My Big Day 3/15/2011

Wow, I am so happy to have found this topic to see how many other people are having the sleeve in March. I am March 22nd with Dr Michael Perez in Fort Lauderdale at Holy Cross Hospital. I am already following my pre-op diet to get a head start on weight loss as I want to be around 250 on my surgery day. My diet is 3 Protein shakes and 3 really small meals consisting of mainly Protein. I love my surgeon! He is so caring and really loves helping overweight people even though he is supertrim and very handsome! Please keep up this March Sleevers club with lots of updates to keep us all on track. Can't wait for my surgery day!

Make that date March 15th...got moved up a week and am the first pt of the day! Also, already had my pre-op, my pcp visit for clearance, ekg, chest xray. Only have labs to go and pre-register at the hospital. It's going to go so fast now...will be here before I know it.

I am March 15th and yes doing the pre-op diet as well which is low carb for my docor and consists of 3 Protein Shakes and three very small meals (like yogurt and fruit at lunch). I have already been for my pre-op and all my counseling and education and seen my primary care physician. I only have left to get my labs drawn and pre-register at the hospital. I have a very early start for my surgery as I am the first pt so I have to arrive at 530 in the morning. I am excited, nervous, anxious, hungry, overwhelmed...yeah that pretty much covers it. It's nice to know that there are several other sleevers on here that will be going in right around the same time as me. Keep up with your posts for the support you need! Good luck everyone!

Standing ovation for you!!! You are obviously on the right track and I am going to watch out for more of your posts to see what you are doing to be on the losing side of the fence. Keep up the good work and keep posting for the rest of us who are in the learning process. Awesome job!

I am clueless how to eat during the pureed stage and wondered if anyone used baby food? How else could you get your pureed protein...need ideas for this please.

So glad to hear that it is hard to get anything else in but protein...now wondering if you can use baby food during the pureed stage? Or what meats puree easily?

I am overwhelmed with my patient education handbook given to me last week by the nurse in my surgeon's office. Wow! Did not know that the post-op regimen would be so strict. My post-op diet has several stages like other people have mentioned. My first stage is ice chips only the day of surgery. Then second stage is day 2 and 3 Clear Liquids only. Then day 4 through 15 is pureed foods only and the things you can puree are Protein and fruit veggie only. The next stages to come for 6 whole months consist of no carbs...none. The only source of carbs you get is from fruit! Is this typical? My husband said honey why don't you just do that diet and you would lose all your weight. I said yeah right...I could never stick to that...but that scares me. I hope my new tool will definately help me to stick to what my surgeon expects. He also expects lots of exercise beginning on day 3...20 mins walking 3 times a day, then strength and flexibility exercises. Then on day 25 he wants you to start doing 60 mins cardio twice a day! That's like the biggest loser! I guess I am really freaked out over this and just knowing that I am not going to fail at this! Comments please!

Way to go sunnyd! I am so happy for you. We are definately surgery buddies now because my surgery is the 15th, just the day before. I wasn't nervous when I got my date, just really excited. I am however nervous now after attending patient education on Friday and receiving a binder full of info on the post-op diet and exercise regimen expected of me. It is a seriously strict diet. I know it will not be hard to do given my new tool, but thinking about it makes me nervous thinking can I do this? My surgeon does not allow any carbs through 6 months out. None...the only carbs you get is from the fruit you are allowed to eat and possible a few hear and there in a low carb Protein Drink. Have you received your nutrition info yet? Also, on day 3 post-op my surgeon expects you to walk 20 mins, 3 times a day and start doing resistance and stretching exercises which they provide you with photos of. Every surgeon is different but it is super important to follow what your surgeon requests you do post-op. Keep me updated on your progress and once again congratulations on this very important step in your life.

I am the 15th so will only be 5 days after you guys! I will be looking forward to seeing posts from you on your progress before I go in for surgery. I am having surgery just 2 mins from my house here in Ft Lauderdale. Do you get access to computers/internet in Mexico so you can make a post about your progress? Good Luck to everyone and believe in your decision to do this and own it!

Be sure you ask that your surgeon take pictures of your fibroid to show to you after surgery! You will be amazed. I do a lot of gyn surgery where I work and we remove lots of fibroids. It's kind of crazy to see how big these things can grow and a lot of the women don't even know that they are in there until they start experiencing really heavy periods. You are going to do great with this surgery and almost always the fibroids are completely benign (non-cancerous). You may have some pain afterward as with any surgery but it will be well worth it considering you are having the panniculectomy also (how exciting). Lots of well wishes to you for your healing.

I had to change my user id again today b/c my date changed to be the date I originally had wanted! Yeah 1 week closer for me...new date is 3/15/2011. My husband's birthday and he is totally fine and excited I am doing it that day. It is kind of a gift to him b/c he will have me around longer, I will have more energy, and will look so much better for him! Mainly he knows that I am doing this for myself though b/c I have so many problems with back pain and have been through two back surgeries too many! I will be having pt education this Friday and time will fly from there I am sure. I can't wait for this change! I have already made it through 7 full days of the pre-op diet which isn't actually requirede except for two full weeks. That means by the time I have surgery I will have been on it for 5 weeks. I can't wait to find out who else shares this same date with me! Please post if you have the same date.

Good luck tomorrow and hope you rest well tonight. Post again when you feel up to it to let everyone know your progress.

I think given your obvious fear of the catheter the doctor will still require it during surgery, which you will be asleep for and then since you are a male he will remove it before you wake up in recovery. You know why? Since you have a certain ability to use a urinal and not get up from the bed, then it will not be an issue for you to have to keep getting up to go pee. I know you are nervous about this part of your surgery, but you really shouldn't be, because I am certain the catheter will be gone before you wake up! I know this because I am a nurse in surgery and if you let your nurse and surgeon know your fear they will do your best to not have you wake up in horror with the catheter in. Hang in there and good luck with everything.

Thanks Sue, and I am definately hoping for a happy pill...glad you got one!

Great idea about the massage! Thanks for that...I am definately going to do that one. I am glad you had no back pain afterwards...I will be pretty comfy once they have me on the hopital bed b/c you can adjust it into the recliner mode head up and legs up which helps my back pain greatly. I am also going to bring thermacare wraps with me to the hospital which helps me also. Thanks for the suggestion!

I am not sure if there are other posts on this subject, but I have a terrible time with my IV start. I usually get stuck multiple times by multiple people, thus developing my fear of the whole situation. I am looking for things I can do over the next 4 weeks to help improve my odds of having an easy IV stick. I have read about trying to build your arm muscles so I am beginning to work on that right away. Any other suggestions would be wonderful to help ease my anxiety over this matter. They do say that nurses make the worst patients...so I guess I fit the bill. I am going to ask myu surgeon to order a pre-op Xanax 30 mins prior to IV insertion and lidocaine for the actual insertion. I hope this doesn't make me come across as overly needy! I am very easy going...but God that Iv sticking hurts. I can take blood draws pretty easy b/c they take it from the anticubital space and the veins there are supberb but they don't like IV's there for surgery so then they work down the arm and once I had it in the inside of my wrist...that hurt like hell! Please any tips on IV's will be much appreciated...thanks!

I like your rendition of your surgery, sounds like your are doing pretty good. Are you still taking pain meds? What's your energy level like? Feel any hunger? When do you go back to see the doctor? Have a great Sunday and good luck with your full liquid stage.

So, haven't ran into any topics covering this but just wanted to check to see if anyone could offer me some wisdom on this matter. I am sheduled for sleeve gastrectomy next month and am sort of most anxious about my pain afterwards in regards to back pain that I already suffer with. I am wondering how the post-op period was for those of you who suffer from moderate to severe back pain and underwent the vertical sleeve surgery. How did your doctor help to control this? I am wondering if I can be given muscle relaxers along with the pain meds they will be giving me. I have pretty severe back pain at night when I sleep so much that I have to sleep in a recliner from 2am on...everynight...my back can't handle being flat and stretched out that long. I am much more comfortable in a sitting/reclined position. This stems from two back surgeries I have had...one of which was last March. Anyway, please anyone who has had the surgery and suffers from back pain please let me know what the post-op will be like. I am curious if lying flat for the surgery will make my back hurt more afterwards...but I hope not.

I've made it through day 4 now and it is a little easier. I feel really good that I am being so disciplined in following it exactly and not cheating. I can't wait to see some results from this on the scale!

I will trade my beautiful blonde thick hair for a wig anyday just to be a normal bmi and get rid of my back, feet, and hip pain...this isn't about vanity for most of us so we can work around the Hair loss. It is good to know to watch out for this though.

Wow, I am so happy to have found this topic to see how many other people are having the sleeve in March. I am March 22nd with Dr Michael Perez in Fort Lauderdale at Holy Cross Hospital. I am already following my pre-op diet to get a head start on weight loss as I want to be around 250 on my surgery day. My diet is 3 Protein Shakes and 3 really small meals consisting of mainly Protein. I love my surgeon! He is so caring and really loves helping overweight people even though he is supertrim and very handsome! Please keep up this March Sleevers club with lots of updates to keep us all on track. Can't wait for my surgery day!

I feel for your fear of the catheter! Some people are deathly afraid of this...most males in fact. I am a nurse in surgery and often put catheters in my patients who are having laparoscopic surgery. There are two main reasons for this. The main one is in case the surgery becomes difficult and goes long then your bladder will be able to empty on its own and anesthesia can accurately keep up with your urine output to make sure you are being properly hydrated with IV fluids. The other reason is that some types of laparoscopic surgery are more difficult to accomplish if the bladder is filling up with urine and getting larger because it could block the view of the surgeon to be able to get to the structures they need to see to accomplish their surgery. I do not think the second one is a huge factor in this type of surgery, but mainly in laparoscopic surgeries of the pelvis region. I think that you will be able to negotiate this with your surgeon depending on your overall health. If you do not have a lot of other risk factors like heart conditions and are just morbidly obese then they may consider forgoing the catheter since you are at a lower risk for complications vs someone with many co-morbidities. If the surgeon absolutely insists on it in during surgery then request they remove it before you wake up in recovery. Good luck with your surgery and your weight loss journey following!

Sheila...

I am going to be in the March sleevers club so maybe we will take this journey together. I am scheduled for surgery March 22nd! I did not have to take a test to find out if I have a hiatal hernia. Atleast it can be fixed at the same time and is not delaying your surgery. I am on the pre-op diet now which is not liquid, but high Protein and low carb. I do not think my surgeon requires a liquid diet pre-op but I will find out all of those things at the patient education class next Friday. I hope to be around 250 before I go in for surgery so that is why I started my pre-op diet early. I began on Monday so I will be on it a little over a month before I go in for surgery. It's hard b/c I am hungry and tired but this too shall pass. Good luck with everything and good job with your weight loss!

Looking for sleevers of Dr Michael Perez in the Fort Lauderdale area...he's my surgeon for sure but I am not sure why I cannot find any of his patients on here! Please reply if you are a patient of his! Thanks

Your making the best decision for your health and well-being. When your nerves get the best of you invision the skinny/healthy you and the end of the road! That's what this journey is all about and you are going to do great! Cant wait to hear how things went...God bless you. Ann

Hello...

How cool to have your uncle as your surgeon and to have so many people in your family that know exactly what you are going through. I am sure you will have plenty of support to make it through these hurdles. I haven't had surgery yet so I can't really help with your Protein problem, however I would not worry about eating so often as your weight loss is fabulous! 15 lbs in two weeks...that's incredible. I would keep eating the frequent small meals like you are doing and just keep looking for ways to get in more protein. Do you put the Protein Powder in your Water like Special K protein plus? I like the lemonade one. I am drinking Premier Protein shakes from costco and they are not bad. Hang in there and keep up the good work...Ann