Michael B.

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Well - last Thursday Night - Sunday early AM were NOT good!  Thursday evening, I started having fairly mild pain under my bottom rib on the right side, just off-center. I didn't think a lot of it.  Even when a little nausea crept in...  Finally got to sleep.

About 1AM rolled around and I awoke to a MUCH more serious pain in the same location, plus nausea.  I could NOT go back to sleep - and the nausea grew until I vomited.  I went to living room and sat on couch, as laying down made it worse.  By a little after 3:30AM, the pain and nausea eased enough that I could lay down.  So I went back to sleep...

Forward a few hours and its time to get up.  I felt mostly better (just a little "tender" in the same spot, but no nausea).  I had my semi-regular breakfast - a zero fat Greek yogurt.  All was good until about an hour and a half later, when the pain returned with a vengeance.  Nausea too - though I didn't vomit (I surmise that the yogurt had already passed beyond the point of return, thankfully!).  I finally called my Surgeon's office and left a message for his nurse.

Around 3PM, I got a call back.  She asked how much weight I had lost, and confirmed that I still have my gallbladder.  She said everything sounds like gallbladder.  She said I didn't have many options at that time on a Friday - see if I could get in to my family doctor (Don't have one yet, we moved last year), Go to ER (pain and nausea had eased significantly by that time), or try to wait it out until first part of this week and get in to see them and they would do an ultrasound and go from there.  If I chose the latter - be ready to run to ER if the pain and nausea returned.

By Friday evening, the pain was mostly gone, and no nausea - so I tried to eat supper.  I grilled sirloin burger patty (lean), a piece of cheese, and a small piece of pickle.  All was well for about an hour and a half... then BAM!  Pain returns worse than ever.  Nausea too.  Vomited a little.  Pain continued to get worse to the point, I told my wife it was time to head to ER.  

Arrived at ER (wife drove) at a point on the pain scale of 8+ (I am fairly pain-tolerant).  In triage, I could barely speak, as I could only take very small breaths.  Breathing any deeper was excruciating.  At that point, the nausea had eased a bit.  He then sent me to the check-in desk.  Within a minute or so, the nice lady asked if I was going to be sick - The pain shot up even higher, and I began to shake uncontrollably as she handed me a sick bag.  Violent vomit ensued... and then calm.  At that point, the pain began to ease.  By the time I got seated in the waiting area, the pain was down to about a 4.  Some church members came in to check on me - and the pain was down to about a 3.

Another hour later, and I was finally taken back to a room.  Pain then was 2-3, nausea nearly gone.  My nurse came in and began asking questions.  Her eyes got big and then she found out that my surgeon was hers as well!  She had had RNY done 18 months ago. She too had the same exact symptoms, about 3 months post-op.  She too suggested that it was gallbladder.  

Dr. finally came in, ordered ultrasound.  My labs also showed a couple of liver enzymes a bit elevated. Ultrasound showed no obvious blockages or active stones.  Doctor suggested that I likely passed a stone when I first got there (the violent shaking and extreme pain, then a rapid easing.  He prescribed pain meds and nausea med and send me home, instructing me to follow up with my surgeon.  He did say that that hospital did not have the facility to do another test that checks gallbladder function.  My nurse added that she had no obvious stone activity, but that the same test is what diagnosed her gallbladder as not functioning correctly - and the root of her pain and nausea.

I have yet to take any pain or nausea meds.  I did have a bit of a flare-up of minor pain in the same location last night, but otherwise have not had any more symptoms.

Monday, I spoke with my surgeon's nurse again.  They scheduled a hepatobilliary scan for next Thursday to test gallbladder function.  So - we will see what's next in a week.

I joined this site with the intention of being an active participant.  Unfortunately, that hasn't played out.  I found some support groups on Facebook, and neglected this site.  But - I do want to give some updates and some observations/experiences, in hopes that they might help others on thier journey:

I began this adventure at over 360 lbs.  I weighed on the first morning of my pre-op liquid diet and my weight then was 356.6 lbs.  Surgery went well, with the usual feeling like I was going to explode with gas, and rejoicing with the angels when I had my first bowel movement!!!

I won't sugar coat my experience - it hasn't been particularly easy.  Pain is a frequent part of my life - but not a pain of surgical error - but with my sleeve.  Even when I eat slowly, I regularly hit a "wall" that just HAPPENS.  Little to no indication of being full, then the very next bite - WOWOWOWOW!!!!  Stop immediately!  The pain usually goes away after anywhere from 10-30 minutes.  Still, a very uncomfortable experience!

Second observation - stalls in weight loss are going to happen.  I have broken rule #1 from day #1 - I weight every morning just before I step in the shower.  Yes, this leads to what some call undue or even hurtful frustration.  But it also helps me to correlate my daily activities, fluids drunk, calories & protein consumed, etc. with what the scales say my body is doing.  I have a set of scales that measure body fat, bone %, hydration, etc.  This reveals a lot to me.

I have also observed a few consistent patterns that were evident in my past dieting efforts:

1 - days with serious physical activity and/or exercise are always (100%) followed by a weigh in the next day that is either the same, or even higher than previous weight.

2 - If I don't drink my quota or better of water, the scales often slow or stop moving.

3 - If I fall short on protein today, tomorrow the scales will tell me by not moving, or even going up!

4 - Getting too few calories can often slow weight loss.

Also - there have been changes to my digestive system that have caused frustration and confusion for me...  First - I use to be extra-ordinarily "regular" when it came to bm's.  If I didn't have at least one a day, I got concerned.  Now - I may go an entire week.  At first I correlated that with not drinking enough liquids.  But even with increased liquid intake - I still sometimes go a full week, even when I drink well beyond my "quota".  To further complicate things, even if I take in a bunch of additional fiber (fiber cereal being one avenue), it doesn't really move things along - it just produces a lot of gas (for me).

I have yet to develop "hunger".  I could go days without eating, if not for the fact that I start to get light-headed, mentally dull, and then just feel bad if I go too long (or just don't get enough protein and calories).

At my 1 month follow-up, I was informed that my vitamin D levels were low - so was prescribed D supplement for a few weeks - MEGA doses.  Also was told my B1 was somewhat low, so I simply take an extra B supplement daily.

I no longer typically have the big energy swings I began with.  Probably in part to spreading meals out a bit more regularly, and becoming more sensitive to the drops before it causes a problem.

Another fact of wieght loss - STALLS.  You WILL, no matter how hard you try, how much you exercise, etc. experience stalls - times when you lose nothing for extended periods (or even gain a little).  I hit my first at about 6 weeks.  It lasted for 7 days.  My next significant stall (longer than 2 days) was at about 10 weeks - it lasted for 5 days.  

I just broke my most recent stall - and it was the most frustrating to date.  Two weeks ago, I was just above 282 lbs.  Two days later, I hit 276.7 (January 31).  For the next several days, my weight bounced up to 282, down to 280, up to 281, down to 277, back up to 280... then back to 276.7 yesterday.  This morning: 272.5.  This is often how these stalls break - with a big drop in one day.  Interestingly, this is the first that has seen so many gain/lose/gain/lose cycles.

And finally - here are the numbers so far, as of today - February 7, 2014:

Beginning weight (pre-op diet start - Oct. 28, 2013): 356.6lbs

Today's Weight (Feb. 7, 2014): 272.4 lbs

Total wieght lost to date: 84.2 lbs

Starting pants waist size: 56 inches

Current pants waist size: 44-46 inches (depending on the brand)

My "goal" (not set by my surgeon - he didn't set a goal, his intent is to get patients "healthy" - to a good BMI) is 200lbs.  This morning in the shower, I thought long and hard about breaking under that (what some call Onederland).  195 would be awesome!

I cannot promise I will be regular here, or update this like I should - but I do intend to at least update from time to time, and especially when I reach my goal!

Made it home this afternoon. The 1.5hr ride was tiring. 

Trying to figure out how I'm going to sleep- I usually sleep on my side, but have been on my back the last couple of notes in the hospital. 

I was able to drink a bit if Apple juice, SLOWLY nibble a chewy vitamin, and have a couple tablespoons of vegetable-beef broth. 

Still battling stomach gas. Pressure and burping. Will have to investigate, as it is REALLY uncomfortable. 

Night 1 at home. Yeah!

Here I sit 27 hours post-op. The pain I have experienced has mostly been from gas pains (they inflate your a abdomin for the procedure). It is suppose to be absorbed by your bowl and spelled as gas.  So far absorb - check. Released - nope. And I can say that pan is significantly higher than the incisions/surgical pain. 

Got to have my first "meal" at about 10AM (24 hours post-op).. Some ice!  But considering I had had no moisture of any kind past my low since about 9PM the day BEFORE surgery... It was a godsend. But kind of hard to enjoy too much with the gas pains. 

Oh- and don't burp- it hurts!

Walking isn't too difficult. Have made 10 laps up the hallway so far today. 

Yesterday and today have been more difficult.  Worked my tail off yesterday afternoon between morning and evening church services (which I am the pastor for).  Every muscle in my body hurt at some point - and it wasn't that strenuous - just repetitive work (vacuuming out a vehicle, shampooing the carpets, etc.).  But it just hurt.  

Bending over then standing back up = head spinning... which led to stomach feeling bad.  I took the light-headed ness as a need for "food", so I went in to grab a protein shake and some juice... but when I sat down, my stomach said "NO"... as it was still upset from repeated dizzy feelings.

After sitting a bit, my stomach settled enough to drink a shake and 8oz of apple juice.  It helped my head a little - but even today - I still feel fatigued (something that just a week or two ago wouldn't have been an issue with what I was doing).  I can only explain this as a lack of calories... and my body still not being use to working on less fuel.

And all this adds to the "hunger" for something solid.. anything.  Have even pondered putting a piece of hot dog in my mouth and just letting it sit there.... ugh....  Or how about a piece of steak - just let it soak in my mouth...LOL.

Was up early this morning, thanks to the time change... So I decided to get on the scale.  

348.4 lbs  down from starting weight of 356.4 lbs on October 28.  Of course, with my running daily average of calories this week being around 650...  

I've actually had to TRY to take in more calories - I can only stand so many of those protein shakes (My surgeon insists on 3 per day - they are between 100-160 calories each)., and the limited diet list just doesn't leave much that I can "stomach" much of.  

On the positive side, my headache that was weighing me down Tuesday and Wednesday of last week has eased - though it did revisit about mid-day today.

Today is day 2 of the pre-op liquid diet.  I'm already trying to figure out how to add enough variety within the dietary restrictions to keep my hunger at bay.

I am mostly excited, though have what I consider to be fairly normal fleeting bits of anxiety.  Most serious medical procedure I have ever had is having my tonsils removed at the age of 18!  That being said, I realize that the changes coming will help me to not just lose a bunch of excess weight and inches, but will open the door to seeing my daughters grow up.

I am apparently in an area where there are not a lot of support groups, so I am limited to immediate family and friends, plus this website.

I hope I can be regular at updating this, as well as a private group on Facebook with progress and milestones.  I see this all as a form of accountability, in addition to maybe helping and encouraging others who struggle with their weight.