Wheetsin

I also don't understand the anger, animosity, and would it be accurate to say personal insult - that I have seen from Christians. And I so say Christians specifically. I know a lot of people from a lot of religious paths and Christian faiths are (so far) the only ones I personally see these reactions from.
I can't imagine being so venomous toward someone just because they happened to believe something different than me. I mean, who doesn't?
On a lighter note, a friend of mine (also an atheist) is an ER physician. We had a good chuckle over this a few weeks ago, but it's so true.

Read Fifty Shades of Grey.
(Unless you're a literature snob like me, then you'll just find it tedious).

Mine wasn't related to an event, or a trigger weight, or anything like that. I was just tired of being fat. And tired of saying, "If I can't do it on my own by this time next year..."
I guess what I'm saying was that it was a slow process, rather than an event.
I think it was more outside events (e.g. getting a recommendation for a surgeon, realizing it could be done, realizing...) Keep in mind this was 2005 when the only WLS you really heard of was RNY and it was far from mainstream knowledge.

Seriously? There's no way anyone here could tell you that. For one, we have no idea what your favorite meal is. For two, we don't know what your post-op diet is. For three, regardless of post-op diet, we don't know when you will tolerate what.
If your favorite meal is Jello, you can have it now. If it's well done steak and celery, it's gonna be a while.
Look at your post-op eating instructions. Locate the food category that matches the foods in your favorite meal. Based on the # of weeks out it is allowed, calculate.

I haven't read every response so I'm sorry if I'm duplicating. And I thought I read you were going for a cosolidated list, so I'm putting it all in here. If that's not the case, ignore as appropriate. My sleeve next month will be my 4th abdominal lap procedure and 2nd bariatric procedure, and based on my lessons learned here's what I suggest:
For hospital:
Wear somethong with no waistband, preferred. Like a house dress. Inevitably I've had an incision EXACTLY where my waistbands fall. And I'ev also had a few incisions that were intentionally left unclosed. Those hurt the worst, even though they're the smallest, and also tend to be right where my pants hit. If you must have a waistband, try to find one without elastic (e.g. drawstring) so you can fully adjust the tightness. When I had my band out I wore one of those velvety track suit things, mine has a drawstring waist. Perfect.
Wear slip-on shoes if you have them. Socks are hard to get on when you can't bend comfortably, and I don't like other people putting socks on me. Flip flops, or those fugly plastic clog shoes (forgetting the name), or a ballet flat or something like that. If youdon't have or can't get, then when you take off your sneakers pre-op, leave the laces all loose so you can just slip them on later.
Nook or Kindle or book or whatever. My sleeve will be the first procedure that requires me to stay overnight, and post-op I've een either asleep or prepping to go home, but pre-op? I played Boggle on my iphone for almost 2 hours pre-op. Was glad to have it. DH was there but is always more nervous than I am and wasn't a great talker.
I always bring a small hair clip. You can't do anything but wash/rinse your hair the day of, and you're probably (technically) not allowed to shower the night of. I have curly hair that gets bushy if I can't put some kind of product on it while it's still wet. So I always bring a clip to at least pull the hair back from my eyes.
I prefer to bring my own slippers (they have memory foam soles).
I bring my own robe. I haven't been able to wear it (IV lines, etc.) but hospital blankets are cold. Even the warm ones get cold too quickly. My robe is warm. And it can double as an extra pillow, because those flat jokes in the hospital aren't cutting it.
Chapstick, deodorant, my own toothbrush, skin lotion and hand sanitzier. (I put all of the above in my purse). If my face or hands are dry, I will not be able to focus on much else.
Pillow, for supporting your stomach. Especially if you have a large pannus, this will help. When I had my lapband put in, it took me about 3 days of walking completely hunched over like an ancient lady until I realized that the majority of the pain was coming from my pannus "pulling" down on my incisions. As soon as I started to support my pannus with my arm, it was like night and day. LIttle nicer doing it with a pillow than your forearm, but hey, I was desperate. I will also help to apply steadying pressure when you go over potholes on the ride home. (About 4 days post-op DH drove me to visit my parents. He took a route that goes over a train crossing. He had a "theory" that the faster he went, the less I would feel the bumps so he gunned his truck and his them going about 45. Our marriage almost didn't make it to the next block.)
When I had my lapband out, I had the most horrible sore throat from all the gear using my mouth as enter/exit. Truly it was far worse than strep, and easily the single worst pain I had after surgery. I didn't have any eating/drinking restrictions so I used Chloraseptic. If you can have some type of analgesic lozenge or something, go for it.
Electric razor. Let's just say I'm 1/4 Greek and would be a good candidate for laser facial hair removal if everyone hadn't told me it feels like exacto knives slicing your face repeatedly. This isn't required, but I need it for comfort level.
For drive home:
I haven't yet had anesthetic make me nauseous, but it can make a lot of people sick for a while. I drove my mother home from a bariatric surgery she had and we kept having to stop on the interstae so she could chuck on the side of the road. So the REAL suggestion here is get a driver who doesn't get queasy when she hears others chuck. Second suggestion is to bring some type of a barf bag (those blue emi-sleeves the hospitals have are great) if you know or suspect the anesthesia will affect you. There's something about car rides that seems to make it worse, even if you've been "fine" for a while.
Keep said pillow with you. Either to support your abdomen, or to nap, or both. (If your procedure is outpatient, you'll probably still be nap ready by the time you're released)
Keep a blanket in your car. I'm always freezing cold after surgery, for a day or two. And DH is not, so it's nice to able to limit the use of the heater - for his sake. (BTW, when people lose weight, especially quickly, they tend to discover they're perpetually cold - you might want to just keep a blanket in your car long term).
At home:
I have DH bring one of the recliners up from his theater room and station it in the living room. From there I have same-floor access to the door, kitchen, a half bathroom, etc. This recliner becomes my docking station for at least 3 days until I can comfortably lay in bed. And on that note, I'd suggest getting some extra pillows. When I CAN lay in bed, I do best if I'm VERY propped up. I suspect this will be true with sleeve surgery, especially until my acid production drops off.
Don't wait until you're out of surgery to try and find supplements you like. Have them selected before hand, and have a few options. Things will probably start tasting different. Have cold & room temp Water ready. Not all bariatric stomachs tolerate all temperatures. When I had by AGB surgery DH bought a little apartment fridge to keep in the LR so I didn't have to walk into the kitchen. That was overkill. But if somehow being able to stay on the same floor as the fridge weren't possible, it would've been awful handy.
I'm queuing up movies & shows to watch on Netflix. Daytime tv sucks monkey butts. Also holding off on getting a few books I really want to read, so that I can have something to do until I can comforably move around.
If you have someone who can help you around the house for a few days, do it. Think about kids if you have 'em, pets... and how may up/downs it is just for an hour or two.
I don't like to take my hydrocodone any longer than I have to, so I use liquid Tylenol and try to have a few bottles on hand. Gas-X never did a thing for me other than taste bad. The gas that Gas-X works on (I say "works"lightly) is not surgical gas, i.e. the piercing ache you might feel around your collarbone/shoulder area... so don't buy it thinking it will bring relief. Surgical gas, and intenstinal gas, are two wholly different things. As an addendum to what I just said - I just remembered that an RNY friend dumped on liquid tylenol. For VSG it might be better to wait and see if you can tolerate it, unless your surgeon gives you the OK ahead of time.
If your shower hyas a stationery head, I suggest getting one of the kind of tubing that you can move around. Especially for ladies out there. Bending and twisting is gonna smart, and let's face it. Some things in life require us to bend and twist, or be able to hit it with some Water. I'm just sayin'...
When I had my AGB and the graduated diet, I made sure to buy everything a few days prior to my surgery so that I didn't have to go to the store if I didn't want to. Ends up I wanted to, the next day, just to walk around a bit. But having the option is nice.
Since my AGB both of my parents have had bariatric procedures. I've made each of them a large gift basket and brought it to the hospital. Here's what I try to include:
small plates (cocktail size)
toddler utensils
refillable water bottle that will fit into a car drink holder, and has ounces hashed so they could track water intake
liquid Tylenol
Wet wipes/hand sanitizer
Snap-up robe (belt can be uncomfortable)
SF Jello
Mio or Crystal Light (was allowed with their surgeon)
liquid breath freshener
Sudafed dissolvable strips
corn bags (cloth bags filled with field corn, I think they're far superior to heating pads, and caln also be frozen)
Book, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.

I haven't read every response so I'm sorry if I'm duplicating. And I thought I read you were going for a cosolidated list, so I'm putting it all in here. If that's not the case, ignore as appropriate. My sleeve next month will be my 4th abdominal lap procedure and 2nd bariatric procedure, and based on my lessons learned here's what I suggest:
For hospital:
Wear somethong with no waistband, preferred. Like a house dress. Inevitably I've had an incision EXACTLY where my waistbands fall. And I'ev also had a few incisions that were intentionally left unclosed. Those hurt the worst, even though they're the smallest, and also tend to be right where my pants hit. If you must have a waistband, try to find one without elastic (e.g. drawstring) so you can fully adjust the tightness. When I had my band out I wore one of those velvety track suit things, mine has a drawstring waist. Perfect.
Wear slip-on shoes if you have them. Socks are hard to get on when you can't bend comfortably, and I don't like other people putting socks on me. Flip flops, or those fugly plastic clog shoes (forgetting the name), or a ballet flat or something like that. If youdon't have or can't get, then when you take off your sneakers pre-op, leave the laces all loose so you can just slip them on later.
Nook or Kindle or book or whatever. My sleeve will be the first procedure that requires me to stay overnight, and post-op I've een either asleep or prepping to go home, but pre-op? I played Boggle on my iphone for almost 2 hours pre-op. Was glad to have it. DH was there but is always more nervous than I am and wasn't a great talker.
I always bring a small hair clip. You can't do anything but wash/rinse your hair the day of, and you're probably (technically) not allowed to shower the night of. I have curly hair that gets bushy if I can't put some kind of product on it while it's still wet. So I always bring a clip to at least pull the hair back from my eyes.
I prefer to bring my own slippers (they have memory foam soles).
I bring my own robe. I haven't been able to wear it (IV lines, etc.) but hospital blankets are cold. Even the warm ones get cold too quickly. My robe is warm. And it can double as an extra pillow, because those flat jokes in the hospital aren't cutting it.
Chapstick, deodorant, my own toothbrush, skin lotion and hand sanitzier. (I put all of the above in my purse). If my face or hands are dry, I will not be able to focus on much else.
Pillow, for supporting your stomach. Especially if you have a large pannus, this will help. When I had my lapband put in, it took me about 3 days of walking completely hunched over like an ancient lady until I realized that the majority of the pain was coming from my pannus "pulling" down on my incisions. As soon as I started to support my pannus with my arm, it was like night and day. LIttle nicer doing it with a pillow than your forearm, but hey, I was desperate. I will also help to apply steadying pressure when you go over potholes on the ride home. (About 4 days post-op DH drove me to visit my parents. He took a route that goes over a train crossing. He had a "theory" that the faster he went, the less I would feel the bumps so he gunned his truck and his them going about 45. Our marriage almost didn't make it to the next block.)
When I had my lapband out, I had the most horrible sore throat from all the gear using my mouth as enter/exit. Truly it was far worse than strep, and easily the single worst pain I had after surgery. I didn't have any eating/drinking restrictions so I used Chloraseptic. If you can have some type of analgesic lozenge or something, go for it.
Electric razor. Let's just say I'm 1/4 Greek and would be a good candidate for laser facial hair removal if everyone hadn't told me it feels like exacto knives slicing your face repeatedly. This isn't required, but I need it for comfort level.
For drive home:
I haven't yet had anesthetic make me nauseous, but it can make a lot of people sick for a while. I drove my mother home from a bariatric surgery she had and we kept having to stop on the interstae so she could chuck on the side of the road. So the REAL suggestion here is get a driver who doesn't get queasy when she hears others chuck. Second suggestion is to bring some type of a barf bag (those blue emi-sleeves the hospitals have are great) if you know or suspect the anesthesia will affect you. There's something about car rides that seems to make it worse, even if you've been "fine" for a while.
Keep said pillow with you. Either to support your abdomen, or to nap, or both. (If your procedure is outpatient, you'll probably still be nap ready by the time you're released)
Keep a blanket in your car. I'm always freezing cold after surgery, for a day or two. And DH is not, so it's nice to able to limit the use of the heater - for his sake. (BTW, when people lose weight, especially quickly, they tend to discover they're perpetually cold - you might want to just keep a blanket in your car long term).
At home:
I have DH bring one of the recliners up from his theater room and station it in the living room. From there I have same-floor access to the door, kitchen, a half bathroom, etc. This recliner becomes my docking station for at least 3 days until I can comfortably lay in bed. And on that note, I'd suggest getting some extra pillows. When I CAN lay in bed, I do best if I'm VERY propped up. I suspect this will be true with sleeve surgery, especially until my acid production drops off.
Don't wait until you're out of surgery to try and find supplements you like. Have them selected before hand, and have a few options. Things will probably start tasting different. Have cold & room temp Water ready. Not all bariatric stomachs tolerate all temperatures. When I had by AGB surgery DH bought a little apartment fridge to keep in the LR so I didn't have to walk into the kitchen. That was overkill. But if somehow being able to stay on the same floor as the fridge weren't possible, it would've been awful handy.
I'm queuing up movies & shows to watch on Netflix. Daytime tv sucks monkey butts. Also holding off on getting a few books I really want to read, so that I can have something to do until I can comforably move around.
If you have someone who can help you around the house for a few days, do it. Think about kids if you have 'em, pets... and how may up/downs it is just for an hour or two.
I don't like to take my hydrocodone any longer than I have to, so I use liquid Tylenol and try to have a few bottles on hand. Gas-X never did a thing for me other than taste bad. The gas that Gas-X works on (I say "works"lightly) is not surgical gas, i.e. the piercing ache you might feel around your collarbone/shoulder area... so don't buy it thinking it will bring relief. Surgical gas, and intenstinal gas, are two wholly different things. As an addendum to what I just said - I just remembered that an RNY friend dumped on liquid tylenol. For VSG it might be better to wait and see if you can tolerate it, unless your surgeon gives you the OK ahead of time.
If your shower hyas a stationery head, I suggest getting one of the kind of tubing that you can move around. Especially for ladies out there. Bending and twisting is gonna smart, and let's face it. Some things in life require us to bend and twist, or be able to hit it with some Water. I'm just sayin'...
When I had my AGB and the graduated diet, I made sure to buy everything a few days prior to my surgery so that I didn't have to go to the store if I didn't want to. Ends up I wanted to, the next day, just to walk around a bit. But having the option is nice.
Since my AGB both of my parents have had bariatric procedures. I've made each of them a large gift basket and brought it to the hospital. Here's what I try to include:
small plates (cocktail size)
toddler utensils
refillable water bottle that will fit into a car drink holder, and has ounces hashed so they could track water intake
liquid Tylenol
Wet wipes/hand sanitizer
Snap-up robe (belt can be uncomfortable)
SF Jello
Mio or Crystal Light (was allowed with their surgeon)
liquid breath freshener
Sudafed dissolvable strips
corn bags (cloth bags filled with field corn, I think they're far superior to heating pads, and caln also be frozen)
Book, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.

I haven't read every response so I'm sorry if I'm duplicating. And I thought I read you were going for a cosolidated list, so I'm putting it all in here. If that's not the case, ignore as appropriate. My sleeve next month will be my 4th abdominal lap procedure and 2nd bariatric procedure, and based on my lessons learned here's what I suggest:
For hospital:
Wear somethong with no waistband, preferred. Like a house dress. Inevitably I've had an incision EXACTLY where my waistbands fall. And I'ev also had a few incisions that were intentionally left unclosed. Those hurt the worst, even though they're the smallest, and also tend to be right where my pants hit. If you must have a waistband, try to find one without elastic (e.g. drawstring) so you can fully adjust the tightness. When I had my band out I wore one of those velvety track suit things, mine has a drawstring waist. Perfect.
Wear slip-on shoes if you have them. Socks are hard to get on when you can't bend comfortably, and I don't like other people putting socks on me. Flip flops, or those fugly plastic clog shoes (forgetting the name), or a ballet flat or something like that. If youdon't have or can't get, then when you take off your sneakers pre-op, leave the laces all loose so you can just slip them on later.
Nook or Kindle or book or whatever. My sleeve will be the first procedure that requires me to stay overnight, and post-op I've een either asleep or prepping to go home, but pre-op? I played Boggle on my iphone for almost 2 hours pre-op. Was glad to have it. DH was there but is always more nervous than I am and wasn't a great talker.
I always bring a small hair clip. You can't do anything but wash/rinse your hair the day of, and you're probably (technically) not allowed to shower the night of. I have curly hair that gets bushy if I can't put some kind of product on it while it's still wet. So I always bring a clip to at least pull the hair back from my eyes.
I prefer to bring my own slippers (they have memory foam soles).
I bring my own robe. I haven't been able to wear it (IV lines, etc.) but hospital blankets are cold. Even the warm ones get cold too quickly. My robe is warm. And it can double as an extra pillow, because those flat jokes in the hospital aren't cutting it.
Chapstick, deodorant, my own toothbrush, skin lotion and hand sanitzier. (I put all of the above in my purse). If my face or hands are dry, I will not be able to focus on much else.
Pillow, for supporting your stomach. Especially if you have a large pannus, this will help. When I had my lapband put in, it took me about 3 days of walking completely hunched over like an ancient lady until I realized that the majority of the pain was coming from my pannus "pulling" down on my incisions. As soon as I started to support my pannus with my arm, it was like night and day. LIttle nicer doing it with a pillow than your forearm, but hey, I was desperate. I will also help to apply steadying pressure when you go over potholes on the ride home. (About 4 days post-op DH drove me to visit my parents. He took a route that goes over a train crossing. He had a "theory" that the faster he went, the less I would feel the bumps so he gunned his truck and his them going about 45. Our marriage almost didn't make it to the next block.)
When I had my lapband out, I had the most horrible sore throat from all the gear using my mouth as enter/exit. Truly it was far worse than strep, and easily the single worst pain I had after surgery. I didn't have any eating/drinking restrictions so I used Chloraseptic. If you can have some type of analgesic lozenge or something, go for it.
Electric razor. Let's just say I'm 1/4 Greek and would be a good candidate for laser facial hair removal if everyone hadn't told me it feels like exacto knives slicing your face repeatedly. This isn't required, but I need it for comfort level.
For drive home:
I haven't yet had anesthetic make me nauseous, but it can make a lot of people sick for a while. I drove my mother home from a bariatric surgery she had and we kept having to stop on the interstae so she could chuck on the side of the road. So the REAL suggestion here is get a driver who doesn't get queasy when she hears others chuck. Second suggestion is to bring some type of a barf bag (those blue emi-sleeves the hospitals have are great) if you know or suspect the anesthesia will affect you. There's something about car rides that seems to make it worse, even if you've been "fine" for a while.
Keep said pillow with you. Either to support your abdomen, or to nap, or both. (If your procedure is outpatient, you'll probably still be nap ready by the time you're released)
Keep a blanket in your car. I'm always freezing cold after surgery, for a day or two. And DH is not, so it's nice to able to limit the use of the heater - for his sake. (BTW, when people lose weight, especially quickly, they tend to discover they're perpetually cold - you might want to just keep a blanket in your car long term).
At home:
I have DH bring one of the recliners up from his theater room and station it in the living room. From there I have same-floor access to the door, kitchen, a half bathroom, etc. This recliner becomes my docking station for at least 3 days until I can comfortably lay in bed. And on that note, I'd suggest getting some extra pillows. When I CAN lay in bed, I do best if I'm VERY propped up. I suspect this will be true with sleeve surgery, especially until my acid production drops off.
Don't wait until you're out of surgery to try and find supplements you like. Have them selected before hand, and have a few options. Things will probably start tasting different. Have cold & room temp Water ready. Not all bariatric stomachs tolerate all temperatures. When I had by AGB surgery DH bought a little apartment fridge to keep in the LR so I didn't have to walk into the kitchen. That was overkill. But if somehow being able to stay on the same floor as the fridge weren't possible, it would've been awful handy.
I'm queuing up movies & shows to watch on Netflix. Daytime tv sucks monkey butts. Also holding off on getting a few books I really want to read, so that I can have something to do until I can comforably move around.
If you have someone who can help you around the house for a few days, do it. Think about kids if you have 'em, pets... and how may up/downs it is just for an hour or two.
I don't like to take my hydrocodone any longer than I have to, so I use liquid Tylenol and try to have a few bottles on hand. Gas-X never did a thing for me other than taste bad. The gas that Gas-X works on (I say "works"lightly) is not surgical gas, i.e. the piercing ache you might feel around your collarbone/shoulder area... so don't buy it thinking it will bring relief. Surgical gas, and intenstinal gas, are two wholly different things. As an addendum to what I just said - I just remembered that an RNY friend dumped on liquid tylenol. For VSG it might be better to wait and see if you can tolerate it, unless your surgeon gives you the OK ahead of time.
If your shower hyas a stationery head, I suggest getting one of the kind of tubing that you can move around. Especially for ladies out there. Bending and twisting is gonna smart, and let's face it. Some things in life require us to bend and twist, or be able to hit it with some Water. I'm just sayin'...
When I had my AGB and the graduated diet, I made sure to buy everything a few days prior to my surgery so that I didn't have to go to the store if I didn't want to. Ends up I wanted to, the next day, just to walk around a bit. But having the option is nice.
Since my AGB both of my parents have had bariatric procedures. I've made each of them a large gift basket and brought it to the hospital. Here's what I try to include:
small plates (cocktail size)
toddler utensils
refillable water bottle that will fit into a car drink holder, and has ounces hashed so they could track water intake
liquid Tylenol
Wet wipes/hand sanitizer
Snap-up robe (belt can be uncomfortable)
SF Jello
Mio or Crystal Light (was allowed with their surgeon)
liquid breath freshener
Sudafed dissolvable strips
corn bags (cloth bags filled with field corn, I think they're far superior to heating pads, and caln also be frozen)
Book, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.

I think when measured out the capacity difference between the smallest bougie commonly used (I'm guessing 32) and largest (guessing 54) is about a teaspoon. I calculated it out once but right now I'm not remembering the exact number. As I've said before, none of us got MO on a teaspoon. So in terms of capacity, bougie size is basically a moot point.
A 32 Fr bougie has an inner diameter of... (get out calculator)... 0.4". A 40 Fr bougie is 0.5". That's a whopping one tenth of an inch difference. But also remember that bougie size and sleeve size are not the exact same.
The long term stats of % EWL losses between bougie sizes (at least the ones with long term results available) are virtually the same, if not exactly the same.
Surgeons used to (and maybe still do) follow the logic that a smaller bougie = smaller sleeve = better weightloss. Now they're seeing trends that smaller bougie = greater leak risk, and greater incidence of post-op GERD. The threshhold between higher incidence and no higher incidence seems to be the difference between a 32 and 34 Fr bougie, respectively. But even that's a bit arbitrary, and going to depend to a degree on the patient. My surgeon will not use anything smaller than a 34.
The average stomach is about 12" long and about 6" wide, with a standard capacity of about a quart. Tall people have longer stomachs? I think it's debatable. It's all just genetics and genetics favor proportion, mostly for survival, but we see a lot of exceptions every day. And I've seen a lot more studies refuting it than supporting it. ~1950 there was a study of 126 cadaver stomachs, and there was no significant correlation between stomach size and height, nor stomach size and weight, nor stomach size and gender:
And from 2002:
*shrug* Dunno. I know that I'm taller than most females here, have a Fr 34, and am eating less than most other posted quantities I pay attention to.

Mine wasn't related to an event, or a trigger weight, or anything like that. I was just tired of being fat. And tired of saying, "If I can't do it on my own by this time next year..."
I guess what I'm saying was that it was a slow process, rather than an event.
I think it was more outside events (e.g. getting a recommendation for a surgeon, realizing it could be done, realizing...) Keep in mind this was 2005 when the only WLS you really heard of was RNY and it was far from mainstream knowledge.

I haven't read every response so I'm sorry if I'm duplicating. And I thought I read you were going for a cosolidated list, so I'm putting it all in here. If that's not the case, ignore as appropriate. My sleeve next month will be my 4th abdominal lap procedure and 2nd bariatric procedure, and based on my lessons learned here's what I suggest:
For hospital:
Wear somethong with no waistband, preferred. Like a house dress. Inevitably I've had an incision EXACTLY where my waistbands fall. And I'ev also had a few incisions that were intentionally left unclosed. Those hurt the worst, even though they're the smallest, and also tend to be right where my pants hit. If you must have a waistband, try to find one without elastic (e.g. drawstring) so you can fully adjust the tightness. When I had my band out I wore one of those velvety track suit things, mine has a drawstring waist. Perfect.
Wear slip-on shoes if you have them. Socks are hard to get on when you can't bend comfortably, and I don't like other people putting socks on me. Flip flops, or those fugly plastic clog shoes (forgetting the name), or a ballet flat or something like that. If youdon't have or can't get, then when you take off your sneakers pre-op, leave the laces all loose so you can just slip them on later.
Nook or Kindle or book or whatever. My sleeve will be the first procedure that requires me to stay overnight, and post-op I've een either asleep or prepping to go home, but pre-op? I played Boggle on my iphone for almost 2 hours pre-op. Was glad to have it. DH was there but is always more nervous than I am and wasn't a great talker.
I always bring a small hair clip. You can't do anything but wash/rinse your hair the day of, and you're probably (technically) not allowed to shower the night of. I have curly hair that gets bushy if I can't put some kind of product on it while it's still wet. So I always bring a clip to at least pull the hair back from my eyes.
I prefer to bring my own slippers (they have memory foam soles).
I bring my own robe. I haven't been able to wear it (IV lines, etc.) but hospital blankets are cold. Even the warm ones get cold too quickly. My robe is warm. And it can double as an extra pillow, because those flat jokes in the hospital aren't cutting it.
Chapstick, deodorant, my own toothbrush, skin lotion and hand sanitzier. (I put all of the above in my purse). If my face or hands are dry, I will not be able to focus on much else.
Pillow, for supporting your stomach. Especially if you have a large pannus, this will help. When I had my lapband put in, it took me about 3 days of walking completely hunched over like an ancient lady until I realized that the majority of the pain was coming from my pannus "pulling" down on my incisions. As soon as I started to support my pannus with my arm, it was like night and day. LIttle nicer doing it with a pillow than your forearm, but hey, I was desperate. I will also help to apply steadying pressure when you go over potholes on the ride home. (About 4 days post-op DH drove me to visit my parents. He took a route that goes over a train crossing. He had a "theory" that the faster he went, the less I would feel the bumps so he gunned his truck and his them going about 45. Our marriage almost didn't make it to the next block.)
When I had my lapband out, I had the most horrible sore throat from all the gear using my mouth as enter/exit. Truly it was far worse than strep, and easily the single worst pain I had after surgery. I didn't have any eating/drinking restrictions so I used Chloraseptic. If you can have some type of analgesic lozenge or something, go for it.
Electric razor. Let's just say I'm 1/4 Greek and would be a good candidate for laser facial hair removal if everyone hadn't told me it feels like exacto knives slicing your face repeatedly. This isn't required, but I need it for comfort level.
For drive home:
I haven't yet had anesthetic make me nauseous, but it can make a lot of people sick for a while. I drove my mother home from a bariatric surgery she had and we kept having to stop on the interstae so she could chuck on the side of the road. So the REAL suggestion here is get a driver who doesn't get queasy when she hears others chuck. Second suggestion is to bring some type of a barf bag (those blue emi-sleeves the hospitals have are great) if you know or suspect the anesthesia will affect you. There's something about car rides that seems to make it worse, even if you've been "fine" for a while.
Keep said pillow with you. Either to support your abdomen, or to nap, or both. (If your procedure is outpatient, you'll probably still be nap ready by the time you're released)
Keep a blanket in your car. I'm always freezing cold after surgery, for a day or two. And DH is not, so it's nice to able to limit the use of the heater - for his sake. (BTW, when people lose weight, especially quickly, they tend to discover they're perpetually cold - you might want to just keep a blanket in your car long term).
At home:
I have DH bring one of the recliners up from his theater room and station it in the living room. From there I have same-floor access to the door, kitchen, a half bathroom, etc. This recliner becomes my docking station for at least 3 days until I can comfortably lay in bed. And on that note, I'd suggest getting some extra pillows. When I CAN lay in bed, I do best if I'm VERY propped up. I suspect this will be true with sleeve surgery, especially until my acid production drops off.
Don't wait until you're out of surgery to try and find supplements you like. Have them selected before hand, and have a few options. Things will probably start tasting different. Have cold & room temp Water ready. Not all bariatric stomachs tolerate all temperatures. When I had by AGB surgery DH bought a little apartment fridge to keep in the LR so I didn't have to walk into the kitchen. That was overkill. But if somehow being able to stay on the same floor as the fridge weren't possible, it would've been awful handy.
I'm queuing up movies & shows to watch on Netflix. Daytime tv sucks monkey butts. Also holding off on getting a few books I really want to read, so that I can have something to do until I can comforably move around.
If you have someone who can help you around the house for a few days, do it. Think about kids if you have 'em, pets... and how may up/downs it is just for an hour or two.
I don't like to take my hydrocodone any longer than I have to, so I use liquid Tylenol and try to have a few bottles on hand. Gas-X never did a thing for me other than taste bad. The gas that Gas-X works on (I say "works"lightly) is not surgical gas, i.e. the piercing ache you might feel around your collarbone/shoulder area... so don't buy it thinking it will bring relief. Surgical gas, and intenstinal gas, are two wholly different things. As an addendum to what I just said - I just remembered that an RNY friend dumped on liquid tylenol. For VSG it might be better to wait and see if you can tolerate it, unless your surgeon gives you the OK ahead of time.
If your shower hyas a stationery head, I suggest getting one of the kind of tubing that you can move around. Especially for ladies out there. Bending and twisting is gonna smart, and let's face it. Some things in life require us to bend and twist, or be able to hit it with some Water. I'm just sayin'...
When I had my AGB and the graduated diet, I made sure to buy everything a few days prior to my surgery so that I didn't have to go to the store if I didn't want to. Ends up I wanted to, the next day, just to walk around a bit. But having the option is nice.
Since my AGB both of my parents have had bariatric procedures. I've made each of them a large gift basket and brought it to the hospital. Here's what I try to include:
small plates (cocktail size)
toddler utensils
refillable water bottle that will fit into a car drink holder, and has ounces hashed so they could track water intake
liquid Tylenol
Wet wipes/hand sanitizer
Snap-up robe (belt can be uncomfortable)
SF Jello
Mio or Crystal Light (was allowed with their surgeon)
liquid breath freshener
Sudafed dissolvable strips
corn bags (cloth bags filled with field corn, I think they're far superior to heating pads, and caln also be frozen)
Book, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.

I haven't read every response so I'm sorry if I'm duplicating. And I thought I read you were going for a cosolidated list, so I'm putting it all in here. If that's not the case, ignore as appropriate. My sleeve next month will be my 4th abdominal lap procedure and 2nd bariatric procedure, and based on my lessons learned here's what I suggest:
For hospital:
Wear somethong with no waistband, preferred. Like a house dress. Inevitably I've had an incision EXACTLY where my waistbands fall. And I'ev also had a few incisions that were intentionally left unclosed. Those hurt the worst, even though they're the smallest, and also tend to be right where my pants hit. If you must have a waistband, try to find one without elastic (e.g. drawstring) so you can fully adjust the tightness. When I had my band out I wore one of those velvety track suit things, mine has a drawstring waist. Perfect.
Wear slip-on shoes if you have them. Socks are hard to get on when you can't bend comfortably, and I don't like other people putting socks on me. Flip flops, or those fugly plastic clog shoes (forgetting the name), or a ballet flat or something like that. If youdon't have or can't get, then when you take off your sneakers pre-op, leave the laces all loose so you can just slip them on later.
Nook or Kindle or book or whatever. My sleeve will be the first procedure that requires me to stay overnight, and post-op I've een either asleep or prepping to go home, but pre-op? I played Boggle on my iphone for almost 2 hours pre-op. Was glad to have it. DH was there but is always more nervous than I am and wasn't a great talker.
I always bring a small hair clip. You can't do anything but wash/rinse your hair the day of, and you're probably (technically) not allowed to shower the night of. I have curly hair that gets bushy if I can't put some kind of product on it while it's still wet. So I always bring a clip to at least pull the hair back from my eyes.
I prefer to bring my own slippers (they have memory foam soles).
I bring my own robe. I haven't been able to wear it (IV lines, etc.) but hospital blankets are cold. Even the warm ones get cold too quickly. My robe is warm. And it can double as an extra pillow, because those flat jokes in the hospital aren't cutting it.
Chapstick, deodorant, my own toothbrush, skin lotion and hand sanitzier. (I put all of the above in my purse). If my face or hands are dry, I will not be able to focus on much else.
Pillow, for supporting your stomach. Especially if you have a large pannus, this will help. When I had my lapband put in, it took me about 3 days of walking completely hunched over like an ancient lady until I realized that the majority of the pain was coming from my pannus "pulling" down on my incisions. As soon as I started to support my pannus with my arm, it was like night and day. LIttle nicer doing it with a pillow than your forearm, but hey, I was desperate. I will also help to apply steadying pressure when you go over potholes on the ride home. (About 4 days post-op DH drove me to visit my parents. He took a route that goes over a train crossing. He had a "theory" that the faster he went, the less I would feel the bumps so he gunned his truck and his them going about 45. Our marriage almost didn't make it to the next block.)
When I had my lapband out, I had the most horrible sore throat from all the gear using my mouth as enter/exit. Truly it was far worse than strep, and easily the single worst pain I had after surgery. I didn't have any eating/drinking restrictions so I used Chloraseptic. If you can have some type of analgesic lozenge or something, go for it.
Electric razor. Let's just say I'm 1/4 Greek and would be a good candidate for laser facial hair removal if everyone hadn't told me it feels like exacto knives slicing your face repeatedly. This isn't required, but I need it for comfort level.
For drive home:
I haven't yet had anesthetic make me nauseous, but it can make a lot of people sick for a while. I drove my mother home from a bariatric surgery she had and we kept having to stop on the interstae so she could chuck on the side of the road. So the REAL suggestion here is get a driver who doesn't get queasy when she hears others chuck. Second suggestion is to bring some type of a barf bag (those blue emi-sleeves the hospitals have are great) if you know or suspect the anesthesia will affect you. There's something about car rides that seems to make it worse, even if you've been "fine" for a while.
Keep said pillow with you. Either to support your abdomen, or to nap, or both. (If your procedure is outpatient, you'll probably still be nap ready by the time you're released)
Keep a blanket in your car. I'm always freezing cold after surgery, for a day or two. And DH is not, so it's nice to able to limit the use of the heater - for his sake. (BTW, when people lose weight, especially quickly, they tend to discover they're perpetually cold - you might want to just keep a blanket in your car long term).
At home:
I have DH bring one of the recliners up from his theater room and station it in the living room. From there I have same-floor access to the door, kitchen, a half bathroom, etc. This recliner becomes my docking station for at least 3 days until I can comfortably lay in bed. And on that note, I'd suggest getting some extra pillows. When I CAN lay in bed, I do best if I'm VERY propped up. I suspect this will be true with sleeve surgery, especially until my acid production drops off.
Don't wait until you're out of surgery to try and find supplements you like. Have them selected before hand, and have a few options. Things will probably start tasting different. Have cold & room temp Water ready. Not all bariatric stomachs tolerate all temperatures. When I had by AGB surgery DH bought a little apartment fridge to keep in the LR so I didn't have to walk into the kitchen. That was overkill. But if somehow being able to stay on the same floor as the fridge weren't possible, it would've been awful handy.
I'm queuing up movies & shows to watch on Netflix. Daytime tv sucks monkey butts. Also holding off on getting a few books I really want to read, so that I can have something to do until I can comforably move around.
If you have someone who can help you around the house for a few days, do it. Think about kids if you have 'em, pets... and how may up/downs it is just for an hour or two.
I don't like to take my hydrocodone any longer than I have to, so I use liquid Tylenol and try to have a few bottles on hand. Gas-X never did a thing for me other than taste bad. The gas that Gas-X works on (I say "works"lightly) is not surgical gas, i.e. the piercing ache you might feel around your collarbone/shoulder area... so don't buy it thinking it will bring relief. Surgical gas, and intenstinal gas, are two wholly different things. As an addendum to what I just said - I just remembered that an RNY friend dumped on liquid tylenol. For VSG it might be better to wait and see if you can tolerate it, unless your surgeon gives you the OK ahead of time.
If your shower hyas a stationery head, I suggest getting one of the kind of tubing that you can move around. Especially for ladies out there. Bending and twisting is gonna smart, and let's face it. Some things in life require us to bend and twist, or be able to hit it with some Water. I'm just sayin'...
When I had my AGB and the graduated diet, I made sure to buy everything a few days prior to my surgery so that I didn't have to go to the store if I didn't want to. Ends up I wanted to, the next day, just to walk around a bit. But having the option is nice.
Since my AGB both of my parents have had bariatric procedures. I've made each of them a large gift basket and brought it to the hospital. Here's what I try to include:
small plates (cocktail size)
toddler utensils
refillable water bottle that will fit into a car drink holder, and has ounces hashed so they could track water intake
liquid Tylenol
Wet wipes/hand sanitizer
Snap-up robe (belt can be uncomfortable)
SF Jello
Mio or Crystal Light (was allowed with their surgeon)
liquid breath freshener
Sudafed dissolvable strips
corn bags (cloth bags filled with field corn, I think they're far superior to heating pads, and caln also be frozen)
Book, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.

It's interesting to see how many of us relative "oldies" have made their way over to this thread. I'd love to see a poll of how many of us have either lost our bands, or need to lose them (as in my case - I'm working on approval for a revision). Or are having complications that aren't yet being properly diagnosed -- I was treated as someone who first needed a series of unfills, then who needed to change eating habits, then who was just "one of those" responding unfavorably.
OP is more generous than me. I'm going on 6 years out, and would have to cite the failures I've seen upwards of 75% - 80%. I've seen it at abou t95% or higher for women who have had babies with a band.
I do not have much faith in the lap-band (or any other brand of AGB) as a long-term solution. I'm just not seeing enough people keep their bands.
I was diagnosed with a slip last month. I believe it happened in 2008 (when I had an onset of stnrage symptoms, that didn't seem to add up to a "slip"), but my body is tolerating it. As in - I still have moderate restriction, I am not getting sick, etc. But my slip was described to me as "profound" and options such as unfill for self-repositioning, or surgical repositioning are not an option. My options were "live with it like this, and since you're tolerating it, maybe you can even get a fill some day" or "removal." I'm going removal, and revision to a sleeve.
Years ago my surgeon told me my band would slip if I didn't follow the rules. I'm not a model bandster - I eat carbs, I'm not a rigorous exerciser... but I followed the rules, and even better than rules if it worked out better for me.
I don't hate my band. I'm sad to see it go. I didn't have constant misery or pain, I didn't hate the consequences it enforced, or intolerances, or a lot of the other "baddies" people often experience. It helped me lose 175 pounds and if it hadn't moved, I would still be happy keeping it. Though I would be more and more wary that it's probably gonna have to come out one of these days.

Mine wasn't related to an event, or a trigger weight, or anything like that. I was just tired of being fat. And tired of saying, "If I can't do it on my own by this time next year..."
I guess what I'm saying was that it was a slow process, rather than an event.
I think it was more outside events (e.g. getting a recommendation for a surgeon, realizing it could be done, realizing...) Keep in mind this was 2005 when the only WLS you really heard of was RNY and it was far from mainstream knowledge.

For WLS
AGB = adjustable gastric band (like the lap-band, but not brand name)
RNY = Roux en Y
BMI = Body mass index
BMR = Basal metabolic rate
PPI = proton pump inhibitor
PB = productive burp (I know it's a band thing, and a horribly misleading name, but it has come up in the revisions forum)
NSAID = Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
Not an abbreviation (lots of these aren't) but sliming - excessive saliva production
Like above, foaming/foamies - saliva that has been "churned" in the esophagus and comes in looking like soap foam or Shampoo lather
NSV - non-scale victory, a general well being victory that does not involve your weight (clothing fitting looser, a nice compliment, walking X stairs without getting winded, etc.)
I'll think of more later, I know there's a bunch.
More just conversational...
The family ones - DD, DA, DH, MIL, FIL, SIL... where does it end? Second cousin twice removed? SCTR? Bah.
HTH = hope this helps
IIRC = if I remember correctly
AFAIK = as far as I know
IMO/IME = in my opinion/in my experience
IMHO/IMHE = in my humble opinion/in my humble experience

I haven't read every response so I'm sorry if I'm duplicating. And I thought I read you were going for a cosolidated list, so I'm putting it all in here. If that's not the case, ignore as appropriate. My sleeve next month will be my 4th abdominal lap procedure and 2nd bariatric procedure, and based on my lessons learned here's what I suggest:
For hospital:
Wear somethong with no waistband, preferred. Like a house dress. Inevitably I've had an incision EXACTLY where my waistbands fall. And I'ev also had a few incisions that were intentionally left unclosed. Those hurt the worst, even though they're the smallest, and also tend to be right where my pants hit. If you must have a waistband, try to find one without elastic (e.g. drawstring) so you can fully adjust the tightness. When I had my band out I wore one of those velvety track suit things, mine has a drawstring waist. Perfect.
Wear slip-on shoes if you have them. Socks are hard to get on when you can't bend comfortably, and I don't like other people putting socks on me. Flip flops, or those fugly plastic clog shoes (forgetting the name), or a ballet flat or something like that. If youdon't have or can't get, then when you take off your sneakers pre-op, leave the laces all loose so you can just slip them on later.
Nook or Kindle or book or whatever. My sleeve will be the first procedure that requires me to stay overnight, and post-op I've een either asleep or prepping to go home, but pre-op? I played Boggle on my iphone for almost 2 hours pre-op. Was glad to have it. DH was there but is always more nervous than I am and wasn't a great talker.
I always bring a small hair clip. You can't do anything but wash/rinse your hair the day of, and you're probably (technically) not allowed to shower the night of. I have curly hair that gets bushy if I can't put some kind of product on it while it's still wet. So I always bring a clip to at least pull the hair back from my eyes.
I prefer to bring my own slippers (they have memory foam soles).
I bring my own robe. I haven't been able to wear it (IV lines, etc.) but hospital blankets are cold. Even the warm ones get cold too quickly. My robe is warm. And it can double as an extra pillow, because those flat jokes in the hospital aren't cutting it.
Chapstick, deodorant, my own toothbrush, skin lotion and hand sanitzier. (I put all of the above in my purse). If my face or hands are dry, I will not be able to focus on much else.
Pillow, for supporting your stomach. Especially if you have a large pannus, this will help. When I had my lapband put in, it took me about 3 days of walking completely hunched over like an ancient lady until I realized that the majority of the pain was coming from my pannus "pulling" down on my incisions. As soon as I started to support my pannus with my arm, it was like night and day. LIttle nicer doing it with a pillow than your forearm, but hey, I was desperate. I will also help to apply steadying pressure when you go over potholes on the ride home. (About 4 days post-op DH drove me to visit my parents. He took a route that goes over a train crossing. He had a "theory" that the faster he went, the less I would feel the bumps so he gunned his truck and his them going about 45. Our marriage almost didn't make it to the next block.)
When I had my lapband out, I had the most horrible sore throat from all the gear using my mouth as enter/exit. Truly it was far worse than strep, and easily the single worst pain I had after surgery. I didn't have any eating/drinking restrictions so I used Chloraseptic. If you can have some type of analgesic lozenge or something, go for it.
Electric razor. Let's just say I'm 1/4 Greek and would be a good candidate for laser facial hair removal if everyone hadn't told me it feels like exacto knives slicing your face repeatedly. This isn't required, but I need it for comfort level.
For drive home:
I haven't yet had anesthetic make me nauseous, but it can make a lot of people sick for a while. I drove my mother home from a bariatric surgery she had and we kept having to stop on the interstae so she could chuck on the side of the road. So the REAL suggestion here is get a driver who doesn't get queasy when she hears others chuck. Second suggestion is to bring some type of a barf bag (those blue emi-sleeves the hospitals have are great) if you know or suspect the anesthesia will affect you. There's something about car rides that seems to make it worse, even if you've been "fine" for a while.
Keep said pillow with you. Either to support your abdomen, or to nap, or both. (If your procedure is outpatient, you'll probably still be nap ready by the time you're released)
Keep a blanket in your car. I'm always freezing cold after surgery, for a day or two. And DH is not, so it's nice to able to limit the use of the heater - for his sake. (BTW, when people lose weight, especially quickly, they tend to discover they're perpetually cold - you might want to just keep a blanket in your car long term).
At home:
I have DH bring one of the recliners up from his theater room and station it in the living room. From there I have same-floor access to the door, kitchen, a half bathroom, etc. This recliner becomes my docking station for at least 3 days until I can comfortably lay in bed. And on that note, I'd suggest getting some extra pillows. When I CAN lay in bed, I do best if I'm VERY propped up. I suspect this will be true with sleeve surgery, especially until my acid production drops off.
Don't wait until you're out of surgery to try and find supplements you like. Have them selected before hand, and have a few options. Things will probably start tasting different. Have cold & room temp Water ready. Not all bariatric stomachs tolerate all temperatures. When I had by AGB surgery DH bought a little apartment fridge to keep in the LR so I didn't have to walk into the kitchen. That was overkill. But if somehow being able to stay on the same floor as the fridge weren't possible, it would've been awful handy.
I'm queuing up movies & shows to watch on Netflix. Daytime tv sucks monkey butts. Also holding off on getting a few books I really want to read, so that I can have something to do until I can comforably move around.
If you have someone who can help you around the house for a few days, do it. Think about kids if you have 'em, pets... and how may up/downs it is just for an hour or two.
I don't like to take my hydrocodone any longer than I have to, so I use liquid Tylenol and try to have a few bottles on hand. Gas-X never did a thing for me other than taste bad. The gas that Gas-X works on (I say "works"lightly) is not surgical gas, i.e. the piercing ache you might feel around your collarbone/shoulder area... so don't buy it thinking it will bring relief. Surgical gas, and intenstinal gas, are two wholly different things. As an addendum to what I just said - I just remembered that an RNY friend dumped on liquid tylenol. For VSG it might be better to wait and see if you can tolerate it, unless your surgeon gives you the OK ahead of time.
If your shower hyas a stationery head, I suggest getting one of the kind of tubing that you can move around. Especially for ladies out there. Bending and twisting is gonna smart, and let's face it. Some things in life require us to bend and twist, or be able to hit it with some Water. I'm just sayin'...
When I had my AGB and the graduated diet, I made sure to buy everything a few days prior to my surgery so that I didn't have to go to the store if I didn't want to. Ends up I wanted to, the next day, just to walk around a bit. But having the option is nice.
Since my AGB both of my parents have had bariatric procedures. I've made each of them a large gift basket and brought it to the hospital. Here's what I try to include:
small plates (cocktail size)
toddler utensils
refillable water bottle that will fit into a car drink holder, and has ounces hashed so they could track water intake
liquid Tylenol
Wet wipes/hand sanitizer
Snap-up robe (belt can be uncomfortable)
SF Jello
Mio or Crystal Light (was allowed with their surgeon)
liquid breath freshener
Sudafed dissolvable strips
corn bags (cloth bags filled with field corn, I think they're far superior to heating pads, and caln also be frozen)
Book, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.

Some of these are really sad, though I can understand things being said in jest. Confession is disclosure of an offense. And an awful lot of these things are our nature, not our sins. I really really from the bottom of my pragmatic heart hope that you guys aren't seeing things like "I want McDonald's" or "I've eaten desert" or "I'm craving favorite foods" as things to incite guilt or emotional unrest. We're still humans, we're just humans with partial stomachs.

Some of these are really sad, though I can understand things being said in jest. Confession is disclosure of an offense. And an awful lot of these things are our nature, not our sins. I really really from the bottom of my pragmatic heart hope that you guys aren't seeing things like "I want McDonald's" or "I've eaten desert" or "I'm craving favorite foods" as things to incite guilt or emotional unrest. We're still humans, we're just humans with partial stomachs.

Some of these are really sad, though I can understand things being said in jest. Confession is disclosure of an offense. And an awful lot of these things are our nature, not our sins. I really really from the bottom of my pragmatic heart hope that you guys aren't seeing things like "I want McDonald's" or "I've eaten desert" or "I'm craving favorite foods" as things to incite guilt or emotional unrest. We're still humans, we're just humans with partial stomachs.

I want to know what you did with the egg beaters.
And totally thought you were going in this direction:
There seems to be a bit of a conspiracy to try and rid fat people of all bad eating habits ever, forever. When in reality, we would all be much better served learning the things we clearly cannot master, like "portioning" and "good choices" and "how to not be neurotic." Really - think about it. The weightloss isn't going to be the hard part, or the scary part. The scary part to me is going to be hitting goal, and then having to maintain it. WTF do I do then? I'll be like the gal who retires, and then dies. Maintenance is my big failure. I've lost weight many times. I've never maintained. I've gone from actively losing to actively gaining. The longest I've ever maintained was about 3 mos, and it was forced (I was living in Europe and had to walk about 200 stairs to my apartment - after walking down them, and then walking everywhere I needed to go which was lots of places because they didn't have "one stop shop" stores).
They give us "rules" that really are not applicable to vertical sleeve especially so much as turning you into the ultimate healthy eater!!! Like - no caffeine. Low carbs. No sliders. No juice. That's not realistic for most of us. But it is going to boost their stats (pure coincidence I'm sure...). What they should really be teaching us are things like the difference between "I'm full" and "I'm no longer hungry." How many pounds could we have avoided if any of us really, really GOT that message? Or balance. Have carbs. Your body needs them. You will poison yourself on just Protein. But make room for it. Don't just throw it in on top of everything else.
</rant>

I haven't read every response so I'm sorry if I'm duplicating. And I thought I read you were going for a cosolidated list, so I'm putting it all in here. If that's not the case, ignore as appropriate. My sleeve next month will be my 4th abdominal lap procedure and 2nd bariatric procedure, and based on my lessons learned here's what I suggest:
For hospital:
Wear somethong with no waistband, preferred. Like a house dress. Inevitably I've had an incision EXACTLY where my waistbands fall. And I'ev also had a few incisions that were intentionally left unclosed. Those hurt the worst, even though they're the smallest, and also tend to be right where my pants hit. If you must have a waistband, try to find one without elastic (e.g. drawstring) so you can fully adjust the tightness. When I had my band out I wore one of those velvety track suit things, mine has a drawstring waist. Perfect.
Wear slip-on shoes if you have them. Socks are hard to get on when you can't bend comfortably, and I don't like other people putting socks on me. Flip flops, or those fugly plastic clog shoes (forgetting the name), or a ballet flat or something like that. If youdon't have or can't get, then when you take off your sneakers pre-op, leave the laces all loose so you can just slip them on later.
Nook or Kindle or book or whatever. My sleeve will be the first procedure that requires me to stay overnight, and post-op I've een either asleep or prepping to go home, but pre-op? I played Boggle on my iphone for almost 2 hours pre-op. Was glad to have it. DH was there but is always more nervous than I am and wasn't a great talker.
I always bring a small hair clip. You can't do anything but wash/rinse your hair the day of, and you're probably (technically) not allowed to shower the night of. I have curly hair that gets bushy if I can't put some kind of product on it while it's still wet. So I always bring a clip to at least pull the hair back from my eyes.
I prefer to bring my own slippers (they have memory foam soles).
I bring my own robe. I haven't been able to wear it (IV lines, etc.) but hospital blankets are cold. Even the warm ones get cold too quickly. My robe is warm. And it can double as an extra pillow, because those flat jokes in the hospital aren't cutting it.
Chapstick, deodorant, my own toothbrush, skin lotion and hand sanitzier. (I put all of the above in my purse). If my face or hands are dry, I will not be able to focus on much else.
Pillow, for supporting your stomach. Especially if you have a large pannus, this will help. When I had my lapband put in, it took me about 3 days of walking completely hunched over like an ancient lady until I realized that the majority of the pain was coming from my pannus "pulling" down on my incisions. As soon as I started to support my pannus with my arm, it was like night and day. LIttle nicer doing it with a pillow than your forearm, but hey, I was desperate. I will also help to apply steadying pressure when you go over potholes on the ride home. (About 4 days post-op DH drove me to visit my parents. He took a route that goes over a train crossing. He had a "theory" that the faster he went, the less I would feel the bumps so he gunned his truck and his them going about 45. Our marriage almost didn't make it to the next block.)
When I had my lapband out, I had the most horrible sore throat from all the gear using my mouth as enter/exit. Truly it was far worse than strep, and easily the single worst pain I had after surgery. I didn't have any eating/drinking restrictions so I used Chloraseptic. If you can have some type of analgesic lozenge or something, go for it.
Electric razor. Let's just say I'm 1/4 Greek and would be a good candidate for laser facial hair removal if everyone hadn't told me it feels like exacto knives slicing your face repeatedly. This isn't required, but I need it for comfort level.
For drive home:
I haven't yet had anesthetic make me nauseous, but it can make a lot of people sick for a while. I drove my mother home from a bariatric surgery she had and we kept having to stop on the interstae so she could chuck on the side of the road. So the REAL suggestion here is get a driver who doesn't get queasy when she hears others chuck. Second suggestion is to bring some type of a barf bag (those blue emi-sleeves the hospitals have are great) if you know or suspect the anesthesia will affect you. There's something about car rides that seems to make it worse, even if you've been "fine" for a while.
Keep said pillow with you. Either to support your abdomen, or to nap, or both. (If your procedure is outpatient, you'll probably still be nap ready by the time you're released)
Keep a blanket in your car. I'm always freezing cold after surgery, for a day or two. And DH is not, so it's nice to able to limit the use of the heater - for his sake. (BTW, when people lose weight, especially quickly, they tend to discover they're perpetually cold - you might want to just keep a blanket in your car long term).
At home:
I have DH bring one of the recliners up from his theater room and station it in the living room. From there I have same-floor access to the door, kitchen, a half bathroom, etc. This recliner becomes my docking station for at least 3 days until I can comfortably lay in bed. And on that note, I'd suggest getting some extra pillows. When I CAN lay in bed, I do best if I'm VERY propped up. I suspect this will be true with sleeve surgery, especially until my acid production drops off.
Don't wait until you're out of surgery to try and find supplements you like. Have them selected before hand, and have a few options. Things will probably start tasting different. Have cold & room temp Water ready. Not all bariatric stomachs tolerate all temperatures. When I had by AGB surgery DH bought a little apartment fridge to keep in the LR so I didn't have to walk into the kitchen. That was overkill. But if somehow being able to stay on the same floor as the fridge weren't possible, it would've been awful handy.
I'm queuing up movies & shows to watch on Netflix. Daytime tv sucks monkey butts. Also holding off on getting a few books I really want to read, so that I can have something to do until I can comforably move around.
If you have someone who can help you around the house for a few days, do it. Think about kids if you have 'em, pets... and how may up/downs it is just for an hour or two.
I don't like to take my hydrocodone any longer than I have to, so I use liquid Tylenol and try to have a few bottles on hand. Gas-X never did a thing for me other than taste bad. The gas that Gas-X works on (I say "works"lightly) is not surgical gas, i.e. the piercing ache you might feel around your collarbone/shoulder area... so don't buy it thinking it will bring relief. Surgical gas, and intenstinal gas, are two wholly different things. As an addendum to what I just said - I just remembered that an RNY friend dumped on liquid tylenol. For VSG it might be better to wait and see if you can tolerate it, unless your surgeon gives you the OK ahead of time.
If your shower hyas a stationery head, I suggest getting one of the kind of tubing that you can move around. Especially for ladies out there. Bending and twisting is gonna smart, and let's face it. Some things in life require us to bend and twist, or be able to hit it with some Water. I'm just sayin'...
When I had my AGB and the graduated diet, I made sure to buy everything a few days prior to my surgery so that I didn't have to go to the store if I didn't want to. Ends up I wanted to, the next day, just to walk around a bit. But having the option is nice.
Since my AGB both of my parents have had bariatric procedures. I've made each of them a large gift basket and brought it to the hospital. Here's what I try to include:
small plates (cocktail size)
toddler utensils
refillable water bottle that will fit into a car drink holder, and has ounces hashed so they could track water intake
liquid Tylenol
Wet wipes/hand sanitizer
Snap-up robe (belt can be uncomfortable)
SF Jello
Mio or Crystal Light (was allowed with their surgeon)
liquid breath freshener
Sudafed dissolvable strips
corn bags (cloth bags filled with field corn, I think they're far superior to heating pads, and caln also be frozen)
Book, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.

Mine wasn't related to an event, or a trigger weight, or anything like that. I was just tired of being fat. And tired of saying, "If I can't do it on my own by this time next year..."
I guess what I'm saying was that it was a slow process, rather than an event.
I think it was more outside events (e.g. getting a recommendation for a surgeon, realizing it could be done, realizing...) Keep in mind this was 2005 when the only WLS you really heard of was RNY and it was far from mainstream knowledge.

I haven't read every response so I'm sorry if I'm duplicating. And I thought I read you were going for a cosolidated list, so I'm putting it all in here. If that's not the case, ignore as appropriate. My sleeve next month will be my 4th abdominal lap procedure and 2nd bariatric procedure, and based on my lessons learned here's what I suggest:
For hospital:
Wear somethong with no waistband, preferred. Like a house dress. Inevitably I've had an incision EXACTLY where my waistbands fall. And I'ev also had a few incisions that were intentionally left unclosed. Those hurt the worst, even though they're the smallest, and also tend to be right where my pants hit. If you must have a waistband, try to find one without elastic (e.g. drawstring) so you can fully adjust the tightness. When I had my band out I wore one of those velvety track suit things, mine has a drawstring waist. Perfect.
Wear slip-on shoes if you have them. Socks are hard to get on when you can't bend comfortably, and I don't like other people putting socks on me. Flip flops, or those fugly plastic clog shoes (forgetting the name), or a ballet flat or something like that. If youdon't have or can't get, then when you take off your sneakers pre-op, leave the laces all loose so you can just slip them on later.
Nook or Kindle or book or whatever. My sleeve will be the first procedure that requires me to stay overnight, and post-op I've een either asleep or prepping to go home, but pre-op? I played Boggle on my iphone for almost 2 hours pre-op. Was glad to have it. DH was there but is always more nervous than I am and wasn't a great talker.
I always bring a small hair clip. You can't do anything but wash/rinse your hair the day of, and you're probably (technically) not allowed to shower the night of. I have curly hair that gets bushy if I can't put some kind of product on it while it's still wet. So I always bring a clip to at least pull the hair back from my eyes.
I prefer to bring my own slippers (they have memory foam soles).
I bring my own robe. I haven't been able to wear it (IV lines, etc.) but hospital blankets are cold. Even the warm ones get cold too quickly. My robe is warm. And it can double as an extra pillow, because those flat jokes in the hospital aren't cutting it.
Chapstick, deodorant, my own toothbrush, skin lotion and hand sanitzier. (I put all of the above in my purse). If my face or hands are dry, I will not be able to focus on much else.
Pillow, for supporting your stomach. Especially if you have a large pannus, this will help. When I had my lapband put in, it took me about 3 days of walking completely hunched over like an ancient lady until I realized that the majority of the pain was coming from my pannus "pulling" down on my incisions. As soon as I started to support my pannus with my arm, it was like night and day. LIttle nicer doing it with a pillow than your forearm, but hey, I was desperate. I will also help to apply steadying pressure when you go over potholes on the ride home. (About 4 days post-op DH drove me to visit my parents. He took a route that goes over a train crossing. He had a "theory" that the faster he went, the less I would feel the bumps so he gunned his truck and his them going about 45. Our marriage almost didn't make it to the next block.)
When I had my lapband out, I had the most horrible sore throat from all the gear using my mouth as enter/exit. Truly it was far worse than strep, and easily the single worst pain I had after surgery. I didn't have any eating/drinking restrictions so I used Chloraseptic. If you can have some type of analgesic lozenge or something, go for it.
Electric razor. Let's just say I'm 1/4 Greek and would be a good candidate for laser facial hair removal if everyone hadn't told me it feels like exacto knives slicing your face repeatedly. This isn't required, but I need it for comfort level.
For drive home:
I haven't yet had anesthetic make me nauseous, but it can make a lot of people sick for a while. I drove my mother home from a bariatric surgery she had and we kept having to stop on the interstae so she could chuck on the side of the road. So the REAL suggestion here is get a driver who doesn't get queasy when she hears others chuck. Second suggestion is to bring some type of a barf bag (those blue emi-sleeves the hospitals have are great) if you know or suspect the anesthesia will affect you. There's something about car rides that seems to make it worse, even if you've been "fine" for a while.
Keep said pillow with you. Either to support your abdomen, or to nap, or both. (If your procedure is outpatient, you'll probably still be nap ready by the time you're released)
Keep a blanket in your car. I'm always freezing cold after surgery, for a day or two. And DH is not, so it's nice to able to limit the use of the heater - for his sake. (BTW, when people lose weight, especially quickly, they tend to discover they're perpetually cold - you might want to just keep a blanket in your car long term).
At home:
I have DH bring one of the recliners up from his theater room and station it in the living room. From there I have same-floor access to the door, kitchen, a half bathroom, etc. This recliner becomes my docking station for at least 3 days until I can comfortably lay in bed. And on that note, I'd suggest getting some extra pillows. When I CAN lay in bed, I do best if I'm VERY propped up. I suspect this will be true with sleeve surgery, especially until my acid production drops off.
Don't wait until you're out of surgery to try and find supplements you like. Have them selected before hand, and have a few options. Things will probably start tasting different. Have cold & room temp Water ready. Not all bariatric stomachs tolerate all temperatures. When I had by AGB surgery DH bought a little apartment fridge to keep in the LR so I didn't have to walk into the kitchen. That was overkill. But if somehow being able to stay on the same floor as the fridge weren't possible, it would've been awful handy.
I'm queuing up movies & shows to watch on Netflix. Daytime tv sucks monkey butts. Also holding off on getting a few books I really want to read, so that I can have something to do until I can comforably move around.
If you have someone who can help you around the house for a few days, do it. Think about kids if you have 'em, pets... and how may up/downs it is just for an hour or two.
I don't like to take my hydrocodone any longer than I have to, so I use liquid Tylenol and try to have a few bottles on hand. Gas-X never did a thing for me other than taste bad. The gas that Gas-X works on (I say "works"lightly) is not surgical gas, i.e. the piercing ache you might feel around your collarbone/shoulder area... so don't buy it thinking it will bring relief. Surgical gas, and intenstinal gas, are two wholly different things. As an addendum to what I just said - I just remembered that an RNY friend dumped on liquid tylenol. For VSG it might be better to wait and see if you can tolerate it, unless your surgeon gives you the OK ahead of time.
If your shower hyas a stationery head, I suggest getting one of the kind of tubing that you can move around. Especially for ladies out there. Bending and twisting is gonna smart, and let's face it. Some things in life require us to bend and twist, or be able to hit it with some Water. I'm just sayin'...
When I had my AGB and the graduated diet, I made sure to buy everything a few days prior to my surgery so that I didn't have to go to the store if I didn't want to. Ends up I wanted to, the next day, just to walk around a bit. But having the option is nice.
Since my AGB both of my parents have had bariatric procedures. I've made each of them a large gift basket and brought it to the hospital. Here's what I try to include:
small plates (cocktail size)
toddler utensils
refillable water bottle that will fit into a car drink holder, and has ounces hashed so they could track water intake
liquid Tylenol
Wet wipes/hand sanitizer
Snap-up robe (belt can be uncomfortable)
SF Jello
Mio or Crystal Light (was allowed with their surgeon)
liquid breath freshener
Sudafed dissolvable strips
corn bags (cloth bags filled with field corn, I think they're far superior to heating pads, and caln also be frozen)
Book, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.

I haven't read every response so I'm sorry if I'm duplicating. And I thought I read you were going for a cosolidated list, so I'm putting it all in here. If that's not the case, ignore as appropriate. My sleeve next month will be my 4th abdominal lap procedure and 2nd bariatric procedure, and based on my lessons learned here's what I suggest:
For hospital:
Wear somethong with no waistband, preferred. Like a house dress. Inevitably I've had an incision EXACTLY where my waistbands fall. And I'ev also had a few incisions that were intentionally left unclosed. Those hurt the worst, even though they're the smallest, and also tend to be right where my pants hit. If you must have a waistband, try to find one without elastic (e.g. drawstring) so you can fully adjust the tightness. When I had my band out I wore one of those velvety track suit things, mine has a drawstring waist. Perfect.
Wear slip-on shoes if you have them. Socks are hard to get on when you can't bend comfortably, and I don't like other people putting socks on me. Flip flops, or those fugly plastic clog shoes (forgetting the name), or a ballet flat or something like that. If youdon't have or can't get, then when you take off your sneakers pre-op, leave the laces all loose so you can just slip them on later.
Nook or Kindle or book or whatever. My sleeve will be the first procedure that requires me to stay overnight, and post-op I've een either asleep or prepping to go home, but pre-op? I played Boggle on my iphone for almost 2 hours pre-op. Was glad to have it. DH was there but is always more nervous than I am and wasn't a great talker.
I always bring a small hair clip. You can't do anything but wash/rinse your hair the day of, and you're probably (technically) not allowed to shower the night of. I have curly hair that gets bushy if I can't put some kind of product on it while it's still wet. So I always bring a clip to at least pull the hair back from my eyes.
I prefer to bring my own slippers (they have memory foam soles).
I bring my own robe. I haven't been able to wear it (IV lines, etc.) but hospital blankets are cold. Even the warm ones get cold too quickly. My robe is warm. And it can double as an extra pillow, because those flat jokes in the hospital aren't cutting it.
Chapstick, deodorant, my own toothbrush, skin lotion and hand sanitzier. (I put all of the above in my purse). If my face or hands are dry, I will not be able to focus on much else.
Pillow, for supporting your stomach. Especially if you have a large pannus, this will help. When I had my lapband put in, it took me about 3 days of walking completely hunched over like an ancient lady until I realized that the majority of the pain was coming from my pannus "pulling" down on my incisions. As soon as I started to support my pannus with my arm, it was like night and day. LIttle nicer doing it with a pillow than your forearm, but hey, I was desperate. I will also help to apply steadying pressure when you go over potholes on the ride home. (About 4 days post-op DH drove me to visit my parents. He took a route that goes over a train crossing. He had a "theory" that the faster he went, the less I would feel the bumps so he gunned his truck and his them going about 45. Our marriage almost didn't make it to the next block.)
When I had my lapband out, I had the most horrible sore throat from all the gear using my mouth as enter/exit. Truly it was far worse than strep, and easily the single worst pain I had after surgery. I didn't have any eating/drinking restrictions so I used Chloraseptic. If you can have some type of analgesic lozenge or something, go for it.
Electric razor. Let's just say I'm 1/4 Greek and would be a good candidate for laser facial hair removal if everyone hadn't told me it feels like exacto knives slicing your face repeatedly. This isn't required, but I need it for comfort level.
For drive home:
I haven't yet had anesthetic make me nauseous, but it can make a lot of people sick for a while. I drove my mother home from a bariatric surgery she had and we kept having to stop on the interstae so she could chuck on the side of the road. So the REAL suggestion here is get a driver who doesn't get queasy when she hears others chuck. Second suggestion is to bring some type of a barf bag (those blue emi-sleeves the hospitals have are great) if you know or suspect the anesthesia will affect you. There's something about car rides that seems to make it worse, even if you've been "fine" for a while.
Keep said pillow with you. Either to support your abdomen, or to nap, or both. (If your procedure is outpatient, you'll probably still be nap ready by the time you're released)
Keep a blanket in your car. I'm always freezing cold after surgery, for a day or two. And DH is not, so it's nice to able to limit the use of the heater - for his sake. (BTW, when people lose weight, especially quickly, they tend to discover they're perpetually cold - you might want to just keep a blanket in your car long term).
At home:
I have DH bring one of the recliners up from his theater room and station it in the living room. From there I have same-floor access to the door, kitchen, a half bathroom, etc. This recliner becomes my docking station for at least 3 days until I can comfortably lay in bed. And on that note, I'd suggest getting some extra pillows. When I CAN lay in bed, I do best if I'm VERY propped up. I suspect this will be true with sleeve surgery, especially until my acid production drops off.
Don't wait until you're out of surgery to try and find supplements you like. Have them selected before hand, and have a few options. Things will probably start tasting different. Have cold & room temp Water ready. Not all bariatric stomachs tolerate all temperatures. When I had by AGB surgery DH bought a little apartment fridge to keep in the LR so I didn't have to walk into the kitchen. That was overkill. But if somehow being able to stay on the same floor as the fridge weren't possible, it would've been awful handy.
I'm queuing up movies & shows to watch on Netflix. Daytime tv sucks monkey butts. Also holding off on getting a few books I really want to read, so that I can have something to do until I can comforably move around.
If you have someone who can help you around the house for a few days, do it. Think about kids if you have 'em, pets... and how may up/downs it is just for an hour or two.
I don't like to take my hydrocodone any longer than I have to, so I use liquid Tylenol and try to have a few bottles on hand. Gas-X never did a thing for me other than taste bad. The gas that Gas-X works on (I say "works"lightly) is not surgical gas, i.e. the piercing ache you might feel around your collarbone/shoulder area... so don't buy it thinking it will bring relief. Surgical gas, and intenstinal gas, are two wholly different things. As an addendum to what I just said - I just remembered that an RNY friend dumped on liquid tylenol. For VSG it might be better to wait and see if you can tolerate it, unless your surgeon gives you the OK ahead of time.
If your shower hyas a stationery head, I suggest getting one of the kind of tubing that you can move around. Especially for ladies out there. Bending and twisting is gonna smart, and let's face it. Some things in life require us to bend and twist, or be able to hit it with some Water. I'm just sayin'...
When I had my AGB and the graduated diet, I made sure to buy everything a few days prior to my surgery so that I didn't have to go to the store if I didn't want to. Ends up I wanted to, the next day, just to walk around a bit. But having the option is nice.
Since my AGB both of my parents have had bariatric procedures. I've made each of them a large gift basket and brought it to the hospital. Here's what I try to include:
small plates (cocktail size)
toddler utensils
refillable water bottle that will fit into a car drink holder, and has ounces hashed so they could track water intake
liquid Tylenol
Wet wipes/hand sanitizer
Snap-up robe (belt can be uncomfortable)
SF Jello
Mio or Crystal Light (was allowed with their surgeon)
liquid breath freshener
Sudafed dissolvable strips
corn bags (cloth bags filled with field corn, I think they're far superior to heating pads, and caln also be frozen)
Book, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.

Mine wasn't related to an event, or a trigger weight, or anything like that. I was just tired of being fat. And tired of saying, "If I can't do it on my own by this time next year..."
I guess what I'm saying was that it was a slow process, rather than an event.
I think it was more outside events (e.g. getting a recommendation for a surgeon, realizing it could be done, realizing...) Keep in mind this was 2005 when the only WLS you really heard of was RNY and it was far from mainstream knowledge.

I have foods that don't really feel all that good, but I've never thrown them up. Non-crunchy breads feel heavy. Peanut Butter takes me a long time to eat a very small amount. If my sleeve puked, these are probably what it would puke on. But since it doesn't, I'm guessing the "heavy" foods are my versions of things I can't tolerate (even though I can tolerate them... bah).
A few BTWs...
popcorn is terrible for your digestive system. If you tell any GI doc you don't eat popcorn, they will automatically love you at least a little bit. And microwave popcorn is the worst. Look up the recent cancer studies, or cancer rates of employees who worked in the factories. It's not the popcorn itself, or the microwave, it's the crap inside the baggies.
If you haven't heard of "pink slime" you tube the tern and Jamie Oliver. I grind my own "beef" for my family, and the whole "pink slime" thing being brought out in a public light was a really nice affirmation. After watching some of these food documentaries - no way, no how I'm buying store bought ground meat unless it's a butcher and I can see him grind it. But I don't mind, and you can get much better flavors when you mix the cuts vs. buying scrap (try making a burger out of a combination of fresh ground sirloin, chuck and brisket... on a charcoal grill with a chunk of alder & cherry wood thrown in the coals... you will have 'em eating out of your hand).