meschultz

Longhorngirl.. welcome to the group of october bandsters.... Congrats on your surgery date.. Mine is on Oct 1st... I have been on preop for a few days now it is not so bad... It is all worth it because you know you are working for an amazing goal.. keep us posted on your progress.. HOpe everything is well.. again Congrats :redface:

:thumbup:Chris my doctor told me you could drive after a week, but maybe sooner as long as you felt comfortable and were not pulling or stressing in abdominal muscles... As far as not telling anyone .. I am going to tell you it will be hard.. My husband felt the same way, but we talked about it and found it better to discuss it with those that are very close to us..My doctor requires that you have support buddy. Someone who will be with you the first 24 hours and most of the week following. If you choose not to tell anyone people will ask you questions about why you are only eating a cup of food at a time and why you are avoiding so many things you used to love.. wouldn't it be nice for people to support you in your decisions and not try to shove food in your face when you don't want it or to stare at you funny for avoiding that one food you used to love... I am just saying I would really REALLY think about it and consider telling at least one person so you have a support buddy and then work your way into telling people you are close to as you feel more and more comfortable with the new you THis is an amazing journey and a very important phase of your life and you should be happy to share with with the ones you love and trust.. anyways.. I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST.....:redface:

Congrats Becky... My doctor expects us to be able to drink 5 oz of protein one hour and 5 oz of water the next hour so you being able to drink 5oz sounds about right.. ... As long as you are not in pain... If you start feeling uncomfortable i would cal your doctor.. But I am super excited you are feeling well.. i have to stay the night in the hospital.. My hubby is going to be banded on Wednesday and I will be banded on OCt 1st.. I am so excited ... best wishes sent your way :redface:

Hey Patty.. TBLightningFan is my Hubby... he is so nervous.. Give him good thoughts.. I will be there with him of course.. I know he is going to do super duper... How have you been feeling... I know I am looking forward to surgery date.. I am 8 days away.... How is the liquid going.. you feeling better??

ANGELX5------Sorry about missing your post... No one here means to miss anyones post, but sometimes if it is a day or so your a lot of post happen since the last time you were on you might just miss it.. I wanna say CONGRATS... on your upcoming surgery.. we are all nervous.. But of COURSE SUPER EXCITED I agree with you I wanna live the rest of my life so much healthier then the first part.. Keep us posted on your progress and ask any questions you want.. I try to look back if I have not been on for awhile.. I have been so icky feeling today though so I have not been as good as posting today.. I love this thread everyone is super friendly and we all have our surgery month in common and that is awesome... Hope you are well :redface:

Ok I was trying to add the "smashing pumpkins" to my signature, but apparently I dont have enough lines avail to put it :redface: why is the code so long:(

Alteration..... My surgery is also on Oct 1st I have to be there at 5:45 am and buy 8 am hopefully I will be banded.. I am so excited.. I wish you the best of luck.. I can't wait for this journey to begin.. I am with you on the liquid thing for awhile. I have been doing my pre op diet for about 5 or 6 days now which is all liquids except one very small meal for dinner which consist of zero carbs.. It has been a very big learning experience.. ... well I just wanted to say hi.. Leann I wanted to wish you luck as well. that is a lot of travel to do after surgery.. iS it cheaper in texas? or do you just know the doctor there??? I hope everything goes well for you two..

Bridgette. I am feeling a little better right now.. Thank you.. The closer it gets to going home time the better I feel ha ha.. But I am going to cuddle up in my bed when I get there and nap :cry_smile: hopefully that will help as well.

Hey Bridgette.. For sure keep track of the weight you have lost and will loose it helps you strive to do more and better.. I have done evertying on your list.. I want to remember this process .. Every step of the way .. Even the difficult times.. that way if one day I am doubting my ability to do continue on I can say, but wait that was pretty hard and I got through it and if I could get through that then I can get through anything.. You need to do what ever is best for your mind and what will help you in the future.. we all need to remember this is not just about the right now it is about the rest of our lives and how great we are making them :cry_smile: P.S. Glad you finally added a picture. It is always nice to put a face with a name

Nazzy ... Every doctor has a different diet they want you to be on So I would just follow the one your doctor has given you.. I am sure it is very low to no carb that is the trick. All pre op diets are to help shrink your liver so that there is more room to work and less chance of damaging other organs.. Anyways best thing is to follow what your surgeon says :cry_smile: Besides he is the one you want to trust the most I hope everything goes well with your pre op diet and surgery. As far as protein powders.. I do not use a powder. I use the Ready to drink slimfast low carb it works best for me.

Fellow Liquid dieters........ Has anyone experiences muscles pains in upper abdomen and upper back ??? I dont know what it is but I just feel really weak today and it sucks.. I mean I am on day 5 I am not hungry or anything just really tired and achey.... :cry_smile::cool2: I hope everyone else is doing well..... Keep on drinking our liquid food.. we are 1 days closer to our surgery day :w00t:

Ok everyone.. I am a bit nervous today.. My hubby's surgery is on Wednesday and He will do so fantastic..I am not sure if I am nervous for him or me ha ha.. I know there is nothing to be nervous about, but I think it is all the excitement just building and building.. Bridgette. I am totally with you on making a list of things so we remember why we are doing this.. I know I need the help..I am excited for the day that I dont have to worry if my butt is going to fit in a chair ha ha that is such a sucky feeling.. Hubby and I are going to see Jeff Dunham in December.. I hope my butt shrinks enough I will be comfortable in the seats by then ....see things like that will be nice not to have to worry about :girl_hug: Well I hope everyone had a good day .. I will have to catch up on post tomorrow. We had a family pool party so I was away from the computer all day.. Sleep well and welcome to all the new "Smashing Pumpkins" :biggrin:

BRIDGETTE... Glad you read all your info packet.. and I would suggest telling your family what you are doing and going through that way everyone will be supportive and not trying to shove food in your face.. MY husband was unsure of telling people about it, but I discussed those issues with him.. told him if he did not tell people they would be trying to give him food he did not need or did not want..Now of course I was like only tell the people we are close to you dont have to tell every random person.. But he has told his family and a few co workers and our close friends and he feels a lot better about and everyone is being extremely supportive which is helping him even more :embaressed_smile: TO EVERYONE ---- congrats on your surgery dates. Best of luck on your liquid diets.. They really are not as bad as they seem. I have been on mine since Wednesday of last week and I have to say the hardest day was the first, but the protein shakes really do help to keep you full.. Just remember why you are doing this and keep busy and active and you will be fine :cursing: it is all going to be worth it. The 2 weeks before will make the all liquid diet after that much easier

Bridgette, I am glad you found the Slim Fast at sams.. .25 cents a can is totally worth the savings ha ha.. I have like 4 cases in the cabinet, but my hubby is having his surgery on Wednesday and then me the next Wednesday so I know for at lease 3 weeks we wont feel like going anywhere so this weekend I am going to sams and super stocking up ... Being that liquid is all we will be having for a whole week.. It is going to be fun :thumbup: I CANT WAIT..... I am looking forward to it My hubby is getting a bit nervous, but I am sure he is going to do fantastic.. How are you informational handouts going? I looked through ours and we got our meds filled for after surgery..Does your surgeon make you do a blood thinner shot??? we have to give ourselves 1 shot everyday for 7 days.. it is just about the only thing freaking me out.. HA HA I dont want to give myself a shot .. I told my mother she would have to drive over and do it everyday since she is a nurse.. She was not so keen on the idea though since she lives 45 min away from me HA HA.. well hope everyone has a super fantastic weekend

Sassy... I can't say I am going to be as cool as everyone else on the whole cookie issue, but I can understand where everyone is coming from. I have not had my surgery yet so I cant say to much. I know how hard it is.. I am a HUGE sweet lover.. What I did for myself to get through this is to 1. Believe I am better then the sweets :thumbup: 2. Take all the sweets out of my house that way there is no temptation. 3. When I go to work I take 2 Protein shakes and 3 waters and no cash.. I always remind myself why I am doing what I am doing and if I start to feel hungry I will drink plenty of Water.. No it is not as good as that cookie would have been, but it will fill my tummy up enough to take my mind off of it. I have also found lots of things to do with my time .. I browse here a lot.. I watch shows on DVD or once I have recorded so I dont have to see food commercials.. You just have to figure out what is going to work for you.. True today was only one day and you ate 8 Cookies, but from the way everyone was making it sounds is like its not a big deal.... No it wont make you fall off the wagon and no you should NOT FEEL guilty or be upset at yourself for it, but you should remember how you felt today and remember you don't want to feel that way again.. Because if you look at it like today was today 8 cookies today will become 8 cookies tomorrow and the next day and so on... So basically I am just trying to say instead of beating yourself up .. Find a way to beat your temptations.. Create a plan of action.. Like next time you want a cookie or you want something you should not have then have a plan that will distract you from that cookie... Anyways, I hope some of this helps.. We are all here to support each other that is why we signed up... I wish you the best of success and I hope your fill day comes soon for you take care

Bridgette, I have only seen the SlimFast LC in chocolate at my sams but you can go to samsclub.com and go to the product and then see if they have it at a club near you.. i hope everything is going good for you.. keep us up to date :thumbup: Enjoy your reading

Bridgette.. that is what my husband and I did.. we started using the shake just for breakfast and then we phased in to using it for lunch.. our doctor only requires us on liquid for breastfast and lunch, but we will prob phase in all liquids the last two days before surgery just because that will help us adjust to all liquids after the surgery for that week. I am not sure what kind of protein shake your doctor has recommended, but I spend a few bucks trying out different ones and let me just recommend a few.. I really enjoy and use the chocolate slim fast low carb it is most cost effective and really fills you up... I have also tried the Adkins advantage chocolate one and it was pretty good..little pricer then slimfast, but maybe you could find them at sams club if you have one near you.. That is where I buy my slimfast.. I would stear clear of ISOPURE because well you will be so pure after drinking it.. It was AWFUL ha ha.. I also tried the musle milk light which was just ok. again for the price i always go back to slimfast. I emphasize on the price because I have to buy everything for two people since it is me and my husband. So I was looking for healthy and less exspensive Gotta count our pennys for now.. I figure once we get through all this our grocery bill will go down. However, i think we will stick with the slimfast shake for at least breakfast for always It has been a really easy breakfast .. I wish you well today. Good luck on your protein drink hunt :thumbup:

Sassy.. Congrats on being approved.. this is just the most amazing journey we are all on and it is nice to have so many amazing people to talk to :biggrin: about it..

Bridgette.. I was wondering the samething. The only thing I had seen for October was smashing pumpkins, but it does not really go with the "month" theme.. hmmm wonder what it is ... I had my pre op today everyone and it went great.. My journey is just beginning and the path to the new me is looking super great.. I have lost 14 lbs since my last visit on 08/22. I almost wanted to stand on the scale again before I left to make sure it was right HA HA .. hope everyone is well :wub::thumbup::biggrin:

I don't know how everyone else feels, but is it October yet :cool2: I am so excited for all of us .. I just can't wait to hear about everyones success :w00t: I am looking forward to sharing this journey with so many great people. I guess I should be off to sleep.. Talk to everyone soon.

JUSTDOO.. my nutritionist said if we were going to use slim fast then to make sure it is the low carb one.. That is the one I use. I have also tried the adkins advantage and the muscle milk light and they call compare in nutritional facts.. So it basically boils down to taste and cost.. since I have two people doing this prep at the same time. Me and my hubby. I go with the slimfast low card because i can get a case of 15 at sams club for like 18 dollars. by far the cheapest i have found so far and like i said the nutritional values stack up to the others as long as you get the low carb. just good info to have out there... But like everyone is suggesting it is always best to just follow what your doctor tells you.. they say it for a reason. It is not just to torture us ha ha. I have found it helps in multiple ways. 1. to help have a less fatty liver to prep and have and easier surgery and 2 to prepare help prepare us for post op. I could not imagine going from eating normally to having surgery and being on straight liquids. I am glad my doctor has the phase into liquids and then after surgery the all liquid will not be as bad.. It wont be easy, but it will be easier.. and when we reach our ultimate goals no matter how difficult. it will be worth it

Macpa, it totally depends on your insurance and your doctors with how long it takes you.. I work for the hospital where my surgery is being done so my insurance company does not require in major surgery pre reqs. I could have had my surgery done about a month ago, but since I am new in my job I had to wait until i had been there for 90 days to take time off.. My doctor only required us to get a physc eval, cardiac clearance and do 3 to 4 week diet plan with a nutritionist just to show us how we will be eating and to work with an exercise physiologist.. It has been a learning curve and I can tell you I am super proud of anyone that has to go through a long process. I am so impatient I would go crazy waiting. I am very thankful my process has not been to long.. Hope your process is quick and everything goes well..

Snowflake, i hope you are feeling better and sorry to hear you were having so many pains. I am preparing to have my surgery on oct 1 and hope that it goes well .. I go for my pre op tomorrow so we will see what my diet plan looks like then. best of luck to you and hope you are not experiencing anymore pain.. take care

I will be having surgery on oct 1st and wednesday and have to return on monday the 6th. wish I had more time off, but I am pretty new to my job and lucky they are giving me that time off. so i am hoping for a quick and healthy recovery as I will wish for all of you

My preop diet consist of 2 protein shakes and a no carb meal for dinner.. my protein shake of choice is the Low carb chocolate slim fast. It gives you the protein you need and it gives me the chocolate fill I need ha ha.. Anyways my diet technically starts tomorrow, but I have been on it for about a week because my hubby is a week ahead of me so I was trying to be supportive during his week. I avoided as much carbs as possible in front of him.. Best of luck to every one