cajun

Tiff, I am so happy for you! Life is good, huh?

You are right, PPIs do stop acid production, and it is the acid, enzymes and churning that mash up the food so it can pass on through the pyloris valve into the intestine. Problem is we need the PPIs to avoid acid reflux for a while after the surgery. So that is one reason we are instructed to CHEW, CHEW, CHEW UNTIL THE FOOD IS MUSH BEFORE WE SWALLOW. Basically the teeth and mouth enzymes are doing the work that the stomach will not be able to do very well. So....make like a cow...chew that cud!

Sometimes after a bad bout of reflux it is helpful to back up and do clear liquids for a day or so to give the esophagus and sleeve a rest. The reflux puts acid in places where it is not supposed to be, so you get some reactive swelling. Treat it nice and it will heal!

I had laparascopic gallbladder surgery in the past, and this was WAY easier than that. Much less pain. Even in the hospital, I only had pain once in a while, like a spasm in my esophagus. If I tried to sleep on my side, the little incisions bothered me...not a lot but enough to keep me on my back but this resolved after one week. I have not needed any pain medicine at all since I got home from the surgery. I did not take much in the hospital either. For me, it was amazingly easy. Everyone is different.

The small incisions from the surgery seemed to hurt when I tried to sleep on my side. Not a lot, but just enough to aggravate me. But now that I am 1 week post-op, I can sleep on my sides.

Lan2K I had the same thing happen to me the first night home. It is no fun. I received some advice right away from Dr Aceves' office, and it was helpful. I was already taking nexium, and sleep on a wedge pillow but still woke up with a mouth full of Isopure (nasty stuff and that may have been the whole problem for me). I had taken some Isopure 2-3 hours before going to bed that first night I got home from Mexicali. Now I am very careful to avoid it, only take broth or sobe lifewater in the evening so my tummy is "happy" and wait 4 hours after drinking before Iie down. That seems to have stopped it...no more reflux.

Hi Amanda. You are smart to do your research before deciding...there are safe and not so safe places and surgeons. One post on this forum helped me a lot in doing my own research before I decided. It was entitled "researching Mexican sleeve surgeons". If you enter that phrase in the search engine at the top you will find it. I read hundreds of posts on this site, and the Obesity Help site, as well as many medical journal research articles. I watched videos of the surgery on You Tube and viewed testimonials at that site also. You can also look at the section on bariatric physicians on the OH site, to see how many VSG's they have performed. Research that I read gave statistics that supported the fact that once they have done over 300, their complication rate drops significantly because they have seen just about everything and know how to manage it. Cost is always an issue but don't let that be your main deciding factor. Safety comes first. I had learned all that I needed to know and was comfortable with my choice BEFORE I called the surgeon's office to inquire about the surgery. I did not want anyone just talking me into using their services. It had to me MY decision. I am so glad I did. I had my VSG 1 week ago by Dr Alberto Aceves in Mexicali, Mexico and I would do it again in a heartbeat. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Some foods take longer than 45 minutes to clear the stomach, particularly fats. A lot of meats and some seafoods contain a lot of fat. I'm not into "real" food yet since I'm just 1 wk post op, but I think I'll be waiting 1 1/2 hours after eating before I drink. Just don't want to risk the vomits.

AttitudeFree: One suggestion would be to prepare yourself some home made chicken broth Soup and have that as your meal while you socialize with your family. Here's the recipe I use which I got from Gaby at Dr Aceves's office. ( I added a few spices of my own). Cut up a chicken, boil for about 2 hours. Then add 1 cup of chopped carrots, 1 cup of chopped onions, 1 cup of chopped celery, 1 cup of chopped tomatoes, 1/2 cup of finely chopped cilantro, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of red curry powder (not hot kind), sea salt to taste. Simmer for 1 hour. Let cool, then strain the liquid out with a very fine strainer to remove all particles. Refrigerate this broth overnight then skim all the fat off after it has solidified on top. Voila, great broth. You can freeze it in ice cube trays or other containers. If you leave fat in it you may have diarrhea. Debone the chicken completely once it is cooled, and place the meat and all the cooked veggies in a blender. Add a small amount of the broth and you can make a delicious, high Protein Mushy (or soupy) meal, depending on how much liquid you add. Be sure you remove ALL of the tiny bones...I used gloves to remove all the bones I could feel by mushing it up in my hands, and then used a larger hole strainer to be double sure there were no bones to get caught in my new sleeve. Freeze it if you are not ready for mushies yet.

Another reason to not drink with meals is it causes the stomach contents to swell a bit and if you get too much swelling on a new sleeve you could cause a leak, or cause vomiting and retching, which could cause a leak. No liquids until way after meals...I'd think 2 hours but I don't know what your doctor recommends.

YIPPPEEE! Can't wait to hear his reaction to the new you!:001_wub:

Clarification That wt loss includes 17 lbs pre-op liver shrinking wt loss! I'd probably be horizontal if I had lost that much in 7 days!

Yep, I'm a walmart gal myself!

thanks for the heads up, Susan.

...yes, or we would get an obstruction. It's "just right", this little sleeve of ours!

I am so excited...my BMI is finally below 40! Have lost 25.6 lbs since starting the pre-surg diet and BMI is 39.8. This is hard to believe. Seeing this happen makes it so much easier to deal with the challenges of weight loss!:laugh0::001_tt2::thumbup::biggrin0::biggrin0::biggrin2:

But then he takes up some of the slack when he does the oversewing, so you end up with about a 32.

Good for you! I am doing well this evening. Had some lower GI problem still today but hopefully that is all done.

That's what I was thinking. Thanks.

Any advice on safely increasing the amount of Fluid intake? I am 6 days post op and find that I can swallow more than just a tiny sip at a time. I don't want to overload the sleeve, but am wondering if this progress is an indication that most people are able to drink 6 or so ounces per hour safely at about one week post op. Anyone know? Thanks for feedback.

So how did your sleeve like the cottage cheese lan2K?

Good for you and your wife, Rick! I have heard lots of good things about Dr. Almanza but have no personal expreience with him since Dr Aceves did my sleeve. I was skeptical at the very beginning about going to Mexico for the surgery but once I did a LOT of research, I became more and more confident. It was the best decision I ever made. Not easy...there are rough days and you will have them too...but once you start seeing the pounds drop off, it is so motivating to follow the doctor's regimen exactly, and lose as much as you can. It comes off fast at first then slows down to a steady pace. I am so happy for you both.

You are so right. I finally found a way to get in some Protein. Could not tolerate the Isopure clear and can't find the plain unjury locally but I discovered I can add 1/4 of a bottle of the isopure to 3/4 of a bottle of sobe life Water which I love. It tastes OK. That gives me about 10 gms ofprotein per bottle, at least that is something to get my protein started. I am finding that I can get down more liquids now than at first...I don't want to overload the sleeve though. How many ounces per hour would you think is usually OK one week after surgery? I would think that Clear Liquids go on through pretty fast once the initial swelling starts to go down. (Tomorrow is one week for me)

Ky hen, you leave tomorrow for Mexicali? Best of luck to you.