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Orea, I noticed your surgery date is in 4 days. Will be anxious to hear from you, mine will be 5 days later. You must be so excited !! I can't wait.

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I am excited, and nervous more about forgetting something I need than about the surgery itself. But my wonderful husband has put together a spreadsheet with the master list of what to take to the hospital, what to have ready for afterward, etc. so I guess I'll do okay. They said to label my CPAP machine and stuff, so I had a bright idea and used some of my extra address labels where I could, and a Sharpie for the rest. I'm almost all packed... :-)

I may be more thrilled to be on my last few days of Optifast, than the actual surgery! LOL

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I am excited, and nervous more about forgetting something I need than about the surgery itself. But my wonderful husband has put together a spreadsheet with the master list of what to take to the hospital, what to have ready for afterward, etc. so I guess I'll do okay. They said to label my CPAP machine and stuff, so I had a bright idea and used some of my extra address labels where I could, and a Sharpie for the rest. I'm almost all packed... :-)

I may be more thrilled to be on my last few days of Optifast, than the actual surgery! LOL

I got lucky and not having to do the liquid diet before. i'm on a strict diet, but i can eat 3 meals a day. since monday i have lost 8 lbs.

what is a cpap machine? what is needed for the hospital? i was told, lose clothing, ( i bought a cute moo moo type long dress) slip on shoes. drs office called yesterday and told my hubby my meds will be ready to pick up at a compound pharmacy.

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Just a quick question -

I assume that this surgery is basically a "short stay" procedure.

In - prepped - surgery -post - instructions -and then out.

Are there situations when an overnight is necessary?

And I've read where occasionally they have to resort to an "open" surgery (as opposed to the laparoscope)

Anyone experience this? :tt2:

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Just banded Wednesday how long do you have to drink 64 oz of liquid per day ? All info on liquids for 2 weeks were different from my DR , NUTR , and Hospital ? I have been living on Bullion, diet ice tea decaff , Jello, and Carnation instant Breakfast (2 per day).Very scared about pb I have always eatened like they wer throwing the switch at midnight

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I got lucky and not having to do the liquid diet before. i'm on a strict diet, but i can eat 3 meals a day. since monday i have lost 8 lbs.

what is a cpap machine? what is needed for the hospital? i was told, lose clothing, ( i bought a cute moo moo type long dress) slip on shoes. drs office called yesterday and told my hubby my meds will be ready to pick up at a compound pharmacy.

The CPAP machine is for those of us with sleep apnea. We need to bring it along so we can use it in the hospital.

I've heard that lip balm is good to bring along. Someone suggested Wet wipes. Whatever you need for a little personal hygiene. The interview nurse at the hospital (who had a bypass 6 or 7 years ago and looks great!) suggested I might want to bring a pair of shorts or the like to wear with my hospital gown while walking. A bra that is soft, with no underwires in case you have an incision that might be irritated by it. If you have an incentive spirometer, bring that along. The hospital gave me one to practice on at home -- If you don't have one, they'll provide it there. If you don't know what one is, don't worry!

Bring something to occupy yourself, a few books or a DVD player and some movies or an Ipod...labeled!! Reading glasses or contacts if needed.

That's all I have on the top of my head at the moment. I was thinking of bringing some funny videos, but then I wondered if it would hurt to laugh.:tt2:

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Some people are released the same day. I don't know how this decision is made, but my surgeon seems to prefer to keep us overnight.

The laparoscopic procedure will change if the surgeon has a problem doing it that way, for example if your liver is too big and fatty, or you have lots of adhesions from previous surgeries. This is why it is so important to adhere to preop diet instructions! There is a lot at stake. If an emergency occurs, they may switch to an open procedure, too.

Hope this helps. I'm off to have more Optifast. ;-)

Orea

Just a quick question -

I assume that this surgery is basically a "short stay" procedure.

In - prepped - surgery -post - instructions -and then out.

Are there situations when an overnight is necessary?

And I've read where occasionally they have to resort to an "open" surgery (as opposed to the laparoscope)

Anyone experience this? :tt2:

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The CPAP machine is for those of us with sleep apnea. We need to bring it along so we can use it in the hospital.

I've heard that lip balm is good to bring along. Someone suggested Wet wipes. Whatever you need for a little personal hygiene. The interview nurse at the hospital (who had a bypass 6 or 7 years ago and looks great!) suggested I might want to bring a pair of shorts or the like to wear with my hospital gown while walking. A bra that is soft, with no underwires in case you have an incision that might be irritated by it. If you have an incentive spirometer, bring that along. The hospital gave me one to practice on at home -- If you don't have one, they'll provide it there. If you don't know what one is, don't worry!

Bring something to occupy yourself, a few books or a DVD player and some movies or an Ipod...labeled!! Reading glasses or contacts if needed.

That's all I have on the top of my head at the moment. I was thinking of bringing some funny videos, but then I wondered if it would hurt to laugh.:tt2:

i feel so dumb....lol i dont know what a spirometer is. i won't be staying overnight.

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i feel so dumb....lol i dont know what a spirometer is. i won't be staying overnight.

Well that simplifies things! The spirometer is a doohickey you breathe into to measure your lung capacity... to keep your lungs healthy after the surgery. :-) I didn't know what they were until they gave me one and showed me how to use it, at a class I had to take.

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Wow! I never had time for any of this stuff. My surgery was scheduled for 9 am. I got to the hospital at 7 am. I remember looking at the clock in the OR and it was 9:20. I woke up in recovery what seemed like a couple of minutes later and was out the door and on my way home by 1:40. That was 7-11-08. I was back to work on the 21st. I do wish I had taken another week off. I guess us older folks take longer to get our energy back.

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Well that simplifies things! The spirometer is a doohickey you breathe into to measure your lung capacity... to keep your lungs healthy after the surgery. :-) I didn't know what they were until they gave me one and showed me how to use it, at a class I had to take.

oh that doohickey....they used that on me when i had my hysterectomy. duh:huh2:

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The CPAP machine is for those of us with sleep apnea. We need to bring it along so we can use it in the hospital.

I've heard that lip balm is good to bring along. Someone suggested Wet wipes. Whatever you need for a little personal hygiene. The interview nurse at the hospital (who had a bypass 6 or 7 years ago and looks great!) suggested I might want to bring a pair of shorts or the like to wear with my hospital gown while walking. A bra that is soft, with no underwires in case you have an incision that might be irritated by it. If you have an incentive spirometer, bring that along. The hospital gave me one to practice on at home -- If you don't have one, they'll provide it there. If you don't know what one is, don't worry!

Bring something to occupy yourself, a few books or a DVD player and some movies or an Ipod...labeled!! Reading glasses or contacts if needed.

That's all I have on the top of my head at the moment. I was thinking of bringing some funny videos, but then I wondered if it would hurt to laugh.:tt2:

Wow you are prepared. All I went with were the clothes on my back. LOL Oh and they told me I needed my photo ID (I'm sure there's lots of imposters wanting to have surgery LOL). so I brought that and they never asked for it. I didn't stay overnight though.

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Doohickey... Ladies, I'm pretty sure you have to be a medical professional to use that term.

Not to be confused with a Thing-a-ma-jig

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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