Preparing for VSG from the Central Coast

[ereneeh 77]

I am almost 49 years old and finally decided that it's time to do this for me. I am about 100 lbs overweight. I have tried every diet out there and have already had hair fall out from losing weight with Topamax/Phentermine combination so thankfully that part doesn't scare me. Lost 55 lbs. but gained it all back over 6 years. I feel like I have studied the VSG to death. I have watched the surgery on youtube, watched videos from other sleevers, read every piece of material imaginable and I believe this is the best option for me. I have been married 29 years, have two grown children and as much as I love my kids, I don't like the way I feel when I come home at the end of the day. I have a husband that NEVER has worried about his weight so those of you that has a thin husband knows how every family picture feels. My husband and kids are very supportive of me doing this.

I will probably be having my surgery in November in San Jose with Dr. Cirangle. (Have to call tomorrow to verify date) I was very impressed with his expertise and experience with the surgery. I am thankful that my insurance Anthem Blue Cross of CA approved my procedure within 2 weeks. I live on the Central Coast and the greatest advantage for Dr. Cirangle is that he comes to an office within 20 minutes from me to see patients once a month. That was a big incentive to choose him even if his up front fee is a little excessive to some. Since the closest Bariatric surgeon is over 2 hours away from me, that was worth the convenience. If any other Dr. Cirangle patients are from the Central Coast, I would love to hear from you.

Looking forward to getting to post my progress here.

[ereneeh 77]

Here is my experience from Oct. 4. (I know that before my procedure I wanted to read everything I could about what to expect, so I hope this helps)

I was scheduled to be at Good Samaritan Hosp. in San Jose at 4:00 pm for a 6:30 pm procedure time. I personally didn't want to be the last surgery of the day, but you take what you get. It was a 3 hour drive to the hospital, so my parents picked me up and drove me. We checked my parents into their hotel and then headed for the hospital. The admitting nurse was ready and waiting for me to arrive. That was nice. I got setup in the admitting area and had about 50 pages to sign while they did all the pre-op stuff. I was pleased that I had lost 10 lbs. The nurse got my IV in on 2nd try and then I sat and waited. They finally were ready for me at 7:30 pm. My doctor makes you walk to surgery, so I headed down the hall to the OR room. Got myself on the table and the next thing I remember was waking up in recovery. I groggily looked around and the next thing after that was in my room with my parents standing there. I was informed that Dr. Cirangle had also found a hiatal hernia that he repaired and then I drifted off again. I was so groggy and it was about midnight. The nurse made me get up 1/2 hour later and walk. Dr's order. I asked for ice chips. These are a godsend during recovery. My Dr. gives you a morphine pump to self medicate, but I realized by Wed. that the morphine was making me so groggy I couldn't stand it. They kept giving me my button, but since my stomach didn't hurt that bad, (only the biggest incision by my belly button hurt) I wouldn't use it. They brought me chicken or beef broth, 2 cups of Jello, and a bottle of power Protein drink for EVERY meal. It was a little annoying that I would usually have to ask for Water to put in my Protein Drink. I would sip the broth, take 2 bites of Jello, and then try to sip the gross Protein Drink. Wow, this was my first sign that I would never be able to eat the same again. Remember the warning that your tastes change.

My Dr. came to see me about 4:00 pm and because I got into my room so late and because my blood pressure was elevated, they decided to have me stay another day. (My Dr. usually only keeps you for 1 day) They told me before the Dr. came that they were moving me from the morphine pump to oral pain meds to get ready to go home, but when they decided to keep me, they tried to give me the morphine back. I asked if I could take the oral pain meds (Lortab liquid) and it definitely helped me sleep without being groggy. I am a side sleeper and the bed was miserable. If you need to try to turn on your side, the Lortab will help with this. I continued to walk every few hours and eating the same. On Thursday, they took labs to check my blood pressure again, and it just wouldn't come down. They finally gave me a blood pressure pill and released me about 1:00 pm. (I have never had high blood pressure nor take blood pressure medicine, but I realized that there was a medical reason for losing weight now too) This helped to validate why I did this. They weighed me before I left and I had gained 10 lbs from the IV fluids. Drove the 3 hours home, stopping every hour for blood cot concerns. Be warned, the 10lbs of Fluid in you has to come out. (Unless I'm just strange) So I was up every 1/2 hour - hour all night peeing. But, the next day (Fri) the 10 lbs were gone and I was back to the weigh in weight at the hospital. Spent the next 2 days just around the house and sleeping. This just makes you sooo tired. Went to church on Sunday, made it through a church potluck (drank ice tea and helped serve) and now I have another week to enjoy my 2nd week of vacation from work. I am just trying to adjust to the liquid, all the Protein, what my new stomach can handle.

Here's some observations for you.

During the 2 day pre-op liquid diet, I couldn't stand to watch food commercials or food shows. A Burger King hamburger never looked so good. Now, the commercials don't bother me because I'm just not that hungry.

My sense of smell is off. I asked everyone in my household (husband and 2 boys) if someone got new cologne because the smell was making me gag. Nope. Hopefully this will pass.

Tried beef broth Protein powder and almost threw up. If the mix clumps, it will not help you eat.

I realize that a week of my life with pain and discomfort is worth the REST of my life as the new me.

[ereneeh 77]

Every day gets better, but I had a scare last night and have not read anything about it on the site.

I have severe outdoor allergies and get 4 allergy shots a month. Trees, grass and weeds. I have been taking allergy shots for 10 years now and it definitely makes a difference in my quality of life.

Well, I had ordered the sample pack from nectar Protein drinks and decided to try my first one last nite (Cappuccino). I made 20 oz. and was sip, sip, sipping and my throat started itching. I started coughing and could feel my throat closing. Because of my years of allergy shots, I knew what was coming. I was having an allergic reaction to something. I immediately took my allergy pill (Xyzal) and stopped drinking my Protein drink. I had drank about 15 oz. Because it was 9:30pm, there's no one to really call so I just rode it out. It finally subsized after about 1 1/2 hours.

I called my allergist this morning to check my chart and let them know what happened. The office called me back and said they checked my chart from when I was tested 10 years ago and sure enough I have elevated allergens to milk and eggs. I guess because my allergy to grasses and trees was so huge, (4 times worse than the milk and eggs) they just addressed the big things. Well, whey Protein Isolate (the main ingredient in nectar Protein drink) is concentrated milk protein. I guess my new problem is I am highly allergic to milk and whey. And, allergic means anaphylactic shock, not just diarrhea and stomach issues.

I have never noticed any problem with milk before except for the standard stomach issues such as bloating, cramps, but they attribute that to the high fat content. My Dr. called again this afternoon and I now have to carry an epi-pen at all times and avoid whey and milk products. Anyone else have this problem? Leave it to me to be special. I now have to go buy protein made with soy, since I am not allergic to soy. I would appreciate any information that may have experience anything like this.

[hibblesmom 5]

Ereneeh -

No allergies here, but just wanted to post to say I'm glad you caught this in the nick of time! Also, thanks for posting your experiences. I'm preparing for my own surgery, and every story is helpful. I had a question for you - you mentioned being a side-sleeper. So am I, and I have been a little worried hearing stories about folks here sleeping upright in recliners for weeks after surgery because of pain. Are you able to side-sleep at home now, post-op? I am one of those incredibly fussy sleepers, and unless I'm on my side, sleep ain't gonna happen.

Thanks for sharing and I'm glad you sorted out the milk Protein issue!

Every day gets better, but I had a scare last night and have not read anything about it on the site.

I have severe outdoor allergies and get 4 allergy shots a month. Trees, grass and weeds. I have been taking allergy shots for 10 years now and it definitely makes a difference in my quality of life.

Well, I had ordered the sample pack from nectar Protein drinks and decided to try my first one last nite (Cappuccino). I made 20 oz. and was sip, sip, sipping and my throat started itching. I started coughing and could feel my throat closing. Because of my years of allergy shots, I knew what was coming. I was having an allergic reaction to something. I immediately took my allergy pill (Xyzal) and stopped drinking my Protein drink. I had drank about 15 oz. Because it was 9:30pm, there's no one to really call so I just rode it out. It finally subsized after about 1 1/2 hours.

I called my allergist this morning to check my chart and let them know what happened. The office called me back and said they checked my chart from when I was tested 10 years ago and sure enough I have elevated allergens to milk and eggs. I guess because my allergy to grasses and trees was so huge, (4 times worse than the milk and eggs) they just addressed the big things. Well, Whey Protein Isolate (the main ingredient in nectar Protein drink) is concentrated milk protein. I guess my new problem is I am highly allergic to milk and whey. And, allergic means anaphylactic shock, not just diarrhea and stomach issues.

I have never noticed any problem with milk before except for the standard stomach issues such as bloating, cramps, but they attribute that to the high fat content. My Dr. called again this afternoon and I now have to carry an epi-pen at all times and avoid whey and milk products. Anyone else have this problem? Leave it to me to be special. I now have to go buy protein made with soy, since I am not allergic to soy. I would appreciate any information that may have experience anything like this.

[ereneeh 77]

Ereneeh -

No allergies here, but just wanted to post to say I'm glad you caught this in the nick of time! Also, thanks for posting your experiences. I'm preparing for my own surgery, and every story is helpful. I had a question for you - you mentioned being a side-sleeper. So am I, and I have been a little worried hearing stories about folks here sleeping upright in recliners for weeks after surgery because of pain. Are you able to side-sleep at home now, post-op? I am one of those incredibly fussy sleepers, and unless I'm on my side, sleep ain't gonna happen.

Thanks for sharing and I'm glad you sorted out the milk Protein issue!

Hi Sarah, I used to be a stomach sleeper when I was younger and thinner, but not lately. Look forward to being able to sleep on my stomach again. But, I actually slept on my side right after the procedure. Granted the bed was reclined and I had pain meds but I did it. I was a pretty grumpy patient, but I would sleep until the pain woke me up. The pain is mostly from the incision right by my belly button and there is pressure you feel in your stomach when you turn over. I've read the pressure you feel in your stomach is the sutures against the muscle. As long as you have the Lortab, or Vicodin, you can sleep on your side. I am 10 days out and I sleep on my side still. I just have to be careful of the PJ's against my stomach. I also woke up 2 days with my hip bones sore but that is gone now. I hate taking medication but I have been taking the Lortab before I go to sleep and I sleep all night. Another nice thing is I used to have to get up and pee 1-3 times a night. I have not had to get up since I was up all night getting rid of the fluids after the hospital. My ankles are already no longer swollen which I had problems with. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. I see you don't have a date yet. Are you still waiting for insurance approval?