We are one week away from one of the best decisions we will make in our lives. Remember to stay positive in the down times imagine what your future looks like lighter. I know the first couple days to a week it may suck and we may have doubts but keep the faith to persevere. One thing I've learned from this forum is even the people who reported that they regretted do it right after surgery and then I see there posts a year later saying its the best thing they did for themselves. That is what I will be thinking about in the dark times. We will be happy. Lets stay in touch.

Everything is getting better everyday. Actually getting all my water in today for the first time. . It will be grey to see how we are once we are 2,3,4 months out. I'm so excited for my new life!!

Here's a link to a very informative document. Some advice on what to bring to hospital, food to have at home and to prepare psychologically for this change.

http://www.permanente.net/homepage/kaiser/pdf/39806.pdf

Here is my collection of recommendations for what to bring to hospital, food to have on hand, best Protein and vit mineral needs and sources. All of this comes from tips from this site so thank the ones that have gone before. Know this is my own lists and may not cover everything or be what your Dr. Recommends. Hopefully it will be helpful to others. If you have additions please share.

Sharing my hospital list:

small firm pillow

An eye mask and ear plugs (wish I would have had them a few months ago during my hospital stay!!)

Slippers or slip on shoes to walk the hallway

sugar-free Halls Vitamin C drops

lip balm and gas-X strips

- Listerine strips

nose spray and tweezers

Tummy binder

Vitamin mineral list:

Food after: no citrus or tomatoe

Greek yogurt light

Sf pudding Jello pudding pops

broth

Cream of wheat

Cream light Soup

Vita Water crystal light

WATER

Apple sauce

Diet V8 Splash berry Blend (which takes most of the yucky taste away from crushed

Again from this site. Best protien: (this is just part of the list-the best)

The good deal at Vitamin Shoppe is Pro Pudding by body Tech. It's 145 calories 4 carbs and 25 grams of protein. only choc and vanilla but it's good pudding!

Premeire Protein drinks from costco - BEST

Excellent/Very Good =

PVL whey Gourmet Peanut butter and chocolate

About Time Chocolate

Champion Pure Whey Stack Chocolate mixed with IDS Vanilla Cinnamon (by Vitalady.com)

Chike banana Magic

Dynamize Elite Pina Colada

Gaspari's MyoFusion Banana Perfection

IDS Multi-Pro Whey Belgian Chocolate

IDS Multi-Pro Whey Isolate Vanilla Cinnamon

Lean Dessert Banana Nut Bread

Lean Dessert Banana Cream Pudding

Lean Dessert Chocolate Coconut Candy Bar

Lean Dessert Chocolate Fudge Pudding

Syntrax nectar Fuzzy Peach

Syntrax Nectar Sweets Chocolate Truffle

Syntrax Nectar Twisted Cherry

powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken Soup

Warning data dump of vit mineral information gathered from this site. Sorry running out of time.

These are what I take:

B12-Natures Bounty sublingual

Calcium Citrate- Bariatric Advantage chewy bites I have the lemon, chocolate and caramel. I also have the Calcet bites lemon and chocolate and Citracal + D. I like variety!!

Multi-Centrum I buy the Walmart brand-same ingredients and ALOT cheaper. Until I was able to swallow BIG pills at 4 weeks, I did the Bariatric Advantage Orange chewable multi.

Iron- Bariatric Advantage Chocolate Raspberry Truffel chews and Ferrous Gluconate supplements from my dr. (I am anemic and have to take more!!)

■Centrum multiviamin chewables, orange flavor.. one a day after I eat my last bite of lunch! Wal-Mart $9.96 a bottle of 100 Vitamins

■Viactive Calcium plus D - Caramel soft chews has 500 mg of Calcium, Vitamin D & K.. Wal-Mart $9.66 a box of 100 soft chews (and they are tasty too!!)

■liquid B Complex: Spring Valley Sublingual B Complex - one dropperful every other day. Wal-Mart $6.00 a bottle, each bottle has 59 doses!

■Biotin (for hair & skin) Natuers Bounty 5000 mcg - 2 a day, one after lunch, one after dinner. Small, little soft gel pills. Originally bought on vitamin web site off net for about $7. a bottle, have since found exact same at Meijers for about 10. a bottle, but they come on sale buy one, get 2nd 1/2 off. Wal-Mart & other stores sell Biotin, but the pill size is large or the dose is too small... this one is great, small litle gel pill, so easy to swallow...

Celebrate Multi Complete with Iron - 2 daily chewables

Celebrate calcium citrate 500mg with Vit D and Magnesium chewables - 2 daily (don't do carbonate, we don't absorb it properly, and it's the cheapest, least assimilated form of calcium on the market)

Sublingual b12 (WalMart or Walgreens) 2500mcg per day

The recommendation from my surgeon: During losing stage, Multi vitamin with iron (depending on type/brand, just need the regular serving size be it 1 or 2), Calcium citrate 1200-1500mg (in maintenance since I can consume more dairy, only need 1000mg, B12 vaires by lab results. B12 (and several others are water soluble and we can not absorb b12 via swallowed or chewed pills) so supplementing with a sublingual or injectable is required to ensure maintenance levels of b12.

You can order free or cheap samples from Bariatric Advantage and Celebrate vitamins:

http://www.celebrate...formname=sample

http://www.bariatric...e : Sample Kits