Doctor report!

I went to the surgeon today for my 2 month checkup. (Actually it's supposed to be 6 weeks but they moved offices and then he was out of town so they canceled).

First, I fill out a questionnaire which asks questions about any complications, quality of life, co-morbidity improvement (ie. my ankles don't hurt anymore and I no longer snore!). Then they weigh me (their scale said 38lbs but mine says 41. I'm sticking with mine /grin). THEN I go see the nurse.

I told her about vomiting white foam. She said that before the surgery, we produce a lot of saliva to help break down the food we eat. After the surgery, we eat so little but still produce the same amount of saliva. This becomes thick / mucosy and can get caught in the small opening between the esophagus and Lily. So it causes vomiting. I felt eased knowing it's normal in some patients -- I think the doctor said something like 15% deal with it regularly. To cut through the saliva, she recommends I drink a teaspoon of vinegar or pickle juice when I feel the spit starting to get stuck in my throat.

The hair loss, she also said is perfectly normal. She said it starts happening between 2 and 4 months for most people, but not so much hair is lost that it is ever noticeable. She recommended the supplement Biotin and a specific shampoo that I wrote down the name of but I don't remember.

They were happy with my weight loss - they said they expect people to have lost between 25 and 30lbs at their 6 week visit, and I'm at 40 at my 8 week. So that's pretty much right on track.

THEN I go and talk to the surgeon.

I told him that lately Lily will become sore / uncomfortable sometimes even from gentle food (like my diabetic-friendly low sugar yogurt, which has no texture). And chicken, which is healthy protein. He said that somewhere between 6 and 10 weeks, the opening from the esophagus to Lily shrinks. He told me that when he first started doing the surgeries, he scheduled endoscopies for every patient so he could go in and stretch the opening (I assume the scar tissue heals and tightens, which causes this...) But he says he found out that it eventually stretches on his own with no surgeries or anything. So time will fix that discomfort.

And the leg...

Diane (the nurse) suggested an orthopedic doctor to give me a cortisone shot. (I'm not allowed NSAIDS -- anti-inflammatories - which would probably help my leg right away by uninflamming the muscle that's tightened around my nerve). She said NO to the NSAID my general doctor wants me to take, which I expected. When I saw the surgeon, he said I should get an MRI of my back, since the first time I experienced the pain was when I was twisting in bed to reach my water, and I felt the pain in my back before my leg. He wants an MRI of my back and then we'll go from there...


So that's the doctor update. Lots of questions answered, and I'm doing well overall :)

How are you all?