Hi and help!

[gsusser 15]

I'm not sure where to begin except to say hi. I'm glad I found a place where I can talk to like-minded people. I am almost through the insurance requirements and my doctor told me I have nothing to worry about regarding approval. While we haven't set a date for surgery, I hope to schedule it at the beginning of October. I do have some questions, hopefully appropriate.

1. coffee - what is the story? Allowable pre-op and post-op?

2. Pain. How much? I'm not a fan of pain. Since it's recommended that exercise be started as soon as one is released from the hospital, I assume it can't be too bad. Are pain killers necessary? I assume the pain is where the surgery takes place?

3. Work. I have an office job, sitting in a chair most of the time. I wonder why exercise is recommended right from the start but going back to work can be up to 2 weeks.

4. Hospitals. Haven't stayed in one as an in-patient for a few eternities, since I had my tonsils taken out in the paleozoic era. Do they allow laptops? What is there to do besides go bonkers?

5. food, if you can call it that. I rarely go to supermarkets or cook. I order online from Fresh Direct (like Whole Foods). I had to look up puree! I'm not crazy about preparing my own food. Yes, I am very lazy. Here's a BIG request. Can someone prepare a generic list of items (food or anything else, like a blender) for pre-op and post-op?

6. Reading material. What is recommended?

In the way of introduction, for the past 15+ years, my weight has gone from one extreme to another. When I'm in shape, I am athletic. I want so much to get back to those days. The last 10 years, I've played around with a liquid diet, Medifast. I've been "successful" a number of times of losing a huge amount of weight, keeping it off for a short time, and then going back to what I was plus some. I'm an idiot for letting myself go since I have heart disease. My cardiologist recommended weight surgery years ago and I thought he was crazy. It was actually me who was crazy for not listening. Like most or many of you, I'm a scaredy cat of the surgery, but am hopeful.

Thank you

Glenn.

[ShrinkingPeach 1,291]

I'm not sure where to begin except to say hi. I'm glad I found a place where I can talk to like-minded people. I am almost through the insurance requirements and my doctor told me I have nothing to worry about regarding approval. While we haven't set a date for surgery, I hope to schedule it at the beginning of October. I do have some questions, hopefully appropriate.

1. coffee - what is the story? Allowable pre-op and post-op?

2. Pain. How much? I'm not a fan of pain. Since it's recommended that exercise be started as soon as one is released from the hospital, I assume it can't be too bad. Are pain killers necessary? I assume the pain is where the surgery takes place?

3. Work. I have an office job, sitting in a chair most of the time. I wonder why exercise is recommended right from the start but going back to work can be up to 2 weeks.

4. Hospitals. Haven't stayed in one as an in-patient for a few eternities, since I had my tonsils taken out in the paleozoic era. Do they allow laptops? What is there to do besides go bonkers?

5. food, if you can call it that. I rarely go to supermarkets or cook. I order online from Fresh Direct (like Whole Foods). I had to look up puree! I'm not crazy about preparing my own food. Yes, I am very lazy. Here's a BIG request. Can someone prepare a generic list of items (food or anything else, like a blender) for pre-op and post-op?

6. Reading material. What is recommended?

In the way of introduction, for the past 15+ years, my weight has gone from one extreme to another. When I'm in shape, I am athletic. I want so much to get back to those days. The last 10 years, I've played around with a liquid diet, Medifast. I've been "successful" a number of times of losing a huge amount of weight, keeping it off for a short time, and then going back to what I was plus some. I'm an idiot for letting myself go since I have heart disease. My cardiologist recommended weight surgery years ago and I thought he was crazy. It was actually me who was crazy for not listening. Like most or many of you, I'm a scaredy cat of the surgery, but am hopeful.

Thank you

Glenn.

Hi and Welcome!! Congrats on your upcoming surgery!

1- Coffee- depends on the nutritionist. Mine said no pre-op and said we could add back post-op if we needed to but to please limit to minimal amounts. She wanted us off caffeine s she says it makes you hungry and also dehydrates you. She doesn't allow us to count any caffeinated beverages in our Fluid total for the day. For me not a big deal as I am not a coffee drinker and I quit caffeine years ago.

2- Pain- I had some mild pain and discomfort after surgery, moreso from the hernia repair than the sleeve surgery. I took liquid painkillers for the first 3 days and then stopped. The pain was not bad at all for me. They don't want you "exercising" right away just up and moving. The more you move about the faster you can recover. Do take some time to rest and recover!

3- Work is going to deplete your energy. You are still healing from surgery for up to 2 months. You will be fine at work after 2 weeks but will come home tired. The exercising will be in small amounts as in walking initially.

4- The hospital allows all electronics. I was sleeved as an outpatient but all hositals have wi-fi etc. You will want to be up and walking every chance you get. It helps with the discomfort from gas pains if you have that. (I didn't)

5- For suggestions, search the pre-op threads here. You will need to prepare meals for yourself preferably as you will want to control your sodium intake as well as staying high protein/low carb.

6- For reading material re you referring to places to research the surgery? If so look into these...they also have recipes, info on puree's and more:

http://milestogo.squarespace.com/

https://www.bariatriceating.com/

http://www.mygastricbypassstory.com/

http://twosleevers.com/

http://www.foodcoach.me/category/recipes/

http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/browse-results.asp?category=Low+Carb

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/recipes.html

http://healthylowcarbliving.com/recipe/

Good luck with your surgery and keep posting!

[Miss Mac 6,261]

Hi. I will answer what I can.

1. I don't drink coffee, but I do drink tea. I had to change to Decaf because of reflux, but that has not been a problem. I could have it pre and post op.

2. My sleeve was my 12th surgery, and was the least painful of all. I was on pain meds for two days, and that was it. There was some discomfort to be sure, but tolerable. By the end of the first week I was bored. Think of the surgery this way: They give you a nice nap, and when you wake up you have a new lease on life and are free to re-invent yourself. The spot that hurt the most was the largest incision (which by any standard was still a small incision which they closed with surgical glue and a steri-strip). That is the one they took the remnant of my big ol' stomach through. I slept in my lift recliner for a couple of nights so that I would not pull on it getting in and out of bed. I did not have the shoulder gas pain that some people get.

3. I was allowed to do all the walking I could tolerate, but was told not to lift anything more than five pounds for six weeks. I am retired but I know that if I were still working, the fatigue and recovery from serious surgery would have flattened me. Coming off of ten days of liquids pre-op and 2 1/2 weeks of full lliquids post-op left me pretty much wiped out. When I started soft foods, I started to feel much more alert and mobile.

4. I took waaaaay too much stuff to the hospital for a two day stay. You can bring pretty much what you want to entertain yourself, but I mostly slept off the anesthetic. Don't take anything you will miss if it is stolen.

5. food... I am blessed to have a Mediterranean chef in the house, but if my food prep was entirely up to me on a lazy day, I would be batch cooking in the crock pot. The more you prepare your own food, the more control you have over it's content. Unless you are totally unteachable, this is a good time to learn how to cook from scratch. You can go a long way with a Foreman grill. Grilled meats are easy. Canned veggies are better than no veggies. There is not much work to boiling eggs or cutting off a piece of cheese. Since fruit is the peach and not peach pie, there is zero prep there.

6. Reading material.....if you mean concerning learning about bariatric surgery and recovery, look under the Resources tab at the top of this page.

Congratulations on the decision you have made, and I wish you the best.

[gsusser 15]

Many thanks for the responses and great links. Ironically, I work in a restaurant and get to eat for free, but rarely take advantage of it. I hate the food. -) As for the coffee, I think I'm going to start breaking the habit now, the least of my worries. Is Decaf a problem before or after surgery?

[MrsKarenC2008 622]

Glenn - Welcome to the club!

I like what the previous people have had to say ... and don't have much to add .... but I thought I'd throw a few things out there anyway ...

coffee - I don't drink it , never have .. but was told in my paper work that starting 2 weeks pre-op only have Decaf - and that applies to after as well ...

Pain - The pain from the actual surgery really isn't "pain" ... it's just more of a discomfort ... the only "pain" I felt was from the gas that crept up to my left shoulder ... I wanted to cut it off ... lasted a week and nothing helped it ... I was in tears ... just being honest.

and I love what Miss Mac said about the food part ... We should go live with her * wink wink *

Glad you found this forum ... I love the fact that I can ask silly and "stupid" questions ... and everyone "GETS" it !

I do wish you the best ... it's one of the best things I've ever done for myself ... You will be so much happier

Congratulations!

[gsusser 15]

Thank you Karen. It's very helpful knowing there's lots of other people in the same boat as me and the positive attitudes AND results I've read about. I was actually looking for a live support group for a few weeks but the forum is actually better suited for me. I found out about it from the psychologist who interviewed/dissected me. I've been spending a lot of time reading the posts and about the resources. I guess it's time to get a little more serious and not be so lazy or ambivalent about things. I did buy Alex' Big Book and read a good deal on the train today. And tomorrow I see my doctor, probably for the last time before surgery. Thanks again for your comments.