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Boopsie72

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About Boopsie72

  • Birthday 12/12/1972

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    Asheville, NC

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  1. I forgot what the pre-op diet was, can someone post it? It has been a year since surgery and I want to do it for about 2 weeks to kickstart again.
  2. I talked with a Gastroenterologist here in the US about getting my follow-up endoscopy. He told me that the gastric plication has been studied here in the US under what they called Endo-plication. It was studied for reflux control for an FDA approval to reduce acid reflux, however it was not as effective as the Nissen Fundoplication so it was not approved here for that purpose. However, patients were losing weight as a result of the surgery, so it was then explored as an option for weight loss. Although it was deemed safe, the FDA requires it to be studied again to show it is effective for approval for weightloss. He also told me that typically after the plication reflux will actually get worse for a few months and then after it peaks, it will actually begin to sibside. The theory is that since a patient is eating less they pump out less acid and as a result they would have less to reflux. Hope this is helpful info....
  3. I flew in on a Wed nite, and got to the hotel at midnight. I had surgery on Thursday, rested at the Lucerne on Friday (Slept most of the day) and flew home Saturday morning which all 3 other people who had surgery with me did. I did however buy the flight insurance which allowed me to change my flight for medical reasons if needed. it cost me $18 when I booked my flight. Also, OCC does not say on their website but when you are at OCC they have a phone next to your bed to make unlimited free calls to the US if you need to change your flight and call family.
  4. Dr. Miranda told me that I could have wine/liquor with the plication surgery. BUT no beer because of the bubbles which will distend the belly. So no sodas either for 6 months until the stomach can set itself. I had wine last night after 2 weeks since surgery and I feel fine. Some of my friends who have had bypass said that in their surgery, they have to be careful with alcohol because the effects are highly intensified.
  5. Sorry I was confused. I thought I was on my page. Sorry.

  6. I know I am looking for one now, but I don't have forbidden fat pics of me for so long.

  7. Pre-op/Post op diet - I followed pre-op #2 for 2 1/2 weeks and lost 20lbs. I had a protein shake for breakfast & dinner a Healthy Choice Steamer (under 260 cals) for lunch and cucumbers mid-morn and afternoon. The first two days were brutal because I was addicted to simple carbs. But once my body was not used to them it went away. I also drank a lot of diet sundrop. I did cheat a couple of times and have cheese. I love cheese. I also cheated. I took HCG shots daily. www.advancehcg.com The HCG makes your body think you are pregnant so it burns fat when you are taking in such low calories and keeps up the metabolism. It was a choice I made and Dr. Miranda told me that quite a few patients come to the clinic having don those shots. She did not know much about them. The clinic has looked into the shots but they don't have enough evidence yet to decide if there is a benefit or not so she said that they are not currently pusuing them. However, it is a personal choice and I would neither recommend nor discourage anyone. You would need to do the research and decide for oneself. I am also taking them post-op so my metabolism doesn't slow until I can get back on regular foods and I can intake higher calories. Right now I am struggling to get enough calories in a day just on liquids. I am choosing low sodium soups but it is still a lot of sodium for me. I am having a hard time balancing water intake and liquid foods. Gas - X strips also helped me with excessing gas. I am still trying to figure out pooping. Let me know if someone has a tip. I don't have much to expel since I am not eating much that has by-product, but I feel like I need to go frequently but after I struggle, I drop a pebble. Sorry for the graphics, but this is an issue for me and I have never had a constipation issue before. I could resort to Miralax or something but I would rather it be a last resort. I have been keeping up my H2O but it is not helping.
  8. Good luck Olivia. I think you will be happy. I am excited for you. I am supposed to have an endoscopy in about 6 months just to make sure everything is OK. I am having less gas also unless I gulp too fast. Feeling pretty good now. I think I have more energy. I noticed right after surgery for the next 48 hours I always felt like I had to pee and when I went it was like dribbles. Now my bladder is back to normal. I am 5 days post ops and I still need Tylenol for the incision areas. Sometimes I have a hard time deciding if I am hungry or if it is stomach cramps. Dr. Martinez said that cramps happen for the first while since the stomach is not used to its new form. I have a lot of energy when I am by the end of they day I am ready to sleep. I think I sleep deeper now though. Hope everyone is doing well. Sharon
  9. I too have some pain in ym stomach when I swallow. It goes away when I burp. But I am only 4 days post op. Has much changed for those of you who had the surgery a month or more ago? Do you feel pretty normal or do you still have aches or pains when you eat? Did it change when you went to solids?
  10. They did not tell me to get Xrays, but I wonder if she had a band before or something?
  11. I had my plication surgery 2 days ago, Feb 10 with 2 others and one more person had the band. I am sitting in the Lucerna getting ready to get the shuttle to go home. I think I have slept about 36 of the last 48 hours because I could and I needed it, not just from the surgery but a break from life itself. I flew in Wed night and arrived at the hotel at midnight. I got up and was at OCC by 7am. The nurses took me back first, drew my blood and prepped my my IV tube. The I saw Dr. Miranda where she went over the post-op diet and stressed the importance of following it. Then I was in with Dr. Valasquez the anesthesiologist wo asked medical history questions and did my EKG. Then I was taken back to my room. I was only in there a few minutes when I was in my gown, they gave me something to take the edge off and Dr. Martinez came in ant talked with me for a long time to answer any questions. He was VERY personable. So if anyone has questions about doing it all in one day, we all did. It seemed that as soon as I was done with Dr. Miranda, the next was in with her. Everyone was very nice and it all went smoothly. Dr Ortiz came in right before surgery but I was already woozy. He was very friendly but it was short and sweet. They walked me into surgery and no time was wasted. I was hooked up and the next thing I remember is waking in my room with some cramping in my stomach. I found that laying on my side subsided the cramping. I did not get nausea but it felt like when my stomach is humngry and I have nothing in it at all, I get empty cramps and borderline nausea but not like I feel like throwing up. When I first started supping water and juice I could feel it go down and I would cramp more. Two days later I am gettign very mild cramps and I can see that I need to sip slowly but I feel good. My incision sites are tender but not sore. Anyone who has had a C-section, this is not as bad at all. Anyway, I am excited to go home and see my family. I have had a great experience and I am feeling good. It is a personal choice that I am glad I made (so far). Theer were 6 people waiting for surgery when I was leaving and I hope all 10 of us in the past 2 days will be happy and much healthier people. Good luck my friends! Sharon
  12. There are always concerns lont-term for procedures, but how about the long-term costs of obesity, smoking, drinking, high-cholesterol diet? There are so many costs. You probably need to go with your gut feeling for what is best for you as an individual. The side effects I can have may be completely different than what you experience. BUT if the procedure is less invasive and reversible, it may or may not play into your decision. You can always wait. It doesn't have to be in March. If your heart tells you to wait then wait. Hope it works out for you and you find what is healthiest for you.
  13. I looked up the study submission and completion dates. Plication studies will be completed in 2013, and then they will wait for approval which can take while. The FDA can ask for more safety or long-term data which then delays the process, sometimes for a couple of years.
  14. I noticed that there is some concern about Plication surgery safety because it is not yet approved in the US by the FDA. I work in an industry where I have some but not extensive knowledge of how the FDA approvals work, so I am not claiming to be an expert. However, I know that the FDA does not allow the investigation or approval of drugs or procedures unless they are confident in the safety and benefits outweighing the risks. Currently, there are a few studies going on in the US for the approval for Gastric Plication surgery. Once the studies are completed and findings are submitted, there is a long review process. Approval could be several years away considering the studies have not even been completed. All studies must be registered with the FDA and are published on a US government website. You can learn more at: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=gastric+plication In the US, to qualify for a gastric procedure, a patient must be 40+ BMI for 5+ years, OR 35+ BMI with health concerns (diabetes, high BP, sleep apnea, etc…) I am BMI 39 with no health risks. Thank the good Lord! I hope to never be able to qualify for surgery in the US because I would meet these standards. I want to find a solution to my weight issues before I get to that point. Once the Plication is approved here, it will have the same patient qualifications so many people who need help before getting to that point still would not qualify. I was excited to learn about Plication surgery because I was not completely satisfied with the current options in the US. I knew people who had either by-pass or lap band surgery and although they were happy with the weight loss, they lived with daily limitations and restrictions. The approval process was VERY long and insurance either did not cover it or they still had significant out-of-pocket costs. The costs were still at least ½ of the OCC costs. I am confident in gastric placation at OCC because it has been approved for investigation by the FDA, it less invasive and I am healthy, just fat. If I had the health risks need for qualification or was bigger, I would be concerned with the complications that would come with surgery, even in a US hospital. I hope this helps build the confidence in people who are worried about the safety of gastric placation, just because it is not YET approved in the US. It will be! This is a great improvement to current treatments which will not be available for a few years to others who are not willing to travel over the border. I am excited that a surgery is available to me that is more advanced than the US. I am able to stop my weight spiral downward before I have serious health concerns.
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