I wanted to start a thread for those of us who are waiting "with bated breath" for our surgeries in March.

I am supposed to start Optifast on February 26th. I am currently waiting for the shipment, including my surgical package to be delivered. Once I get my package I am supposed to call the clinic.

Ever since committing to this surgery (which I am paying for myself via a personal loan) I have been obsessed with reading everything I can about it and about people who have had it. I am still kind of hoping for some kind of "divine word" about whether or not it is the right thing for me to do.

I am "only" 75 lbs over my ideal weight but am type II diabetic. I am trying to figure out if my reason for doing this is my health or my vanity or a combination of both. The diabetes needs to be gone (when I am 20 lbs lighter it is gone) but I am sure looking forward to losing the weight and actually keeping it off for more than 20 minutes...

I was so afraid of getting sick the week before!! I had hand sanitizer that I carried everywhere and I washed my hands all the time! At my part time job it seems like noone there takes care of themselves and they are all sick all the time. But I managed to keep the sickness away from me! Just don't touch any door knobs! haha

Anyway, here's my day 3 I suppose? I woke up about 3am, stayed up til 6am then went back to sleep and woke up about 10am. I still think this is probably from me normally working nights so I'm not used to sleeping when it's dark. Anyway, it was much easier to get out of bed, not as much pain. I used my little sucky breath thing for the last time today cause I only needed to use it for 48 hours, I didn't like that thing anyway. I keep taking my temp and it's a little low every time, but I guess that's better than a fever. I had a jello cup for bfast, ate the whole thing! Tried to drink some Protein water and apparently that is pretty filling too cause I've been working on the same bottle of it since yesterday and I'm only half done with it. Probably wasn't worth how expensive it is. Had a popcicle around 4pm. My friend that was here for the weekend went back home, so I'm by my lonesome again. I slept most of the day cause I'm going to try to get back into my regular sleep habits tonight since I have to work tomorrow night. I was supposed to wait 48 hours to shower, so I had a niiiice shower a few mins ago....found a bruise on my lower belly and some under my upper arms....dunno what they were doing there...lol. Oh, I have gas in my chest today, it's not aweful but I feel like I really need to burp and it wont go away. Tried some gas x....didn't do much. I'll have some chicken broth later and probably go to walmart...I want to get one of those hamilton beach personal blenders if I can find one, so I'll have it to use next week. Hope everyone else is doing well, and good luck to those tomorrow!!

Oh....forgot to mention....OMG I want some chicken SO BAD. I'm not hungry, I just really want chicken. Not in broth form. (Not gonna have it of course, but that doesn't stop me from wanting it.)

My surgery is also only a day surgery. They said I should be able to leave 4-6 hours after???? I am just on my Day 3 of the preop diet. Having a hard time with the cottage cheese..Any suggestion?? I am only allowed cottage cheese,or yogart(Sugr&fat free) Water and tea and coffee.........this is only day3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Help!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bev

When I was on South Beach, I had cottage cheese with splenda and cinnemon mixed together, it was REALLY good and I don't like cottage cheese. Can you have that stuff? I think it was called a mock cinnabon. I put nuts on top sometimes, but you probably can't, and don't really have to, still tastes good.

I left about 5 hours after my surgery. They wont let you leave before you're ready, you'll feel ok when you leave.

I am sorry you having so much trouble with the cottage cheese. I am also on my third day of the pre-op diet. However my doctor has me on slimfast optima for the two weeks before surgery. Mine is scheduled for March 16.

GOOD LUCK

FYI, I was told no straws or sippy cups because they help you swallow air. I was also told to put liquids in a cup, try not to drink from a bottle, same reason.

I am looking at the calendar right now, March 20 seems so far way and at the same time, it's comming up fast. Its like when I look at my husband and realize that we have been married for almost 13 years and it seems like we just met and at other times like we have been married for 50 years. Can anyone relate, or am I just nuts?

I really want to thank everyone who has posted after surgery. That has really helped keep me calm. The only thing I am worried about for the most part is the gas pain. Been there, done that type of thing.

For those being banded next, all my best and hope you have a speedy recovery.

I agree not to drink from straw;but I drink from a water bottle all day long at all times, I find that I get a mouthful then swallow littler drinks.

I have not had trouble with air but keep in mind burping hurts as well as hiccups.

Hi All..

First thanks tammyj for the welcome... I am not quite sure how you keep everyone straight.

Second.... I AM SO GLAD THAT I AM NOT ALONE. I go for my pre-op apt .. on Mar. 7th and my surgery is scheduled for the 14th.

I feel like I have a few things that I need to eat now...before my surgery. I am not trying to go over board but I had hubby make grilled ribs yesterday... I am determined to make this work I just don't want to gain 10 lbs in the process. I am trying to remember that at some point I may be able to eat some of these foods again but just LESS of them. Weird how the mind thinks when we think we may not be able to have something for awhile..

Also thanks for the Preoperative list.... it takes away a lot of stress about being prepared.

I am curious... is this mainly an outpatient surgery or do you normally have to stay overnight?

Thanks,

Brandi

This procedure is typically considered an out patient surgery, unless your insurance (medicare) requires you to stay overnight.

Also if you have sleep apnea because Dr's want to monitor the oxygen level of your blood they want you to stay 24 hours until the anesthesia is 100% out of your system. I stayed overnight because of sleep apnea and never had an issue but if you are overly tired from the anesthesia and have sleep apnea you won't be able to wake up to get better oxygen. I know so much because I challenged my dr.on this because I did not want to stay overnight, but I am sooooo happy I did.

Whether it is outpatient or an overnight stay varies by surgeon. With my surgeon its an overnight stay normally unless there are any complications

Sorry Mags,

I worry myself about that happening with only 3 days left. I have been taking an Airborne whenever I suspect even a sniffle!

Hopefully, they will turn it right around for a quick reschedule for you!

Gail

While I was grocery shopping today, I thought about you.

I thought this was the last Saturday or Sunday you will ever be "fat". And next Sat and Sun you will be healthier than you were today.

What an incredible embracing feeling that you will have once it is all over.

I am making homemade veg. beef soup for dinner, and the broth is heavenly! I will make a special batch for me and throw it through the blender without the beef (I don't eat beef anyhow), so this is an incredible meal for me and it is good post op too.

I am sorry you having so much trouble with the cottage cheese. I am also on my third day of the pre-op diet. However my doctor has me on slimfast optima for the two weeks before surgery. Mine is scheduled for March 16.

GOOD LUCK

I was banded on 3/1 and I had cottage cheese on 3/3. I on about my thrid bite swallowed a little premature and felt the hurt in my chest, it lasted about a minute and I made sure I mushed up the next bite.

My surgery is also only a day surgery. They said I should be able to leave 4-6 hours after???? I am just on my Day 3 of the preop diet. Having a hard time with the cottage cheese..Any suggestion?? I am only allowed cottage cheese,or yogart(Sugr&fat free) Water and tea and coffee.........this is only day3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Help!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bev

Rosi -- I haven't been banded yet but I've been experimenting with the allowed foods so I'll be ready after surgery. This morning I made a yummy "protein shake" with the following:

Blue Bunny strawberry yogurt smoothies (it's sugar free)

1.5 tbsp of vanilla whey protein

1/4 c cottage cheese

8 ice cubes

blend all together well till ice is chopped fine -- YUMMY

Hope that helps.

I guess all pre-op diets are different but this is only my third day and I am already getting sick of slimfast.............

Gail

While I was grocery shopping today, I thought about you.

I thought this was the last Saturday or Sunday you will ever be "fat". And next Sat and Sun you will be healthier than you were today.

What an incredible embracing feeling that you will have once it is all over.

I am making homemade veg. beef soup for dinner, and the broth is heavenly! I will make a special batch for me and throw it through the blender without the beef (I don't eat beef anyhow), so this is an incredible meal for me and it is good post op too.

When you have a minute could you share your reciepe?

I woke up today feeling lousy and by the afternoon, I had about 102 fever...I called the surgeon and he told me he could not operate on me tomorrow, because it would be too dangerous. He said that the surgical site would get infected. So I must call in the morning and get a new date. I really hope it can be soon, since I have really worked hard to clear my calendar to get this done.

So bummer for me, I am no longer a March 5th bander.

Mags

So sorry you are sick gal.:sick I hope you do get a quick reschedule as well as a quick recovery. Take Care Glo

I was so afraid of getting sick the week before!! I had hand sanitizer that I carried everywhere and I washed my hands all the time! At my part time job it seems like noone there takes care of themselves and they are all sick all the time. But I managed to keep the sickness away from me! Just don't touch any door knobs! haha

Anyway, here's my day 3 I suppose? I woke up about 3am, stayed up til 6am then went back to sleep and woke up about 10am. I still think this is probably from me normally working nights so I'm not used to sleeping when it's dark. Anyway, it was much easier to get out of bed, not as much pain. I used my little sucky breath thing for the last time today cause I only needed to use it for 48 hours, I didn't like that thing anyway. I keep taking my temp and it's a little low every time, but I guess that's better than a fever. I had a jello cup for bfast, ate the whole thing! Tried to drink some Protein water and apparently that is pretty filling too cause I've been working on the same bottle of it since yesterday and I'm only half done with it. Probably wasn't worth how expensive it is. Had a popcicle around 4pm. My friend that was here for the weekend went back home, so I'm by my lonesome again. I slept most of the day cause I'm going to try to get back into my regular sleep habits tonight since I have to work tomorrow night. I was supposed to wait 48 hours to shower, so I had a niiiice shower a few mins ago....found a bruise on my lower belly and some under my upper arms....dunno what they were doing there...lol. Oh, I have gas in my chest today, it's not aweful but I feel like I really need to burp and it wont go away. Tried some gas x....didn't do much. I'll have some chicken broth later and probably go to walmart...I want to get one of those hamilton beach personal blenders if I can find one, so I'll have it to use next week. Hope everyone else is doing well, and good luck to those tomorrow!!

Oh....forgot to mention....OMG I want some chicken SO BAD. I'm not hungry, I just really want chicken. Not in broth form. (Not gonna have it of course, but that doesn't stop me from wanting it.)

So I had surgery on 3/1, if you want chicken really really bad, put a piece of really moist cooked chicken in the food processor and make it dried baby food add some mayo and take the tinyiest itty bitty teeny weeny bites you ever have eaten almost taste size. I had to do it this afternoon, and no prob, but it got rid of the feeling I had to do it. I probably after 3 swollows ate 1 teaspoon full.

When you have a minute could you share your reciepe?

The most delicious homemade vegtable beef soup in the whole world

It make a whole pot so be careful

1 onion cut into 1/2" pieces

4 carrots cut into coin sizes

2#'s of really good marbled boneless beef ribs meat or boneless 7 bone roast meat chopped into 1" pieces

3-4 medium sized red potatoes

1 huge can of V-8

1 large can stewed tomatoes

1 carton of chicken broth fat free

1 regular can of diced tomatoes

1/4-1/2 bag of barley (otpional)

10 shakes of worchesire sauce.

1 bag of frozen green beans

1 box of frozen corn

pour oil into pan and lightly brown carrots, and onion. Remove from pan and brown meat on all sides, add back in the carrots and onions. Pour in the v-8 juice and both cans of tomatoes and 1/4-1/2 bag of barley and 1/2 the worchesire sauce and the chicken broth and green beans and corn.

Cook for about 1 hour at a fast simmer but less than a boil with lid on.

Taste and add pepper as needed add more worchesire sauce if needed, sometimes I even add a few dashes of tobasco at this point.

add diced potatoes and cook until potatoes are done.

I took my portion without beef and put it in the blender, everbody else just served theirs into a bowl YUMMY!

Even after this was in the blender it was delicious, I know it was not really high in protein but I got my protein source elsewhere for the day.

Hey Pam, I have been following you all over this board:)! Glad to see everything is pretty "coppa setik" for you. (I know there has to be a better spelling for that. Is that French? Just kidding!

I have been busy getting ready for Reno. We are coming up tomorrow as my DH has a doc appt. and we need to get new tires on my car. So plenty of time to do some shopping on Tuesday for anything I may have forgotten. I have been kind of busy today getting "stuff" ready.

I kinda ate my "last supper supper supper" tonight. Ate some steak, summer squash and salad. It was very good and I also drank my bariatrix shake. I am going to try to be very good the next two days! I really wasn't that bad but I probably ate more than I should have. I forgot I also had mushroom and onions!

Hope your feeling great! I am excited but in a way calm and serene too! Just happy this is happening for me.

Did they weigh you before surgery? I have lost my weight but I keep thinking oh my god what if my scale is wrong and they refuse to operate!