Kindle

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.

When I'm not in the mood for a shake, I can usually handle something lighter and warm. Someone above mentioned the unjury chicken Soup Protein - when I was in my first month post-op that stuff was a godsend to me. Other things I did:
--8 oz. beef broth mixed with a scoop of unflavored Protein and steak seasoning
--miso soup mixed with a scoop of unflavored protein
--chai tea mixed with a half scoop of vanilla protein
When you are mixing Soups and broths with Protein powder, make sure you use a food thermometer and keep the temp under 140 degrees.
There are also protein powders and mixes specifically made to be mixed with hot liquids. For these, you don't need to keep them under 140 (for the most part, be sure to check the directions just in case) but you shouldn't mix with with anything that is simmering or boiling:
--premade protein soups: http://www.bariatricchoice.com/bariatric-diet-soups.html#. (my advice - skip the ones with noodles, they are nasty)
--powders specifically for Hot drinks, such as hot chocolate, that you mix with water: http://www.bariatricchoice.com/bariatric-diet-protein-hot-drinks.html -- I get the classic hot chocolate and doctor it up with sugar free syrups such as cinnamon brown sugar Syrup, peppermint syrup, caramel syrup, etc.
Good luck!

Bag Balm and socks.

I just started to experience something the OP has alluded to…and that is that when you're at the puree and mushy stages it starts to become harder to distinguish between what is mushy and what belongs in a later stage, etc.
I'm at 6 weeks now, and in mushies now. I can easily see now that there's a variety that it would be quite easy to justify pushing on to full solids (which is at least two more weeks away.) Because some parts of mushy are judgment calls, in a way that full liquids are really NOT a judgment call.
I'd urge you (as having just gone through it) to go back to your doctor's guidelines and stick with them. You don't want to be the person who causes a leak by doing something completely preventable. Because I'm so close to having completed that stage I can say yes, it sucks. No exaggeration. But one of the (only?) nice things about the lack of food choice is that if you stick to it, as monotonous as it is, you start to have a certain freedom in that. You don't have to obsess about what you are going to eat, because it's laid out for you.
Part of this process is surrendering to the fact that there is a process. (I think, anyway.) Good luck!

Just wanted to share this...I had my surgery back in October on the 22nd. I had gone in for my ultrasound on my gallbladder..only to find that I had to have an MRI on my liver that same day. They found significant sparring of the liver..basically fatty deposits that had grown outside of the liver and had begun to sort of stalk out.
I was freaked the heck out. I'm only 38 and thought...I hope I can change this.
I did 16 full days of just shakes. I would add ice cubes to make them super ice cold. .kept the foam down on them. dinner was Unjury chicken Soup. It saved me each day.
Surgery say arrived and I told my surgeon...I completely trust what you're going to do to me but I want an update of my liver. He laughed at me..but I was serious. Found out that each and every stalk that had begun to grow out of the liver was non existent! ! I was more elated over this than anything else!
The pre op served two purposes for ME personally.
1. Shrunk two the living he!! Out of my liver and it returned back to normal!
2. It really sent a strong message to my brain that this was a real lifetime change..so as a result I started out strong. I knew the beginning was when you lose the most and I needed to maximize my chances of losing as much as I could.
To date, I've already lost 47 pounds. I'm 6 weeks post op now.
This has been the hardest thing I've ever done. ..yet in many ways the easiest also. My kids need me. My hubby needs me.
Good luck you guys! The pre op isn't easy at all...I ran away to my hot bath when I just couldn't cope with family eating. But now their all Sooo proud of me and I see it.

Bag Balm and socks.

Hello all, I'm 7 months out as of November 30. In a few days I'll Celebrate being 44 yrs young. At 166 pounds well below my 1st goal of 185, then 2nd goal of 175 with a height of 5'9"+ I can say I'm smaller than I was at 13. I could not have dreamed being below goal this soon. I can go up amd downstairs with not being out of breath, cross my legs, take up less space in the chair. Park farther from the store walk long distances. And get all my protien intake done. I love my sleeve. :-)
The hardest part has been your head realizing how your body has changed. I tried to still wear plus sized clothes but had to come to grips with shopping on the "other" side of the store. Challenges have come during the weight loss journey my mother was ill and died in October. August my gallbladder had to come out. A kidney stone in November and a sinus infection now. But thankful I'm still healthy and can celebrate memories of my Mom with my family this Christmas & New years. How are you feeling?

Actually, they pass the bougie through your esophagus. And some docs do a "flat tire" leak test during surgery where they inflate your stomach with air (through your esophagus) to look for bubbles. And some docs will also do an endoscope during surgery to visualize the inside of your staple line.

I've been researching my Surgeon options and am probably going to go with Dr. Ortiz. I knew the Newsweek thing was an advertisement and I also know the Center of Excellence thing is a joke. I'm in the veterinary field and its the same thing as someone only going with an AAHA accredited vet hospital.... Piles of paperwork, notebooks full of formal protocols, and doing everything "right" on the day of your official accreditation visit does not make you or your staff "the best". But like barbbdoll, my research kept coming back to him. As for his forum, I would be more disturbed if his moderators did remove Lindsay's posts. I feel That would be biased censorship on their part.
For the Ortiz non-fans out there, I would love to hear any personal complaints and complications you've had. I'm pretty leary of general bashing statements and statistics with no proof from non-patients.

I find a lot of names on here interesting and I'm sure there are good stories behind how everyone chose them. Anyone like to share? For me, Kindle is my horse's name and she was the "straw that broke the camel's back" in my decision to have VSG. I feel bad for her, having to lug my fat ass around the mountains and would love to be able to hop on her without having to find a rock or log to climb up on. (there's a dozen other reasons behind my decision, but my profile name is my tribute to her and how much more fun we will have next summer!)

PB2 = Roasted peanuts, sugar and salt. Calories 45, 5gm Protein, 1.5gm fat, 1gm sugar, 2gm Fiber.
Jif = peanuts, sugar, oil, mono and diglycerides, salt. Calories 190, 7gm Protein, 16g fat! 3gm sugar, 2gm Fiber.< /p>

Here read this ok?? <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/249104-the-pre-op-diet-is-not-a-punishment-its-an-opportunity/?fromsearch=1'>http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/249104-the-pre-op-diet-is-not-a-punishment-its-an-opportunity/?fromsearch=1</a>
Hi guys. I see a lot of you are struggling and worried pre-op about the pre-op diet. It is a HUGE challenge, but for me, it was an important one.
Exactly 1 year ago, I was in the middle of a 2 week liquid pre-op diet because my BMI was 55+ and I was self-pay in Mexico. Traveling from Canada meant that a reschedule would be A LOT of extra expense if my surgeon had to stop due to an enlarged liver mid-surgery. I had NO CHOICE but to follow the diet.
It also meant that cheating would increase the chance of complications and a longer recovery (or worse), all because I could not follow a 2 WEEK diet. Really? Here I was, about to take a seriously radical, life-changing step and get 85% of my stomach cut out permanently. But I can't follow a 2 week diet? That's crazy.
Post-op was going to be difficult for MONTHS, not days. So if I couldn't get my head in the game for the pre-op diet, then maybe I wasn't ready for what was going to follow post-op. I was terrified!
So I started the liquid diet. And I was STARVING. I was dreaming of all the foods I thought were leaving my life forever. Suddenly I didn't care that I had spent my life morbidly obese, I wanted my comfort back. I wanted to fill myself to bursting at every meal, like it was my last meal forever.
But I didn't break my diet.
Because for once, I wasn't going to cheat myself. It was time to grow up (I'm 43....) and take responsibility for my health, my future and my choices. A lifetime of justification, gluttony and excuses brought me to that operating room. Now it was time to face the music and get on with owning my future.
The first 3 days were HELL. That is when your body is detoxing from the carbs. You are using up the glycogen in your liver (to help "shrink" it) and it's screaming for replacement carbs to fill it back up. You can get through it. After 3 days it gets MUCH better. After a week you start to feel normal and more healthy than you have felt in years. You may be hungry, but you don't have the carb cravings anymore.
Most importantly, you feel IN CONTROL; and mentally and emotionally strong for battling your demons and winning. This is the first tangible proof in an unsure future that you CAN get through the post-op recovery and that you CAN succeed in losing the weight this time, FOR LIFE.
Whatever weight you lose during your pre-op diet is really inconsequential. What is important is what you gain:
- Confidence
- Emotional and physical self-control
- The desire to succeed and overcome "impossible" obstacles
- The knowledge that you are a WINNER as long as you do your best
Please don't look at the pre-op diet as a "condition" that your surgeon imposes on you (and some surgeons don't require it!). It is an OPPORTUNITY for you to test yourself, to help build your will, character and emotional toughness BEFORE you have the surgery.
It's like training for a marathon.....you put the blood sweat and tears in before the race to help you finish the race on game day. Without training and preparation, you will likely fail and you can get hurt really badly along the way!
Use your pre-op diet to work through your demons, build up your confidence and prove to yourself you can do it. If you "fall off the wagon" one day, the next day is a fresh start.
Aim for excellence. You owe it to yourself.

I'm so thankful I'm not the only grown woman totally scared to tell my folks! Glad yours were cool about it too!

"I can no longer look to others for help..I have to find it within myself....I will do that and get a balance on all of it.......I promise!"
You are so right on this one. I learned a few years ago when I was going through a very emotional time that I had no one to turn to. I wouldn't trust to confide in too many people what I was going through, and the person who I considered my best friend literally told me " I can't help you" and turned her back on me. She was going through her own stuff, but still, it was a complete shock and eye opener to me. I cannot rely on anyone else for my own happiness...I am the only one I can truly count on. It may sound cynical and lonely, but it sure beats being disappointed and getting hurt. I am still friends with my former "best friend", but my definition and expectations of our friendship is forever changed.
My exception to the above rule that I have found is my family. We will always be there for each other no matter what. No matter how far apart we live or how long between visits, it only takes one call to find all the support I need. Thank God.
I'm so sorry about everything you've gone through with your health and friends. Your posts have always been very uplifting and inspiring to me. Not sure I would have such a good attitude. And no, you don't deserve ANOTHER complication. I'm praying for you and your husband.

Good luck! I actually found a Decaf mocha Protein shake (made by Click available on Amazon). That, and maybe adding a "shot" of decaf espresso to a vanilla Protein Shake, might satisfy my coffee cravings without too many repercussions. "Love my coffee!"

If you can eat Jello and Popsicles, how bout mixing unflavored Protein powder in with them (for Popsicles, mix the powder with juice or flavored water and freeze in small Dixie cups if you can't find the plastic reusable Popsicle molds.) Or try mixing unflavored powder in broth or cream Soups. Just keep them below 130-140 degrees.

Mio is a concentrated flavoring you add to water....kinda like a liquid version of crystal light. You could do these pops with any flavored liquid....sobe, Vitamin Water, juices, etc.

So we all know about SF Popsicles, but what about Protein Popsicles? I just made my own and they're yummy. First get some Popsicle molds (I actually used silicone tube molds from Amazon, so I don't have to deal with the stick). I used li flavored drops - like Mio - added to Water and mixed in unflavored Protein Powder. Then poured in the molds and froze. So now I'm getting my protein even when sucking my pops for postop when getting anything in can be difficult. I mixed it at a concentration so I'm getting 10gms per pop.

So we all know about SF Popsicles, but what about Protein Popsicles? I just made my own and they're yummy. First get some Popsicle molds (I actually used silicone tube molds from Amazon, so I don't have to deal with the stick). I used li flavored drops - like Mio - added to Water and mixed in unflavored Protein Powder. Then poured in the molds and froze. So now I'm getting my protein even when sucking my pops for postop when getting anything in can be difficult. I mixed it at a concentration so I'm getting 10gms per pop.

sns513, My surgery is 12/20, too! I moved it up from 1/10 because of work, and I'm very excited. Start preop on 12/4 ( at least I get turkey and stuffing first I'm going to Mexico for surgery but I used to live in St. Pete... Where are you?

Mazzers, glad to see you got your flight logistics cleared up. I just got tickets for my 12/20 surgery date today.

Dr Ariel Ortiz at Obesity Control Center.< /p>

If you can eat Jello and Popsicles, how bout mixing unflavored Protein powder in with them (for Popsicles, mix the powder with juice or flavored water and freeze in small Dixie cups if you can't find the plastic reusable Popsicle molds.) Or try mixing unflavored powder in broth or cream Soups. Just keep them below 130-140 degrees.

I'm self pay and going to Obesity Control Center in TJ. I was told Dr. Ortiz will be on vacation the week of Christmas, but Dr, Martinez would still be doing surgeries that week. Well, I wanted the full "team" for my surgery, so I scheduled it for Dec 20. Just call your surgeon's office and check with his schedule. And hope your insurance doesn't postpone anything on a technicality.