oliviam

I had gastric plication on Feb 15th and am five weeks pregnant. I do not need to have the surgery reversed.

Thanks girls. I am trying to remain positive, and I don't mean to take getting pregnant for granted, I was just really looking forward to feeling good about myself again.

So...I went to the doctor today and was told....I AM PREGNANT! I mean really? A month and a half out from an expensive WLS surgery?! I know I should be happy about a new little life coming into the world, and I am, I really am, but being pregnant put me in a pretty bad predicament in the past and I am TERRIFIED of gaining weight! The good news is that I didn't know I was pregnant until today and I have lost two more pounds this week so I am still losing. Please tell me that someone has had this surgery and then found out they were pregnant. I really need some encouragement.

When did you have your surgery I am going on Friday...very nervous. Doing the plication. Please any advice..thank you

I had my surgery on Feb 15th. You are almost to your surgery time! So exciting!! I was soooo nervous but everything went very well aside the fact that I was terribly naseaus for days after my surery. It was so bad I wanted to go back in and have every last stitch removed, but after that passed I was a happy girl. Keep us posted, I will be praying!

What is your caloric intake per day? 1000ish

You eating several times a day?

I am 3 weeks post op and trying to get calories up. Around 500-600 now. Weight is trickling off, but energy level low.

SD

I try to get in around 1200 calories a day. My husband is a nutritionist and says that any less than this is very detrimental to my metabolism and will actually hinder my weight loss in the long run. So far so good too! I have not had any stalls in weight loss and I am working out four times a week. I do two days of a cardio class like Zumba and three days of weight training. I generally eat five small meals a day.

Oh hang in there girl, ya know everyone is different and if you are doing everything right IT WILL COME OFF. I am a firm believer that you must get as close to 1000 to 1200 calories a day to see progressive weight loss. Our bodies our so messed up from years of yo-yo dieting and we must get our metabolism back in order. I started solids sooner because I just couldn't get in enough calories in liquids only. I have yet to have a stall so try getting more in. Don't be afraid of food.

That was totally the case for me. It went away pretty quickly though.

My bowel movements are still not totally normal but it was very normal to only have a bowel movement once a week while I was on liquids and creamy soups only. After all, there isn't much to poop out!

Hey gang! I've been out of the loop for a bit, but wanted to update you on how I've been. I have lost almost 21 pounds since surgery and am feeling really good. I am eating almost completely normally now and I am still feeling quite a bit of restriction. I can eat a whole egg in the morning and a few bites of toast, I can do tuna salad on crackers (maybe 3) for lunch, and for dinner I do lots of fish with steamed veggies. I usually get through a half portion of everything I eat. I have had a little bit of a stall in weight loss but I think that is because I have begun working out pretty diligently and intensely for the past few weeks and I think I am gaining muscle and retaining more water since I haven't quite gotten used to adding extra water in since working out. I found that eating was uncomfortable at first, but I feel less nervous while eating and afterward and life is getting back to normal. I share a meal every time I eat out and I end up eating a quarter (if that) and my husband eats the rest. I have been very diligent about charting everything that goes into my mouth on dailyplate.com. If I go to the grocery store and try a sample, I chart it. If I take even a sip of juice, I chart it. I want to be sure that I am doing everything right and so far so good. I find that I still have some strange stomach feelings, almost like a feeling of emptiness. This can tend to keep me up at night, so I have started taking two bites of cottage cheese right before bed to sustain me through the night.

I was alarmed to hear of some of the recent news about plication from Dr. Watkins and his denouncing of it, but after speaking to Lori about it, I feel very confident in Dr. Ortiz and his techniques. I asked if anyone has suffered leaks or necrosis from this surgery at OCC and I was told NONE have experienced this. I would like to have another barium test to feel totally secure, but I'm not sure how to go about that since I didn't have my surgery here.

I would think not being nervous would make you down right strange, so good to know you have a pulse! I was so nervous. The best thing was getting off the plane and into the van and seeing someone from these boards that I recognized already in the van. I knew then that this was no sham and that people really do go to Mexico to get this surgery. I didn't feel nervous again until they took me back but they give you the happy pill under your tongue so quick you don't have time to feel nervous! Afterward I had a pretty bad reaction and was super sick for a few days and that also made me very nervous. I wanted to go back in and tell them to reverse it. Now I am glad that I didn't. I am 18 days out and have lost 17lbs. Almost a pound a day, not bad huh? Now, I just get nervous about long term problems but so far so good. Everything will be great for you!

I flew in and had surgery on a Tuesday and flew home on a Friday evening. That went really well for me, flying home on Thursday would have been miserable for me since I was still throwing up quite a bit.

You can also get the liquid protein at WalMart for a much lower price and can buy single units to make sure you can tolerate it.

Do you happen to know the name of it?

I just had plication with Dr. Ortiz on the 15th and they were very nice. I had some minor issues right after the surgery but I am doing much better now. I am down 14lbs in ten days, and while the process is not easy, I am hoping it will make me healthier in the long run. I was having the biggest freak out sessions right before my surgery but everything went well and it will for you too!

Hi Olivia ,To stop the hunger feeling drink protein not the shakes that u make but the liquid protein u can get it at any health store.It helped me alot in the begining

Oh okay! I'll have to try that.

Hi Olivia,

I haven't had the plication revision yet, but I have a band and I remember the liquid diet! (And I'm not looking forward to it again.) I was okay the first week, but like you, I started getting hungry the second week. I had the foggy brain and lethargy, too. I remember my stomach making crazy noises!! I'm ashamed to admit, but I resorted to chewing and spitting in a cup a few times just to feel food in my mouth. It seemed to help with the head hunger a lot. Good luck and happy to hear you are doing well! 12 lbs. is a lot!

Oh my gosh Angela, so glad to know someone can relate! Too funny about the chewing and spitting. I don't think I will trust myself, I would swallow away!

So I am a few days over a week since plication and I am down 12 lbs. I am sure I am down a few more since I last weighed in but I am trying to only weigh in weekly. Any one else doing that? I don't want to become obsessed with the scale ya know? I am still on full liquids but cooking for the family and being around food is really starting to get to me and the head hunger. I am staying the course so far, although last night I broke down and had a spoonful of hummus. I felt it immediately so I think I learned my lesson on that! I am not as lethargic as I was but it doesn't take much to wear me out. I finally started walking yesterday, I know I should have been doing it earlier but I...well I don't know why! I have had a few cocktails with my girlfriends which has helped to not make me feel totally deprived but I sip on the same drink for about 3 hours. I just want all this weight off like pronto but I know it is a process. The only irritant is the nightly stomach gurgling. It keeps me up and it almost feels like my stomach is growling followed by like a strange wave of nervous feeling. I don't really know how to explain it but I'm wondering if its normal. I am just looking forward to the soft diet in 12 days!

Strange this has not happened to me at all! So sorry to hear that you are dealing with this! I have actually on gone to bathroom (#2) once in the week since surgery. I don't feel constipated though. I think there is just not much to come out since I am on liquids only.

Oh my gosh I had like 2 oz of red wine at day 6! It was nice to relax me and it helped to not make me feel so deprived since I can't EAT anything!

Olivia I'm so glad you're feeling better! Just so you know, my mom and I went through the ringer too. The first night in the hotel (day 2 out from surgery) we started getting sick and throwing up. My mom was actually up all night throwing up. The next morning I threw up a few times, and my mom felt awful. I started to feel better on day 3, and my mom continued to feel not so great. Today my mom threw up some more, but by this afternoon she's started feeling better. I'm amazed that my dad did fine and had no problems whatsoever. Phew, I'm so glad that's over and I'm happy to be home

Oh my dear, you know I feel your pain. Wasn't that just awful? I couldn't be more relieved to be through that. At least you got to see someone in the middle of it and then come out on the other side, that way you knew there was hope! I was so frustrated to see how awesome everyone was doing. Yeah for Big Poppa though!

WoW Olivia....I am so sorry that you were ill following your surgery, and I am really glad to learn that you are feeling better now. I totally agree about the desire to eat when preparing food and wanting to eat...just stay strong and you (we all) can get through it. I went out to dinner with friends last night (one and a half weeks post op)and I found with some planning I was able to handle that situation very well. I focused on the company I was keeping, checked the menu out before hand and knew I would have the soup and they had these "Vitality" drinks -I chose a virgin passion fruit and mojito drink and nursed it throughout the entire meal. My friends just thought I wasn"t hungry (I didn't tell them about the surgery).

You will be amazed at the adjustments and changes that will take place for you in the upcoming weeks.

I was really confused about what I could and could not ingest post op - that I found to be my biggest hurdle. Once i mastered that I believe that I can do anything.

Great job on coming through, even with the complication you had. Way to cope and Congratulations on crossing over to the "Plicator" side!

K.

Thanks K! My friends don't know either so it will be interesting going out to eat for the first time. How did you do with the soup, did you only eat the broth or did you have some of the other stuff in it?

Finally I am back to the land of the living! I had plication done on Tuesday February 15th with Dr. Ortiz at OCC. To start, the facility was very nice and the staff was absolutely wonderful. Some of the nurses there have had the surgery so it felt good to know that they knew exactly what I was going through. I got in early on Tuesday morning to the airport and went straight from the airport to OCC. They did all my pre op tests and surgery on the same day. I met so many from these boards there, it was awesome!

After the surgery I had some pretty tremendous gas pains. They told me to walk and walk I did all through the night. I threw up a couple of times the first night but was discharged on Wednesday to the hotel. I stayed at the Lucerne and I highly recommend it. Very very nice, with very nice people, especially if you tip them! Wednesday night was pitiful, I threw up on the hour every hour, could not keep down my pain meds, the gas pressure felt close to a heart attack and I was ready to head right back into that center and have them undo every last stitch! My husband called the center on Thursday and they told me to come back in. While waiting to be seen in the waiting room, I saw many others who had had the surgery on the same day or after me and they were doing wonderfully. I think my situation was honestly the exception and not the rule. They did a barium test and they said everything looked great, just a reaction perhaps to the anesthesia. By Thursday night I was vomit free and had a good nights sleep and by Friday morning I felt like a new woman! We flew home Friday night and I have been great since. I am still on the liquid diet and for the most part I do not have a desire to eat unless I prepare a meal for my family or have to watch others eat.

I have not weighed myself yet! I'm afraid! My mother suggested I weight so as to avoid being discouraged. I am still soooo bloated from being pumped up with gas and the swelling so I am going to wait it out this week and weigh in maybe next Monday, if I can stand it that long. I know many of you wanted me to fill you in so I hope this helps. Please, please, please let me know if there is anything I didn't mention that you would like to know!!!

Love, love, love these boards. It really feel like a family and I am so thankful for all the kind words! Smooches!!!

At OCC they did a barium on the last day there, so you could see you're new and smaller stomach. I still don't feel like I had a surgery, with one huge exception, I can only take in small volumes at a time. So I set a timer on my watch so I have something ever 4 hours while I'm awake and I have water going all the time, sipping only, as any gulping leads to gas. Oh the gas, at 2.5 weeks out, only time I notice gas is if I consume anything too fast. I have also noticed I have a ton more energy too. for me that's a huge bonus as CFS can wear on ya. Cheers, K:)

KTB, just had the surgery yesterday and man is this gas pain in my chest is horribly uncomfortable. Did this happen to you and how long does it last.

Congratulations!!!!! please keep us upadated on your weight loss.

Will do!

So did they say yes?

They did! Tomorrow is the day!!!

Hee hee, I like it! I am off for plication tomorrow so I will have some tips and tricks for the board soon!