meggiep

Get a NeilMed sinus rinse kit and use it at least twice a day to keep a secondary infection at bay! I also did emergen-C, airborne, zinc- I got a cold on the Monday a week before my date and was so worried- indeed my surgery almost was canceled but it finally went through. Drink tons of water- good practice! Good luck to you!

Jo Jo congrats! Sounds like it was smooth sailing- ine has been a tad bit rockier... But we are sleeved! SO glad you can be there for each other and you can see your Mum is doing great. That will help!

Wow thats quick back to work ! Try to take it easy!

Congrats Red Velvet Gang girl! Im opening an RV thread in Pot Op for all of us to post in too. I am jealous that you sound like you can get Water down- I am having trouble with the early fluids and waiting for my poor sleeve to calm down!

Not doing quite so well- pain, gas, bad nausea yesterday. I'm being kept another day as I am not able to get fluids in. Today is better and tomorrow will be better yet!

First of all, I suddenly found I could not really be on this forum for a few days. Once my doctor cleared me for surgery I really felt the need to pull back and pull in - which really surprised me. Of course I have still been in total get rid of the cold mode as I still have some congestion and was attacking that with every means I have. Interestingly I realized mid day yesterday that whey Protein probably has some of the same congestive properties as milk - d'uh! I have been drinking that on my liquids and in hindsight should have perhaps gotten some soy protein. The wind kicked up here this weekend so my allergies decided to say hello in a big way too- so I will let them decide tomorrow and listen to my chest again. I am at peace with what happens. I have found I still have a lot of anger that I have been brought to this point of having to remove most of my stomach FOREVER. Excited as I am , as much as I want it- I am pissed off at my lot in life that I was born to be fat most of my life and to end up here at this fork in the road. (Interesting that the word "fork" came up ;-P) Yesterday I actually had a talk with my stomach and asked my stomach to forgive me! I told her she has always been a great stomach- I have never had constipation or any other digestive problems, she has not done anything to deserve what I am about to do to her. My metabolism and my back and knee surgeries are not her fault, And I am sorry that I am going to remove most of her tomorrow, please forgive me. Then of course I had to do some soul searching- is this really what I need to do? I lost 16 pounds on this liquid diet for two weeks- can I lose the 120 pounds with this great jump off? Is this truly the right thing for me? Here's the thing- I realized as all the feelings started coming up in me for the last two days- anger, guilt towards my innocent stomach, questioning the surgery-that what I immediately wanted to do was EAT. Eat bad foods, eat candy and Cookies and ice cream and the pizza my husband bought me Friday when we thought I might be canceled. BINGO!!! Truly I don't think I had been so in touch with what drives me to eat so much as I was yesterday. And I am on this freaking liquid diet! Luckily I have a strong will so of course I didn't eat. But it was the signal I needed to know this is the right thing for me. So tomorrow- or if not tomorrow soon- I will indeed be sending my innocent stomach to the bougie guillotine- and I will do everything I can to heal her and in fact will most likely be a slave to her whims from then on in any case. SO that is meggie 17 1/2 hours before surgery. I took the 3T of milk of magnesia I was told to take at noon and for me that was the full commitment!

I am about to head to the hospital.Good luck my friend! Let's compare notes on the losers bench! We made it through the preop with regular size stomachs- the rest will be better....(optimistic here). I lost 19 pounds! xoxo hugs to you.

Wow- Empress- I wont qu\ote you but you really helped me too! Figures- you and Crosswind the auteurs. ;-P Thank you all for the love and support. I am showered and almost ready to drive to the hospital- seems surreal! See you all on the Loser's Bench!

Consider yourself lucky! IN addition to emotions- I am feeling the effects of Milk of Magnesia- yuckkkkkkk. Can't wait to see your on the other side- we can all keep each other company. First one to post should start a Red Velvet Post Op 5/9 thread for us all! Go Kelly Go Kelly Go Kelly

Girl I am so glad to see you- I know you posted while I was taking my VST break and I had been worried about you- not rational of course! Thank you for talking me down off the ledge- everything you said makes so much sense- and actually thinking about people with stomach cancer etc. who have a gastrectomy helped me accept this as a safe surgery. Wow about the regenerated stomachs! ANd now that you mention it, I will be giving everything a break- especially my back and knees- the parts that are suffering so much that I am on opiates and housebound! I am ready for tomorrow- excited even! (The milk of magnesia results? not so excited- at one point, with my son called in to work suddenly, and my husband at his moms for a couple of hours- I could have posted "It's Mothers Day, I am alone, and I just pooped my pants! " Now I will go look for anything you have posted in the past few days!... Thank you for the encouragement. Knowing my husband the photographer I will probably be You Tubing from the hospital ;-P

I think after the sleeve if you always make sure to do as she does and eat your protein first, you can;t hurt yourself with a wee bit of chockie! The way you will fail with it is to eat it alone as it will probably go down easily and as it dissolves to liquid in your mouth you will be able to hurt your progress with it.

Welcome to this wonderful forum! YOu will ind tons of information, love, and support here. I am actually shocked that with a sentence like that you were given your insurance would not approve you immediately and fast track you! It is not as if your need is not apparent. That is a thing that bugs me about this process- somehow we all have to dance a bit and prove ourselves worthy- and I can't help but feel that the inherent bias against the obese is rampant even among the health care professionals here to help us. Rant over! I wish you the very best health and happiness and can't wait to hear about your journey!

Tomorrow is looming for me too! It' funny- I found I needed a couple of days away from here as I really pondered what is coming. I will be thinking healing thoughts and prayers for all of you fellow 5/9s tomorrow until they knock me out- actually my surgery is at 7:30 am so if I am half conscious at 10:30 I will start then too! I already took the three tablespoons f milk of magnesia I was told to take at noon... I will say there is a slight chance I will still be canceled as my allergies kicked up a storm this weekend with all the wind and I am still congested. I will see what they say. I feel fine though so I expect to sail through! I think we should open a postop thread when the first one is able to post for Red Velvets to all post in. I can't believe it is here!

Wow- just wow. After my doctor gave me until today at 1pm to see my GP and be evaluated I have been drinking enough Water to float an armada (good practice!) hitting zicam, airborne and emergen-c....and praying. Also steaming , something I have always hated since I burn myself - then my husband pointed out all I needed to do was stand up taller! d'uh! I accidentally slept with the fan on since it was a little warm last night and woke with a congested nose- that always happens when I sleep with the fan on. I felt ., again, much much better- as I have each day since Tuesday, the only day I really felt sick during this cold. I meanwhile had decided whatever will be will be- certainly don't want to be sick for surgery and will let my doctor decide. I still sound congested and throaty, but have not had a cough or a fever. My doctor listened to my chest, looked in my ears, throat, and nose- and pronounced me fit for surgery! She will send a quick note to my surgeon but said she sees no problem! The only caveat is that if I get worse I need to notify them immediately if I am so they can cancel. WOW! WOW! WOW! I am on again for Monday! Since there are at least 10 of us here on VST I was so sad thinking I would not be with my sleeve sistahs (and brothas if there is one- no one has chimed in for that date yet). WOO HOO!!!!!!!! Today I weighed down 16 pounds since starting my liquids- and the funny thing is- my husband and son shot a wedding in Muir Woods at 8am and stopped at our favorite pizza place in SF on the way home. My husband got me a small pizza with my fave toppings in case my surgery was canceled- and that probably sealed the deal

I need major prayers and healing thoughts as I face having my surgery canceled. My sore throat on Monday became a cold yesterday - I spent the day in bed and started hitting the airborne and emergen-c as well as doing the sinus rinse a few times a day. I emailed my doctor asking what the policy is for doing surgery with a cold if there is no fever. Today I felt much better but I ran into my surgeon while I was at the office getting my pre-op blood work and he nearly canceled my surgery on the spot due to my husky voice. I begged him to give me the chance to get better- I am better today, I do not have a cough or fever and my son got better from his in two days. He and his nurse stood there talking "scheduling" "incovenience" "difficult contacting everyone to cancel" in order to justify canceling it today- whlie in front of them was a real person someone who fought hard to get through every requirement and jumped every hoop, who has gotten through two weeks of liquids (which I think lowered my resistance). It was devastating and I left the office in tears after he said he wanted me to see a doctor TODAY to determine if I am fit for surgery. We have a small business- wedding photography. I did EVERYTHING to get this surgery before our meager yet real season. The recession has hit us hard and we can't let the clients down who did book us because I am suddenly healing in June instead of May. I rote to my primary care who is in the same office and she said she would see me Friday at 1pm to evaluate my condition. I wrote the letter of my life to my surgeon stating my case for being given the chance to get better until at least Friday. He said yes! Now I need healing prayers, prayer circles, affirmations, mojo, magic- whatever you got!!!!!!

Well.. I have had the highs and lows today. I went to my pre op nutrition seminar in Fremont and also the the ENT to have my CPAP machine checked. I had awakened feeling much much better and was really optimistic. My ENT checked my lungs while I was there because I told him my worries about tomorrow- and he said my lungs were clear and he thought I was fit for surgery. I was so elated! I waked out of the cinic feeling so great and then suddenly on the way home I felt the unmistakeable twinge of pian in my sinuses- the right one. I thought it might be a headache but by the time I got home it really seemed like a sinus. Until that point I had no doubt I would be fit and healthy on Monday as my breathing is clear today, my chest was never involved- etc. If it is indeed my sinus I would of course never consider surgery. I had no intention of doing it unless I was 100%- my main issue was being pronounced unfit five days early.... I did a steam...and am backing off on the sinus rinses as I almost think I was too aggressive doing it so much- who knows but that I drove some bacteria up there . Oh well. I will see what tomorrow brings- I have fought the good fight. This two weeks of liquids was just awful and if I think about doing it again I want to cry.

I would not let them steer you to the RNY ....I think the SLeeve is the WLS of the future and will become by far the most popular. Perhaps you can explain to your doctor you do not have much for the copay and see if they will settle for the 25k from the insurance. It never hurts to ask. However I have to say from everything I have seen here and on You Tube, if you do have to pay out it will be a wonderful investment in your future! Also, from what I have seen there are some great doctors in the US who charge way less than $25ooo.

Have you really tried working with the powders? The unflavored powder can be used in so many ways! I had Trader Joes organic tomato Soup tonight- made sure it was at 130 degrees to prevent clumping and added a scoop of unjury unflavored protein and mixed it very well with a fork. DOn't blend it as the frothiness will put you off. It was awesome and added 20 grams of protein. My time on this site has proven to me that the formula for weight loss after the sleeve is 1. get all your protein 2. drink the Water 3. low carbs 4. exercise 5. Vitamins. Maybe you need to look at this formula and see which parts of it need beefing up. Good luck to you!

Hooray! Kristy is on the loser's bench!

So glad you are on target! At least one of us didn't get sick! There are ten of us scheduled for Monday that I know of- I put the list in the latest Red Velvet thread in My Story. I sure hope I am with you Anyway we can all check in on a Red Velvet thread to let everyone know how we did.

They answered and he though at that point I could wait until Saturday to see. My throat no longer hurts, luckily. I can only hope ad pray!

Michelle and I- both one week from today- woke up today coming down with a cold. I had been fearing it a bit as my son came home with one and we worked together Saturday photographing a wedding- so I hit the airborne and emergen-c heavily but today I had a sore throat and tonight I feel like crap. I am praying it is a short one as canceling my surgery is NOT acceptable! How is everyone else doing? I've lost 11 pounds an am on day 8 of my liquids.... Finding the Protein drinks easier to deal with by adding 3 strawberries or 1/4 of a banana. Liking the Fuzzy Naval nectar a lot but knowing better than to stock up to much in case my tastes change after the surgery. Tonight keeping Chicadee and Kristy in my thoughts and prayers for tomorrow as well as anyone we do not know is getting sleeved tomorrow! Moderators- will you let us keep our Red Velvet stuff over here until May 15th? We can't find it when its moved! No one has posted in it since it was moved....

OH boy Red Velvets- I need your support and prayers! My cold is better today but my doctor saw me when I was at the office getting pre-op lab work done and he almost pressured me in to canceling today because of how hard it is on THEIR schedules to not know...I begged for a chance to get well and my regular doctor said she would see me at 1pm Friday to listen to my lungs. I am awaiting my surgeons decision right now.

Yay- I am so happy for you! Can't wait to hear your progress. I plan to keep the Red Velvet Gang progress reports going. DOn;t forget to check in there too. Hope the swelling goes away pronto!