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I'm new here, and I'm nervous!



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Hey everyone! I have been in the process of getting approved for Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass for almost a year now, and last Thursday I FINALLY GOT APPROVED! I have an appointment scheduled for February 27th to meet with my surgeon and schedule my surgery date! I have to admit, I am SO NERVOUS to have surgery! I have only had my wisdom teeth taken out and I have been put to sleep to have an upper GI endoscopy. I am very confident about how I will do after surgery (my eating habits, exercise, taking my supplements, etc.) but I'm having a hard time not worrying about the actual surgery. What if something goes wrong? What if I don't wake up? I am terrified! I am also wondering what I want to buy before my surgery? What are some things that comforted you afterwards? Certain clothes, pillows, etc? What kind of groceries should I buy? What are some workout routines I can do?

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Everyone has these fears.It is natural.You have made the decision to have the surgery now have the faith that the Dr will take care of you.You will be ok.You will be most comfortable in stretch waist pants for a while.Make sure you take that to hospital.I also took my favorite pillow,in a colored pillowcase so they know it is yours and not theirs.Make sure you have some ready made shakes like Premier Protein as well as powders if you are going to mix your own.Everyone is different what their Dr tells them.I was on liquid for 1 week then added mushies foods.Cottage cheese,greek yogurt,vegetable Soup that had been blended.

It will take you a while to get and keep your Protein and liquids up.A portable drink cup with a lid to take with your everywhere you go.

I was sleeved in 2011 and had revision surgery Nov 2016 due to acid reflux issues.I was very concerned about both these surgeries but everything worked out fine.I have had 14 total surgeries.But having surgery for weight loss was scary because I had a choice.I have never regretted y decision about the surgery.I have lost another 30 lbs from the last surgery.You lose slower after a revision .You will probably loose at a fasted rate.

I will keep you in my prayers for your surgery and healing.

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Rather than wearing stretchy waist pants, I wore a long, flowing moo moo in to the hospital so that I could wear it home after surgery. My suggestion would be to remember a pillow to put between you and your seat belt for the ride home. The only thing I used in the hospital that they didn't provide was reading material. I brought magazines, based on another BP user's recommendation and was glad I did. Couldn't focus well enough to read a book.

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Your taste buds may change after surgery so don't stock up on too much food or Protein shakes. Wait until after surgery. I found that I could not swallow medium to large Vitamins after surgery, so I used a pill crusher and a pill splitter. I put together a short article that describes my experience after RNY gastric bypass surgery. It may be of some help. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

At your stage pre-op I would recommend you do three things.

1. Take a good before photograph of yourself, so that you have something to compare to after surgery. Many times we are blind to our obesity. We do not see ourselves. Therefore when the weight begins to drop off rather dramatically, we question if this is really happening. Photographs are a good visualization of our success. Many people carry a before and after photo with them, just to remind themselves of their success.
2. Walk 30 minutes each day, every day until surgery (or equivalent exercise). Walking helps the recovery process go smoothly and minimized the pain levels from surgery.
3. Wean yourself from caffeine and carbonated beverages now. After I gave up my 6 diet coke a day habit, I suffered from a week of severe withdrawal syndrome consisting of severe headaches and body aches. I was miserable. You don't want to combine the effects of caffeine withdrawal with the effects of surgery.

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
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    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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