Hi everyone, I'm an RN in a surgery unit in Louisiana. Decided to have this done to improve my health. I'm scared, but, excited at the same time. Glad to know you're all out there now.

Another idea; start making demands with your surgeon. I assume that since you are on this group you are an RN (?). If you are not a nurse, then tell him you would like to see one of his partners for their thoughts on a solution. Level with him. Ask him what he would do if his wife/daughter/family member were in your shoes. Tell him you want to be agressive, and do whatever it takes EVEN if it means an exploratory lap to go in and take a peek at what is going on. Food in your peritoneal cavity will never be good, and you can bet it won't fix itself. Good luck you can email anytime! Prayers your way.

I was morbidly obese when I went to nursing school- while it didn't stop me from succeeding in achieving my goal, it did make it harder- tired easily. I only had one instructor who made an issue of my weight- she said that if she had been on the acceptance board she would have blackballed me because she felt I would not be able to advise patients to lose weight for their health and was not a good role model. True, I obviously have a problem, but in some ways I think that I was better able to talk about weight reduction and its difficulties. I could definitely sympathize with patients whose doctors were demanding weight loss. As for choosing the type of nursing you wish to pursue- you can!! You must only check to see what job postings each hospital has to offer at the time you are ready to apply for a job. In order to become an ER nurse you will need to become an ICU nurse first and some hospitals won't hire new grads directly to ICU's (some will). My advice is to work on a med/surg station for at least a year before you specialize- it will provide a solid knowledge base of a variety of nursing from which you can branch out- you will never regret the incredible wealth of knowledge you will glean from med/surg nursing. After the year you will know better what area you want to pursue for the future. In the meantime- are you currently employed? If not, consider getting a job as a nursing assistant in a hospital- it is a great opportunity to learn a lot while you are in school. The nursing staff loves to help educate nursing assistants who are in nursing school- they will give you opportunities to observe or assist with all kinds of procedures. It also gives you an "in" when it comes to applying for a nursing job- hospitals would much prefer to hire someone who already knows their system. Good luck!! You are in for an adventure!- Ginny

Maybe someone can give me the answer. During the WLS the doc nicked my spleen and I bled out and he had to remove the spleen. He put in a JP drain and a G-tube. At day 5 they discovered an abcess and they put in another JP drain. At 2 weeks he took out the first JP drain, but left the G-tube and JP drain. Now he says I have a leak b/c food particles are showing up in my drain. He has the G-tube (which is in the BIG stomach) clamped off. The problem now is the odor is horrific. For 5 days I have not been able to keep anything down. Not even liquids. A cardiac surgeon that is a friend of mine says that he is really concerned that food particles are getting out of the pouch and in to the drain. I am too. What happens to the pieces that don't get pulled out into the drain? Are they rotting inside of me? No fever, just total frustration. It has been suggested that I get a second opinion. Most surgeons don't want to touch another's work, but I don't want to wait until he says..."I'm sorry but you now have gangrene and we are going to have to remove the stomach" or something like that. Has anyone had this problem and what should I think? Thanks for any help you can give me..debbie

Hi Robin, I just found this board tonight. I had surgery 9/14... down 37 pounds... slow loser but still a loser! Good luck on your surgery on the 6th. Just wanted to say HI!