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Another California Girl...Hello from California, Well first of all I would to thank everyone who was nice enough to respond when I needed my 10 patient contacts. My name is Debbie G. I am 39 years old and I had my MGB on July 8, 2004 w/Dr. Rutledge & Dr. Peralgie whom were both terrific doctors. My surgery took 45 minutes because of a lot of scar tissue from a previous bowel resection surgery I had in October of last year. So I am very thankful that they were able to do the surgery at all. The first few days were a little troubling but I had to keep reminding myself I had just had major surgery because after 4-C-Sections have had, my gallbladder surgery, and the bowel resection this MGB was a piece of cake. After surgery I slept a lot because of my fear of pain I kept pushing the pain pump, not really realizing: I wasn't really in pain. I was up and waking the halls the next morning. I think the worst thing after surgery is wearing the Ted hose stockings (the white ones) we must wear after surgery to prevent blood clots. There was a little discomfort and nausea I experienced but actually no pain which is a miracle in itself. When I would read peoples e-mails about no pain I would say to myself yeah right but there really is no pain. Well for the good news the day of surgery my wt. was 349 as of today the 22nd of July I weighed 317.5 a wt. loss of 31.5 pounds. The only time I really think about food is when everybody around me is eating pizza, Mickey D's, or any fast foods because I haven't felt like cooking and having all the foods around me. I am realizing this is a bad habit wanting to eat because everyone else is. A habit I need to break. Like they say the surgery is the tool we have to do the rest. So tonight my family will get their first home cooked meal since my surgery. Well good luck to all future MGB'ERS. And to Dr. R & Dr. P thank-you so so much for the great job you did, and to tell you my kids are just as excited about my new wt. loss journey as I am they are so happy to start w/me on a thinner, healthier mom. Debbie G. Dr. Rutledge/Peralgie 349/317.5 as of 7-22-04 14 days out
My Amazing California MGB Story!Date: Wed Feb 11, 2004 7:16pm Hi, my name is J. J. I had my MGB 4 short weeks ago (weighing in at 271) and already I am down 24 pounds and feeling a lot better. It is so much easier to bend over, put on my riding boots, zip up my chaps, get on my motorcycle, and RIDE! Like most of the people who have had the MGB, I had struggled with my weight all of my teenage and adult life (nearly 40 years). I had tried every diet known to mankind, plus a few that I made up myself! But nothing ever worked for very long. All too soon, the meager amount of weight that I had lost would come creeping back on, along with all its friends and relatives to keep it company! I got the idea for weight loss surgery from a chance conversation that I had with another customer at my manicurist's salon. It sounded intriguing, but scary at the same time. So I set out to do some research, and I learned about gastric banding, RNY, and of course the MGB. After reading the many posts on the MGB website and conducting a thorough study, I knew I wanted to have the MGB and would not settle for anything less. I attended two seminars held by Dr. Rutledge at the hospital in the weeks before my MGB (while I was working on my packet), and I was very impressed with the way he patiently answered everyone's questions and stayed until the last person had been satisfied that all her concerns had been addressed. I HATED doing the packet, but now that it is finished, I realize how valuable it was for me to have done it and how much I learned during the process. I had my MGB on January 13, 2004 in California. Fortunately, I live about 25 miles from the hospital, so I did not have to travel nor rent a motel room or a car. Lucky me! As my big day drew near, I was filled with excitement, hope and joy, and also a certain amount of apprehension. The apprehension was not due to any lingering doubts about having the MGB; instead, it was due to the concern that something would come up at the last minute to prevent me from having my dance. But I pushed aside this irrational worry and focused on doing as much preparation as possible so that I would be totally focused on following all the guidelines outlined in the Patient Manual in order to maximize my success with the MGB. When my date arrived, I was so jazzed that I got to the hospital one hour early! The night before, I had been praying that Dr. Rutledge was getting a good night's rest in preparation for my surgery, and I was giddy with excitement when I saw him walk into the hospital at 7:00 AM (to check on his patients from the previous day, before meeting with the three of us who were having our MGBs that day). I was second of the three of us to be taken in for surgery. Waiting for my turn was the hardest part! But finally they came for me, and my journey began. My surgery took 40 minutes, and when I awoke, I was in some pain, which I actually welcomed since I felt it signaled that my MGB had really happened. But just to be sure, I asked the nurse, and when she said "yes", I was so happy I was willing to deal with the pain. At that point, I would have rated the pain as about 5 or 6 on a scale of 1-to-10. My biggest problems (worse than the pain) were my extremely dry mouth (I mean PAINFULLY DRY), and also my extreme sensitivity to the lights and noise (people talking to me). It felt very much like having a hangover -- when everyone seems to be yelling but they're really not. Once I got to my room, I only used my pain pump a few times, as the pain had already started to subside. My husband was there to feed me ice chips, which helped with my extreme thirst. Sucking on hard candy also helped a lot. I felt pretty ragged for several hours, just wanted to be left alone with NO NOISE and NO LIGHT! Had my mouth not been SO DRY, I would have been able to fall into a peaceful sleep, but I kept waking up because of extreme dry mouth and having to ask for a sip of water or some ice chips. I slept off-and-on for several hours, but by 7:00 PM, I had managed to get up to go potty several times (with assistance, of course, but PLEASE TURN OFF THOSE DAMNED LIGHTS!) I had even managed one stroll around the hospital floor, with my husband pushing my portable IV. When my husband left at 8:30 PM (poor man had not eaten since early morning), I was still somewhat out-of-it, but somewhere during the night I turned the corner. Before the end of the night, I was getting up BY MYSELF to go potty and walk the floors (pushing my own IV), and by the time my husband returned at 8:30 the next morning, I was ready to go home! I was discharged about 10:15 AM, and stopped by the proverbial Wal- Mart for a little light shopping on my way home, then rested most of the remainder of the day. After leaving the hospital, I had no more pain (unless I deliberately pushed against one of my 5 tiny incisions), and never took any pain medication after my discharge. The following day (Day #2) I was able to be up and about at home, puttering in the kitchen and working at my computer. I had no pain, and felt fine. I was very joyful and thankful! I could have easily gone back to work on Day #3, but since I had already arranged to take the rest of the week off, I decided to leave it at that. By Day #4, I was feeling so completely normal that I took my motorcycle out for a spin. On Day #5, I rode my motorcycle to the hospital to have my external staples removed (did not hurt), and I resumed my normal work schedule the following week. It has been four weeks since my MGB, and I have lost 24 lbs. I do not expect the weight loss to continue at that rate, and will be thrilled if I can lose 12 lbs a month consistently for the next 8 months. So, that is my story, and I wish you the best of luck as you begin your journey. Feel free to emailme if I can answer any further questions. Good luck and God Bless! J J 1/13/04 – |
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