Pre Surgery Nerves and No Special Diet - Need Advice

[Stone52 7]

I am scheduled for gastric sleeve on March 6th with Dr. Corvala in Tijuana. If someone had told me I would ever consider this I would not have believed them. But, I am so tired of being overweight, having high cholesterol, hip pain, etc. that I have committed. However, Dr. Corvala has not required that I do any pre-surgery diet. I can eat anything up until 10:00 p.m. the night before surgery. Has anyone else done this and, if so, did it work out okay? I am really scared. I will be 65 in March and wonder if I am too old for this.

[Berry78 4,259]

Every surgeon is different, but for your sake, I would do a self-imposed diet between now and then.

Starting tomorrow, drink 3-4 Protein Shakes a day and tons of calorie free liquids like Water. The shakes need at least 20g of Protein each and almost no carbs or fat. A scoop of Protein Powder in skim milk will work.

The day before surgery go on Clear Liquids only. No protein shakes. This is to clean out your intestines.

Then fast as per doc's instructions.

Cleaning out your intestines will help with comfort after the surgery. Your intestines take a day or two to wake up after anesthesia, and food sitting in them will create gas, etc.

Good luck!

[Stone52 7]

Thank you Berry78 for your response to my post. I like the idea of doing some kind of prep to help my body get ready for this big change.

Edited February 28, 2017 by Stone52

[orionburn 1,023]

14 hours ago, Berry78 said:

Every surgeon is different, but for your sake, I would do a self-imposed diet between now and then.

Starting tomorrow, drink 3-4 Protein shakes a day and tons of calorie free liquids like Water. The shakes need at least 20g of Protein each and almost no carbs or fat. A scoop of Protein  powder in skim milk will work.

The day before surgery go on Clear Liquids only. No Protein Shakes. This is to clean out your intestines.

Then fast as per doc's instructions.

Cleaning out your intestines will help with comfort after the surgery. Your intestines take a day or two to wake up after anesthesia, and food sitting in them will create gas, etc.

Good luck!

A whole lot of what berry said. There are a good number of people on here that weren't required to do any special diet prior to surgery, but I tell you what...I'm glad I had to. While it isn't the easiest diet in the world to follow it's good preparation for how things will be after surgery. Doing some prep work now will be a big help.

[Berry78 4,259]

I should add, the clear liquids can and should have calories. Lots of broth and some regular Jello would be good. Too much sugar will make you sick, especially if you are diabetic.

Broth... get a whole chicken and simmer it for several hours in a large pot (include the giblets, carrots, celery, onions and the like) I add a tablespoon of italian herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Start with half a teaspoon of salt, a little goes a long way.

Drain and put broth in the fridge overnight. In the morning, scrape off the fat, and you have jello-like broth. Freeze the extra.. but you can drink as much as you want.

Meanwhile the chicken meat can be removed from the bones and turned into chicken salad or what have you...

[Berry78 4,259]

Caution: If you are diabetic, do what you need to to stay at a good blood sugar range. Disregard the above plan if it is contraindicated by your personal health concerns.

Oh, and I realized that I said the shakes had no carbs.. you do need some each meal. The powder can have next to none, but the milk will have some. Aim for 40 grams of carbs a day.