dstollery

I want to feel good an look good again. Even at the weight I am in this pic as a firefighter I would be happy. The other pic is me currently :/

Omg . . . W O W U really do look great!!!

I'm sorry

remember though your getting vitamin A and D as well as calcium from the milk you mix it with as well as 8.8g protein per cup of skin milk =)

yEP thats the stuff!!!!! I LOVE IT!

stevia is great in the regard that its an artificial sweetner that works really well for diabetics. I am not sure post op on stevia though, good question for some of the post op peeps. Have any of you tolerated or had exp, with stevia post op?

first are the basics, are you talking BP medications or a beta blocker?? if not remember that its a couple of consistent blood pressures that make it high or low. BP frequently changes even by the minute and by the arm. Are you useing a home BP monitor or a store one? store ones are not a good one to rely on. they often are not calibrated. A bp less than 90 is when we start treating patients with acute conditions because less than 90 does not perfuse end organs. This being said a low bp that is truly low is usually symptomatic. have you been dizzy at all? had any LOC (loss of conciousness), Nausea anything like that? regardless of your answers you should call your dr. some energy decline is normal post surgery, any surgery due to the added stress on your body but if your feeling bad and you think you have low bp you should be consulting your physician right away. that being said i cant stress enough that these forums are great but no advice here replaces or should be taken over a physcians. If your feeling like you should see a doctor i cant stress enough that you should. complications from surgery can = death. I would call your dr. immediatly and discuss with his PA or him/her and find out what they want you to do. I hope you get feeling better =(

glad to hear that your doing well!!! keep up the great work it sounds like your doing everything your supposed to!! WOOOOOOT

My surgeon has me on Protein shakes an 1600 calorie diet till the last 5 days so i am stoked! Its mostly a liver shrink issue and high protein low carb is what helps with that so he doesnt require a 2 week liquid diet. I am a paramedic and tell me you wernt drunk on that trampoline LOL. i have seen some pretty crazy injuries from that thing to include a lacerated spleen!! i have been on Protein Shakes for the last month, getting close to 100g a day but i am also weight lifting so trying to build up some muscle so when the fat comes off muscle is there to replace it LOL. WOW 3 kids!!?? Its awsome that your taking charge of your goal and your decision and moving forward! 2nd week of august would be amazing!

first WELCOME!!! thats awsome that your starting your journey and already have a surgery date!!! Lots of foods can be pureed. I would say that a really good blender is a first step. I would pay attention to the wattage on most of them. Your cheaper ones are anywhere from 200 - 400 watts. I went out and got a ninja after speaking to some peeps on this forum and OMG that thing is amazing!! its 1100 watts and true to what i was told can puree roast beef!! I am still pre-op so i am not the best person to answer this question but check out the nutrition and food sections of the forum! great info and great recipes! welcome again!

Unjury is great stuff and ALLOT of people here use it! just be carefull with walmart brands and off brands, they may say whey protein but they might not have much isolate or concentrate. Just harder for your body to use the other stuff =)

ohh, see my post called informed =) Basically the best you can get is dilaudid aka hydromorphone. Its very potent and like all the others has its risks and side effects. jenneliza is right though, laproscopic procedures shouldnt generate a ton of pain. Remember that a little pain is ok, endorphines that your body releases will help you threw it but its also a reminder that you may be doing too much. PCA pumps are very common on the floor post op and you just button yourself up and your good. Try to remember though that as everyone has stated the gas pain is best relieved with walking. You HAVE to be mobile. Pain control is important but not something i would stress about if i were you =). There are lots of options to manage your pain and most surgeons dont have a problem sending you home with loretab elixer or something of the same flavor. Positive thoughts!!

10 days till surgery date is what i meant =) I cant freaking wait!!! My anesthesia doc is gonna hate me though, I know i will be like, So what are you puttin me down with? 100 of fentanyl and 5 of versed? Are you going with a mac or miller blade or are you cheating and using the glide scope? can i get a little love before i go in, i'm a little nervous, maybe some diazepam 2mg IVP? ohh and dont be stingy on the zofran doc, give me some love. LOL My last anesthesia doc loved me. He was like, ok sir here comes the fentanyl, here's some zofran, and last thing i remember he held a syringe up and goes and here's the good stuff little versed for ya, that was all she wrote LOL.

i am told when i go to week 3-4 i can have mashed potatoes, HOWEVER i was told to puree it with turkey or some form of protein because just carbs (starches = HUGE CARB LOAD) will make you dump. I am thinking of doing pureed turkey with a bit of mashed potatoes and seeing when i am at that stage.

omg where did i learn to spell?

ok so here's the scoop hehehehe on Protein. It is universal that most dr's want you to have whey protein isolates and concentrate. You have to be really carefull about the ingredients on what your puttin down there. Low carb < 5 grams is typically preferred and generally not sugar. sucralose, most people can tolerate. Read the labels carefully though because the main ingrediant needs to be whey protein isolates. Watch your caloric intact with these as well, i pick ones with < 150 calories per scoop. Also watch how much protein your getting. I get 24 grams per 28 gram scoop. With the skin milk i mix it with i get an additional 8 grams of protein per cup and i usually mix 2 cups so i get 40 grams per shake. This means that 2 a day yields 80 grams and thats great! I use optimum's whey protein and i love the flavor and they have like 16 different kinds. Extreeme milk chocolate and strawberry are my fav's. Find one you like and make sure your drinking your required amount!!! Remember that protein causes the dump of glycogen stores from the liver so dont skimp out! My doc just about pooped when i told em i was taking in about 94 grams a day. He goes " WOW, thats great! I'm glad you found one you like! and your liver should be very well shrunk by surgery." Mine is 54.00 for a 5 lb jug. This has about 71 scoops in it and i do 2 scoops a day. People have found cheaper ones so keep watching the thread. just stay away from the Proteins that are not WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATES as the main ingrediant

i had the same problem LOL. my psych eval took 2 months to get to the surgeon's office. I was calling 3 times a week bugging the secretary at the psych office until finally i got really nasty and so did my hospital. I called and left a message saying that insurance fraud is a bad thing, i hope you havnt billed for this service that you have not charted for and thus have not rendered. Then my surgeons office called and left a message saying they had 24 hours to get them the chart or they would be advising me to go to their psych doc and contacting the insurance company. Oddly enough the PW was in the office that afternoon... the waiting sucks. but its worth it. I'm now 10 days from surgery date. =)~

I am so glad to hear your doing good losingitforme!!!! This post is great for those out there that are having the revision!! Very informative. Each persons story helps so many people its crazy to think about. Your so positive!! Truly an inspiration.

Welcome! It's awsome that you have already started working on your pre-op stuff!! If you ever have any questions feel free to ask, or post the more embarasing ones in the powder room. You just have to get past the XXX on the door. its scary in there......

Glad to hear your doing better!

i think it depends on your surgeon as well as your insurance. My insurance did not require, nor did my surgeon that i undergo a sleep study. The question i would have is, are they having you do this before they submit to approval for your insurance. If the answer to that question is yes than i can tell you why they are doing it =). It is likely so that they can add sleep apnea to your list of complications associated with being obese. This isnt a bad thing in fact this can help sway the board one way or the other. Pre-Op tests vary slightly depending on your hospital and surgeon. Usually you will have an ECG, blood draw and nutritional consult. This is very standard and nothing to worry about. Some doc's like mine also test of H. Pylori. This can cause issues if it were to flare post op so usually they treat it right away with antibiotics. Hope this helps!!!

Woooot grats!!!

There are several ways of telling if your dehydrated. Fatigue, dizziness, confusion. The big way to tell is something called skin tenting. This is when u pinch skin say on the back of your hand and observe for the skin to stay pinched in a tent look.

Being nervous is natural, the biggest thin you can do to help with the cold feet is educate yourself! Read here ad check out some of coggins links. He foud some great videos and articles. The liquid diet before depends on your surgeon. Mine yelled a me because I am on a 1600 calorie high Protein diet before not a mostly liquid only. The best thing you can do is find a protein mic u like NOW. Excess protein will help release glycogen stores in your liver, this will help shrink it for surgery. Remember that u need 60g give or take depending on your dr. I use optimum whey protein from GNC or bodybuilding .com and the mocha Cappuccino is amazing!!! It has 24g protein and I mix it with 2 cups of slim milk so I get an extra 16 ish from that. So 2 of those and your golden! Being scared is good, it's a natural response and it means that your seriouse and that you appreciate the gravity of the change. Try to relax and remember, life is what your choosing. Welcome to the journey.

Outch, sorry to hear that! I already told my partner at work that if I get dehydrated he is coming over to give me an iV. Lol