BlackBerryJuice

Agreed re: the whole experience. I'm on my 5th day and my incisions have all closed already! I actually slept on my left side just last night. Amazing! My greatgrandmother had a partial gastrectomy for stomach cancer about 20 years ago, and the recovery from the open abdominal surgery was absolutely brutal. Thank god for laproscopy!

Good to hear it went well. My recovery was quite uneventful, too - first night was a bit rough, but that's it. Today is my 5th day and after popping a supradol in the am, I: 1) drove to my doctor's 2) drove back to my house, then walked and took the bus to the counselor's office 3) took the bus back home 4) met for lunch with friends - they ordered pho and I just had about 3/4 cup of the broth over the course of the hour we were there 5) went and bought some stuff at the pet store And the night's still young, so I'll probably be heading to my boyfriend's grandma's house to grab some stuff! Pretty amazing considering I just had surgery Monday! So it will probably continue to be smooth sailing for you. I have occasional thoughts of certain foods (none of them are that unhealthy, actually, I just can't have them for another 2 weeks or so - Greek yogurt, tuna sashimi), but they are nowhere near as obsessive as my cravings used to be.

Get on a solid weight-lifting program as soon as you're cleared to work out hard....it will do wonders.

Good luck! If it makes you feel better, post-op is much easier! I'm waiting for my flight right by this Ghirardelli store and could really care less!

Thanks....this morning she said she's afraid of me turning into Michael Jackson.:thumbup1: I've never even mentioned any other surgeries. Interestingly, she also said that she can't imagine dealing with her own emotions if food was taken away from her (my mother is also obese, slightly more so than me). So she said that I will probably turn into a raging b***h now - which, of course, IS possible, which is why I'm gonna see a counselor to help with these issues. But she seemed awfully concerned about me not being very likeable next time I visit. I guess she'd rather see me stuff my face every time I'm not happy and then die from a heart attack when I'm 50, but at least I'll be more fun to be around. They'll get over it.

I live alone, so I took advantage of it and have thrown out/given away to friends all the stuff I can't have for the next few weeks. That way, nothing's looming in front of my eyes. So far it seems reasonably easy to resist temptation, since the fear of having a leak is quite pronounced at this stage post-op, but we'll see how I feel 20 days out.

It's already post-op, actually.:thumbup1:

I'm a boredom eater, as well (and an emotional eater....really, just give me an occasion to eat and I will :frown1:). Good to hear that this can be resolved naturally. School's not starting for another 2 weeks and my boyfriend's out of town for almost as long, so I've been worried about that a bit. I think I might have to pick up knitting again - definitely for the remaining 7 days of clear liquids, which is about as boring as it gets!

Good luck! 2nd day was a bit rough for me, but today I haven't needed any pain meds since my morning IM shot! I opted to ask for one before bed just because I have a long day of travelling ahead of me and wanted to make sure I can sleep well, but I think I would've been fine without it.

If you cut it shorter, you'll probably have more volume, so the loss may not be as obvious. As you can imagine, your body went through quite a bit of trauma - people lose hair even if they have an uncomplicated surgery, but you also had other problems on top. So don't be too hard on yourself. My doc said everyone is at risk of losing hair, but sticking to a healthy diet helps lower that risk a bit. So make sure you're taking good care of yourself. The hair will grow back! Just focus on resting and providing your body with good nutrients. Take biotin if you don't already.

On a side note, my mother has been insufferable....you'd think now that I've had the surgery and there's no turning back, she'd be supportive (or at least leave me alone). Instead, I'm getting twice a day lectures about how I ruined my life and am pretty sure she's buried me a few times already.:001_tongue:

Isn't this like, illegal for a doctor to do? You're supposed to provide a patient with a referral to another doctor if you are refusing to treat him or her. I wouldn't count "go to the ER" as a referral. Report the bag to the state medical board.

Had a bit of a rough start to the day, just like Dr. Aceves insinuated. I didn't sleep an awful lot because I kept getting up to pee every hour. But then around 3 am I started getting quite nauseous and developed quite a bit of pain. I kept hiccupping, too, and it was not helping! Barely made it out of my room to the nurse's station to request some antinausea and pain meds. They gave me a shot of both, but I felt pretty miserable until my 2nd shot of pain relievers around 7:30 am. I also developed a slight fever (37.8 - I guess it's about 99.5-100?), so they gave me an IV antipyretic. I'm feeling fine now - no nausea, and I can walk a lot further/faster than yesterday - but the morning was definitely very rough. Hoping I'll have an easier time sleeping today.

Wow, that's amazing! Congrats!

No problem! I actually made a few posts about the entire experience today. If you go to my profile, there's an option where you can click to see all my posts. You can check out my last 5 or so posts for all the details. But overall, it's been great so far! Good care and pretty uneventful recovery today.

Thanks, Gary! What do they do to help you feel better on the 2nd day, just more pain meds via IV? Did you have a lot of nausea the 2nd day, or was it just more pain?

Good luck, you'll do great! I got sleeved this morning and feel almost 100% now. I'm amazed at how easy this has been. I expected to be a vegetable the first day!

I had a spinal this morning. They gave me some IV Versed, which made me quite loopy, but I do recall them giving me a few shots in the back. They hurt a bit, but I was too out of it to really react to the pain. Once the needles were out - no pain. I'm lucky to have had a very easy day today recovery-wise. I went for a stroll down the hall a little while ago and ran into 2 ladies who had their VSG Saturday. They didn't have the spinal and they were very impressed to see me walking out and about only a few hours after my surgery. They said the spinal is probably the reason I'm able to function so well. Of course, after walking for a few mins and then standing there talking to them, I got crazy-nauseous and had to sit down - too much activity too soon, I guess! The nurse gave me some antinausea med in my IV, but I immediately developed a rash on that hand, which traveled up, so obviously I'm allergic to it. So I didn't get any more of that med - but after lying down for 2 mins, the nausea was completely gone. Definitely consider getting the spinal! It wasn't scary at all and it sounds like it's the reason my recovery has been so easy today.

Don't worry about it too much. Yes, there's a very small risk of a complication and an even smaller risk of death. The risks increases a bit if you are very overweight. However, as an overeater, you already subject yourself to a lot of these risks every day - just think about it this way. Some complications are preventable - follow the post-op diet to a T, don't overstuff your sleeve, make sure to walk around as much as you can after the surgery and especially during your travel time to prevent a blood clot from forming. Some complications are beyond your control (infection, accidentally cut blood vessel), but if you choose an experienced surgical team and a well-equipped facility, these risks are minimized. I had my sleeve at 10 am today - I was awake by noon, and could function independently by 3 pm (move in my bed, talk to friends online, go to the bathroom, walk a few steps). I'm shocked by how easy it's been for me today. You'll be fine! Originally, I considered writing a personal directive and a letter regarding my financial affairs and other issues that'd have to be sorted out by my boyfriend and then parents if I passed away, but I didn't do it in the end because I felt so calm and confident about my choice last night. All I wrote was just a Facebook message to my boyfriend asking him to tell his grandma to feed my cats a few extra days in case my recovery is slow and I end up staying an extra day or two. But considering how I feel now, I'll probably be ready to check out tomorrow, for all I know! Don't worry!

Thanks for the support! I still had a bit of a cold this morning, but the anesthesiologist said it wasn't a problem (I didn't have a cough, just a head cold). Right now, it's not bothering me. I just finally peed, on the 3rd try - patient coordinator said it's surprising how early I was able to do it. Sounds like I'm well ahead of the curve with recovery. The doctor did say some people feel worse the 2nd day, once the spinal has worn off - hopefully it won't happen to me.

Hi everyone, greetings from Mexicali! I was wheeled into the OR right about 5 hours ago and I'm chilling on the couch talking to my boyfriend online! I'm amazed at how easy the surgery's been. It's my first surgery ever, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I don't have any pain per se, just a slight discomfort in my tummy. I also woke up drenched in sweat in the recovery room, not sure why. My temp was below 36, so thankfully, no fever. I'm still sweating quite a bit, even though my room is cold AND I have a fan running. Before the surgery, I was freezing in here! I have random annoying hiccups, but they are no more painful than regular hiccups. Nothing by mouth for me today, just an IV to stay hydrated. I was able to walk a few steps to the bathroom (I have a private one in my room), but can't pee yet - must be the spinal.

Thanks, Lisa. I'm here now, done all my pre-op testing, just waiting for an hour or so to pop my Ativan and go to bed. My cold is not getting any better (the fact that I haven't slept for 36 hours from the stress of dealing with my parents isn't helping, I'm sure). I'm worried that I might need to delay my surgery since it's a risk for pneumonia with the intubation and all. I did pop the antibiotic they gave me, but it feels like a viral infection, so I don't think the antibiotic will help me. I'm meeting with the doctors tomorrow and they will decide whether they can operate or I should wait. On top of it all, my mother forwarded all the information about the hospital and Dr. Aceves that I had given to her for her peace of mind to my father, who now plans to fly here (!!!) from Europe. I really hope that I can get my surgery done tomorrow so that if he DOES end up getting here, it's all over with and I've at least had the surgery. He's not coming here to support me through the surgery, but rather to make sure I don't get it. I'm really worried, so I hope my cold is better tomorrow and the anesthesiologist OKs the operation. Otherwise, every day I spend here increases the likelihood of my father getting here and ruining everything.

I'm here now. The driver picks you up in a van at San Diego airport by 11 am and then drives you across the border to the hospital - about a 2-hr drive. There, you and the other patients will undergo pre-op testing, fill out some quick paperwork, and then go to the hotel. The hotel is called Lucerna. It's a decent hotel, along the lines of Best Western, comfortable, but not over the top. Then you are free to go have dinner (at the hotel or elsewhere). The next morning, the driver picks you and the other folks up at 7 am and takes you to the hospital to meet with the doctors and discuss your pre-op results.

Goodness gracious, my mother just called me, and it's 2:15 am here! It's a good thing (? lol) I'm not sleeping, anyway, thanks to the stress of dealing with them earlier and having a really sore throat - decided to just pull an all-nighter and try to nap a bit on the plane. I wish I had gone to bed at like 8, then I could've taken my sleeping pills - but they work for 8 hours solid, so now it's too late. Sorry to everyone who's not interested yet keeps getting e-mail updates - just need a place to vent and all my friends are sleeping, so I'm limited to venting over the board for now.

Thanks, girl....I'm also developing a major sore throat and feeling feverish (although sitting at 37.3 so far, thankfully). Terrible timing! I hope I don't wake up with a fever tomorrow. It's too late to contact the Dr. now, I'd hate to have to cancel my flight and lose the $1100, not really in a financial position to do that. What a day, bah.