Globetrotter

Okay, you guys are freaking me out big time!!!! I am 8 days away from surgery and I believe in this decision and I am going to do this, but you guys are freaking me out! This is my nightmare regarding this surgery, that I go through all the pain and expense, that I follow the diet faithfully, and then lose nothing at all or just a few pitiful pounds. A stall of 6-8 weeks?!! That's not a stall, that's a full on stop! WTF! How can one not lose weight with this?!! 700 calories a day ... protein ... exercise ... hydration ... how can one not lose weight?? this makes me feel rather bleak.

I am very glad that one of the perks of working for the Army is that I have access to free mental healthcare. I will definitely make use of it, along with keeping in touch with my surgeon and sharing here on the forum.

Yes, I have access to good medical care here and my surgeon has said that I may contact him every single day if I want to. I will only be here for a couple more months after surgery anyway. Also I'll have a month to recuperate before heading back. My imagination runs away with me sometimes and I picture losing barely 5 pounds a month, basically what I could have lost on my own without the surgery. I know we aren't supposed to admit that the speed of weight loss is a nice bonus, but I'm admitting it. I think it would be a real blow if the weight came off pound by very slow pound. How will I stop myself from eating reese's Peanut Butter cups? I may be panicking.

I actually wish I was on a pre-op diet, I hear so much about them on the forum and how important they are for shrinking the liver and I wonder why I'm not on one, and I'm not a "lightweight" either! I think I'm going to voluntarily go on a liquid protein diet the week before surgery.

I will be having the surgery in SF but I work in Iraq, which is 10hrs ahead of PST. I think I will join in the chat while I am stateside.

CKnorte - I absolutely feel your fear! I am less than 10 days pre-op and am having similar thoughts cycle through my mind. What if it doesn't work? What if I'm the one person who doesn't lose weight with the sleeve? What if I lose a pathetic amount and then stall permanently? What if what if what if ... do I really understand that there will not be any french fries or ice cream in my life? Am I prepared for this? I believe that I am as prepared as I can reasonably be, but that doesn't stop the thoughts. All I can do is hope; follow the rules, seek help when I need it, and trust that it works.

Yep, I read the label when I got home, they are the carb controls. It's a relief to know that I have a good source of protein available without having to special order and wait. I don't have access to a blender but I can keep them in the freezer and then use a water bottle with one of those wire shaker balls to get it really blended.

I posted the thread about the prolab powder, this is what is available at the PX. I just discovered that besides the powder, they also have ready to drink bottles of Myoplex, I think that's how it's spelled. 28g protein, 4 carbs per serving. I got a four pack for my fridge so that I have something waiting for me when I return. Anybody try this stuff?

My surgeon did not put me on a pre-op liquid diet but I will do one anyway for the week prior to surgery. The only exception to that will be my Farewell Meal lol: a BLT with pickles on lightly toasted sourdough bread with mustard and mayo. yummmm!!

Texas - I don't know either if they are Myoplex carb control, they come in four packs, are packaged in purple and silver bottles that seem like they are made of the same material that juice boxes are made of. They are about 3-4 inches tall. I'll probably put them in my freezer that doesn't really freeze anything so they'll get super cold. Glad to hear they are good! Are you able to finish one in a single sitting?

Silver Lining - I'm getting sleeved soon and I guess I'm lucky that I will be in my protein shake phase during the summer, icy frozen shakes are welcome during hot summer months!!

Not to enable your addiction or anything but I found that the only day I could get true numbers on my scale was the day after I finished my period, in the morning, after using the bathroom. Gravity alone will give you higher numbers by the end of the day, plus any water retention, if you've been on your feet all day, etc. etc. By following this method of scale use, I discovered that I "put on" 7 pounds every month right before and during my period. The day after I finished I would see not only the loss of the cycle pounds, but also the true loss of real weight. After I'm sleeved I'm not going to buy a personal scale, I'll use the one at work when no one is around, that will keep me from constant scale use.=) I will keep a tape measure though, maybe tape myself every sunday.

For a period of time your surgeon is going to be the most important person in your life, do you want it to be someone that makes you feel small? After all the pre-op prep and paperwork that I have gone through I now understand just how much a part of my life my surgeon and his team will be, for at least several years. I'm really glad that I like my surgeon and feel comfortable with him. I would feel anxious if he was a dick.

I haven't been sleeved yet but I figure I will probably be buying my clothes from Goodwill for awhile as I run through sizes. Plus wear a lot of adjustable styles, wrap tops, waist-tie tops, plain flat front trousers that are easily tailored. I do however go to websites with clothes I like but have never been able to wear and I "window shop" online, selecting petite sizes, hee hee hee!

I will be sleeved with Dr. Jossart from LapSF at California Pacific Medical Center. He has done 900+ vsg's. The sticker price covers the surgery, hospital stay, anesthesia, and it includes 23 months of aftercare by the surgeon & nutritionist.

That high up it could be a kidney, have your doc test your urine.

Beautiful Day - I printed out everything the surgery coordinator sent me and started a 3 ring binder. I'm self-pay and the consent forms and pay forms and all the forms that needed my hand-written response or signature or whatever, added up to 20 pages worth. I sat down for a dedicated hour and got the paperwork done and the various coordinators have said that I can get all the tests and face-to-face meetings taken care of the day before surgery. I will stay at the Kabuki the night before surgery and my Mother will stay there the night of. The paperwork suggested that anyone having surgery might want to go on a liquid diet in the week prior to surgery but there was no directive from Dr. J telling me to do so. I am in Iraq right now and I had the Dr. consult and psych eval by phone. I will pre-reg over the phone and have the nurse consult over the phone. The day before surgery I will meet with the nut., Dr. J., and have my blood ekg etc.

I was put on Yaz for my pcos and it didn't do a dang thing. When I talked to a medic about it she was surprised I had been put on Yaz at my weight. She said she wouldn't suggest Yaz for pcos for anyone weighing more than 130 pounds! My acne wasn't improved and I was constantly spotting and cramping so she switched me to Yazmin instead. It improved my skin (not the scars tho) but I'm still spotting and cramping. The surgeon told me to go off BC pills now, two weeks prior to surgery, and that I can go back on them a month after surgery. But is it worth it? Is clear skin worth constant cramping, spotting, and a seemingly constant state of pms? :lol0: I've heard that PCOS symptoms can be greatly reduced after vsg. Has anyone experienced this?

Hey everybody, Any personal experience with Prolab whey Protein, chocolate flavored? I can get stuff sent to me through drugstore.com or amazon but the PX carries a lot of protein stuff, soldiers love their muscle-building technology. =) So the stuff we have at the PX are enormous tubs of this Prolab chocolate powder. The nutrition guide said something like 28 g protein per serving (wow!), 4 carbs, and I think the overall cal was like 160. So I wanted to know if anybody has tried this stuff, did you like it, was it good, gross, etc. I was going to try it now but remembered all the cautions from people that flavors you may like pre-op you may find disgusting post-op. Any help would be great, thank you!!:lol0:

I got word from my surgeon, he says to go off the BC now (2 weeks out) and that I can take it up again a month out.

I definitely intend to try samples while I'm in the States to determine which ones are best for me. Then I will mail the ones I like forward to myself. But here in Iraqat the Army PX's this is the protein they have available and it would be nice if I could use that since it is handily available. I would just buy it now but the tubs are enormous.

I agree with Sparkle, you no longer have access to self-medicating with food, and there is a very real effect on the brain from od-ing on carbs and sugar - you get high and numb. Now that you don't have that constant fix, maybe a lot of emotions are bubbling at the surface. That plus the fact that you had major invasive surgery, plus a possible medication failure (when an anti-depressant suddenly stops working for no discernable reason), it's no wonder you are not at your best! One thing at a time, don't forget to breathe.

Thanks guys! :thumbup1: I am having it done with Dr. Jossart at LapSF in San Francisco. I just got my pre-op packet this morning and jaysus! it's huge! I had no idea it would be so convoluted, I guess I was living in a fool's paradise that I would just pay have a few tests done and be ready for surgery - ha! Medical power of attorney, pre-registration by phone - which is made 100x more difficult by the fact that I'm on the other side of the world without easy access to a regular phone. Then I still have to have all the tests ekgs etc done in the days prior to surgery, so I have to manoeuver my flight itinerary, ack!!!!!

In my pre-op packet I am actually advised to go off my bc due to increased risk of blood clots. I don't want to go off it as I have PCOS and without them I will be a pimply hairy mess.:thumbup1: What am I going to do?!! I hate the pill, it makes me super emotional and I cramp and spot constantly. But it gives me clear skin and reduced facial hair. :thumbup1:

What about beef boullion or french onion soup with unflavored protein powder mixed in? If you were only mixing it in per serving then maybe there wouldn't be any reheating/grainy issues. I don't remember the brand name but the "organic" section of Safeway carries these boxes of low sodium stock - chicken, beef, veg, etc. I'm going to get those and unflavored p.p. for my full liquid stage.