SpaceDust

Welcome! There are several of us with surgeries on Tuesday. I know I'm having some nerves, too, and it led to some odd dreams last night! Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

I have Dr Michaelson, and my surgery is on July 2nd. Have you met with Sarah (the dietician) before? She's a sweetheart Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

Another one for the 2nd here! Mine is at NWWLS in Everett (just north of Seattle). Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

Good luck, Jennifer. I'm in the middle of my pre-op diet, surgery on the 2nd. It's not easy, but we can do this! Trish

30 lbs in two months is excellent! Hang in there - I know that none of us are particularly patient about wanting this off NOW, but we also want to be healthy at the end of it, right? You're losing at a nice pace, keep it up!

First things first. Care about the thyroid, because it's in your way right now. See it as the next step you need to take. Either your new bloodwork will show there's no issue and you'll be able to resume the path to surgery immediately, OR you will have to take medication and it will delay your surgery for a short period while you get it worked out. Either way, you win, since you do not want your thyroid working against you! Now, the second thing, and I'm sorry, but this is the "tough love" element. You need to stop using this as an excuse to sabotage yourself. Get over the whole eating whatever I want schtick and get your mind back in the game, because it's a long ways from being over. It's one thing to know it will be another several weeks and ease up a little to eat the occasional tasty treat, and entirely something else to start gaining weight again because at this point you've had a minor setback (aka, you have to reverify with another blood test). Take a deep breath. Take several deep breaths. And now get back to it. You've GOT this. Good luck. You know we're here for you!

There are actually tons of posts that mention being required to do a 6 month medically supervised diet for insurance. It's often the main reason for the long gap from starting the process to having the surgery. You'll see discussion of needing to have 6 or 7 appointments with their NUT or dietician, for example. It's true that it isn't the main subject of discussion in a lot of cases, though. Did you have specific questions, or were you just curious? I'm one of those who also had to do that, by the way. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

It makes me much happier, for sure. It feels like I'm indulging in being normal without sabotaging myself. By the way, glad should have been half, as in I use 3-4 oz. of skim milk along with a full cup of coffee, chilled so the Protein won't get clumpy. It does work fine to make decaf drinkable, too, I found out at work today

Yes, add some sort of liquid, like a light sauce, stock or water. You shouldn't need a lot, just enough to add a bit of lubrication, so don't think you need to turn it into soup! Also, if you aren't already doing so I recommend rough chopping or cubing the meat so that the fines are shorter to begun with. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

Hi, all - I have a 1 week pre-op diet. It consists of 3-4 Protein shakes plus a small dinner, total of no more than 870 calories. I started a day early to get a jump start, and so far I've managed to stay on track. How is everyone else doing?

It's perfectly normal, and something that's posted about regularly. If you do a search on "hair loss" or "hair falling out" I'm sure you'll get a ton of hits. Here's a high level summary: Extreme weight loss and shock to the body (like, oh, major surgery ) often result in a fair amount of hair loss a few months after the surgery, and it generally continues for several weeks to a few months. Most people find their hair gets thinner, but generally speaking most don't develop bald spots. There's not much that you can do to prevent it, although ensuring that you take good care of yourself nutritionally, getting your Protein in, getting plenty of rest may keep it from getting worse than it has to. You may find that taking Biotin will assist in getting it to grow back in more quickly, and some people swear by other treatments, but in general, it will happen, it will run its course, and it will grow back.

Yup, perfectly normal. It's major surgery, so it would be more wierd if you weren't at least a bit nervous!

It also depends on the person. I'm likely to want to read or listen to music at some point - I have for every surgery I've had where I spent a night in the hospital, as I will likely be awake for at least a few hours. Plus, my surgery center doesn't have tvs in the patient rooms, but they do have wifi. Therefore, I will want my tablet and phone, plus earbuds. Others may not need that entertainment factor, but I find it helps distract me from discomfort. I will also bring my CPAP, though I quite probably won't need it (my apnea is pretty mild). I'll have lip balm, deodorant, soap and shampoo (I'm sensitive to some soaps and fragrances, so it's safer). I'll have underwear and socks. I may bring pajamas for comfort while walking around, since I know from experience that I really don't like wearing the gowns. I'm going to wear yoga pants, an oversized shirt and slip on shoes to the clinic, which I will also wear home. I'll have a small pillow in the car for the 35 minute ride home. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

There's a difference between sugar coating something and being snarky about it. You can be up front and direct without being insulting or cruel. Attack the action or the attitude, not the person. Here's an example for you: "This has been addressed before. Your doctor or NUT should have already told you this, but eating X three days after surgery may cause serious issues with your staple line and is not allowed. Follow your doctor's directives." or "Really?!? Are you an idiot or can't you read? Don't eat X, moron!" I'm exaggerating, but I hope you can see the difference between straight up facts and reminders that are respectful vs. snarky sarcastic snipes that lose the message because they make the target angry. By the way, as others have mentioned, this sort of thing belongs in the rant forum. Plus, all of these things have been ranted about before, many, many times. Might I suggest doing a search? Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 using VST

Oh, I won't deny that it can be irritating when essentially the same question has been asked and answered thoroughly three topics down the list. But in many cases we're dealing with people completely new to using online forums. Many don't have the least idea where to start, but they are desperate for information, help, support. I don't always remember that as well as I should, but I try.

The correct response to a repeat post is to help the new member of the family out. If it's simple, give a correct answer and move on. If it's more complicated, the answer might look something like: This question comes up quite often. The high level answer is xyz. But if you're looking for more details or a bunch of other opinions, check out this thread from earlier this week: [insert link from thread here]. You can also use the search function and look for [abc] to find other threads about this. That way, you help train a newbie and still give useful info. Look at you, offering the same support that you want! Feels good, right? Or if it really irritates you, just drive on by to a post that doesn't bug you, as others have said. Someone else will help out the noob.

Sure. It's 3-4 protein shakes and a small dinner, to total no more than 870 calories. To ensure proper portion/calorie control, my dietician recommends using a frozen entrée like Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice.