Well everyone, i was sleeved on 9-15-09 @ 7:30 am. I will try to get as detailed as possible because prior to being sleeved, I wanted to know all the details.

I arrived to the hospital at 6 am with my mom and fiance. They took me to my room to start my IV, which they did without a problem. At around 7am, I was taken to preop holding but my family was unable to go back there. So we said our goodbyes (I wanted to cry but I didnt). LOL

While in Preop holding the anesthesiologist came to speak with me regarding my medical history, etc. I told him that I was nervous and he reassured me. My preop nurse spoke with me as well and helped to calm my nerves and finally my surgeon Dr Alanis came to speak with me and I was a nervous wreck at this point. Dr Alanis re-assured me that I was in good hands. I was then rolled into the OR as Dr Alanis went to speak with my family.

The OR nurse turned on some music and asked me if I mind if they had music on, I said no. I knew this was something common in the OR, since I have worked in the OR setting before, we would listen to music while we worked.

Anyway, the anesthesiologist put some medicine in my IV and all I remember saying is "When am I going to go to sleep". After that everything else is a blur, so lets say I was probably asleep in less than 10 seconds. LOL

The next thing I remember, the surgical crew was telling me how fantastic I did and how easy my procedure was. I was under for approximately one hour and 30 minutes (thats including instrument counting, hiatal hernia repair etc).

Oh yeah, the doc found a hiatal hernia that he repaired. I had no idea that I had one.

I was whisked away to the ICU (which is standard procedure for my surgeon), my family was in the room waiting for me. We laughed and I dozed off. My family left and came back later.

The nursing staff was awesome!! Im a nurse and I have never seen the nurse to patient ratio staffing that they had in their ICU and Med Surg units. They woke me up faithfully every two hours for breathing exercises and ambulating. Oh yeah, I received Lactated Ringers via IV as well as some medication for my stomach--I was so sedated I dont remember what it was. I was also on a morphine pump. My highest level of pain was probably a 5 out of 10, with 10 being the highest. The worst is the gas pain, which was worst on the left side, which is where I heard is where all the activity is done on.

I went for my final leak test the next morning---I passed no leaks. I was then transferred to the med surg floor. The nurses were awesome, I plan to go back up there to give them flowers or something, Ive never seen such level of nursing care. Even on the med surg unit, which is known to be the busiest, they made sure that I ambulated, did my breathing exercises and sipped on fluids.

So I was discharged today around 11:30 am on the following meds:

1. Carafate (which Walgreens is out of, will have to get it tommorrow)- this protects the mucosal lining of the stomach.

2. liquid hydrocodone

3. Pepcid

So all in all, it wasnt a bad experience. I am still sore in the abdominal region and I have not felt hungry at all. Can you believe that? I know I can't. The hardest part is not being able to sleep on my belly, as I have always slept on my stomach.

Oh yeah, I lost -.06 lbs, which is good because I hear that alot of people are pumped full of fluids that they tend to gain. My tummy is slightly rumbly, I dont really know why, im sure its trying to get use to its new size and how to produce the acid.

Well that was my experience, now im focusing on walking, sipping and breathing exercises. Thanks to all for lending support during this journey.:cursing:

My questions is how long is the down time? I am a single mom with 2 kids (4 and 7). So you can imagine how I need a speedy recovery. How long is the surgery? How long are you under? The anasthesia is what scares me the most. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated. Kaiser Harbor City ( Los Angeles) is doing my surgery and I finally have my consult this Monday (09/21/09) I am so nervouse and anxious at the same time. I have been in the process for OVER a year. Thanks again ... :thumbup:

Welcome to the forum Kikiphiasmom and to our family. I had my surgery on 6/12 (Friday) - came home on Monday and went back to work on Friday -- I could have gone back sooner except for the diarrhea issues, so thought it better to stay closer to home. Down time is very minimal - however, you can't lift anything over 15 lbs. for six weeks. You'll be really tired for a while, too until you can get in all your protein. Any other questions - ask away, someone (lots of someones usually) will answer you :001_unsure:

Shanda

So happy to hear everything went well! My surgery is in just a couple of days and yes I am very nervous. Thanks for sharing your great experience!

Welcome to the forum Kikiphiasmom and to our family. I had my surgery on 6/12 (Friday) - came home on Monday and went back to work on Friday -- I could have gone back sooner except for the diarrhea issues, so thought it better to stay closer to home. Down time is very minimal - however, you can't lift anything over 15 lbs. for six weeks. You'll be really tired for a while, too until you can get in all your Protein. Any other questions - ask away, someone (lots of someones usually) will answer you :tongue_smilie:

Thanks VegasAngel. I am so happy that I found this forum. I am on the lapbandtalk.com forum as well. I was truely considering the band, but now that I have read all of these horror stories and how the band in the long run did not work, made me change my mind. I am still debating which to chose since 2 of my cousins have the band and are doing great. But I am leaning towards the sleeve now that my consultation is this Monday (09/21/09). I called Kaiser and they told me that the people who are going in for the band are coming out with the sleeve. I am so nervous and i know I am rambling on but words of encouragement and hearing peoples stories (fishing here ..lol) is what I need. Thank you all for welcoming me ... MORE stories please? Anyone have it done at Kaiser? How was your experience? Pain level? How long where you out? VegasAngel - 1 week? Not bad .. I can do that. LOL ... whats the mortality rate? Is it the same as the RNY? Thanks again ... :thumbup:

Thank you so much for sharing. I am new to this forum as my first choice was the Lap Band. Now that I have been reaserching things more, I think the sleeve would be a better fit for me. My questions is how long is the down time? I am a single mom with 2 kids (4 and 7). So you can imagine how I need a speedy recovery. How long is the surgery? How long are you under? The anasthesia is what scares me the most. Any and all input would be greatly appreciated. Kaiser Harbor City ( Los Angeles) is doing my surgery and I finally have my consult this Monday (09/21/09) I am so nervouse and anxious at the same time. I have been in the process for OVER a year. Thanks again ... :tongue_smilie:

Welcome, Kikiphiasmom! I first considered the band, but quickly decided it wasn't the right WLS for me. I was self pay & I couldn't phatom having to pay for fills, unfills, or another surgery if it were to slip. VSG made the best since, especially after reading many times over about people who had band trouble years out.

I have four kids (8,6,4,&2). My surgery was in MX & I returned home 3 days post op. I was very tired for the first few weeks. My dh was home to help Saturday & Sunday which was a blessing. The hardest part for me was preparing the meals for my kids while I was on the liquid diet. I had a few breakdowns related to missing food, but I got through it. The recovery time varies for everyone, the main thing you'll likely deal with is fatigue. Once you can start your full liquids, your energy level will increase & should continue to get better with time.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask. This is a wonderful bunch of people here who are always willing to help! :thumbup:

Shanda,

What is Your Goal Weight Sweetie?

FYI: To everyone that is on the Fence about VSG, My Input is GO 4IT! I have Researched this for over a Year and a Half. I Was saving money because I'm Self Pay. Now I Have the Money, and Dr.Alanis Raised His Prices....:thumbup: That wont stop My Choice, But If I Would have took the Chance, I Could Already have my Sleeve and have gotten a Great Deal!!!<3

Congrats To Shanda....This is For making all You Dreams Come True!:tongue_smilie:

Shanda,

What is Your Goal Weight Sweetie?

FYI: To everyone that is on the Fence about VSG, My Input is GO 4IT! I have Researched this for over a Year and a Half. I Was saving money because I'm Self Pay. Now I Have the Money, and Dr.Alanis Raised His Prices....:thumbup: That wont stop My Choice, But If I Would have took the Chance, I Could Already have my Sleeve and have gotten a Great Deal!!!<3

Congrats To Shanda....This is For making all You Dreams Come True!:tongue_smilie:

Thanks for checking on me! My goal weight is 135lbs, I have 99 lbs to get to goal. Im so excited! Im getting over the soreness, still walking, sipping and trying to get fluids and Protein in. Yes, the price range did go up for Dr Alanis. I dont think its so much him, the hospital (Surgical Specialty Hospital of America raised their price, which in turn raises the entire self pay price, but im sure he probably went up on his a little as well). I booked my procedure in May and I was guaranteed to get mine under the "old rate" of 11, 500k. Guess what the new rate is......almost 18 or 19 K if I remember correctly. When I went to check in the admission lady asked me what price I was quoted and I told her, she was like "wow, you are lucky, the hospital has gone up." And let me tell you, that was the BEST hospital experience EVER! I spent 2 nights in the hospital- 1 night in ICU and 1 night on the surgical unit. Gosh, those nurses were dolls, I am going to type up a nice letter and bring them flowers or fruit because they really work hard. They make sure that you have good quality outcomes related to your surgery, it was really the best money that Ive ever spent. And Dr Alanis, is soo sweet....I cannot say enough good things about him. I plan to have a plant sent to his office as well. He really does care about you. Since I am a nurse, ive met some ignorant doctors. What I really liked about him is that he was at the hospital early for my surgery, early for for first post op day and early on the day of discharge---most docs procrastinate, NOT Dr Alanis. I love him!

Are you going to go with Dr Aceves? As you know, they say that he is GREAT as well, along with his staff.

Just in case you want to stay in Texas, I found another sleeve surgeon a few months back that is suppose to be good and has relatively good prices. PM me if you want the details and you can do the footwork as far as more research if you like.

You will be sleeved before you know it, everyone has their time! I cant wait to see the scale move.....I will weigh again on Tuesday, it should be exciting!!!! Keep in touch!

Congratulations Shanda! So happy to hear everything went well. Keep up your great recovery!

Hugs,

JoAnne

Congratulations Shanda! So happy to hear everything went well. Keep up your great recovery!

Hugs,

JoAnne

Thanks JSM! I am def. taking my time with drinking and eating!! I cant wait to see how I will look in 6 months.

Hi Shanda! Glad to hear all went well. Take one day at a time and you will be there be fore you know it!

Hi Shanda! Glad to hear all went well. Take one day at a time and you will be there be fore you know it!

30.5 lbs lost...woo hoo.....look at you Krom. You are doing great.

Hi Shanda.... congratulations on your successful VSG..

I am curious as I am scheduled for mine 10/29/09 how do they check for leaks? You mentioned they took you down somewhere to check and you passed. Is this a difficult check? I am very fearful of MRI, Cat Scan machines due to my extreme clausterphobia so very curious how they scan you to ensure no leaks... any information you could provide would be helpful. Thank you.

Hi Shanda.... congratulations on your successful VSG..

I am curious as I am scheduled for mine 10/29/09 how do they check for leaks? You mentioned they took you down somewhere to check and you passed. Is this a difficult check? I am very fearful of MRI, Cat Scan machines due to my extreme clausterphobia so very curious how they scan you to ensure no leaks... any information you could provide would be helpful. Thank you.

Dont be afraid, its just what they call an upper GI, similiar to an Xray. Usually they check for leaks during the operation, while you have your drain in and/or by doing an upper GI series. During the upper GI, you drink a Fluid and they can tell immediately where the fluid is going (if there is a leak, etc). It was painless, dont worry about it. Im claustrophobic too. LOL...ITs funny because my mom does MRIs and whenever they get a new machine at her job, she volunteers to have them to test it out on her. Isnt that something? I would go crazy being in that thing.:thumbup:

Hey Shanda, I have been down and out with the flu, so haven't been on much. Glad to hear everything went well for you!

Hey Shanda, I have been down and out with the flu, so haven't been on much. Glad to hear everything went well for you!

Thank You. Sorry to hear that you were sick. How are you managing to hydrate yourself with your tiny stomach? When we are sick, we demand more fluids and calories, so be sure to get something replenishing in your system such as Gatorade or Gatorade Zero, I think.

Take Care. Hope you feel better.

This is actually my second bout with this in about a month, grrrrr. I have been drinking lots of Water and gatorade, at nearly six months out, I can drink quite a bit. When I first got sleeved, I had a very difficult time with fluids.

Thanks for the well wishes.