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Thanks! Got in at 1am and are now at San Diego airport getting on the shuttle. Yeehaw

So here I sit in the Salt Lake City airport. I was supposed to be in San Diego 3 hours ago. My original flight from Idaho to SLC was cancelled because Salt Lake closed the airport due to snow. The soonest they could rebook me was Saturday!! So I drove down to SLC to try and get on another flight. Well I got on a 10pm flight which puts me in to SAN too late to get picked up by OCC. So I have to get a hotel near the airport and shuttle back in the morning to get picked up and go straight to surgery. Meanwhile, my sister is sitting at the Marriot by herself with nothing to do cause it's raining. I've got over 3 hours before my flight boards, so I figured I'd watch a movie on my ipad. But the SLC airport wifi sucks ass, so here I sit...... Normally, I'd plop down in the nearest bar and drink till flight time, but I guess surgery with a hangover probably isn't advisable But the worst of it is I now have a 281 mile drive home on Monday instead of 65 Guess I'll see ya tomorrow, coopspa

Thanks for the tips!

I had my first waves of fear yesterday, too. (I leave tomorrow). I even started crying in the car on the way to work. It's not the fear of surgery, I have no doubts that will all go fine. It's more of, "what am I doing to myself!" I like binge eating...chowing a whole pizza cause it's so good, or gorging on a huge cheeseburger with fries, or eating everything in sight on the buffet table. I like drinking beer at parties and on river trips. I like my after work cocktail. Why would I deprive myself of that for the rest of my life? That, combined with the fact that I'm getting hungrier everyday on my preop and I've already lost all the weight I'm supposed to made me say "f....k it, I'm going to eat something good". I stopped at the grocery store and went straight to the deli where they have fresh made hot breakfast sandwiches. I stared through the case, probably even drooled on the glass. Then I walked away. I went to the drink Aisle and got a Lifewater zero and stocked up on some more Mio. Then I went to the pharmacy section and picked up some GasX strips. When I got back to the car I was seriously having a panic attack, but I just sat there and breathed and then drove away. Made it through the day with no cheats. I'm still feeling grumpy and mad at myself today for not being able to eat normally without surgery. Just hope I don't have a complete panic attack on the plane tomorrow. Does whiskey count for my liquids only diet?!?

Yep, just forked out a pile for mine. $7000 for surgery, preop work up, 4 nights stay at clinic and Marriott for myself and my sister and plane tickets. I know some people have it done for cheaper, but my choice in surgeons and facility ran a little more. Obesity Control Center in TJ, Mexico.

Thanks, the hardest part was actually dodging the questions about why I wasn't eating or did I try this or that. (OK, I lied, the hardest part was not eating the Lays potato chips ) after all these sweet shakes I'm craving salt!

Good luck tomorrow! I'll be at the Marriot Thursday night and OCC bright and early Friday AM. Hope to see you.

3 shakes and leafy green veggies x2 weeks for my preop. I started 2 days early 'cause I was SO ready. Yes, I'm starved and yes, I've had headaches. But I'm on day 12 and It's totally doable... I survived an early Xmas party, a birthday party, and today a memorial service for a friend that passed away Friday. I don't have to tell you about all the food (and alcohol) at those events and I made it through by sipping water non-stop. Just buck up and keep your eye on the big picture. This is only 2 weeks towards improving the rest of your life.

Sounds like you may have to work on some other things, first. Surgery should be the last step in a whole program addressing our eating disorders and emotions that go with it. Perhaps you should continue with therapy and get better prepared (mentally) for this surgery. Otherwise it just won't work and you will be miserable. Only do it when you are 100% ready.

What is your anxiety pill? Is it an SSRI? Were you on it preop? I could never sleep on them, even when taking Ambien. They affect your serotonin levels, which play an important role in your normal sleep cycle.

The Cheat - I swore I would only weigh myself once/week so I wouldn't get obsessed with the numbers. But when getting dressed this morning, I had to tighten my belt an extra notch. Made me curious, So I gave in to the scale....down 11 pounds in 10 days on my preop diet! I'm still a week away from surgery and I was told to lose 12 pounds so I guess I'm good to go! The Regret - I started my preop diet 2 days early "just in case"

RJ, I'm so sorry you have to endure yet another painful event. Have you asked your doc about being able to take tramadol? It's not as addicting as narcotics and it works really well for certain pain (not headaches) More effective for me than Vicodin when I had my neck surgery and more effective for my friend who broke a collar bone and 2 ribs. If still no pain Meds allowed, have you checked into acupuncture? It may relief some pain and even help with healing and address other stressor issues. (But you have no stress, right? )

So I did a little experiment today.... I am a vet tech and have access to X-ray equipment and barium . I wanted to get a look at my full stomach preop to be able to compare the size to my sleeve. So I did a mini upper GI of myself and found out why I still feel hungry even right after having a protein shake. I drank about 2 oz of barium and took 3 X-rays. In the course of just 5 minutes, the barium was well advanced into my small intestines, and in less than 10 minutes, there was nothing left in my stomach. So besides explaining why I'm always hungry, this definitely explains the lack of restriction so many people complain about post op, until they get to full solids. Liquids just don't stay in the stomach very long (under conditions of normal GI transit times)

Respond to her question with outrageous lies. Exaggerate huge amounts of food you ate when you got home..... You are taking laxatives.... You want to lose enough weight to shop in the children's department.... I'm training for MMA and this is the diet they have me on. If you give her crazy stupid answers maybe she'll stop asking because she won't get a straight answer anyways. I was very careful about who I told about my surgery, (I thought) but unfortunately one person blabbed to her mother-in-law. I didn't even know she knew when she came up to me last weekend and asked why would I go to Mexico for surgery. I looked right at her and said "well that's where I always went for my abortions, so why not?". Boy, did she ever shut up. Haven't heard from her since

It's definitely not as yummy as the real thing (for example, PB2 is closer to real peanut butter than this is to real cheese) It's basically a "watered down" low fat cheese sauce (not rich and creamy) but after all those vanilla, chocolate, and other sweet protein drinks it's heaven.

I'm with McButterpants... I was trying to get in all my favorites for the couple weeks before starting my preop. I finally got sick of all the "last this, last that" and finally gave it up. Started my preop 2 days early just to de-stress from eating. I was also afraid I couldn't lose what I was supposed to, but turns out that's not an issue (down 11 pounds in 10 days, so I have another week to lose just 1 pound). Just use the next few weeks to really get mentally prepared.

So I just booked my surgery with Obesity Control Center in TJ. I started researching WLS last spring and finally settled on VSG with Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Arturo Martinez. I would encourage anyone in the "research stage" to contact Obesity Control Center with any questions about the procedure and/or their facility. Carolyn has been very helpful and quickly responded to my dozens of emails. Never once did I receive an unsolicited phone call or email. They are extremely no-pressure when it comes to your decision to book your surgery with them (or not). Anyways, within hours of scheduling, I received several emails with all the info I need from a helpful preop checklist, Heath and patient survey paperwork, pre-op diet info, travel and transportation details and suggestions, and nutritionist contact information. I also received an email from their cardiopulmonary specialist, Dr. Jimenez. He provided instructions for the purchase and use of an incentive spirometer that they want you to use pre and post op to help strengthen the muscles used for breathing. (It costs about $10 - $15). He also included his contact info if I have any questions. I will keep you all posted as things progress closer to surgery date (December 20). I just ordered Vitamins, the spirometer, and a variety of Protein supplements from Amazon.

I'm 8 days in and starving every day. But I just look at it as all my fat cells screaming "no not me!". I'm supposed to lose 12 pounds preop and already down 9 so yeah, the hunger hurts so good

"Similarly I have to note when I took my calcium supplement so I'll know when I can take my Iron - and vice versa. " JeanZ... I've had the same problem trying to figure out when to take my iron so it wasn't with my multi or with my calcium or with a meal. Well, rarely does a night go by that I don't have to get up and pee, so I keep my Celebrate chewable iron +Vitamin C next to my bed and nibble it down in the middle of the night when I'm up anyways.

The OP was deleted (at least on my end, there's nothing there but a period), so I think it was left up to interpretation based on the title.

Congrats, HAF, I'll be there on the 20th. Merry Christmas to us!

So I guess since it does help with GI emptying, the Pemix must help with nausea, but sounds like they don't actually dispense a true CNS antiemetic. Maybe I'll see what I can pick up at one of the local pharmacies just to have it on hand. Hopefully won't need it. Thanks for the info.

Do you know what anti nausea they sent home? Here are the meds Carolyn told me I'd get and no anti nausea on the list.... Supradol (NSAID) 4 days Inhibitron (Omeprazole) PPI 2 months Pemix (cinitapride) anti ulcer 7 days Denvar (Cefixime) antibiotic 5 days (I thought the NSAID was strange, and definitely on my list of things to ask about pre-op)

B2B, glad you're feeling better. I was thinking of getting Zofran down there, too. Just in case, so I wouldn't have to bug my PCP for an Rx once I got home. Do they have them for sale at OCC or would I have to pick them up at another pharmacy?

I just started reading the book, "Emotional First Aid Kit - A Practical Guide to Life after Bariatric Surgery" by Cynthia Alexander. I'm only on chapter 3, but so far has been a pretty good read to help me wrap my head around what I'm getting myself into. She stresses very hard that the surgery is actually the easy part. We have to come to grips with the emotional and social aspects of our eating habits and make changes for a healthier lifestyle. The surgery should be the last step in the entire process...not the first. The mental part is much harder than the physical part. Since I am self-pay, I've missed out on the psych eval and therapy sessions a lot of insurance companies require. This book is providing a lot of insight into the mental and emotional struggles that I will be going through and I hope this will help with my ability to succeed. So if you are looking to "cheat" (gain an advantage to success), might I suggest getting this book.