I noticed a few July folks posting on other threads and thought there might be enough of us to start our own thread (rather than hijacking whatever threads we find with a July surgery in them) - so I invite anyone with a July surgery to post their story here so we can support each other and share our experiences.

I'm C and my surgery is scheduled with Dr. Aceves on 15 July. I'm 29 and married to an Army man - we're currently stationed in Germany. We have two year old boy/girl twins. I'm choosing to self-pay because Tricare does not currently cover VSG and none of the overseas military facilities do the procedure at this time. To complicate matters, our next assignment is (as of right now) in Yerevan, Armenia. Getting this surgery in a remote location like Armenia isn't even a possibility. I'm not willing to wait more than two more years for this surgery.

I started my research in the summer of 2008 when my doctor diagnosed me with Type II (I developed gestational diabetes with my twin pregnancy and it stuck around afterward) and suggested the band. After much research I decided the sleeve best suits my needs.

I'm 5'1" (and some change), 240 pounds and I would be happy with any weight under 160 pounds. I haven't weighed less than that in more than ten years and I have been plus-sized since high school.

Please, hop in and share your own stories so I can share this journey with others instead of doing it alone! If I am successful my mom would like to have the surgery, too, but she's very nervous because she has never had surgery before.

~C

Carol, Yes I had Dr. Corvala do the surgery. He was very kind and soft spoken and very informative. I highly recommend him.

Hi everyone.. I know it has been a while since I have gotten on here.. For the first two weeks I really didn't have internet since I was recovering back in Missouri. Life is much better now days. I am finally able to eat real food but I find myself wanting to stay with the soft foods instead. I tried to eat a few chicken nuggets when I took the boys to McD's and I will NEVER EVER EVER do that again. (I have a bad habit of lying about how much I have eaten so I am laugh at myself when I want to lie right now) I ate four chicken nuggets (Why would I care so much about that??) and of course that was way too much for my new stomach.. When in 15 to 20 min I was in the bathroom in pain.. I felt so stupid since I had been doing so well.. Has anyone else does this?

Hi everyone.. I know it has been a while since I have gotten on here.. For the first two weeks I really didn't have internet since I was recovering back in Missouri. Life is much better now days. I am finally able to eat real food but I find myself wanting to stay with the soft foods instead. I tried to eat a few chicken nuggets when I took the boys to McD's and I will NEVER EVER EVER do that again. (I have a bad habit of lying about how much I have eaten so I am laugh at myself when I want to lie right now) I ate four chicken nuggets (Why would I care so much about that??) and of course that was way too much for my new stomach.. When in 15 to 20 min I was in the bathroom in pain.. I felt so stupid since I had been doing so well.. Has anyone else does this?

I'm having to relearn how much I can eat too. Haven't had to run to the bathroom in pain yet but have felt discomfort from my eyes being too big for my plate. Apparently 40 some odd years of thinking bigger was better is taking some time for my brain to forget. Portion control was my problem before surgery, so with this new built in portion controlled stomach I'm working hard to remember it and overstuff myself. I've learned that one bite of food can make a world of difference!

Best wishes Melli on your journey. Your weight loss is fantastic!

mrlddst;

I don't know if you read my posts earlier but I was sleeved on 7/26 and was going through the eXACT same thing you were!! My doctor gave me some Nexium that helped but the spasms will go away even when right now you think that you want to die they WILL. He aslo gave me Reglan that kinda of gets your motor running again as he put it. Sometimes the stomach is shocked and the bowels too.. I got the runs a little the next couple of days but it has stopped. I am 1 week and 1 day out and feel like a totally different person! Just keep drinking so you don't get dehydrated because that makes you feel bad too. Good luck!!

Hello everyone! Just wanted to give a update. I was sleeved on July 28th. I had recently posted that I was concerned about my liver and not being able to keep it from becoming an open surgery. Well, that wasn't a problem, however, I had the unfortunate experience of having the staple gun malfunction and misfire the line. Surgery apparently lasted almost 6 hours instead of 2. I woke up with a NG tube from my nose to my stomach, a JP drain in one of my incisions, and a catheter. The doctor said because the staple gun misfired they had to make the top of my sleeve smaller than they would like. But it is the same size they used to make them but have since started making the top bigger. According to the doctor when they discovered leaks it was usually at the top and by making it a little bigger this has seemed to reduce the number of leaks. He said that just because mine was smaller didn't mean I would have a leak but the NG tube and JP drain were precautionary.

The NG tube caused me to gag and feel like I was choking. I ended up on anti-nausea meds that made me so sleepy I couldn't really wake up for over a day. I was awake I just didn't have the energy to do much and would fall back asleep quickly. I couldn't talk because my throat hurt from the tube. I had to wait until Friday the 30th for my leak test. It showed nothing and the NG tube was removed. Shortly after that it was like I was a brand new person. They removed the catheter and I was up walking around. I was sent home Saturday with the drain still in and I have to strip it and drain it a few times a day. Since being home I've been doing pretty good. Seems to take me all day to get my 64 oz of fluid in but I've been doing it. I take at least 2 walks a day up and back my 1/4 mile long driveway. I go back to the doc on the 10th for my 2 week check up and hopefully to get the drain removed. I haven't weighed myself since surgery date so I have no idea how much I've lost since then.

In the end the first day and a half was miserable but I am thankful it wasn't worse! Good luck everyone on their journey and i hope to keep you all posted as I make my way onto the losers bench!

Hi everyone.. I know it has been a while since I have gotten on here.. For the first two weeks I really didn't have internet since I was recovering back in Missouri. Life is much better now days. I am finally able to eat real food but I find myself wanting to stay with the soft foods instead. I tried to eat a few chicken nuggets when I took the boys to McD's and I will NEVER EVER EVER do that again. (I have a bad habit of lying about how much I have eaten so I am laugh at myself when I want to lie right now) I ate four chicken nuggets (Why would I care so much about that??) and of course that was way too much for my new stomach.. When in 15 to 20 min I was in the bathroom in pain.. I felt so stupid since I had been doing so well.. Has anyone else does this?

HI,

I was sleeved by Dr Rod too (07/01/2010) and isn't he wonderful? The whole team actually.

In response to your little episode....lol, I made the same mistake in my 3rd week out too and guess where I ended up...yup, the bathroom.

I was chatting with a colleague who had the gastric bypass and she said she wished she had opted for the sleeve because this tool as aginst the bypass, will act as a reminder that you are getting ahead of urself, in other words, be grateful that your tool is there as a reminder for you not to mess up your brand new stomach.

I'm in my 5th week now and I still spend abt an hour eating one medium size chicken- drumstick. Beef is out of the question for now. Popsicles are my best friend while bread,pasta,rice had been long forgotten. Not because I can't eat them but because I simply ended my love affair with them and have no desire for them anymore.

My advice, do as much liquid, syrupy,soupy, diet as you can, (I know sometimes this is easier said than done, esp when we have pple eating around us) it's easier to digest especially now that you are still recovering.

Good luck.

mrlddst;

I don't know if you read my posts earlier but I was sleeved on 7/26 and was going through the eXACT same thing you were!! My doctor gave me some Nexium that helped but the spasms will go away even when right now you think that you want to die they WILL. He aslo gave me Reglan that kinda of gets your motor running again as he put it. Sometimes the stomach is shocked and the bowels too.. I got the runs a little the next couple of days but it has stopped. I am 1 week and 1 day out and feel like a totally different person! Just keep drinking so you don't get dehydrated because that makes you feel bad too. Good luck!!

Thanks for the reply! It finally went away. My doctor gave me a prescription for pepcid.I'm now on that part with the runs, lol.eck!

Edited August 6, 201015 yr by mrlddst

July Bride, I had an NG tube for 3 days postop too - I can't believe how horrible it was!! I couldn't hardly move my head because it would move in the back of my throat and make me gag. I felt like a new woman with it out also!

July Bride, I had an NG tube for 3 days postop too - I can't believe how horrible it was!! I couldn't hardly move my head because it would move in the back of my throat and make me gag. I felt like a new woman with it out also!

Oh wow that does sound fun at all! If they put an NG tube in me it was gone by the time I woke up. I'm sorry you had to deal with that!

emilygrace, 3 days with a NG tube and you didn't kill any nurses? You are an angel. :001_smile: I was so irate for just a day and a half that the nurses were probably getting sick of me! The gagging was the worst. But like I've told my husband and parents, if that is the worst complication then it will be worth it!

Don't worry, everyone I came across heard about how badly I wanted it out!! One of the silly nurses told me if the tape got wet in the shower it might fall off.. I said "oh, that would be terrible..." and I was VERY tempted to pull it out "accidentally"!!

Mellifrits-

I have had the same issue not with McD's but just food in general. Trying out different foods that I can actually eat and than finding out pretty quickly that it wont be staying down too long. I call this my trial by error time for food. Since not sure what I can really tolerate or even how much of something I can tolerate.

Edited August 20, 201015 yr by kimkbaker

Hey all...

I'm July too... got sleeved on the 3rd and now 7 weeks post op... glad I had it done and doing well (I think!). I am doing well with the food side of things, the only problem is my head... trying to accept that this will work and that I WILL lose the weight that I have dreamed of loosing since I was in my early twenties... does anyone else feel the same at this stage of their weight loss?

Cheers

I was sleeved 5 wks ago today. Have been doing pretty well, and have hit that stall that everyone talks about. I too worry that I will fail at this like I have every other diet. Patience is not one of my virtues so lol, but I am trying to just take one pound at a time. Learning how much my tummy can hold has been kind of a challenge - those old habits of eating until the plate is clean can sure sneak back up in a hurry. I'm not really a puker, but I have had 3 times where I overdid it and it all came back up.:thumbup: Lately I have had some issues with head hunger - that restless bored feeling that comes when I am home alone and then want to turn to food again for comfort. Geesh! I need to get a hobby! When it's all said and done I love my sleeve!! I wish I could fast forward to next year at this time so I can see where I will be!

Kathy

I totally agree Kathy. Can't wait to see a year down the line. I put on a size 18 capris today. Not 18w. Just 18. It's my last pair. Everything else is too big. I'm holding off on getting anything until its cold enough out for pants. Won't be that much longer here in Minnesota.