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Yay for you! Are you ready, other than your nerves? I go next Thursday but need to start getting a hospital bag together. I almost feel like I’m nesting like before having a baby. Lol
Best wishes for your new life!

Hello! I’m scheduled for the 17th! I too am a little afraid..😇

Feb. 3 after being postponed from November due to COVID. liquid diet starts Wednesday and I keep flip-flopping between being emotional/crying to absolutely psyched and ready! (I'm a LOT of fun to live with right now, lol)

Five days into the liquid diet and the mind games are insane. My poor family.
Tomorrow (Monday) I'm meeting with anesthesia, getting blood drawn (again), and doing the big meeting with the team and finally meeting my surgeon in person. OF COURSE we're supposed to get our most significant snowstorm of the year tomorrow, too. Fingers crossed that the roads are decent.
Nine days until surgery. NINE. MORE. DAYS.

Hey! Guess what happened today?! My insurance company got my sleep study info yesterday and now my surgery is APPROVED!!! I’m thrilled! 😁🎉

Feb 3rd!!! I. Can’t. Wait.

I've never heard about heart palpitations from Protein Shakes.
In the five or six years that I've been on here I've seen a couple of posts about (US) surgeons not wanting people to do Protein shakes, but it seems like almost all of them do recommend them. Interesting thought about it being a cultural difference. I suppose that could be....

So I think this might be a cultural difference. I'm also in the Middle East and the dietician told me I don't need Protein Shakes. Americans seem all about them. She didn't mention the heart palpitations but she just said they're not really healthy and have a lot of additives.
I haven't had any shakes post-surgery. For the first couple weeks I had a lot of milk, juice, and yogurt. In the pureed stage I had all kinds hummus, baba ghanoush, lentil Soup, mashed potatoes with nutritional yeast on top, more yogurt, soft cheeses, and fish. Now I've added in some other things.
I get between 80 and 100g of Protein a day and don't use the shakes. You can do it!

My dietitian gave me other options as I am lactose intolerant and the shakes have lactose, basically the same macro amounts as having the shakes but in food form, so I can have about a quarter cup of carbs or 1 slice bread, 150g raw weight meat or fish (100g cooked weight), plus vegetables, 3 times a day. With the final day before surgery being only clear Fluid.

they will, but your body needs the Protein. You need to drink the shakes. You'll get sick pretty fast if your body doesn't have enough protein.

Honestly, it’s going to be amazing. The first two days was difficult for me but after that it was smooth sailing. It is so amazing actually seeing weight going down when I step on the scale. I feel like I’m becoming normal human shaped, and like I’m not trudging through life. The biggest change for me is not feeling like food and eating has such a powerful hold over me any longer. I still enjoy food and eating but I don’t feel the compulsion and insatiable hunger.

This surgery is an incredible gift and I think you should be excited. Nobody can understand the daily struggle that is life as a morbidly obese person unless they’ve lived it.

Gastric Sleeve on 2/5/2021. This decision has been a year in the making. I read that others have anxiety as they approach their date (not that there's anything wrong with that) but there are few other decisions I've made in my life that I have been more at peace with. I have looked at this experience as a second chance: a second chance to become the best version of myself; a 2nd chance to forever change my relationship with food; a 2nd chance to no longer sit on the sidelines but rather to get in the game and go on the adventures in which my obesity has prevented me from experiencing.
This seems to be an amazing community and look forward to sharing more about my journey.
-Kevin

This is excellent. You’re not going to lose those huge amounts like they do on My 600lb life cause, you know, they weighed over 600 lbs which is considerably more than you. The general rule is the more you have to lose the faster you’ll lose at the beginning. The other is the closer you are too goal the more slowly you’ll lose. Plus post surgery you’re retaining quite a bit of Fluid. Every pound lost is a win in my book.
And don’t worry if you stall in the next week or two & don’t lose anything. This is very normal. You’ll start to lose again after a week or so.
Congrats on your surgery.

Thank you so much for the encouragement. 💕 I wish my doctor’s office hadn’t waited to submit my paperwork but such is life, I guess. I’m actually doing my pre-op diet since my surgery is supposed to be in less than two weeks. I’m going to do this with or without my insurance so I’m just going to keep on truckin’!!! 😉

I’m terribly frustrated. When I first went to my surgeon my BMI was over 40. The dietician and bariatric center I went through wanted me to try to lose some weight before my surgery so I was trying very hard to lose some. When the surgeon’s office submitted my paperwork to the insurance company, they denied my surgery because my BMI was 37 with no acceptable comorbidities. I’m pre-diabetic and I do have very bad sleep apnea so the surgeon’s office is trying to submit my sleep study to see if I’ll be approved. To be honest, I’m not holding my breath because they may not take that as well. I’m so angry that had I known my insurance wouldn’t look at the big picture and see my initial weight then I wouldn’t have struggled so very hard to lose those pounds they asked me to. I’m telling you this so you won’t have to deal with what I’m going through right now. My husband said we’ll pay out of pocket for my surgery if we have to since I’ve been working so hard for this for such a long time.

I am having mine on the 2nd also. Very excited to continue on my weight loss journey to become a healthier me.

Some helpful hints. You will be INCREDIBLY thirsty/ dehydrated post - surgery. Bring Biotene toothpaste and mouth wash. Swish as much Water as you can as soon as you can reach a sink. You may not be able to swallow fluids just yet. And your mouth will THANK you! You can get at Amazon/ Walmart/ Target.

BariWise chicken Bouillon- lifesaver - Amazon. Clear Liquid- it tastes good and has 15g of Protein. Amazon - Amazing.

****PILL GRINDER (not cutter) - looks like pepper grinder to actually GRIND your pills so much easier to swallow! - Amazon.

Ask the hospital for the 30 cc cups - they’re 1 ounces and you can pour your Protein Shake and liquid clears to keep measurements .

**** DO NOT be afraid to ask for pain medication (this was a mistake I made). I acted tough. Ask ask ask for nausea meds - lifesaver. No vomiting.

Women - plan on wearing a sports bra that doesn’t touch your top incision and cotton underwear that does not touch your bottom incision. Wear a loose cotton dress to go home in and for recovery. Amazon has a lot of different ones (with pockets). You can lounge in them. Walk around the neighborhood and go out with nice sandals/slip on shoes or flip flops.

Amazon also has long roomy comfy sleep shirts - great for lounging and letting your incisions breathe.

BariWise hot chocolate- 15grams of protein and considered a clear. Add sugar free Syrup ( can get a bottle at Home goods for under $5) for a treat. Cinnamon sticks and peppermint tea help with nausea.

Throw a cinnamon stick in your Decaf hot tea of choice (or hot chocolate).

Take a small walk when comfortable even if it’s just around the house when you are waiting the 30 minutes before or after your protein.

If you have a gentle dig - take them for a walk (although the first few days I couldn’t because of the bending to pick up poop). My neighbor offered to walk the dog for a few days.

Enlist help - people like to help.

I was sent home with liquid pain med - keep on schedule and Prilosec capsules. I was instructed to open up. Toss the beads back and follow with chaser - amazing - helped with stomach pain.

Also sent home with anti- nausea under tongue melts - AMAZING.

If you have headaches/ menstrual cramps - I recommend Hylands brand / melts under tongue (Amazon).

Hope this helps! Wish me a great recovery!

Best, Christina

Wait, they gave you "PRE" surgery meds??? Only meds i got were for AFTER surgery, to include 3 weeks of NEEDLES that I have to give myself two of every day to make sure i don't get blood clots.
I have met my surgeon a bunch of times, and the funny part is at first he couldn't use the divinci, then he told me "yeah, i'll be certified by then, so I can use it", then he says "don't worry, doctor so and so will be there to assist and give me tips and tricks"! So I understand your nerves as well.

Isn't it wonderful to wake up some days and feel like you are ready to take anything? But on the other side of the bed, there's anxiety badgering you about the million and one things that will go wrong today. People would call me over-emotional, some would tell me to move past my problems and carry on. But they don't understand that I can't just put the things that worrying me or dragging me down and never look back. Today has been a day where my anxiety defeated me but posting here is my way of taking back control, It might be temporary, and I have accepted that, but I’ll bounce back because I always do.

Omigosh softbalmom, I’m so glad you mentioned this! When the tech was getting me ready, she had to attach the ankle leads at least two times because they wouldn’t stay on due to me having put on lotion! I hope that’s all it was too.

My surgery is the 19th. I have to be on a 2 week low calorie diet which is basically a liquid diet of Water, 3-4 Protein Drinks a day and 6 servings a day from a list of things like sugar free jello/pudding, 8oz of milk, unsweetened applesauce, a packet of oatmeal, etc. I worry it’ll be a struggle and be very rough. It’s amazing how every doctor/surgeon has different requirements. I was in a class in December where all 3 of us are going to have the gastric sleeve. 2 of us with the same surgeon were required to go on this diet 2 weeks prior to surgery and the 3rd person who had a different surgeon did not have to have any diet prior to surgery. Best of luck! My nerves are really kicking in! I had the lapband 10 years ago so this is not my first surgery.

how did all you pre-op appts go? I had mine today also. The all liquid diet is very weird - having to drink 8 oz shakes over 2 hour period, then 1 hour off, then repeat for a total of 4 a day. Hope the snow wasn't too bad

Five days into the liquid diet and the mind games are insane. My poor family.
Tomorrow (Monday) I'm meeting with anesthesia, getting blood drawn (again), and doing the big meeting with the team and finally meeting my surgeon in person. OF COURSE we're supposed to get our most significant snowstorm of the year tomorrow, too. Fingers crossed that the roads are decent.
Nine days until surgery. NINE. MORE. DAYS.

Really good but it was a lot of whirlwind action. I am concerned about one thing that could be a biggie. I had to have an ECG and they detected a sinus rhythm which made for an abnormal result. Am anxiously waiting for someone to let me know what this means and if I need a cardiology visit before surgery.
I only have to do two days of liquid only which I was really surprised about. And will need another COVID test done on next Sunday. So I’m nervous but moving ahead like everything will be ok.
How are you? Your surgery is coming up fast!

Close, this Friday the 29th.


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