SerendipityHappens

Decide what flight you are going to go on and then go to seatguru.com to see the exact configuration of the plane and size of seat. The seat on the jetblue plane that I flew on was 18" wide and the distance between my knees and the seat in front of me was ample! My weight was 290 and my pant size was a Lane Bryant size 24 and I have very full hips/thighs and a nice generous lower tummy. I fit in the seat just fine although it was a bit tight, the armrests went down and everything and I did not need a seatbelt extender. Last year I flew on a plane with an 18 inch seat at 325 pounds and I fit then as well.. I needed a seatbelt extender for one flight because the belt was WAY short.. but the other flights I didn't need one. Hope this helps.

My doctor (also mexican) prescribed the same thing except in pill form (I've been swallowing pills since the day after surgery)He said that since I'm prone to being "yeasty" I could start taking probiotic beads the day before I complete my antibiotic cycle, hopefully preventing any problems with yeast in the first place.

LOL, I'll bet! I am enjoying mine immensely. NOT looking forward to my plane ride home tomorrow.. OH well, I guess all this gas will give me an excuse to walk to the restroom frequently. Tell me, are you finding that they don't come out on their own? I'm having to use some force to help them along... accompanied by a quick "please let this be just a fart" prayer.

My doctor stressed the importance of not consuming sugar and going very low carbohydrate. I was asked to do two weeks of Protein shakes and one lean and green meal. I was asked not to consume grains,fruits, starchy vegetables,or anything containing sugar for the two weeks leading up to surgery. I got the impression that being "liquid" was not the important part but rather they wanted me high protein and low carb

Caffeine- I was given mildly caffeinated beverages (green tea) in the hospital. Was told to limit my coffee or black tea to two cups a day ..... exercise? 6 weeks out for anything more vigorous than walking ....drink alcohol? 6 months, and even then he said it's not recommended .... smoke cigarettes? ( I am sure the doctor would tell you not to start again.) Didn't ask .... smoke marijuana? Didn't ask ... anything else? Soda- was told none for the first six months Can't answer the question about when I started those things, since I'm only four days post op... but I'm a rule follower so I'm sure I will introduce these things according to my Dr's schedule.

AMEN!... but their sales are AWESOME! I won't buy anything there unless I can get it under ten bucks. I'm out of clothes and just got 9 tops and two bottoms for $82.00. I am currently a comfortable 22/24 and I got sizes 14-20 so I have at least SOMETHING to shrink into! I'm big into shopping at the thrift store but the clearance prices at LB are insane.. Not ALL LB stores have these super low clearance items though. They usually consolidate all their clearance into one store in the area.

I feel your frustration, I stalled for almost three weeks during my long preop too. I know it's normal, but it's still hard when it's happening to YOU!

YAY! I'm relaxing in the TJ Marriott right now without a care in the world! Wishing you a calm and uneventful surgery!

I did an 800 calorie high Protein VLCD for 14 weeks before my actual preop started. Between my pre-pre-op and my regular preop, I lost 45 pounds. I was just sleeved on wednesday and I feel fantastic. My doctors said my liver was perfect and the surgery was very easy. Also, just moving around after surgery I think is easier having that 45 pounds gone.. Also, My doctor had a bmi cut off of 49.. anyone with a BMI of 49 or above had to pay an extra thousand dollars.. So that was an extra incentive for me to reduce my BMI! Also I feel like living like this for so long has really helped me prepare mentally for the sleeve. I wasn't always perfect and I did take a few "vacation days" during the diet where I ate normally (NOT BINGING)for a few days before starting another round of the VLCD.

I'm down 70 pounds from my highest weight and nobody really notices. The first 25 pounds went really slow, but the next 45 pounds, I lost in just three and a half months doing the preop diet.. and still not a lot of notices. At my size it takes a LOT of weight lost before people notice.. I guess it's hard to tell the difference between "really REALLY fat" and just "really fat" Meh.. they'll notice soon enough!

I haven't advanced to yogurt yet... but I generally just make my own yogurt and then it can be sweetened with some stevia or mashed banana or torani syrup.

I was sleeved by Doctor Valenzuela with Dr Cabrera assisting on 3/13 I feel GREAT. Mi Doctor was just fine.It's clean and has the necessary equipment. The EKG machine was from the stone ages, but it worked! I was up and walking very soon after my surgery and I did feel nauseated. Staff kept up with my medications to help with pain and nausea and I did my part by walking as much as possible. The day after my surgery my IV blew through the vein and they couldn't find a new vein. I had been having trouble with the IV stopping all night long and they had repositioned it already a few times. Once I had my leak test the day after surgery, they said I didn't have to have the IV back in if I could get a lot of fluids down and if I would feel comfortable swallowing pills. Fortunately I had no problem drinking right from the start and could drink 4 ounces of Water in 15 minutes with careful sipping and determination. So I didn't have to have my IV back in. YAY! I really felt like the doctors cared about their patients. I felt at ease the whole time and I had no problem putting my trust in Dr Valenzuela to do my surgery.

Sarah, I'm just jumping in the shower now.. Peeeewwwwwww, I'm a stinky, stinky girl... and Then I'll be up to collect you for our rounds!

Your mess up does not negate all of the hard work you have already put into your preop and will continue to put in to your preop diet. Would it have been better if you didn't mess up? I'm sure.. but it's not going to ruin everything. The only issue you may have is that you might feel a bit extra hungry during the next few days as your body grows accustomed to the preop diet again. Don't worry. You CAN do this. You are stronger than your cravings for food!

Are you on an acid reducer?

My biggest recommendation is to ASK for what you want. They don't just bring you drinks you have to ask for them. Also I went by myself so when just out of surgery and I was still very tired and not wanting to walk a lot, I asked the nurse to come and remind me to walk. Which she did gladly. Also you sometimes have to ASK what is going on, what you can have, what's happening next, etc. If your drain does not have a clip ask for one so you can clip to your clothes so it does not swing.. when it swings around it kind of hurts. Bring earplugs. The traffic outside is loud and they're constantly honking their horns.

Why not make almond milk yogurt? The process is pretty much the same as making regular yogurt except you have to strain it a bit to thicken it.

Excellent.. I didn't know if the package included these items delivered via room service or if I had to go somewhere and get them. Thank you!

So my understanding is that I'll be provided with chicken broth and two waters per day... How exactly do I get my broth and waters?

My doc said my stomach size was on the high end of normal. Stomachs are actually surprisingly huge! one of the other patients had someone take pics during his surgery and it showed them pulling out the stomach! OMG ginormous!

Lol, they wouldn't let us go down stairs either! I had to stay on my teeny tiny little floor. I'm feeling SO MUCH BETTER today without any nausea or internal pain.. only some slight discomfort from the incisions. Dr Louisiana took out my drain today and that helped a lot. I'm at the Marriott now and I'm resting comfortably. no pain except gas! (not gas from surgery but the actual gas in my stomach and intestine.. I am LOVING the gas-x strips) I'm sooooo happy we're both on the other side of this now and we BOTH made our preop goals. let me just take a moment to say "WE ROCK"

I can only do aspartame sparingly so having it in my protein powder is a no-go. I stick with Jay Robb. 110 calories for 26 grams of high quality whey protein isolate. Sweetened with stevia..Mixes easily by just stirring with a spoon. no grittiness. does not taste like feet.

I have to agree with this statement.. It is MUCH more helpful than the post-op instructions my doctor gave me. I'm following the MU plan which is more conservative than my doctor's plan but it's so much more specific which I like.

Glad you're ok Jeni.. We were waiting and waiting and kept checking your room for you to come back from surgery Finally the Mom next door went down stairs to look for you and discovered you had been moved to the 3rd floor!