Hi Everyone My name is Maria I'm 38 years old I weigh 245 lbs My surgery is scheduled for Aug.31. Im getting a little nervous i dont think its from the surgery itself,I dont know if I will be able to do the liquid diet for 1 week prior to surgery.Any tips would be great.:scared2: I would also like to know where I get get some of these shakes.I dont want to order them online I would prefer to get them in a store.Thanks.:thumbdown:

Hi Maria,

Congratulations on your surgery! The preop liquid diet is not easy but it is doable. The first couple of days are the hardest then it starts getting easier. I ate soup (broth only) i just used a strainer, juice 100% fruit, sf jello, sf pudding, popcicles and sf fudgcicles. I used the slim fast low carb shakes for my protien. They have 20 grams in 1 can. I bought the pre mixed cans. The chocolate is really good. Try to eat or drink every hour or two and stay busy. Believe me, if I could do it then you can do it! Waiting for the surgery is harder than the surgery itself.

Thank you for taking the time to reply.I was going to have my surgery on Aug 31st,but I got a call from my doctor,they pushed it to Sept 9th.I hope I'm gonna be ok to take my kids to school lol.I was told I'm not allowed to have any shakes other than Medifast Cause they are low in calories and high in protein.I hope I can get through that seven day liquid diet,I,m so nervous about that,not the surgery does that sound strange?Can you tell me a little about your surgery and your preop,how did you do? Thanks for writing:):biggrin:

I can understand why you are nervous about the pre-op diet. It was probably the hardest part for me. But you can do it. Just do what your surgeon tells you to do and you will be fine. The staying busy and getting out of the house really did help me. For me the day I had to start it I got in to the right state of mind and was so determined. I am sure you will too.

My surgery day I was really nervous. When I got there though they gave me a sedative and that helped a great deal. I was expecting to wake up in a lot of pain after surgery but I did not. It kinda felt like I had been hit in the stomoch at first but in a matter of minutes the pain was gone. The pain meds through the IV work quick. I think I went back to sleep and the next time I woke up in recovery I was fine and had no pain. They took me up to a room. I spent the night because I have sleep apnea. A little while later they took me down to x-ray and took a x-ray of my stomach. When I got back to my room they brought my dinner. Soup, protien drink, and Jello. After I ate I got up and walked the halls. I no longer needed pain meds and was wide awake. I was really shocked that I have not had any more pain than I have. I was a little sore but not very much. I have been up and going since the day after surgery. I know everyone has a different experience with the surgery and some people have a much harder time recovering than others. You will probably do fine after surgery but I would have a back up plan for getting your kids to school just in case. I wish you the best.

I was really nervous about my pre-op diet too, but it actually wasn't bad at all. The thought of my liver sliding around during surgery if I didn't stick to the diet kept me on the straight and narrow!

The hardest thing was being around other people who were eating. I'd recommend that you try to avoid those situations during the pre-op diet week. I did carry boullion cubes in my purse though, and it made me feel more calm to be able to make some broth when I had to be with people who were eating.

As for the shakes, you can go to GNC or Vitamin Shoppe. Most of the shakes are pretty gross. I agree that Slim Fast ones are good (I like the Cappuccino one), but they don't have as much Protein as some of the others.

I hope that it goes very well for you!

Catherine