jennifer6791

hello out there! i'm really excited and nervous- surgery is next month! looking for a buddy or buddies! would love someone in the seattle area, but not necessary...

i love the first one i tried- unjury- but it IS sweet and has aspartame.

hi everyone- i'm jennifer- alcoholic/addict with 20 years sobriety looking to start the oa program- will be sleeved 7/20/11! i've heard there may be some prejudice in oa meetings when it comes to us wls folks. any wisdom/experience with this?

LOL "congrats", not "rats"!!!

rats! i just got my date, too- july 20th!!! yippeeeee!!

SO... i'll be starting the pre op diet in a couple of weeks. am new to low carb, so i think i need help... i think they said i need to keep carbs down to 40 grams a day which seems crazy. fruits and veggies are not even doable. so meat, cheese, eggs... what's your favorite meal on a "no" carb diet?

welcome, dave; i'm new to the site, too, and hope to have my surgery in edmonds on 7/20, depending on the outcome of my echocardiogram next week. i'm from gold bar, east of snohomish.

thanks, Lynda!

It has a higher Protein count. 20 grams per cup for the fatfree unsweetened that I use. I add Splenda to mine.

Lynda

hi! thanks in advance for your help!

i keep hearing about greek yogurt (which i like anyway), and i'm wondering why it's so much better than "regular" yogurt?

thanks everyone!

thanks so much!

At least you asked a question. Better to ask than to stay silent. Good luck to you!

wow- shows how much research i did, huh?

hi there- wondering if anone out there has had a vsg done laprascopically? i'm curious if it's an easier recovery/less pain surgery. i'm getting nevous about recovery! interested in any other experiences, too. thanks!

thanks so much for all the excellent information- will probably take 2 weeks to wean off- i work graveyard and drink coffee or energy drinks most of my shift and it maes me nervous to think i won't be able to do it!

THANKS! i NEVER would have figured that one out!

NSV is a non scale victory

Something that you achieved that does not have a number attached to it.

thanks!

thanks so much- yes, it is a small world!

Welcome! I was a self-pay myself. I did not have outpatient surgery though so I cannot relate to that one. My pre-op diet was done in stages over a 2.5 week period. The first few days I had to replace one meal with a Protein shake. The next few days I had to replace two meals with a shake and the last week was nothing but liquids. The day before surgery, it was nothing but clear liquids. All surgeons have different requirements and I have read stories of some patients only having to do clear liquids for a day. If you have to do more than a week on the liquid diet I am not going to lie...it is tough. Day four was my turning point though and if you go into this surgery with your eyes wide open and you educate yourself on everything you will be fine.

You will want a good Protein Shake (both pre-op and post-op) that is not full of sugar or carbs. I started with a good powdered shake from GNC (Gold Standard) that I would mix with fat-free milk. I did that during pre-op and post-op. I eventually graduated to the ready to drink Protein shakes by Premier Nutrition and I keep them on hand for those days when I am running around and don't have time to eat. sugar-free popsicles were a savior during my pre-op and first week of post-op diet (along with sugar-free Jello and pudding). I also ate (drank) low-sodium chicken broth during my final days pre-op.

Once I was able to eat mushies (1 week post-op for me but each doctor is different) I had scrambled eggs (I eat egg beaters now), oatmeal, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes (although I don't recommend them because of the carb content), and greek yogurt. My diet has changed quite a bit since my first month post-op and I choose to eat very low carbs and I keep my protein high through regular foods (I eat my protein and don't drink it).

There is TONS of information on this site (as well as YouTube videos) that will help you prepare for surgery and the days/weeks after.

I had to have an EKG, Echo, and stress test too. Those are pretty typical. I hope everything turns out well with your tests.

Good luck to you.

Dawn

P.S. - I grew up in Washington. One of my best friends lives in Edmonds. What a small world.

hello! i have my self-pay surgery tentatively scheduled for 7/20; i say that because my ekg came out "abnormal" and i had to go see a cardiologist today. he doesn't seem overly concerned at the ekg, but is doing a stress test and an echocardiogram in 2 weeks... at this point i'm a bit nervous. how normal is this?

anyway, stupidly, i'm more upset over losing the date i picked (i have vacation okayed already at work) than having something seriously wrong with me... that's how badly i want my sleeve!

and THEN i made the mistake (?) of reading 2 posts that describe excrutiating pain post op... i'm the bigggest freakin' sissy ever made... what's your experience? i'm having an outpatient (yes, that's what i said) laprascopic vsg.

and now i have questions that i didn't have during the consultation, like what diet will i be on prior to the surgery? and post op? yikes.

anyway, i'm determined to have this surgery- i feel like it's my last and best chance to change my life and the way i think and feel about myself. i will be having my surgery with dr. robert landerholm in edmonds, wa. all the best to all of you!

thanks so much- that makes sense!

Dehydration is a major concern post-op. coffee is a natural diuretic therefore it is highly recommended to cut it out until you can safely get in all of your clear fluids.

As for caffeine pills, they are typically full of other crap too. Your liver is already going to be working overtime to process anesthesia, pain meds, and all the rapid weight loss. Do you really want to task it with more crap to process? ? ? Just a thought.

I started back to having coffee after I could get in all my other fluids.

i was told to start weaning off coffee (surg date hopefully 7/20).. does this mean all caffeine or can i cheat and use caffeine pills crushed? yeah, i'm addicted!