Hi everyone,

I need your support now and the sooner the better! I have begun my pre-op liquid diet this morning. It's only 11:00 am and I'm already thinking about food - non-stop. I drank my protein and a bottle of water and now I'm thinking about making some soup. And then maybe I'll sneak a cookie. See? How am I going to make it through till surgery date on Tuesday? I've always been a horrible secret eater and I know I can't do that here. I have to stay on liquids. I'm starting to get a headache.

How did you distract yourself from food during this phase? I'm going to vacuum the house and do laundry. But as soon as I take a break I'm going to want food.

What kind of food/liquid were you eating?

Thank you for your help.

DonnaB

03-07-06 Surgery date

Dr. Roberto Rumbaut, Monterrey, Mexico

282/150

5' 9"

Hi,

I know it's really hard but I did it to make it surgery. My doctor wanted me to be on all clear, sugar-free liquids, but I knew that was totally unrealistic. So I decided to do full liquids instead. It wasn't as difficult doing the full liquids and I made it through with minimal hunger. I am not advocating going against what your doctor said to do, but this is what worked for me. I had Slim-Fast, yogurt, blenderized bean Soups, thick protien shakes. It worked for me and I am now ten days post-op. The bonus was a dropped a few pounds in those two days!

Oh Donna!

I so feel your pain! I am doing a 5 day Protein sparing fast.. all I get to eat is 3-3oz servings a day of protein (chicken, beef, turkey, tuna) and 3 cups of broth (beef or chicken) and all the Water and crystal light I can tolerate. This is to show that I can follow instructions and that I am serious about this surgery. I am on day 2 and I am so hungry BUT it is getting easier. Each hour that goes by is easier. I am going to do it and you can too! From one Donna to another!!

Good Luck!

Donna

Anyone who is banded understands the struggle you are going through right now. I decided if I was willing to have the surgery in the first place, that I owed it to myself to follow the directions EXACTLY. So, I wasn't 100% perfect, but I'd say I was 90% or better. Keep your eye on the goal. Keep your head in the game. It seems like forever, but it isn't. Prove it to yourself! You may be pleasantly surprised at your results! Hang in there, you can do it! Cindy

I am having tea and coffee - quite a few cups a day which is fine with my doc. When I called to tell them how hungry I was they told me to have some lean chicky. Maybe your will let you do the same? Good luck - I feel your hunger!

I used to chew crushed ice the kind you see at the kwiki marts or sucle on home made ice cubes made from gatorate. Also rent some movies, do whatever it takes is worth it. Say hi to dr. Rumby they got top facilities he is also banded himself for around 7 years or so.

Monterey is nice.

I've had 2 protein drinks, 2 cans of Swanson's chicken broth, lot's of water and about 2 cups of sugar free jello. I'm going to bed with a headache and the shakes. I just hope I don't dream about food! lol

My sweet husband just walked in the door - he stopped at the grocery and got me some low cal, low sugar, low fat "fudgesicles". mmmmmmm.

I hope you'll all be here for me again tomorrow.

Donna, I wanted to warn you about the headache, but it sounds like you have already discovered it. It gets a lot worse, but should be on its way out by late tomorrow (today?). That is just what happens when you break the carb addiction. The diet gets easier when your head stops aching. Are you on the low-carb diet? Or just liquids?

Good morning. OK, not so good morning. I woke up at around 4:00 am with an achy 'hollow' feel in my chest. Almost like I had a hot pipe between my asophogus and my stomache. Couldn't go back to sleep. It's not quite 6:00 am and I just ate about a cup of sugar free jello and the hot pipe feeling has gone away. Achy hollow feel is still there though. It hasn't even been 24 hours and I'm wondering - if I can't do the liquid thing now, how am I going to make it for 5 days pre-op and 7 days post-op. I'll call my doctor's office in a little while and ask them for some help or at least some advice. Thanks everyone for your support.

Breathing in.

Breathing out.

One breath at a time. I have to survive this.

Donna--

I feel your pain! I went through a day or two of headaches; I figured it was because I was saying "bye" to chocolate/carbs; tylenol (lots) seemed to help---and sleep.

My surgery date is this Friday, March 10, and I'm frustrated,too. I do okay during the day at work, etc. I have a Magic Bullet that's made it convenient to make the shakes. It's coming home that has been really hard on me. I've eaten meat a few times and feel prettty guilty about it.

I called my dr. office and they said I could eat blended soups. My advice is to stay away from anything too salty, though---I had bean soup and loved it, but it made me thirsty; I was way more tempted to eat the wrong stuff after that! I also retained Water.

I have to try to get in about 80 g of Protein each day this week, so I'll be mixing a lot of shakes! There are some that have 20 grams of protein in them (I'm using one from Eniva--home of VIBE liquid vitamins---which is pretty good. I even mix it with chocolate milk sometimes for a different texture.)

As far as I've been able to understand, there are various reasons why the pre-op diet is important to some surgeons (not every surgeon requires it). They are:

1. It cleanses the liver; the first place in our organs where we lose the fat is there. This makes performing the surgery easier, and will up our chances of less complications during surgery.

2. The high protein required helps in preparing our bodies to heal properly, and protein also keeps us "fuller."

3. Some surgeons, mine included, feel that following the pre-op plan shows a commitment to compliance with the restrictions on our eating following the band placement.

#3 is where I'm faltering. I'm really playing a mind game with myself! Because I've faltered a little, will I fail at one more diet attempt--this one being the last chance I feel I have to get healthy? Am I doomed to failure? I need some encouragment in this myself from people who have been there and gone through the same thing.

Let's support each other and seek out help from the "been-there, done-that's"!

Thanks for opening up this thread---I'm fairly new to this support site, and hadn't posted yet.

Help, everyone!!

Michele

March 10th date in MN

I started yesterday my liquid diet. It is awful but I know it's for my own good. My date is 3/23 hoping I make it. I'm trying to keep my mind occupied.

Something that helped me was Fire Jolly Ranchers. They are clear and the cinnamon seemed to help with hunger. I didn't eat the whole bag, still have some left but it does help with the need to have something besides liquid. Also don't forget you can have jello, nasty but can fool you into thinking you are eating.