ce004995

Send Message

Block

Add Friend

I know I said I would try to write the evening of or the next day, that was not possible. I went through some excruciating pain, not due to the bypass, but due to terrible gas pain. I have always had problems with severe gas pain getting under my breast bone, I think this just intensified it with all the air. Before I had my Gall bladder removed several years ago, I had Gall bladder attacks so painful, I would almost pass out. This was worse.

However, I made myself get up and walk around, and by Tuesday night, my pain started to dissipate. I was finally able to sleep some and drink some water.

I am home now and feeling so much better. I still would do it again.

I am having my surgery tomorrow and want to go over what I am suppose to do today.

I was given a bottle of Magnesium Citrate by the nurse. I drank 1/2 of it at noon and the other half at 2:00pm as required (I also bought more at the store to drink throughout my recovery). I had a protein shake in the morning, but at noon I am to only consume "clear" liquids, and lots of them. I have been drinking seasoned chicken broth and I will have sugar free popsicles and Jello throughout the day as well. And of course, lots of water.

I also have some sugar free "clear" hard candies that I can suck on. Another thing I am doing, that is very important, is taking a stool softener, like Peri-Colace, 2 days before the surgery.

I learned the hard way, many years ago, after having a few surgery's in my belly region, that the anesthesia and pain meds they give you, make you very constipated. When your stomach is sore from surgery, you cannot push anything out with any ease at all. I ended up in the emergency room, 2 weeks after a surgery because I was so backed up that I was in intense pain.

Trust me, STOOL SOFTNENER IS IMPORTANT.

I will continue to drink a lot of liquids this evening and then stop everything, not even gum or a mint, tonight around 10:00pm.

I am going to try to post after the surgery tomorrow if I can.

Love (That's actually my nickname, not a salutation!)

After drama with my first surgical center, and my first surgery date being canceled, I found a new surgery center and doctor, John J Gonzalez in San Antonio. Then I Had to wait to find out if Aetna would allow me to change doctors without resubmitting everything, which took another week. I finally got the go ahead last Friday, Did my labs yesterday and did my hospital admittance, for my surgery on Monday the 7th 2014.

I'm not really scared or nervous about the surgery, or worried about anything else except the long term. I am wondering if anyone out there can tell me how maintenance is for them after being out for several years. Does the tool go away or do you always have it. I have heard conflicting stories. Some people say after a few years their stomach reverted back to normal through no fault of their own and they gained all their weight back. Others seemed more positive and have been happily maintaining.

Are the surgeries affects only temporary, or with proper diet (protein first, eating slowly, etc...) can the affects last a long time? 

Thank you in advance for your responses.

So I had originally decided I wanted the Lap band. I found an in Network facility that specialized in the band. After I went to their seminar and learned more about Bariatric surgery, I decided I wanted the Gastric Bypass. When I told them this, they told me "No problem, we have a new surgeon that we just brought in who does Gastric Bypass!"

Great! So a year ago I started on my journey. It took a while, because I had moved so much, it took 7 nerve racking months to finally get all my medical records in, that showed at least 2 years of a "good" weight (Aetna PPO). So in February 20014, I started my 3 months of doctor visits, shrink visits and nutritional classes. After that, I went in for my 'scoping', which my doctor performed and everything came back ok. Then they submitted my paper work to Aetna. After 3 weeks I decided to call Aetna myself, where they informed me "Oh, yeah, that was already approved". I called the doctors office and they contacted Aetna to get the go ahead and then I came in to schedule my surgery. July 9th.

I was suppose to start my liquid diet on June 25th, but on June 19th, I got a call from the Doctors office that said "Yeah, Hi, just wanted to let you know, your Doctor no longer works here. The other doctors decided they just wanted to concentrate on doing Banding. So if you would like to come in and talk to another Doctor about that, give us a call. ok, bye!"

Are you %$#@$% serious? 

We were shocked. My husband called another in network medical group that specialized in Gastric Bypass and they got me in to see a Doctor 2 days later.

They called Aetna to see if we can just get the paper work for the approval changed to a new Doctor and Hospital. Otherwise, we will have to resubmit my case again. Just in case, they had me attend one of their nutritional classes (for free).

So, now I wait again. That is all I have done in the last year. Wait. But I am sure most of us have done a lot of waiting.