ladykatie_

@@NicoleSW - that was SERIOUSLY my exact thought! I'm like, ehhh surgery but a catheter!?!? So yeah you'll either be out or out-of-it when they put it in (hopefully). When they took it out, it didn't hurt at all. It was a tiny pull down there and it was over. I guess you can always ask when they put it in, just so you'll have peace of mind! Best of luck and don't get too scared!

All I know is... I can't wait til I can do it again!!!

@@marfar7 - what's yogurt cheese? and what do you use it for/in?

I tend to hold my emotions in (except for that time of the month) but I have these exact same fears. Internally, I am freaking out that I won't be able to do this. I'm 8 days post-op and everything makes me nauseous and I know I'm not getting enough Protein each day. The one thing I've learned from these forums is that you have to be patient with yourself and do the best you can, taking it day by day. Also, a lot of people recommend not weighing yourself every day and limiting it to once a week or month. I can't do that right now, I'm too obsessed but there will have to be a time when I put the scale away for a bit. You can do it, I promise!!! In fact, WE can do it!!

@@Mia Eck LOL you crack me up! Set a reminder on your phone then! On repeat so you don't have to remember to set it. I might try some other form of BC, taking pills is so lame.

Thank you for the responses! I definitely want to try the egg Protein powder and the Torani syrups. I just ordered some unflavored protein powder so I can drink it AND eat it. I hope it doesn't taste too horrible.

Honestly, I just enjoyed my time with family and friends. You'll be stuck inside (or at least I am) not doing much of anything for a couple weeks. Some people get up and go from surgery though so it's just a thought for me! Also, I enjoyed my favorite junk foods I'd never be able to eat (probably) again.

@@revision in TX - Your post makes A LOT of sense. Some people do have to follow a diet but still have a "last hurrah" of sorts. I saw that on another thread that I can't remember the topic of. In my case, I went cold turkey. I don't have cravings for anything in particular. Just solid food in general. I wish I could just eat a chicken salad, ya know? Haha. I'm interested to see what others have to say about it.

Doubtful. Insurance companies are picky about the whole "being supervised by a physician" thing, unfortunately

Yes, if you can stand it.

What lovely things I have to look forward to, LOL

This made me laugh a lot for some reason.... The one thing I will miss of this weight will be the boobs... they're like my signature look! Lol. I've always been kind of busty (D cup since 8th grade) and now it's like E or something. Totally investing the avocado idea. @@Veronica.N - just curious, how did you eat the avocado? Guacamole?

I should set an alarm, some days I'm so bad about taking it. @@Mia Eck

Hmmm, I'll have to talk to my doc about it. I understand the NSAIDS could cause ulcers but not always. And dumping syndrome couldn't be any worse than a horrible accident causing unconsciousness. I guess it's just a super extra precaution.

I love fudgesicles, I hope the SF kind is as good as regular. They are!! Fudgesicles are yummy as ever! Any popsicle that is sugar free tastes almost the same. Since I'm about a 7 year old at heart, I eat popsicles all the time and willingly bought sugar free ones before surgery. What? Who does that?!

I'm gonna have to say that the scars are scars. They're gonna be there forever, whether they're super noticeable or not. As someone said earlier, everybody is different and heals differently. I have to commend you on keeping in such a secret. Best of luck to you in your endeavor!

Yes! I was bawling my eyes out one minute and then was happy and laughing the next. I was never like that prior to surgery. Not to mention it's like Niagara Falls! I started taking birth control again to calm my hormones down. Hopefully, it helps.

I also didn't know we couldn't have NSAIDS or sugar ever again....? Especially if it were an emergency situation?

Yes, I've heard it called the liver shrinking diet as well. A difference might also be that my doctor puts the pouch and small intestine BEHIND the stomach instead of in front of it. He said he's hardly even near the liver. I guess he assumed that all my organs were normal and good to go. LOL

I didn't even think to do this. Is it a necessity?

I went to see my doctor today. He said my incisions have healed great and addressed all my concerns (constant diarrhea, belly pain, Protein intake, etc.) and I was relieved to hear I'm not having any abnormal issues. Yay! I was curious about something so I decided to ask. Whenever I read about people in the pre-op stage for their surgery, they usually have to go on a diet for a few weeks before surgery. I've also heard of that before when I was first looking into the surgery. I did not have to do this before my surgery. So I asked the doc and he said that recent studies have found that it doesn't make a difference in many cases. He also said that some studies found that patients were malnourished prior to surgery because of the diet. He continued explaining to me why a lot of doctors still required their patients to do this. I was pretty surprised. I said it seemed like such a common practice. He responded that he is constantly keeping up with bariatric practices, reads several medical journals, attends classes, etc. and it was his belief to not have people diet before surgery. Does anyone feel that their pre-op diet (if you had one) helped with the surgery? Did it you feel it would make a difference? I'm just curious is all. The point is moot now that I've had the surgery. Interesting to see what people think.

Hey we're all in basically the same boat! Dumping syndrome scares me so I hope I can avoid it! I'm sorry you had to go through that. What do you think caused it?

I was concerned about DS but I couldn't think of why I would be having it! I didn't have anything out of the norm, just Protein drinks I've been drinking for days. I usually get in more than enough Water every day but maybe at that point, I wasn't hydrated enough. It also could have been just pure anxiety as I've had anxiety in the past. I went to the doc today and had the hubby drive. I actually was fine today. Granted it was overcast and not as hot (thank god)! I felt good enough to drive all the way back home. He even asked me to stop at In-N-Out for him and I was A-OK. Kind of jealous of the solid food but I wasn't wanting to eat it for sure. Maybe it was just a day too early to go outside into the world!

Tricare is awesome

I decided to talk to my PCP in Sept 2013 and I got my surgery May 21, 2014. No out of pocket cost.