Daisee68

Welcome! I too am 47 and I just had my surgery 5 days ago (June 4). The process is definitely a roller coaster ride so your emotions are very normal. It is exciting to meet with the surgeon because it is starting to become more real! Make a list of your questions to ask and enjoy the excitement! Good luck tomorrow and let us know how it goes!

Day 5 (surgery was on Thursday) and I am having a rougher day today than yesterday. I feel SO full just trying to get liquids in. The mid to upper left side pain was really uncomfortable and the pain med didn't rid it. I took a Zantac (hope that was ok) and it helped a lot and finally got on top of pain with pain med after sleeping through all night without. I have just been sitting here trying to count the blessings in the pain hoping that will help mentally - so I am grateful that I have the feeling of fullness because that means this IS going to work and is going to help me eat less long term. I am grateful that the feeling of being so full leaves me not craving or mourning any food. I am very grateful that I not only have I not vomited, I haven't really even had nausea. VERY grateful for all those going through this with me at the same time so we each know what to expect for the amazing veterans encouraging us that have already lived through this. I am already a little panicked about being out of pain med and them not refilling. Trying to believe that by the time I get there in a day or 2, I won't need the pain med anymore. And desperately trying to get fluids in today. The only way I seem to be able to do that well is with ice chips. Not sure if that is a good solution or not....

Yes, I'm in the same boat - except my surgery was only June 4. I don't have any solutions for you - I am taking pain med, using heating pad, drinking warm peppermint tea. If no BM in a few days, I may try Milk of Magnesia as others have suggested (after checking with my dr first of course). I found today to be better in some ways and worse in some ways than yesterday. (Of course then I passed a kidney stone this morning, so maybe some of the pain yesterday was from that. Great timing huh?) Hang in there! At least that is what everyone keeps telling me!

@@desdeemona52 so glad it was an encouragement as you were headed in to surgery. I repeated to myself many many times the last few days.

I am not there yet since my surgery was just yesterday but this is something my therapist and I have talked about extensively. It is, unfortunately, very common to transfer your food addition to another addition. (Some even still have food addiction but in the opposite direction and become anorexic .) The fact that you are aware of it is a very good thing, but you might check in to some addiction counseling to make sure you are dealing with it upfront. That's my plan anyway to continue with my current counselor.

Ugh! I feel your pain - literally. My surgery was yesterday. Surgeon said everything went perfect. My pain with the PCA pump in the hospital was totally controlled and I even got up and walked 5 or 6 times. They released me and I feel AWFUL! The liquid pain med tastes awful and I don't see that it is helping. Maybe the pain is mostly gas and the pain med can't fix that? I don't know but I am certainly much less enthusiastic today than I was yesterday or even this morning while still at the hospital. Using heating pad and Gas-x strips but to no avail. Tomorrow has to be better, right?

Thanks all! I survived the pre-op diet (almost - last day today - clear liquids only). Just thought I would check back in and let others know what I learned about my T2 diabetic medicine. I only take Metformin (4 x 500mg). I was told to check my blood sugars 4 to 6 hours apart and or anytime it felt too low and only take the Metformin IF my sugars were above 150 and then only start with 2 tablets. Luckily, the highest my sugars have been thus far is 124 and lowest was 84 and that was without my Metformin so I haven't taken any since I started liquid diet. NOT A DR SO I AM NOT SAYING THIS IS FOR EVERYONE. Just thought I would share my experience. Truly hoping that was the end of my days with T2 diabetic meds! Woohoo! My biggest reason for the surgery! Surgery is tomorrow at 8 a.m. SOOOOOO READY!!!

So glad it was an encouragement to you and others! I had it printed out and hung it in my bathroom where I get ready every morning. I have repeated parts of it to myself many times over the last 7 days. Today is my last day of liquid and tomorrow is the surgery! Best of luck on your pre-op diet. You can do it! (Trust me if I can you can. Though I have questioned that several times over the last few days, I made it!)

What a cool story! And YAY for BCBS for doing something like this! (I have had BCBS insurance for many years until employer switched us this year.) I started my 7 day pre-op liquid only diet yesterday. Surgery is on June 4 (LESS THAN 6 DAYS!!). Three weeks is a pretty long time to do liquids only. Some drs with time that long allow Protein bars and/or 1 small meal a day (3 or 4 oz. lean protein and a veggie), so just be sure you know what your particular surgeon requires. Quest Protein Bars are great if you can do protein bars. Premier Protein premixed chocolate shakes (Walmart, grocery stores, etc.) are really good and have 30 grams of protein and only 2 g carbs each.

So, I just had to share this in hopes it would encourage others as it did me. I started my liquid diet yesterday. I made it through the day (barely) without cheating. This morning I woke up and first thing I do is check my phone for email for work. I had an email that appeared to be spam - from someone I have never heard of and blank in the "to" field (i.e. they just cc'd a bunch of people) and the subject field only said "hi". Then all that was in the message was this.... Matthew 6:25-34New International Version (NIV) Do Not Worry25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ I am sure it was some kind of spam though I didn't see a link or anything they wanted you to click on. (We get a lot of that at work.) I didn't want to forward it or print it in case it was some sort of virus but regardless of whom or where it came from, it was a scripture I had long forgotten and could not believe how EVERY SINGLE WORD was exactly what I needed to hear. Hope others will be blessed by this as well.

There is a new unflavored Protein powder I was referred to that is pretty good and it can be mixed in as little as 3 oz of liquid. It's called Whey-licious. Or try another unflavored one and mix it in some of your food like applesauce or SF pudding. Not getting in protein is detrimental to your health - hair loss, loss of muscle, etc.

So, I start my 1 week liquid only pre-op diet tomorrow but I am a little confused. So PA at dr's office said 3 Protein shakes per day and ok to have chicken broth in between. I told her I had the

Woohoo!! Congrats! Just imagine - you will be post-op so soon!

Wonder if your dr was talking about a hiatal hernia? Apparently fairly common when you are overweight - it is your stomach pushing up into your esophagus (I think?) It can cause acid reflux type symptoms. I have a small sliding hernia. Not sure if dr will fix or not but if they do, it is pretty minor I am told. They just sort of stich it back down. I had a friend whose insurance did not cover WLS but did cover hiatal hernia surgery, so dr fixed that and charged insurance for it and then only charged her $3500 to do the sleeve while she was in there. Anyway, could just be dr was informing him you had this and he may have repaired it. Re fatty liver, it will go away with weight loss. Liver is an amazing organ that can essentially regenerate itself. Hopefully you can find all that out at your post-op.

I am sure one of the veterans will reply (I am still pre-op) but Protein is really key. A lot of what you are eating is carbs. Are you mixing any Protein powder with those? If not, you have to up your protein. You need to talk to your nutrionist to get a target but it is typically 60 to 80 grams of protein a day and you won't be getting that just by one protein serving in the morning.

Same co-morbidities - I had to do Upper GI/barium swallow, EKG/stress test, psych eval, sleep study and 4 NUT visits. I will have pre-op appt Tuesday which I know involves some bloodwork.

So I hope this gives you some comfort, but I am on an anti-depressant and no one even blinked at that. It's like they just expected it even. The therapist I saw for my psych eval I have continued seeing and she is truly a God send. I have seen her probably 10 times since Feb. and fully intend to continue to see her after the surgery. She has really helped me understand this disease I have (because lets face it, I didn't get to over 300 pounds just because I was a happy eater). I am a food addict and wow has this process been eye opening for me. @@SookieLei I a very sorry you had such a bad experience, but hopefully they are just being overly cautious. Maybe they will have a cancellation and can get you in sooner? I would keep calling and see if they have an opening. Good luck! And to others - don't dread it. Therapy is an important part of this process and I don't see myself being successful without it. (Though I have friends that didn't have to since they were self-pay and dr didn't require it if insurance didn't. Not what I would recommend but there you go.)

June 4 for me. Pre-op is on Tuesday and start liquid diet on Thursday (only 1 week of liquid diet for me). Getting anxious!

There is at least 1 dr here in Dallas that does sleeve patients as outpatient surgery - they go home same day! Seems a bit scary to me, but I had a friend that did it and she did fine.

@ - I start my liquid diet Thursday (I only have to do 1 week for some reason). Did you lower your metformin during the liquid diet and/or have any low blood sugar moments? Sort of concerned about that.

Congrats!

Congrats!! Let us know how it goes!!

I'm sorry. That stinks! Emergency or no and I know that is disappointing.

My surgery is June 4 and I went in asking for sleeve and ended up at RNY mostly because I was having BAD acid reflux that day and she said with the sleeve that reflux can get much worse. I wasn't willing to do RNY in the beginning but 4 months later, I think I am finally ok with it. 1) Acid reflux / GERD elimination; 2) Type 2 Diabetic and RNY will resolve (mostly); 3) Longer track record; 4) My surgeon does A LOT Of sleeve to RNY revisions. She just said that many sleevers end up revising. I don't want to do this twice...

I only have to do liquid for 1 week. I was surprised she didn't require 2 weeks. Not sure why.