JenSull

They can give you a valium or something before they start in on the IV and pre-surgery prep. Ask for it early if you're worried. They'll not want to give you too much as you need to be lucid to consent to surgery! They came in, took my BP, had a look at my vitals and were like, "you're chill as you can be". Offered it to me and I passed. Once my mind is made up, it's made up! I was just excited the day had finally come! Fast forward a year and 1/2 to life now... taking NONE of my 10 diff pre-op meds with normal BP, cholesterol, sugars, no asthma and normal sleep. Maintaining a 95ish pound weight loss for 7 or 8 months or so. Maintaining an active lifestyle and social life! Size 4 skinny Rock Revivals on my butt! Eating what I like in small quantities and NOT being obsessed with food! Life. Is. Good!

@@JenSul what you said makes total sense. Even though we know all the right choices, if we could make them and follow those good eating habits unassisted we would not be on this site
Once you have your tool you will see that it does get easier to make the better choices. Your tool is just that a tool that will help you tailor your choices as you learn to work and live with it.
The best thing that you are doing pre-op is recognizing and understanding your habits and where those pit falls are for you. You are laying out the course for your journey and while you may fall into one or two of those pot holes along the way, you will have an understanding of them and will be able to navigate out of and around them more effectively then someone who isn't doing that work pre-op and is thinking that once they have surgery all the work is done for them and they don't have to do anything but lose weight.
Some of pit falls can be favorite foods, emotional eating, cultural eating (think of things like holiday treats and meals or special occasion foods like birthday cake) even the idea of the fast food culture we live in today is a big pitfall for me. I work all day long, those that know me could say 24/7 with some nap time thrown in
Who has time to plan a meal and cook it?! but taking the time to make the time and carve that out for myself and my husband has resulted in greater nutrition for us, as well as better weight loss and compliance with our WLS tool. Now don't get me wrong I still love that fast food, but I don't frequent McDonalds or Burger King or even Taco Bell. I can make "fast" food at home, and have something for lunch the next day so that takes the thinking out of the day for me. (it also helps that the hubs is a fireman and cooks!!!)
Your not doing anything wrong, get yourself a note book or scratch pad and take some notes on your eating habits. I love the 4 W's. Who do you eat with? What do you eat? Why are you choosing that? Where do you eat? they tell us lots about ourselves and our habits, and then if you get to the How you eat? Do you gobble, shovel, watch TV, read etc.
All those things will change after WLS, but if you can define them now you will know after how to modify them.

It took me about two years to become fully compliant with CPAP. That's not to say that it can't be done more quickly than that but it was hard for me to get in the habit of putting the mask back on if I woke up at night. I had to commit myself to it 100% without exception and now I'm just used to it. The thing with sleep apnea is that treatment has to be consistent to be effective. You really just have to suck it up and put the mask on, even if you hate it. I know it sucks but so does all of the risks associated with the disorder.
I know a lot of people get set back a little if they're diagnosed but believe me, being compliant is worth it. I can't imagine trying to recover from surgery while feeling like junk from sleep apnea. It's just too dangerous.

Just to clarify on the peeing at night and thirst - the apnea will irritate your throat and make your mouth dry because you're gasping. As for peeing, it's not that you have to pee more than anyone else, it's that your body is awake enough to tell you to get up and go. In normal deep sleep, the body slows down to ignore those signals. People will sleep apnea get very little deep sleep, so you get all the signals that tell you to get up and pee, drink Water, etc.

@@Jen Sull, All patients in the pre-op area receive IV Versed, a med that causes relaxation and amnesia. Folks who are super nervous or teary get more Versed until the desired effect is achieved. Unless you are allergic to it (in which case a different med like Xanax would be given), you'll be sufficiently calmed. No worries. Good luck with everything.

Believe me, I went from sobbing when they were getting ready to leave to laughing because I couldn't get on the OR table right. It was magic haha I was sleeved 12/22/2014 and am down 30lbs from pre op and post op dieting (19lbs since surgery). The first couple days were rough but it's totally worth it!

Thanks so much CD. I think bring medicated will be the only way I can get through that lol. When did you have your surgery? How are you doing?

How are you feeling? Did you call doctor?

Let them know as soon as you get there how anxious and nervous you are. They will give you a lovely "cocktail" and you will definitely stop caring.

I was only alone maybe 5 minutes. I told the drs that I was a nervous wreck and starte crying when my parents and husband were telling me bye. The gave me something in my iv when I started crying and everything calmed down. You will be fine, just be sure to tell them how nervous you are and ask if you can get something for your nerves. Good luck!!

I got dropped off early because my ride had to go to work. I chilled in the lobby for an hour then went upstairs and signed in. I sat in the waiting room about 30 minutes before they called me back. I wasn't nervous at all. Just ready for it to be over with. I said a prayer before I left the house and was fine.

Ugh...Okay....how do you know someone else's Before, During and After WLS journey? There are some of us on here and I'm sure on other boards who chose to change their lifestyle BEFORE weight loss surgery.
I had to attend a seminar and 3 nutrition meetings with a nutritionist. I learned all kinds of facts and tidbits about being obese that stuck with me. So much so that I made a deal with myself....If I could make some changes now...I could get this surgery. I had my surgery on 12/16/14 after losing 50+ lbs on my own....at a bmi of 32.
So I guess I'm one of those "people" who took advantage of WLS. H*** yes, sure did. You are not aware of my struggle with obesity since I was a kid. You are not aware of any part of my journey. But I am. i will lose the 42 lbs I have to reach goal and I will not gain it back.
Guess I need to remind some...Weight Loss Surgery is a TOOL. And please remember....Everyone is on their own journey...RESPECT them by giving the benefit of doubt.

You are gonna do great! This will transform your life. I had the sleeve on 12-23. Was scared and unsure. Everything went fine. Congratulations: this is the start of a whole new you!

So excited for you! I'll be praying for you today! I don't know from experience yet but I've read an extension cord is very helpful. I'm planning on taking a sleeping mask just in case and ear buds in case I don't have a private room or there's to much noise. Robe n slip on shoes for the many walks we'll be taking. Pillow for your tummy on the trip home. I have about an hour drive so I plan on taking a few zip lock bags in case I get nauseous. Biotene mouth spray n gas x strips. I'm taking my makeup I don't care what anyone says it make me feel better! Lip moisturizer or in my case lip gloss. Notebook n pens. I'm taking pajama pants and fuzzy socks to be cozy.
*These are all just random suggestions some people barely take anything at all. I'm taking more because my child was in the hospital a lot and I learned then that sometimes you never know when you are coming home or what you may need. I don't see anything wrong with taking extra stuff if you like. If you don't use it all no big deal! You're gonna do great!

Just to be completely honest here, I was surprised at my post-op pain level. For some reason I went in to surgery thinking it wouldn't hurt. But on the bright side, it only took a couple of days before I felt much better, and I barely remember it now. So my advise is to hang in there! Everything gets better and easier really quickly, and it has all been very worth it at this point! Best of luck on your surgery!

Seems like everywhere I go there is an image of some kind of food with melted, gooey cheese or something similar. Im playing every mental trick I know to tell myself it isn't any good and I love my shakes. Lucky me, I get to have chocolate shakes every day...
Until this surgery, I never noticed how many cooking shows my husband and I watch on food network and other stations. Seriously, way too many shows on eating. I'll say this, if you value your sanity, leave the room when Diners, Drive-ins and Dives comes on. Just sayin...