I can't believe I'm just 24 hours away from my surgery! I've lost 8.2lbs on the pre-op liquid diet. Yesterday I had a few hours there where I almost gave in and ate something more than liquids.But I pushed through it. I haven't gotten nervous or scared yet, just still excited. I have had a moment or 2 (very short moments), where I thought that maybe I shouldn't do this, but then they too passed.
I've enjoyed meeting new folks on this website, and the amount of information and support is staggering!
Don't know how I'll spend this day, but DH took vacation and is home today, and won't be going back to work until Monday. He's such a great guy! Taking time off to help me recoup. Guess I'll get all the laundry done since it will be a while before I can do that again
Wow, I can't believe I've made it to this point. I'm still sticking with the diet. Only one slip back on Day 2. I weighed this morning, and didn't lose any more, but that's really not surprising. I think because my calorie intake has dropped so dramatically on this diet, that my body has gone into "starvation" mode and is hanging on to what I currently have. That's okay, as my surgery in in less than 48 hours. So I'm sure that will shock my system in to letting go of some more fat.
I have so enjoyed this website. It has everything! Good, bad, and ugly. It helps me to stay "real", if you know what I mean. And the support out there is phenomenal! I've met so many wonderful people, and have really enjoyed their input. I'm looking forward to all the support and "pearls of wisdom" that I will get after the surgery. No one very close to me has had this surgery, so the support from this website is vastly needed. Even though my DH and family are supportive, no one will truly understand what I will be going through.
Today is Day 7 of my pre-surgery liquid diet. So far I've lost 6.3 lbs (as of this morning). The weekend was tough, even though DH did everything he could to be supportive. He even at the FF cream soups that I ate. I had to apologize to several family members for my attitude. I know I'm sounding more than just grumpy. Why is it that it seems no one can have a conversation without food being a part of it? And the commercials on TV . . . . almost all food. I know that this is part of what I'm going through, and soon this won't be so bad, but right now it just flat-out sucks!!!!
However, with all that said, I can't believe it's only 3 days until my surgery! I am still looking forward to it, and it just doesn't seem real yet. I probably won't believe it, until the night before, when I won't be able to sleep .
Looking around on this website has been very educational, and the encouragement from other's is amazing! I really appreciate everyone being so supportive, and sharing their experiences!
Both Saturday and Sunday have been difficult being on the liquid diet - but I haven't slipped yet. I've been having some really harsh cravings . . . like things that are crunchy, or a steak. Just anything I can really get my teeth in. But I know that I have a while to go before I can do that again. According to my doctor, I can't really start eating regular table foods until around the 6th week post-op. I have to be on clear liquids for the first 3 days, then full liquids until day 7. Then I will progress to "Blended Soft Diet" until the 6th week after surgery, which will also happen to be my DH's birthday.
It's only 4 days now until my surgery, and it still seems so surreal . . . like it's a dream. I've done everything on my end to plan and be prepared. Even have some new books to read while recouping.
I've been retaining a tremendous amount of water today, but I think it's from the liquids, since they tend to have a high sodiium content. Even though I drink water almost all day. Thinking about taking a water pill, but will ask the dietician in the morning.
OH - one more thing . . . I've noticed that I'm a lot more tired, but again, I think that's from the liquid diet, and not getting as many calories. I've been averaging around 800 a day.
I weighed this morning and lost another pound! That's a total of 5.2lbs in 4 days!! Wasn't as hungry as I had been the first few days. Last night aroud 9:30pm I started getting a little weak and feeling faint, and I realized that I hadn't had anything (except water) since 1pm. So I drank a Myoplex shake, that has 42g of protein. That really helped. I need to remember to eat more often!
Today I'm working at the Food Pantry - giving away food to those who are in need. It's such a blessing. Only 5 days to my surgery and I'm still really excited. I continue to look through this forum, and only just discovered the "photos" tab. Seeing all the amazing before and after shots are really inspiring! Everyone looks so great. I think I'll keep a photo journal, but I don't know if I will be comfortable enough to post it. But, we'll see.
I weighed this morning and have lost 4.4lbs so far on the liquid diet. With all of the "necessities" out of the way (doctor's visits, tests, sleep study, etc), now it's just down to me focusing on staying on the liquid diet. Somehow it seems sorta "anti-climatic" now. I have this sort of "let down" feeling. Not in a bad way, but just that there's nothing in the immediate future for me to focus on, other than my surgery. Down to 6 days now (yayyyy). I'm afraid they will pass really slow, or really fast! I'm looking forward to getting this done, and feeling healthier, but I'm not very good at being patient, so I have no idea how I will be feeling over the next 6 days.
So I had my sleep study last night. When they came in to talk with me, they asked, "Why did the Doctor order this? You don't have any issues". I explained it was required for the type of surgery I was having. They said I didn't snore, or have apnea, or any type of sleeping issues! I sure am thankful! I then went over and had my blood drawn for the pre-op work up. That was the last thing I needed to do prior to surgery. I left the hospital around 9am, and spent the rest of the day running errands. Needless to say, I was caught without any type of protein drinks, or anything. So I went to Starbucks and got a skinny vanilla latte, and then spent the rest of the day drinking bottled water. I got home around 5pm, and then had to go put up all the chickens, ducks, and goats that we have. After that, I had fat-free broccoli and cheese soup (made with fat-free) milk. I think it was about the best thing I've ever eaten! Before I got to bed tonight, I'm going to have a protein shake.
One of the things I bought while I was out on errands was a small collapsible cooler, that I can take with me from now on. I'll make sure to have my liquids with me from now on!
Oh, by the way . . . . my surgery is one week from today!!!!! :D
Okay, so for my 2nd day of pre-op liquids, I really ended up not doing too well. I stuck to it until about 2pm. I'd been out on errands all day, and noticed that I was STARVING!!!! I couldn't really think of what to do, so I ended up at Burger King . . . yep, that was definitly the wrong choice. I got a Whopper, Jr., and a unsweet tea. Ate half the burger and then drank all the tea. I feel like such an idiot! I have got to plan better when I know I'm going to be gone all day. Now I'm at the hospital for my sleep study, waiting for the folks to come in and "hook" me up. I brought liquids for breakfast, and they put them in their fridge. This place is pretty cool. Looks like a little hotel room with my own bathroom and everything! I really don't expect to sleep too well. I usually can't sleep good when I'm away from home or my DH. Oh well . . . we'll see how it goes!
So I lost 2 lbs in 1 day on the liquid diet. I think it was mostly fluid . . . seeing as how that's all I'm taking in (LOL). Wasn't too bad yesterday, and this morning I've had coffee with ff creamer. Will eat some oatmeal soon. That's the strange thing on this pre-surgery liquid diet . . . I'm allowed oatmeal, cream of wheat, cottage cheese and yogurt too. The Post-surgery liquid diet (which I'll do for the day 4-8), doesn't allow for the oatmeal, etc. Today I have a ton of errands to run and I'm a little worried that I will get too hungry along the way. I plan on taking a protein shake with me, but frankly I have a hard time drinking them unless they're super cold, so I guess I'll have to find one of the small coolers and take it with me. I have my sleep study tonight, and I've been warned that it will be unpleasant. Apparently they put a lot of goop in your hair. In the morning, after the study, I get my pre-op bloodwork done. These are the last 2 things that I need to do prior to my surgery. I'm still looking forward to getting the surgery done and over with, and moving forward to new things!
How did I get here? Today is my first day of pre-surgery liquid diet. I had a lapband in Jan. 2007 and lost about 50 lbs. Since then the band has been a love/hate relationship. Mostly I hate it, and it loves to make my life miserable. Between fills and unfills, I've gained every pound back. Plus, I get "stuck" on a daily basis, and I just can't take having the issues with the band, and not getting any results. So I'm having my band removed and the sleeve done on 3/22/12. I've been in a sort of "dream like" trance since attending the seminar. The various different tests (psychologist, pulmonary, etc), have been interesting, but I really didn't start getting excited until my insurance BCBS Anthem approved the surger. Apparently my doctor has had zero success with insurance companies until me. I'm using Dr. Ron Kaler in Hot Springs, AR. He's an experienced general surgeon who has been doing bariatric surgeries for years. My goal is to blog at least once a week regarding my experiences in hopes of helping others like me.
