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Category: Health 1 Person in progress, 0 People achieved this |
Surgeon TestimonialMark Pleatman MDWhen I first learned of the VSG about 15 months ago, I was researching the lap-band. I came across VSG on the OH message board. I started researching this option. I came across Dr. Pleatman's name very early in my research and found out that he had a self-pay discount price for people whose insurance wouldn't cover weight-loss surgery.
I contacted Dr. Pleatman and gave him my basic information, including my weight, BMI, current health issues and asked if I would be a candidate for this surgery. He immediately responded and told me I was a perfect candidate. Well, after many months and several let downs with money, things have finally started to come together.
As far as POH, I have read the reviews of the hospital and they have been mixed. I have discussed my concerns with Dr. Pleatman. He put my fears to rest. He said he would order a morpheine pump post-op if I wanted one. He said that Monday and Tuesday surgeries have a good chance of getting private rooms, but if I did have a room-mate and it was a bad experience, that he would have me moved. Everytime I have had a concern, he has addressed it. I feel very confident that I am in good hands.
I am traveling from south GA, so it is right at a thousand miles for me. My PCP has agreed to support me in my decision, although he was a little reluctant at first. I will be staying in MI almost a week after surgery to be sure that I have no complications before returning home.
If you have any other questions, please just ask!
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Rough night on April 17, 2008 6:13 pm
Yesterday was a farely routine day except that I did seem to have some trouble getting down my fluids. The highlight of my afternoon was having Ivy and Terri come and visit with me for a while. It was so nice to see "outsiders." I love my husband and child, but it was nice to see someone else's face!!!!!
Terri brought me a beautiful potted plant and then after they left, I got another plant from the school, so the day was pretty uplifting. About 7:30 last night I was feeling extremely "empty" like I hadn't eaten in days (not hungry, mind you, but "empty" like I was about to run out of gas.) I decided to have a popcicle, since I have been tolerating them so well. About that time Joe got home.
About 5 minutes after I finished the popcicle it came back up. That was odd. I had never had that problem before. About an hour later I tried to drink something, and it came back up too. Great! About this same time, I start having bladder spasms like I haven't peed in days but when I tried to pee, of course, nothing would come out. So, I'm feeling really great right about now. I took a warm bath hoping it would help with the spasms, but it didn't. Around 10:00 I tried to take a pill for the bladder issue with some grape juice and it came back up too. So, by now I'm pretty worried because I don't know if I'm dehydrated or if I've got the virus that Amy has, so I ask Joe to call the ER and talk to Dr. Ambrozic. He was supposed to call us back but he never did, so I am pretty ticked with him.
I finally decided to just get in the bed and try to sleep through whatever the problem was. I said "God help me." and went to sleep. This morning I feel some better but I am still scared to drink anything. Please keep me in your prayers.
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This is really happening! on April 12, 2008 3:50 pm
The last two weeks have been very interesting. Some moments were very challenging, but the last several days have improved by leaps and bounds! I am worried because I am still not getting in my daily requirements of water and protein, but everyday I try to get a little more than the day before. The pressure in my esophagus just under my sternum is getting better. Now I can sip water almost without pain.
I took Lauren to a friend's party today. While getting dressed, I decided to try a button up shirt that I had always worn a shirt under because it wouldn't button. It actually buttoned up and had extra room in it. I almost cried! I decided to put on a little mascara and lipstick and it was amazing how well I felt! I was able to drive today for the first time also.
After the party we went to my mom and dads for a little while. It was nice to get out of the house, but it was raining so I got soaked twice! When we got home, I took a nap. I had another headache and I was hoping a little rest would help it.
After waking up, I decided to visit my closet. The closet is not the happiest place for a fat person, as there have been some pretty stressful moments in there over the years. I pulled out a pair of pants I hadn't worn in over two years, and they fit! I almost peed my pants. Then I tried another. They fit too. I got really brave and decided to try a dress that I had only worn one time, before I got married in 2002. It zipped up (I don't know if I would wear it in public yet, but still, IT ZIPPED!) To make a long story short, everything that I tried on zipped up with ease. I was so amazed. It was really a mood lifter.
I knew the scale said I had lost 25 pounds, but actually being able to see it in the clothes was a miracle. I am so excited about what the future holds. Look out world, here I come!
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The journey continues! on April 8, 2008 6:19 pm
Well, it is Tuesday night and we are in Atlanta with my brother. We will arrive back in Valdosta tomorrow. I can tell that I am making progress with my new tummy everyday. I am barely even sore anymore, BUT the pseudotumor cerebri (the primary reason I wanted weight loss surgery) has been torturing me since last Wednesday. But the good news is, as of yesterday, I am down 9 pounds since surgery, which brings the total to 17 pounds.
Two of the worst symtpoms of the PTC are severe headaches and a "whooooshing" sound in one or both ears. Well, I have had contant headache with the ear whooshing since the day after surgery, and I don't see any end in sight. The only relief for this issue is to have a spinal tap, unless it decides to go away on its own. I haven't had to have a spinal tap since 2001, but I am seriously considering that option.
The medication I usually take for the PTC was controlling my symptoms fairly well, but I haven't been able to take it consistantly since surgery. Since I am having trouble getting my fluids in, when I take the medicine, it dehydrates me even more and causes me to have urinary tract issues. So, its either stay off of the medicine and deal with the headache and whooshing, or deal with other complications caused by the dehydration.
Hopefully I will be able to see my neurosurgeon this week and see about getting the situation resolved.
In other news, the journey from Michigan was beautiful. We didn't really get to see much going up because the weather was so dreary. We had constant sunshine on the trip back so everything was beautiful. Thanks for all of the prayers and well wishes. I will keep everyone informed of my progress.
This VSG is trying to kick my butt!!!! on April 5, 2008 1:07 pm
Well, I am alive, but at times I definitely feel like crap. I know that it will get better with everyday, but right now, I am trying not to have buyer's remorse.
My surgery went well on Tuesday. I woke up scared to death because they were talking about my blood pressure and my heart rate, and about whether or not I would need oxygen in route to the recovery room.
As I continued to wake up, I was extremely parched and felt like I hadn't had anything to drink in days. They finally gave me some ice chips in recovery, but the cold was TERRIBLE going down. I got to my room and for a while they decided I couldn't have anything by mouth. Then, depending on who you asked, I could have ice chips. However, the ice was so cold it almost killed me. I could feel it all the way down and my esophogus and tummy were both very sensitive. I learned really quick that when people mentioned "the bubble" they got from trying to drink they weren't exaggerating.
They came in during the early afternoon and gave me a pill to take and that almost killed me. It felt like it got stuck. Then, so of my pills were extended release, and they wanted to crush them. I knew you weren't supposed to chew or crush them, so I acted like I took them and had my husband toss them in the trash.
I got up Tuesday afternoon to walk and it wasn't too bad. I definitely didn't have much energy, but I figured walking would help with the gas. The next morning when they gave me clear liquids, I tried to sip but everything made me sick to my stomach. The pain medicine made me sick to my stomach, so I pretty much felt like I was going to die. The medicine they gave me for nausea was pretty good, they said the gave it to chemo patients and it really did help a lot.
On Wednesday afternoon I got a really bad headache. I knew I probably would, the psuedotumor cerebri that I have doesn't like anesthesia. I had a difficult time sleeping at night and my head continued to hurt. On Thurday when Dr. Pleatman came by to see me, he asked how I was doing on the liquids, and when I told him everything made me sick, he said I wasn't going anywhere.
So, me, my headache, and my constant gas bubble stayed for another night. I did try to make myself get the liquids down, because I meant I was going home on Friday.
They decided I needed to try to take oral pain medicine, since I was going to be on that when I left the hospital. Well, that burned like gasoline going down, so I tried to avoid medicine at all.
Friday morning at abotu 5:00 I couldn't take the headache pain anymore and asked for some medicine. Thank God they brought me a shot, and some nausea medicine, so I was able to rest. I got up as soon as they brought the breakfast tray and was able to choke down the entire bowl of chicken broth and a little bit of the jello. When Dr. Pleatman came in and asked how I was doing, I told him I was ready to go!
By about Wednesday night everytime I moved my wrist the IV line started beeping, and I was about ready to pull it out myself, so when he said I could go on Friday, I almost kissed him. As soon as he left I started getting dressed and took off my own heart monitor. A little nurse came in and asked what was going on in there, and I told her (jokingly) that I was trying to make an escape. She said "well, what happened to your monitor." and I said, "I took it off." She said, "WHy did you do that?" and I said, "I'm leaving. The dr. said I could go, so I don't need it." She said, "Oh," and took the monitor and left with it.
Finally we got out of the hospital and came back to the hotel. As I was getting discharged, the nurse said, "You have your pain meds right," and I said, "No, he didn't give me a prescription." So once we got back to the hotel I had to call the Dr. and they called me something in. I was lucky, they leave early on Friday, so I was almost too late. Joe went to get it and I stayed in the bed. My head was still killing me but once I woke up this morning, I felt a lot better. I still am having a hard time getting my fluids down, but I am really working on because I don't want to get dehydrated.
we went to a movie and I managed to make it through the movie sipping on my water. I am getting ready to take a nap, and I just had a chocolate protein shake (about 8 oz I think). I feel better today than I have all week, so I know I am on the road to recovery, but it has definitely been harder than I imagined.
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My Story
Well, here goes. I'm getting ready to embark on this biggest and possibly the longest journey in my life. In less than 3 weeks, I'll be having weight-loss surgery. It's a relatively new procedure called the VSG. My primary reason for deciding to have WLS is to cure my pseudotumor cerebri.
I was diagnosed with PTC in 2001, but I had it for ten years before that. For every day for most of my adult life, I have lived with crazy headaches that were at times unbearable. Most people have never heard of pseudotumor cerebri, but basically, I have all of the symptoms of a brain tumor, without the brain tumor. My head hurts most of the time, I have ringing in my ears, blurred vision, dizziness and numerous other symptoms of varying severity almost every day. I don't remember my life before daily headaches. The doctors tell me that the cure of the PTC is weight loss, so here we go.
We are traveling to Michigan to have the surgery, and it is costing over $11,000 plus traveling expenses, which I am paying out of pocket. It has been a long journey to save the money, but we have finally been able to do it. I have thoroughly researched the various WL surgeries, and feel that I have chosen the best option for me. I feel very good about my choice of surgeons, and it is worth the almost 1,000 mile trip to begin my post-surgery journey.
My surgery is scheduled for April 1st, of all days, but I am excited nonetheless. I think this will be a new beginning for me and I can't wait to get started. My amazing husband is very supportive, as are so many of my friends. I know that this won't be easy, but I am hoping that it will all be worth it. Please keep me in your prayers for a safe trip, safe surgery, quick recovery, and that God will give me strength and will power. I will definitely need His help to make it to where I want to be!
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