Miss Mac

I agree....My surgery is 12/23, and I had to do a 3 month nutrition program which extended into four, waiting for the actual date. I was required to log onto myfitnesspal.com and record my eating every day. The nutritionist had me on 1100 calories and 60 grams of protein...eating protein first at every meal. Small bites, eat slow, pace drinking beverages, no caffeine, no carbonated.....so these four months have helped me prepare for my new life. I don't feel overwhelmed by having to make a lot of changes, because I made them. Now we just get down to the real thing - only a week away. Good luck to you.

BatBat, The time will pass. Just think of where you will be in a year if you don't get the surgery, and where you will be if you do. I started my program on July 7, 2013 and guess what? I started my liquid diet today and will have my sleeve on December 23rd. I am so excited. It took forever, but my turn has finally come. You hang in there and do what you have to do to get healthy. Good luck!

Yeah, I agree that it may not have anything to do with your sleeve, and I have learned to not minimize any medical issue. I heard an FBI agent say one time, "Not all that much is coincidence!"

I hope not. I just bought a 16 pound box of sugar free lollipops.

I last posted on this thread on Sept. 6. As it turns out, my date is December 23 also. As a reminder, that is Lake Tahoe in my picture. I was in the area on a business trip in 2009. Good luck with your surgery....I will be thinking of you as they give my happy relaxer shot before they wheel me in.

Miss Mac's hooker name would be BUFFY HENDRICKS. Sounds like I missed my calling!

My surgery will be 12/23, so my liquid diet is coming at me quickly. I thought I might apologize to my dear heart of a boyfriend ahead of time on the first day, for the large possibility that I am going to be cranky and weepy. In the seven years we have been together, he has never once asked me to change anything about myself. He is very tall and "healthy thin", and I am short and round. We look like a pencil and an apple standing together. This upcoming surgery was not his idea, but he has been supportive from the start. I can't bear the thought of being cross with him; he doesn't deserve it. So, I think with fair warning, he can help me through the tears and anxiety. I am soooooo ready to do this.

Matter can neither be created nor destroyed. I am hoping some of my fat ends up in Hollywood, California

Right now I can choose the Protein I want, but the week prior to my date of 12/23 I can only have 1) 4 1/2 bottles of Boost Glucose Controlled daily, OR 2) 4 1/2 cans of Slim Fast High Protein daily, OR 3) 5 1/2 packets Carnation Instant Breakfast No Sugar Added with 1% milk, OR 4) 5 individual cartons of Atkins Advantage. I was told that what calories there are, I need. They don't want me to go without some calories and nutrients every day. Then after my surgery, I can choose my own protein again.

For those of you who have never had any kind of surgery, maybe I can put your mind at ease on the pre-op stuff. My sleeve is scheduled for 12/23/2013, coming home on Christmas day, and I have had 12 other surgeries. Here is what happened every time: After you get into a surgical gown, you are taken to a pre-op prep area where they check your ID one more time, sign final consent papers, and help you relax from the jitters before you go in for surgery. That may be a shot or a pill, or even meds inserted in your IV. The IV is not so bad if your tech is skilled and your veins are obvious. If you are right handed, ask for it in your left hand or arm so that you can use your dominate hand freely. When they tell you that you are going to feel a little prick, you can tell them that Miss Mac's ex was a little prick So, once the IV is in and secured and you are calming down, you can say toodle-loo to your support person. You will see them again in a couple of hours. Your doctor and your anesthesiologist should stop by to say they will see you shortly in the O.R. and answer any final questions you may have. You get wheeled into surgery and transferred to the operating table, where they check your ID again and verify that they have the right patient for the right surgery. You will get an oxygen mask or one of those little thingies that just sits a tad little bit in your nostrils. The anesthesiologist will probably ask you to count backward from 100. 100....99....98....wake up...wake up....your surgery is over...you did just fine. So, you have taken a nap and received a new lease on life. Ta da! There you are in the recovery room, coming back around. In this case, it will be your new birthday. So, Happy Birthday. I wish you happiness and health as you become the newer improved you. No point in worrying. It doesn't get you anywhere. I am sure you want this surgery like a kid wants Christmas. So, go into it hoping for the best. Take care.

Once I heard a pastor who was talking about how to deal politely with intrusive questions. He said that you don't have to lie, but you don't have to tell everything you know.

My sleeve is on 12/23, coming home on Christmas day. I was already planning on sleeping in my lift recliner for a few nights, but now I am going to add my Pandora channels and my earphones. What a great idea!

We are such individuals! I like Nature's Best - Extreme smoothies, both chocolate and vanilla.

I am thankful for my upcoming sleeve on Dec. 23. Every day that I wake up is a good day!

Last night, I woke up several times with your situation on my mind. I hope you understand that my comments are coming from the perspective of a domestic violence survivor, and that ultimately I wish you good health and peace of mind. Since I do not know you or what the other dynamics are in your marriage, my support comes from the frustration you expressed in your post. No one deserves to be verbally abused, or physically assaulted, or isolated from supportive family and friends, or mentally undermined, or denied medical care. It sounds like he is planting seeds of doubt about your ability to be in control of your own life and health. Do you think he would also be unsupportive if your health issues were from a congenital condition or cancer or something catastrophic? Is he more concerned about medical bills and the inconvenience of doctor appointments and downtown for recovery or do you think he is frantically worried about you and doesn't know how to compassionately express his concern? One thing that helped me to escape from my husband who became a clinically diagnosed sociopath was that call to a women's shelter to get a professional opinion about what my options were when his psychosis began to affect my health and safety. They introduced me to the cycle of abuse and helped my navigate my way through the emotions and confusion of examining how to change the people and surroundings that were robbing my peace of mind and mentally holding me in a dark place. There have been several posts on this forum about how the weight loss process impacts relationships in positive and unfortunately sometimes negative ways. Companionship should be about loving and caring and sharing. If you do not have that, then why are you still there? There was a psychologist on Oprah who addressed issues with lopsided toxic relationships. One of her comments turned my life around. She said...."Instead of thinking 'I love him - so why does he treat me this way?' Start thinking 'why would I love someone who treats me this way?' Whether I have hit the nail on the head or not, I want to encourage you to pursue good health and happiness. You have a right as an individual to determine what your course in life will be and who surrounds you in your journey through life. If you have to battle genetics, uncooperative body parts, and gnarly old habits in the process, then do it! I know we get tired of being strong, but you can pull strength from sympathetic friends on this forum. With the sleeve, you have already taken that first leap of faith to have a healthier happier life. When we stumble along the way we can grab a cane, crutch, or go-cart and keep on moving toward the prize. Life for anyone is a series of adjustments - a change in plans from day to day to day. My signature quote on this site is from Wolfgang Von Goethe. It has helped me face many unimaginable obstacles in my life. Goethe said, "Whatever you can do, or dream you can......BEGIN IT! For boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." Good luck sweetie.....do what you have to do get healthy and happy. We are here to encourage you along the way. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

I use the sublingual B12 from Walgreen's. It is a tiny pink pill and melts like butter in seconds. Taste is ok.

Miss Mac here.....Yesterday, I finally got my insurance approval after four months of program compliance. Now I understand what others were talking about concerning a combination of relief and sheer panic. My sleeve date is December 23, going home on Christmas day.......so shopping is done and gifts are distributed. Everybody is doing their celebrating at someone else's house this year. That way, I can come home with my sweetie and relax and heal. Thankfully, I did well enough with the pre-op weight loss - 25 pounds - that I only have to do the liver shrinking liquid diet for one week. My supplies are in and this is getting real. See you all on the other side of the losers' bench after the holidays.

Well, I was ready to give up on the Sleeve site,too for the same aggravating reasons. The forum lost many of the regulars I was used to seeing, and I was feeling kind of lonesome. But the previous comment here reassures me to hang in there a bit longer to see how things develop. Good luck to our RNY friends, and I wish you every success with your weight loss.

What a great family. Will you adopt me???????

I had a stress test last year prior to a knee replacement. Because of orthopedic issues, I got to do it lying down, and just had to move my legs around enough to get my heart rate up. It was no big deal.

Miss Mac here. I got my official sleeve date today - December 23, 2013. Finally....I am so excited. Now, about this combined website....I am not liking it much. They won't let me use my previous moniker of Miss Mac until I make a certain number of posts. It seems harder to follow a thread, posts are multiplied, fewer people seem to be using the site now. Just venting.

My date is December 18th, at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. I have every confidence in my surgeon, Dr. Bipan Chand. He Directs the Bariatric Clinic and teaches laparospic surgery at the university. He directed the bariatric program at the Cleveland Clinic before coming to Loyola last year. Just think of it as a nice nap and a new birthday. I wish you every success with your weight loss.

My sleeve date is coming up in December, and I have already begun window shopping online for clothing in smaller sizes for women in their sixties. The last time I weighed anywhere near my goal weight of 135 was in the mid 1980's, and I wore a size 10. But I see where women weighing 140+ say they are in size 4 or 6. Have sizes changed that much over the years?????? Where can I go shopping that 140 pounds fits that small a size? Now I don't know where I will be shopping. I am confused. I normally shop online because of mobility issues, but I guess my new body is going to be so strange to me that I am going to HAVE to try things on as my weight goes down.

I have one week left in my three month program, then my paperwork goes in to the insurance. When I had my first visit with the bariatric physician, she switched my Sertraline (that I had been taking for three years for post stroke depression and anxiety) to Buproprion, which made a big gigantic difference in my outlook in only two weeks. My team is there for me to succeed. The psych was more concerned about my support system at home and how family and social dynamic have affected my eating in the past and are likely to affect it in the future. I worried about it for nothing.

My tentative date pending final approval is December 18. Monday November 18th is my final required bariatric clinic visit, Then I hope I don't have to wait too long for a response. So about the time you have your surgery, I will be starting my two week liver shrinking diet. Good luck to you. I will see you on the other side of the losers bench.