MNSkolGal

This was my first surgery ever so I had no idea what to expect.
The worst part of the surgery for me was pre-op when I really did not know what to expect. The uncertainty and fear is very normal.
The easiest part was the surgery itself. Once I was on the table it was lights out and the next thing I knew I was in recovery.
What I did to prepare for surgery was to: read a lot and learn as much as I could, worked up to exercising at least 60 minutes a day, weaned myself off of carbonation and caffeine, increased my Water consumption to at least 64 oz of Water a day, and shopped for post-op supplies (like small, cute dishes, storage containers, ramekins, and appetizer forks, a food scale, Protein shake samples, etc.).
I was blessed with an awesome surgeon and bariatric team, a complication-free recover and great progress. The whole process has gone much better than I could have ever imagined.

I'll be getting sleeved 1/13/16 - I'm so nervous! I can't believe I'm actually gonna do it. I'm ready for the results but I just pray the surgery/recovery goes smoothly.

Thank you, all. I needed to hear this. I think I need to slow down. 3 days post op I walked a mile, part of it up a hill. The next day I was up early getting the family's breakfasts and lunches together, grocery shopping, doing dishes, etc. I basically returned from surgery on Sunday and picked up exactly where I left off on Monday. It is doing me in, and I need to keep in mind that even though my body isn't aching, it doesn't mean it has recovered. I went the route of hardly telling a soul about my surgery, and I am grateful for this forum and your supportive comments!

I cannot believe it is 4 months. Now the worrying and wondering for 3 years prior seems like a blur. I remembered when I finally decided it had to be done, I just kept thinking, it is like having to have my gallbladder removed, I just had to do it, but this time it was 80% of my stomach. I am so grateful for the sleeve. Sure there are times, like Thanksgiving, when the turkey was so good, I missed not being able to eat more of it, but then I was also grateful that I could not eat any more. Very hard to get used to, but I try not to think that much about it and just go with the flow. I am 57lbs down since July, so that includes pre-op. I keep feeling like I am behind, but finally I can feel and see the difference. Especially in pictures, wow what a difference. I cannot wait to be on onederland, but slow and steady and not hurrying it up, letting it takes it's course. I keep thinking, the doc did his part, I am doing mine and that's all we can do. Thanks to everyone at BP, for being a part of this.

It is awful at times, but remember that this is a sign that you are burning fat. For the first 6 moths or so, whenever I would stall my breath would get better. Then I would wake up one morning with that awful taste in my mouth and it actually made me happy because I knew the stall was over and I was going to start losing again.
Embrace your bad breath! It should be a t-shirt slogan! (And like the others said, use breath spray. It helps a lot!)

Premiere Protein Shakes make my breath nasty and mouth dry no matter how many times I brush or chew gum or mints. It's ridiculous.

Well, I finally had surgery yesterday. Surgery began at 7:30, I was in my hospital room at 10:30 and by 11:30 I was up walking the halls. Pain was minimal, no nausea,heartburn, etc. the hardest part was nothing to drink the rest of the day.
Started today at 5:30 am walking the hall. By 8 am I started the phase 1 liquids. One ounce every 15 minutes has been no problem even threw in some broth and couple of Popsicles. Walked the halls so much most of the staff and half the other patients knew my name. Met with surgeon at 4 pm who said I was doing excellent and let me come home.
Feeling blessed not to have any complications so far. Thanks to everyone here who have shared their experiences and advise.

Hello My Dear Bariatric Beauties (and handsome Dudes) in the Making!
If you are reading this, you are probably trying to mentally and emotionally prepare for what is to come. I know, because I was in your shoes a few weeks backJ I found the mental preparation way harder to do than the physical pre-op diet. I’m a week out of surgery, and in great spirits considering all, I’ve been through and the considerable trauma to my throat (which is making drinking over excruciating at this time). If I was not mentally and emotionally as well prepared as I was…I think at this point, I would have fallen into depression as is quite common at this stage. But…I am well girdled to deal with this and I thought I’d share the 10 most important things YOU can do, to prepare yourself for what is to come J These are not in any particular order, and I think they are all important, but I don’t want to spend too much time tweaking them because I want them to be as fresh from my experience as possible. Also as a disclaimer, this is my list and what helped me and is not to be substituted for any medical advice…there…I think I’m covered, so let’s step to it!
So here we go, in no particular order.
1. Ask your Surgeon LOTS of questions right up until the wheel you away into the OR. When you think of them, write them down and make sure you cover them. Understanding what is going to happen and his/her expectations of you and how you can partner with them for success is key!
2. Determine who you will tell about it and what your emotional support is going to be, and not a person more! Telling someone that will not be supportive will emotionally drain you as you try to educate/justify/explain etc. If your mind is made up, you don’t need to subject yourself to that.
3. Watch lot YouTube videos to get a broad idea of what you can expect. There are tons of them out there. The Before and After videos are particularly helpful in building moral, and giving you a sense that you too can do this.
4. Join and participate in Bariatric Pals (a given J)
5. Make a dry ran. Visit your surgical facility before surgery day (see the pre-op and recovery rooms). I did that and it really helped with the anxiety as on the actual surgical day, it was a familiar place, I had even spoken to recovery nurses prior to my actual surgery. Saw the pre-op areas, and the recovery rooms.
6. Invest in a FITBIT or other tracking device and start walking! I think this was single handedly one of the biggest things I could do to prepare myself. I worked up to 12 K steps prior to surgery. By day 4 post surgery I was walking 6 K steps a day and the past two days I’ve hit 10 k steps a day (albeit slow steps…I’m like a crooked question mark, slowly haunting the streets of my neighborhood J). But walking as soon as I was lucid enough was key to help with gas, AND to get the Serotonin levels going!
7. Visualize yourself on the other side. This for some reason was harder to do for me, but seeing myself make it through surgery somehow strengthened me.
8. Write a journal of all the reasons you are doing this. Read them often leading up to the surgery, especially on those times when you get cold feet. I chose to divide mine into the following categories.
a. Physical
b. Emotional
c. Mental
d. Social
e. Health
9. Minimize distractions and noise that could emotionally destabilize you. See less of negative people that leave you drained and cravey. It’s hard enough dealing with pre-op diet as it is! I personally stopped watching the news (too depressing), and decided to mentally give myself as much focus as I could!
10. Pray about it with all your heart, cry it out if you must, and then trust, let go and Let God see you through! The night before surgery after my prayers, a very odd calm came over me…and I knew He was with me and that I would be okay J
Hope this is helpful in getting you ready for your big day!
Blessings and Green Lights!
Ellie123

From some uninformed random? I wouldn't pay it any mind.

@@Angelsoul219
If you're about to put your hand in a fire and someone shouts, "Don't do that!," paying attention would be a good thing. On the subject of surgery, you'll run into ignorance, suspicion, bias, judgment and more. This is your decision to make. You'll make the right choice when you're armed with all the info, are absolutely clear about your role in the weight-loss process, have reasonable expectations, et al.

Why in the world would you allow a random teeny bopper to have control over your feelings for even a moment?

Unless she was wearing a stethoscope and you were writing her a check for your medical treatment, her words are meaningless.

I can understand having doubts, but please don't take medical advice from some random person you have never met or from well-meaning but ill informed friends and family.

Beat the Packers!????????

One of my downfalls pre-op was fast food joints. I am retired now, but was 22 miles from work at the time. I would stop twice on the way to work, and sometimes three times on the way home. Oh man, what a waste of money.
When I committed to the surgery I had to find a way to make the drive-throughs less compelling. So, I call them McPoison's, Poison King, Poison Bell, Poison Castle, etc....This has really helped. I wish you good luck and good health.

i like the Premier ready made Protein shakes. 30 grams of Protein. I buy them at costco. 18 for $24.99. Sometimes they have the case on sale for $19.99.
They are convenient and don't taste bad. I put the vanilla and chocolate ones in coffee as creamer. The strawberry and creme is tasty as well.

I have been seeing a lot of good reviews for the Premier brand shakes so I think I will give them a try.

Premier Protein ready made shakes....SAMs in the 12 pk or regular Walmart in smaller pkgs.

I'm sorry he didn't keep it to himself. My husband did similar, told his parents and his pastor at his church. When I asked him about it, he raised a point I couldn't argue. He said "what if you died during this surgery, what would I say to people?" And when I thought I about it I realized I would have left him in an awkward position to explain, (and possibly defend) my decision during his grief to the same people he would need to support him.
I still would have rathered to own who knew and tell who I chose myself, but he had a point.

My husband is so supportive that we are on this journey together. He had his VSG a week ago and mine is in a little over a week from now. ☺️

I just told him everything I knew. Then I took him to my consultation with the surgeon. And then I hauled his ass to an educational seminar (after I'd decided to do it).
He said, "I'll support you in anything you want to do." And he has. 100%. He's pretty wonderful.

Mine is very good, but I'm not sure he realizes how much things will need to change.
For those who are on the other side, how did you prepare your partner? What did you wish you'd done or said?

It’s normal to be nervous before the surgery, I think we all go through the questioning in our heads.
Is this right for me? Will it be painful? How am I going to cope with so little food in the first few months? And on and on. However we all get through it and I can honestly say that it’s been one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.
Believe in yourself and your inner strength, you CAN do it. Congratulations

I work a desk job, and just started a whole new department with in my company. I plan on having the surgery as soon as I am able. I can telecommute if I need to however I had a co worker who Was doing the same job I was before I moved up and she did it over a long weekend. As far as I know there are only 3 of us other than HR who knows about her surgery. She took off 2 days had the surgery Friday and was back to work on Tuesday. I will do the same thing. My department is in its busy season and will only get busier as the holidays come and go. However I know that sitting at my desk will be just fine. But that's me. If you have had surgeries before and know how you react to things you can use that to help judge. But like others have said. It's all up to you. Talking to your surgeon is a great idea. Maybe also talking to your supervisor at work may be a good idea.

I did Atkins about ten years ago and lost 80 pounds in ten months but stopped it and gained 100 in 5 months.

I think the reason there can be so much variation in each surgeon's program is because each surgeon applies their own education, experience, and medical knowledge (which includes keeping up with the latest research) and incorporating it into their practice. The practice of medicine is both an art and a science.
Of course, I am not s physician so this is only my opinion.