MidwestGirl

Congrats on getting your date! It will come sooner than you know! :biggrin0:

Good luck, folks! Sending happy thoughts for quick recoveries to you all! I'll join you on the other side next week. :biggrin0:

Congratulations Tiffykins! You are indeed an inspiration! :biggrin0:

Good luck today! Sending happy thoughts and cyber hugs your way! :biggrin0:

January is almost here!!! :biggrin0: Yey! Who else is gettin' sleeved in January? *Raises hand*

Thin, Fab, and Wing, sending good thoughts your way!!! :thumbup: Can't wait to hear about how you're doing!

Ok, so I just found the sheet my dietitian gave me listing some ways to use the Protein mix without making a regular shake including adding unflavored protein (there's a brand called unjury but I haven't tried it) with instructions for protein pudding, jell-o, Soup, yogurt. You can also make a "dreamsicle" by mixing a vanilla protein w/ sugar-free tang or dlat diet orange soda. Protein colada by mixing vanilla protein mix w/ 2 drops of imitation pineapple extract + 2 drops imitation coconut extract. Root beer float by mixing vanilla w/ flat diet root beer. Let me know if you want the "recipes" for the pudding/jell-o/soup/yogurt. I'm too lazy to type them up at the moment but they're pretty straightforward if you'd like them! :biggrin0:

I've been drinking the Nectar & some of them are very very sweet. But I think my favorite is the strawberry kiwi - if you mix it with water it tastes like liquid jello. It doesn't have the weird smell & texture of some of the other Nectar shakes. Does your bariatric office have any protein samples you can get? Mine gave me free samples of a variety of different Nectar shakes & a Matrix cookies & cream shake. That's a good way to go if they're available because then you can try 'em before you buy 'em. :biggrin0: I'm with you, though. I've been doing 3 4oz. shakes a day for almost a week now for my pre-op & that Nectar Chocolate Truffle that once tasted like chocolate milk is now getting...bleh . I just ordered the sample pack Tiffy recommended too, so hopefully those will be better! :blushing: Keep plugging away and soon we'll be sleeved, sleeve sister! :thumbup:

This is turning out to be the best holiday season EVER! My boyfriend (now fiance hehe) proposed last Thursday, also the last day I met with my surgeon pre-op. My surgery date is Jan. 4th, and now our (tentative) wedding date is August 19th, 2011. Now I have twice as much motivation to get those pounds off. I want to be able to get whichever wedding dress I want & not have to worry about finding the plus size shops. Though I'm not looking forward to leaving my new engagement ring at home during surgery...lol! :thumbup: Happy holidays to me! :001_tt2: And happy holidays to all of you as well! And good luck to all of my other near surgery date buddies! Our day is coming soon! :lol0:

Hi Gwyn, I'm having surgery at Genesis Medical Center in Davenport, Iowa, with Dr. Christophersen. I can't believe it's 9 days away! We're coming up soon. :thumbup:

Thanks all. :biggrin0: Thin, your surgery is in TWO days! Woot! Can't wait to hear back on how you're doing. :thumbup: I'm getting ever closer...it's creeping up.

I hope you get that call soon, girl! You've been doing amazing! :thumbup:

Good luck tomorrow! You'll do great! :thumbup:

I'm not sure on the more leaks thing, but my surgeon told me I needed to quit smoking a least 8 weeks before surgery or they wouldn't operate. I've smoked for 5 years & quit cold turkey on August 23rd of this year. :001_tongue: Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy | VSG | Weight Loss Surgery | Mexico | Ready4Achange Says smoking following surgery can cause serious complications. Not sure how valid the site is or what the complications would be... Vertical sleeve gastrectomy - MMCI This one also says cigarette smoking means a slower recovery & can cause complications. Anyway, his reasoning for me to quit smoking (besides that it's bad lol) is that healing can take longer afterwards for non-smokers. Not sure why this is.

Hi there! I actually had my EKG quite early in the process because during my visit with the nurse, she noticed I had an irregular heartbeat. So I saw my general physician for my annual appointment & got an EKG as well. She freaked out when she saw the results (and freaked me out too) and got me into the cardiologist for the NEXT day. She also told me there was no way I would get to have the surgery. At this point I was quite upset. I saw the cardiologist the next day, they did another EKG. After seeing those results, the cardiologist ordered more tests. I did a stress test, a heart sonogram, and a 24 hour holter monitor. Saw the cardiologist a couple weeks later, he told me I had Premature Ventricular Contractions - basically the bottom chamber of my heart pumps too often and so it doesn't always get a chance to completely fill up with blood before it pumps it out. This is actually a quite common heart problem (so they tell me). However, I have about 14,000 PVCs a day, so my heart isn't ALWAYS irregular. My cardiologist said he's seen patients with 70,000 a day - I can only imagine! He put me on a beta blocker just to protect my heart during surgery, but completely cleared me & wants to see me back in a year. He says it's probably been with me my whole life. Sorry this was a bit long, but I know how frustrated and upset I was when my family doctor told me it was definitely a no-go (though she was never supportive of WLS in the first place...), and I hope I can help so someone else doesn't have to feel that same way! :lol0: So not a deal breaker for me! :party4: Good luck & let us know what you hear back!

Funny, I shrunk at my surgeon's office too! :bananajump: I always thought I was 5'7...apparently I'm 5'6. :scared0:

Oh wow...Why do I always do that? I always SAY 178 when I MEAN 278...I wish, lol! :scared0: I'm silly. I'll edit it. :bananajump:

I'm also pre-op. I was 283 or 284 when I went to my first appointment. The last one I went to (which was 2 months ago), I was 278 with a heavy sweatshirt on. I haven't weighed since then (I'm a college student 2 hours from my clinic, so I don't get to go very often! Having surgery over winter break), but I'll have my next appointment this coming Thursday & we will see what I am now. :bananajump: My goal is to get down to 140, which would put me at 22.6 BMI, in the healthy range. That's my goal, but if I'm happy before then, who knows! Last time I was even CLOSE was at 170 and then I was in some size 14s and happy with myself, but I want to be as healthy as I can, so we will see. So, I understand where you're coming from! I'm hoping to lose a whole-sized-person's worth of weight too. We can do it! :lol0:

Well, I'm pre-surgery right now, too. But, I can't WAIT to get rid of my stomach! I never want to see it again. I'm just curious, but why are you worried about with not having it anymore/What made you worried about possibly needing it again later on in life? :bananajump:

Woot! Congrats! :bananajump: And thanks for being an inspiration! Can't wait to join you one day in ONEDERLAND!

Good luck to all of those having surgery this week! :bananajump: Looking forward to hearing how you're all doing!

Hi! Welcome. Congrats on your decision! I'm also waiting on my surgery date & my date is exactly one week before yours. Looking forward to going on this awesome journey with you! :bananajump: