dramagirl28

I totally feel you. I'm 12 days out and I had been putting Protein powder in everything which made me want to gag to the point that I would prefer not to eat. I too enjoy the Atkins shakes. They're only 15g of protein, but the way I see it, they don't make me gag and every little bit helps. I also found a good thread with tons of recipes. I'll post it below. So far my favorite brand of protein has been the nectar stuff so hopefully you'll like it too. I just made a truly yummy shake with the Vanilla Bean Torte Nectar powder, pumpkin puree, milk, ff cool whip, a dab of ff cream cheese and some ice. It tastes like pumpkin cheesecake and doesn't have that gross smell and slightly off taste that that the other shakes do. I got the recipe from the link below (and added the cream cheese myself). It's so important to find something that you can look forward to drinking. Don't give up! You'll find some combo that works for you. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/19753-starbucks-on-full-liquids/page__p__167302__hl__%2Bchocolate+%2Bpeanut+%2Bbutter+%2Bprotein+%2Bshake__fromsearch__1#entry167302

Mine is all on the left. I was able to sort of lay on my right side in the hospital (I'm a side sleeper) but the left was excruciating. I'm one week out now and I can lay comfortably on my right side but getting on to my left is often still painful.

What a roller coaster of emotions, huh? I keep going back and forth from being really calm and determined and being scared out of my mind. I did my required pre-op crying last night and I hope that's the last of it. I keep telling myself that it's normal to be afraid to fail, and it's normal to be afraid of being a statistic, but that I'm going to be just fine and I'm going to be so glad I did it just like everyone else on this board. Wish me luck!

I kinda like my gurgles. I feel like it makes me more aware of my body. Of course I'm only 6 days out and not back at work yet. We'll see...

I didn't have a pre-op diet at all except for clear liquids the day before, so you will be fine. I'm only saying this to ease your fears, not to give you a free ticket to continue to eat regular meals. You should definitely do EVERYTHING you can to follow your surgeon's instructions. But in the end, it's persistence over perfection. If it's any consolation, after surgery having liquids only is a total breeze because you won't be hungry! Try to focus on that.

I asked myself the same question. The truth is, I tried losing weight on my own many times, and lost a bunch and gained it back. You probably have too. I researched this for months and months and made a choice with both my head and my heart. This was the right thing for me to do. As the days got closer, I started getting really scared and doubtful, just like everyone else does. I just let the fear wash over me. I let myself cry. I let myself be scared. But I knew in my heart that I made the right decision. I was in the holding area crying and holding my dad's hand and telling him that I loved him in case I never got another chance to say it, and he said to me "Honey, we put our trust in other people every day. We get out on the highway and trust that other people know how to drive. Any one of those hundreds of cars can kill us in an instant, but that doesn't mean we never leave the house. We voluntarily get on the road and live our lives." So this is me, saying to you, get on the road and live your life. Trust your surgeon. Trust your decision. As soon as you wake up, the fear will be gone and you will be happy. I promise.

Yep. I'm only four days out but I have been hearing gurgles anytime I take a sip of anything. It's like I can hear it going through me. I'm not sure what it means yet but at least you're not alone!

My gas pain was the worst that first night in the hospital. I did take some Gas-X strips with me but when I asked the nurse if I could take them she said no. I figured it was probably because I wasn't allowed to sip on anything at that point. I was only allowed to swab my mouth with a sponge that first day, and wasn't allowed to drink any Water until about 24 hours after surgery. By that time the gas was manageable and walking really did help so I haven't taken any yet.

I was sleeved on Thursday! My first night in the hospital was pretty rough. I thought I'd be able to handle the pain a little better, but I guess I'm a lot wimpier than some of you guys! lol But I feel exponentially better each day I wake up and it's so encouraging. I have had NO regrets and I am already so glad that I've done it. My mom is here taking care of me (she actually had RNY a few years ago) and she was eating my favorite pizza right in front of me and feeling pretty guilty about it, but it didn't bother me one bit. I'm simply not hungry and I'm totally satisfied with my juice and yummy homemade broth. My belly is still pretty sore but I'm feeling great and I'm up and moving around quite a bit. I feel so lucky to have been given this opportunity to get healthy. A big thanks to everyone on here. Your stories gave me the encouragement I needed to get through all the doubt and fear.

It's Sunday evening and I have to say I feel pretty darn good! I'm still on pain meds but I take them farther apart now and I get up and move around a lot. I even went out to Walmart today with my mom to pick up a few things and was ok. I love love love not being hungry!!! I feel like I could do liquids for months and not be sad about it. My mom eats right in front of me and it doesn't bother me one bit. I'm so content with my juice and my homemade broth. That first day/night in the hospital was pretty rough but even then I didn't regret doing this, and I'm already so happy that I did. For all of you out there that are still pre-op, don't let your fears get to you. This is going to be glorious!

I cried like a little girl in the holding room when they were starting my IV. I was so scared. But I made it through. I was in horrible pain when I woke up but I already feel so much better. I just did my first walk around the floor. I'm sore but my spirits are high. Thank you all so much for the support. I'm so happy to be on the loser's bench!

I'm so glad to have company! Good luck to you guys and I'll see you on the loser's bench!

I agree with everyone that you should talk to your professors. Is it possible for you to just take one class? Those are pretty heavy subjects to try to get through while dealing with everything else, but if you have the drive I think you can probably keep up. Make sure to keep up with the reading while you're out. My classes started today and I'm getting sleeved tomorrow (eek!) but my classes are online so I'm really crossing my fingers that I'll have the energy (and the motivation) to work on it at home. I work full time as well and will be out for two weeks. I'm hoping to get as much done as possible. Good luck to you!

I am two weeks from surgery and I'm having exactly the same feelings. Whenever I start to panic I do two things: 1. I remind myself that, from months of reading these posts, I have never come across anyone who said they regretted doing this, no matter how hard their recovery was. 2. I look at before and after pictures. This site has some good ones but my favorite gallery is at obesityhelp.com. I look at dozens of people just like me, my size, my food issues, and then I see how happy and healthy they look after losing all the weight. It keeps me going. As for the junk food addiction, that will NOT go away with surgery. Sure, you'll only be able to eat half a Krispy Kreme donut and it might make you feel sick, but your tolerance will build up to it if you keep eating them and before long you'll be able to have more and the weight will start creeping up again. I highly recommend some sort of therapy to help with the head part of it. I have pretty good mental health insurance so I'm going to start with an actual therapist to work on my food issues (and my body image issues). If you don't have insurance or can't afford a therapist, even joining Weight Watchers and attending the meetings is SUPER helpful for dealing with all the emotional stuff. Just don't tell them you've had surgery... they aren't very understanding. Good luck!

I find that clothing sizes are less dependent on the number on the scale and more about how toned you are. When i was 180lbs I wore a size 16 and never ever worked out. When I was 200lbs and going to the gym every day I was in a size 14. Plus over the years vanity sizing changes, which plays a role. Instead of picking an arbitrary scale number I think I'm going to consider myself "at goal" when feel comfortable with how I look, although I'm still pre-op and have never felt that way before in my life, so we'll see!

Hi all, My surgery is on August 25th and my surgeon did NOT put me on a liquid diet! I have to do Clear liquids the day before and that's it. He said something about how someone with my BMI isn't at risk and it's not necessary but "do what you can" to lose weight. I'm thinking of putting myself on a pre-op diet but I need some guidelines or suggestions. I'm thinking of either doing 3 days of liquids or a week of high Protein Atkins-style food. What do you all think? Rachel

Great ideas. Maybe i'll do a hybrid... protein shake for bfast and high protein/low carb lunch and dinner. Thanks!

My NUT recommended Kefir instead of yogurt. She said it has double the probiotics and more protein. She said to buy the plain kind and flavor it with SF Jello powder, and you can also add protein powder to it. It's supposed to have the consistency of yogurt smoothies, so it's drinkable. Has anyone tried it? If you'd like to, evidently Trader Joe's has the best price.

I've been working on this since October and I FINALLY got my surgery date today! It's August 25th, which is still a ways away but at least there's light at the end of the tunnel now. I started my Kaiser classes at almost 260 and now I'm down to 240 which puts me right at the cutoff BMI of 40. What should I do over the next three months? Should I try to lose more weight, and if so, how much? I want to get a head start on the weight loss but I don't want my BMI to go so low that they won't do the surgery. Maybe I should just work on strengthening my muscles? Any advice would be great.

Congratulations!! This is a great day! Celebrate!

Good luck! And congrats on all the positive changes you've made already!

Hi All, My boyfriend of 2.5 years broke up with me a few days ago. We relocated to a new city together about 9 months ago so I don't have any friends here and am farther from my family. The relationship was very serious and headed towards marriage, and now I find myself so lost. I know this surgery is for me, and I still need to go through with it and get healthy and all that, but I have just lost the one person who has truly been there for me in a way that no one else ever could. I have other people to be there for me, but it's just not the same. I'm losing my courage. I'm terrified of dating with loose skin. I'll be living alone during the emotional roller coaster of recovery and I'm terrified of that too. I feel like I have just lost everything. I need help, encouragement. Maybe the singles out there could give me a pep talk? Thanks, Rachel

Thank you all for the support. It has really helped me keep my chin up this week. I do want to go through with it. I have been working on this for a long time and I know it's the best thing for me. The sleeve will allow me to have a new life in so many ways. It's nice to know I have all of you to lean on. Thank you so much!

Thank you guys so much for the support. I can't imagine doing this without him. He has never had trouble with weight but somehow always knew exactly what to say. When he said I was beautiful, I actually believed him. I have a lot of work to do on myself. I know WLS is right for me but it seems so scary now. I've been prepping for it since October of last year, all in the context of our relationship and our future. I'm going to be getting my surgery date in the next week or two and I know that will really set things in motion and I feel like I'm struggling to put this in the new context of my life without him (which I can't even imagine right now). Breakups suck in general. I really didn't need this added complication. I think it will only emphasize how alone I am. The funny thing is that since he broke up with me I haven't been able to eat anything really. Just thinking about the smell of food made me sick to my stomach. When I did manage to convince myself to put something in my mouth, I couldn't bear the taste or texture. I was so hungry but so sick to my stomach. I turned to Protein shakes just to quiet the rumbling and to get in some nourishment. I kept thinking "get used to this--this is what it's going to be like post-op!" Today is the first day I haven't thrown up due to stress (tmi?) and I was actually able to eat two decent meals. Anyway, thanks for listen to me ramble. My friends and family have been supportive about the breakup but this element of it needed some specialized attention.

I can't speak to his pre-op diet, but my friend had him a few years ago and raves about him. Lots of people on here do, too. I finished my Options classes in March and I wanted to go to San Diego as well because I have family there, but they're booked up 4-6 months out. I got referred to a new place that they're contracting with, the Le Port Medical Group in Fountain Valley. Good luck with everything. I wish they had fast-tracked me!