karenb4729

I'm listening! No you aren't rambling -you are helping. I'm being sleeved on Monday and I'm impressed that you are already back to working. So sorry that you don't have anyone there to be with you but you can always share those milestones here!

I'm on clear liquids for the time in the hospital and then come home to two weeks of full liquids followed by 6 weeks of pureed before hitting soft foods. At 8 days it sounds like you are progressing pretty quickly. Also, I have been told that they usually pump in about 10lbs of fluid during surgery and hospital stay so to lose 7 lbs at 8 days is awesome! That's what I'm hoping to lose per month!

Hi, there are medications you can take to reduce the uric acid. I was on chemotherapy back in 1989/1990 and a side effect of medicine was gout and kidney stone. I remember there was a pill I had to take daily to prevent the gout., allopurinol. You may want to ask your Dr about that if it becomes an ongoing issue.

Oh watch that Ensure!! I drank that when I was on Chemo for a year and gained 60+ lbs, and considering how ill I was most of the time that was a lot of weight - which is part of the problem I have today. Ensure has a lot of suger.

Good job getting through this. Are you using any ice packs on your stomach? I know my Dr recommends placing ice packs on your stomach to help with the swelling. He also keeps in the drain for at least a week to help with the fluid levels in your abdomen.

My surgery is June 4th and my pre-op diet consists of having 30g of carbs or less per day for the 30 days prior to the surgery, the two days before surgery its clear liquids only. I actually started the low carb diet the day I left my Dr's office after our first meeting and have lost 25lbs since March 28th. I did contemplate prior to May 4th having a day full of crackers, Chicken in a Bisquit to be precise.....craving!! But, I realized that I need to change my eating habits and I might as well start before surgery when I'm the one in control. So, while I have had moments standing in the cracker aisle in the grocery store I stuck with my diet.

Also, my surgeon is like yours and progresses very slowly after the surgery - I would rather go slow than go to fast and end up with an issue.

June 4th is also the date of my surgery. My husband and two of my kids who live locally know what it is I'm doing. Everyone else, those at work and other friends think that I'm having gall bladder surgery. I just don't need the pressure of others on me right now.

Unfortunatly - I keep seeking out all the negative stories, I have no idea of why I do this to myself anther than trying o make me more fearful. My primary Dr is happy with my decision, my surgeon is great but I'm terrified. At times i think of backing out but I know this is what I need in the long run. Like you, I need lots of prayers to give me the strength to get through this. Good luck to the both of us!

I'm having my surgery on the 4th of June. I understand your concerns about the lack of long term information about the sleeve but remember, thats long term information on weight loss. The gastrectomy procedure has been around for a very long time, it's used to treat people with stomach ulcers and cancer. Its that thought that has made me more comfortable with my decision. For me, I was more concerned about the bypass because I did not want to reroute my intestines and have to deal with the malabsorbtion issues. Its important to remember that this isn't a magic cure, you have to diet just the same as you would without the surgery only now you have a smaller stomach and generally deal with less hunger. I figure I'm not going through all the pain and being uncomfortable for nothinng.... focus on the plan, diet and exercise with the bottomline result of being more healthy!

What you are discovering now is something I discovered years ago. I had to go through chemotherapy at age 31, it wasn't something I wanted to do but the choice was to do it or die. I felt powerless and I would complain all the time to my Dr "when would I feel normal again". I was so tired of being tired. He told me that I would have a new "normal" and frankly I was not happy about it. In fact, I really did end up in a deep depression and it was more about the fact that I felt my life was out of control. I'm saying this because you will find a new normal and it will be great! I'm trying to cope with needing to have this surgery (scheduled June 4) and knowing that I will have to again find a new "normal" but in the end, it will be so worth it.

Just try to stay away from those people who are negative... I think that's why I haven't choosen to tell anyone other than just my husband and two of my children - I just don't want to hear the negativity that can come when choosing this option to help with loosing weight.

Just know that there are people who read your blog and care about you!