alwaysvegas

I told everyone I worked with and many were curious. All were supportive. Several co-workers even visited me in the hospital. I gladly answered all kinds of questions from co-workers about my experience and journey so far. The only thing I said I wouldn't do is justify the surgery to anyone. And I'm delighted that no one has tried to put me in that position.

I switched to decaf quite some time before the pre-op diet, but my nutritionist and surgeon weren't overly-concerned about caffeine pre-op. They were more concerned about fat and sugar. As other of said, try tapering off to like half-caf and then 1/4-caf.

I was obsessively focused on my sleeve pre-sleeve. Now that I'm two weeks out from surgery and moving back to more solid foods, I feel like I can start moving on now knowing that I made the absolute best choice for me. And I'm LOVING IT! Now I need to start obsessing on new clothes and vacation.

A little over two weeks since surgery! Incisions are almost completely healed, zero pain, no nausea, haven't vomited yet, and back at the gym last week (cardio only)! I couldn't have asked for a better recovery. Surgeon gave me the go-ahead to start weightlifting again and I'm moving on to purees/mushies. I actually started purees earlier this week, first by adding egg white to broth, then added tofu, then used less broth to make it more mushy. All of it went down just fine! I'm so delighted. However, without much liquid, I can really feel my little tummy filling up fast. I love the feeling and so glad I got this surgery! I did my first round of chicken breast pureed with some soup and that went down well also. Delicious! Oh how I missed you real chicken! It takes me about 20-25 minutes to eat 3oz of pureed chicken with sauce. Amazing! And I'm enjoying every delicious bite! I went to the store after my appointment and got some low fat cottage cheese, cheddar, and mozzarella. Also got a few Indian sauces, a Thai sauce, and some ground turkey. I'm not yet sure how much I'll actually be able to eat in a week, so I have no idea how much to buy! My nutritionist said to go ahead and eat a couple extra small snacks on gym days because I've been taking in about 600-800 calories and burning 500-600 on elliptical cardio. She said to make sure I never feel weak or dizzy. Haven't so far, but I do tire more easily than before surgery. I donated a bunch of 'larger sized' clothes to Goodwill and bought a round of new shirts in two sizes (one for now and one for down the road). It feels so nice to have some new clothes and a newer body for them. Hope everyone else is doing well!

Here's some average weight-loss data I googled up: http://www.tylerbariatrics.com/weight-loss.htm As everyone has said, if you're above/below average that means nothing against your overall success! Peace be with you!

My nutritionist says to opt for 10 or less carbs per serving. The best indicator is your weight loss. If you seem to be stalling more, then consider reducing the carbs. It's always preferable to get in protein over carbs.

If you're still weeks or months pre-op, it's much easier to slowly make these lifestyle changes over time. I made a pre-op list of my lifestyle changes and implemented them over months. One was quitting diet soda. I once drank about 2 liters of Diet Coke a day. I don't miss it at all. I've noticed that once I started changing my eating and drinking choices, I really didn't miss the processed foods and diet sodas. Waiting until the surgery or pre-op diet to 'give up' all these things (remember that you're not giving it up unhealthy foods, you're making a choice) is much harder than spreading it out. Remember that you are empowering yourself to make these healthy choices. Embrace that. Good luck and best wishes to all!

Just keep in mind that the drain is there for a beneficial reason. The first time they emptied mine, it made me kinda squeamish, but then I realized that nothing about it hurt and it was there so my surgeon could monitor me. Then it didn't bother me at all. I do agree with drcorvalasleeve to take in a deep breath when they pull out the drain tube, but it's over within 3 seconds. They did take my blood twice a day for the 2.5 days that I was in hospital so that my surgeon could determine my Vitamin and liquid needs. The blood is taken very quickly and I was so tired as it was that I never felt it. Now that surgery is behind me, any discomfort I felt is becoming more and more minor as I'm experiencing the incredible rewards! Hang in there! You'll do fine!

I lost quite a bit of weight pre-surgery, but still did not buy smaller clothes (except for a belt lol) until post-surgery. I've made up for it quite a bit and bought over 20 articles of clothing this week, some that are currently snug on me (size Large) and others that are currently too small (Mediums) so I have clothes to look forward to. It was exciting trying on pants that I didn't think would fit and they DID. I bought a couple pairs of pants that are snug now and a couple more that are just too tight for down the road. I took two boxes of clothes to Goodwill yesterday along wtih my too-large plates and bowls. It felt great!

The pre-op diet is such a great start to your new life. Your mind and body will adjust to the diet. Just keep your goal in focus. It's the best jump start to yoru post-surgery life. Also, check out my little write-up about how the pre-op diet feels post-op. It may give you some inspiration.

I'm just over a week since surgery and I can tell you...it's wonderful on the other side! You'll do great!

I didn't do a last supper. I'd been working toward permanent lifestyle changes prior to being considered for the surgery, so I didn't see the point in gorging myself.

I didn't have to take an extensive written Q&A. I just sat with the wonderful therapist who also runs the support group and we talked about my reasons for wanting the surgery, how I've changed my lifestyle towards nutrition, exercise habits, hobbies, and what my support is with friends and family. She also asked about any history of alcohol/drug abuse and any diagnosed eating disorders. I love psychology and completely trusted the therapist and all went really well.

I went post-op alone, although friends and family did call to check on me. The only real difficulty was getting up easily from bed or the recliner the 4th and 5th days after surgery (when I was at home), but it was actually easier than my ventral hernia repair last year. Before surgery, I just made sure I was stocked up on all the necessary post-op supplies (Gas-X, Isopure, laxative, Protein powders, almond milk, popsicles, and so on so I wouldn't have to ask anyone to get me something from the store. I was actually fine with driving (without pain meds) by the 5th day after surgery (my second day home).

Wonderful idea! I'm going to try that. Thanks Tamlyn. Another trick is that I use Guar Gum to thicken the broth a bit. Guar Gum is basically a Fiber and gives the broth a glossy-type texture, much like cornstarch does. That adds a whole new dimension to the broth without adding carbs.

OK, so for all you fine folks who are in the wild throes of the pre-op all-liquid diet...I'm now six days POST-op and my surgeon requires the all-liquid + shakes diet to continue for two weeks post-surgery. So that's FOUR weeks total pre- and post-surgery to this all-liquid beast and I wanted to share how it's feeling for me as I can now easily compare the pre- and post-surgery sensations. Pre-op So the first few days of the pre-op diet weres a bit rough, but did get much better after the third day or so. I did basically graze all day on different shakes, broths, Mio-Water, etc. The second week actually went quite fast...much faster than the first. At some point my body just adjusted to the all-liquid diet and cravings were less, but still there. I was still eating 10-12 sugar free popsicles a day, for example. I would also ravenously suck down a 10-12 oz shake (I make them with ice and only 1/2 scoop powder) in under 2 minutes flat lol. I probably drank 4-5 cups of broth a day. I can't remember how many runs I made to the store for more damn broth. Overall, I was taking in about 1,000 calories a day. As I was prepping for surgery, I was talking with my buddy who came with me that I was hoping that my hunger would evaporate because I was dreading two more weeks of all-liquids. Post-op I was not allowed do drink anything until the morning after my surgery and then only after my leak test. They had me on IV fluids, so any sort of thirst was minimal. I did manage 1/2 cup of broth and 1/2 cup decaf iced tea over about 8 hours. No hunger whatsoever. The idea of food was nice and I could smell other breakfasts, lunches, etc. But I didn't have any craving at all for actual food. I also was standing outside the hospital waiting for my ride when I smelled BBQ nearby. Smelled awesome, but no cravings for some. Simply awesome! So, fast forward to my first full day home from surgery (this is day four post-surgery) and I'm testing out my liquid tolerance. My surgeon/nutritionist want 64oz minimum of liquids and 60g Protein. I chose Isopure because it's liquid+protein and not thick like a shake. I actually don't mind the taste of Isopure, but I think it's totally worth it for the protein. I could handle about 1 oz of liquid (Isopure) every 20-30 minutes. My pouch would fill up (I could hear it through my mouth...weird!) and if I overdrank it felt like a trapped burp. Not painful, just a bit uncomfortable. By mid-day, I could handle 2 oz of liquid every 10-15 minutes and that seemed to be my rhythm. Broth felt great on my new tummy. No nausea at all...zero. So, by the end of the first full day home (fourth day since surgery) I was able to drink 56 oz total of shakes + Isopure and got like 80g of protein. Protein is easy. What's interesting is that I never felt hungry. I was deliberately keeping myself well-hydrated by drinking every 10-15 mins or so, but when I got to a shake I wasn't ravenous for something food-like. I just enjoyed the taste...and very slowly at that. By the second full day (day 5 post-surgery) I took in over 100oz of liquid and about 110g protein. Maybe a bit much on the protein, but it was great. Liquids drained through my itty bitty tummy quite fast and I could take small sips and even small gulps almost continuously and never really fill up. So now I'm six days out and am driving around and shopping at strip malls and food everywhere. It all smells wonderful. I don't feel physically full, but I feel more like I just had a full meal a few hours before, so I'm just sated, though I could eat if I wanted to. So it's like, "Smells great, don't crave it." Also, my taste buds have not changed at least for the shakes and broths. They all taste the same as pre-surgery. I'm taking in about 600-700 calories a day. I should feel ravenous, but I feel wonderful. I feel very content. Hope that helps some of you who are struggling with the pre-op and I hope your experience is a positive one as mine has been thus far!

Hi Cody'smom-- Congratulations in advance and all your research will pay off! You will feel more and more confident going into surgery and know what to expect when you're done. As for liquid counts, my nutritionist said that I should count shakes and liquids (IsoPure, Water, broth, Jell-o) all in my liquid counts. I have some different Protein Shakes. I got my insurance to pay for Premiere Protein shakes through Insure Nutrition. I also make my own shakes using Body Fortress Protein Powder (chocolate or vanilla from Wal Mart) + unsweetened almond milk + sugar free Torani syrups for various flavors. Isopure is a Protein Drink. It's like juice with 40g protein per 20oz. Many people really hate the taste of Isopure, so you should test a few flavors out to see if it's to your liking. They're not cheap...about $4.00-5.00 per 20oz bottle and most commonly at GNC and Vitamin Shoppe. I ordered a couple cases via Vitamin Shoppe online. But I liked that I could tackle liquid + protein in one drink and not with just protein shakes. Hope that helps!

You're very welcome and glad you're finding the information helpful!

Thank you so much VSGAnn2014! My biggest question during support groups and what I was always looking for online was people explaining how the sleeve feels, how the hunger feels, how does full feel. And it seems alot of pre-op folks love that info also. So glad you find it helpful. Of course, different people have somewhat different experiences.

Congratulations on your sleeve! I also do find having something a bit savory does taste great. I'm really big on spices, so adding different spices to a broth helps a lot for me. I can add a smidge of soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder, and onion powder and it has a great asian flair to the broth. For lunch today I added cumin, red chili powder, dried cilantro, dash of hot sauce (new tummy doesn't mind spices yay). Because I don't really feel hungry it does fill the flavor I was looking for with just broth. I love it!

I did share with friends, family, and co-workers. I received overwhelmingly positive response. What was interesting is that I lost quite a bit of weight before the surgery and several people did ask if I felt I still needed the surgery, including my primary care physician. I explained to them that I have a pattern back to childhood of yo-yo-ing and I felt the surgery would help lessen or eliminate the yo-yo-ing. I also said that I wanted to jumpstart the weight loss and eating changes by changing my nutrition exercise months before surgery (even before the required nutrition program). I also explain that the sleeve is just a tool (I prefer the term 'guardrail') but the weight loss is ultimately on me. Everyone seemed to get that, including my PCP. If anyone thought anything negative, they didn't say it to my face. However, a few people did talk about the "friends or family with complications or who gained it back," and I'm totally okay with that. I did ALOT of research and focused alot on the negative aspects of the surgery. I know what can go wrong, but it was certainly a chance I was willing to take.

I did the same thing the two days before surgery! I cleaned the house from top to bottom and stocked up on all the post-surgery supplies I had jotted down. I liked the idea of coming home to my new life with a clean house.

Did your doctor provide a list of liquids that you can and cannot have? That makes a difference on the recipes. Also, check out the recipe sub-form here.

In a peer-to-peer review, your surgeon and your PCP (if they will help also) will talk with the doctor from the insurance company to explain why you require the surgery even if you did not meet the insurance requirements and were denied. The Aetna website (http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/100_199/0157.html) provides all the approval requirements and section C.1 describes the nutrition program and states, "...Records must document compliance with the program; the member must not have a net gain in weight during the program." However, if you are denied, the reason(s) on which you were denied are provided in the denial letter from Aetna and will be discussed by your doctor(s) with Aetna. People have had great luck getting their denial overturned in the peer-to-peer. However, if you are denied again, you can request an external peer review, which is like an arbitration. Your doctors discuss your need for surgery with an "impartial" doctor outside of the Aetna who decides whether or not the surgery is medically necessary. The external doctor's decision is legally binding and Aetna has to agree with whatever the external doctor decides.

My surgeon's site pre-op and post-op diet phases: http://www.360bariatrics.com/360-process/bariatric-diets/