Hello everyone! I finally got a date - September 6, 2018! I will be having multiple surgeries along with my vertical sleeve gastrectomy. I will elaborate on the other things I will have done in a separate thread - I want to keep this for the sleeve part only. I've been in the conversation since March 2018 and am on my second surgeon, whom I've been seeing since June 29, 2018. I've lost (as of Aug. 2, 2018) 28 pounds so far. I am officially on the four-week pre-op diet. The surgeon is concerned with my liver size. I had to have a CT scan yesterday to specifically look at the liver and the blood flow through it. He thinks I have what is called Portal Hypertension. The CT scan should give him the answers he is looking for. He did say that if it turns out that I have portal hypertension, he may not be able to perform the surgery due to higher risks of bleeding. Fingers crossed!

The surgeon also found during the upper endoscopy that I have an hiatal hernia. He said he would repair this also when performing the VSG.

My pre-op diet consists of greater than 64oz of water a day, a protein shake and veggies/fruit for breakfast & lunch, a snack (cottage cheese, greek yogurt, etc.) and veggies/fruit, and 3oz of lean meat and veggies for dinner. I'm limited to strictly 800 calories or less per day while getting greater than 90g protein. I've been doing this diet for a bit now and I am averaging 795 calories, 95g protein, and greater than 90oz of water each day. So good, so far. Right now, I'm eating 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of mini peppers, and 1/2 cup of sugar snap peas. I added some Cholula green pepper sauce and some Cholula chili garlic sauce to the ricotta cheese - I'm not used to the flavor and texture yet, so this is helping me eat it. (I have to do the same with cottage cheese, that or add some salsa)

Good luck to everyone!

Edited August 4, 20188 yr by macadamia

Congrats!

Congrats you will do great and be GREAT!

8 minutes ago, ayokimmieo said:

Congrats!

Thank you!

4 minutes ago, SummerEssence said:

Congrats you will do great and be GREAT!

Thank you!

Milestone update #1: I hit 30 pounds lost so far today! I am still 29 days out from surgery so I hope to lose much more pre-op! I'm excited to know I can do this!!!

On 8/7/2018 at 8:54 AM, macadamia said:

Awesome! Good luck with your pre-op phase! We can do this!

Thank you! I'm a little worried about the pre_op diet. I get bad headaches if I don't eat enough.

33 minutes ago, Christabelle said:

Thank you! I'm a little worried about the pre_op diet. I get bad headaches if I don't eat enough.

Well, I get headaches when I do not drink enough water. It is a sign for me that I am getting dehydrated. I hope the pre-op diet does not hurt your head too much. It is important to get a good start going into your surgery. (-:

I get my endoscopy later this month any any advice on what to expect? I know I have to have my wife go with me to drive me home afterwards

1 minute ago, Tiff-a-lea said:

I get my endoscopy later this month any any advice on what to expect? I know I have to have my wife go with me to drive me home afterwards

It is a very easy procedure. There is a pre-test fast required to make sure your stomach is empty. They give you an IV and the sedation is added through that. Mine lasted about 35 minutes total, from when I was wheeled into the room until I was back in the recovery room. I was foggy for about another half hour but that quickly faded. By the time my ride showed up, I was able to walk fine.

My throat did not hurt at all. The only place it actually hurt (very slightly, more of a discomfort, really...) on me was where the nurse missed my vein two times before she gave up and the male nurse placed the IV on his first try.

The doctor came in after the procedure to the recovery room and told me about the findings. Before I left, the nurse gave me a copy of the preliminary report, complete with photos of my esophagus and stomach.

Were yours in full color? Mine have been both times and think looking at them is really cool. We truly are "wonderfully made" like the Bible says.?

6 minutes ago, Frustr8 said:

Were yours in full color? Mine have been both times and think looking at them is really cool. We truly are "wonderfully made" like the Bible says.?

Yes, full color, and high resolution even!

My surgery is scheduled for 9/13. Good luck to everyone

14 minutes ago, thenewme53 said:

My surgery is scheduled for 9/13. Good luck to everyone

Welcome! Thank you! And, good luck to you, too! This site is a wealth of information and very helpful people to answer questions, give insight to what they have gone through, and camaraderie. I'm very happy that I found this site.

Hi Everyone,

So jealous of everyone having their dates for sure I wish everyone luck on the journey!!!!

I am new to this site, but I am in the end stages of getting the sleeve. I have had my EGD follow up apt with my doctor yesterday. I was told My surgery was looking like the end of Sept- early Oct. I have my psychiatric visit on the Aug 20th and a follow up 2 weeks after. Then HOPEFULLY they can submit everything to insurance for approval and schedule my date for sure.

1 hour ago, Katv2018 said:

Hi Everyone,

So jealous of everyone having their dates for sure I wish everyone luck on the journey!!!!

I am new to this site, but I am in the end stages of getting the sleeve. I have had my EGD follow up apt with my doctor yesterday. I was told My surgery was looking like the end of Sept- early Oct. I have my psychiatric visit on the Aug 20th and a follow up 2 weeks after. Then HOPEFULLY they can submit everything to insurance for approval and schedule my date for sure.

Welcome!

Do not be jealous - the time really flies by. And if your surgical team is anything like my team, they already have preliminary approval with your insurance, or they would not be pursuing it. They obtained the preauthorization from my insurance company before they even called me to schedule my first appointment. They knew my coverage upfront and what I needed to accomplish to meet the insurance requirements before I set foot in their office. Once I meed all of their requirements, the final "approval" is a formality. I hope yours is too!