I haven't booked an appt yet. I assume when I do it will take a few weeks to get the surgery date. So I'm looking at surgery in March perhaps. I was just wondering if I could get some good advice about what kinds of things I could do to make myself healthier the three months prior to surgery. I am going to start walking more on my treadmill and really try hard to get more Iron as I'm anemic (but I can't stomach iron pills very well so I hardly take them). I also have really bad issues with my stomach, I've had peptic ulcers in the past and if I take an ibuprofen or the prescription iron pills I end up bloated and burping and generally feeling horrible. I need to baby my stomach, so I'm thinking of really trying to eat more yogurt and got a probiotic (with cranberry extract to strengthen my bladder) to help with GERD. Any other ideas? I know Protein is so important after surgery and I think about my eating habits right now which consist mostly of white carbs. Should I start supplementing with Protein shakes now to promote healing?

I'm into herbs and Vitamins. Any suggestions on cleanses, supplements or activities would be appreciated. Something that maybe you might have thought you should have done before surgery, or what you did after. Even certain exercises would help!

I smoke too, and have to quit. Argh! This is probably the hardest challenge I will have as I HAVE to quit, I know that it is irritating my stomach as well as the ibuprofen etc (I get erosion in my stomach lining all the time it's awful, and I am a bit afraid of what it will be like after surgery with less stomach).

Also mental preparation tips would be great too. Right now I'm learning to not take huge gulps of Water and sipping instead so I don't make mistakes after surgery because I really didn't know what a 'sip' was before I came here. I'm a guzzler!

women's one a day has Iron, you want to get about 18 mg/day (at least for men presume same for women).

Forget cleanses, that will happen if you change diet. You want to reduce fat to make liver smaller so they can move it to get to stomach. At least use 2% milk or fat free, same with cottage cheese and there is even fat free cheese but at least change to low fat dairy. Wheat bread instead of white bread. More chicken, fish, turkey (white meats less in fat) keep some red for iron and other benefits.

Vitamins - B12 is also important for anemia, do not get B complex very little if any B in them and you want B12 and B1.

Cut down on juices and sugar in coffee in fact you should reduce caffeine so you can get used to it after surgery when you will initially be on herbal tea. You will be able to go back to coffee but surgeons usually want stomach to heal and best to reduce to lower risk of ulcers - smaller stomach you have to protect it.

Find a Protein mix you like for shakes, you can use milk instead of Water and putting in half banana gives the vanilla some flavor and body. Protein important after surgery as rapid weight loss will cause you to lose protein and muscle mass as well as the fat.

Exercise - do some resistance (weight) training to build muscle, you will need it. building muscle will help fill arms to reduce sagging skin. Biotin is supposed to be good for hair loss, usually comes in around month 3 postop.

Beware of buying lots of clothes, just buy a little at at time as you will undergrow them quickly and have to keep replacing - may want to shop at goodwill and save money. I leveled off at month 4-5. Don't fret over stalls, they will happen and remember you will only lose 50% of excess over course of year. If you weigh 200 ideal for you height is 120, you can expect to lose 50% of 80 pound excess or 40 pounds.

Walking good, took about 3 weeks to get back to gym and 3 weeks after that to get stamina/endurance back to last for an hour or so training.

You mentioned yogurt - use either low fat or switch to greek which is higher in protein.

Again, probiotic and cleanses probably not necessary but talk with doctor.

After surgery for about 6 weeks you will need to avoid things with seeds, like strawberries and things that could lodge into open wound inside of stomach until it heals, after that period you are pretty much open to eat normally. I was on solids in week three, just chewed a lot. Learn to eat slowly over a longer period, yes your food will get cold but you are going to have to get used to that also.

my Iron pills the doctor prescribed are 300mg and they KILL my stomach, i buy liquid iron and that's not to bad but like 100x the price of the pills for the amount i have to drink vs what i get in the pills.

i don't drink coffee, juices or milk, don't eat cheese but i do like yogurt/kefir, going to buy some greek yogurt. will buy some chicken breasts and fish fillets. mmmm..

thanks for the warning about seeds (like strawberries) i didn't consider things like that.

going to try to start these things now so i don't go into more shock than i will already be in. lol. don't know if it will make a difference but makes me feel better knowing i'm 'preparing'. i'm such a control freak.

I am also looking at March maybe April as a surgery date. I have to quit the old :ballchain: too. I found that Target has the best buy on their store brand nicotine patches. Sooooo not looking forward to suffering thru that. :banghead: I know its best for my health all the way around. But, I (cough) just enjoy it so much (cough)(cough).

have you tried "allen carr's easyway"? i'm listening to the cds right now, you can buy the book too. i've known several people that quit using it. it kind of brainwashes you into thinking like a non smoker and talks you out of wanting to smoke. it's pretty good. you don't have to quit until you finish the programme either lol.

Nope, never heard of it. Interesting. I quit once before for over a year using the patch and a fake cig to hold. Holding the fake one and drawing on it satisfied my physical habit to smoke while the patch curved the nicotine cravings. I was so stupid to take a drag one day from my hubby's cig and was hooked all over again. Still kicking my butt over that.

Thanks I will look into it. I tried hypnosis once. Didn't work for me tho.