makemyownluck

to the OP - did you do a pre-op liquid diet? I'm doing one now, for 2 wks prior to surgery. My hunger was gone after the first week. Just curious if you did a pre-op diet, if you had hunger up to the surgery date?

Ohhhh, you're not gonna get much support on this forum to "go against doctor's orders"!! Many forum wars have been foraged over what we can eat, when we can eat it, and what we MUST NEVER. EAT. AGAIN. To which I say, "Whateva! I do what I want!" (anyone get the South Park reference? haha) While I think head hunger and reflux are valid points to keep in mind, I think ultimately this is your body and you should do what feels right for you. You'd probably only be able to have a bite of something anyway. Keep it soft and chew well, I think you'd be fine. But only IF you really feel you must. If you can, try to put it off another day to get closer to what your surgeon has recommended for you. The post op diets I've read about and seen posted about here are so varied from surgeon to surgeon - there are surgeons who put you on a soft diet within days of surgery and others who want you on liquids for weeks, so I don't think you're in danger of hurting yourself with a tiny spoonful of soft scrambled eggs or something soft like that. Good luck!

Totally agree with BethinPA - she's a nurse in a bariatric unit, she's seen the ugly side of this. That's to be expected. MOST people go through this with no issues, but some people have problems. Just like MOST people have, for example, gall bladder surgery with no problems, but some people have a complication. It's bound to happen with surgery, but not more so with this surgery over any other surgery. I work in health insurance as an underwriter, and for a long time I had a negative attitude about WLS because I would see people's medical records who've had surgery. People who regained all their weight and still had or "regained" their comorbidities. But I realized that that doesn't mean that it will be like that FOR ME. Those people made bad choices or maybe weren't as invested in their new lifestyle. Medical records aren't going to tell you how that person thinks or feels or how they really live their life. In her job, your SIL sees people when they are at their worst, but that doesn't mean that's the end of the story for those patients. People are there when they have a problem or when they are in their first few weeks post op and not at their best - they don't make an appointment to say, "Oh yeah, everything has been wonderful and my life is so much better now!" so her viewpoint is biased. Because I work in a department of other underwriters, and I know most have the same opinion of WLS from a professional/underwriter viewpoint, I just don't want to share my surgery with any of them. ESPECIALLY pre-op - the potential for negative responses alone is enough to keep me quiet on the subject. Maybe after the surgery is over with, I'll be more comfortable sharing my story. I know that for many of my friends, I've been their "Fat Friend" or their "Fat Accomplice" - the person they turn to when they want to feel better about themselves simply by comparison. Or the person they can go eat something terrible with and I won't judge them or make them feel self-conscious. One friend even asked me "Who am I gonna be fat with now?" It was meant as a joke, but I think there was some truth in it also. It's an adjustment for everyone that's close to you. While your SIL might be overly negative about it, I think she's ultimately trying to be helpful because she's concerned. Tell her you appreciate the concern, but that you're trying to stay positive. I think if you put it that way, it'll let her know she's being negative without you having to specifically say it. No need to start a fight or "put her in her place". Good luck!

I'll be posting my progress, for sure! I'll have my phone handy in the hospital, pretty sure I'll be on this forum if I'm not sleeping or walking around the unit. Good luck to all of you with your upcoming surgeries!

I have no advice as I'm pre-op as well, but I'm getting sleeved May 2nd also! Sleeve sisters! I hope we both have a speedy recovery. Good luck to you!

You ARE obsessed with this topic. But you explain it so hilariously, I don't mind. MOM is my friend as well. I'm glad it helped clear you out like you've been wanting!

Sleeve day is Thursday. Eeeek! I made a whole list of chores and such to accomplish this weekend. So far, I'm only about 20% done so tomorrow is either gonna be a really long day, or some of these things just aren't gonna get done! Getting my bags ready - hospital bag and bag of stuff to take to my parents house. I figure I'll let them pamper me for a day or two before I'm home alone. Took my "before" pics today. Wish I did this 53lbs ago when I started so I could see how much I've already accomplished, but better late than never, right? Taking the pics made it feel so 'real'. THIS IS ACTUALLY FN HAPPENING!!! YAY! I'm excited/nervous/scared/anxious/happy - all at once. It's an interesting emotion! liquid diet is going well. All my hunger went away when I was taken off my bp meds last week. The very next day it was gone, hasn't come back since. I have no idea if the bp meds had anything to do with it or not. Looking forward to getting the surgery, getting through my stages, and actually having something TO CHEW ON again. Happy Saturday, yall!

Here, here! One of my friends who is also overweight asked me if she could eat something in front of me the other day. She asked if I would mind. I said, "YOU BETTER EAT IT!" I'm not gonna judge her (or anyone else) for how they live their life, and SHAME SHAME on that person who posted the "sick to my sleeve" picture. I don't think losing weight made her that way! Once a jerk, always a jerk!!

I know you're still in the hospital, but ask someone to bring you Gas-X strips. And walk around as much as you can. Good luck, and I hope you have a speedy recovery!

I've been using a liquid form, 3,000 mcgs per dose. I use it once a day and put it in a drink so I don't taste it. It's a "mixed berry" flavor, but it tastes like cough syrup. Biotin is not toxic. It won't harm you, you can't use "too much". However, post sleeve we get regular blood work, so if you're using too much I'm sure your MD would tell you. Prior to using liquid, I was using a pill form and it was 1,000 mcgs. Biotin takes about 6-8 months to start showing results, so I upped my dosage now (pre-op) so I can hopefully keep my hair from thinning too terribly when I'm at 3-4 months post-op like a lot of people experience. I get my biotin at puritan.com, if you're interested. They have good deals.

So... I also read your "morning cardio burns more fat" post. You sayin I gotta go to the gym twice a day? I guess it's not a bad idea, but when's a broad supposed to have a social life? LOL thanks for the tips, tho. I'll stop doing the "hit the treadmill and then do weights" routine since that's obviously backwards!

Oh, honey, as little as you'll get down right now, I wouldn't even be thinking of carbs! I got some cream of chicken and cream of asparagus, from what I've read, they are good as long as you strain them so you don't have any of the little bits. Throw some unflavored Protein powder in them too for an extra boost. I'm having surgery on Thursday, I hope you're both doing better each day. I'll be having the same struggle soon enough! Good luck!

The shakes are great when you're starting out, but I think the goal is to eventually build up a healthy diet with natural food. You can definitely keep using the shakes if you want to, or when they are convenient, but they want you to get your nutrition from natural sources, which are better for you. Nutrients are better absorbed from food sources than processed down in Vitamins or a Protein shake. But in the beginning when we're on staged diets and new to this tool and have to still support our heavier frames while we're losing, the shakes are the easiest way to get what we need. There will come a point when we're eating what we want to, and we need to make sure what we're eating is fueling our body - nutrient and protein rich foods - so that shakes aren't necessary anymore. That's the ultimate goal for long term success.

Good luck getting a surgery date. The visit should be easy enough, make sure you ask a lot of questions! Write them down so you don't forget anything. Most surgeons explain the different surgical options and let you decide what you want. It's elective surgery, after all. Unless you have some other GI issues, like reflux or ulcers, then I don't see why you can't get what you want. As far as doing anything differently before the pre-op diet, you don't have to. I "weaned" myself into it by replacing a meal with a shake for a few weeks prior to the all liquid diet. Also, I was doing a low carb/high Protein diet as well. It's really a good idea to start incorporating post-op habits now - like trying out different Protein shakes to see what you like, and getting used to lowering your carb intake. Each surgeon has a different plan, so you may not even have to do a pre-op diet at all. Some people have to do all liquids for a month, some just a week or two, some just the day before, some people get to have a meal a day during their liquid diet - it all depends on what your surgeon prefers! I wish you luck, you should find a lot of good info on this site.

Use some Imodium. Should "tighten" the stool up. I have the opposite problem as well - I take Milk of Magnesia every other day to keep it soft. Wasn't expecting the constipation and had it at work - it was awful, had to suffer through it for about 3 hours before it was time to go home. The Milk of Magnesia took care of it right away. I've been taking some every other day just to keep the stool soft. Diarrhea and constipation are pretty typical on the pre-op diet, and for right after post-op. I have MOM and liquid imodium on hand for both possibilities.

*pretty sure* she's talking about the opurity vitamins that are sold on the unjury site. I got them as well, but haven't tried them yet - saving them for post op (which is less than a week, had to throw that in there!). They make a multi-v specifically for "bypass & sleeve" as well as a different one for lap band, I believe. unjury.com or opurity.com. 90 day supply for like 35$.

found this: http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/2012/04/weight-loss-would-you-have-shocking-new-surgery-to-lose-just-25-pounds It sounds like a sleeve without physically removing the stomach, and probably not as small as the sleeve. I would think this could stretch over time... and would be best suited for people who want to lose 50 lbs or less. From that article: And POSE is less extreme than gastric bypass; though it does require full anesthesia, no scalpels are used. (Instead, a surgeon inserts an endoscope through the mouth to reach the stomach, then folds the stomach lining over and closes it with anchor stitches. The whole procedure takes about 45 minutes.) Patients of gastric bypass and Lap-Band must meticulously monitor their diet postsurgery for the rest of their life. (Typically, sweet and greasy foods are bad news for gastric bypass patients; bread and steak can be a problem for those with Lap-Band.) POSE patients, in contrast, can eat what they want, just less of it, says Dr. Lavin.

is it that POSE surgery? I can't even tell what it is, but it's incisionless, done through an endoscopy. Primary Obesity Surgery, Endoluminal Seriously, no clue on what this surgery actually is.

Hadn't heard that one... scary thought! Hopefully we have new habits by then... and that they are SOLID!

I think anything you want to do post-op - use a straw, gulp Water, chew gum - it's all trial and error. You simply won't know how your body will react to something until you do it/try it/eat it/drink it - whatever. As long as your healed - like a month out or more - try what you want. If you feel okay, cool. If you don't, then don't repeat it anytime soon. Doctors give their advice, but that doesn't mean you HAVE to take it. If something works for you, do it. You're not gonna explode. Your sleeve will be fine. Life will go on...

You do have to do shakes in the beginning stages, usually for a liquid pre op diet and then for a week or two after surgery. Many continue to use them because it's an easy source of Protein to make sure they meet their protein requirement post-op. But you don't have to if you are able to get enough protein elsewhere in your diet. Also, you say you have 150lbs to lose, are you saying you wouldn't be satisfied with 105-120 of that being gone forever? Many people change their goals as they lose, especially when they have that much to lose. However, it is a tool, so it is what you make of it. You can lose it all through a lot of effort on your part with working out, and maybe even plastic surgery to take care of lose skin which can account for 5,10,15 lbs or more depending on how your skin reacts to that much weight loss. How well your skin does is based on genes, age, and current condition. There are definitely a lot of variables to consider, and I agree with mags, you should go to a seminar at a local hospital to get more info! And poke around this site, there is much to be learned. Good luck to you!

I was talking to my mom today about surgery day. We're a week away. In a week, I'll either be walking the halls, knocked out on pain meds or somewhere in between - and I'll be sleeved. I've gone from giddy with excitement to tense with worry and I've settled on "optimisticly curious". I wonder. What will I feel like the day of surgery? Man, I hope I'm one of those champs that's moving around and feeling okay right away. What will I feel like when I'm out of the hospital? How long til I'm feeling like myself? Will I be in pain for a while? Will I be able to get my water in? And on and on. Etc, etc, etc... And I'm not seeking any answers for those questions, these are simply curious thoughts I have from time to time. But for the most part, I've stopped thinking about it so much. So, this is my last week as a pre-op. The weird thing is, I'm not even hungry anymore. My stomach is still growling constantly, tho. I hope it stops doing that when it's smaller.

I have dark circles, I'm pre-op. Did you have them before surgery or did they just start? I started using tarte maracuja c-brightener eye cream. It has a bunch of Vitamin C in it. My circles aren't completely gone, but I don't need concealer anymore. They can be covered with just foundation just fine. I've only been using it for 2 months, so it might get even better. I've tried other creams, but never really stuck with anything. They never really worked, or they were too heavy or thick. This goes on really smoothly. I get mine on QVC: http://www.qvc.com/tarte-C-Brighter-Maracuja-Anti-Aging-Eye-Treatment.product.A228487.html but it's available anywhere Tarte cosmetics are sold. Ulta and Sephora carry it, you could go there and try the sample.

have you tried chicken broth? or strained "cream of" soup? (cream of whatever you like - chicken, mushroom... whatever).

I cheated plenty in my pre-op diet. But I wasn't required to be on one for insurance and didn't have to do weigh ins, so it wasn't a big deal to me to lose as much as I could as quickly as I could, either. I was just trying to lose before surgery to be safer/that much closer to goal. But my diet allowed one "cheat" meal per week. It helped me to ward off cravings when I knew I had a "cheat" meal on its way... but I still caved when I felt like it. I told myself "I should have this now because I can't have it after surgery..." more than I should have! But since I've been on the pre-op liquid diet, I haven't cheated. I have my eye on the prize. One week down, one week to go! This time next week, I'll be sleeved!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't beat yourself up over cheating! It's natural - we're big folk, we like to eat! Just try to do better next time... cuz there will be a next time... & remember, just cuz you cheated doesn't mean you have to finish what you started. Stop at one bite of that candy bar (or whatever you cheat-eated, lol). Enjoy the cheat and move on -- being upset with yourself will only make you feel guilty, which will make you want to eat.