BandMomsRock

Wow - 100 pounds, that's awesome. You are truly an inspiration to the rest of us. Congratulations!!!!

how did you feel coming out of hospital ?

I didn't feel too bad. The first 3 or 4 days were the worst of it. After that, I felt a little better each day. All in all, it wasn't too bad.

Well, I made it through the picnic. I brought chicken noodle soup with me and ate that while everyone else was eating yummy picnic food. Tuesday can't get here fast enough.

That's awesome. Glad to hear you are doing so well. You're right, this isn't going to be an easy ride, but I think it will be a much healthier one!!! Keep up the good work.

I'm still on clear liquids and I advance to the mushies on Tuesday. I'm struggling a bit myself, too. Can't wait to eat something. The only thing that keeps me going is that I really want my stomach to heal properly and I don't want to have trouble with a leak. I keep trying to remind myself that this stage is just temporary.

I wish you luck with the rest of diet. You can do it!!!

Rhea, pneumonia is a possibility with any surgery. But it's very preventable. The spirometer is a little apparatus that you use to help prevent pneumonia. You have to put a tube in your mouth and inhale as much as you can. There's a little plastic ball that goes up as you inhale and it measures the volume. I guess I wasn't using it enough. After my trip to the hospital, I used it much more and I reversed my condition. All is well now.

Just make sure you use the spirometer as much as possible after your surgery and you'll be fine.

I think every surgeon gives slightly different foods that are allowed, but here is what my surgeon gave me:

Weeks 3 & 4 Soft Foods (Mushies) - If it's not on the list, you can't eat it.

ALWAYS EAT PROTEIN FOODS FIRST

Dairy

Skim Milk or Light Soy Milk

Cottage Cheese - Low Fat or Skim

Ricotta cheese - Low Fat or Skim

Yogurt - No fruit chunks, low carb, low sugar, light

Cheese - Shredded - 1oz/day - NO American slices or Velveeta for first month.

Eggs - soft scrambled

Pudding - Sugar Free - (You can add your protein powder to it)

Vegetables

Always eat Protein foods first

Green beans - canned NOT fresh, cooked soft

Carrots, cooked really well and mashed

Zucchini/squash - remove all seeds - cooked & mashed

Potatoes - Must be instant (very small amounts)

Fruits

Always eat some protein first

No fresh fruit for the first month

Mashed peaches or pears - canned, packed in water

Applesauce - no sugar added

Fruits are naturally high in sugar - eat small amounts. NO fruit juices after surgery

SOUPS

Broth - chick, beef, or vegetable

Chicken Noodle - no chicken chunks

Vegetable - no beef or barley, cooked really well (soft)

Lentils - cooked well (soft)

Miscelleneous

Refried Beans - Fat Free (NOT FAST FOOD, they are loaded with lard)

Tofu - not in form of veggie burger, etc.

Grits, cream of wheat or malt-o-meal (plain, in small amounts)

No Oatmeal or Rice (wait 3-4 months)

Spices/Sweeteners

Any as tolerated - salt, pepper, garlic, etc.

Any artificial sweeteners - Equal, Stevia, Splenda, etc.

No salsas or hot sauce for at least 1 month (acid & spice will irritate surgical area)

Beverages

64-80 oz per day (If it has caffeine or alcohol, it doesn't count as fluid)

NO FRUIT JUICES

0-4 grams of TOTAL carbohydrates (not sugars) per serving.

REMEMBER

Don't drink 30 minutes before meals, during meals, or 30 minutes after meals.

CHEW, CHEW, CHEW - chew everything extremely well.

I hope that helps,

Best of luck - Terri

Sending up prayers for a safe surgery and a speedy recovery. Before you know it, you'll be sharing your weight loss successes with us!!!!

Congrats Jeanni. That's great news. Glad to hear you are doing so well.

That's fantastic DeeDee. Keep it up, you can do it. I'm still looking forward to the day that I can make it through a jazzercize class. Best of luck!!!

Well, you have certainly done your homework and are very thorough. I hope they will reconsider and approve your surgery. Best of luck and keep us posted.

Defininately make sure your surgeon and your anesthesiologist are aware of your condition. And make sure they will be setting up your bipap machine for you in in the recovery room. The hospital I went to only needed me to bring my mask and asked me what my setting is. Make sure you know your bipap pressure settings if you are only bringing your mask. My surgeon was very on top of that. He is the one that required the sleep study before surgery. I didn't know I had sleep apnea until then.

I think most of us are concerned to some degree about what can go wrong, but the more informed your surgeon is the better. They will know how to handle things better during surgery if they are well informed.

Best of luck, and keep us posted.

Leo, I'm so happy that you've decided to do this for yourself and for your family. I know this is going to be the answer for you, as I believe it is the right answer for me. I am only 8 days post op, but I'm already feeling so much better.

Good luck to you and you have my prayers for a safe surgery and a speedy recovery.

I hope all went well with your surgery!!!! I'm praying for you for a speedy recovery!! Please let us know how you are doing as soon as you can.

My prayers are with you. I hope all goes well. Hang in there.

Sending up prayers for a safe surgery and a speedy recovery. Keep us posted!!!

Terri

Thoughts and Prayers for a safe surgery and speedy recovery. I'm excited for you!!! This time next week, you'll being the journey to the new you. Congrats and keep us posted!!

And coughing is the pits - OUCH

Arrived at Hospital at 7 AM on Monday 6/14. Surgery started at about 9:30 AM. Was dicharged from hospital at about 10:30 AM, Tuesday, 6/15. So 27 1/2 hours total.

Thanks, Jerry. I'm trying hard to take everything in stride. I'd love to catch up to you on the weight loss. I'll see what I can do Thanks for the input.

Your sleeve friend, Terri

Still no news. The cardiologist was supposed to read the information from the monitor on Friday, but he was called to the hospital for an emergency. They are supposed to get back to me on Monday.

Thanks for your support and comments. I looked up PVC and must admit that I'm feeling much better now. In most cases, PVC's don't seem to be a big problem. The cardiologist will let me know by Friday what they found.

Wow, that was fast. Congrats. Good luck with your preparation and surgery and keep us posted.

I really don't know if it's all machines or not. I would definately ask the company that gave you your CPAP.

Hi Maddie. Hope it goes well for you. I've had mine about 2 1/2 weeks. It's getting much better now, but it was really awful at first. My surgeon actually checks the information downloaded from the machine to make sure you are being compliant. So I don't have a choice. If I want to have the surgery, I have to use it. - Good luck and keep us posted.