad habits. My free time is very limited because I work a FT and a PT job. However, I do find I think about food when I get the chance to do nothing and that includes watching TV. One of the things I enjoy, and haven't done in a long time, is counted cross stitch and other forms of needlework. I went out and got a small project to do. The idea is to keep my hands busy so they can't pick up food. LOL.

I think what I like the best about the sleeve is that you have no food restrictions. I've read countless posts where people could not tolerate fresh fruit, vegetables, rice, salads, the list goes on and on. I just tore up some iceberg lettuce, cut 4 cherry tomatoes in half, put 2.5 oz tuna on top, and used the Walden's zero cal/carb/fat dressing to complete the salad. I ate 3/4 of it. Eating healthy and not having any GI complications is perfect!

The ability to drink faster than others likely is related to the degree of post-op swelling. I've been on an unrestricted diet for a little over 2 weeks and don't have any difficulty drinking.

I don't absorb iron so I had no desire to have a procedure that used malabsorption for weight loss. That excluded DS and bypass. I got the band and suffered with it for a little over 3 years. It gave me more problems than I bargained for and did not allow healthy eating (I am speaking for myself only). I got the band out and revised to a sleeve and am VERY happy I did so. You feel restriction the minute you begin drinking fluids and you just can't eat a lot at one meal. With both the band and the sleeve (restrictive weight loss) you CAN gain weight. Low fiber, high calorie foods will slide right down so it's not a be all/end all situation. The sleeve requires no follow-up, no fills, and you don't have a foreign device in your body. Investigate all your options but don't let one surgeon tell you what surgery you should have. Often, surgeonss suggest procedures they can do easily and are expert at over the more difficult surgeries that they lack the skill to perform.

The surgeon makes all the difference. I made an appointment 4 months ago with mine and June is the earliest I could get. I'm looking at early Sept. for the surgery. :-(

I absolutely hate exercise and I think gyms are akin to torture chambers. LOL. In June, I am seeing an ortho surgeon and will be scheduling both knees for total joint replacements. Cortisione injections are no longer working so, the time I dreaded has arrived, and two total knee replacements are inevitable. For anyone doing joint replacements, they tell you that the easiest post-op rehabilitation occurs when you do pre-op strength training. For the past 6 months I have been doing just that with a personal trainer who comes to my house for an hour twice a week. I can't put any weight on my knees (kneeling is out) but he works around my limitations and succeeds in killing me. LOL. I wish I could like exercise and am hoping that once I get new knees and am out of the pain I live with on a daily basis, I'll start to like it more. Until then, I'll continue to pay for torture sessions with the trainer. There is NO way I would do it if left to my own devices. LOL.

Some people who have had their gallbladder out still get "gall bladder pain" on and off. This is because the common bile duct remains and gall crystals and stones can block it. It was happening to me and I literally wondered if they took the damn thing out. I saw a GI specialist and he put me on Urso. It's derived from a bear enzyme and it works. I take one pill in the AM and two at night and haven't had any gall bladder pain in years (knock wood).

You're given 8 doses when you leave the hospital as well as a 2 week supply of nexium. If you go out the ER door (where they bring you for pre-op testing) and walk to the end of the small parking lot you'll see a pharmacy on the corner. Go in there (everyone does) and buy the medications you want. I was not questioned at all about anything I had in my luggage. The border patrol person asked me where I was from and that was it. She looked at my passport and we passed into the U.S. to the San Diego airport.

You've been through a lot but it's important to find out if/why you have a bleeding disorder. von Willibrand's disease is the most common clotting disorder and it's genetic. There are different types of this disease but the one most people have (75%) is the mildest form referred to as Type 1. In this type, you don't make enough of the von Willibrand factor. They should also check you for Factor VIII deficiency. Sometimes, people with von Willibrands have decreased level of Factor VIII as well (hemophiliacs have very low amounts of Factor VIII). von Willibrand factor is a complex protein that causes platelets to clump or stick to each other. Platelets begin the clotting cascade. If you don't have the ability (or decreased ability) to make your platelets adhere to each other, it takes longer to stop bleeding. Treatment for Type 1 is really prophylactic. You'll need to tell your dentist and any MD or surgeon that you see about it. If you have trouble clotting, you can get Factor VIII through an intravenous drip and it takes no time to transfuse. Deciding whether or not to treat patients usually depends on the type of von Willibrands you have as well as the percentage of your deficiency. Someone with a 10% deficiency might not be treated whereas a person with a 40% deficiency might. Finally, you should ask if you need to have your children tested. Tell the RNs that you need to be placed on bleeding precautions.

Yesterday, it rained all day and it was my final day off from work. I needed a day to do nothing and relax and, for the first time, I experienced head hunger. I fought the urge to eat because I was not physically hungry and waited to eat until dinner time. For dinner, I was actually able to eat a small chicken cutlet cut into little pieces and about a 1/4 cup of steamed green beans. Dr. Aceves stressed to not get into the habit of eating inbetween meals and of eating healthy foods when you do eat so that's what I've been doing. I guess down time can be a bad thing. LOL.

That explanation really means, "I screwed up so I took it out before you sued me".

The best answer is to call the insurance company and ask them. Get the name of the person you speak to and ask him/her to send you the information. Welcome and good luck!

I agree with you. The same 2 people who knew I got the band knew I got rid of the band and revised to a sleeve. They kept my confidence for the 3 years I had the band and have done the same with this surgery. That said, the decision to tell or not is a very personal one. Some people NEED to share and have the support of friends and family. For others, like me, it just added pressure.

Here you go... How To Treat Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms

I was a revision from a band to a sleeve and stayed in the hospital for 3 nights. I went back to work one week after surgery and am an RN. For me, the sleeve was a much easier surgery than the band.

I believe your BF is mistaken. Ernesto will pick you up at the SD airport, drive you through Calixico (the town after SD and before Mexacali), and take you just over the border to Mexacali.

I take a prescribed dose in a Rx pill called Folguard or ComBgen but it's because I have a genetic (MTHFR2+) predisposition to clotting and had bilateral pulmonary emboli a few years ago. It's used to keep my homocystine level <10. You should be fine.

You're not bitching. You're sharing your experience which was a bitch. LOL. I did get a catheter for the band but not for the VSG. Check with your surgeon.

Well, you have no problems now so make sure you take the 2 multi-vits a day and see how it goes.

No, you're not crazy at all. You're young, a mother, a wife, and have every reason to want to live life fully and at a healthy weight. Your first good decision was NOT going back to the one who botched the band. Take the time to read through the different threads on this section of the board. We have people just about to get the sleeve, people revising to the sleeve, and experienced and successful sleeve posters. I had the band and revised to a sleeve 6 weeks ago today and am very happy with my decision. Bands don't work for everyone and, as more research is coming out, we're seeing it's the least successful weight loss surgery in terms of percentage of weight loss. You're doing the right thing but make sure you discuss ALL weight loss surgery options with the surgeon.

Latex allergy is serious. Make sure you ask every person who comes near you if they are wearing latex free gloves. Ask the person who draws your blood if the tourniquet is latex free and make sure the tape is as well. If your surgeon inserts a foley catheter for urine drainage, that needs to be latex free too. Vicodin produces weird side-effects in many people. Itching and vivid nightmares are very common. Torodol is a good alternative.

Wow, I just read through the posts... interesting. The first point I would like to address has to do with education. I hold a Ph.D. and worked hard for it and certainly think I possess common sense. Secondly, I was brought up Catholic. While I don't attend mass every week now, I did for the first 18 years of my life; the formative years and beyond. Ergo, whether I like it or not, I can't deny my roots in the Christian faith. Finally, I've been thinking about the pastor questions. I decided I really don't have any questions for a Rabbi, a Pastor, a Priest, etc. Yes, they studied theology and devoted their life to their religious beliefs but I don't believe that makes them expert. When you get right down to it, they are men and women with their own prejudices. For me, there IS something more than our life here on earth. It's not something I can prove and it's not something I feel I need to prove; to myself or anyone else. I would guess that's faith. I have found this in the Catholic church but I've also experienced it through people of different faiths. I enjoy hearing other perspectives because it challenges my beliefs and expands my understanding. So, I'll keep on living and learning and hopefully, sharing and becoming a better person along the way.

The results mean you have no genetic markers for abnormal clotting which is good. However, you might be allergic to heparin. Alternatives to heparin are lovenox and argantroban. MCHC has to do with the red blood cells. I suspect your RDW was low also (red blood cell size). It's normal for women to have low MCHC and RDW because women lose blood every month. It's a sign of Iron deficiency anemia. If all is normal now, you're good to go! I hope that wasn't too technical. As an aside, they say people who test positive for Leiden Factor V are all related... kind of interesting tid-bit. LOL.