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Sorry if the lede was misleading--long intro thread, unrelated to the surgeon in GA, a former poster in the Lap-Band forum, or a grocer who sold toilet tissue. Also not a BM discussion, although I gather those are popular 'round these parts. Hello, all. Apologies for the length; maybe the info or discussions will help some in the future. Like many here, I’ve battled obesity my entire life, from Husky-sized jeans to a HW of 453 in 2017. Through a counselor, I connected with a weight loss PCP, and by working with him and a NUT have lost 130 lbs in 2 years. I was content with this method and pace, but circumstances had other plans. This past summer, I presented with symptoms consistent with gallstones. After an external ultrasound showed nothing, PCP ordered an EUS. Surprise, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET), on my birthday, no less! Consults with surgical and medical oncologists ensued, and while I have the kind of cancer that killed Steve Jobs, as long as I don’t treat it with carrot juice and happy thoughts, it probably won’t kill me tomorrow. That’s good, since as a husband and father, I want to stick around. The (hopefully not) killer, though, is that my cancer doesn’t show up on bloodwork or CT, and only marginally on PET. Med and surg onc, per secondary and tertiary opinions, concur that the best treatment plan is to cut it out. What has this to do with WLS, you ask? As I wrote above, I was happy to keep losing my 5 lbs/month, see where I landed, and make further lifestyle changes when I plateaued. However, the cancer I have, according to World-Class Oncologists ™, can flip a switch any time and go from not-a-problem to Patrick Swayze-level, and nobody understands exactly why or how. WLS enters the picture as a catalyst to accelerate treatment. The thinking is that VSG (my recommended procedure, based on my initial consult with Dr. Hussain and the bariatric team at UC) will drastically en-rapidate my weight loss, possibly helping me drop as much as 70-90% of my excess body weight in the next 9-12 months. In that way, the surg onc should be able to operate on a healthier patient with fewer complications, especially if, as seems likely, he has to pivot to what would be, at worst, a laparoscopic Whipple procedure. Being a lesser man at the time of that surgery should make the whole process less risky overall, but that’s just one of the questions for the surgical team that I’ll begin to firm up once I start the formal pre-op process. I’ve been assessed as a near-ideal bariatric candidate by psych based on my previous work, and by NUT based on the low-carb high-protein changes we’ve institutionalized in our family lifestyle. We even gave the NUT two recipes she said she’d share with her patients! I have concerns in both areas, though, that I’m working to get a handle on—psych, given my history with depression, and nutrition, since some of the strategies I’ve used to be successful up to now might not be compatible with VSG. Anyway, thanks for letting me introduce myself and overshare. If you have any relevant thoughts or experience on the above, especially if you have had, or know anyone who has had, a Whipple procedure after a VSG, I’d REALLY like to hear from you, since there’s not much in the open literature on it. I’ll maybe post more details, questions, etc., in the relevant sub-forums if I can’t find something through search, but again, thanks for letting me vent and share.

Sure. Here's my diet progression: Stage 1: Bariatric Full Liquid Diet (Weeks 1-2) #1 Sugar-Free Fluids This is the number one priority after surgery—drink a minimum of 64 ounces/day. Examples: Water, herbal tea (no caffeine), Crystal Light, PowerAde Zero, etc. Liquids should be non-carbonated, non-caffeinated, and under 15 calories/8 ounces #2 Protein Shakes Goal of 60g-80g protein/day. Mix with water or unsweetened nut milk. Stage 2: Soft Protein Foods (Weeks 3-4) #1 Sugar-Free Fluids Still the number one priority after surgery #2 Food 3 meals/day of soft protein foods (aim for 60g of protein as able—compensate with protein shakes if unable to hit 60g through food). There is no set portion size—you must listen to your body. Examples of soft foods: eggs, whole beans, canned meat, shaved/thinly sliced deli meats, fish, tofu, Greek yogurt, cheese, refried beans, etc. #3 Protein Shakes You may need to drink 1 protein shake/day to meet the 60g of protein if you can't meet this goal from foods. Stage 3: Bariatric Regular Foods (Week 5+) #1 Sugar-Free Fluids Still the number one priority after surgery #2 Food 3 meals/day focusing on protein. Small bites and stop at the first indication of fullness. There is no set portion size. Try new foods one at a time and in small amounts. Focus on solid protein for best portion and hunger control. Put fork down and pause between bites.

Sliming or the foamier is quite common after WLS. It usually happens when something is stuck and the body produces extra saliva to try and help it slide through. With a band I have sometimes had so much foam And slime I feel like a rabid dog

Oh I am right there with you. My type A personality is not knowing what in the heck to do right now. I have 2 weeks until my surgery. I have pre-made quite a bit of soups to freeze, bought as much things as possible without being wasteful, organized and then reorganized. I just don't know what else to do and I hate that feeling!!!!

Before my surgery I too had made sure I had plenty of liquid and pureed food available. I also read everything in my binder over and over. In my overnight bag I packed lotion and lip balm and those are the only things I ended up needing or using. I never changed into my own pajamas and I never felt like getting on my smartphone or reading or anything. Good luck on your upcoming surgery, sounds like you're ready!

You sound ready! I cleaned/organized my house, binged music and movies into delirium so that I was exhausted for my 5am surgery check in. Can't be nervous if you're barely awake. I basically winged the first month after. I like your plan better.

I was debating whether or not to post about this, as I haven't seen a lot of screw-ups on these pages, but I've got a doozy. I'm five and a half weeks out. I've been following my (very restrictive) diet to the letter almost all the time. My only deviations were a little Thanksgiving stuffing and some regular cheese at a party, where I'd brought deviled eggs for myself but didn't plan on being there so long and DO YOU KNOW THERE'S A LIMIT TO HOW MANY FREAKING DEVILED EGGS A PERSON CAN EAT IN FIVE HOURS? Lesson learned on that one. Next party I brought something I could live off for a year. Holiday parties everywhere. Anyway, the cookies. So, yesterday was a crap-tastic day. A member of my immediate family is struggling with mental health issues and let's just say everything came to a nice sharp point yesterday morning. I was wound up tight, and it just so happened I had "make cookies" on my calendar for a cookie exchange this weekend. In hindsight this is laughable, but in the moment I truly thought I was being proactive and getting those cookies made a day or two early, and wow, am I rocking this mom thing. Fast forward several hours and I can provide you with the following truths. One, I was making those cookies to eat because I was emotionally devastated. Two, my sleeve can hold far more cookies than I would have thought possible from the meager amounts of chicken that manage to fill me up. Three, there IS such a thing as dumping syndrome for sleevers, and it's a horrible experience. And four, it's amazing how quick your brain can be to jump from "really bad day and a subsequent bad choice" to "I'm a complete failure and I'm never going to be able to do this." So there. Those are the highlights of the cookie incident. I went to bed early, feeling so sick and so darn sorry for myself. What a loser! I almost deleted that sentence. I'm feeling some compassion toward the me of yesterday, and I know I'm not a loser. I know one mistake does not the future make, and I also know there will be others. But man, that was hard. It was hard to live with in the moment, and afterwards. It makes me think twice about even going to the stupid cookie exchange. The situation at home is ongoing and my stress level has been hard to manage. I'll meet the mom for coffee instead, explain I just wasn't able to make that particular holiday party, or just not take any cookies home with me and ignore the whining of my children. Ugh. I hate all of these options. I think to really be successful through this holiday season, I have to control WHAT'S IN MY HOUSE. I can go to a party or a family gathering and eat something that's not "on the list", but I can't bring it home. That's me. That's where I am, and what I have to do. Here's hoping the kids will understand.

CONGRATS 💜

Thank you both! Makes a lot of sense. I truly appreciate it!!😊

Liquids go right through you. Once you are able to eat solid food like chicken take it slow or you will be hurting!