brandynd

Here at the hotel, 2 days post-op. Things have been going pretty well. I got discharged from the hospital a day early because they thought I was doing so well, so that was nice. Last night at the hotel was a bit rough. Mom bought me some apple nectar not realizing the amount of sugar it had in it (neither of us reads spanish), and I got sick from that. Afterwards, I took rapix, the pain meds they give you for after surgery. A big warning to those of you who go through Dr. Rod....they are non-narcotic, and for me, didn't seem to do much. I was very blessed however, that I had my xanax with me, and they seemed to take the edge off the pain a great deal! We went this afternoon to a shopping mall about 4 blocks from the hotel. The exchange rate here is awesome, and I eyeballed some Calvin Klein sandals and Dior sunglasses, but didn't get them because I figured I might need my money for something else. I bought some crystal light and a bunch of juice at what seemed to be like a Mexican WalMart, and all of that seems to be staying down well. My pouch does hurt a little when I swallow liquids, but my guess is that this is due from the trauma of the surgery. Other than that my gas pains are minimal, as I've been walking so much. I can't wait to get back to San Diego, and hopefully hit Sea World tomorrow before we head back to the very cold, snowy Nebraska terrain. I can tell you that I already love my sleeve, as well as the entire staff of the INT hospital. JoAnne was just a godsend. I can honestly tell you that she far exceeded my expectations, and that the entire BeLiteWeight team has bent over backwards to make our stay as comfortable as possible. Also, I'd like to give 2 thumbs up to Dr. Sanchez, who is the Dr. on call once you're out of surgery. He's been such a sweet guy, and even seemed to appreciate my crude American sense of humor. Just a little update from my hotel room. I'm sure I'll have more to tell you about once I get back into San Diego tomorrow!

update:just puked. now its time for bed.

In TJ....had surgery with Dr. Rod this morning. Let me start off by saying that my decision to go through BeLiteWeight was one of the best I've ever made. JoAnne was here all day popping in between Heather (fern) and I and making sure we were feeling alright...and this was pre-op! Such a good lady! Surgery itself was a bit rough for me. I have terrible veins, and they couldn't seem to get a stick, so I was rolled into the OR without even having anything to calm my nerves which we RIDICULOUSLY our of control. I cried all the way into the OR and the last thing I remember telling them was "Please just don't let me die, ok? I'm a newlywed." Hahaha....looking back it sounds so ridiculous that I would say that to them. Fast forward immediately after surgery....I'm sore, nauseated, and generally crabby. They brought me back to my room, where my mom was waiting. All I had to do was say the words pain and nausea and somebody was in here injecting myself and my IV full of fun liquids to make me feel better, which actually put me out for a few hours. I wake up a few hours later. My mom is pushing that stupid spirometer contraption onto me and telling me to "suck". I swear that thing was a childrens toy gone wrong, and that the nursing community gets off on torturing surgery patients with it. I suck on the damn thing and get the little balls up 5 or 6 times, and then it's time to walk. At this point I argue with whomever will listen that I will NOT be trudging the hallways in the hospital gown with my ass hanging out. Granted, my ass is tan, but I don't think the whole world needs to see it. Finally we reach a compromise and I'm allowed to wear my black stretchy pj capris under it. Works for me. The next few hours are again in and out of consciousness. Works for me....the gas pains are sucking like no other, and I'm not even allowed ice chips until tomorrow. By this time it's 10:30 Nebraska time (8:30 TJ) and I'm sleepy. I'm thinking I might conk out soon, so my mom sneaks off for a smoke and some food. Still waiting on my pain med stick to come, but once it's here I imagine I'll pas back out.

In San Diego getting ready to head across the border to INT hospital. I'm so nervous! I should be meeting fern in the shuttle pretty soon. Wish us luck! Ill check in as soon as I can.

Getting ready to board my flight to Minneapolis and then on to San Diego. Starting to freak out. I don't fly. I just popped my Xanax so I'm mellowing a little bit. Do me a favor and pray for no snow in Minneapolis! I don't want to be stuck in that airport overnight. I can't believe that I get sleeved tomorrow!! I always just figured that this day would never come. It's been one hell of a journey. I completely broke down into a sobbing mess earlier when I had to say goodbye to my husband. That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, and I wasn't expecting to get so emotional, but I guess it happens. Anyways, just thought I'd check in with everyone. I'll try to post tomorrow before I go into surgery, otherwise I will talk to you all after I'm sleeved!

Would love to have a copy! bndyer@live.com

Thank you so much for your kind responses. I think I'm okay now...I just had a little hour long freakout for a minute there. I am so blessed that I have a sleeve twin who called to check up on me and talked me down from my ridiculous meltdown. I'm still a little bit on edge, but I'm sure it's nothing more than a little cold feet. I just have to make it through these next few days, and I know that things will be so much brighter on the other side of this surgery.

So...just was talking to my husband. He has to work on Thursday, so he won't be able to take me to the airport for my flight at 7pm. The last time I'll see him will be at noon before he leaves for work. He just walked out the door to go return some movies and I'm sitting here blubbering like a whale. I just keep thinking "what if that ends up being the last time I see my husband? What if I don't make it home?" I really need somebody to talk me down this evening. I've officially hit the point of panic.I can't stop crying, and I can't even think straight. Is this normal? I'm so afraid.

Don't back down lady, you can do this! Look at it this way: This is 2 weeks of your life, and the last actual diet you will ever have to go on. In the grand scheme of things, two weeks of your life equates to less than 1% of you life that you are giving up. It really isn't all that much if you think about it. I know the Protein drinks are nasty (I'm on pre-op right now too, eating 1 meal a day with protein to supplement my caloric intake), but if you get them really really cold, I've found that it helps with the flavor a great deal. Have you tried alternating what protein drinks you're buying? I've found that unjury is really quite tasty, and if you get the unflavored kind you can mix it with Jello for a yummy treat at the end of the day! I do hope you get your spirits up...this is a huge adventure, and one that will change your life! Look at all the positives. You're going to get your life back, and be able to be more active and healthy than you would be if you chose to chicken out of the surgery. If you want to talk, or just need to have a sounding board while you're struggling with the pre-op diet, feel free to message me and I'll give you my number. It's always nice to have somebody who's in the same boat as you, and I'd be more than happy to listen! Good luck...you can get through this. Your spot on the losers bench is less than 2 weeks away!

Alright Team Rodriguez (yes, I made a twilight reference. I'm a cheeseball...you know you love it)! Our turn is just barely a week away! I'm so happy that we'll all be in TJ at the same time, and I look forward to seeing all three of you on the losers bench! Time to finishing rocking this pre-op diet and mentally prepping for this. Wooo hooo!! 8 days (9 for you 26th'ers) my lovelies!

Hmm...I'm just hoping that this feeling continues. I'm surprised by how easy this week has been for me. I guess I should mentally prep for the possibility of the cravings coming after surgery..but I'm not going to dwell on it for fear of losing momentum for the time being!

I have 4 (well 41/2, but I'll explain that). I have a cluster of shamrocks on my lower back that I got when I was 17 (eeek! regret that one!), I have the kanji symbol for friendship on my right foot, which I will be getting covered soon, as I got matching tattoos on both feet with my "twin" in my sorority, who I no longer speak to (ahh, to be young and dumb again), I have an orchid on my left foot, which covered the other kanji symbol, the orchid I got for my grandfather, who was a master green thumb and grew the most beautiful orchids up until the time lung cancer took his life, and I have a pink breast cancer ribbon on the back on my neck in honor of my aunt who is a complete warrior and kicked cancer's ass to the curb. I will be getting a bird tattooed on my right shoulder after I get back from my surgery on March 1! Yesss.

I'm not really sure if this is the right place to put this, so I'll go on ahead and place it here for the time being. My surgery isn't until the 25th, but (aside from my little valentine's day carb fiasco) I'm finding that I'm not really enamored with food anymore. I'm not really sure how to describe what I'm talking about. I guess it's like......okay, I chart everything that I put into my mouth, and I'm just stunned by how little I can eat and still feel really good. I feel awesome on 1200 calories a day, and as long as I can end the occasional evening with my crystal light popsicle that my sweets craving is nonexistent and everything is right in the world. It's like I've stumbled upon this path, and food isn't a huge part of it. I just want to eat enough to not feel hungry so I can get on with my day and wake up tomorrow one day closer to surgery and to coming out of this on the other side of being sleeved so I can claim my spot on the losers bench. Does that even make sense? I know I can't do this on my own, and that's why I'm getting the sleeve...but it's almost like I don't even have my sleeve yet and it's already working for me. Has anybody else experienced this, or have I truly gone and lost my marbles? I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I don't think about food anymore. I'm too busy worrying about my Water intake and making sure I get in 10,000 steps a day and increasing my lung capacity. It feels almost like I got out of an abusive relationship (which I think is a fair way to classify my love affair with food), and I have no desire to see my former significant other anymore. Idk...I'm not sleeved yet, but I'm choosing to call this a NSV. I haven't felt this good about myself and my choices in a long, long time.

I should begin by saying I'm on a 2 week liver shrinking pre-op diet, with recommendation to eat no more than 50g of carbs per day. Everything started out great on the 11 of Feb. I was in the right mindset, and while I experienced a little carb crash, everything was going alright. So...my first wedding anniversary was February 13th. The hubby and I went to the zoo, I walked 6 miles, and had a salad for dinner. Grand total of 29 carbs. Not too shabby for pre-op. February 14...Valentine's Day. Got off work at 5, and my husband (still love him dearly, but could KILL him right now...okay, not really, because I'm getting into personal accountability and know this was MY mistake, not his) took me out to the restaurant where we had our wedding reception. HE had our wedding menu recreated (which in and of itself was SO sweet of him). I definitely ate some prime rib, green Beans almondine, and a few bites of rosemary roasted potato. I know I shot my carb intake for the day. I sat there staring at everything for about 30 seconds before looking at my husband and being like "You know I can't eat this....right?" He felt so bad and said "Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't even think about your pre-op diet. I'm so sorry, we can go somewhere else." I felt so bad, and decided I would just eat the meat. Then the check came, and because he had to have them make things that weren't even on the menu, our dinner cost him over $200..at that point I picked at my green beans and potatoes. I did NOT, however, volume eat, or eat until I was full..simply until I felt satisfied. I'm just scared I went over on carbs for the day. I have eaten under 20g a day for the past 2 days, and still have another 8 days before surgery. I have no intention of eating anything I shouldn't between now and then. You don't think I'm totally screwed now, do you?

I made this tonight and it was phenominal! A bit high in fat for me, but I modified it (listed below). ENCHILADA BAKE Crust: 4 ounces cream cheese, softened (fat free) 2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (I used low fat) Beat or whisk the cream cheese and eggs until smooth. Add the seasoning; mix well. Stir in the cheese; mix well. Grease a 9 x 13" baking dish; spread the cheese mixture evenly over the bottom. Bake at 350º, 35 minutes or until browned, but not too dark. Let stand 5-10 minutes before adding the topping. Topping: 1 pound ground beef (93/7 or you could use ground turkey) 3 teaspoons taco seasoning 8 1/2 ounce jar enchilada sauce 4 ounce can chopped green chiles 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded(low fat) Brown the hamburger; drain fat. Stir in the seasoning, enchilada sauce and chiles. Spread over the crust. Top with the cheese. Bake another 20 minutes or so until hot and bubbly. Serve with the toppings of your choice (add additional carbs). Makes 8-12 servings Can be frozen Optional Toppings: Shredded lettuce Sour cream Salsa Ripe olives Pickled jalapeno slices Guacamole Per 1/8 Recipe: 411 Calories; 31g Fat; 27g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs Per 1/12 Recipe: 274 Calories; 21g Fat; 18g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs

So I'm feeling pretty good....finishing up day 2 of my 2 week pre-op diet. I'm allowed up to 50 carbs a day, but yesterday rounded out the night with 28, and right now today I'm sitting at 21 with 1000 calories consumed. Don't get me wrong, physically I feel fine. Been a little bit hungry all day because I've been eating small amounts every 3-4 hours...I never really feel satisfied. I just want some carbs and starches so bad...mashed potatoes, bread, Pasta...you name it and I've got head hunger for it like mad. I know this is so ridiculous. I'm mentally prepared to end my love affair with carbs, but parting with them really sucks, especially since I'm not a big fan of meat. I've never been a volume eater, but geez, right now I feel like I could take out a whole loaf of french bread along with some garlic mashed potatoes. Ugh...alas, I will sit down to my boneless, skinless chicken breast, and my 2/3 of a cup of broccoli for dinner. 12 more days; I can do this...it just may drive me mad in the process. Any advice from the veterans on some good carb substitutes to help shut up the head hunger?

I'm on my 2 week pre-op and trying to watch every carb I put into my mouth, but I made a modified version of these for Breakfast and they were awesome! I didn't have any tomatoes on hand, and I used low sodium turkey bacon. Here's how I did it. 4 strips lo-so turkey bacon 4 Medium eggs 1/2oz low fat monterey jack cheese Made 4 "egg muffins" I microwaved the turkey bacon for 2:30, long enough for it to get a bit warm and for the grease to cook off. Then I drained the grease. I sprayed the muffin tins with a little bit of olive oil cooking spray (0 carbs, and doesn't leave a weird taste) Pre-heat the oven to 450 (I had to cook it on a higher temp to get the eggs to set right) Then I wrapped the bacon in the tin like the recipe calls for (except I only used 1 strip of bacon per tin), and put the egg in. I sliced a half an ounce of cheese, and put a little on top of each tin. I ate mine over some steamed broccoli....it was SOOO good, and with all of the calories and nutritional info. from the ingredients, I had 2 of the baked eggs and bacon and 2/3 of a cup of steamed broccoli for 240 calories and 4 net carbs. Yum! Using the olive oil spray really helped, and it didn't stick at all! Also, I think using the bacon fat might make these a bit oily in texture, so I opted not even to mess with that. My husband absolutely LOVED this recipe. I think this would be a good one for you ladies if, like me, you have a husband who LOVES to eat junk. He wasn't even aware that by feeding him this I was controlling is caloric and carb intake Overall, a pretty good morning meal! Enjoy! I've actually been experimenting with some low carb low cal recipes of my own. I'll post them as I figure out what works in my house and what doesn't.

Congrats! You're scheduled for the day after Fern and I. I know you'll be happy with your choice, the staff alone has been amazing this far into my journey! Keep me posted, and feel free to message or call me if you want to talk. I'll see you in TJ in two short weeks!

So...getting ready to go to the grocery store to buy stuff for my pre-op diet. I'm allotted very little amounts of carbs for the next 2 weeks. Any suggestions on what to stock up on in my house? I'm allowed to have solids until the night before my surgery, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to eat. I've been referring to pre-op as the meat diet, because other than cheese, I'm afraid to eat anything else. What did you all eat prior to surgery? I'm kind of lost...

Oh bummer . That's right after Berkshire weekend here in Omaha, so my boss will be out of town, which means nobody else can take time off. Have fun ladies!

So why don't we all push for August?

If I'm not mistaken, you are attempting to insinuate that Obama was born outside of the US, am I correct? This is the same right wing conspiracy theory that other conservatives have been throwing around since Obama took office. I love how people keep insisting the Barack Obama isn't a real American..if these ridiculous accusations had ground to stand on, he would have been removed from office long ago. So forgive me for being blunt, but your rants sound like those of an ignorant NRA member more than anything else. Then again, me sharing a bit of reality with you will do nothing to change your mind, so perhaps I should have kept my mouth shut afterall.

Nerves are starting to kick in....good luck ladies, can't wait to talk to you all on the "other side" of this thing! <3 Brandy

And it's a good thing too that she won't get elected! If that woman makes her way into the white house I will be showing up on the doorstep of one of our Canadian VSGers and moving in for 4 years ! But in all reality, I fail to see how Michelle Obama's campaign has received so much criticism; it's no different than the campaigns some of the former first ladies have worked on in regards to ending illiteracy and drug use....just my $.02.

Any word on what happened? I'm lost without my pre-op info. Sad panda