huskymama

I'd love a list of things I need, and a list of things I won't need at the hospital. Last time was 2010, I can't remember everything. Seems like chap stick is good. A night gown and robe was not necessary, one was provided. Mouthwash, toothpaste and toothbrush. Panties, lose sweat pants and shirt to wear home. Do bypass patients stay over night? I remember someone told me to take a pillow to put between me and the seatbelt. Great advice. The pillow was also good in case I needed to cough or sneeze!!! Any more ideas?

Mine is Dec 22nd as well! I’m in NJ.

My surgery is December 7, pre op clear liquid is so hard. Best of luck to everyone!

My surgery is on December 7th, 2021.

I have my surgery date for December 20, 2021.

@NikoNiko do you still have a lot of gas today?

After surgery yesterday I slept like all day and tried to move while awake trying to get the gas pain to go. It finally let up today except when I’m trying to drink the broth-liquid Protein mix.

I just bought 4 cases of Premier Protein Water for post op. I couldn’t find any local so got it on Amazon $100 ouch

There is a Baritastic app that is very easy to use to track your calories. You can scan items or manually add them. Super quick super easy just go to your App Store and search Baritastic you will find it. I’ve watched my 600 pound life and it seems that they do not loose weight or start to regain when they eat to high of calories or wrong food. Like mashed potatoes and gravy etc. remember high Protein low carb. (Maybe try watching a few episodes you glean a lot of insight and information from it) I would try to get in with your nutritionist after you have logged your food for a week if you still are not loosing. Remember the surgery is just a tool not a miracle! Good luck!

Yesterday was my surgery still very tired ( so I won’t go into too much) but that gas pain is the devil!

Oh man that is so tough not seeing your Bari team. My dietitian moved to KS last visit and I actually cried. But she is still seeing me via teledoc so that helped so much being able to see her instead of someone new. I actually had to do 28 days I must say I think the first week was the hardest. I got prenatal gummy vitamins and I’m tolerating them well on the liquid but I’ll have to see what I can do after surgery. I see a lot of people get the kids flinstone chewable a. She said I need B12, Calcium. D3 as well. My sons took me to Olive Garden today for lunch and I had Soup broth no chunks etc the server was great and tried to get just the broth. It may not be approved but omg is was good and I got so full from just one bowl. I wasn’t tempted to eat the food, salad or breadsticks. I was super proud of myself and left holding my head high realizing I can do this!!! It’s just for a few weeks and anything is possible for a few weeks Good luck!!!

Sounds like you're in good (Irish!) hands. I hope you're getting over the surgery. First few days can be really tough. I'm 15 days out and eating smooth oatmeal and apple sauce for the first time - it tastes like filet mignon and bearnaise sauce (not literally).

Honestly, we're living in a vegan renaissance, so there's a plant based alternative for almost everything these days.
My best advice is to go in at a pace that's comfortable and don't beat yourself up if you can't quit it all at once. I'm a firm believer in doing what you can, and acknowledging that nothing is perfect. Think about what you know you'll really miss (for most people, that's cheese and/or bacon) and tackle that last. Not everyone can do cold turkey!
There's so many dairy alternatives now that you can pick and choose to suit. I personally prefer soy and oat, and use Protein fortified soy milk now that I'm post-op for the extra protein. And try different brands - one brand's soy/oat/almond might be delicious, while another is undrinkable!
There are also excellent vegan cheese options these days. Miyoko's Creamery is a US brand and make good stuff, including a divine butter. I know you're in Florida, but you may have something similar to this near you: https://www.thespruceeats.com/vegan-cheese-5090419 Those Texas cheeses look good, and the article also lists other good plant cheeses in the US. Lots of yoghurt and other dairy options available now too.
Meat! There's some vegan meat available now that are SO DAMN REAL that I actually feel sick when they're cooking they smell so realistic. Beyond and Impossible Burger both do freakishly beef-like beef, and Omni do pork. I would also urge you to hit up your local Chinese supermarket (I know you call it something else in the US ... grocer?) and check out their vegan meats because Chinese vegan companies work some kind of sorcery here. You'll find superb faux chicken, roast duck, char siu pork and even fish. They also have bacon, as do other western brands. If you have a Trader Joes or Wholefoods near you, I imagine you'll be spoiled for choice in their plant-based offerings!
Eggs! Yeah... there's really no substitute here, sorry. Effort has been made, and you can get passable fried eggs, but a nice poached egg is and will likely remain unattainable. That said, a bangin' vegan scramble can be home made using well drained medium tofu crumbled, and flavoured with a little turmeric, black salt (important - kala namak is sulfurous so gives that eggy taste, but use sparingly!), dijon mustard and cracked pepper. Add mushrooms and spring onions for extra flavour. It's not a dupe for scrambled eggs, but it's tasty and a great protein rich Breakfast.
The other thing is: get excited about food, because there's new stuff coming out almost every other week! Vegans get ridiculously excited about food, I think because we remember the dark days, in the before-times, when all vegan food was punitive and we had to be content with bran muffins and sadness.
Apologies for the novella, and I hope I helped!

As of 11/30 I’ll be 4 weeks post op. I’m still currently on the soft food/puréed phase. So this question definitely wouldn’t pertain to right now. But I’m just curious if anyone has attempted vegan/plant based foods as an alternative to regular food. I’ve done lots and lots of research over the last several months on vegan/plant based eating. But I’d like to know if any other Bariatric patients have considered this.

Hi
Sleeve done 11/29/21. Doing pretty well in my opinion. They don't really prepare you for the mind blown moment. At least that's what I call it. Today, this morning actually it dawned on me... my relationship with food would never be the same. This is a good thing for me. But when it hits you you don't expect that punch. I enjoy reading the comments here. Yall get it.
Nannette
Sent from my SM-F711U using BariatricPal mobile app

I was on an insulin pump, metformin and Ozempic when I started my pre-op diet. I was glad that I had my Dexcom because it helped me quickly adjust my insulin.

I had 2 severe lows then after talking with my endo, stopped all insulin while on < 600 calories. I’m 1 week post op and while my numbers aren’t perfect they aren’t high enough to warrant correcting.

When I am eating again, I’ll have to test and figure out how much I need.

I would guess that bariatric surgeons are used to dealing with people with diabetes and can accommodate that - but I'd contact them with your concerns just in case.

So I'm kind of freaking out over the pre op diet, as a diabetic...I'm worried that by not getting as many calories, my blood sugars are going to be too low. Anyone know how to manage that? My doctor said we will dial back my insulin a lot but I'm still worried. I'm on insulin, Ozempic, Gliclizide and Jardiance for diabetes and my sugars are on the high normal side of things but I am worried about lows. They terrify me.
Sent from my SM-N986W using BariatricPal mobile app

Sucks. Keep walking. I did laps around the island in my kitchen. Lol. Thousands of them. Hang in there. The worst is almost behind you!

pain is all across the board, but the majority of us seem to experience very little (or none - just discomfort). Sorry to hear that you are one of the unfortunate minority - although I wonder if some of the pain is coming from the hernia repair (??). Did they send you home with pain meds? If so, take those to stay on top of it. It shouldn't last more than a few days.

Hi! I am scheduled for 12/28/21 in Fresno California

Same! I have a 7 am OR time. I’m getting scared.

Omg you people that are losing so much weight on your liquid diet-I’m jealous! I figure I’ll be lucky to lose 6-8.
Good on you, and best of luck with your surgery:)

So liquid diet... I'm down 25lbs since starting it two weeks ago. I was 288lbs at my pre-op bloodwork visit and 263 today. This means I still have about 100lbs to get to a "normal" BMI.
I switched to Fairlife Protein Shakes because I hated the Premier but my doctor wanted me to switch back. He says he has much better results with liver shrinking and Premier.
Anyway - TOMORROW is surgery day! Covid test, packing bag... I'm getting ready!

Hey everyone, I got my surgery for 12/09/2021, but may get pull forward to 12/06/2021. Any last minute advice, on the liquid since 11/24/2021, was permitted 1 very strict solid meal on thanksgiving, I am doing well. Family is super supportive. Which is very good. Any last minute advice will be greatly appreciated.

I'm getting gastric sleeve, my BMI is 38, and I have a 2 weeks liquid diet. You're right about every doc doing things differently! Thanks for all the info.