Welcome guest, you have 1 message! Register

Results 1 to 9 of 9
  1. #1
    Gastric Sleeve Member believexrebecca's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
    Name
    Rebecca
    Surgery date
    07/13/2015
    Surgeon
    Dr. Gabrielsen
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Last Activity
    11-22-2018 03:08 AM
    Location
    Pennsylvania, United States
    Posts
    267
    Said "Thanks" 0 Times
    Was Thanked 54 Times in 39 Posts
    Said "Welcome to Gastric Sleeve" 27 Times

    Default Just a few surgery worries..

    I should have had it done about 2 months ago but what matters is it's still going to get done whether it's next month or next year. But I just have a few concerns someone should be able to just help me with! Lol sorry, just getting nervous.

    • Piercings, do you have to take them out?
    • Nail polish off I assume? I don't want to go and have my nails done around then and then I'll have to take it off.
    • The IV is what I'm super nervous about, I've only had one when I was about 6. I'm super scared for it.
    • On a scale of 1-10 how bad was the pain?
    • Is this whole thing really worth getting nervous over?
    • If you could go back and do one thing differently with the surgery or preop things what would it be?
    • Is it hard to exercise after surgery?
    • Did they put in a drain and did it hurt to get it taken out?
    • How was the stuff you have to swallow for the test after to see if the sleeve leaks, I'm terrible with liquid medicine.
    • Did you have a breathing tube in?



    Sorry, it's so long and I'm sure I'll have more questions as it gets closer!
    I had my sleeve at 19 and would do it all over again



  2. Gastric Sleeve Surgery With Weight Loss Agents
  3. #2
    Gastric Sleeve Member
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
    Surgeon
    Dr. Shawn Garber
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Last Activity
    11-14-2017 01:21 PM
    Location
    Long Island
    Posts
    14
    Said "Thanks" 0 Times
    Was Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts
    Said "Welcome to Gastric Sleeve" 0 Times
    Blog Entries
    2

    Default Re: Just a few surgery worries..

    Just got sleeved last week...

    Piercings, do you have to take them out? Yes! Every piercing you have needs to come out. I left all of my earrings at home (I have 1 cartilage, and 2 holes on each ear)

    Nail polish off I assume? I don't want to go and have my nails done around then and then I'll have to take it off- I didn't have to and I was not told to. I actually got complimented by a couple of staff members when I was making my rounds with walking

    The IV is what I'm super nervous about, I've only had one when I was about 6. I'm super scared for it- Do not worry about it...For me it was painless and they had to put 2 ivs in and I didn't feel it...it is just a pain bc depending on the placement of the IV's (hand vs arm) you can get tangled up

    On a scale of 1-10 how bad was the pain? When I first got out of surgery (when I was coming out of the anesthesia) I would say an 8 or a 9...once they pumped pain meds, I was pretty good. I kept getting nauseous from the pain meds so I stopped taking them (I had like a hand pump) at a certain time and it was bearable (about a constant 3-5). My incision wasn't the thing killing me...it was the gas pains that stayed right below my rib cage.

    Is this whole thing really worth getting nervous over? It is good to have nerves (it is a major surgery) but in the end, know that you are doing this to get healthy!

    If you could go back and do one thing differently with the surgery or preop things what would it be? Read more on what you can/cannot have postop. I had an understanding but wasn't completely prepared

    Is it hard to exercise after surgery? You cannot do any physical exercise (except for walking) I believe 6-8 weeks post-op...no lifting either

    Did they put in a drain and did it hurt to get it taken out? I had a single incision through my belly button so I didn't have a drain

    How was the stuff you have to swallow for the test after to see if the sleeve leaks, I'm terrible with liquid medicine. I am going to be honest with you...It was thick and disgusting.But you do not have to drink the entire glass (at least I didn't)...that stuff gave me more gas later on and delayed my release by a couple of hours because I couldn't properly eat/drink after I passed the test.

    Did you have a breathing tube in? Yes for the surgery...they knocked me out before putting it in. I lost my voice after though (still trying to get it back).

    I hope this helps!!

    Helen


  4. Said thanks:


  5. #3
    Gastric Sleeve Member
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
    Surgery date
    04/15/2014
    Surgeon
    Nicholson
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    692
    Said "Thanks" 28 Times
    Was Thanked 142 Times in 132 Posts
    Said "Welcome to Gastric Sleeve" 4,927 Times

    Default Re: Just a few surgery worries..

    I'm not sleeved yet, but remember....NOTHING WORTH DOING, IS EVEREASY.

    Praying for you! Best of wishes. Can't wait for you to post your experience but take some down time. *hugs*


  6. #4
    Gastric Sleeve Member girliegirl777's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
    Name
    Erika
    Surgery date
    09/25/2013
    Surgeon
    Dr. Nguyen
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Last Activity
    09-28-2014 11:15 PM
    Location
    Bellevue, WA
    Posts
    577
    Said "Thanks" 61 Times
    Was Thanked 136 Times in 127 Posts
    Said "Welcome to Gastric Sleeve" 150 Times
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default Re: Just a few surgery worries..

    •Piercings, do you have to take them out? - I don't have any, so don't know.
    •Nail polish off I assume? I don't want to go and have my nails done around then and then I'll have to take it off. - I had shellac on my fingers and toes and there was no mention of having to remove it.
    •The IV is what I'm super nervous about, I've only had one when I was about 6. I'm super scared for it.
    •On a scale of 1-10 how bad was the pain? - I don't find the IV to be painful, but I have had several before. I think the worst part is when they try to find a vein. Sometimes they can't find it in your arm and need to put it in your hand. The nurses I have had have all been great though and are able to slide it right in. In terms of pain after the surgery, it was very bad for about 15-30 minutes directly after waking from surgery. After they gave me pain meds, it was a breeze. I was up and walking a few hours after surgery.
    •Is this whole thing really worth getting nervous over? - I can't really answer that for you, but in my opinion, No.
    •If you could go back and do one thing differently with the surgery or preop things what would it be? - I wish I would have focused more on increased hydration beforehand. I felt so thirsty afterwards.
    •Is it hard to exercise after surgery? - I did some light walking until month two when I started increasing my exercise gradually. This worked for me, but you may feel differently. You are young and will most likely bounce back much quicker.
    •Did they put in a drain and did it hurt to get it taken out? - Yes, I had a gross drain. It was such a pain for the two weeks after surgery. It didn't hurt at all to have it removed. It just felt weird like maybe an alien was being removed from my body.
    •How was the stuff you have to swallow for the test after to see if the sleeve leaks, I'm terrible with liquid medicine. - I didn't have to do this.
    •Did you have a breathing tube in? - Yes, I believe that is what it is called. My throat was a bit sore for a few days after.



  7. #5
    Gastric Sleeve Member Sharonlags's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
    Name
    Sharon
    Surgery date
    01/10/2013
    Surgeon
    Adeshola Fakulujo, MD
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Last Activity
    07-07-2015 11:52 PM
    Location
    Clayton, New Jersey
    Posts
    95
    Said "Thanks" 4 Times
    Was Thanked 21 Times in 20 Posts
    Said "Welcome to Gastric Sleeve" 5,791 Times
    Blog Entries
    15

    Default Re: Just a few surgery worries..

    Rebecca, I have had the surgery January 2013 and my husband just had it February 13, 2014 a few weeks ago. He never had surgery before and couldn't believe all that I explained to him and he would do it all over again and so would I for my health. I don't know where your having the surgery but you live in PA so I'm assuming one of their hospitals. I live in NJ over the Walt Whitman Bridge.

    The IV is put in before surgery by the nurse and while the anesthesiologist is talking to you. Yes, the IV does pinch but only for a second. Since you are nervous, they ususally give you something for anxeity through your IV,and within a few seconds you don't care what is going on. They wheel you into the operating room and within seconds you are out in la-la land. The tube is already taken out before surgery ends and only put in before surgery starts. You don't even know they are doing it because you are under general anesthesia. The whole surgery takes about 2 hours if that. You will wakeup in the recovery room. Your vitals are taken all the time. You will feel a little groggy as they try to wake you up. They will give you pain meds through your IV and meds for nauseousness. They do not want you to throw up so they are great with handling that. The only pain I had and my husband had was the the gas pains and the only way to get rid of that is to walk. Day 1 of surgery you mostly sleep and later in the day the nurse will help you get up out of bed to walk. Do those laps because it helps!!! Day 2 when they give you warm tea or broth, it helps move those gas bubbles. We were both in the hospital 1 night. You have to remember these are professionals, your surgeon that you trust, they don't want you in any pain either and will try to make you feel better and as comfortable as they can. They are on your side. I wish you all the best! You will do great!!! You have a lot of support here to help you.









    Quote Originally Posted by believexrebecca View Post
    I should have had it done about 2 months ago but what matters is it's still going to get done whether it's next month or next year. But I just have a few concerns someone should be able to just help me with! Lol sorry, just getting nervous.

    • Piercings, do you have to take them out?
    • Nail polish off I assume? I don't want to go and have my nails done around then and then I'll have to take it off.
    • The IV is what I'm super nervous about, I've only had one when I was about 6. I'm super scared for it.
    • On a scale of 1-10 how bad was the pain?
    • Is this whole thing really worth getting nervous over?
    • If you could go back and do one thing differently with the surgery or preop things what would it be?
    • Is it hard to exercise after surgery?
    • Did they put in a drain and did it hurt to get it taken out?
    • How was the stuff you have to swallow for the test after to see if the sleeve leaks, I'm terrible with liquid medicine.
    • Did you have a breathing tube in?



    Sorry, it's so long and I'm sure I'll have more questions as it gets closer!



    Highest weight - Initial consult - 2/2012.....246 pounds
    2nd surgeon appt 2-18-13 - 206 pounds Woohoo! Down 40 pounds!!!!!
    3-10-13 - I'm in ONEDERLAND!!! - 197 pounds
    8-13-13 - HIT MY GOAL WEIGHT 160 pounds - 86 pounds gone!!!
    9-13-13 Under goal weight 154 pounds
    1-16-14 - ONE YEAR FOLLOWUP ~ 148 pounds!!!! Woohoo!!!


  8. Gastric Sleeve Surgery With Weight Loss Agents
  9. #6
    Gastric Sleeve Member ximmia's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
    Name
    Laura
    Surgery date
    08/21/2013
    Surgeon
    Hawasali
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Last Activity
    10-13-2014 07:31 AM
    Location
    Michigan by way of England, Mumbai, Cairo and Boston
    Posts
    1,657
    Said "Thanks" 25 Times
    Was Thanked 440 Times in 415 Posts
    Said "Welcome to Gastric Sleeve" 829 Times

    Default Re: Just a few surgery worries..

    Good morning Rebecca. You've asked some very good questions. Some of them are subjective though so I'll give you my experiences.


    Piercings, do you have to take them out? - yup, all of them. I just left them at home
    Nail polish off I assume? I don't want to go and have my nails done around then and then I'll have to take it off. - I had to take my nail polish off but left my toes. The pre-surgery pedicure made me feel good
    The IV is what I'm super nervous about, I've only had one when I was about 6. I'm super scared for it. - IVs aren't really a big deal. Preop nurses are usually really good at doing IVs. Mine hit square on the first time, no pain and no bruising afterward
    On a scale of 1-10 how bad was the pain? - maybe a 6. They kept me topped up on morphine in the hospital and then I was fine with Tylenol 3
    Is this whole thing really worth getting nervous over? - if you weren't nervous I would be more concerned. This is major trauma to your body and there should be nerves with major surgery
    If you could go back and do one thing differently with the surgery or preop things what would it be? - be more prepared for the nausea side effect. That was the worst for me.
    Is it hard to exercise after surgery? - I found it hard as I had problems with my knees and lower back. I started with walking to the bathroom and back and worked up from there. I didn't get really serious about my exercise until 3 months in, then I went whole hog
    Did they put in a drain and did it hurt to get it taken out? - no drain for me
    How was the stuff you have to swallow for the test after to see if the sleeve leaks, I'm terrible with liquid medicine. - it sucks and I have problems with tastes of things. Don't sip it - they need enough to pass through to get good pictures to ensure you don't have a leak
    Did you have a breathing tube in? - yes, with general anesthesia it is necessary to intubate, however this is gone by the time you wake up. It can bother your throat depending on the gauge of tube they use.



  10. #7
    Gastric Sleeve Member indidoodah's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
    Surgery date
    08/27/2013
    Surgeon
    Mr James Halstead
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Last Activity
    01-14-2020 11:49 AM
    Location
    Warrington, UK
    Posts
    106
    Said "Thanks" 7 Times
    Was Thanked 26 Times in 17 Posts
    Said "Welcome to Gastric Sleeve" 15 Times

    Default Re: Just a few surgery worries..

    • Piercings, do you have to take them out? - I had to take my monroe and dimple piercings out I was allowed my ear piercings though, they just taped them.
    • Nail polish off I assume? I don't want to go and have my nails done around then and then I'll have to take it off. - I didnt have nail polish on just to be sure!
    • The IV is what I'm super nervous about, I've only had one when I was about 6. I'm super scared for it. - they had major issues trying to find my veins and such but it wasn't pain
    • On a scale of 1-10 how bad was the pain? - 3? but felt like a 5 at some point because I didnt have much sleep so I was cranky
    • Is this whole thing really worth getting nervous over? - its human to get nervous over things
    • If you could go back and do one thing differently with the surgery or preop things what would it be? - Known I would of had to take my piercings out instead of buying surgery safe PTFE jewellery for nothing
    • Is it hard to exercise after surgery? - suprisingly no!
    • Did they put in a drain and did it hurt to get it taken out? - didnt have a drain
    • How was the stuff you have to swallow for the test after to see if the sleeve leaks, I'm terrible with liquid medicine. - didnt have to take one of them either
    • Did you have a breathing tube in? - yesss




    Sleeve on the 27/8/2013 at Leeds Nuffield aged 18
    Day of surgery: 298
    Current weight: 157.8

  11. #8
    Gastric Sleeve Member believexrebecca's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
    Name
    Rebecca
    Surgery date
    07/13/2015
    Surgeon
    Dr. Gabrielsen
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Last Activity
    11-22-2018 03:08 AM
    Location
    Pennsylvania, United States
    Posts
    267
    Said "Thanks" 0 Times
    Was Thanked 54 Times in 39 Posts
    Said "Welcome to Gastric Sleeve" 27 Times

    Default Re: Just a few surgery worries..

    Thank you all for answering
    I had my sleeve at 19 and would do it all over again



  12. #9
    Gastric Sleeve Member Little Verbena's Avatar
    I have had a gastric sleeve.
    Name
    Kat
    Surgery date
    09/25/2013
    Surgeon
    Dr. R Peterson
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Last Activity
    03-08-2016 06:07 PM
    Location
    Big City, North Carolina
    Posts
    878
    Said "Thanks" 29 Times
    Was Thanked 209 Times in 191 Posts
    Said "Welcome to Gastric Sleeve" 156 Times
    Blog Entries
    56

    Default Re: Just a few surgery worries..

    Piercings, do you have to take them out? Just want to say, I DID NOT have to take out all piercings. I have a tragus piercing and they just taped it down.
    Nail polish off I assume? I don't want to go and have my nails done around then and then I'll have to take it off. Not sure
    The IV is what I'm super nervous about, I've only had one when I was about 6. I'm super scared for it. If you are very well hydrated it should not be a problem.
    On a scale of 1-10 how bad was the pain? I was given lots of happy juice afterward so it didn't seem bad at all. By the time I got home I had only a mild pain around the site of the big incision. Scale of 1 - 10? 3.
    Is this whole thing really worth getting nervous over? Nope, just relax and do what they tell you. Focus on the changes you want to make in your life.
    If you could go back and do one thing differently with the surgery or preop things what would it be? Nothing.
    Is it hard to exercise after surgery? I was walking three and a half hours after I was out of surgery. I didn't go far, just around the floor of the hospital. But I felt great, and the next day I did it four times twice a day. Exercising a little more each day was easy. I did sleep a lot too during the first two weeks but I always walked every day.
    Did they put in a drain and did it hurt to get it taken out? I did not wake up with a drain.
    How was the stuff you have to swallow for the test after to see if the sleeve leaks, I'm terrible with liquid medicine. This was the weird thing to me, they told me after surgery not to drink through a straw and don't gulp. But when I had the leak test, they told me to drink a great big gulp of that stuff through a straw. Whatever. I drank what I could and they had me take a second drink.
    Did you have a breathing tube in? I am sure I did during surgery, but I was out before the put it in an it was out before I woke up so... no problem.
    My soul is not limited by my body. My body is contained in the limitlessness of my soul. ~ Jim Carey


    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Weight Loss Tools

    <a href="http://www.gastricsleeve.com/weight-loss-ticker/" title="Click here to create your own Weight Loss Ticker"><img src="http://www.gastricsleeve.com/weight-loss-ticker/Little+Verbena.gif" alt="Weight Loss Ticker" border="0"/></a>

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •