Starting My VSG Journey. Surgery Aug. 11

[Jenn Shelton 0]

Well i have looked into many surgeries but the VSG sounds like my best option. I have been on my pre-op diet for 5 days now but i am concerened that i'm not losing enough weight.

[DownInSocal 12]

Do you have to lose a certain amount of weight for your surgery to take place? I bet your pre-op diet is to shrink your liver in which case as long as you stick to the diet plan I would not worry about weight loss right now.

[*susan* 1,709]

Hi there, and welcome! How much weight have you lost? Your body may just be adjusting to the sudden changes in diet. Like Down said, usually the pre-op is to shrink your liver, so you should be fine if you are sticking to the prescribed diet.

When is your surgery date?

[Malaika 50]

Welcome Jenn - I agree with everyone else that the pre-op diet is generally to shrink your liver - not so much as to lose weight.

[MacMadame 81]

Do you have to lose a certain amount of weight for your surgery to take place? I bet your pre-op diet is to shrink your liver in which case as long as you stick to the diet plan I would not worry about weight loss right now.

But the reason your liver shrinks is because you lose weight. If you don't lose weight, your liver won't shrink.

[attitudefree 2]

Just keep following the Dr's orders for your pre-op diet and your liver should be great! What Protein Shakes are you drinking?

[Jenn Shelton 0]

Wow...thank you all for your responses. It is so nice to know that i will have a network of understanding people on this site.

I have been on the prediet plan for 8 days and followed it to a T. My doctor only recommends that i have SlimFast bars and shakes. I'm staying within my 1200 calorie intake with shakes/bars and one small meal a day. I'm also getting at least 50 oz of Water each day and trying to work out a little each day as well. So i'm very frustrated that i have only lost 3 lbs! I simply don't understand.

The only curve ball that i can think of is that i started my menstrual cycle on the second day of the diet so i might be slightly bloated. My doctor did not say that i had to lose a certain amount or he wouldn't do the surgery but my goal amount to loose is 14.4 lbs which i will not get to by Aug. 11th!

I know the goal is to shrink my liver but i just want to make sure everything is ok. I"m going to see the dietician today at 10 so hopefully i will find out more then.

I am a little scared about this whole process...mainly because this changes my anatomy forever and i'm afraid that i will have a lot of negative side effects. Does anyone have any advice for my pre-surgery jitters?

Thanks again for everything!

[Malaika 50]

Drugs - and lots of them -- NO NO NO - ONLY KIDDING!!!!

What you are experiencing is very normal as far as the jitters and everyone has gone through the same thing. Keep in mind that people can live without their stomach if necessary - and do - i.e., cancer. You are not losing your entire stomach, only a portion of it - so it's not really altering your anatomy that much - just making it smaller. What if you had to have a kidney removed? You'd still be able to live a normal life -- same as with the sleeve. Jitters are normal.

[kaykay 1]

Hi, Jenn! Looks like you and I live pretty close. (My husband and I live in Plano.) My husband had VSG surgery with Dr. James Davidson on 7/28/09.

I can also confirm what Vegas Angel said about living with no stomach at all. My dear friend had to have her entire stomach removed due to cancer some years back. She adapted to it fine. Kind of amazing how God designed the body with such adaptability.

[DownInSocal 12]

Update us on what the dietician said! As long as you are sticking with the plan I really think you will be fine. Don't cheat. Be sure to visit the August support http://verticalsleevetalk.com/2009-sleevers/567-august-sleevers-3.html#post8993

I have to disagree with Mac (sorry Mac) I think your liver can shrink even if you don't lose much if any weight. I think our livers are not ony fatty but swollen from all the hard work they have to do in a larger than designed body. If you are eating less calories there is less carbs for your liver to deal with.

[Jenn Shelton 0]

UPDATE:

I went to see the dietician and she said that my lack of weight loss was completely fine. She said that the goal is to get the liver to not work as hard and not having to process a lot of fat and large quanities of food do that thus the diet i have been stickign to should strink my liver even if i don't lose much weight. In fact, she said that quite a lot of people don't lose as much weight as they would like with the pre-diet (especially those who have dieted off and on for years).

She did recommend that i could do low carb Protein bars and that might help me get a little extra weight off. I feel MUCH better after talking to her and hearing all of your positive responses. I am very ready for the surgery and can't wait for a new and better life!

I am looking for a good Protein shake for after the surgery. Any favorite recommendations?

[jilljesalyn 0]

UPDATE:

I went to see the dietician and she said that my lack of weight loss was completely fine. She said that the goal is to get the liver to not work as hard and not having to process a lot of fat and large quanities of food do that thus the diet i have been stickign to should strink my liver even if i don't lose much weight. In fact, she said that quite a lot of people don't lose as much weight as they would like with the pre-diet (especially those who have dieted off and on for years).

She did recommend that i could do low carb Protein bars and that might help me get a little extra weight off. I feel MUCH better after talking to her and hearing all of your positive responses. I am very ready for the surgery and can't wait for a new and better life!

I am looking for a good Protein shake for after the surgery. Any favorite recommendations?

Hey Jenn,

Congratulations on choosing the VSG! I had my sleeve done on July 28 and my husband was sleeved yesterday. I am glad that your dietician gave you some support and eased your worries! As far as the Protein shakes go, your tastes do change after surgery. Before surgery I really liked that Slim Fast Carb Light but now they are really sweet for me. Needless to say I am on a search for one I like. Since my hubby and I are doing this together we bought several different kinds of drinks prior to surgery. Can't decide what I am going to try next. Before surgery my hubby would eat, or at least try, anything so I am anxious to see how his taste buds change. Just try to avoid buying a whole lot of one thing and try to get samples. This forum has a great deal of resources and you also have to added bonus of a dietician.

When will you know if your doc will do the surgery? Keep up the hard work and you'll do great!!

Jill

[MacMadame 81]

I have to disagree with Mac (sorry Mac) I think your liver can shrink even if you don't lose much if any weight.

Well that's what my surgeon says. It came up in a seminar/support group meeting.

But the whole liver-shrinking thing is controversial IMO. For one thing, if Patient A weighs 400 pounds and is told to lose 40 before they have surgery which gets them down to 360 and now surgery is "safe" for them, then how can you tell Patient B who weights 250 pounds that they have to lose 25 lb. or surgery isn't safe for them?

That is why many surgeons don't require a pre-op diet for their patients who weigh under a certain amount and other surgeons only recommend weight loss -- because it does lower your risks -- but don't absolutely require it or only require it for their highest BMI patients.

Then we have the ones who, if they tell you to lose 10 lb. and you show up for surgery and have "only" lost 9.5, they will cancel your surgery! Personally, I think that's RIDICULOUS!

[DownInSocal 12]

Then we have the ones who, if they tell you to lose 10 lb. and you show up for surgery and have "only" lost 9.5, they will cancel your surgery! Personally, I think that's RIDICULOUS!

The last one is me. I can't tell you how much stress it has put on me. I dream that I arrive and I the scale is broken so it shows I have gained 20 lbs. I weight myself twice a day, every day. If I gain a half a pound I don't eat the next meal or I shake only until the half a pound is gone. It is no way to live but I have no choice. I can't tell you how many tears have been shed on my scale in the last 7 weeks.

No pre surgery diet for me. I guess the ultrasound showed my liver was small.

[Jenn Shelton 0]

So i did all my pre-admitting and labwork yesterday so i think i'm ready to go for Aug. 11th. Less than a week away! WOW!

My BIGGEST fear is that i won't loose weight. I mean i know i have to do my part and i'm VERY willing to do that but what if i'm just the fluke person who doesn't loose anything!?! Those are my biggest fears right now b/c i have been on so many diets. I have done well (lost 100 lbs) and not so well and gained it all back and i have tried every diet out there that promises weight loss and they haven't worked so here i am with all my fear hoping beyond hope that this time it will be different!

Anyone else ever had those type of fears before surgery? How did you overcome them?