"Perfect Study" Upper GI and Singing the Praises of my Surgeon :)

So I'm 7 weeks out and had an Upper GI today after telling my surgeon about having some reflux over the last couple of weeks. He put me on a PPI for the last 2 weeks, but wanted to rule out anything structurally awry with the sleeve. I had one before surgery and it was pretty textbook. Can I just say, barium is nas-ty! But to be honest, it wasn't nearly as unpleasant of an experience today since I knew what to expect. The nice technician who was working with me tried to tell me "it has an apple flavor." I laughed and said, "No it doesn't! Don't lie to me!" He just shrugged and said, "Oh well, I tried!"

My surgeon was present for my scan - one of the thousands of reasons that I cannot sing his praises loudly enough - and he said that I had a "perfect study"! He said I still have a bit of reflux, which he confirmed by having me eat a cracker with barium PASTE (can we say "eww"?). I tried to tell myself it was a marshmallow.... When he laughed at my "this-is-the-most-unpleasant-moment-of-my-life" face, I just shook my fist at him and threatened to save some for him :)

He said my sleeve seems to need a bit more time to figure out how to move food through, but other than that, he said that he wished that all of his patients' scans looked like mine. I felt like a teacher's pet :)

 

I have to say, if anyone out there reading this is contemplating surgery with Dr. Jack Rutledge in Chattanooga, TN, I say DO IT. He makes me so comfortable it's unreal. He has gone above and beyond what I expected out of a WLS surgeon... And he's pretty charming too! Considering how he's changed my life, I guess it's not TOO weird to have a little surgeon crush 

I'm so glad your test came out "perfect." and your sleeve is working as expected.  I wish you the best on your weight loss journey.

Carol

I just did my upper GI for pre-op and had to take my mind to a different place to not gag at that stuff.  I can't imagine chugging that stuff down post surgery.  You go girl!  And I'm so glad to hear all is good!

I think I would have tried to imagine a margarita flavor...I don't seem to have any issues getting those down ;-)

Well if your surgeon follows the standards, you will be chugging after surgery too for your leak test.

I didn't have a leak test. So who knows?

Really?  I never heard of not having a leak test after being sleeved.

Nope. My surgeon does a leak test internally during surgery. Fill the sleeve with air, body cavity with water and watch for bubbles. 

Yep, that is one of the three leak test that the surgeons do to make sure there aren't any leaks.  Most likely why our centers rate of leaks is .5% to the standard of 2.6% and two of those were 2 of the first 4 patients they did.  The barium swallow test the next day checks for leaks and obstructions.

I should have gone with that! For the liquid, I just had to shut my brain off and go to my happy place, but the paste actually had no flavor so it was easy to fake myself out! I hope you don't have to do it post op. I was so uncomfortably full when they finished with me. Plus that stuff gives me such a headache later :(

I'm glad you said that! I was bloated for days, just felt yucky, stopped up...and finally got rid of all the white poop today (procedure was Tues). Craziness! But it'll be worth it.