ouroborous

So, I'm now pos-op. I'm a sleever, yay! Now for the questions. I'm running a mild fever, about 100 deg. The doctor's sheet says to call them if it's over 101. Earlier, I accidentally tried to "gulp" some Water, and my sleeve felt SUPER tight and uncomfortable for about 45 minutes. Could I have sprung a leak? There's not really any pain, just this continuing uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, and the raised temps. Since I'm still in the "use your judgement" phase, temp wise, I was wondering what you all thought.

I've been lying here trying (unsuccessfully) to sleep. It's 5am, and I have a 6:30am checkin to the hospital, for a 7:30am procedure. I've just taken an Emend, and I'm wearing a scopolamine patch (both for nausea). They're making me a little dizzy. I'm hoping that the procedure goes swiftly and smoothly. I'll see you on the other side!

Thanks for the well wishes, all. Now, hopefully I can get a few hours of sleep before the big procedure...

I just realized that my last meal pre-sleeve (which I'm going to cook up in about an hour or so in order to be inside my 12 hour no food window) will be a big plate of scrambled eggs. It's low carbs and it will give me a big chunk of Protein to tide me through a few days of almost no nutrients, but it seems sort of... anticlimactic, doesn't it? I'll add some cayenne pepper and lots of cheese to make it less bland, but still... I feel like it should be a giant steak and mashed potatoes, a big frosty mug of beer, and a dessert of cherry pie a la mode. Instead... scrambled eggs and cheese. Oh well, I'm not doing this for the "last meals" I'm doing it for long-term health!

You've made a good choice. I went through some of the same deliberations -- I was initially set on the lap band because it seemed "safer" (more reversible, etc.) But it turns out that it's not AS safe as the sleeve, and has WAY more complications. Plus, getting sleeved after getting banded is apparently way more complex than just getting sleeved, since you build up scar tissue with the band. Of course, the fact that my surgery is tomorrow morning at 7:30 am (GULP!) makes me a bit anxious, too! Hopefully, we'll both be very happy with our sleeves.

Nothing stands between me and my Diet Coke! Well, nothing besides a sleeve gastrectomy, that is.

Thanks for all the kind words and positive energy!

Nah, I can live without beer (and besides, I'm kinda a beer snob; I don't think any of the choices for "low carb" beer would be something I'd want). I'm drinking like a gallon of diet coke, though. That tells you where my priorities lie!

Tomorrow is the big day. At 7:30 am they're going to anesthetize me and cut out about 3/4 of the fundus of my stomach, hopefully leading to a safe, healthy, and durable weight loss. I'm anxious, but I'm also fairly convinced that I'm making the right decision. Most of my anxiety isn't really about the procedure (that may change as the hour draws near), it's a sort of self-doubt: am I doing the right thing? This is irreversible. But I AM doing the right thing. I've seen that I just don't do well with the old "diet and exercise" thing. I CAN lose weight, but only ten or fifteen pounds, and I just have a hard time keeping up the willpower necessary to keep dieting. Eventually, my weight yo-yos back to where it was before, or more. This is a PERMANENT solution. It's not risk- or work-free, but it's a tool that will allow me to lose weight for good. I am ready to let go of the few things I will have to let go of. Beer, okay -- I'll miss it, but if I want to have a drink (after my stomach is healed) I can still have non-carbonated drinks like vodka collins (yum!) or whatever. Diet Coke -- harder to let go of, since it's been my caffeine vehicle of choice. I'm going to have to re-learn how to chew, how to sip. I'm going to have to learn to be mindful of how much water I've consumed, how much protein I've had, how my vitamin levels are. But I really think that the benefits are worth it. My girlfriend (who was sleeved in November of last year) has said, several times, that if she had to do it all over again, she would in a heartbeat. I hear that from lots of people on these forums. That's heartening to hear! The next weeks to a month or so may be hard, as I learn how to eat and take care of my stomach. I may have bouts of depression or anxiety -- that's okay, I'm ready for it. In the long run, I think this is the best thing I can do for my health. I'm so ready to be free of the obesity demon! So, think good thoughts for me, and I'll see you on the other side!

I have a new music desk arriving today that I'll need to assemble and then put my recording rig together in the music room downstairs (I compose electronic music). That should help me occupied and not obsess about everything that could "go wrong."

Well, sleevers, I'm getting sleeved tomorrow morning at 7:30 am. I'll be under the care of Dr. Robert Landerholm in beautiful Edmonds, WA. It's an outpatient procedure -- I don't think I would be comfortable with that if it weren't for the fact that I live literally fifteen minutes from the surgical center in case something goes wrong. I'm anxious about it, but I'm also very ready to get off the weight loss merry go round once and for all. I'm trying to keep myself occupied and not think about it; my girlfriend (who was sleeved in November) tells me that if I can just keep myself busy and not dwell on it, the surgery will be over and I'll be in recovery before I know it. I'm having my last Diet Cokes (ever!) right now and sorta saying goodbye to them. If I wasn't on a low carb diet, I'd probably have a beer for the same reason, but that would blow my carb count for the day all to heck, so it's just Diet Coke in my farewell party. They've been a good friend for nearly 20 years, but now it's time to say goodbye!

Some people who aren't used to high fiber diets can get a lot of gas and bloating at first. It usually settles down once your body acclimates to the extra fiber. I wish I could take fiber; this pre-op low-carb diet is just killing me in that sense (if you get my drift). meat and cheese, meat and cheese...

Of course, I'd ask your doctor/nutritionist. But just from guessing, make sure you're getting enough protein, make sure that the protein you're getting is good quality (whey isolates are best), and if you're cleared for exercise, try to add some resistance training in.

I think that the "am I doing the right thing" bit is very normal. I've seen a lot of folks on here go through it as their surgery date approaches. I've been feeling it too! You'll be fine!

My stomach now has less than two days to live, and my weight is 315.6 (down almost 15 pounds from my starting weight). If this diet wasn't such a bear to keep up with (I'd kill for a bagel right now...) I'd almost be tempted to just go with the diet alone!

I think you may have hit the nail on the head about the origins of why we consider obesity a moral issue: gluttony IS one of the seven deadly sins. However, gluttony is literally eating too much -- it's a form of avarice. Many of us eat very reasonably and very reasonable portions, it's just that our bodies (which evolved in the last Ice Age to hold on to every calorie available) haven't caught up with our modern society (where desk work involving almost zero physical activity is the norm). Yeah, I get this too. My measured IQ is off the charts (far closer to 200 than 100) and yet my doctor routinely feels the need to explain to me that what I really need is diet and exercise. It makes me really irate; sometimes I want to yell at people "I'm fat, not stupid!" Of course, research does show that obesity really does lower your cognitive capacity. *sigh* You just can't win...

*gulp* Tomorrow night, I'm gonna be a wreck...

Now THAT would be change I could believe in! So many nice benefits to weight loss :thumbup1:

I'll be sure and update the group. :lol0:

I believe Dr. Landerholm uses a 38. Thanks for that PDF, Tiffykins. Very informative, as usual.

Best wishes on surgery day! Hope all went smoothly for you. My surgery is on Thursday, so I'm not far behind you!

So, what are some suggestions for restaurant food that "keeps well" in the fridge (reheats okay, etc.)? My girlfriend (who was sleeved in November) said that her biggest challenge when eating out nowadays is knowing what will be a good combination of delicious at the time, and still reheat-friendly (since even "small" portions in the restaurant end up being more than a single meal's worth of food, for her). I'm just thinking ahead. To be able to have all the foods that I couldn't have before (because I had to watch my calories), just in smaller portions, has got me thinking about all of the "forbidden" food, and what will keep and reheat well Yes, yes, I know I should only be eating veggies and lean meat after surgery, but still. A guy can dream!

Thanks! I have a similarly dark sense of humor. I had a coworker suggest that I get my stomach remnant and dry it out and have it made into a "leather" fanny pack. That made me shoot coffee out of my nose

Yeah, I've been hoping for the magic 50 lbs in 6 weeks that I've seen a lot of guys about my age manage, and I realized today that if I'm down around 315 by Thursday (surgery day), 50 lbs would put me at 265. That's nearly 250. I don't think I've been under 250 since I was about 18 years old.

I agree. Reading all of these stories about people who are so successful with this surgery also helps me remember that this is the right choice. I think that as a lifelong obese person, I've grown so "used to" being fat that I may have almost forgotten that it's possible to feel differently!