GeekyChicLa

I'm over my hips hurting when I sleep and even walk. I'm over having difficulty breathing because I'm too fat! I'm over hating the way I look in clothes. I'm over not going places and seeing friends because I'm too ashamed of how I look. I'm over not being able to do the physical activities I want to do because I'm too heavy. I'm over about being worried about my future because of my health.

Just got home after a long day its after midnite and I got seriously excited to get the sleeve approval letter from my ins company! YEA!!
While doing a small victory dance in the kitchen, waving the letter like a fan, I listen to my vox mails....
and hear Debbie Downer from my Dr's office say that my surgery scheduled for Sep 28, has to be rescheduled for Oct 14 because the Dr will be on vacation till then.
"Damn you Debbie Downer!" Why would I want a well rested and relaxed surgeon perform surgery on me? Two more weeks it feels so far away already. Two more weeks to ride the up and down crazy ment as l roller-coaster of anxiety over this. Damn damn and double damn again.
Standing in the middle of the room trying to re frame this problem in my head, a lil voice from behind me whispers,
"Mom, there's no one else here. Who is Debbie, why are you mad at her, and why are you crazy jumping around the kitchen? Do you need help? Mom, have you been drinking or something? Should I wake Dad up? (Damn caught in the act)
"No sweetie, I'm fine. Just some letters I was reading. Go back to bed."
Overheard as he shuffled down the hall,
"I always tell my teachers that reading makes you crazy. I gotta tell them not to send any notes home with me."
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Thank you SoCalGal77. I would really hope that no one would get nasty about his post. I would hope that people choose to have this surgery to better their health and improve the way they feel - which includes their confidence level. I am currently 50-60lbs over weight (I'm only 5'3) - that is considered obese. Does someone that weighs 350lbs look at someone who weighs 250lbs and would kill to be their weight?.... This is also not my heaviest weight as I have struggled for years going up and down, diet to diet with no success - all the while feeling incredibly insecure and unhappy. I want to become healthy again and feel confident and happy with myself. I definitely have many more questions to be answered about the surgery - which will now include the bougie size. Thank you for the information and for sharing your story!

well im not sure the kind of responses you will get. on the other forums I saw people get nasty towards posts like these. Some people would kill to be your starting weight and not to mention you only have like 40 pounds to lose. I totally understand how you feel because I was around 160 my entire high school life and at the age of 19 hit 200 and steadily made it to 215 and now im 39 years old. I struggled to lose the weight for years and years. I wish I would have had this option then.. I did manage to lose 60 pounds on my own twice and another time I lost 40. But it never stayed off. I would gain so fast like 10 pounds a month once I stopped the low carb dieting. So I understand the need for you to gain control and stop the gain in its tracks. I have also heard stories where most doctors declined to agree to this surgery unless you go to Mexico where they approve everyone. I know because I went there. What I have learned from the lower BMI patients, the doctors went with a larger sized bougie because their weight didnt call for a drastic smaller pouch. This is a decision the surgeon makes once he gets inside you and takes a look at your anatomy. You cannot force them to give you a certain size. I believe this is where my issue is. I had a lower BMI at the time 35. Once my surgery was over I was able to eat way way more than anyone else I have heard. I never felt restriction and I eat too much and I only lost 35 pounds after the Sleeve. I have gained that all back because I have no restriction. Im guessing I got a larger pouch to begin with and communicating to the surgeon in Mexico is next to impossible and all they want is more money. So be brave if you get negative responses and make sure you really need this surgery.

So learned a lot at my pre-op class this morning.

One: I wish I would've thought to bring a snack! 5 1/2 hours of talking about food - my stomach was growling 3 hours in.

I was prepared for a two-week liquid diet, instead, we're on a high Protein, no starch diet. Turns out I can still eat. (YAY) Until the day before surgery, then that will be clear liquid only.

Love the bariatric team at my hospital: informative and very supportive. They all gave us their email addresses and encouraged us to contact with any questions we may have. There is a support group that meets a couple of times a month. And we get a 3-month membership to the hospital's gym. Sweet.

They'll be using Steri Strips instead of staples and no drain tube nor catheter. They are also providing us with a free bariatric abdominal support belt. Hospital stay is expected to be overnight. Oh - and they do not allow ANYTHING to pass the lips until the day after surgery. No ice chips, no sips of anything. Nada. Nothing. At all. Until the next day. So that means if I go in at 6:30 - I won't be able to have anything to drink until the next day after the doctor makes his rounds. Good Lord, I don't know what I'm going to do. I drink Water or tea or SOMETHING constantly at work. I stay thirsty. This is certainly going to be a true test for me.

Other than that - the pre-op isn't going to be near as difficult as I had anticipated, so I'm hoping and praying the rest will follow suit.

usually when they want nothing by mouth they will still allow you a glycerin swab for swishing around your mouth. make sure you ask for them.

So learned a lot at my pre-op class this morning.

One: I wish I would've thought to bring a snack! 5 1/2 hours of talking about food - my stomach was growling 3 hours in.

I was prepared for a two-week liquid diet, instead, we're on a high Protein, no starch diet. Turns out I can still eat. (YAY) Until the day before surgery, then that will be clear liquid only.

Love the bariatric team at my hospital: informative and very supportive. They all gave us their email addresses and encouraged us to contact with any questions we may have. There is a support group that meets a couple of times a month. And we get a 3-month membership to the hospital's gym. Sweet.

They'll be using Steri Strips instead of staples and no drain tube nor catheter. They are also providing us with a free bariatric abdominal support belt. Hospital stay is expected to be overnight. Oh - and they do not allow ANYTHING to pass the lips until the day after surgery. No ice chips, no sips of anything. Nada. Nothing. At all. Until the next day. So that means if I go in at 6:30 - I won't be able to have anything to drink until the next day after the doctor makes his rounds. Good Lord, I don't know what I'm going to do. I drink Water or tea or SOMETHING constantly at work. I stay thirsty. This is certainly going to be a true test for me.

Other than that - the pre-op isn't going to be near as difficult as I had anticipated, so I'm hoping and praying the rest will follow suit.

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So learned a lot at my pre-op class this morning.

One: I wish I would've thought to bring a snack! 5 1/2 hours of talking about food - my stomach was growling 3 hours in.

I was prepared for a two-week liquid diet, instead, we're on a high Protein, no starch diet. Turns out I can still eat. (YAY) Until the day before surgery, then that will be clear liquid only.

Love the bariatric team at my hospital: informative and very supportive. They all gave us their email addresses and encouraged us to contact with any questions we may have. There is a support group that meets a couple of times a month. And we get a 3-month membership to the hospital's gym. Sweet.

They'll be using Steri Strips instead of staples and no drain tube nor catheter. They are also providing us with a free bariatric abdominal support belt. Hospital stay is expected to be overnight. Oh - and they do not allow ANYTHING to pass the lips until the day after surgery. No ice chips, no sips of anything. Nada. Nothing. At all. Until the next day. So that means if I go in at 6:30 - I won't be able to have anything to drink until the next day after the doctor makes his rounds. Good Lord, I don't know what I'm going to do. I drink Water or tea or SOMETHING constantly at work. I stay thirsty. This is certainly going to be a true test for me.

Other than that - the pre-op isn't going to be near as difficult as I had anticipated, so I'm hoping and praying the rest will follow suit.

@@plates If I remember from seeing your original post - you had Mac n cheese. The fat in that could also cause problems. You can't eat off plan or you may end up with complications - some could be life threatening. I don't know why you thought eating anything 3 days post-op was wise - never mind Mac n cheese which isn't allowed on most plans until maintenance if then. Yes - it's too late to get your stomach back. Get your head in the game before it's too late.

Surgery on 8/1 and 10 pieces of Pasta on 8/3? I'm stunned.
2 days post-op I was struggling to get 30 ml of clear liquid into my stomach. I had diarrhea every day for about 10 days as a result of having the surgery. If I swallowed a mouthful of Water too fast, it was agonizing.
Do you have a clear idea of what the surgery actually DOES to your stomach? My surgeon advances his patients' food more rapidly than most any others I've seen or heard of, but a 2 DAYS post-op, he would have been furious if I'd done something like eat Pasta.
What do your post-op guidelines say you should be eating? All I can tell you is to eat that, and to call your surgeon's office on Monday and tell them you need to see the nutritionist/dietitian to help you understand how you should be eating and advancing your diet. Good luck to you.

You had major stomach surgery on 8.1, ate Pasta on 8.3, and wonder why you feel bad and have diarrhea?
You might need to discuss this with your surgeon.

A pre op class is a two hour class that you have to sit for and they basically explain how much Protein you will be drinking before and after surgery they give you a big packet which is a guideline it's very helpful by the way all your answers will be there. And they tell you where to go the day of surgery
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August 9th here! I am so excited!!!

August 8th here! I'm so excited!
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Mine was August 1st. I am three days out. and it seems that day 1-2 were the hardest due to trapped gas. Once That went away I only have mild discomfort in my incision areas.. Walking has really help ...
EliT

@@jintycb LOL Funny stuff!

Hi I'm 56 years old and my surgery was just this past May 16th so I'm less than 3 months post op. I feel like I've done really well so far. I've lost a little over 56 pounds (this includes the weight I lost during my 2 week pre-op diet) and am now officially more than half way to my goal weight!
You'll do great! This is the best thing I've ever done for myself!

My sweet, sweet Mom made chicken broth for me because I don't care for canned chicken broth either. I've been such a ridiculous red meat eater my entire life (I'm a born and bred Texan, I came by it honestly), that I thought I'd prefer some beef broth on my pre-op liquid diet, so got some of the beef broth in paper cartons. Three to be exact. I heated one mug full, and it was just disgusting. I was already feeling a bit ill, and for some reason that beef broth smelled exactly like wet dog to me, and didn't taste much better. As a result, I can't even imagine drinking it post-op, homemade or not, because my sense of smell and taste is just so completely sensitive and out of whack. Those three cartons are still in the fridge. x[
The chicken broth my mom made has been an incredibly nice break from the plain Water, sweet popsicles, and sweet Protein drinks. She just put a whole chicken in the crock pot and covered it with store-bought chicken broth (low sodium). She did salt it some and put a bay leaf and let it cook for hours and hours. After that, she strained it to get all the the meaty bits out. Then she strained it again through cheese cloth to make sure it was perfectly clear for my clear liquid phase. Then she let it chill for a bit and skimmed all the fat off. I know it sounds really plain, but it's not. It's very savory, and I'm glad now it's on the plainer side because my new stomach is so picky a week out from surgery.
The only time I regretted her making it was my second night home when I got really nauseas (I was dehydrated) and a chicken was cooking in the crockpot. The smell was so unbelieveably potent and I would have gladly hurled it out the window if I could have lifted it just to get away from it. Thankfully, a Promethazine, a cool and damp washcloth over my nose, and about 30 minutes saved me, the crockpot, the chicken, and the window from disaster.

Hi! I use Beef shank. Throw a couple in a pot with garlic a whole onion and oregano. Skim the yucky stuff off and once that is all done continue to let boil for another hour or so till meat id flling of fthe bone. Add cilantro, carrots, celery, zucchini and salt to taste. If you have some Knorr buillion you can add some of that in place of the salt. Let all boil until veggies are done. After cools down remove all the meat and veggies you can feed to your family. Put the broth in another pot and place it in refrigerator till all congeals, skim off all the fat. It's pretty good. I do the same with chicken and turkey.

And make a list of what you take, so you don't forget it when you go home. We have tons of chargers in drawers from pts leaving them!
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I would advise against the pajamas, robe, and slippers. Your pajamas and robe are not designed to deal with IV lines, drains, catheters, etc., any or all of which you may have and be dragging around the halls with you. Hospital gowns are. Just put on an extra one facing backwards (like a cape) when you go out walking, so you won't accidentally flash anyone. Also, if you get blood or drainage seepage from your wounds, or IV Fluid leaks, they'll mess up the hospital's clothing, not yours.
Hospitals provide socks with no-skid bottoms, which are safer than slippers on slippery hospital floors. Many hospitals won't even let you wear your own slippers.
The pillow -- as long as you trust the person coming to pick you up and take you home, just have them bring a pillow. No need to haul it around the hospital with you when you only need it for the ride home.
Gas strips -- they may be useful for the placebo effect but the truth is Gas-X has no impact whatsoever on surgical gas. That is a completely different kind of chemical than the gases they work on. Also, most hospitals won't let you use your own meds that you bring in from outside unless they are prescription, so if you do choose to bring them, hide them from the nurses.
One thing I would suggest if you have one, if you are more comfortable wearing a bra, is a cotton, no-wire bra, preferably a leisure-type bra that fastens in front. Many surgeons will leave you with an incision right at the bra line and trust me the last thing you want is an underwire pressing up against it.
Don't worry too much about what to bring -- hospitals are quite used to people being admitted with absolutely no advance warning (people in car accidents and who have heart attacks are rarely traveling with a neatly pre-packed hospital bag) and are perfectly capable of meeting their needs. Good luck!

This stuff is really good, 21g of Protein for 170 calories? That is tough to beat.
http://powerful.yt/
I found it by accident at the Walmart grocery. Who knew?

I'm finding the same!????
I saved some clothes from before I had gained all of this weight. Thrilled to be shopping again and not hating trying on clothes. And was in XL and not in 2X any more! ????
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I too am losing inches and wearing clothes that were too small before. Haven't taken measurements so I will continue to enjoy the clothes to help measure my success. Prefer to scale anyday.