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I'm in a gown and going in at 7:30. Will update later. Good luck to everyone else getting sleeved today.

Are you talking about the period before right before surgery (7-14 days) in order to shrink your liver or just in general to prepare for our post-op life? My seven day pre-op diet (I'm getting sleeved tomorrow!) was five low carb shakes a day, low sodium broth, sugar free popsicles and all the sugar free, noncarbinated, caffeine-free drinks I wanted. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be, although I'd love to chew on something for just a minute! If it's just a general getting ready for the journey plan, I increased my lean Proteins, getting in at least 60-80 grams, lowered my carbs significantly, cut out soft drinks and minimized caffeine (it irritates the stomach). I also practiced taking small bites, chewing thoroughly and not drinking during meals. When is your surgery? Remember that it's extremely important to cut your carbs down to the bone at least a week before in order to shrink your liver. They have to move it aside during the procedure and this minimizes the risk of them nicking it. The shakes my surgeon's office recommended (besides Protein powder mixed in Water - yuck!) was Premiere, Atkins Advantage and Slim Fast low carb. They have about 3-6 carbs per serving so I wind up getting about 20-30 carbs a day. Good luck! Edited to fix my mix up on the carbs - The drinks have between 3 and 6 grams.

So here it is, the day before my sleeve surgery. I've been up since 5:00, went to the store, cleaned the litter box and taken out the trash. My mind is racing, trying to think of anything I've forgotten to do. For the moment, all I think I have left is to do laundry and pack my bag. 6:00 can't come soon enough! A bit of background about me - I'm a 51 year old single mom. Even though my children are all adult (at least technically, I feel mom is my most important identity. However, I got a bad case of empty next syndrome last year and decided I need to find something to occupy my time. Otherwise, I would sit in front of the tv more than I already did and gain even more weight. So I started back to college. When I graduated high school, college seemed important only if you were going into a specialized profession (doctor, psychiatrist, lawyer, etc.) So I went to work instead. I got married young (22), had three children and then decided at the age of 30 that I couldn't live the rest of my life in a bad relationship. So I left with my 1, 6 and 7 year old. Those were some tough years but so much better for all of us. I know have a married 28 yo son, my 26 yo son is in the Air Force and my 22 yo daughter is in college. Taking classes again (I went to school part time in my 30's) has been so much fun. I've always enjoyed learning new things and although I started out interested in digital forensics, I think I'm switching to multimedia web design. It ties more closely to my current job and besides, it's more fun! Anyway, in bettering myself via education, I also started getting serious about my health. My daughter was diagnosed with MS two years ago and although she's doing pretty well, MS is a disease that can change on a dime. I know that I need to be as healthy as possible and stick around a long time in case she needs me. So after finally obtaining health insurance after going without for 10 years (thank you, President Obama and the ACA!), I had a physical at the beginning of the year. My doctor asked if I had considered weight loss surgery, and when I said yes, he really perked up. I originally thought about getting the band because it was reversible and seemed the least invasive (lol). My doc was the first one that mentioned the vertical sleeve. He had it done last year and said it was the best thing he's ever done in his life. In fact, his wife had it done as well. My family has been going to this guy for close to 20 years, so this made a real impact on me. I went to an information session, still thinking about the band. Then I heard about the success and complications rates. In contrast, the sleeve sounded like the most eloquent and effective option. So I started my six month diet plan, ran through the battery of tests and got my approval in July. In the meantime, I had my gallbladder removed (the main reason for getting insurance in the first place) and surgery to repair my deviated septum. I also did a sleep study, was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea (my only co-morbidity) and issued a CPAP. So at this point, all my out of pocket expenses have been met (or billed at least) and my sleeve tomorrow should be "on the house." Throughout the last eight months, I haven't been as strict on my diets as I should. My highest weight a couple of years ago was 305. At the beginning of the year, my weight was 294. This morning, I weigh in at 266. I have lost a total of 12.5 inches since I started tracking it in April. I have two weight goals. The conservative one I set with my surgeon is 190. This is the lowest weight I remember being as an adult and I felt really good and thought I looked pretty good (I was 5'8-1/2" at the time, I've shrunk an inch since then!) Checking the BMI calculators, 165 would be the highest weight I could have to be considered in the normal range. I do have a large bone structure (I know, everyone says that) so I don't know if it's attainable or not. I think I will be happy with anything between that range, frankly. Anyway, this hasn't been too funny of a post, but it's my first one. I have to give some background and endear me to your hearts before I release the snark. And don't worry, it's there. I've just got it chained up for the moment. If you're just starting out in your journey to sleeve surgery, hang in there. Read a bunch of stuff, get educated and ask questions. Make sure you are mentally prepared to make this life changing decision. If you focus your will and effort on it, you will be successful!

I'm having mine on the same day as well. I'm a bit nervous but mainly excited. I can't wait to get off the preop diet because I move straight to full liquids. Good luck, you'll do great!

Definitely check with your doctor, but mine told me Tylenol was okay. Do not use Ibuprofin because it can hurt the stomach. The headache is probably from caffeine withdrawals. Good luck!

Yay, you've been working on this for a long time. Congratulations!

I'm on day three of a seven day liquid diet. Not too bad so far, though I've been going to the bathroom every two hours because of it!

Had a follow up appointment with the surgeon's PA and got my test results. Everything looks great except the X-ray showed a hiatal hernia, which was missed on my endoscopy. So that will be repaired when they do the sleeve. He uses a 34 bougie, which the PA said is the standard in Europe. They do the leak test during the surgery so I don't have to do the swallow test afterward. I'm due at the hospital at 5:30 so I should be the first one in line on that day. All in all, everything looks good and I can't wait for the 20th to get here!

I went to the surgeon's office and the hospital yesterday to do all my pre-op testing. So far, everything looks great. I only have to do a one week liquid diet (yay!) I'll get five shakes a day plus broth and unlimited sugar-free drinks. I can't believe I'm so close! The 20th will be here before I know it.

I have noticed that the board looks different so there might have been new code uploaded. Your best bet is to let the admins know by going to the Contact Us section at the bottom of the page. Give them an example of a thread you posted to so they can troubleshoot what's going on.

This really is a tough one. If I look at the BMI calculators, my minimum weight should be 165. This is my ultimate goal, but I don't know if I'll get to it or not. I have been overweight since I was six. My lowest weight as an adult was around 190 and that is the goal set by my surgeon. I felt really good at that size and honestly wouldn't mind if I stopped there. I am 5' 7-1/2" and have a pretty large frame though, so 190 on me looks like about 165 on others. So my goal is basically somewhere between 165 and 190. It's a big range but I think I'll be happy if I fall anywhere within it.

At 11:00 they finally gave me an Ambien because they said I was fighting the machine. Every time I felt myself drifting off, I'd start gasping for air. Once that kicked in though, I don't remember anything til I woke up at 6:15. The bummer is that I won't get my machine until my follow up appointment, which isn't for three weeks. The wheels of this process turn very slowly.

So funny story...I'm hooked up to a CPAP doing my second leep study. Its not as awful as I feared. Maybe that's the Valium talking.

Check out the stickied thread in the food and nutrition section. It has a huge amount of recipes that are sleeve friendly. Also check out the World According to Eggface site. Good luck!

My insurance company had their requirements online. However, I called them to double check. Then when I went to my initial surgical consult, I met with the insurance coordinator who confirmed all the requirements. I'm sorry that not all doctor's offices do their jobs so well. But that's why we have to be our own advocate. Believe it or not, the six months go by really fast. Hang in there!

Best of luck. You'll do great!

Congratulations! Time will go by so fast, I know. I'm just under three weeks away and it's getting very real for me. Hope your consult goes well.

I like the chocolate About Time powder but the vanilla tastes pretty bad. I bought a bunch of Torani syrups to give them different flavors. The Syntrax Nectar line is pretty darn yummy. Keep in mind that the fruit flavored ones aren't clear. They have a milky appearance that can be off putting.

Congratulations!

Welcome! It may seem like it will take forever, but you'll have your date before you know it. Stick around, make sure to check out the different forums and soak up as much information as you can.

I would suggest going to GNC or the Vitamin Shoppe. I think it's the only options for samples if you don't want to buy online. You can buy individual packages of powder. However, most of them will be chocolate, vanilla or some variation thereof. There are "fruit" flavors but they're going to be milky. There are some ready to drink options that are fruit flavored. Cytosport and Isopure both have a variety of flavors. They range from okay tasting to pretty nasty so I'd suggest picking up a couple of different ones and giving them a try. You can also pick up some unflavored Protein powder to mix into pudding, yogurt and Soup (the soup can't be too hot, otherwise it will clump up.) You'll definitely want to choose low fat, low sodium options. Salt will make you retain Water and basically isn't good for you (although I love it) In the mean time, try practicing some of the changes you're going to need to make post-op: don't drink 30 minutes before and after eating, cut out any carbonated drinks, take smaller bites, chew thoroughly, etc. Good luck!

I think it's natural to feel some level of panic. You are making a life changing, irreversible decision. You'll have the best chance of being successful if you're very sure that this is the right step for you. It took me about a year to finally make up my mind. Have you gone through any kind of supervised diet plan mandated by your insurance? I found this period a great time to explore all my options and truly figure out if this was right for me. If you have a counselor or clergy member you can talk to (and trust), maybe that would be a good step. Take care and I hope you find peace with whatever decision you make.

If you check the post-op section of the board, there's a stickied thread asking members how much weight (if any) they have regained since reaching goal. There's a lot of great responses there. From what I remember, those that did say they had regained, it was in the 5-10 pound range. I'd encourage you to read through all the posts there. It really helped me feel more confident in my chances for long term success.

Do you not have insurance because you can't get coverage? If so, I would encourage you to look into PCIP. It's the pre-existing health insurance that was put in place in 2010. I was without insurance for ten years since I work for a small company that didn't offer a plan. After a gallbladder attack, I tried to secure individual insurance but was denied because of my weight. You can get this insurance if you live in a participating state, have a pre-existing health condition or have been turned down for insurance and have been without coverage for at least six months. It's age rated. I'm 51 and pay $306 a month. You seem much younger so your premium will reflect that. The plan I chose has a $2,000 deductible and a $4,000 out of pocket maximum and yes, it covers the sleeve. I had my gallbladder removed in February so that and a couple of other procedures met my deductible. I have been able to get my septum corrected and am scheduled to be sleeved in three weeks, all at no additional cost. They do require a six month monitored diet and either a BMI of 40+ or 35 with two co-morbidities. Good luck!

During my first visit with my surgeon, he mentioned that he will sometimes dialate the esophagus during the sleeve procedure if he feels it's necessary. You can ask your surgeon, but it seems to be common.