Indymom

My husband loves to cook soups and stews so he's probably going to really enjoy my first month or so post-op. Too bad it's going to be August, might be a little warm for all that soup!

From what I've been reading on the boards, looks like a LOT of people are taking some sort of PPI (prilosec, omeprazole, nexium, etc). Did you find that this problem emerged post-surgery or did you have issues before? I've never had heartburn issues (unless I'm just REALLY stupid and decide that buffalo wings or a burrito is a good idea at 3 a.m. after I've gone out with friends) but am worried that I might need to start taking one as a preventative after surgery. I'm interested to hear what everyone has to say about their reflux issues pre and post-op. Thanks!

Yep, I double-checked with HR today. It's not a big deal as I have loads of PTO banked . . .

If you don't eat at all your body will go into "survival" mode and try to hold onto any little thing you put in. This is the same way whether you're sleeved or not, that's why typical "starvation" diets don't work.

Yep, I agree that having your surgeries staggered might be better for the two of you to take care of each other post-op. Good luck!

I don't see why frozen yogurt wouldn't be OK if you're approved for regular yogurt, but probably not a bad idea to check with the nutritionist or your surgeon's office to be sure. Better safe than sorry!

Sorry, I don't know anything about it but I hope you find out good news when you talk with the surgeon. Hang in there!

I think my total wait time will end up being about 8 weeks - luckily my insurance requirements were very minimal. Once insurance approved they could have scheduled me as early as this week but I chose mid-August based upon some other personal considerations.

Congrats! August is getting pretty full.

Anyone had hot & sour while in their liquid stage? I'm thinking if I just eat the broth while i'm on liquids only it would be good with that unjury protein powder or the flavorless powder (not sure yet since I am not on a pre-op diet yet). Once i'm on mushies or soft food could I have the tofu and some of the other stuff in the soup?

Mmm there are lots of yummy suggestions in this thread! I'm pre-op but I'm thinking about going to make a cream cheese, ham and pickle snack right now!

Had mine today. Not too bad overall, but for those of you who will have to have the upper GI - YUCK to the barium you have to drink! It was awful, I nearly gagged.

I keep reading about the hair loss from surgery and was hoping that would include my errant chin hairs!

Awesome, I didn't realize Costco had liquid multivitamins and liquid calcium! Adding that to my list of post-op stuff to buy.

Mmm I wonder if the pineapple is any good?

That's very reassuring to hear that people (even good friends) don't notice the condition of your plate. I take clients to lunch on a frequent basis and I have had some concern about dining out post-op, sounds like if I just push my food around a little it will not be a big deal at all.

This is awesome and really helpful! I am not a 'sweets' person and honestly the idea of drinking those Protein shakes just makes my stomach churn, even though I haven't tried any of them. I'm hoping my nutritionist will have some good suggestions at my class next week.

Oh my what a litany of things to deal with all at once! Hopefully all will resolve before your surgery. Good luck!

I've been pretty lucky, just an initial consult/group session, psych eval, pre-op testing and nutrition class. That's all my surgeon's office requires. I would be frustrated because of the commute, for sure!

Not terrible at all to try and get it done this calendar year! I'm doing the same thing, and once I have my VSG I am scheduling surgery for my plantar's warts on my foot to make sure I can get it done this year too! Between ER visit for my daughter, husband's vasectomy, and me and my husband's meds, we're about to meet our out of pocket max (probably today after my pre-op testing!) so between now and the end of the year we're going to get all our medical things taken care of while we are at 100%. Good luck with the dietician!

Had all my pre-op testing today. They did bloodwork, urinalysis, chest X-ray, upper GI (holy cow, that barium is DISGUSTING!), ultrasound of belly and surrounding areas, EKG, and pulmonary function test. What a morning! It was worse because I was on the golf course yesterday all day in 100-degree heat, probably drank one too many beers and was dehydrated like crazy this morning (and couldn't have any water!). It was heavenly just rinsing out my mouth after brushing my teeth. One step closer to my surgery! I have my nutrition class next week and then 3 weeks from today I will be starting my new life!!

If you have short-term disability you should be in good shape either way. Good luck!

Do you have a medical leave policy or any short-term disability available in case for some reason you're unable to return to work within a week? I am having my surgery on a Wednesday and plan to take Weds-Fri PTO and then work from home Monday (and maybe Tuesday if needed) so I'll have 6-7 days away from the office in a row. My short-term disability wouldn't kick in until the 8th consecutive day of an illness so I have to use PTO until then - but I'll go ahead and submit for a disability claim just in case I need to be off longer. If you don't have disability coverage and you're not yet eligible for FMLA, you should probably read your employer's policy pretty closely. Not that they would do this, but in theory if you exhaust your PTO time and you're not yet FMLA eligible, your employment could be terminated (again, not likely to happen but I believe in having all your ducks in a row on the front end!).

I was browsing at costco this afternoon and saw these - wondered how they were? I was looking at the chocolate and wondered if they tasted OK. Does anyone know - if I purchased them and didn't like it, could I return the remaining shakes? My guess is no but doesn't hurt to ask! They have 30 g of Protein and only 1 g of sugar (and 160 cals I think).

Congrats - I love looking at before/after and progress pics!