MinaT

Second day is the worst day. Did you have to go for upper gi test this morning? Did they make you drink the gastrique? I woke up nauseated then they sent me for the leak test. They gave me three different medications plus I had the patch behind my ear. If you have a good chair in your hospital room, try sitting in that, with a cold rag on your forehead and a cold damp rag on your neck. sleep as much as you can. If you can ask for someone to pick you up some decaff peppermint tea and whatever artificial sweetener you like, have them bring that to you, if there is a store close by. Bigelow Peppermint Tea with Truvia was my go to of choice. It calmed my belly and I was able to get some liquids in. Please know that every single day will be better than the day before. 2nd day is always the worst. By tomorrow your nausea will be a little better. Walk when you can, sip when you can, but for today rest. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

I, like you thought about this on several occasions. The first time I went to a place, they didn't quite explain the procedure to me. I was told that I would see a nutritionist, that I would see their psychologist and then they would set me up on a plan. I saw the nutritionist twice, took some psychological testing which was comprised of a bunch of silly questions, some were asked the same way two or three different ways, with no real correct answer. 1. Have you met anyone that has tried to deliberately sabotage your efforts? (I think we all have once in our lives). 2. Have you ever felt that people were jealous of you? Again, I'm sure we all have. I met with the psychologist, and she told me that I would need to meet with her to go over why I gained weight in the first place and what my issues are with food. I asked how long the process would be she told me six months. I took offense to it. I thought I was being unfairly picked on and she was rude. Had I been told up front that everyone had to do this, that everyone had to go through a six month pre-approval meeting, that would have helped me out a lot. My husband lost his job, I quit the program. I went to another place a few years later, and heavier, and I was told up front 6 months program etc. a few weeks later, I got pneumonia. I quit the program. I ended up with pneumonia a few months later after that too. A year later I went back to the previous place and I took all the information and decided to put 100% effort into the program. You are doing very well taking in all the information. I understand how much information you have been given and having to digest it. Charting food is something I did not want to do. It is something I have hated doing FOREVER... My suggestion is using something like Myfitnesspal.com Almost every food you can find in there. You have to do some set up of it, because it has a default for Calories of 1200 - and the Carb default is like 157 or something really high. If you can lower that to 45-75 it will be more beneficial. If you can up the default of protein to 80 that helps too. If you need help with this I can help you or there are others that can help you with that. Even if you aren't sure you want to do this yet...why not just go through with some of these things to carry on, you already started the process. You know you can cancel up to the day of the surgery Regarding the Sleep Apnea testing. That actually goes in favor of having the surgery. It's considered a co-morbidity. If you have sleep apnea (many overweight people do) even some people that aren't overweight have it, and there is something caused "central sleep apnea" which has to do with the brain. Being tested for it something I have had to do many times and I refuse the cpap machine. Even if your insurance company doesn't require it, it actually adds to the comorbidity. Diabetes is one, but sleep apnea would be considered a second, which only goes to help you. I had a cousin that died from sleep apnea at the age of 52. I refuse the cpap but I am also on oxygen, so that helps. I have to go for another sleep study in September/October and hopefully I'll be off oxygen now. Regarding your age, limitations and illnesses, I was 330 last spring. I used oxygen at night and sometimes during the day. I have mixed connective tissue disease, lupus, glaucoma, a brain tumor located on the root of my trigeminal nerve, degenerative disk disease in my neck. I was on daily injections for diabetes, I suffer severe migraines and I receive occipital nerve blocks, cervical spine injections, I also have asthma and a neurological condition. I was diagnosed with CRPS/RSD in 2004 from bilateral carpal tunnel surgery in 2004. I had a Reveal heart monitor implanted in my chest for over a year, which I still had when I went for my first two appointments and I finally got it out end of December 2011. (I started the program in November). During my pre-approval phase at month 5 I was admitted into the hospital for pleurisy, which is a complication due to lupus. Before I started the pre-approval phase I could barely get up the stairs or off the couch by myself. The pain in my hips and knees were so great and I was told I would probably end up needing all those. I decided to work on my food issues when I joined the program. #1 I didn't eat breakfast ever...I started doing a protein shake fo breakfast. #2 I didn't eat lunch..ever. I started doing 1% cottage cheese and a slice of turkey meat for lunch, or alternatively a protein shake. I did a sensible dinner. I started learning to chew my food. Something I never did (I ate dinner fast, swallowing everything whole) and often-times choking on my food. If we went out to dinner I always choked because I wanted nobody to see me eat so I ate fast. I always drank water with my dinner too, because I choked. I started to try not to drink water with dinner, and I found myself chewing more and choking less. I haven't choked in months! I slowed down on coffee intake and eventually gave it up before the pre-op phase. I figured if I did the pre-op shake phase and had to give up coffee, I wouldn't be having withdrawals so I got rid of it in advance. Because of my migraines I would drink things like Mountain Dew or Coke and instead I switched it Soda Water. When I found out no carbonation I was devastated. Worse, no more Excedrin Migraine. There were months I would get a headache 4-5 times a week. I switched to Botox injections in my head (above my ears in my skull and back of my head and my neck). I get a headache a week at the most now. I gave up Soda water because of the carbonation. I worked on my 64 ounces of water. I am off diabetes injections, I am pretty sure I will not need knee or hip replacement surgery. I am off water pills, I am off sleeping pills, I can walk up the stairs now. The surgery isn't what has cured me though. The fact that I took a stand and started to think I was worth taking care of is. I worked hard to make changes so the sleeve can eventually work for me. I still have lupus, I still have a brain tumor, but last summer I sat on my couch, could barely breath because I had so much weight on my chest and I knew I didn't have much longer to live. My great-grandmother died at the age of 49 due to obesity. She had diabetes and we were built exactly alike. I will be 49 in a few weeks now. I worked hard to get to where I am. I new surgery was going to be hard on me. My doctor knew it too. I had a hernia and I had scar tissue from so many previous surgeries including a c-section hysterectomy, numerous laparascopies from endometriosis, gallbladder removal, a bowel resection, I had adhesions everywhere. I am not considered the best candidate for surgery because I am sick. I lost 60 pounds during the pre-approval phase on my own. I went out to eat once in a while and had Red Lobster (yes, I had their HUGE monster size margarita) and I charted it, I went to japanese steak house, I had special meals during this time. But I still charted my food, and I still lost weight. I lost only 10 pounds during the pre-op phase. My parents, my son and husband thought I would die before 50. I knew I would die before my 49th Birthday if I didn't do something about it. I realized then, i would rather die trying to fight for my life than to sit on the couch and die not trying. While we all have different lives, it's up to you which way you want to live your life. If you chose to do this, I swear if you put the effort into it, you will start feeling better about yourself every single day. I am never going to be perfectly healthy, I still have the headaches to deal with, the tumor, I still need cervical spine surgery in my future, I still have lupus, but my gosh, walking up the stairs without hip and knee pain, being able to see that I have a lap, and laying down with my boobs suffocating me is AMAZING! I wish you the best of luck. You seem to have already started changing the way you are doing things, and you are putting so much effort into this already and that is all you can do is try each day to change what you can to make better choices, and realize you are worth taking care of now.

I was on Morphine in the hospital and had to be told to press the button, I went hours in between taking it. I'm allergic to all codeine and derivatives and they wanted me on Tylenol liquid but it made me sick. When I went home I tried Tylenol chewables, again they made me sick, so I ended up regular tylenol and I had a pill slicer. I used the band once in a while. Even now if I have to lift something I wear the stomach brace and I'm almost 8 weeks out. The pain the first day was about a 4, the day after surgery my pain was mostly because I had an allergic reaction to the Gastrique which is the liquid you drink for the upper gi to test for leaks. I was nauseated and sick and I was given 3 different injections for nausea all spaced a part, plus the nausea patch behind the ear and 2 injections were into the port in the IV and the one was an intramuscular injection and that swelled up and got hot. This was my worst day, mostly because of nausea, vomiting etc. About day 8 at home I was again sore and not feeling well but that was due to the drain pulling at me and because I have lupus, my body was attacking the drain and it started hurting more. Getting the drain out at day 9 was my biggest relief. I couldn't believe that there was that much tube inside my tummy and I felt like I could breath again because it was pressed up against my diaphragm. Luckily for most, they don't have to wear a drain that long and some don't get a drain at all.

If protein shakes are not what they want you to be drinking yet, I would suggest clear protein drinks like Isopure, Green Tea with Lemon, Grape, Orange, Fruit Punch, Berry etc. It's a clear (see through) not heavy like the shakes. They don't taste the greatest, but one bottle has 40 grams of protein, and you don't have to drink the entire bottle just try to get in a little at a time in between your water. The Unjury Chicken Broth like Karen says is a clear protein. I am not sure if Syntrax Nectar is considered "clear", you can get this at the Vitamin Shoppe or by calling Syntrax directly. (It's cheaper through Vitamin Shoppe). They have flavors like Fuzzy Navel which is a powder you mix with water. Best of luck to you.

Thanks for the information. I am suffering myself pretty bad. The Phillips pills I have tried taking I literally have to break apart (they actually break into shards which are rough) and I worry about it. I can't swallow it whole, it's just too big. I tried the Milk of Magnesia and poured it into the cup and took a nice size sip and ended up shaking and sweating over it. I use Amitiza (prescription like Colace) daily. I take Metamucil (to no avail) just a tired and bloated tummy over this, and of course the Suppositories. Unfortunately, daily use of suppositories can weaken the muscles, and I have already had a bowel resection. Prune juice is out of the question the carb count is higher than my daily carb usage, so until something wild happens and my esophagus into stomach opening decides to get a little larger so I can take the larger pills, I'm not sure what else to do. I will look around for these and will wait until I'm a little further out. I'm still introducing new foods and haven't tried nuts or anything as I am only 8 weeks out on Monday and spent 5 weeks on full liquids.

I wasn't mean and I wasn't rude, you posted you drank diet coke 9 days out from surgery. Not 9 weeks, 9 days out, good luck to you. If you end up with a leak, or posting in 2 weeks about the stall I'll try to remember not to offer any advice, whether or not it's asked for.

I am going to say something that is opposite. If you are going to go into this surgery go into it 100% Why wait until 85% of your stomach is out to work on you? Aren't you worth more than that. Spending your time pre-surgery gaining weight is not the right way to go into such a very restrictive surgery. All surgeries carry risks, why not do your best before surgery to limit the risks by taking care of yourself. Start charting your food on something like myfitnesspal.com Start trying to lower your carb intake now. I put myself on 800-1000 calories a day (I usually stayed around 800 calories and on my "fore-special days" where I went out to eat at Red Lobster or a Japanese Steakhouse - I went higher. I made sure I kept my carbs 45-75 ...unless it was a fore-special day, which I only did once a month or maybe twice a month. I lost 10 pounds a month during my pre-approval phase. I got to have my favorite foods once in a while, but I also learned to break the bad patterns that you will need to break eventually, if you don't break it pre-surgery, well who says you are going to be able to break if after surgery? Learn to not drink with your meal and wait 1/2 hour after you eat to drink your water. Chart your 64 ounces of water a day, chart your exercise. Learn how to do this now. Limit your caffeine until you can go off it completely (imagine weaning from caffeine and carbonation during pre-op shake....) people that do it before pre-op shake are more successful. If you are going to have Last Suppers, or Last meals before pre-op shake don't do it the day before do it days before because carb overload, will make pre-op shakes so much worse. Nobody said you have to starve yourself, but why gain weight? Wouldn't it be nicer to have less to lose after surgery? It sure was for me. Even if you lose 10 pounds or 5 pounds pre-surgery isn't that something to be proud of? Aren't you worth putting 100% effort into this? The food issues you have pre-surgery, the comfort food, or the love for food don't disappear after they take 85% of your stomach. You are still going to have stress, you are still going to have anxiety, you are still going to need comfort. I guarantee you, if you work on these issues before surgery and put effort into this, you will be more successful after surgery, because the surgery doesn't cure what caused you to become overweight to begin with. This is not meant to put anyone down, this is not meant to hurt anyone's feelings, but this costs a whole lot of money and this surgery is NOT a walk in the park. It takes hard work and dedication and it will not solve your problems if you don't work hard for it. Best of luck to you all.

I'm around 500 calories a day and I will be 8 weeks out. I stay 20-40 carbs a day and I count them on my fitness pal. I started charting my food in November when I started the pre-approval visits and I still chart my Protein, carbs, calories, sodium and potassium and fat daily. I also chart my Water and my exercise. It makes you accountable to see what you are putting in every day. If you gain a few ounces or a pound, you can see what foods are higher in sodium. If you get a leg cramp you can see where your potassium is. If you have a hard time losing weight and you can see that perhaps your carbs are way higher than you should be eating. This is what I do, and it's been working for me. I believe majority of people keep track. It's the best way to stay in touch with what you are putting in your body and it's a way to stay accountable. It's easier to go off-track if you don't chart and don't weigh yourself.

I was able to get down two tiny (I mean very tiny pieces (pinky nail size) of pork chop and about 1 ounce of grilled steak and I'll be 8 weeks on Monday. I guess I am a slow healer. I was surprised I was able to get the steak down but I seriously hurt my jaw chewing each little bite until it was completely rendered...a goner.

Another thing I have taken to is Rotisserie Chicken. It's good for a day, then you can make chicken salad with fat free or light mayo, onions and celery and cutting up peppers for scooping or bring some lettuce and make a wrap.

I buy a huge bag of shrimp. I pull out 4-6 of them, soak them in water, I take off the tail, dry them off and throw it in a small frying pan with spray butter and a little bit of diced garlic. I almost always seem to have left-over green beans (seems to be a staple in our home. I throw a few green beans in there, and that's my go to lunch now.

It's happened to me too. If it's really warm out your body could be holding onto Water, did you actually go potty or are you walking around with a lot of mirilax in your system? This happens, it's happened to me and eventually it will come off if you are following the plan. Best of luck. Sometimes it's very frustrating. I have weighed myself 4 times in a day and each time I weighed something different. I moved the scale and it said I gained 12 pounds lol. scales really suck sometimes. Just don't read too much into it, if you are following the plan. Try making sure you weigh yourself at the same time. My new thing is to weigh myself after my first pee every morning and leaving it at that.

ps: Height and Weight is not the only criteria for healthy body weight. Some people are built differently. I do have a tendency towards muscular body, I have wide shoulders, muscular arms, smaller waist, big butt, short legs but bigger muscular thighs, with a long torso. I didn't look that good at 130, I needed that extra 5-10 pounds to look healthy. If I was smaller, I would look horrible. There are others at 130 that have longer legs and arms that look chubby at 130 even at 5'3"

I'm 5'3" I was 130 in the past but I was extremely muscular and 16 years younger. I am thinking 140 would probably be a healthy weight. At 5'3" and almost 49 years old old, I will not be able to exercise the same way I could when I was in my 30's. I think 135-140 is where I would like to try to keep myself. I remember being 300 and thinking, oh if I could only get down to 250. I remember feeling great at 200 in the past and then back to 300 and thinking 275 would make me happy. I hit under 200 finally...after years of struggling 200-300+ and of course 175 is a goal I am looking forward to but I do remember when I had started to gain the weight how miserable I felt at 175 compared to how I felt when I was under 150. Right now, 196 feels FANTASTIC compared to what 300+ felt. I just know that a reasonable goal for me is 140 and if I can hit 135 and have that 5 pound wiggle room it would be for the best.

I was told when I was about a year out I could have a hard apple cider, if I opened it up the night before poured it and put it in the fridge. 9 days out I could barely get in a healthy Protein shake. I know it's not what you want to hear, but you posted and I think having it at 9 days out was not a good move at all. What would your surgeon say. Pouring it over ice doesn't release the carbonation. There is absolutely zero benefit to diet coke, you get zero nutrition. The problem with justifying that it is okay to do this at 9 days is that it leads to more temptation down the line. I would definitely speak with your nutritionist about this. ps I don't drink, smoke or do drugs either, so that's also just a justification for drinking something I would assume you were told you could not do. Wouldn't it have been safer to leave it sit overnight, or even make them into ice cubes to suck on to be sure the carbonation was out.

I finally have been able to up my calories and my food. I was only able to get in 1/4 cup of anything at a meal, except my shake. I think doing the shake is still a good thing for once a day, because you are getting in Vitamins plus your nutrition and Protein. Instead of eating though, give it time and drink more Water instead of eating. Wait for a snack and get some more protein in. I usually know when I am full because I burp or I feel a weird pain in my tummy. I never really "feel full" when I drink my shake because it literally takes me over an hour to 1-1/2 hours to drink it. I have noticed that I am able to get more in and instead of eating much bigger meals, I'll spread them out a little more. I learned that having a warm beverage an hour or so before dinner is beneficial for me. At night I have been having a teaspoon of Peanut Butter on a low carb cracker like Breton.

Will be 8 weeks out on Monday. I have a little scab on one, because there is still a real stitch in there and it's too low to get out and I just have to wait for it to work out. A few of the other incisions have clear stitches sticking out...enough to interfere with my underwear (it pokes through). If you rub your hand across my belly and incisions the clear, supposedly dissolvable stitches, scrape me. It will heal, just give it some time.

Vasovagal syncope is actually where your blood pressure and heart rate drops abruptly causing you to lose consciousness. Sometimes being nervous, upset or afraid can cause this. Older people have been known to get it while straining to have a bowel movement. I would get it when I found something hilarious and would burst out laughing (normally one of those gut wrenching laughs that could make you fart or have you known someone laugh so hard they peed a little)? Being dehydrated, extremely anxious can contribute to it. I had a heart monitor in my chest for over a year, and since starting my diet in November 2011 I haven't had it. I got the heart monitor removed in December. I believe that the weight itself on my body was a big trigger too. Try to make sure you are properly hydrated the day before surgery. I know it's hard to control, but try your best to go into the surgery less stressed, try to stay positive that the surgery will be a success, there will be no strain on your heart this time and you will be on your road to healthy new you. Sometimes positive thoughts do help control your anxiety.

Craving chili now

Do you still have a drain? Most of my pain was caused because of the drain. The drain cord was so long and pushed up against my diaphragm. I had it taken out 9 days after surgery and I could finally breathe. If not it's most likely gas. Were you given the incentive spirometer? If you were, use it as often as you can and try to hold something against your tummy and cough sometimes that helps too.

I used to pass out because of vagal response all the time when I laughed, it was horrible. My thoughts and prayers are with you and I hope July 30th is a success. Stay positive and best wishes. Check in when you can.

All surgeons are different. I got my first taste of Water the day after surgery. I was on clears almost a week then 5 weeks of Full liquids. Tomato Soup was NOT allowed at all because of the acidity and the carb count. I then went to pureed food. This was very very hard on me. Everything was rough on me. If I didn't puree it well I was in extreme pain. Soft foods, I stayed on Pureed during that and though I'm suppose to be on regular food, I still stay more to the soft. I haven't had bread, I keep my carbs between 20-40. Since I'm off liquids and quit having soup and I quit the sugar-free puddings etc. my carb count has dropped a bit and I'm about 20-25 grams of Protein a day. It definitely stopped my stall. Best of luck to you and I hope you find each new phase easy. I still am only capable of getting in 1/4 cup - 1/3 cup of food in at a time and I'm heading towards 2 months out on August 4th.

Beautifully written. Good for you, thinking about life and how they will change in advance, starting on making those changes happen now is what will really get you moving in the right direction. Pull out that teaspoon and the smaller plates and start practicing now. Forego that Water with dinner, wait 1/2 hour, eat the meat first and vegies second and if there's room the carbs, but make sure everything is counted on Myfitnesspal.com Use the next 3 weeks on behavior modification. I learned something since I started this whole process, the one thing that actually does bring tears to my eyes. The more I move...the more I can move. The commercial is so true "a body in motion tends to stay in motion". I am loving life now. It's hard to believe that I am the same girl that thought she would not live to see another year last summer. I look forward to hearing more from you and your journey.

I was 4 weeks out and still on full liquid diet and I went to a cook out on 4th of July. My husband ate and ate and ate and then....piled three large Desserts on his plate and ate some more and drank a beer. There's always next 4th of July. It gets better. I did 5 weeks full liquid, plus the two week - preop (Only shakes!) so I get you, it sucks but you have to let go and stay strong. It's worth it in the end.

You are almost under 400 pounds now, so you are close. Some insurances require six months consecutive appointments. For this reason, I would make sure you still visit the doctor's appointments for weigh ins and check in with them once a month until you are ready for the surgery. If it's been a few weeks, call and make an appointment so they know you are still serious. You are so close to 400 now, so be proud. You can still continue your swimming for now, because they would still have to set you up with a surgeon, then it has to go to your insurance company and you have to wait for approval there, that takes like a month and then they will have to schedule the surgery. That would put you closer to the end of summer, so you don't lose swim time. I have neurological and chronic pain issues including lupus. Swimming is my relief from pain. I had surgery June 4th and I was so worried about losing out on my swim time. As far as chickening out or anxiety, I really hope that you can let go of the anxiety. I am married with a family. I have a brain tumor, lupus, and I was over 300 pounds and I realized if I didn't get help I was going to die because of my weight, not the brain tumor, not the lupus, but because of my weight. I worked hard before my surgery to lose weight like you are doing now, to make the surgery easier on me. I realized I would rather die trying to get healthier than to die sitting on the couch, waiting to die. The pain is temporary, it's completely worth it, the world will open up for you and you will find less anxiety when the weight of the world is off your shoulders, your chest, your back, your knees, your hips. Life still throws curve balls, but I know i am better able to handle them now. Think about what you are doing for yourself. Anxiety...is a part of my life but when it came to this surgery, I let it go, because I knew what I was doing was worth it. I'd rather die trying than lay there dying. You have until the day you have surgery to cancel. Don't stop after you got this far. If you feel the day of surgery you can't do it, then you gave it your best shot, but don't stop the process by finding ways to have them call it off on you. Keep fighting until the day comes. Best of luck to you, you can do it if you put yourself into this and stay positive. You are worth it.