Fords take on: Leaks, Diarrhea, Farts, Oh My!!!

[Guest guest]

Someone here asked for the truth about what it was like to have this

surgery...what things were like before and after...what foods and how much

can you eat, and what effects it has on you.

I am 16 months post-op, and have gone from 465 down to 235. Before the

surgery, I had Congestive Heart Failure, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes,

Mitral Regurgitation, and a badly arthritic right knee.....I rode a scooter

any time I went farther than across the room. I needed the scooter because

walking any distance at all, even across a room made me pant as if I had

just run a mile. I couldn't sleep, as I would wake up after a couple of

hours feeling I was suffocating....just before the surgery, I was to the

point of going out and getting in my car and sleeping sitting up, as that

was the only way I could breathe. We were constantly fighting with my heart

problems....I was hospitalized 3 times the year before my surgery because my

heart rate went up above 150, and we had to get it back down. My

cardiologist wanted me to go into a nursing home so they could regulate my

diet, and get my weight down enough so that heart surgery was a reasonable

risk. He was afraid I would die within a year otherwise.

When I went in for my consultation with Dr Elariny (in Fairfax, VA, where I

live), he told me that, due to my health, I had about a 50/50 shot at living

through the operation....he wasn't sure it was a good idea because of that.

I pointed out that, hell, I was going to be dead in a year anyhow, and I

wasn't likely to get healthier in the meantime, so now was my best shot,

and, frankly, the quality of my life just didn't make living like I was all

that attractive an option.

Now....I no longer have High blood pressure, no linger have Diabetes, my CHF

is well under control and isn't an issue. My cardiologist, who, you will

recall, was in a huge hurry to get me into surgery to save my life, reviewed

my situation about 4 months ago...the report indicates that surgery just

isn't indicated right now. I still have the Mitral Regurgitation, but my

health has improved so much that it's not an issue at present....it may be

in the future, but not now.

Don't get me wrong...there are still problems. My Diabetes left me with

Neuropathy....numbness and pain in my feet and legs. I get shooting pains

sometimes, and stagger when I walk because I have trouble feeling my feet.

My arthritic knee just doesn't bother me any more, but I have developed

inflammation in my shoulder joints that ache all the time and the pain

doesn't seem to be touched by any arthritis medication.

But, on the whole, I'm well. I'll take what I have compared to what I had

any day.

Can I eat anything I want? Yes, I can, and as much of it as I want. Now,

mind, what I want has changed. I used to drink maybe 2 liters of diet coke

every day....now I can't drink the stuff because the gas is just

uncomfortable. I mourned the loss of diet coke for a few months, but not I

don't think about it...the only soda I can drink, for some reason, is Doctor

Pepper, and I don't drink more than 3 or 4 of those a week. I have learned,

instead, to be a connoisseur of water....there is nothing as good as a good,

cold glass of ice water. I keep a large glass next to my keyboard all day at

work.

Also, I used to LOVE spaghetti....was my favorite food. Now, I can't eat

it...the sauce upsets my stomach. Again, a loss, but I got used to it. I

have no idea WHY that sauce bothers me....I suspect it has something to do

with tomatoes, since I can't eat catsup any more, either.

I can, however (and do) eat all the Mexican food I want, all the barbeque I

want, all the Thai I want, pretty much anything with those small exceptions.

And note the difference: I'm not dieting....I eat what I want. I just don't

WANT those things any more. And " what I want " means a lot less these days. I

can eat a " normal " meal nowadays...what other people who don't have a weight

problem eat. I can eat a whole small subway (I'm talking about quantity

here....not fat, and I'm not a commercial for subways) sandwich, a bag of

chips, a cookie, and a bottle of water. That's a reasonable amount of food,

and I lost weight eating that much of ANYTHING. Fried foods, rich foods,

carbs, anything. I don't have that much of a sweet tooth, but I even eat a

small cup of ice cream several nights a week, with no evident effect on my

weight loss.

My digestive process is somewhat more delicate than it used to be...I used

to be able to eat anything in nearly any volume with no adverse affect

whatsoever. Now, there are things which will upset my stomach. I don't eat

them....I've lost my appetite for them. I have diarrhea sometimes, I fart

more than I used to, and sure, sometimes the odor is bad. Sometimes.

As a note, since I had the surgery, I have thrown up only once. Nausea can

occur, especially if I overeat, which is easy to do early on.

But I CERTAINLY don't walk around smelling bad, nor do I have " accidents "

due to loss of control. I'm still on a minimal amount of diuretics due to

the CHF, which aggravates the urgency problem, but I have learned to stay

near a bathroom for a couple of hours after I take one, and it's not a

problem. If I can't be near a bathroom, i just don't take it until later

when I CAN be near a bathroom....but this is atypical for this group. Most

of you are not on diuretics.

Now, look back over where I came from and where I am now. What sane person

would not make the choice I made? I'm alive...that's the first perk. I'm

remarried, I walk a LOT, I feel great (except for the relatively minor aches

and pains I told you about...I can BREATHE!), I cook, I clean the house, I

wash up....hell, I participate in life, which I had pretty much checked out

of two years ago.

Now...tell me that this surgery wasn't a miracle.

Ford

[Guest guest]

> Someone here asked for the truth about what it was like to have this

> surgery...what things were like before and after...what foods and

how much

> can you eat, and what effects it has on you.

>

> I am 16 months post-op, and have gone from 465 down to 235. Before

the

> surgery, I had Congestive Heart Failure, High Blood Pressure,

Diabetes,

> Mitral Regurgitation, and a badly arthritic right knee.....I rode a

scooter

> any time I went farther than across the room. I needed the scooter

because

> walking any distance at all, even across a room made me pant as if

I had

> just run a mile. I couldn't sleep, as I would wake up after a

couple of

> hours feeling I was suffocating....just before the surgery, I was

to the

> point of going out and getting in my car and sleeping sitting up,

as that

> was the only way I could breathe. We were constantly fighting with

my heart

> problems....I was hospitalized 3 times the year before my surgery

because my

> heart rate went up above 150, and we had to get it back down. My

> cardiologist wanted me to go into a nursing home so they could

regulate my

> diet, and get my weight down enough so that heart surgery was a

reasonable

> risk. He was afraid I would die within a year otherwise.

>

> When I went in for my consultation with Dr Elariny (in Fairfax, VA,

where I

> live), he told me that, due to my health, I had about a 50/50 shot

at living

> through the operation....he wasn't sure it was a good idea because

of that.

> I pointed out that, hell, I was going to be dead in a year anyhow,

and I

> wasn't likely to get healthier in the meantime, so now was my best

shot,

> and, frankly, the quality of my life just didn't make living like I

was all

> that attractive an option.

>

> Now....I no longer have High blood pressure, no linger have

Diabetes, my CHF

> is well under control and isn't an issue. My cardiologist, who, you

will

> recall, was in a huge hurry to get me into surgery to save my life,

reviewed

> my situation about 4 months ago...the report indicates that surgery

just

> isn't indicated right now. I still have the Mitral Regurgitation,

but my

> health has improved so much that it's not an issue at present....it

may be

> in the future, but not now.

>

> Don't get me wrong...there are still problems. My Diabetes left me

with

> Neuropathy....numbness and pain in my feet and legs. I get shooting

pains

> sometimes, and stagger when I walk because I have trouble feeling

my feet.

> My arthritic knee just doesn't bother me any more, but I have

developed

> inflammation in my shoulder joints that ache all the time and the

pain

> doesn't seem to be touched by any arthritis medication.

>

> But, on the whole, I'm well. I'll take what I have compared to what

I had

> any day.

>

> Can I eat anything I want? Yes, I can, and as much of it as I want.

Now,

> mind, what I want has changed. I used to drink maybe 2 liters of

diet coke

> every day....now I can't drink the stuff because the gas is just

> uncomfortable. I mourned the loss of diet coke for a few months,

but not I

> don't think about it...the only soda I can drink, for some reason,

is Doctor

> Pepper, and I don't drink more than 3 or 4 of those a week. I have

learned,

> instead, to be a connoisseur of water....there is nothing as good

as a good,

> cold glass of ice water. I keep a large glass next to my keyboard

all day at

> work.

>

> Also, I used to LOVE spaghetti....was my favorite food. Now, I

can't eat

> it...the sauce upsets my stomach. Again, a loss, but I got used to

it. I

> have no idea WHY that sauce bothers me....I suspect it has

something to do

> with tomatoes, since I can't eat catsup any more, either.

>

> I can, however (and do) eat all the Mexican food I want, all the

barbeque I

> want, all the Thai I want, pretty much anything with those small

exceptions.

> And note the difference: I'm not dieting....I eat what I want. I

just don't

> WANT those things any more. And " what I want " means a lot less

these days. I

> can eat a " normal " meal nowadays...what other people who don't have

a weight

> problem eat. I can eat a whole small subway (I'm talking about

quantity

> here....not fat, and I'm not a commercial for subways) sandwich, a

bag of

> chips, a cookie, and a bottle of water. That's a reasonable amount

of food,

> and I lost weight eating that much of ANYTHING. Fried foods, rich

foods,

> carbs, anything. I don't have that much of a sweet tooth, but I

even eat a

> small cup of ice cream several nights a week, with no evident

effect on my

> weight loss.

>

> My digestive process is somewhat more delicate than it used to

be...I used

> to be able to eat anything in nearly any volume with no adverse

affect

> whatsoever. Now, there are things which will upset my stomach. I

don't eat

> them....I've lost my appetite for them. I have diarrhea sometimes,

I fart

> more than I used to, and sure, sometimes the odor is bad. Sometimes.

>

> As a note, since I had the surgery, I have thrown up only once.

Nausea can

> occur, especially if I overeat, which is easy to do early on.

>

> But I CERTAINLY don't walk around smelling bad, nor do I

have " accidents "

> due to loss of control. I'm still on a minimal amount of diuretics

due to

> the CHF, which aggravates the urgency problem, but I have learned

to stay

> near a bathroom for a couple of hours after I take one, and it's

not a

> problem. If I can't be near a bathroom, i just don't take it until

later

> when I CAN be near a bathroom....but this is atypical for this

group. Most

> of you are not on diuretics.

>

> Now, look back over where I came from and where I am now. What sane

person

> would not make the choice I made? I'm alive...that's the first

perk. I'm

> remarried, I walk a LOT, I feel great (except for the relatively

minor aches

> and pains I told you about...I can BREATHE!), I cook, I clean the

house, I

> wash up....hell, I participate in life, which I had pretty much

checked out

> of two years ago.

>

> Now...tell me that this surgery wasn't a miracle.

>

> Ford

Wow, you give me such hope and inspiration. I'm new to this groups

and have my D/S surgery scheduled for 12/17, in NYC with Dr. Gagner.

I'm anxious to have it behind me and to start seeing results.

I also had problems with my right knee. I had surgery 5/00 and the

ortho. doctor said arthritis was major for someone my age. After

taking glucosomine/chrondroitin for the last 18 months, it's much

better. But I still know the problem is there.

I have lower back pain, but not much else is wrong yet. I'm excited

about taking long walks with my dogs and not being tired, out of

breath, or having my feet hurt. I'm also exited about being able to

take the stairs rather than always waiting for an elevator.

I'm originally from California, but live in Charlottesville, VA now.

Thanks for posting such a great message.

[Guest guest]

Now...tell me that this surgery wasn't a miracle.

Ford>>>>>>>>>>>

It truly was a miracle, Ford......and it can be retold over and over for so

many of us too. I know of a few with congestive heart failure who are cured

due to the DS. We are fortunate to have been obese at this time in

history! That is how I look at it.......any other time, I would have been

dead in 5 yrs.

Judie