momof3_angels

I am Sept 3 or 4 (they might put me where someone cancelled on the 3rd). They want me to maintain my weight before surgery so only 3 days pre OP diet... but I am already doing a similar diet that is just a little less restrictive. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

We do get mostly used to it... but we prefer to only go out early AM and late PM in the summer's, then when the rest of the northern hemisphere is too cold to go out, we love being out doors. Good luck to you too! Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

As a nurse, it is funny to me when the bariatric docs refer to a "clear" liquids diet, and allow you protein shakes. That translates to me as a modified clear liquids diet at best. But I digress. My pre-op diet is 3 meal replacement shakes, 3 Greek yogurt or cottage cheese meals, and in between I am allowed decaf coffee/tea, sugar free jello/popsicles, and a low sodium V-8 juice. Then the evening before surgery I have to have 32 oz of apple juice/cranberry juice or gatorade (the kind with sugar) and repeat with 16 oz 2-4 hours before surgery. And getting excited, we are getting closer every day!

I like premier protein pre-made shakes, but I only like them when they are cold. I also like muscle milk just fine (powdered).

Devils advocate here... I know when my co-worker dropped really low too fast (or it appeared to be too fast to me), she DID look sickly. She had the sleeve done and while she would periodically look awful for a week or two while her body was adjusting. Then she would look healthy. Then it would happen again. It is possible that you are just in one of those phases where you don't look as healthy to others, but that doesn't mean you will stay looking that way. My friend overall did look great most of the time, and she looks great now that she is at her maintenance healthy weight. But that doesn't mean she always looked healthy in the eyes of others while the weight loss was happening. Anyhow, after watching my friend... I am gearing up to have others see in me what I saw in my friend. Personally, I kept my mouth shut and remained supportive during her entire weight loss. I asked her how she was doing and listened when she needed to vent. But I was careful not to say anything that could be construed as criticism. I am hoping others will do the same with me. But I also know that some people (probably my husband) will make rude comments when I am looking not so great. Even if I think I look fine. Anyhow, ignore your mom. Or if you want to, let her know that it bothers you when she makes those comments. Also re-assure her that your doctor is monitoring you and everything is going very well. Let her know where you are in your goals. She might be afraid you are just going to keep losing until it is too much weight loss. Or she just might not be used to seeing you at your current size. What is important is how you feel and how you think you look.

I am from the Chicago area and spent 10 years in SW Florida.... the heat in the desert areas is definitely different. We are definitely "hotter than hell" lol, but we aren't "hot and sticky". We can sit in the shade and feel just a little cooler (can't do that in the midwest). We can jump in a pool and while drying we feel cooler (just feel sticky in the midwest). Also... if you compare the same temperature days... our 80 feels like 80, whereas the humidity makes 80 feel a lot hotter (heat index). Oh well, off topic now!

This is a question I was going to ask. I just bought 2 kindle cookbooks, but haven't tried any of the recipes yet. I may have to get hard copies though... my daughter keeps taking my iPad.

Excited, anxious, and nervous... I think that sums up what most of us are feeling!

Oh, I will take AZ dry heat anyday to the rest of the country where it can be 84+ but humid! I went to Europe this summer and it was in the 80s every day (before their heat wave) but I was MISERABLE temperature wise!

Congratulations!

So, I am scheduled for surgery next week. I also HAVE to take my daughter to Disneyland just shy of 5 weeks later. I know to check in with my doctor before I go. I know I need to plan ahead for nutrition. I also know my stamina will not be back at my pre-op levels. I know that I also probably won't be able to tolerate some rides. Thankfully, I am very familiar with them and I know which ones not to attempt if my doctor still has any concerns or I am not feeling well enough to do them. That said, my daughter is scheduled to dance at Disney, therefore, I AM going. We are supposed to be there for 3 days (1 California Adventure, 2 Disneyland). Sending her with another family is not really an option. And I might end up taking another girl with (the one I would have sent my daughter with doesn't have a way to get there). I was just wondering if any of you visited any theme parks at 4-5 weeks post op (or shortly before/after). What were your experiences? Could you go on all the rides? Some of the rides? Were you too exhausted? Did you have to take breaks in the park or did you have to go back to your hotel? How did you handle food? Did you have any negative complications as a result? Did you have to drive far to get there? How did that go? Did you attempt to get "medical" accommodations or was that not necessary because you were feeling so good? I know Disney allows a 6pack size cooler, but allows for larger ones to accommodate medical needs. I also know that they have a service where if you can't stand in line for 45 minutes or more for medical reasons you can go to the front with your medical/disability pass and they give you a special fast pass to come back when the line you would have gotten to the front of the line if you had stood there. I also know they have tightened up their practices due to misuse. I don't expect to be fast tracked past people, they don't do that anymore even with permanent disabilities... they use this new medical version of the fast pass so that people aren't misusing it just to cut in line.

Thanks! Yes, I walked early after each of my 3 c-sections, so I am guessing this will be the same as far as getting up and moving. Glad you had a great time!

I won't be going to the hospital until the day of surgery, and most likely will get discharged the next day. Best of luck to you!

I live in Southern Arizona... 110-122 Fahrenheit are common to where we live. Well, the hottest it gets at my house is 115, but I drive through places that get to 122 easily in summer. I guess that would be 43-50 degrees Celsius?

That is great and what I am HOPING to hear! I am more than willing to take it easy if I need to, but it would be "oh so boring"! Were you able to tolerate standing in line too? Or did you do a fast pass?

I just did my pre-op nutrition session and was given some instructions that totally caught me off guard. I am to do my pre-op diet up to the day before surgery (OK, no surprise here). Then the evening before surgery I am to drink 32oz of either apple juice, cranberry juice (or the two mixed), or regular gatorade: FULL SUGAR. Then 2-4 hours before surgery I am to drink 16 more oz! Being a nurse this is totally foreign to me. I was "raised" in a world where you are ALWAYS NPO before surgery. They are not worried about the fluids because they pump your stomach when the are starting surgery, so it is empty anyway when surgery actually starts. That is reassuring. The reason they ARE doing it is because they are finding they have better post op results when they "fluid and carb load" prior to surgery. This does make sense. Afterall, we have a history of dehydrating people just before surgery, and we will dehydrate as it is after surgery, so why not hydrate a little longer. And also makes sense with the sugar. Just surprised to hear this and was wondering if other docs have started doing this as well for VSG.

A lot has changed since I worked ICU/CCU/Trauma! I am in a different world of nursing now. No pre-op care to give for me lol. I will go look it up. Thanks for the info!

Yes, that is why we always used to make patients NPO. But they aren't worried about that since they are pumping my stomach before they start anyway.

Good to know! I haven't worked in a hospital for quite a few years now, so haven't done a lot of pre-ops in a while! I guess that is how a few of my family members "procedures" have been as well, now that I think about it. But those haven't been major surgeries, so I wasn't correlating the two together.

I was a bit baffled when I was first told this. And it was a group class, so didn't want to ask too much in front of the other patients. I had planned to stay after class to ask her a couple questions in private, but instead I was wisked away before class was over so they can tell me I was approved and follow up with some surgery related issues. As for the sugar, I think it is just kind of like a pre-op version of giving D5W IV, but orally. It's not like it is long term, so I am not worried about it being counterproductive. Not like I am going to gain a bunch of weight just before surgery just because I had apple juice instead of water. If anything, the weight I could gain would be water weight. I also feel like I might feel better before surgery because my blood sugar won't be on the low side because I was NPO for so long. And I am a hard stick, so I think this will help them get my IV started. My first concern was aspiration, but she reassured us they empty our stomachs anyway. I also figured that if there IS anything more solid left in my stomach, it would thin it out and make it easier to remove any gastric contents before surgery. As for the research behind it? Kind of got the feeling it was something HE was tried and liked the outcomes. But not sure. I see the doc on Monday so I am hoping to remember to ask him more about it then. I am very curious as to how this came about, what research is behind it, and what scientific evidence there is to support him.

That is crazy. Gosh, if they cancelled for extreme heat here they would only be able to do surgeries half of the year!

I am about a week behind you for surgery. Excited and a little nervous. I guess I am fortunate that I don't have to do the pre-op as long. I just need 2-3 days of it, because they don't want me to go below my BMI requirement. Wishing everyone smooth surgeries and speedy recoveries!

I am scheduled for Sept 4, but they told me they might move it up a day because they had a cancellation. I am anxious to get it over with!

Haven't had the surgery yet myself (in 10-11 days), but my friend who had it warned me about the same thing! She says hers does get really loud at really awkward times. I have also researched this and am reading about many others with the same issue.

It is definitely possible that you no longer need CPAP. It is also possible you DO need it and just need your pressure level adjusted. I was diagnosed and started CPAP in Feb/March. Mine was listed as mild to severe (mild was when I wasn't really sleeping/ severe was in the little bit of time I actually slept). I am starting to do really well on CPAP and sleeping much better. I also am able to stay awake later than I was able to before, so I know it is working. That said... I have surgery scheduled in 10-11 days. I am REALLY hoping that losing weight will mean I can go off CPAP. But, the only way any of us can know for sure whether or not we can remove CPAP is by repeating a sleep study (some do a version of it at home). Just know, weight loss is much more possible/successful if we are compliant with CPAP.