hrhlaurie

29th here also, getting excited! I need to pack tomorrow and go to the store for broth and carnation instant Breakfast drink and whatever else I can have for the next 10 days.

During my pre-op appointment, maybe I'll ask doc to suction the gas back out, and take a few fat cells with it!

My surgery is actually in CO on Thurs. Nerves seem to be OK but I still can't imagine how I'll feel the week after surgery. Will I feel like going out for short outings, how far can I walk and how often should I walk? Will I sleep a lot or just lay around with no energy sipping little sips of protein drinks and water? How many sips of a drink will make me full? So many unknowns...

Oh, watermelon, yummmm. I'm on pre-op liquid and one small meal diet but no fruits or fruit juice. My post op diet looks like a week of liquids followed by 2-3 weeks of soft/slushy/pureed food but from what I've seen on these boards, that seems early for food. I'm tempted to stick to liquids as long as I can while stitched up stomach heals. Should I expect problems with food just over a week after surgery? I'm doing well on pre-op diet but not sure how the post-op experience will be. Seems like no way of predicting whether recovery will be horrible or not so bad.

I bought some more Protein powder but im drawing a blank on what I'll mix it with... pudding, applesauce? I'm having surgery day after tomorrow and not sure I'm prepared for the next phase. Also, how soon can I go out in public and feel OK? Days or weeks?

That's great, we can definitely share some shopping tips and recovery stories!

May 29 in Colorado Springs. Can't believe it is less than a week away and hope recovery goes well for all of us. We should keep this group together in the post-surgery forum.

Thanks for the support and Protein powder advice, it is much appreciated. I hadn't thought much about changing taste buds and don't want to waste money or time. I'll delay going out to dinner for several weeks but when do you think I'll feel comfortable enough to drive or at least go out? Every day I think of something new I need to focus on, like will I remember to not drink before and after I eat when I'm so used to drinking with my meals? Can I walk several blocks a week after surgery or will I be too weak or in pain? Hard to imagine now but a week from now I will be 3 days post surgery and I'm still trying to imagine what that will look and feel like. Pain meds, gas, tiredness, sleeping, trying to drink enough Water...? I'll go check out the other pre-surgeries this week, thanks!

Every day I think about my surgery and alternate between relief that it is almost here and doubt that I'm doing the right thing. I tell myself that cutting away most of a perfectly normal organ is no big deal and the surgery is pretty routine by now. Then I wonder what my new normal will feel like once I get through my recovery period. I think that is the part that causes the most anxiety for me; who will I be once the majority of the weight loss is past and the novelty has worn off? Will I have some kind of normal life or will I never feel like myself again? Does anyone else feel like this? Then I kick myself because I've been working towards this surgery since last Nov so I'm going to make it work and try not to worry about possible future anxiety. I dont know if anyone else did this, but during my 6 months of supervised weight loss, I didn't take it seriously at first, and considered it just part of the hoops I had to jump through for insurance. I gained a few pounds here and there and got a serious warning after the surgery class at the hospital where they told us that weight gain at this time could be grounds for a denial. I began my diet and managed to drop 10 pounds by my final doctor appt but I was worried before that weigh-in. Now I'm 3 days in to my pre-surgery diet and I got a bit of a late start due to work travel. I missed the first 3 days of my diet but have been determined to make it up since the goal is to have a less fatty liver so no cheating during these 7 days. I thought this would be harder but I'm doing pretty well I think. I can't take some of my Vitamins but I'm not as hungry as I thought I'd be. I think I've sort of psyched myself into this liquids and one small meal zone so that food isn't really an issue for now. Feels like that could change any time but I'll take my victories where I find them. Went to dinner with my family last night, an italian place, but I was up to the challenge. I would rather get creative with menu choices than tell my husband no dinners out. We all needed this time to hang out together. I ordered a half-size spinach salad with grilled chicken and skipped the bread and I felt great and salad was good. After surgery I'm taking two weeks off from eating out at restaurants but pre-surgery I have more menu options. I think this is the point where some might be tempted to cancel surgery because weight loss is going well. Did anyone cancel their surgery less than a week out? This must be diet amnesia because I'm sure we've all been on diets where we lost and gained it back. I know that I couldn't sustain this forever on my own and would invent a reason not to continue with a diet (vacation, stress at work, travel, family issues, etc) I think the success of this surgery is that we don't have to worry about weak willpower and failure. I'm lucky that I don't really have a sweet tooth but I'll probably have a pizza or burrito attack at some point. Right now, I'm living on every type of low or no sugar drinks and Atkins shakes. I like the Atkins shakes but I need to remember to order the powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Protein for after surgery... What sustains me are the success stories here where so many have lost weight and feel great. All of the medical statistics in the world can't compete with these real-life stories and I thank you all for sharing. I'm trying to keep up with this tradition and promise full disclosure along the way. My pre-op appt. is this Wed and surgery Thurs. Strangly, after reading other stories, I'm most worried about the gas pains! I wonder how soon after surgery I can drive and will feel like going out. I haven't seen many details so would love to hear what I might expect. I'm hoping for another significant weight loss this Wed and will share my experience. To those just starting out, hang on, it's a bit of an emotional roller coaster!

This is the post I look at when I ask myself if I'm crazy to be having this surgery. Thank you all for sharing your photos and stories with us!

Starting my liquid diet this Friday. Supposed to start tomorrow but im traveling for business with no fridge in my room and no grocery store that I've seen in this city that carries what I need so my pre-op diet will stop late and I'll have to make sure there are no mistakes during my week, instead of 10 days, of liquids. Surgery is 5-29 and it seems weird to be so nervous when I've been working towards this goal for the past 7 months. I'm trying to imagine this new world of liquids and mushy foods but even though I've read posts and books and thought I had the information I needed, suddenly my mind is blank. I'm like, wait, is my surgery in 9 days?!

These photos and stories are really inspiring, thanks!

I've told family and close friends but for work colleagues who I dont know as well, I just tell them I'm having surgery and will be out for a bit. One coworker asked me about the surgery because she is interested in it for herself. She asked me if she could ask questions about it and I said sure. If you share with someone, you could be an inspiration to them. For any who express doubts, I tell them I'm at risk for diabetes and I don't want to risk that illness and I'll be healthier. I dont really care if there are doubters, I don't generally ask for people's approval before other major decisions, much less for my health choices.

May 29th here!

My surgery is later this month and dr says I'll have 5 small incisions, and no tubes or catheters.

Older here too and im determined to make it work. I think the key is avoiding carbs and boosting metabolism by exercise.

This is all really encouraging because I just got my surgery date of May 29 and 3 months later I'll be in Hawaii. I really wanted to look so much better on this trip and can't wait to burn major calories hiking and snorkeling. You are all so inspiring, thanks!

I found your post today, the very day I got my surgery date. After waiting forever for the date, suddenly I couldn't decide if I was ready or would it all be for nothing? Would I really lose weight when nothing has ever worked before? Thanks for sharing and helping to restore my confidence. I'm glad you are so happy and were willing to share the light at the end of the tunnel.

Congrats to all of you for getting this far and getting approved, or at least submitted for approval. I thought waiting to get through my 6 months of doctor visits, Nut and counseling would be the worst, and then I thought waiting for approval would be the worst but UHC approved in a week but I couldn't get my final doctor appt. right away and had to wait until tomorrow to get in for final surgery approval and this has been the worst wait of all. Tomorrow I get my surgery date and I'm hoping it will be no later than end of May or first week of June since our Hawaii vacation is booked for Aug 20 and I want to be fully healed and eating more than mush by then. I just worry that my surgeon will be so booked with bariatric and general surgeries that I won't get in for a couple of months. Fingers crossed!

I've been adding a powder called "greens" to my water and it is really nothing but potassium and magnesium. I get raspberry flavor but they also have orange. It tastes good and great for nutrients and digestion.

Thanks for sharing, this is great info. I wanted to ask if you've tried adding unflavored protein powder to your food, or chicken-flavored protein to your broth. I dont knoe how it would taste so thought id ask. I'm still experimenting with protein powders but have only added them to smoothies.

Try Tera's Whey that is organic and comes in different flavors. Whole Foods has it and you can get it on Amazon. It isn't gritty like some and sweetened with Stevia.

I'll throw in my 2 cents... When I started looking into surgery and began my required 6 months of dr visits, I basically thought I was just jumping through insurance hoops so I changed nothing about myself at first. I thought they would lop off part of my stomach and I'd just eat much less, not be hungry, and lose weight, the end. I didnt change my eating habits and gained 8 pound from first doctor supervised visit to the 5th one due to my extended farewells to nachos, big bowls of Pasta, and other high-calorie carb dishes. Then I got serious, understood what my horrible eating habits were doing to my body and how I needed to permanently change before and after surgery and lost 10 pounds by my 6th visit. I attended a surgery class and starting seriously reading posts on this site and began to understand that my habits had to change. I met with the dietician and she helped me understand why I had to give up caffeine, due to the tannins that could irritate the new stomach and it causes dehydration which will be my enemy, even without caffeine. I now know that I have always eaten too fast, probably didn't even chew half of my food, or taste it because I'm always reading or doing something while I eat. Rather than focus on food, I have always just eaten what I liked and crammed it in without thought. This surgery is not only about eating less, it is about being healthy. if i gulp my food after surgery it will come back up and it will hurt. We have to take our Vitamins, drink Water and stay focused on Protein. This surgery can be life-changing, just apply what you learn from your doctor, Nut and this site and you'll do great.

I live in Colorado Springs and will have surgery in local Penrose hospital. They took about a week to come back with approval.

Im reading this book now and there so many things that I can identify with. How she feels about herself, how she feels about surgery, the doctor visits, approval process and I'm just up to her telling her friends. I would recommend it.