Hi Its Bethany Again~

Thanks for the warm welcomes!!!! Lisa, I am 20 minutes north of Hartford, right near Bradley Airport..... It is my understanding that the surgeries are now happening much faster now than in the past....Im pretty sure 3-4 months after the info session...PLEASE someone correct me if Im wrong or verify if thats right.... Ok someone tell me what the JP drain is? Help!!! I really want to research each type of GB does anyone recommend a good site to do that? I would love to hear from people who have had Gastric Bybass (GB) tell me how long it took to get your surgery, recovery time and all that great stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks sooooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bethany

Hey Bethany- I had my surgery done 2 weeks ago (lap RNY). I had the JP drain. I think my surgeon uses them for all patients (open and lap). It is a rubber/latex tube, with a ball at the end that collects fluid post-surgery. It will be on your abdomen when you wake from surgery. I woke up with it in, and it caused me no pain. For the first 3 days It was in and was removed before I left the hospital. The hospital staff will empty it once or twice a day. The fluid is monitored to see how much and what kind of fluid is coming from the area of your surgery. It didn't bother me to have it out (at least not too much). Some folks mind its removal alot, others aren't bothered by it. I'd say it felt like someone is pulling a worm out of your stomach. It sounds gross, but is over very quickly. I was just thankful that it didn't cause any pain. Hope this helps. -Dina

Hi Bethany, I had my gastric bypass in December of 2004 and it tooks 2 1/2 hours. I was in the hospital for about 2 days. I thought it would be 4 days, but they sent me home because I was doing so good. I had the laporscopic RNY which is a much better time for recovery. I was home a few weeks, and the pain was not as bad as I thought it would be. By two weeks I was up and around doing things, but very slow. I got tired very fast. Otherwise all went well. I had a wonderful surgeon Dr. Barajas from St Raphaels and she has a perfect record and a great techinique in surgery. Everyone told me she was a perfectionist. Well its been 4 months and 4 weeks and I have lost 82lbs so far. I feel wonderful. It was tough for a while eating and getting use to be full so fast and not drinking while I ate. That was the hardest for me. But as time went by I have gotten use to how much I can eat and I have learned to eat alot slower too. I have had some episodes of getting sick, but its part of the learning process. I have not had any complications at all. My energy level has risen so much its amazing. I have gone down about 5 sizes too. I hope this was helpful for you. Any questions don't hesitate to contact me or any of the CT OH Family. Everyone here is wonderful and very loving and caring. Take care and God Bless Hugs KimC

The JP drain is a Jackson-Pratt drain. It is used to wick blood from inside the chest cavity in the incision to small plastic pouches ouside your skin. Think of it the way an eye dropper works, when you squeeze the bulb. It creates suction which draws the liquid out. Want to see a picture? See: http:// patienteducation.upmc.com/Pdf/JPDrain.pdf Having it removed is annoying, but usually takes only of few seconds. They also use the blood that collects in the bulbs to see if you are leaking from surgery a few days after the operation. You drink an awful-tasting blue dye, and later the bulb(s) are checked for the dye. If there's dye in the bulb(s), they have to find out where the leak is and stop it. I have no idea how long it takes these days from beginning the program to your surgery date. I've heard anything from several months to two years. In my case, it was 13 months and I was fairly agressive about getting my appointments done right away. As I understand it, the operation takes from one and one-half hours to four hours, depending on how its done. Laproscopic takes longer because of the instruments, but I'm told you recover faster. I did lots of research before mine, and found more complications were seen with the laproscopic procedure. There are lots of opinions on which one is better, it often depends on what the outcome is. Folks who have problems aren't as likely to voice them publicly, so I encourage you to do your own research on line and make your own decision with your physician. Whatever procedure your choose, the surgery is still a serious step and subject to various complications. Ask around, get lots of advice, do some research before you decide. If anyone tells you that bypass surgery is an easy or quick way to cure obesity, they're lying or just ignorant. There's nothing easy or quick about it. Good luck! --Steve

Thank you everyone *****sponed!!! Such great info!!!! Did you all get support from your friends and family..... my family is very concerned and worried. I think they just dont know too much about it. I printed out some great info for them to read. I hope it helps ease their minds~ Thanks again this really is an awesome support tool!!! ~Bethany

My only support was my wife. I told no one about the surgery except her, and told my kids the day before just in case something went really wrong. My mother is a worry-wart, and she just got done helping my Dad through a triple bypass. She would have been a basket case for days, so I decided it was best not to bother telling her. It turned out to be a wise choice. I told her after I was discharged. Most folks don't understand what the operation entails, or that 1 or 2 out of every 200 gastric bypass patients never make it home from the hospital. It does seem like the ratio is getting better and better each day, but its another reason why you should be careful to choose an experienced surgeon and get some recommendations. As an example of misunderstanding the procedure, when I told my Dad that I had the surgery, he thought that I was discharged weighing 100 lbs less than when I went in, and that the weight was somehow removed surgically or through liposuction. There are some animations of the surgery on the Web, a simple one can be found at: http://www mercy-unity.com/ahs/mercyunity.nsf/page/surgery Just click on the picture (you will need the Flash plug-in installed in your browser to view it. If it's not installed when you try to view the animation, your system should prompt you to install it first). There were two other reasons I didn't tell anyone. The first is that I considered it a personal decision, and frankly, one I didn't want to share with anyone else. Not because I was ashamed, but because I didn't feel that it was anybody's business. The second reason is that I didn't want anyone to worry about me, call me, give me their advice, or come see me at the hospital. We all make the choices we think are the best for ourselves. Your choices will be different than mine. But they are *your* choices. There are lots of folks on this board who know way more than I do, and can offer you excellent advice. Don't be afraid to ask. --Steve

Thanks Steve for your response!!! Your right that people will and do give their 2 sense even if you dont want to hear it. Oh well, I know what I am doing and thats all that matters Thanks Steve for reminding me that its about ME and noone else!! How much have you lost? How do you feel? ~Bethany