Mommagiraffe

Not. Pooping.
They never told me I would poop like once every two weeks. This is a real bummer. I make some good decisions in there.

Before surgery, food and hunger controlled my every waking thought. I would wake up at 2 am, starving. Even while eating, I would already be planning and thinking about what I would eat next, or later, or tomorrow. One of my biggest fears was getting stuck in a meeting, on the road, etc, with nothing to eat. I had food squirrelled away EVERYWHERE.
What I was unprepared for as a post-op, is that I would forget about food. That I would get to the end of the day and feel crappy, and realize that I had FORGOTTEN to eat for the previous 24hours. That for the first 3 months, the thought of putting anything in my mouth would be repulsive.
I was unprepared for what a struggle it would be to find things that I could eat, that felt comfortable and were of good nutritional value. And that when I thought I had find something, that my body would reject it later.
I was unprepared for not being able to tolerate ANY fluids at room temp, only iced or hot. And even hot makes me slime at times.
On the other hand, I am so glad I had this forum...it helped me from going totally insane.

Hiccups hurt really bad.

Gross, but true. And stool softener was essential in my case. I learned the hard way. I'll just say the words "bowling ball" and leave it to your imagination.

Girl your title should be "I might kill my boyfriend"

To be honest, it sounds like you expected this surgery to do all the work for you. Virtually everyone who has had the surgery and maintained long term weight loss will tell you that the sleeve is a tool, not the solution. You have to decide that you want to get rid of the weight once and for all by using the sleeve to your advantage in dieting. Every liquid and slider food out there is going to run through your sleeve and will not fill you up. Once you are on solid foods this will not be the case. I recommend patience, and work the program your dietician has put in place. Work it for months before you even evaluate the results.

I am loving the chocolate Splendor Unjury in skim milk. I make about 8-10 oz in my Blender Bottle. I don't have any gas issues with it.

I am loving the chocolate Splendor Unjury in skim milk. I make about 8-10 oz in my Blender Bottle. I don't have any gas issues with it.

Well I think the operative word here is "boyfriend"

Really, he's not you and he's not having this surgery you are... That said It's not uncommon for partners, when the surgery becomes a reality to them, to say some dumb things. I think it comes from worry and fear of all the unknowns with a changing partner.
Do what you need to do for you, but also tell him what you will need from him. And assure him this will not change you as a person (not much anyway )

The bottom line is it's your decision. I understand that his support is important, but....... If he can't be supportive, then find support elsewhere. He hasn't lived in your body your entire life. Do YOU think you've tried hard enough? If you do, and you understand the risks of this major surgery, and you understand the hard work involved after surgery, then that's all you need. It's more harmful to your body to continue on yo-yo'ing your weight up and down with failed attempts at other weight loss efforts. And it's harmful to your soul to let someone else dictate what they think is right for you based only on their own experience.
Sorry if I'm soap-boxing I had some rough conversations with my husband early on in my pre-op process. He really thought it was a matter of me not trying hard enough. But after a lot of long talks, he accepted that my reality was different than his when it comes to weight and food and exercise. He thought it was just a lack of trying on my part. I quit smoking cold turkey right then and there, and he saw that I do indeed have will power. Now he's already so glad that I've had the surgery.
One thing to consider too....I know this was true of my husband....some of his reservations were coming from a place of fear regarding the surgery. He was worried sick about the risks of surgery and possible complications afterward. So I acknowledged that and we talked through it. And now that I'm "out of the woods" so to speak, we're all good.

WOOOO!!! I'm scheduled!! July 31st!!

So many people here have successfully done their one or two week preop diet. without skirting it like you have. If you're looking for someone to tell you what you did is okay, i'm not that guy. Good lucking finding someone who is.

The first four days of the preop liquid diet are the suck. You can either do it now and get it over with or you can deal with it at the same time you're dealing with recovering from surgery which will be double-suck.
If I had to do this surgery again I'd demand the two-week preop diet.
</tough love>

Hi Ashlee:
You CAN do it. You have to commit. Get yourself in the best possible shape for your surgery. You will have a lot to deal with post-op, do you want to add NOT being prepared on top of it? Trust in what your surgeon has asked you to do and do it. This is not a punishment, it is an opportunity (http://www.verticals...an-opportunity/) This is one of my favorite things I've read here and one that is so very true.
Take control now. Don't accept "I can't" just because you haven't be able to before. You said it yourself that after surgery you can do it, do it now... do it for you.
Why would you even tempt this effecting surgery at this late stage. Come on Ashlee. I believe you can, YOU have to believe it too.

I came home last night to find my approval letter from Anthem!!! :D I left my insurance coordinator a message (at midnight lol!) letting her know, so she can call me in the morning to get scheduled!

I came home last night to find my approval letter from Anthem!!! :D I left my insurance coordinator a message (at midnight lol!) letting her know, so she can call me in the morning to get scheduled!

I'm not to the pre-op diet yet, but when I 'need' to munch, I chew ice. My dentist hates it, but it really does help.

I'm not to the pre-op diet yet, but when I 'need' to munch, I chew ice. My dentist hates it, but it really does help.

Ally,
You will only go nuts if you dwell on it. Take this time to really get a good understanding on why you eat and your relationship with food and eating. Think of it as your "break up" with food. Get busy, start your exercise program. Focus on the long term, not the couple of weeks of liquids. I think that the biggest mistake that people on the pre-op make is that they focus on their misery and not on the benefits of breaking the chain that overeating and eating badly has placed on you. A large portion of WLS success is mental. If you can hang mentally, then your success will be greater. Don't fall prey to cravings and wants. Just focus on the long term and becoming that fabulous person that you know you want to be.

You should really amp it up on Facebook. Post pics of your dip - photo shopped to look like you're eating it from a full 5 gallon bucket using a little garden shovel. :-P
P.S. I love irking the trolls. :-)

My baby walked B-)

Well my surgeon asked me what I was thinking of for a goal weight and I told him I didn't care the least about the number I just wanted to be healthy and I believe that is more of a feeling then a true measurement. The problem with all these weight scales is every person on the planet is different, so what works for one won't work for anyone else. My surgeon actually liked that answer and told me it was the best answer he had ever had to that question, and we have never discussed a number goal again. Now unfortunately I get asked all the time what my goal is and since I got tired of trying to explain my theory on it, I now just say I am currently shooting for under 200 lbs and when I get there I will reevaluate where to go from there. Sorry not a real answer but how I feel about that.

Buying size small scrubs!!! Happy 50th birthday to me!!

No way in hell would I go ask for my stomach and 85 pounds back!!!! I'd do this again in a heartbeat, not ONE SECOND of buyer's remorse. I've been excited since I woke up in recovery!!!! Loved every single step of this from SF Jell-O and chicken broth to maintenance. The pain was minimal, I've given birth twice, this was a breeze!!!!

Just sad I didn't do it SOONER!