LilGemi

I'm getting very nervous. Tomorrow I go to San Diego and the next day I will have my consultation, blood work and psych eval for WLS. I've been reading about it and I hope I'm prepared, but still very nervous and the closer it gets the worse my nerves. Has anyone else gone to Scripps Mercy Hospital?

Hi Everyone! I know I came to these forums to help prepare me for the surgery, so this post is about helping you be as prepared as possible and know the nitty gritty.
I was sleeved Wednesday 1/24 in Chicago. Your mileage may vary.
The night before, I was NPO after 9PM and was the first surgery of the day, so I had to be at the hospital at 5:15 am. Have a backup ride ready because you might not know this until the day before, and my husband had to stay home with our kids. Pro Tip: You can reserve a cab or Lyft ride in advance, so I had a lyft scheduled at 4:30 AM.
They do weigh you at the hospital when you arrive. Pre-Op was a breeze. I have a high BMI so I had a shot of a drug to prevent blood clots, if you don't like shots, ask for it in the thigh. I had mine in my right shoulder both days and it was fine, nothing more than a flu shot feeling.
Post op your mouth will be DRY. DRY DRY DRY DRY DRY. Bring lip balm to keep your lips moist and you will, will, WILL get through it. If it's really bad, make sure you are not getting dehydrated. Late on the night of my surgery, my heart rate and blood pressure went way up, so they gave me a "BOLUS" for dehydration, which is a lot of IV fluids really fast, it did the trick and by morning I was fine.
WALK! Get up as soon as you feel able to. I walked and walked, and peed and peed. They will measure your urine so don't flush it, there will be a measuring thing in the toilet, don't put paper in it because you want credit for every ML of urine you produce! And did I mention walk? It's so easy. I was shocked that I was the only person walking around the floor. It really helps with that gas pain.
The morning after surgery I did a "water trial" where a member of the doc's team brought in two thimbles of Water. I had two hours to finish them and it took really about an hour. Go slowly. After that, I was not brought a tray of anything, just a FULL styrofoam cup of probably 20 oz of water and was told "this is what is between here and home." It took me about 3 hours to drink it, and then I was finally discharged around 3PM. Walking around in CVS on the way home is when the farting began. It hasn't stopped but I'll tell you I have zero gas pains!
Get the liquid Tylenol. You will want it when you are home, even if just one incision hurts (I have five "stab wounds" and only one is really bothersome at all - and the liquid tylenol is enough.) Now I am home and am slowly sipping Premier Protien Clear (yum) and water (yum) all day. TIP: Don't buy the orange Protein water sold at Target, order the Premier Protein clear online. They are vastly different.
TL:DR? You will fart a lot. That's good. You will burp a lot. That's fine. WALK A LOT. Stand up a lot. You'll do great.
Ask me anything!

I didn’t know it would be so hard to do this diet. I also didn’t know I was this addicted to food. I started a small diet before this but I was still able to eat food. I glad that there are groups like this and group meeting that are there to help. And the fact that I do have a good support system at home

Did they tell you why it wasn't allowed? Premier Protein is the go-to at my group for pre-surgical diet. We were given about a dozen choices.

Everything you've said about relapse and addiction is correct. But in order to have a safe surgery, you need to get the addiction under control before moving to the surgery. The surgery is NOT a cure for addiction. You need to work with a therapist to get control of your eating before surgery.
Relapsing just after surgery can be life threatening.
If a person is unable to stop themselves from overeating soon after surgery, they can die or cause terrible harm to themselves. (and to their surgeon's reputation...which is why your surgeon is being hard on you)
If people are overeating...they are not ready to keep themselves safe.
Listen to your doctor and get control of your eating habits first. You will thank him/her in the long run.
You just posted about having "more food funerals than you could count". I'm guessing that's a significant source of your recent gain.
I agree that addicts should be treated with respect and not shamed. Addiction is tough. That said, one should not enable an addict either.
The best thing to do for an addict...is to have compassion, but to also hold them accountable and not let them make excuses.

Here's a reality. You have to prove that you have the self control to not hurt yourself and create a medical emergency. Surgeons fear non-compliant patients....because they have complications and it makes the surgeon look dangerous.
My surgeon was brutal. We had to lose 10% of our total weight...to get approved for surgery.
Took me six months, but I faithfully lost the 27 pounds he required to prove I could stick to a diet.
Surgery isn't a magic cure. If you don't get control of your eating habits and learn to eat the right things, you're dead in the Water. Surgery will not work for you.
Losing 30 pounds before my presurgical liquid diet....was child's play compared to the hell of the starvation diet both before and after surgery.
Don't for a second think that losing weight before surgery is "the hard part"....it's tough, but it's the tip of the ice berg compared to what's next...and if you're not up to it, you might want to reconsider.
Just being honest, folks. Wishing everyone success and good outcomes.

Congratulations, I can't wait to be where you are, pain and all, it will be worth it.

Congratulations, I can't wait to be where you are, pain and all, it will be worth it.

Congrats, it is not nearly as scary as it seems. Just had mine and I'm so happy now.

Congratulations, I can't wait to be where you are, pain and all, it will be worth it.

Congrats, it is not nearly as scary as it seems. Just had mine and I'm so happy now.

I'm getting very nervous. Tomorrow I go to San Diego and the next day I will have my consultation, blood work and psych eval for WLS. I've been reading about it and I hope I'm prepared, but still very nervous and the closer it gets the worse my nerves. Has anyone else gone to Scripps Mercy Hospital?

Until you see your doctor go right back to full liquids, at least turn as hard as you can to get the Water in so you're not dehydrated...

They can do a LOT to help. They can investigate what's going on and try to correct it. What you are describing is not normal. Keep communicating with them. Document everything and give them all the information you can.
When I go to see my nutritionist, she goes over my food journal with a fine toothed comb and insists that I eat well. She has done this since week two...when she encouraged me to try to reach 1000 calories a day as soon as possible. (which I did at three weeks).
I was sleeved 12/5....the day before you were. I am eating 1000-1200 calories a day, walking 7 miles a day, and eating a nearly normal unrestricted diet. I feel normal, healthy and really good. Not saying that to be insensitive...just wanting to illustrate how concerned I am about your situation.
I am shocked to see reports like yours...where your nutrition has been allowed to suffer for so long. This absolutely would not stand at the medical group I go to. They would be extremely concerned and doing aggressive diagnostics to address the symptoms.
Please document everything. Keep good records. If your office won't help you, take your records to another group and get a second opinion.
Am so sorry you're going through this, and hope you feel better soon. Stay strong.

Thanks for sharing.. I think that's how I stumbled upon this app.

Sent from my SM-N920V using BariatricPal mobile app

Maybe you can find a buddy on here or at a meetup. There's also Instagram. My mom and niece will be supporting me but sometimes we need someone going through the same thing.

Do you have a local support group for folks going through WLS? Might be a good place to make a friend or two to share the experience with?

So excited y'all
Today I finally surpassed my macro levels! I'm 2.5 months and was a little lost until I saw my NUT yesterday. I was told I was losing slower than expected so we went over a food schedule and plan. It helped so much . Dhebwanted me to eat more substantial Proteins not just things that were easy. She's it kick start my digestive system to work harder after having a long break.
Here's what I had today:
Breakfast (8 am) 3 oz or two eggs with 1ounce of cheese
Hydrate 8oz or Decaf coffee with 2 tbsp of cream
lunch (11 am)1/2 egg with 2 slices of turkey breast deli meat
Hydrate 16.9 Water
Hydrate 16.9 water
Supper (4pm) 1 cup of pink bean stew cook with onions garlic and Tomato sauce (homemad recipe so the macros may be off on this one)
Hydrate 16.9 water
dinner (7pm) 2/3 naked turkey burger with 1/4 tsp mustard and ketchup
Hydrate ( 5 oz sugar free hot chocolate with 5.5 oz premier caramel Protein Shake added )
About 1000 cal, 79g Protein, 68g carbs (seems awfully high, Idk if this is correct ) , 25g sugar, 37g fat
Working harder tomorrow to increase the protein and reduce everything else

384 vs 264

Ok, so I am the same way. I have at least 20 lbs of excess skin on my thighs, tummy and arms. I thought I would hate it, I thought i would be repulsed by my own body. But something crazy happened...I LOVED my sagging skin!!!!! Every time I see it I see all my hours, days, weeks months, years of hard work, dedication and commitment. I think back to me weight 375 lbs and how I hated every inch of my body, how horrible I looked. Now, when I bend over I have this waterfall of skin that cascades down...that used to be filled with Fat and Self-Loathing. Now? I LOVE me, I LOVE how hard I've worked. Yes, I want to have the skin removed - but the cost is high, I'm in debt, it will take years to be able to afford it. I realized how much I loved that ugly sagging skin. Every inch of it is proof of my success. Every shake and waddle is confirmation that I've deflated myself, I can ride a rollercoaster, I can weave my way in and out of seats and tables at a restaurant, I can walk past a mirror or window and really like what I see!!

My extra skin, which I was so scared of, which I was sure I hate, it's now a badge of pride for me. I wear sleeveless shirts now, I wear skirts with tights. I am LOVING my body. It's not perfect, some might think the extra skin is gross...well, if they do they aren't for me. I am so proud of what I've accomplished and I think everyone who loves me or cares about me should be as well. It's proof of what I've done.

Sure, I'd love to look like a model or not have that extra 20lbs on my belly and thighs hanging down - but I love who I've become way more. I apply cocoa butter to my body - toes to nose basically - everyday. That has helped heal the stretch marks and keep the skin supple. I try to love my skin, to run my hands all over it every day, because it's my evidence of how much I kick ass.

I started my diet and exercise before I started The weight loss surgery process. I was 557 lbs. in May 2016 and I got down to 450 lbs. when I did start my weight loss surgery process in May 2017. I finally had my sleeve on December 5th 2017 and I was 381 lbs. today January 17th 2018 I am down to 355 lbs. so I started off at 557 lbs. and today I am 355 lbs.

Constipation, irritability, hormone fluctuations, being cold often, acid reflux, Hair loss, change in tastes, those are a few common ones. if you read through this forum you will find a lot of answers. check out youtube pinterest instagram you need to research all the pros/cons. all in all its a good move to regain your life.

Bluedick, Anxiety, Fleas, enlarged eyeball, tummy ache, Rickets, Gout, Chlamydia, Wobbly feet syndrome, donkey breath, Units, Polshanks, East River Gorgonzola Drip (I don't know what it is either but it sounds nasty), Pink Pubic hair, scarring of the inner nostril, webbed fingers and webbed toes.