NewMe_2021

Four days left to go! My pre-op diet is starting to get to me. Nothing but liquids for 14 days starts to make drinking the protein shakes quite the challenge. I'm starting to find there are days where I just am not hungry or cannot stomach another shake and basically have to choke them down. I can definitely understand not ever wanting to drink this type of shake again. I'll definitely be purchasing different ones for post op. The impact on ones digestive track on a diet like this is a real thing and has caught up with me during the final days on the pre-op diet. At this point I would rather just not have to drink 5 a day and maybe just have to drink 2 and just not eat. Just have to limp across the finish line! Friday is right around the corner!

My program is set up the exact same way for my VSG - 1 month in each stage, also through my university hospital. I have surgery 6/11 and am in the tail end of my 2 week liquid diet. 5 shakes a day are really becoming unappealing at this point. Thinking about another month of liquids post op seems overwhelming, but, I keep hearing it won’t be as bad post op. Sounds like you are doing well so far, which, is encouraging!

Stay busy!! I have found the key is distraction. I have had a lot of people tell me to drink lots of water, but, I find that doesn't do anything for me with regards to silencing the hunger. I try to ensure I stay as physically distracted as I can, stay out of the kitchen when my family is making their food and have been focusing on getting lots of extra sleep. There's no easy way through it that I have found...just be stubborn and stay focused on the goal at the end.

I had to finally walk away from most of the FB groups, support boards and YouTube channels as I didn't want to scare myself before surgery. It's already really nerve wracking to think I am choosing to have this surgery rather than it being a medical emergency. My primary care doctor put it into good perspective though - she said "isn't it nice that you can choose to have a surgery that may help you avoid needing a surgery you don't have a choice about in the future?" I keep reminding myself it is a pretty straightforward surgery and most people get through it without any issues. People get on a lot of those groups and do videos looking for help with the issues the are having...all the others are out there living life! I feel like it's important to be aware of the slim possibility of complications, but, chances are not many are going to have them. Maybe step away from some of the videos until after surgery? Hang in there!

Thanks so much for your perspective of the first day or so after surgery. It was great to hear the pain was pretty manageable. I haven't done well on any prescription pain medications as they typically make me very nauseous and cause me to vomit, so, I'm really hoping to only stick to Tylenol for pain relief. Glad to hear you have a family member getting you up to walk. I keep hearing this is such an essential part after surgery. Hope recovery continues to go well! I've got 8 days remaining of my liquid pre-op diet. Tuesday was definitely the day I felt the most hungry. Since then it hasn't been quite as bad. I do find myself looking longingly at food wishing I could just have the tiniest bite. My family has been super supportive and understanding though and have been helping to keep me on track. I'm hoping this last little bit will fly by. Still trying to stay super busy and try to keep my mind off of it.

Starting day 5 of my 14 day liquid pre-op. So far so good! There have been a few times where the smell of food around me was pretty overwhelming, but, there is no temptation to go off plan. I started this process nearly 18 months ago and I don't want to do a single thing that could jeopardize the surgery. I feel very fortunate that I haven't really had any side effects other than being hungry, but, it's manageable. I never thought I would look forward to a cup of chicken broth at the end of the day like I do now. LOL I've been staying super busy and have been focusing on finishing some home projects so I am not just sitting around listening to my belly growl. Today was my pre-op appointment with the Anesthesiologist, which, went really well. I received some liquid surgical scrub, a Glycemic Endothelial Drink packet and prescriptions for Celebrex and Gabapentin. Next Tuesday I go in for my Covid test. Hard to believe surgery is next week. Best of luck to those with surgeries this week! Sending many healing vibes to all!

So exciting to see so many getting so close to the big day!! I had my groceries delivered today for my liquid diet and was both laughing at the pile of protein shakes piled outside my door and felt my nerves go up a bit. Getting so close! I go in for my preop visit on 6/1 followed up by a Covid test on 6/8. I'm already figuring out lots of way to stay busy over the next two weeks! I've been putting together an Amazon order with some small plates/forks, a vitamin organizer, all my vitamins and some Gatorade protein water and some Protein2O. What's everyone else doing to get ready?

@ShoppGirlthanks for the suggestion. I did call, but, there is no room in his schedule in the next two weeks. I'm working to trust the process and moving forward. I start my 2 week liquid diet tomorrow and decided it was finally time to tell my parents and kids about my surgery on 6/11. The kids went as expected with a few questions and lots of support. My mom completely surprised me with her reaction. She said she thought it was a great decision, that she was happy for me and that she had no doubt I would be successful. The very next thing she said was "how can we help?" I about broke down in tears. I had been so nervous about telling her and it turns out she is my biggest supporter. It feels so nice to not have that stress on my shoulders any more. By telling those closest to me I found the biggest support system. I'm beyond thankful it all worked out like that!

No, I decided to move to the new surgeon instead of moving to September. I've already waited well over a year for this, I'm ready to get it done! Still set for a 6/11 surgery date.

Got a call this past Friday that my surgeon had some changes in his schedule and they would need to either reschedule me for September or move me to another surgeon in the practice. My surgery had already been delayed from last December as I didn't feel comfortable with the original facility and moved to a different program. Though it makes me crazy nervous I opted to change to a different surgeon. It's pretty frustrating, but, I've also talked to plenty of people who don't meet their surgeon until the day of the surgery. The program I'm in is pretty robust though, so, putting my faith in that and the info I have found online about the new surgeon. Liquid diet starts Friday!

I was told similar, that I would be off work for a week (desk job and working from home). So, I've told my boss to definitely plan on me being out a week, but, thankfully he is fine if I need to take more time or work half days for the second week. I've heard of a lot of folks going home the same day. My surgeon has me spending one night at the hospital and I have no doubt I will be anxious to get home the next day! So glad to hear the liquid diet is getting easier! I'm going to remind myself of that a bunch when I start mine at the end of the month!

I am so totally NOT looking forward to the liquid diet. I'll start mine on 5/28 and plan to avoid every single Memorial Day grill out invite that comes my way. I've heard it gets better after the 3rd or 4th day. I hope that holds true! I have no doubt watching the scale drop is rewarding! Hang in there!!

Elahnen - so glad to hear those conversations have gone well! I think my kids (24, 17 and 15) will all be supportive. They have all seen me work through various attempts at this and I have a feeling they may suspect this is coming anyway. Things have been really stressful for my mom lately and part of me almost feels guilty for "laying this on her" as well since I don't want her to worry. She and I are incredibly close though, so, not telling her really isn't an option and since we live right around from each other and see each other frequently I can't really avoid it. I'm hoping it will go better than I expect as she has seen me work hard to lose weight unsuccessfully as well. YES! Changing food right now is HARD. I had every intention of getting to this point and having a completely clean, low carb diet and I'm definitely not to that point! LOL It is definitely going to be interesting with the family, but, thankfully the youngest two that still live at home are pretty capable in the kitchen so they can fend for themselves. They are probably really going to enjoy fixing their own meals for a while and not worry about me constantly pushing vegetables onto their plates.

Officially 30 days out! I went to my nutrition class last Friday, which, was very helpful. Though, I've discovered my program seems to be pretty conservative to what most others seem to get. Each stage seems longer (1 month each), but, I'm hoping this is good and will give my new tummy plenty of time to heal and adjust. I am supposed to stop taking my birth control pills today which is making everything seem very real and very close! I've been stalling telling my kids, parents and boss about the surgery and I'm quickly realizing I need to start having those conversations. I have a feeling this next month is going to go by faster than I realize.

I'm scheduled for June 11th. I'll be attending my nutrition class this Friday and starting my liquid diet on May 28th. I'm a crazy combination of super excited and nervous!

I'm scheduled for June 11th (finally!).

Curious what changes (if any) folks made to their diet while waiting for their surgery date? I'm trying to make some changes now so adjusting to a new lifestyle won't be quite as dramatic after surgery. I want to set myself up for success as much as possible. So far I have done the following: - cut way back on my coffee (only one cup caffeinated every other day) - water intake up to 100 ounces a day - tracking my food and limiting carbs to less than 120g a day - trying to teach myself to eat 5 times a day instead of 3 (this has been a big change because I had finally gotten used to only eating 3 times a day...my new program wants folks eating 5 times a day so something is eaten every 3-4 hours) - focusing on protein first - cut fast food down to 2 times a week - cut out alcohol - adding in walks, though not consistently yet Any thing else I can do to help prepare myself more for this new lifestyle?

How soon after getting the sleeve done is traveling safe? My surgery is scheduled in June (unless someone cancels and I can get in earlier!) and we have a graduation trip planned for my child in July which will require a 2 hour drive. We have rented a small house for four days in an area with lots of hiking. Based on what I have heard, I understand that long, strenuous hikes are likely not going to be a good idea. So, we are currently planning some short day trips to the surrounding trails with flat surfaces/terrain which will still allow us to see some of the beautiful sites in the area. I talked to my husband about postponing my surgery, but, he knows how long I have worked towards this and doesn't want me to put it off. His perspective was worst case scenario he would take one of our kids with him on one of the more strenuous trails and I could hang out at the house and rest/do low key things with our other child. Does this sound feasible? (This is assuming everything goes smoothly during surgery, recovery is going well and my surgeon is ok with it.)

Isn't learning to chew slowly and thoroughly tough to get down pat?!?! That and figuring out how to not drink 30 minutes before or after are some of the changes I still struggle with for sure. I've also been working to try different shakes, though, my dietician threw a bit of a wrench in that process - they only have 5-6 different types of shakes they approve in their program. I had been using Premier Protein and was shocked when I found out that the didn't approve using them for the 2 week pre-op or after surgery. So, I started trying ones off their list. My problem is the shakes are so daggone sweet! It's definitely a challenge. Best of luck with everything!

I'll likely be having surgery in June (unless there is a cancellation and I can get in earlier!). It's taken me over a year to get to this point, so, I'm definitely ready. Sounds like you've been doing great so far! Carbs are definitely the hardest for me. I have IBS-D and white flour based things (saltines, pasta etc...) have always been things I could eat and know I wouldn't wind up with an unpleasant bathroom experience. It's been a challenge to cut these out. In some ways I am lucky as I am not really a fan of sweet things, so, at least it limits the type of carbs I have to get under control. I feel you on the stall, when I implemented all my changes I lost weight in the beginning, but, like every other time it's like my body adapts and either stays at the same weight or finds creative ways to get back to where it was before. I'm really hoping all these changes will result in consistent downward trend on the scale after surgery. Good luck with everything!

Sounds like you are getting close and doing fantastic!!! I like that 30-30-30 rule. Such an easy way to remember those key items. Exercise is definitely one I need to work on consistency with. Maybe I need to break it down into smaller amounts rather than thinking I need to dive right in with 30 minutes every day. I’ll have to give that a try and see how it works.

Thank you so much! That is such a great idea to try out some new recipes and snacks before hand. I feel like that will help immensely from a cooking perspective. I tend to have all my meals down to a precise window of prep time and I'm really used to how much time I need in order to get dinner on the table for the family by a certain time. Practicing some new ways of cooking and new recipes would definitely save on some stress later on. Sugar is definitely a tough one that I'm still working on . Not necessarily what I drink (I usually just drink water, black coffee and herbal tea), but, I have noticed I definitely have a sweet tooth. So, it's good to know I need to continue tackling this in advance!

I definitely need to work on the small bites, chewing thoroughly and eating slowly. I keep hearing about the fluids piece as well and feel like I can easily figure out the 30 minutes after a meal, however, how on earth do you figure out how to stop drinking fluids 30 minutes before you eat??? Do you eat on a very defined schedule so you always know when you will be eating thus always know when to stop drinking? This part definitely seems like the toughest change to master for me.

Hi all - I'm currently working my way through the insurance waiting period to get the Gastric Sleeve. How often does everyone follow up with their bariatric facility on this process? I want to ensure things keep moving along as I have been working this process for nearly a year across two different facilities. I followed up with them last week and they stated they were waiting for one last piece of paperwork to be processed and would likely be submitting the next day and that they would let me know once they had submitted. My current plan is to follow up once a week, but, I also don't want to become that annoying patient everyone hates to see an email from. I had been previously approved by my insurance with the original facility I was working with, however, decided to change to a new facility due to some ongoing communication issues that left me feeling uncomfortable about the original place. I'm sure the fact that I had been previously approved is making me a bit more anxious about getting this done again, so, I'm trying to keep that in mind as well. It's such a long process and is definitely hard to stay focused on the bigger picture at times.