heynowkc

Hmmm I don't have a sodium regulation with my recommended diet. I am only 2 weeks post-op though and have a follow-up with the surgeon and the dietitian tomorrow so I may get more info then. But I got a big binder/booklet from the dietitian that goes over every stage of recovery and I am not even sure if they recommend low-sodium items in the booklet the dietitian gave me other than recommending low sodium broths when I was on the clear and full liquid phase. Definitely wasn't given an amount to stay under.

Wow what an amazing story and amazing transformation. I just had my surgery about two weeks ago and am so excited for the year to come. Reading stories like yours makes me even MORE optimistic! Thank you for sharing.

I have been told by so many medical professionals that cholesterol is often very strongly linked to genetics. For example a friend at work has terrible cholesterol but is very thin, active, healthy, and eats incredibly healthily. She is always trying new things to lower her cholesterol to no avail. My cholesterol was always great (with only slightly low good cholesterol to contend with) even when I was eating so poorly and pushing 500 lbs. But my GP who treats both my parents was not at all shocked by this because my mom and dad are the exact same way. Anyway, I think that eating poorly obviously can contribute to cholesterol problems, and often (maybe not always, like in my friend's case) be managed by diet, but it may take longer for that issue to resolve itself. So I would give it some more time before I started blaming myself if I were you.

Had to stay two nights. Was released just after noon today the 19th. (Surgery was the afternoon of the 17th.) Yesterday was not fun at all. No complications or anything, and everything went smoothly. Still am experiencing some soreness but nothing out of the ordinary. Glad to be home.

Made it through pretty well. In pain but expected. Can't sleep so thought I'd drop a quick update. Was told I'd probably be here two nights. No fluids yet. Have to have upper GI first thing and then I can attempt drinking. Keep brushing my teeth because all the iv meds give me a terrible taste. Blech. Moving around pretty well.

It's here. Up earlier than I wanted to be. Cat woke me up. My surgery isn't until 2:15 and I don't have to check in until 11:30. Good luck to those who have early morning surgeries today!!

I am on a clear liquid diet (suggested by my bariatric nurse at the hospital, not requested by my doctor) the day before surgery. That is tomorrow. So no "last meal" for me. Although I am considering having a spoonful of roasted garlic hummus tonight. (Of all the things to crave, I go back and forth on the pre-op diet from wanting a pickle, to craving hummus, or dying for just one bite of meat, like just one piece of shrimp!)

I had to work on Saturday, but I managed to clean house over the weekend so it will be nice when I come home from surgery hopefully on Thursday night! Got most of my stuff together (but not packed) kindle reader charged, Christmas presents wrapped, last minute online shopping done, and a few DVDs checked out of the library. I am ready. My plans for today and tomorrow are working and hitting the gym after both days since I know I won't be working out for a while. I am going to do pool work the night before surgery. I am going to miss that Water for the next month for sure!!! My co-workers are all surprised I'm going to work on Tuesday since I have surgery the next day. I don't know why I wouldn't! Did anyone take the day before surgery off? I have to say, I am not excited for surgery. I am excited to have it over with yes, but to be poked and prodded and recovering from anesthesia? No. I am not looking forward to that. I have seriously stubborn veins so getting an IV in me (and getting it to stay and not blow) can be kind of a challenge and it's never a good time for me. In the past I've had to have a PICC line simply because they couldn't stick me any other way. Not my idea of a good time. So there will be no Christmas morning analogies from me, haha. Maybe more akin to the nerves on the night before the final exam. That being said I am also not worried. I am nervous about the discomforts that I know come with any hospital stay for me and my troublesome veins, but I am sure that everything will go well and I'll be on the road to recovery (and the new me!) in no time. I'll tell you what I'm excited for: being discharged! Hahaha. ETA: Oh! I am thrilled about my weigh-ins because if I lose just 1 more pound prior to surgery I will hit 15% (total body weight) lost PRIOR to surgery. Super excited for that!

Refried Beans, guacamole, salsa (not pico, but the runny stuff!)! And yes, if they have soup go with that as well! You could always ask for juevos rancheros and just eat the eggs cut up very small!

@@HMR You know I would probably be miserable (and cheating!) on the pre-op diet if I hadn't already drastically reduced my calorie intake in the two months prior. I feel sorry for those who were eating regularly prior to the pre-op diet. I know it must be hard. You just have to keep trying and definitely stick to pre-op the day or two before surgery. The more you follow the guidelines the easier it becomes to do it without feeling miserable. If you cheat, your body is going to keep wanting you to cheat! It's one of those unfair rules. You think, "If I just have a little REAL food I will feel better and be able to continue no problem." But it actually makes it harder to continue every time you give in. I would find something to distract you. Read a book, go to the movies, lots of christmas shopping, or christmas browsing!, go to bed early, take a walk, a long drive, listen to podcasts, play with your pets, etc. I find sipping warm liquids (herbal tea, even plain Water or water with a squeeze of lemon) helps with the hunger. I can't stand those water flavorings (crystal light, mio, etc.) so herbal tea with a packet of truvia works much better for me if I am jonesing for something other than water. One thing I am experiencing on the pre-op diet is a little heartburn/acid reflux. I usually NEVER have heartburn or acid reflux so this is very strange for me. It is uncomfortable and oddly makes me want to eat! So I have allowed myself the chewable alka-seltzer or tums tablets to help with that even though I am sure there is some caloric value to them. Is anyone else experiencing this?

Yeah I got the impression the actual surgery typically only takes around an hour to an hour and a half and then the rest is all pre-surgery and recovery stuff. You're not sent to your room for several hours.

I would take some sudafed non-drowsy 24 hours and see if that clears it up. It usually does for me. I was told that sudafed was okay in the week prior to surgery but you might want to read over your instructions to be sure. Good luck!

@@ProjectMe Oh I am approved! I am having surgery the day after you it seems! I was approved 2 weeks before surgery. It's been a whirlwind!

I will have surgery this coming Wednesday, Dec 17th 2014. My first appointment with the surgeon was Dec 15th 2013. So it will be 13 months almost exactly for me. My insurance company requires a 12-month education program before you can qualify. It begins with the first visit with the surgeon if they recommend you for surgery. Even my surgeon was surprised at how long my insurance makes you wait. I have Anthem BCBS for the Commonwealth of Virginia. When starting the process, the 12-month wait completely had me deflated. It felt like 12 months would be FOREVER to wait. But here I am and it's been 13 months. So... I guess it's a pain while you're going through it but will ultimately be worth it. Out of pocket costs will be a 300 dollar deductible, plus many co-pays at the surgeon's office, and their required nutrition/exercise specialist/behavior specialist visits and pre and post-op diet, and post-op vitamins, which is not covered by insurance. This is very pricey. I think my first visit was 250 back in February, then I paid 300 for the pre/post-op diet (Bariatric Advantage brand), 86 for post-op vitamins, and then a few hundred more (I feel terrible, I just paid this about a week ago. I should remember the amount!) for some post-surgical education. (Not sure why this is not covered!) In total I THINK that's like 1496 out of pocket not including the later follow-up visits post-surgery. So... a LOT! However, I was smart and set my flex-spending account to my max out of pocket for the year, and used a Care Credit card for my out of pocket expenses not billed to insurance (the supplements, etc.) If I hadn't done both things, I would never be able to afford the out of pocket costs. Thankfully my insurance pays everything else.

Thank you! Not too shabby yourself. I have a LOT to lose so while the pounds lost is pretty high for me your percent lost is probably higher! High five! I was thinking the same thing, actually. For many the pre-op diet is probably a sharper shock to the system than for me because I've already cut my daily calorie intake by half or more. I had another loss this morning, so obviously I was worried for nothing. But it would be kind of funny to hit a diet plateau just a few days before surgery. Not funny, haha. Funny coincidence.

I have surgery next Wednesday and had to pick up some prescriptions I will need after the surgery yesterday. Out of the three medicines (one for pain, one for nausea, and one for heartburn) I have been told that my insurance won't cover the Prevacid Solutabs. My doctor's office will try and get it covered, but if not they said they can change it to the regular prevacid to get it covered, I will just have to mix it in with something (not sure if it's a capsule or a tablet). But I'm just curious if anyone has ever gotten their insurance to actually pay for the solutabs instead? I Have Anthem BCBS through Commonwealth of Virginia.

I have BCBS through the state (not federal) and while there was a change of staff at my surgeon's office which caused a delay, my surgery was approved instantaneously over the phone. Most offices fax it in though, so you will have to wait a lot longer if that's the case. I specifically told my surgeon's office (after all the delays) that BCBS will approve me instantly over the phone if they wouldn't mind calling instead of faxing, luckily there was someone in the office who knew about that and she got it done.

Yeah I was told that the no straw rule would be a lifetime change, but I was also told just this week by my dietitian that some people do eventually go back to drinking with straws and do ok, it's just not recommended.

@@Kindle You're right. I am probably going to weigh myself every Wednesday instead of every day after surgery, but after two solid months of almost daily movement on the scale, I am kind of addicted to getting on every morning and patting myself on the back. Probably not the healthiest thing in the world. I know all about stalls so I don't think that will bother me post-surgery, but just to be safe I definitely should cut out the daily weigh-ins!

@@jennhartt Oh! Haha. That makes much more sense! We all have occasional late night typos!

@@Megan00 Next Wed, the 17th! Very excited!

@@Megan00 I've lost maybe 12-15 on pre-op diet so far with 5 days to go. I forget, what day is your surgery? I just had my final pre-op visit with Dr. Halmi and the dietitian yesterday.

Wow. You are like the poster child for instant recovery! @@CheleLynn45 Hey, were surgery time buddies (lol). That is good to know! Thank you. Guess I was worrying for nothing!

How much is everyone losing/has everyone lost on the pre-op diet? I am in this bad habit of weighing myself every day so my perspective on this is slightly skewed. For the first several days I was dropping weight like nobody's business. But for the past two days, the weight hasn't budged at all. I wouldn't be concerned, but since the beginning of October, I've been dropping weight very rapidly on diet/exercise. Now with the pre-op diet I am only 1 pound away from 70 pounds lost! Is it possible that post-surgery I won't lose initially because of hitting a pre-surgery plateau? Not saying 2 days of no loss is a plateau. I'm clearly just panicking here, but I do wonder if it's happened to anyone else. 70 pounds is a lot to lose in just 9-10 weeks. Maybe my body is deciding that 5 days before surgery it's just gonna take a break from losing weight for a while?