SassySenior

I'm pre-op and already had a problem from drinking protein shakes. I wasn't drinking enough water. Now, I do 2 tbsp. Milk of Magnesia with 8 oz. water and 2 Ducolat (prescription) a day. I am getting about 50 oz. water in and aiming for more. I think drinking plenty of clear liquids is the key.

Are you drinking properly? No Water 30 min before and 60 min. after? I have heard that the main reason we need to avoid water when eating is because drinking while eating enables us to eat more. And the "felling of fullness" is not achieved when eating and drinking. I completely understand being human and making missteps. My attitude is to do the best I possibly can. There are times when I do something bad ... like have a little ice cream. But I do my best to be fully conscious about what I'm doing. In other words, I do not hide my head in the sand when I choose to stray from the prescribed way of eating. What keeps me on the straight and narrow is to keep track of what I consume (I use Fitness Pal). As long as I don't lie to myself or refuse to take an honest look at how many calories I'm consuming ... I avoid getting into serious trouble. Before going on this new diet for life, I used to eat a full brownie, sometimes 2. Then after deciding to change my eating habits, I would eat only half a brownie. Now, in those moments when I feel I just have to have something sweet, I eat 1/4 of a brownie -- under 100 calories. Being honest with yourself is the key to success, I believe.

Hi, My surgery is sked for this Fri., Aug. 23. I just spent a miserable weekend with severe constipation that wound up with me at the ER last night. Drank a lot of protein shakes, but no water and that was a no no. I will tell my dr. and hope it doesn't make a difference. I'm not even sure that my episode is over, even tho I did a lot of things to work it out! LOL Last thing I took that worked was mixing 1 tbls. Epsom Salt with a glass of water and then downing a 2nd glass. I still have the urge to go. But I'm "sitting on it" for the time being. How are you doing Coco? What a sweetheart you are, Alyshac. Thanks for all the wishes. It helps knowing I'm not alone.

This is what I tell my resume/job search clients: Tell the truth, but not the whole truth. Tell only that part of the truth that will help you get the job. This is not true confessions. This is not an optional therapist you decided to seek treatment from. This is a step in the process of getting approved for the surgery. If you feel depressed, seek therapy for that before you get the surgery. Otherwise, tell them what they need to hear to approve you. Remember, they are not looking for reasons to approve you. They are looking for reasons to deny you. That's what job interviews and psych evals are all about.

It sounds like a trip to your doctor is in order. There are a lot of people here with experience who might be able to shed some light on your situation. But you definitely need to check with your doctor's office. You just had major surgery. You need to check in and find out why you feel the way you do. Sending ((hugs)) and wishes for better days.

Normally, I can and do go all day without eating. But tell me I can't eat, and my hunger comes raging back. I am doing the best I can with the pre-op diet. One thing's for sure ... I will be doing Clear Liquids for 2 days prior to surgery. My doctor said if he opens me up and sees food, he will not operate. I'm gonna make sure that doesn't happen. Changing, no matter how hard, is still better than staying the way you are. I'm convinced that weight loss is the only thing I can do to get my life back. I can no longer go on like I am. What I love about the sleeve is that my hunger will be gone. I'll be lucky to get in 1/2 cup. The weight will fall off. Surely that's worth hanging in there. You deserve a better life. You can do this!

This stuff is hard to do. As I sit here starving on the pre-op and wondering how I will survive till surgery ... I am reminded just how hard this stuff is. But we all have something in common. We wouldn't be doing this if there was any other way. I weigh a ton ... well, not exactly, but it seems that way. I have no choice. Somehow I'm gonna get through it. Who knows what my experience will be like. I have a great surgeon so I will have the best hands on me. But I'm high risk and several doctors did not want me as a patient. It will be worth it in the end, I'm sure. So hang in there, honey, you're gonna come out the other end light as a rainbow, floating in your new beauty

I am so glad your story ended well, and that you are now on the road to recovery. I agree with you that choosing the right surgeon is extremely important. So many don't do any in depth checking. They go to a surgeon they saw in an ad or some other way ... but really don't know much about him/her. I am very glad that your surgeon took quick action and got to you as quickly as he did. However, it looks like he caught onto a problem that he caused. He was the guy who operated, right? He was the one whose surgery had a messy outcome. Thank God he was responsible enough to do what he had to. Certainly anyone can make a mistake, but this sounds like a botched surgery. "but while organs were being moved around some blood vessels that go from between the stomach and the spleen had gotten pinched/torn." The organs didn't move around by themselves, I doubt the nurses did that. You were his first out of how many? I'm glad you feel good, but this was a serious error, not just a complication. Hoping that your recovery continues unremarkably.

Do not eat anything. My surgeon said "if I open you up and see food in your stomach, I will close you back up and not operate." I think it's because of the difficulty of operating on the stomach with food in it. He wants 2 days of Clear Liquids. I don't know how I'll do it, but I will do it. I've worked too hard and waited too long to mess it up at this point. It's good that you asked for our opinions before doing anything. Your doctor's office is the first place to pose any question, but if you don't want to do that, a lot of people here have experience ... many have just opinions. I'm sure you don't want to take the chance of being refused surgery. It's tough, but it's only 1 night. You can do it.

PROTEIN - Can you eat too much in a day? I'm on the pre-op diet and my Dr. says max of 5 shakes a day. Is that just because of calories ... or is protein a factor also? Is there any danger in eating a lot of protein? I've been doing a lot of research online where bodybuilders say 300-600g a day. One doctor, a urologist, said too much protein can cause kidney stones, but didn't say how much. So what's your opinion?

Good for you. I bet you can't wait to get home. That left incision seems to bother most everyone. I think it goes away in a week or so. But my surgery isn't till Aug. 23, so I'm no expert. Glad to hear you're not in bad pain after 2 days. I don't even know what sipping is like. I figure I'll start out small and increase slowly so I know what I can tolerate. Is cold liquids ok, or does warmer liquids go down easier?

Oops, I misspoke. I don't know what I was thinking. Club soda is a no no.

Yeah, alcohol is ok, just beware that a little will go a long way! A drink that I like is club soda with a splash of cranberry juice and a twist of lime. You can add a little vodka to spice it up. It's pretty tasty and very low cal.

Linkin - Thanks for your post. It's good to know I understood it correctly. And it also helps to know what will happen if I drink a soda. Chances are I will, but your post gives me pause ... especially since you're 10 weeks out. That's a long time to wait for such a poor result. Darn! I love my Diet Rite!

OMG - How did that happen? Was it related to the sleeve? Did you ever have pneumonia before? What did Dr. say?

Thanks for posting. I get sleeved Aug. 23.

The low-cost Bullet was on eBay.

Thanks, ShanRN. I have been doing a lot of research into protein drinks, and I'm going to order the Dymatize Elite whey Protein Isolate - Gourmet vanilla. It is probably pricier than most, but highly rated in every area. All that, plus it tastes great. I figure if I'm going to give up food, I might as well have something I enjoy. As to the Bullet. I did find an incredible buy on a Bullet like blender at half the normal price, but I don't remember where it was. if I find it I'll repost.

Well ... the empire strikes back. LOL (Just couldn't resist the connection) I just reread my doctor’s manual regarding carbonation. Basically, what he says is that it can cause extreme gas and some people cannot expel the gas and wind up in a lot of pain. That's the main reason he advises against it. He does also say that in can increase appetite, and makes reference to the fact that there is discussion ... but no proof ... that it can stretch the stomach.

I wrote a response to the girl who said it definitely didn't stretch the stomach, but I can't find it now. My question to her and anyone else who says it doesn't do that, is how do you know and why would all the doctors say it does? I have a nurse friend that just got the sleeve. I'm gonna ask her. It just doesn't make sense to me that doctors are stressing this and it isn't true. I hope it is true, because I'm a diet coke addict. I don't mind missing the food hardly at all compared to my soda!!

You all give me hope that I can kick my addiction.

brittersmom - Since you haven't replied to any of the responses to your original post, is it safe to assume you're thoroughly bummed and/or hate what you heard?

I hate to burst your bubble, but soda and carbonation are not allowed ever again. It can stretch your pouch. I feel for you, I really do. The #1 thing I find hardest to even think of giving up is soda. However, after all I've gone through to get to this point, I cannot for a second consider doing something that might undermine my surgery. So no soda for me. I've already incorporated a new drink into my daily regimen, and cut back my soda from 3-4 a day to 1. But what I'm going to do is continue to drink my favorite diet soda, after it's sat long enough for most of the fizz to be gone. I mean, come on ... first, I had to give up alcohol, then I had to give up cigarettes, now I have to give up candy and most/all desserts. It's sadistic to add soda to the list. But ... c'est la vie ... what will be, will be. Good luck to you.

WTG, reno1128 ... I guess you are ready? Good luck and smooth sailing all the way. Where did you buy your vitamins?