gabybab

I'm not sure what day, but surgery will be in January. Will find out the exact day in Nov. Good luck to all!

This would be the first Halloween ever that I have not eaten candy, or anything else for that matter lol and all the while cooking and hosting a party for a bunch of teenagers!!!! GO MEE!!!! How is your Hallowsleeve going? I am proud of myself and everyone else here too.

I went to pick up the candy so that my husband can pass it out. I then locked myself in my room so I wouldn't have to be a part of any of it. I'm doing ok. Surprisingly, I don't have the cravings even though I am known to hugely binge on chocolate. I'm feeling proud of myself too!

I'm not sure, but I have purchased a lot myself to tide myself over the first month. Surgery in a couple months. Hope someone comes along and has a review of them. I have heard that Unjury makes the best chicken Soup. Good luck!

If you want the sleeve, I would stick to your guns. My Dr wants me to do a different surgery, due to gerd, but I'm not willing to do the bypass.
I'm in Wa and 53. I've been through the wringer and am almost in the home stretch. My surgery will be in January sometime. Just waiting on A date.
Best of luck to you!

That's really negligent to put you off and to not know they use the belly button as one of their ports.
I've had 3 abdominal surgeries and all 3 went through my bb. I too, got infected one time. My dr said to lay on your back and pour hydrogen peroxide in there and let it set a minute, then drain and dry it really good. It's important to keep it dry as possible. You probably could use a bit of neosporin. Hope you heal soon!
Best wishes!

Today was my first set of appointments to start the process; nurse practitioner, dietician/nutritionist, and physical therapist. In addition, I got my bloodwork and EKG done. I already have a mammogram and colonoscopy on record. I went in with a positive attitude and I think that helped, I was more excited than nervous. I mentioned that I had been reading the forums on this site to learn what I could and I think it helped me comprehend the massive amount of information I was given because I sort of studied ahead, plus, they gave me a notebook
The dietician noted that I take a lot of supplements, and she stressed that I will be restricted to taking only a few after surgery, at 200% the regular dose; Multi-Vitamin that includes Iron and other minerals and B12 sublingual at night, calcium citrate 500mg liquid or chew three times a day, plus Vitamin D, liquid or small gelcaps. I forgot to ask about my Wellbutrin and allergy medicine. Oh well, there's time! A lot of people in these forums say NOT to try the drinks, food, or supplements pre surgery, but my dietician encouraged me to try different things to find what I like (even though my preferences may change post surgery). I have already purchased some Protein20 drinks, Premier Protein shakes, sugar free Gatorade, Propel electrolyte Water, Bone Broth, and some Millie's sipping broth samples.
My choice is the gastric sleeve but they will probably try to convince me that the bypass is the best option (and "gold standard" as I keep reading everywhere). I was scoped in July and they found a hiatal hernia, some non-bloody ulcers, and Schatzki's ring. I was instructed to continue with the Omeprazole in order to continue to calm my esophagus and stomach. I hope they let me stick with the sleeve, I don't want to deal with malabsorption issues and I prefer being able to take NSAIDS. I have enough dumping from having my gallbladder removed and being sensitive to grease/oil. Today while at the hospital, I had a long break so I had brunch consisting of an egg-salad sandwich (which they said was freshly made that morning) and half a bag of chips. Let's just say I had to visit the restroom 4-5 times during the rest of my time there, ugh!
The insurance company has told my hospital (OHSU Portland Oregon) that the procedure is covered, but have not yet responded regarding what they require from me. The hospital requires two nutrition classes and a few more tests. My EKG came back "borderline" so I am being referred to a cardiologist to make sure everything is ok. I made my two nutrition class reservations and psychological evaluation appointment, as well as my sleep study consult. I'm 58 and have had a hysterectomy (1 ovary left) so I'm not required to get a pap smear, review birth control, and they're not requiring that I be screened for drugs & alcohol (I quit smoking 31 years ago). I'm hoping to have it all done by February, but won't know what else I need to do until my insurance company forks over some information!
This facility only requires 24 hours of Clear Liquids before surgery (yay). While I was given my diet information, I think I'm going to slowly incorporate better habits and definitely pay attention to my Protein and Fluid intake for now. Since my BMI is slightly over 41, I was cautioned not to lose more than 10 pounds because it would put me below the required 40 BMI. That is unless I end up being diagnosed with sleep apnea (I have high cholesterol); neither joint pain or depression qualify as co-morbidities.
My lab results have already been provided and they found my ferritin to be low, so I need to begin taking carbonyl iron with Vitamin C right away.
I've read a lot of different posts of people sharing their program information, so here is my post-surgical diet information from my booklet:
STAGE ONE - first day following surgery - CLEAR liquids
STAGE TWO - starting day two post surgery, for 14-21 days - FULL LIQUIDS
STAGE THREE - starting 2-3 weeks post surgery, for approximately 6 weeks (depending on how the patient is doing) - SOFT FOOD
STAGE FOUR - approximately two months post surgery - solid food (low sugar & low fat)
Over the weekend I cleaned out my cupboards of a bunch of food and food-like substances; what wasn't expired I took to work. Fed the crows some expired Cereal and crackers. Haven't tackled the freezer yet. Since my surgery isn't scheduled yet I have plenty of time!
I just wanted to thank everyone who posts their experiences and questions and advice, I think people are very supportive here for the most part!

I feel like I already had my gallbladder out, was already on antidepressants, had gerd, and was slightly anemic... so didn’t have much to lose... except weight. 😂😂

I have little flashes of it, I guess? (Sleeved 10/3/18.) When I was still miserable, post-op, was probably the worst. I didn't have the full-on "what have I done to myself?" reaction that a lot of people describe, but I was definitely having some feelings, not too many of them positive. I was only really miserable for maybe two days after surgery day, though, and the feelings receded quickly.
Now I'll think about wanting to have a croissant, or something I enjoy, and be a little sad I can't. (I know that I will probably be able to have a bite or two of any treat I want again in the future, and some of those treats won't even be all that appealing, so it's really only a little sad. Certainly not sad enough to risk it so early, right?) Or I'll think about the future and about how there's a good chance I'm going to have trouble "blending in" at certain restaurants or in certain crowds of people, forever, and I get a little sad and think "maybe I shouldn't have..." but that's as far as I get, because of course I should have had this surgery. I had a comorbidity that made it pretty much a necessity.
A doctor I respect once said (I'm paraphrasing) "Regret comes from indecision. If you're unsure of your decision, that's a recipe for regret." I think that's often true. If you're fully prepared (as much as one can be, just reading others' experiences and statistics and such) and really, really sure this is the right thing for you, I don't think you'll spend a lot of time regretting your choice. But a little? Yeah, I think that's likely, because, as Missouri-Lee said, it's an expensive and irreversible decision, and those always come with "what ifs."

I would say I think I'm one of the few that did not / has not experienced "buyers remorse." But, I can also say for myself (and truly me alone), I did all the research I could possibly do. And I don't buy / do things without doing my due diligence. Even my impulse buys are based off detailed research.

When I made the final decision to go through with the surgery, I was ready and ready "now." 10 weeks later, super slow progress (IMO), several stalls... I still have no regrets or buyers remorse.

I was forced to buy about 200 worth of food from my surgeon's office. I ended up throwing most of it away. Maybe its just me but I found the Soups and shakes to be gritty and bland. Huge waste of money in my opinion. If I were you, I would buy a container of Protein Powder and add it to homemade soups.

I'm not sure what day, but surgery will be in January. Will find out the exact day in Nov. Good luck to all!

I always bring a 10mm wrench (Everything is metric nowadays) and a guitar pick.
I travel a lot for work, so I pack light. I wore the same clothes in as I wore out (Might sound gross, but I took a shower before I went in, then had them off about 3 hours later when I switched into the floral print smock) sweat pants and a large t-shirt (It was over 100 out when I was released...now? Probably a sweater). I'd bring a book, bible or kindle. Mainly for waiting for your surgery. Once you are out of surgery, you probably won't feel like doing much, plus they want you up/around. I have a bad back, and I actually slept in a chair/recliner the 2nd night. The nurses, purse practitioners, physician's assistants were all very willing to help. They fetched me heat packs, and gave me muscle relaxers in the IV when I told them my back pain was worse than the surgery. Honestly, now that I think about it, I wished I would have brought a cane...not for walking with the IV attached, but when walking out of the hospital into the car.
Things are happening the entire time you're there, they won't let you sit still for more than a few hours, between the IV machine beeping, the blood tests and blood thinner injections and so on.
Actually, I just thought of something I really wished I would have brought...a stack of starbucks gift cards. Saying "thank you" to the staff member helping you out is one thing, but talk is cheap; buying them a cup of coffee says you mean it.

This is so maddening. I would never let this go if it were me. Major violation. I'm very angry for you. They could and should have left a message. Wtf!!??

I was overwhelmed in the beginning with all the mandatory requirements. Seventeen various appointments later and its almost time for my tired and heavy body to find the peace that my entire being has longed for. There will be hope where there was none. With "hope" the small dim light inside will shine as bright as the Eastern Star. November 19th..there will be a revival of my soul.

When she told me I don't have to do a preop diet before my revision surgery in Jan!

yay, so happy, the first time was bad enough

So last month (7 Sept 2018) I had an emergency surgery because I had a blocked bowel. It happens (not sure how it took almost two years after my gastric bypass, but), not to everyone, but it happened to me. So they took me to one hospital ER that was close by my work. It took them an hour to get me into a bed and they finally took me to get a CT Scan. It took two hours to get any type of information from the CT Scan and I was told that I "may possibly" have a blocked bowel. They needed to consult with a surgeon. About an hour later they came back and said that I had a blocked bowel but that the hospital I was at didn't do any type of bariatric surgery. So they said they would transfer me to their sister hospital that does this type of surgery. They called for an ambulance and my wife drove over to the other hospital (about 5 or 6 miles away). Three hours later the ambulance came for me. The other hospital kept calling because they had a surgical team waiting for me. Surgery went well (although I am not bouncing back as fast from this surgery) and I was doing ok. I was trying to get the surgical notes for my bariatric surgeon (just so he could have a record of what was done) and I ran across the CT Scan notes. It turns out I have a possible IPMN (Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm) (or possibly pancreatic cancer) in the head of my pancreas. Nobody from the hospital told me about this and if I hadn't of been looking for the reports for my surgeon I would never have known. Now I have to wait until 13 Nov 2018 to go to a specialist and see what is going on. Needless to say, I have googled this and am now pretty shaken up. I don't blame the surgeon (he was just there to unblock the bowel, (which they said if I would have waited any longer the bowel would have started to die) but I really think that some doctor from either one of the hospitals would have said, "Hey, you might want to get this checked out." Sorry for rambling on about this, just worried.

Hi All,
7 month out and I am about 15 pounds away from goal and finally under 200 pounds. Started at 318 and down to 198. My dr stated that getting the last 15 pounds will take some time and now that I am so close to goal. Feeling good and so happy with my decision.

I went towards gastric bypass about 5-6 years ago.. but didnt end up going through with it.. I finally had my procedure last Monday at age 44.. it is what it is.. but I'll say not much changed in my feeling about my weight between then and now.. it went down for a bit then came back up.. if you're ready go for it.. it's all up to you.. I had alot of people in my life pushing me towards putting this off till after the holidays but I just wasnt willing to wait. It's all up to you.

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

I agree with you, from this and previous posts, you're not ready.
You are focused on what you will give up, instead of what you will gain.
No one can make you want your health, weight loss, mobility, etc., more than you want a pastry. Hopefully you will get there one day.

Awe, how sweet of him to take time off! Congratulations & best wishes!