Tiffykins

I drank about 22oz of water yesterday throughout the evening, and today I've already drank 20oz of Powerade Zero and I've only been up 3 hours. NO vomiting, no fever, no pain, so far so good. I'm feeling much better today. . .

I'm glad you are doing well. . . Keep up the good work on the walking.

I've mentioned my evil step-sisters on here a couple of times, and I am so livid right now. My mom called today to check on me, and she told me that she had to tell my step-sisters about my surgery. She said they had to know because the step-sisters needed to know that my parents were leaving town when I fell into critical condition after the leak repair. My heart just sank, and I am so upset. She said Caysen(my son) accidentally mentioned my "tummy leak" so my mother felt it necessary to explain my complete medical history to one of my step-sisters. Grant it, she told the one who I've gotten a bit closer with, but I know she ran off and told the other one who is seriously evil. My mother had LapBand in 2007, and she hasn't told them. She's lost close to 80lbs, and they think she's done with diet and exercise only. We've all been sworn to secrecy to never tell anyone, especially any of the "step" family. Now, at Christmas time, are there going to be expectations, are they going to watch me eat, are they going to gossip? I just feel like crying, and I've done so good not to cry for the last 3 days. I don't want to answer their questions, I don't want to hear their whispers. I've dealt with them for years for being fat, and now I have to deal with them on WLS.

I went in for my follow up today, and it went great. 3 out of 4 of my goals were achieved. NO LEAKS ! ! ! YAY YAY The TPN has been decreased by half. I started clears. I still have the drains, but he said that is a precaution because if the drain fluid changes colors/consistency, that could be a sign something is wrong. I go back Wednesday afternoon and if I don't have any fever issues, no abdominal pain, no vomiting, and the drains stay clear, the TPN will be discontinued and he'll pull the line out of my arm. I was so relieved I cried. He said my new stomach looked good. I got home this afternoon and started sipping water with the Special K protein water packet and it's the best thing stuff in the world. I get a little burpy/gurgly when I drink, but he said that was normal since my stomach hasn't had to work in 3 weeks. It's been an amazing day. I went to Wal-Mart picked up some odds and ends, and least to say that wore me out. Then, tonight John was able to call, and we actually were able to talk for about 30 minutes. It was so amazing to hear his voice. It's been a week since we were able to actually talk. Their Capt. told them to call their families to let us know they were all okay after yesterday's events over there. He said he was fine, and wasn't close to the bombs. He wouldn't tell me if he was close to them. He doesn't want me to go back to work, and I really don't want to either. After this experience, I don't want to miss my son's stuff anymore. We're fine on money, and he said he'd rather have me home and getting healthy, taking care of the home and Caysen than dealing with all the stress of the agency. I tried being a housewife/stay at home mom before, and I got bored, but I think this time it will be different. My perspective has changed, and I've decided, I'm not going to miss out on events with my child and husband anymore. Overall, I had a spectacular day, and I hope tomorrow goes smoothly as well.

Congratulations on your success! ! !

It is so scary, and I'm sorry you are having to go through all of this. . . I hope the rest of your recovery goes well, and will definitely keep you in my thoughts.

Hey there, we're a military family as well. We're Air Force, the husband is currently deployed, and we are stationed in NW Florida. I'm glad you found a doctor who was able to take care of you, and congrats on your surgery. Keep us posted of your progress! ! !

Tomorrow, I have 4 goals. #1 NO LEAKS #2 Get the TPN decreased #3 Get jp drains out #4 Start clear liquids I'm excited for tomorrow with a little bit of nervousness. I'm ready for the next step in recovery. I've felt good and haven't had any problems this last week. I've made it through the longest 9 days of my life. I remember on Tuesday really feeling down, and I didn't feel like the 22nd was ever going to get here. I'm not looking forward to the ct scan because the last experience on that table was horrible, but it's a necessary evil. I'll update once I get back home tomorrow afternoon. My mantra for tomorrow is "no leaks, no leaks, no leaks".

My phone rang this morning to let me know John's base had been bombed, and that communication was going to be down for several days. She told me to check Yahoo, and right there it was in black and white. My heart just sank, but she reassured me that if John would of been affected, I would of been contacted by now. It's been a long day already, and think it's dragging on because I'm looking forward to tomorrow so much. I go back to the surgeon tomorrow in hopes of good news for the TPN bag to be decreased. I'm also ready for the jp drains to come out. The pets are all doing okay. Hank (basset hound) is being needy, but I feel bad because he is used to the kiddo being home. Harley (cat) is being his old, cantankerous self, and Boxster (the turtle) is doing just fine. On the weight loss front, I haven't lost anything in a couple of days. This stupid TPN is giving me over 1800 calories a day, the first nurses were mistaken when they told me close to 3000 calories. The dietician told me my body needed that many to recover. So, I'm even more hopeful that my surgeon decreases this stuff, and lets me start getting in some liquids. I know it'll be okay in the long run. I warned y'all it would be rambling. I hope everyone has had a good weekend. . .

YAY YAY that is such wonderful news ! ! !

It's really easier said than done when for years these people have made life unpleasant. I try my very best not to let them get to me, and realize that deep down inside they are miserable themselves and need to make themselves feel better. My mother and I have always had a strained relationship. She is extremely competitive with me. Even when I had LapBand, she would say things like " well by this time, I had already lost 29lbs" etc etc. It was beyond difficult when I started having problems and decided to do the revision. It's a lot easier to say " let it go " when it hasn't been a huge part of your life for over a decade. They don't deserve it, but I can't change the way I feel, and I believe my feelings are valid. Hopefully, one day, I'll be able to just let things roll off my back, but for right now, the betrayal hurts, their judgement hurts, and I'm doing my very best to not let it bother me. At the end of the day, I do care about what they think, I do care because all of things they have said and done over the years have hurt. My hurt hasn't gone away. . .

Happy Birthday ! ! !

Congrats on getting your date set ! ! ! I ordered my samples of Syntrax nectar from Vitalady.com, but I didn't order them until this week. I didn't want to order and try them before surgery in case my tastes change post-op. Good luck with everything and keep us posted.

Hey there, I think I replied over on OH as well. My leak "hole" was the diameter of a nickel. I had a similar experience, but I only had my band for 8 months before I revised to VSG. I had surgery on June 3rd, the leak was found during my third leak test on June 5th. Rushed to surgery to repair the leak, my lungs would not cooperate and I landed in critical condition/icu for 4 days. I was in the hospital a total of 9 days, and came home with a TPN bag, and a central line in my arm. I never had the feeding tube, so I can't say that I understand how you feel on that part. I still have no regrets for having this surgery. Being fat, and dying of heart disease or developing diabetes in my opinion is so much worse in the long run. I haven't had anything to eat or drink, not even ice chips since June 2nd, and I have 4 more days of the TPN bag. The chance for a leak triples with revision, and due to the complications I had with my band, I was not completely surprised that I ended up with a leak. Honestly, I wish everything would of gone smoothly, but at this point, all I can do is move forward and try to recover 100%. Even with all the complications, I would do it again to get the band out of my body and finally start living. I go back to the surgeon on Monday and hopefully will start the clear liquid stage. I'll be on the TPN bag of nutrient replacement for a couple more weeks because they have to wean me off of it. I won't lie, I truly believe that a positive attitude is the only thing that has helped me stay focused. My husband is deployed, my son is in Texas with my family, and I am here in Florida alone day in and day out. I only have 3 friends, and they all have family of their own to tend to, so it's been difficult this last week, but I've got to do this 1 day at a time. I can't worry about the next month, getting through today, and tomorrow are big milestones for me. I go back for another leak test, and I can only hope my appointment brings good news. Believe me, I know it's difficult. I've cried, and been upset, but I can honestly say that I'm not going to let these little speed bumps become roadblocks on my path to success. I'll keep you in my thoughts, and prayers, if you ever want to talk or chat, you can message me here. . . Tiff

I scanned through them, and I agree they are very inspirational ! ! !

Elisabeth, thank you for being so wonderful. I know it's emotions getting the best of me. I don't know why I let them bother me so much. It may be more that I'm hurt my mom would blab about me, and not about herself. I appreciate you bringing me back to reality. . .

Welcome, and congrats on your decision! ! ! I look forward to getting to know you. . .

Thank you so very much for all of the information. I will definitely be asking tons of questions, and taking notes. I'm just so drained.

I just got the best phone call. I had blood work pulled on Tuesday, and the result came back almost perfect. One of my electrolytes was a little "low normal" and the dietician wanted to make sure that I was not getting dehydrated. She asked me questions about my urine, and made me pull the skin up on the back of my hand. Well, my urine is good, and my skin fell right back into place. I haven't had a temperature, not having any notable pain, and I am finally sleeping. This is just one of the main "check marks" I needed to be able to transition off the TPN and onto the clear liquid diet on Monday. 4 more days of this TPN and I go back to the surgeon on Monday. Thanks for all the support, prayers and thoughts. . .:laugh0:

Hi and welcome Marci. . . Congrats on your success! ! !

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I ordered a bunch of samples of the Syntrax nectar from Vitalady.com (Thanks Mac). I need something that I can mix in Water. I won't drink milk, it's not a lactose thing, it's milk/ice cream/shakes/malts etc etc are all way too heavy for me even when I was not banded, I can't imagine trying to consume thick stuff now. I've never liked the "heaviness/thickness" of milk. Something happened to my liking for milk/ice cream when I got pregnant. I'll post reviews of each flavor since this will be the first time I've tried this brand. I'm hoping it works out since the 15 others I've tried failed miserably. My samples should be here early next week, and I should be able to mix them with water and have them count as clears.