HopefullXOXOXO

Thank you!

What kind of powdered fiber are you using? How soon post op can you add this to your drinks? Thanks!

I have ordered a few things and want to share with others. After quite a bit of research I made the decision to go with the Unjury protein powders and vitamins for post op. They have a "starter kit" with all 6 flavors (one is high protein chicken soup) and most of the vitamins needed for first 90 days. www.unjury.com These are medical grade protein products made specifically for bariatric surgery patients. From what I've read, people tolerate them very well post op and everything I've read says they taste good too. Insert fingers crossed emoji here! LOL! I can let you know when my order arrives. The site also has recipes for things like "strawberry banana pops" that sound good. I also got a water consistency high protein drink for post op called "Isopure zero carb". 40 g protein and no sugar. I like the blue raspberry flavor, COLD. I don't need ice, but room temp doesn't do it for me. Otherwise, I like it a lot. For pre op I bought BioChem Whey Isolate protein, unflavored. I already use it in my smoothies. 22 grams protein and no sugar, 90 calories. It has a vanilla flavor and is somewhat sweet alone. I usually add fruit to mine to sweeten and for the fiber and vitamins. They do have a vanilla flavored choice with cane sugar in it. I found that too sweet with fruit. Going to try the Premiere protein drinks pre op too but haven't picked them up yet. I've seen others have researched further along than I have. I still have no idea what I'm going to do when I have to puree! I'll get there. Any thoughts and ideas are welcomed! I tried to buy things that will be easy to put together because I'll have limited help after surgery. Start my pre op "shrink the liver diet" next week. I've noticed a lot of products for bariatric patients include sugar substitutes and I'm struggling with this because I already KNOW I'm addicted to sugar and carbs (bread & pasta). 50% of me wants to be able to give up these foods altogether. The other 50% of me has no idea if I can really do it! LOL!!! Thoughts?

Thanks to everyone who replied! I appreciate it.

I finally got my surgery date, 3 weeks from tomorrow. Today I was given the shrink the liver diet that recommends I buy pre-made shakes. Glucerna, Boost Glucose Control, Ensure High Protein, Unjury or Orgain. I've never had any of these but need to buy something. Any recommendations for which one might taste better than another? Any other suggestions you have for me I'd greatly appreciate. I'm alone in this and can use all the support I can get. I should say I have a husband who is willing to help me after surgery for a few days but he knows nothing about any of this and really has no interest in learning or discussing. So I'm alone in all my decisions. Thanks!

Can I get in on this little group too please? My surgery date is 5/3/18, so I'm very close!

Just got my surgery date of 5/3/18. Three weeks from tomorrow. So many mixed feelings here too! I had my barium swallow (upper GI) test on Monday and hope I passed. I excited, nervous, scared. Has to be done. I have a wedding in Montreal the weekend before. Probably going to be a l-o-n-g weekend with the pre op diet! I was given a lot of information today about vitamins to get, protein drinks to get, etc. I want to set myself up for success before I go away for the long weekend. I'd love to share information and support! Lisa

What about protein soups and hot chocolate? I see these here on this website. Anyone try them?

I also found Isopure Zero Carb ready to drink. It looks like flavored water but has 40 grams of protein. Anyone tried this? I really want to set myself up for success, especially after I get home. Thanks!

Thank you so much everyone! Has anyone tried Unjury shakes? They're being recommended by weight loss center but I've never heard of them.

How did the surgery go? How are you feeling?

I want to thank everyone for your thoughts and encouragement. I've been approved for the surgery and will get my surgery date this week. Probably early May because I have an important wedding on 4/29. Everything about this scares me but I know it must be done. I've proven many times I can't do this on my own. Along with the surgery date I'll be given a date to meet with nutritionist for pre-op diet instructions. None of this is easy for any of us and I appreciate any help I can get as I find my way through this process. Lisa

I went to my first Orientation meeting 11/16 and have worked tirelessly to get approved by insurance for this surgery. I'm finally ready and saw the surgeon yesterday who had me sign a consent form for surgery. Of course, no time to look at it before I signed it! I just looked at it and the list of horrific possible outcomes is VERY SCARY! Including loss of life, paralysis, brain damage, loss of limb function, etc. etc. etc. I wish I had seen this on orientation day as I probably would have stopped then. Of course, the form says that the doctor discussed all of these with me, but he didn't. He did mention the usual leakage, nausea and vomiting, bleeding and stenosis and downplayed them all. He said he's done 1000 of these surgeries and only had two bleeding complications. At first I thought that sounds good, then I realized he's probably due (percentage wise) for something really bad to happen. LOL! The form also says that residents, fellows and students may participate in the procedure. I didn't sign up for that! I thought he'd do the whole thing. It also says that in addition to the surgery I'm consenting to an "Intraoperative Liver Biopsy", did anyone else have that? Listed as one of the possible, most common, severe complications is fatty liver disease. ??? Can VSG actually CAUSE fatty liver disease? I've never heard of that. I'm wondering if he wants to do the liver biopsy during surgery to cover his a** to prove what my liver was like at time of surgery. I swear, I haven't been afraid once in the almost 2 1/2 years since I began this journey and have worked SO hard to get here. This really scares me though. The only reason I'm willing to go through with surgery is to SAVE my life. I sure as h*ll don't want the surgery to TAKE my life. Or give me brain damage, etc. I know to the doctor this is all routine stuff, but knowing I signed this and gave permission saying I'm accepting these risks just isn't true. Is there anything I can now do? Does anyone know? Can anyone answer my questions about the fatty liver above? I really appreciate whatever help you can give me. I have no one to talk to about this other than the doctor who was very rushed and didn't have time to answer the questions I had, never mind this! I'm going to a good hospital (Mass. General Hospital in Boston, Ma.) and he was probably rushing yesterday with threat of snowstorm coming in. Still, I'm very seriously considering backing out and just living the best I can with how I am and accepting that instead.

SillyKitty, I've never had surgery or general anesthesia so this is the first I've heard of any life threatening risks. Until I read the consent form today, I thought the risks were only bleeding, leaks, vomiting. That's all I was told by every doctor and WLS expert I've spoken to. I had read about stenosis and vitamin/mineral deficiencies online. So, yes, every other possible complication is a surprise to me. I know MGH is a teaching hospital but in a million years I didn't think a student could be participating in the surgery. I guess I'm very lucky to be 65 and not have had any surgeries yet.

Thank you all for your thoughts. I really appreciate it. I know I need to do this which is why I've fought so hard to get it done. I kept hearing about how "low risk" the sleeve is so I didn't worry about the risks until I took a good look at the consent form today and it freaked me out. Hopefully I'll feel better about it tomorrow after a good night's sleep.

Thanks for the suggestions and support. I put that story on here for Sarahrosesb because none of us ever think we'll be faced with something like that happening to us. We just don't know things like that are even a possibility. We know about diabetes, heart disease, joint problems. What happened to my brother in law was not a freak accident. It was an accident waiting to happen is what his doctor said. Sarahrosesb you need to weigh all the pros and cons and possibilities for your future.

My surgery is scheduled for early May and I'm also very scared. Like Sarahrosesb said, I'm not afraid of the work that needs to be done after the surgery. I've never been under the knife either, so I guess I'm afraid of surgery in general. And anesthesia. Plus I'm 65 and recently realized my cpap pressure wasn't enough and because of this I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and have had other cardiac symptoms . My guess is the pressure has been wrong for quite a while. I'm afraid that my now somewhat compromised cardiac system won't do well with the surgery. When I say cardiac symptoms, I'm talking irregular beats and I now have this new phenomenon where my heart will pound and race for 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours after I eat. It's very scary and you'd think I'd stop eating just because of this! Nope. LOL! I'm still hungry, so I eat! It's also true that I'm very scared not to have the surgery. If I go on the way I have been, what's left of my future isn't bright. It seems inevitable that my health will get progressively worse. I think this is probably my only option to save and prolong my life as well as dramatically improve the quality of my life. Quick story about my brother-in-law. At age 45 he also had BMI of 45. One night, almost 8 years ago, he got up to go to the bathroom and his knee gave out. Since he's had 4 surgeries on that knee and the 3 on the other knee. Because of inactivity and more time to eat he gained more weight, became diabetic and has been on dialysis 3 days a week for about 2 years. He's on the transplant list for a kidney and can barely walk with lots of pain. This is what CAN happen. Just something to think about.

Hi, I began my journey 11/15 when I was 63. My insurance wouldn't cover the surgery. Now I'm 65 and on Medicare with supplemental insurance. I've been approved for the surgery twice, once was last June, 2017 but still couldn't get through insurance. I'm having to begin the whole process again now. Meeting with nutritionist and psychologist on Friday 3/9/18. Re-visit with surgeon 3/21/18. I'm told I'll have the surgery about 5 weeks after that. I know I need to do this because my MANY attempts at weight loss on my own keep failing. I go 2-3 weeks eating good and walking, usually lose 12-20 pounds. At a certain point I'm STARVED though and can never get beyond that point. I am afraid of the surgery because of my age, the anesthesia (we had a dog die from anesthesia) and because I'm not in good overall shape. I do walk but it's getting harder and harder. I don't have much energy (weight/age/health). I'm also afraid not to have the surgery! Knowing my health can and probably will continue on a downward spiral if I don't. I feel I have to do this in order to save and extend my life but also know that the process will be much harder because of my age and post menopausal metabolism. My other big concern is constipation after the surgery. I have a problem with it already due to having to take an iron supplement. So, GSierraGold, I'm sharing my experiences so far and letting you know you aren't alone.