Jana64

I am two days before you, February 4th at Magee Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh. We are practically sleeve twins!

My doctor is not requiring a pre-op liquid diet for me. I guess because I am right near the 40 BMI mark. But I will still plan to step back from foods the week or ten days prior to my surgery so that going to all liquids is not a big shock to my system and so that I don't have solids in my digestive tract before the surgery. 32 days left and counting down...

I think that we are all pioneers. No matter how hard and expensive they make the process, we women (and some men) are determined to take this chance to change things for good. I get scared sometimes, sometimes I think about backing out. but I have a good core of supportive people at one of the facebook pages that I belong to and that helps, Jan

We are all going to go through this. I have a FB friend and right up to the day she was saying that she was going to cancel. Now she is on the Loser's Bench and has already recovered and is doing well. She was convinced she was going to be THE one to have all of the complications or die on the table. Jana

Shizwiz! I wish I could go down and hold your hand for you! I am sorry that you are walking this path alone. You can find me on facebook and I will be glad to be supportive. Just PM me and I will give you my address. I am sure I will face the same jitters. Can you maybe take some melatonin to calm the jitters? I also listen to a calming CD every night. It really helps me. It is NOT a diet, just a calm self-hypnosis CD that reinforces that what you are doing for your health is working and you are succeeding. I love it and it helps me sleep. Janahttp://www.healingwithhypnosis.com/self-hypnosis-products.aspx

I had an eye-opening moment when it was pointed out to me that the risk of dying or complications was under one percent. However, the risk of dying from a diverticular perforation - if it occurs high in the colon is 6 percent and if it occurs low (where my infections always are) is a whopping THIRTY percent. That made my mind up for me. Your mileage may vary. I only wish that I had done the VSG before I got so sick. Jana PS, I am attaching a photo of diverticular disease for reference.

Here is a sheet which, if you choose to participate, can list all of our surgery dates and progress. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aVqpjHKQORE5adLPPEnRC50R5jbjZpgNWkGTZDGePWk/edit?usp=sharing This is only open to those with the link. Just add your information. Do not put anything in column D, it will auto calculate. Then, as you lose weight, you can go in and edit your weight loss by putting a new number in column C. Remember to put either a minus sign in front of the number in column C or put the number in parenthesis: -265 or (265). This makes the number subtract. Jana

I have been doing a LOT better with the 5 month diet. Staying at 1400 calories is easy now. I guess it just took some time to get the junk out of my system. I am down to 262 from my starting weight of 280 and my all time high of 298.

I have started buying my supplies for after my surgery, this is what I have so far (from my doctor's list): Gauze Bandages and paper tape gas-x strips more Water for my CPAP machine Vitamins B-12, C, D, Multivitamin, Calcium - all chewable or dissolvable. I have yet to buy foods, because my kids will eat and drink it all. I want to buy another bedside table, because mine has a broken drawer and I am tired of the clutter. I feel like I am nesting. Is anyone else nesting?

What was the Lapband like?

I'm right there with you on the holiday foods. I've thrown out a lot. I'm back on track this morning finally. We will always battle food holidays and they are in every month, but the important thing to remember is that giving in just because we've screwed up is like getting a flat and slashing the other three tires.

I have a countdown clock on my blog, http://www.onwarddown.blogspot.com, and yesterday I am in the five week til surgery range. Today I am having really bad cramps from eating poorly over Christmas and an oncoming period. I am glad for the period, because I wanted that to fall and be done with before my next and last pre-op weigh in on January 12th. I am super hurty today. But this, too, shall pass.

Today I want to wish all of the February 2015 Sleeve Weavers a Merry Christmas! Remember to log it before you eat it and be mindful. I plan to swim right through the holidays! That means that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day I will be up at 5:30 am and in the Water at 6 am. I used to say, well heck, a day or so won't hurt, but now I know that the reinforcement of working out every day (except if I am injured or ill) is one that helps me keep going. After all, it's just 38 minutes out of my day. I am worth it!! Jana PS. I have changed my name legally from Janet to Jana. Just another part of my life change. At fifty years old, you ought to be able to pick your own name!

I had originally thought about the band, too. But the success rates were not stellar and I don't like needles (for the fills) so I shied away from that pretty early on. Welcome to the group! My youtube channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvSAugTmyRTBm_ThLQurJg for anyone who is interested. Jana

I have never been in instagram. You're the second person who's said that. What's the deal with it? I mean, what impresses you about instagram?

Mama...can I call you Mama, LOL! I have friends who have been sleeved in Mexico and have had awesome results. Now that I have been waiting on this since August, I am wishing I had just made a trip to Mexico. I think I would have gone to Dr. Alvarez...because he is hot. Have you seen his videos? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsGxGkr2nD26E5_pm5PJyNA

Hey Tiger, I'm going in on Feb 4 th. Absolutely we should buddy up!

Nice to meet you, Mamagoettig! I have had a good week so far, I went to a bariatric group's Ulgy Sweater Party, which was a great trip and I had a super time! Man, it was so fun. I gave away all of my 3, 4 and 5X clothes and came back with three garbage bags full of 1 and 2X clothes and some 16/18 clothes. It is so fun fitting into smaller sizes!! Jan

Thank you! Glad to know that you came through it well. Man, you JUST got done. How are you doing with the liquids?

Hi am Feb 2015 Sleevers! I had been scheduled for 2/18, but just got moved to 2/4! I'm a 50 yr old mom of six. Can't wait! Jan

My date just changed from feb 18th to FEB FOURTH!!!! Whoo HOO!!!!!!

Stool sample? Ug. That sounds fun. I pray that they won't ask that of me. Just another thing to worry about I am heading to a fun bariatric ugly christmas sweater sleepover party this weekend. I am in the process of making my own ugly sweater. It's distracting from from the fact that I still have NINE and a half weeks to go. Oh well. Now what do you take as a food, to a bariatric party where half the people are pre-op and half are post op?

This last weigh in (they are all in the evening) I didn't eat much all day, didn't drink much and didn't wear heavy clothes. I know that's defeating the purpose, but I knew that two weighins over my last weight would cause me to be in real danger.

I live in fear of my weighins. But this last time I lost about six pounds. I started at 274 and lost a bit each time, but the november weigh in, I gained two pounds. Do you log your foods and do you use My Fitness Pal? I am going to keep logging even after the surgery. I have heard too many people say that they don't lose enough afterward and then it's because they got back to eating too much.