Re: Re: Stupid Question--STEVE

September 29, 2001

In a message dated 9/28/01 11:36:23 PM, duodenalswitch writes:

<< As a pre-op I was 5'7 " tall and weighed 360lbs and had no reach

problems whatsoever. However after my lap DS, I couldn't wipe my ass

to save my life--it was totally humiliating. My abdominal and stomach

regions were still so incredibly swollen with all the CO2 they

injected for surgery, that I literally had no range of movement

without great pain. I begged a friend of mine to send me a buttwiper

on the second day. (I never got one, but that's another story.)

So it varies for everyone--irregardless if you have pre-op reach

problems or not, or if you had it lap or open. My advice is to err on

the side of being prepared. If you don't need it, then be a good

samaritan and pass it on to the next pre-op who may need one.

>>

I can second that -- I was 307 lbs/5'9 1/2 " (bmi 45) as a pre-op and didn't

have any wiping issues... but, after my lap DS it was very uncomfortable to

reach behind and I couldn't do it for a few days (not for the time I was in

the hospital anyway).

I thought that a squeegie bottle would actually come in more handy than a

pair of tongs and wipes because the bm's are rather.. how shall we say..

liquidy and rather explosive. It takes quite a few wipes and effort to clean

them up. If you rinse with water first, then wipe a little to dry, I think

it will take less time, less effort and be a more pleasant experience!

Wipes are a definite to help clean, feel refreshed and also help remove the

irritation from the area. Remember that most wipes are NOT bio-degradable

and cannot be flushed. I think COTTONELLE is.. but regular baby wipes, etc.,

although they are larger and would cover more area (If you go this route, I'd

get the unscented ones), cannot be flushed. TUCKS wipes (with witch hazel

and other soothing ingredients) are also nice if one is particularly inflamed

or irritated there... I would sometimes just leave a wipe there for awhile

and my butt would feel much better!

All the best,

lap ds with gallbladder removal

January 25, 2001

Dr. Gagner/Mt. Sinai/NYC

eight months post-op and still feelin' fabu!

preop: 307 lbs/bmi 45

now: 318 (plateau! Yuck!)

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