MoreganK

Wow, Thanks MinaT for all the great advice! I totally agree that its little comforts that help us get through hard stuff.

This is a good idea! I did toss my winter clothes already... I donated them to the purple heart. But, pulling out the "skinny" clothes now might be a good idea. By skinny I mean the things that are 1-2 sizes smaller than my current.

HA! One of the things I was most happy to hear was that my hospital has free wifi! LOL I'm taking my iphone and my laptop. My boyfriend is going to help me monitor their where abouts, and I have a locker in my room.

I haven't had either. I'm about to get a sleeve.. in 2 days in fact. I researched what to do for a year. The thing I decided pretty quickly was the lap band was looking more and more like the more dangerous option. There were higher risks of complication later. My surgeon in fact lets his patients make the final call, but he supports the sleeve surgery more than the band. He pointed out to remember that with the band it is intended to be forever, and you have to constantly adjust it. I also know two people who have the band, who are currently both looking to have revision surgery done to the sleeve. They don't know each other but, have similar complaints. For me personally, after gathering this information, and the fact that having a foreign object in me wigged me out, I decided that the sleeve felt like the safest option. I hope that you can gather enough information to make the best decision for yourself.

Thanks, Gene. I really do love this forum. It has been the best discovery in all of the research I did for a year or so. I ghosted this site for a couple of months before I actually joined, but it has been invaluable to me in feeling like I'm prepared. I'm happy to hear that 2 weeks post-op you're feeling great. I'm so ready to get past the hard part hurdle, and be on the other side.

I am feeling an odd calm on the surface right now. This surreal feeling sorta has control of me right now. I'm a mixture of excitement, happiness, hope, and nerves. But, the positive emotions are winning for the moment. I've researched and read everything I could find about this surgery and what to potentially expect post-op. I've read all the suggested things to do. I don't think I can be more mentally prepared than I am now. I've lost 14 pounds on my pre-op liquid diet so far. I still have 2 more days. This in itself is mind blowing to me. I have made arrangements for my furbaby to stay with my brother for a few days. I've washed a favorite blanket to take to the hospital with me. I've bought shakes and powders to have post-op. I have a small shopping list of things to get tomorrow, but other than that I can't think of anything I'm missing. Suggestions from the crowd on what else to have? What do you wish you took care of pre-op?

My boyfriend have already decided that when we go out, we'll do our best to find plates we can share. This way we reduce the leftovers that may not get eaten, or wasting food if we can help it. But, I'm not going to worry over it. Worrying over cleaning your plate is part of the problem. Restaurants serve too much food as it is. If it gets wasted, I'm not going to beat myself up.

Thanks, MinaT for updating!

Can you mix protein powder in cold liquid and then warm up?

I kinda did. I went to lots of my favorite restaurants one last time. I really want to use my first few months post-op to let go of all my bad habits and start over with better eating choices. So, I let myself indulge a little bit. And the weird thing is, I've been working so hard on my mental self, that while the food was all delicious, in the end I felt like it wasn't really worth it. Its just food. Food is nourishment, I shouldn't look at it like its a hobby or a friend I'll never see again. I also had to remind myself that the liquids and the mushies that I'm dreading are all temporary. I kept forgetting that. I'll be enjoying lots of my favorite foods again soon, just the healthy ones.

Yep. Lesson learned! LOL Good to know that there will be more options!

I didn't like the Light Chocolate Muscle Milk, I thought it tasted really sweet and thick. My favorite so far is actually Bariatric Advantage's Chocolate. I tried it in the ready-to-go bottle. It was pretty yummy.

I learned what happens when you mix Bariatric Advantage's chicken Soup in Water that is too hot. I've purchased a food thermometer and will try again.

[quote name=McSleevy ' timestamp='1340263478' post='381377] I'm getting nervous, excited, and anxious... June 27th will be here in a few days!! Totally with you on this!!

I I was told that really you won't know how your skin is going to totally respond until about 18 months out. That hydration and exercise will help, and time. He said that your skin will pull itself back a bit, its just waiting it out long enough if you just a little bit of loose skin.

Those are good questions. I've never actually had a V8, but if its an option I'm totally up for trying it.

Oh! That is an excellent idea. I have some of the Roadside Lemonade at home. I'll for sure try that.

*sigh* I hate when I see grammar or spelling issues after I post. D'oh.

So, anyone have suggestions or tips for full liquid diet that is not sweet, but still has lots of protein? I can tell that I'm going to sick of sweet shakes pretty fast. At least I see a positive in that, I won't want anything sweet!

Where do I find the Nectar Sample pack at?

I am right at 1960/290. I'm using Dr. Worley at the Methodist Willowbrook Hospital. Love, love him. He and his team have just been amazing to me this whole process. He is really involved and super thorough. Just started my liquid diet, and I can tell already I'm going to get tired of sweet tasting stuff pretty quickly. But, focusing on the greater good!

Hi Shapeshifter - I totally get this. Please don't take this the wrong way but, its great to hear that someone else had the same struggle as me. I am still working on realizing it was not my eating habits, at 1400 -1600 vegetarian calories not losing weight, but this blasted PCOS and the broken metabolism it gives me. I am a hoop dancer (with hula hoops) and I watched all those folks who started hooping with me, just shed pounds, while I... I did nothing. Even though I was eating clean, and portioned. We can so do this! When is your sugery? I hope to stay in touch with you and see how you progress!

Here I am, one week before the big day. I go in for my pre-op appointment today and will start my liquid diet tomorrow. Tonight I am going to clean out the pantry and the fridge, take my measurements, take my private official before pictures, have sushi for dinner, and make a video of myself hoop dancing. I want to have a record of things as they are right now. I want to see my growth, and know that all the reasons I decided to do this were sound. I also in the next week or so, plan on writing two letters to myself. I will give them to my boyfriend. One of them is a letter that I will write about how horrible I feel most of the time, and remind myself of the consequences of not doing the surgery. He is to give that letter to me when/if I am struggling post-op and question what I have done. The other letter, is one I will read 6 months from now, when things will be easier, it will be a reminder of how I feel right now, and a reminder to stay the course, and not ever fall back to old habits. I pulled out a tank top I bought years ago that was supposed to be a goal top a few years back. I paired it with the jeans I just purchased in my goal size. I had a dream about 2 months ago, and I was wearing this outfit. I was on a road trip with my boyfriend, and I was skinny! And I was health, and so very happy and full of joy. In my dream, I felt that joy. I decided that this outfit would hang on my wall as my motivation. I am so full of motivation right now, and can't wait to be active again. To feel full of energy when I am. I hoop dance, and can't wait to hoop with my new body. I want to take kickboxing classes, do yoga, and eventually, I hope to take classes to learn lyra and silks. Yes, I want to hang from the ceiling from a giant hoop and some fabric. I want to be lean and strong. I am so excited that the PCOS that has kept me from these things, I will have a tool that will allow me to control it. That I might finally see results from all my fighting is mind blowing. It makes me want to cry from happiness. I'm not afraid of having to work hard after surgery. I welcome it. Finally seeing results from my hard work,... I can't even explain how this makes me feel. I am tired of feeling tired. I am tired of being paranoid about my blood pressure, pre-diabetes, and being told that having a child would be dangerous for me in my current health. I'm tired of being 35 but dressing like I'm 65. I'm tired of struggling to feel like I fit in anywhere. I remember one time going shopping with my sister-in-law and a friend, and we went into this shop in the mall, and the largest size they carried was several too small for me to fit in. They were laughing having fun and trying on clothes, and instead I just felt ashamed of myself, and picked out things for them to wear. I'd never felt so much shame before, and this was before my PCOS diagnoses, but it still burns to think about. I'm tired of being uncomfortable in my own body. Well, this isn't my body anymore. This is some other person. She isn't going to exist soon. I'm going to tell her good-bye. Its my turn to live. :wub:

Thank you for posting this. I am about a week away from surgery, and reading these sorts of success stories help keep me focused on the positive and not on the nerves and fear of the unknown. I am going to my pre-op appointment this afternoon, and start my 1 wk liquid diet tomorrow. I want my life back, and I want my health back. That is why I made the decision to do this, despite a huge fear of surgery. I'm so very happy of your accomplishment, and will look forward to the day I can write a similar post! Wahoo!

Congratulations! I was soooo happy when I was finished with all my qualifying doctor appointments. :tongue2: