BE PROACTIVE & EDUCATE OTHERS

SOMETHING NICK & I HAVE NOTICED REPEATEDLY IS THAT MOST OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION HAS ABSOLUTELY NOOOOOOOOO IDEA HOW TO HANDLE A POST GASTRIC BYPASS PATIENT. AT LEAST MS TOWANA'S NURSE ADMITTED THAT SHE WAS CLUELESS ABOUT OUR SPECIAL NEEDS & WAS WISE ENOUGH TO LISTEN & TAKE NOTES ... GLUCOSE DRIPS & DIABETIC DIETS ... THERE MAY BE TIMES THAT YOU STILL NEED A GLUCOSE DRIP BUT BE SURE THEY KNOW THAT IT SHOULD BE AS WEAK A SOLUTION AS POSSIBLE & WHAT TO LOOK FOR (similar to a diabetic reaction) IF YOU GET INTO MEDICAL TROUBLE. BE SURE TO STRESS YOUR SENSITIVITY TO SUGARS OF ANY KIND & REQUEST A DIABETIC MENU OTHERWISE EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE MEAT PORTION IS SUGAR LADENED & SOMETHING WE CAN'T EAT. NOOOOOOOOOO NSAIDs, ASPIRIN PRODUCTS, TIME-RELEASED OR CAPSULES. THE NURSE WAS JUST ABOUT TO INJECT MS TOWANA WITH A POWERFUL NSAID BUT HAS A HABIT OF EXPLAINING THE PRODUCTS AS SHE'S GIVING THEM, SO WE WERE ABLE TO STOP HER. SHE RECHECKED WITH THE DOC & THE MED ORDER WAS CANCELLED. MS TOWANA WAS IN NO CONDITION TO REMEMBER EVERYTHING, SO IT WAS GOOD THAT I WAS THERE TO INJECT THE INFORMATION. BE SURE TO HAVE THESE ISSUES WRITTEN DOWN & GIVE A COPY TO EVERYONE WHO IS CARING FOR YOU ... IF SOMEONE IS SITTING WITH YOU, BE SURE THEY KNOW ABOUT THESE MEDICAL QUIRKS THAT WE NOW LIVE WITH. TAKE YOUR MEDS & SUPPLEMENTS TO THE HOSPITAL ... THEY MAY OR MAY NOT GIVE YOU YOUR MEDS, BUT MOST PROBABLY WILL NOT GIVE YOU YOUR SUPPLEMENTS SO TAKE THEM WITH YOU SO YOU CAN CONTINUE YOUR DAILY REGIME. TAKE SOME PREPARED PROTEIN PRODUCTS LIKE PROTEIN BARS, PROTEIN PUDDING OR PROTEIN JELLO OR DRINKS, & SF DRINKS LIKE CRYSTAL LITE. MS TOWANA HAD HER B-12 WITH HER BUT FORGOT HER BIOTIN SO SHE'S HAVING A FRIEND BRING IT. BE SURE TO LIST ALL OF YOUR MEDS & SUPPLEMENTS ON THAT SHEET I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY SO THEY ARE AWARE & THERE ARE NO NEGATIVE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN EVERYTHING YOU'RE INGESTING. A MEDIC ALERT BRACELET IS WISE ... REMEMBER, NO BLIND NG TUBE ... NOTE YOUR ALLERGIES & MEDICAL CONDITIONS INCLUDING YOUR GASTRIC BYPASS. GOD BLESS Y'ALL ... DAWN & NICk

This is terriific info and something that I plan to follow up on immediately after my surgery. How do you know all of this stuff?? You are a wealth of information! What is a blind NG tube? I wish I could just copy and paste your brain and print it out at home!

LOTS & LOTS OF RESEARCH & QUESTIONS TO EVERYONE ... IN OTHER WORDS, I DRIVE PEOPLE CRAZY WITH QUESTIONS! OK MS DEB ... I MAY NEED HELP WITH THIS EXPLANATION ... IF I GET ANYTHING MEDICALLY WRONG, PLEASE CORRECT ME. IF I HAVE IT RIGHT, IT'S A NASO-GASTRIC TUBE ... A TUBE THEY PUT INTO YOUR STOMACH TO SUCK OFF FLUIDS OUT OF YOUR STOMACH. SINCE WE DON'T HAVE A STOMACH, IF THEY INSERT IT DOWN OUR THROATS "BLIND" (WITHOUT A SCOPE TO SEE WHAT THEY ARE DOING), THEY COULD DAMAGE OUR POUCHES BECAUSE THEY ARE SO SMALL. THEY INSERT A LOT OF TUBING & THERE'D BE NO PLACE FOR IT TO GO. THAT WOULD BE MIGHTY DANGEROUS & EMBARRASSING IF ANYONE GOT IN MMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYY BRAIN! GOD BLESS YOU ... DAWN & NICk

Dawn I love you and Nick so much. Thanks for always looking out for us and helping us to care more about ourselves and our health. I have 15 days before my surgery and boy are the butterflies starting. I feel prepared but not prepared enough, mentally ready but still some doubt, strong but still need someone to say it'll be ok. I know I can do this but it is so much to remember and what if I do something wrong? Good grief !!!! I felt this same way when I was told I would have a pacemaker but hey I made it through that too. Well pray for me everyone, I'm really on my way now. Robin

THANK YOU SO MUCH, MS ROBIN! THAT WAS SO SWEET OF YOU! YA KNOW, MY HEALTH HAS IMPROVED SO DRAMATICALLY SINCE SURGERY & NICK & I ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR HEALTHIER CHOICES SO WHEN WE FIND SOMETHING OR LEARN SOMETHING, I WANT OTHERS TO BENEFIT FROM THAT AS WELL WITHOUT THEM HAVING TO SEARCH & SEARCH FOR ANSWERS! NOT TO WORRY, MS ROBIN ... WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE AS BAD AS LIVING WITH OBESITY & ALL THE PAIN & DEBILITATING HEALTH PROBLEMS? YOU'RE COVERED IN PRAYERS FROM YOUR BYPASS BUDDIES & YOU'VE GOT THE BEST MEDICAL TEAM TO CARE FOR YOU & THEY REALLY GIVE FROM THE HEART! WOW GIRL ... YOU'RE NOW UNDER 2 WEEKS BEFORE YOUR BIG DAY TO ENTER THE HEALTHY (SKINNY) SIDE OF LIFE! I'M GETTING SO EXCITED FOR YOU. DON'T FORGET, WHEN YOU CAN ... PLEASE JOIN US AT LCBBuddies. WE'D ALL LOVE TO MEET YOU & SHARE IN YOUR JOURNEY! GOD BLESS YOU ... DAWN & NICk

Dawn, you and Nick are correct, and one med ID bracelet won't cover it all, so I have started carrying a card with my needs on them and laminated it. I have my bracelet too. The doctor faught with me when I saw they had me on dextrose saying a little diarrhea was worth not getting dehydrated, but I was able to convince him otherwise after I explained everything to him. He said it was my only form of food, but when I asked him if a diabetic would have the same IV bag of D5, he said no, so I said, I am going to change my bracelet to say GASTRIC RNY Treat as Diabetic I need to order that and have it on there as well as my doctor's info. Thanks so much for the email!! Love you!! Deb

I THINK THE BEST THING ONE CAN SAY IN A HOSPITAL SETTING IF YOU ARE POST GASTRIC BYPASS, IS TO ... TREAT ME LIKE YOU WOULD TREAT A DIABETIC!!!!!!!!!!! & YES, THAT IS A GOOD IDEA TO PUT THAT ON YOUR MEDIC ALERT BRACELET. THE LAMINATED CARD IS A REALLY GOOD IDEA AS WELL. WHEN I DUMP ON SUGARS/CARBS, I DON'T JUST GET DIARRHEA ... I THROW UP & I GET SO VIOLENTLY ILL THAT I'VE COME SO CLOSE TO PASSING OUT THAT IT GOT SCAREY. I HAD HEART REACTIONS AS WELL. MY WORST DUMPING EXPERIENCE LASTED ALMOST A WHOLE WEEK. I WAS SO ILL, ALL I WANTED TO DO WAS CRY & PASS OUT. ONE LADY ON THE OCTOBER BOARD ACTUALLY PASSED OUT IN THE BATHROOM & HIT HER SHOULDER/COLLAR BONE AREA ON THE TOILET AS SHE FELL. SHE WAS PASSED OUT FOR OVER AN HOUR AS HER FAMILY HAD NO IDEA SHE WAS ON THE FLOOR IN THE BATHROOM. MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS SEEM TO THINK THAT SUGAR DUMPING IS A MILD SITUATION, BUT IT CAN BE HORRIBLE & DANGEROUS. THANKS FOR THE INFO ... GOD BLESS YOU ... DAWN & NICk