Just passed my third leak test with flying colors. Will be home by tomorrow night. Feeling good. Will write more later.

CONGRATULATIONS Cajun!

So glad that everything went well for you. Good luck on your loss and keep us posted!

Congrats Cajun! Glad everything is going well. Hope you have a safe trip home and look forward to talking to you more.

Good to hear from you Cajun. I'm happy to learn that you had an uneventful surgery. Waiting to hear from you soon. Be safe.

You didn't put your date on the calendar! I had no idea.

That is great. Give us an update when you feel up to it.

The fun has just begun! CONGRATULATIONS

Exactly when does the 'fun" start?

CONGRATULATIONS Cajun!!!:thumbup:

Good to hear that things went well!! Keep us posted on your progress!!

We have missed hearing from you Cajun.

Glad there were no earthquakes while you were there, lol!

I will be glad when you are posting every day again. Time to watch the scale move down! It's so fun!

Congrats Cajun. Glad everything went well (we knew it would) and the fun begins in about 3 weeks when you get to eat mushies and you see the scale moving down on a regular basis.

Just passed my third leak test with flying colors. Will be home by tomorrow night. Feeling good. Will write more later.

Wow I wish I knew how to navigate these forums better Cajun. Congratulations!!!! I am thrilled, it sounds like your doing great and I am so happy about that. I can't wait to hear more about how things went and continue to go with you.

YAY YAY I'm so glad to hear everything is going well. I look forward to hearing from you once you get settled in back home.

Wow I wish I knew how to navigate these forums better Cajun. can't wait to hear more about how things went and continue to go with you.

Just click on User CP on the top and it will bring you to all the threads you have posted on. Other than that, you can click on new posts and see the ones that are new that you might want to post on.

Just click on User CP on the top and it will bring you to all the threads you have posted on. Other than that, you can click on new posts and see the ones that are new that you might want to post on.

Ok I will do that! Thanks Oregondaisy---now I've got to drink! I feel like I'm starving!

Exactly when does the 'fun" start?

For me it has been the last few days. I still have my issues don't get me wrong but I am loving my new body.

I promise things will get better! Soon you will be living your new life, lighter, happier, and healthier. If you would have told me I would be this way 3 weeks ago I would have told you to stuff off. I was thirsty and a tad grouchy. I am getting back to normal now.

Well, I am back home from Mexicali and feeling great. I am amazed that I have NO pain today... Only one time , when I sneezed this morning, all my little incisions "smarted" for a few seconds but that was it. The first day after surgery I did have some esophageal spasms that were uncomfortable but the staff provided very fast pain relief any time it was needed. I've never seen such fast response times for pain medication in a hospital in the USA.

It seemed at first that I would not make it to the surgery at all. My plane was turned around and sent back to my home town after 45 minutes of taking off...storms deflected our landing in Houston. But I was able to contact a really nice Continental representative who at first sadly assured me that there were no other flights available because everyone was trying to reschedule in Houston. This was distressing but I was determined nothing would stop me from reaching this goal. So I told her I was due to have surgery the next day at my destination, and she immediately shifted into "first gear". She worked for over a half hour to find me a seat! I also called Monica who was my coordinator, to advise her of the delay, and she arranged for a hotel room in San Diiego for the night, and rearranged transportation to Mexicali. The pre-surgery instructions were right on target, advising to keep those phone numbers handy...it worked like clockwork and I'm sure they handle problems like this all the time. Because of this I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of my flight to San Diego, knowing that everything was taken care of.

I was able to get to San Diego around 7:30 PM, was taken to the hotel, then Ernesto, (Dr Aceves' driver) picked me up the next morning and we "flew low" (130 km/hr which I thought was mph at first until he reassured me it was not (we had some laughs over that) to the hospital where I was swept off to the lab immediately, then to xray, then to surgery pronto after some pre-op meds, quick consults with the coordinator, internist, anesthesiologist, and Dr Aceves. . It didn't give me time to get nervous at all. I was amazed that I felt as cool as a cucumber rolling into the surgery suite. They wrapped my legs to prevent DVT (blood clots), I chatted with the anesthesiologist a bit, and the " lights went out. "

I don't even remember being in recovery and woke up with little pain in my room as I recall (that part's kind of blurry".) Dr. Aceves did a hiatal hernia repair as well as the sleeve, which can cause more spasms than having just the sleeve alone. However I had a spinal plus general anesthesia and I think that made a big difference. I was able to continue to receive spina med dosing periodically because the spinal catheter was left in place. I'm sure this prevented a lot of pain from even poking up its' naughty little head. I slept well at night and did not even need the sleeping pills that were offered. The medical team is highly skilled at what they do and pain control seems to be a priority...much appreciated you can bet that.

Starting the day after surgery, I walked the halls, and after passing the leak test started sipping clears..sip...burp...sip...burp...just remember to let the burp come up before another little sip and you don't have the esophageal spasm. (which passes, but who needs it?) I probably erred on the side of not drinking quite enough but did not want to get the vomits...and luckily avoided that except for the second afternoon when I did not take pain meds soon enough (thinking I was fine)...and a spasm hit me which caused a very little upchucking...but a prompt shot of something or other stopped that right away. I think it was toradol and benadryl...not sure. (I love toradol by the way...no pain, and all your neurons are intact!)

The most welcome sight after passing the leak test was the chicken broth. Absolutely divine! I liked it so much, even got a "to go" cup when I left this morning at 7 AM. The flights home were uneventful, thank goodness, and I am home now, with energy to spare. Dr. Aceves provides a supply of toradol and nexium at discharge, and I took one of each this morning just so I would not have any problems on the trip...It's 10:30 PM and I am still pain free, feeling like I never had surgery. What a miracle.

Doing all my "homework" about this ahead of time I am sure helped a lot! THANKS TO ALL YOU EXPERIENCED SLEEVERS who shared your experiences. It goes without saying that the professionalism, well-organized system, and kindness of the team at the hospital was also a great factor in lending confidence that all would be well in spite of any difficulties.

Now the fun starts...watching the new me emerge.