joatsaint

Good luck with your journey. Maybe a couple of my videos will help you realize you are not alone with your doubts, fears and questions. I think we all had them when we considered WLS. What was the last straw? Why I chose the Sleeve

Yep, every doc is different and every patient is different. My doc wanted me to be off work for 2 weeks post op, mainly to let the pain medications leave my system and make it safer to drive. But I have read posts saying they were back to work 3 days post-op and some posts saying it was 6 weeks post op before they could return. It really depends on how well you recuperate from the surgery. Here's my video on How long before returning to work?

My doc wanted me to get in water first, minimum of 60oz a day. So I just sipped and sipped every day... I didn't always make it. And I never worried about trying to get in the recommended amounts of protein during the 1st 2 weeks. I could barely eat a teaspoon full of broth every 15 minutes. The doc said his recommended protein and water levels were goals to shoot for once I got into the puree and full food stage - around week 3 or 4 post-op.

Good luck with your surgery. I remember (as in, "it's burned into my brain!") the feelings I had as the surgery date approached. I found the secret is to stay in a state of denial - no kidding. I refused to let myself think about it, right up to the point where I was transferred from the gurney to the OR table. Here's my video on my pre-op freakout. :-P

I didn't fully move to pureed foods on week 2, but I did take test bites of pureed stuff like egg salad and chicken salad. I even took a bite of a Vienna sausage. At week 2, I still couldn't eat but about 1/2 cup of food in total per day, so a teaspoon full of food was a meal for me. :-)

I'm in Southeast Texas - Beaumont specifically. I was sleeved back in December. Let me know if I can be of help.

I always lost weight the fastest and more easily if I stayed below 20 carbs a day. I never really counted calories, as long as they were protein calories.

Yep, it's reported here on the forum again and again. It will eventually pass.

I'll have to admit, that I'd rather go through the surgery and gas pains again rather than go through the pre-op diet again. :-P

I was feelng really bad for the week post-op. My only goal was to get in enough fluids. I figured my body had stored enough fat to last me a looooooooooooooong time, so I wasn't worried about eating. But I kept a 20oz glass on my desk and just sipped and sipped. A sip was only enough to wet my tongue, anything bigger and Frankensleeve would roar at me. :-p It took at least a week before I could saftely swallow more that a teaspoon full of Water.

My WLS deductable was $5k, it was equally split between the hospital and doctor office.

My doc wanted me to walk at least 20 minutes a day... and to walk more if I could. But I had a rough recovery and only walked a few minutes a day. After the 2nd week post-op, I started increasing my walking and now (10 months later) I walk 5 miles a day 4 or 5 days a week.

Here's my take on the psychological evaluation when I went through it.

Yep, I have lost a lot of my insulation. The wind just cuts right through my hands and arms now. I have to wear a heavy coat just to get from the car to my office building. But I wouldn't go back to being fat and hot all the time for anything. I'm proud to shake like a nervous Chihuahua!

I keep to my diet and walk, walk, walk. I started out back in Jan, walking from the far end of the parking lot into work and now I'm up to 3 miles/hr 4 to 5 days a week. Your choices are to either work harder to burn more calories or eat fewer calories as your weight drops.

I never ordered my Protein drinks online. I ordered some unflavored Isopure protein isolate to add to my food when I got to the puree stage (took about 7 days to deliver). I just bought my premixed shakes at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. If you don't know what you like yet, don't rush out and buy a whole bunch of anything. Your taste buds may change post-op and you may not like the same things as much. Plus, you aren't going to be on Protein Drinks very long. My doctor wanted me on as much real food as possible and get away from the shakes. Good luck with your surgery. Here's my review of my 2 favorite pre-mixed shakes Premier Protein and EAS carb control.

I don't think it is too much. Just watch out for the carb counts.

I had to learn how much I could hold, the feeling of gradually getting full is gone for me. All I can tell you is to eat very slowly in the beginning. Take a bite, wait a minute, take a bite, wait a minute. I can go from okay to over full in just one bite and I get this pokey feeling at the bottom of my throat. :-P

It ain't so. I just had a single serving bag of microwave popcorn, more than enough to fill me up. 160 cals/bag.

I chose only to tell my best friend and my parents. I didn't feel I could trust anyone else to be supportive.

I can tell you what I went through, it wasn't bad at all.

From what I've read, whether or not you have a pre-op diet depends on your insurance requirements and your doctor. Some people have reported not having a pre-op diet and others have to go on a 6 month supervised diet to satisfy insurance requirements. My doctor put me on a 7 day pre-op diet, it was probably so short because I wanted to get the surgery over with ASAP and my insurance approved my application within 5 days. I have sleep apnea, which is considered a co-morbidity and automatically qualified me under my insurance. It would not have made a difference if I hadn't done the pre-op diet. It's main purpose is to shrink the fatty deposits in your liver and make it easier for the surgeon to get under it and get at your stomach.

I use the weight I weighed in at a few hours after surgery. When they came to make me walk the halls, I jumped on one of their scales.

Yes, I was terrified and excited all at the same time as the day of surgery drew nearer. It's hard not to be when something so life changing is going to happen.

At 10 months, there's nothing I can't eat. I just can't hold as much. So you won't have to give up your favorite foods for very long. But you might be surprised, like I was, that you no longer want those old foods and actually crave healthier options. Here's my video on food funerals.