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Hello, my name is Brian Pixley and I live in Oregon. I am just beginning this journey and am looking for information. I am meeting with a nutritionist the day before thanksgiving and I guess we will see where I go from there. I wanted to introduce myself to everyone and say hello. Any words to live by or any tips / suggestions?

Thanks

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Hi Brian. I am also pre op. It is nice to meet you. Only suggestion I have is buckle up and enjoy the ride. This process has been a true roller coaster for me. But follow the nutritionist and doctors orders and the pre op process will be over sooner then u think.

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Welcome Brian! You picked a great site to come to for encouragement and questions. I have been here since July and have learned much!

Congratulations on taking your first steps towards healthy!

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Welcome Brian! My advice would be to do as much personal research as you can. Go into the operating room with an empty belly, and a mind full of facts. Understand exactly what you're getting into, and what your role will entail in working your surgery to its utmost potential.

Best of luck!

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Hi Brian!!! I am so new to this too, I have done a ton of research though, and I am in the pre approval stage also! I'm here if you have an questions or need to vent!

Hopefully your approval is a smooth transition!

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Hi Brian and welcome!

The most important thing at your stage is to remain patient and follow your insurance company,surgeon and nutritionist directions. If you do, there won't be any surprises when you reach the approval process.

It is a long structured process designed to get you ready for your life to change. There will be a lot of change coming for you that can seem overwhelming at first. Just keep in mind that no one is expecting you to change everything completely overnight. Just take it one or two things at a time.

I did not smoke, drink, drink soda or caffeine of any kind but if you do, getting moving on these will be very important. You will be required to stop these activities before surgery.

In addition you will learn to eat very slowly, chew your food a lot before swallowing, no drinking beverages 30 minutes before and after you eat, and of course you will learn to begin eating a high Protein, low carb diet.

Your nut will begin teaching you what to eat, how much to eat and will get you started on some exercises that fit your medical situation. Walking will be key as you begin to recover.

One of the biggest things I have learned so far is that my relationship with food has changed and I love that. I no longer live to eat, I eat to live.

I now crave good healthy quality foods, it makes my pouch happy and I feel absolutely fantastic! I had this surgery to get my health back and for me that happened so quickly! No more high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, severe Gerd, high cholesterol, sleep apnea or stage 3 kidney disease.

All of these issues have been resolved.

Then came all the other benefits! I can shop anywhere, sit anywhere, do anything without feeling like I am going to keel over! Most important, I can keep up with my family and not hold them back!

I wish you the very best of luck! Just hang in there and be patient with the process and yourself. There will be bumps along the way but nothing you cannot get through if you remain positive and forge forward!

Congratulations on your decision to get healthy!

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Hello Brian and welcome! This is a great grp to ask questions, vent,and get encouragement. I am 4 days post op and am waiting for my energy to return, but I know I will get there. Best of luck to you.

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Hey Brian!

Newbie here too. My surgery date is Nov 2nd. I found there are great support groups connected to the hospital where you're having the surgery done. I'm doing the boost for the two weeks before surgery. Sure struggling with that. What hospital are you having it done?

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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