rsr53

Hi, G! My doctor's dietician told me the Pre Op diet was to shrink the liver in preparation for the surgery. It is not a weightloss issue, just a detox type of thing where you want to build your immune system up so that surgery will go smoother. I am surprised at your doc not requiring a preop diet. I have my appt for preop consult and instructions for the diet in the morning. My target date is either May 27th or 31st. I am wondering am I one of the lucky ones that doesn't have to do a 2 week pre op diet? I was told just don't go to buffets before! LOL I thought about doing my own modified one anyway to make things even more easier on myself? Thoughts comments? G

So far, I have spent $60 in protein and $20 for a liquid vitamin drink. I go for my diet instructions tomorrow morning so imagine there will be some more things to get. I have been stocking up the past 2 weeks as much as I can. One dr, not my surgeon, said it would run me about $150 a month. Costco carries alot of supplements for protein, etc. I would say to shop around--some like to order online for their supplements, but I find Costco to be reasonable and their protein is of good quality. Insurance usually wont cover the supplements. However, I am going to ask my dr if he will write me a prescription for it so that I can write it off taxes for this year. It would qualify as out of pocket medical expense if doctor prescribes it.

Wishing you and your sister the best in surgery and successful recovery. Keep us posted! I see my surgeon tomorrow for PreOP instructions. My surgery will be sometime around Mem Day--the 27th or 31st of May. ] Congratulations Karen! Mine is scheduled for Friday (me and my sister). sleep well and keep us posted on your progress.

Hang in there, Meggie! Glad you had surgery and wishing you well in your recovery and weightloss journey. I see my surgeon tomorrow for PreOp orientation. My surgery will be around Mem Day weekend. 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!

Wonderful, Karen! Home always feels good when you are recovering. Take care! I have taken three naps today! I don't feel the least bit guilty over it either! My nurse unhooked my PCA pump at 0600, so no more morphine for moi. I have only taken two pain pills today, and I have been walking up and down the halls every two hours or so. I am able to get my Water down and even some chicken broth. I can't wait to go home and see my kiddos tomorrow. I also have to give a shout out to all the staff here at Forest Park Medical Center. This is a top notch facility and I couldn't be happier with the care I have received. Have good night Karen

Hi, Karen So glad you are doing well and had surgery yesterday. Keep up the great work! I'm seeing my surgeon tomorrow morning first thing, then begins my preop diet! I think surgery will be some time around Memorial Day weekend--either the 27th or 31st of May. Take care and I hope you continue to feel well through your recovery period.

You are rockin' and rollin'! Great news of success! Congratulations!!

Hi, Valentina: Hugs to you on your upcoming surgery!!! I have probs with my RNY Bypass so am revising with VSG. Here is why: When I had my bypass, I needed it desperately due to severe GERD and High Blood Pressure. 3 mos prior, I had emergency blood transfusion due to severe blood loss internally. I had to stay in the hospital 4 days then. My surgery at that time also repaired a huge hiatal hernia, and removed my gall bladder. I lost 85 pounds, kept it off roughly 3 years, but started regaining weight and developed pernicious anemia and Calcium deficiency. In 2007 I learned my bypass stretched 80% and surgical revision would be in order to fix it and get my weight back down--Now I await my preop instructions and surgery date that will be on Thurs of this week. Soooo excited!!! If you have any inkling of doubt about either sleeve or bypass, please air them to your doctor. Remember, you are doing this for YOU!! If I were in your position I would choose the sleeve over the bypass. There is less onset of malabsorption with the sleeve, and I think with your support system postop, you will find the sleeve to be soo much better in terms of transitioning from the supplemental diet to a modest, lowfat/low carb plan of eating with the sleeve. Your husband has to deal with HIS health HIMSELF. It may require some counseling with both of you just for learning how to address your new habits and relationship to food. I think honestly that once they see you slimmer, happier, and just more exuberant in your daily life their apprehensions will subside. They need to learn the ropes, and you need to be verbal in saying exactly what you need from them over this journey you are starting. I hope great progress from you as you experience your surgery and recovery time!! Take care! et to decide whether to have gastric bypass or Vertical Sleeve. I went into this life changing course wanting a Sleeve, but when I mention it to my friends, they have a look like they are sucking on lemons! My daughters support me with whatever I choose to do, but that is not helping. Their love for me is not is question--nor is THEIR support. My significant other fluctuates between supporting me and telling me that I am selfish to only think of myself and not him as he struggles with clinical depression. I AM going to have WLS!! I just need some support that won't make me feel guilty. Right now, I am scheduled for a Sleeve because of the recovery time involved. Is that a wrong reason for the choice over the bypass??? SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!

Hi, Tiffanie: Congrats on your surgery date! I would buy vanilla Protein because you can blend them with different flavors, frozen unsweet fruits, juices, Peanut Butter, eggs/eggnog flavor blend, extracts, sugar free syrups like chocolate Hershey's, the sf puddings is also a good idea in order to vary textures and tastes. I got my protein at costco. One is by Premier in premixed chocolate and my vanilla one is by Muscle Milk. They also have a whey protein, but at 40 bucks per 6lbs, I decided to try these first. Also, I use soymilk light or unsweet, and also Almond Breeze in its 40 cal version--both are delicious and good in replacing lactose and milk. Might want to try them. Good luck! Hello everyone - I'm new here. Just started my pre-op diet, and am set for surgery on 5/23. I feel so blessed that I'm able to go ahead with this procedure, so also feel guilty when I ask - does anyone have tips for making these shakes more appetizing? I've barely got down most of my breakfast, and tried a different flavor at lunch, and it made me gag. I feel like such a baby complaining about it! I know I need the protein, but just am not sure how I'm going to get it down. I followed the dietician's recommendations and make it with milk and a little fruit and ice - but no dice. Any suggestions would be most appreciateutd!!!

I have those moments now!! I blame it on post menopause and elder caregiving to my 84 year old mom. Once the body heals and you do your diet, nutrition, and lifestyle changes, I would think this to be a minor symptom.

Follow your surgeon's orders. My surgeon told me my liver needed to shrink, so the preop diet is needed to do that. I have followed a very low carb plan, taking Vitamins, more activity, and roughly 1200-1400 cal plan per day. I have not begun Protein shakes yet. I see my surgeon Thurs morning this week, so will officially start preop diet then. Good luck! I believe my surgery will be either May 27 or 31. I was told that I have to do a 2 week pre-op diet by my surgeon's office. I decided to begin a week early and do 2 Protein Shakes per day along with one healthy meal. Today I had to start the surgeon required portion of the diet and I was told that I could have 2 shakes per day, and could only eat soup, SF Jello, and SF popsicles, though no specific calorie limit was set so now, I have absolutely no idea how many calories I should be eating. Last week I kept it at 1200 per day with a lot of success, I wasn't hungry and I lost 6.5 pounds. Today I've had only 535 calories and I'm not starving, but I am hungry and am not sure if it's ok for me to go up to 800 or if I should try to keep it around 500 - 600 per day. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome! Thanks Erin

Follow your surgeon's orders. My surgeon told me my liver needed to shrink, so the preop diet is needed to do that. I have followed a very low carb plan, taking vitamins, more activity, and roughly 1200-1400 cal plan per day. I have not begun protein shakes yet. I see my surgeon Thurs morning this week, so will officially start preop diet then. Good luck! I believe my surgery will be either May 27 or 31. I was told that I have to do a 2 week pre-op diet by my surgeon's office. I decided to begin a week early and do 2 protein shakes per day along with one healthy meal. Today I had to start the surgeon required portion of the diet and I was told that I could have 2 shakes per day, and could only eat soup, SF jello, and SF popsicles, though no specific calorie limit was set so now, I have absolutely no idea how many calories I should be eating. Last week I kept it at 1200 per day with a lot of success, I wasn't hungry and I lost 6.5 pounds. Today I've had only 535 calories and I'm not starving, but I am hungry and am not sure if it's ok for me to go up to 800 or if I should try to keep it around 500 - 600 per day. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome! Thanks Erin Source: Pre-Op Diet

My PREOP consult with Dr is Thursday. Starting the journey then, and surgery either May 27th or 31st. I have been unlearning my yating habits and am completely off sodas!!! Yay!!! I work outside in my yard and do some housework in here. I need to do more, tho. Getting a friend to walk with me at the mall, which will help alot.

Sorry you had a tough postop. I hope mine is done with no unusual problems. I know how skeptical you must be feeling, yet once you heal and weight lost, I bet you will do lots better. Take care, Gabriella!

Don't use the alcohol as your crutch. Find ways to remove yourself from any stressors. Get a hobby! Yes, the 12 Step Program can also help you address your issues with foods and addictions to them. Congrats on your loss and that you did not regain what you have lost--make this a good starting point to regain your nutritional program habits again. I am not one to rely on pills to heal feelings--exercise, activity and support systems are vital to your health and wellbeing.

Weight Loss has been a terrible monster in my life. You see, I started at the tender age of 3 months at 25 pounds. I went through the cutesy, cuddly stages of infancy, struggled through school and high school with diets, pills, doctors, support group meetings, and the socalled programs offering nutrition and guaranteed weightloss in a snap!!! WRONG!!! Then there was college--I would see guys I liked, but they were not "right" for me. I was sooo embarrassed by my size, and the impression left in the workplace is still haunting me to this day. The stresses of growing up, trying to live a decent life with some pleasures and hobbies have been really challenging. When I got married and divorced, I also experienced terribly low esteem. I did drown myself in college education, worked some within my profession, but not really achieving the maximum I wanted. I am a closet eater. The stresses of maturing, and growing personally, physically, and spiritually, too, caused some big health problems: high blood pressure and longterm GI problems, and later, nutritional deficiencies and joint pain. By the time I hit 47, my weight shot up to 264 preop for RNY that I had in June of 2001. I lost 85 pounds initially, maintained it for about 3 years, then gradually progressed into regained weight, which again ricocheted the initial efforts both physically and emotionally--I also added asthma and severe drug allergies to blood pressure medications, in addition to anemia. The regained weight has been a terrible mental blow, and for 4 years when my surgeon said revision would be necessary to counter any regained weight and the gastric bypass was stretched at least 80%. Of course, any medical treatment is expensive, and in stressed economic times, funds for doing anything to treat this problem requires insurance coverage. I fought some pessimistic doctors, family, and adversity to finally get approval for revision surgery to my RNY this past week--I will be going to surgery very soon. I want to give back what I take in the way of weightloss interventions in some way--either through orientation facilitation, educator, or nutrition counselor. Stay tuned!! Finally, what I really want to say is that you have to stand your ground when seeking treatment for weightloss through surgery. Never give up your cause!! It also helps to do your homework on procedures, treatment schedules, and VITAL support system--surgeons and clinics, too. I love this site!! Thank you all for your time in contributing your experiences here. RSR53

I didn't think to ask and all they told me was to start taking Dry Vitamin D for 8 weeks then they take me off for 2 weeks and run blood work. This will put me in to the time where I am hoping my surgery will be scheduled - July/August. Anyone had low vitamin D before surgery? It should not stop surgery. My D is low but I take supplements daily for it. My dr said as long as I take supplements it would be OK. My Calcium levels are low, too--stands to reason as vit D helps absorb the calcium. Sorry you had probs with potassium deficiency. I have been lucky--my labs are normal except for calcium and Vit D.

Hi, Jerri! I am a schoolteacher by trade--looking to change careers to something more in line with healthcare. I am about to get my VSG soon. Just got OKd last Thurs. I am in AZ , too! Zip is 85050. Take care! RSR53 ] Well....I'm from Arizona and I'm in the medical field. I'm a registered health information technician. Does that count?

Sounds like a plateau. You might try a registered dietician who can help you with your foods. I bet you are losing a bunch of inches with your workouts. Hang in there and don't frustrate yourself!!! It will come off! Those last pounds are the worst ones to lose--they stick like glue!!! RSR53 I had a band put in in June of 2008. I did well. I lost 115 pounds in one year. I had port revision in 2009 my port was loose. AND then stalled for a year, no weight loss at all! So last August-2010- I had a band to sleeve conversion. I lost a few pounds on the liquid post and pre op diet and then NOTHING>>>> not one dag on pound. I try and eat a higher Protein diet, but I do eat a little bread now and fruit, Apples, veggies and meat. I haven't had sugar in 3 years. It's poison! Don't touch it. I workout 3 to 4 times a week 60 minutes of cardio on the elliptical. I only lift weights occassionally. ALL my blood work is NORMAL! Yes Vitamins etc...normal.. AND I am STARVING all the time. I have tried everything. I do not have a doctor here as my surgeon has left?? There is no scientific explanation...I eat about 1200 to 1500 calories a day sometimes more somedays less. I really work my butt off at this weight loss and nothing. I am so frustrated I could scream! I don't know what to do and no one has any explanation for it at all. I am kinda missing my band and feel like I am eating too much. I can eat a whole chicken breast at one time (nothing else) a whole sandwhich, etc...I am missing my band....I am considering having it put back in on my sleeve? I am at my wits end here, can anyone out there help me?? I am so alone!!

I am happy for Tom, too!! You are doing great, too!! Looking forward to my surgery very soon!! Take care. RSR53 So happy about the jeans. Thats just wonderful. I agree that there is bad with the good. But for me the good out numbers the bad. My weight at pre op was 234 my weight today is 198 and 5 1'. I am what is considered by my surgeon a "lite weight" But my BMI was 44. So to me I wasn't a lite weight by no means. I did hit a stall at three weeks that lasted three weeks. I just cleared that hurddle. So the frustration that goes along with it is there. I do struggle with decisions that I make everyday when preparing my lunch for work. Just because I can doesn't mean I should. So I stick with Protein first. Generally I barely have room for carbs. I do try to squeeze in a brussle sprout. My husband has not had WLS either. He does his best to encourage me with my decision to have had WLS. He has been there the whole time. It does help to have a cheerleader on your side. He works out with me. We take turns on the treadmill, spot each other when lifting weights. I haven't eaten out yet. I guess that will be when I'm ready. I do get strange looks at work when I am eating. A big girl eating small pieces of chicken cut into tiny squares. Then the giant bottle of Water I carry around all day. They were so use to seeing me eat junk food, sodas, chips. All day everyday at my desk. So yeah I have done a complete 360 on my lifestyle. For the better, So yes it can be frustrating. There is no going back for me. I will never allow myself to fall back into unhealthy habits again. The sleeve has made see why I eat. I do wish you the very best on your journey. Deb

Hi, Tom! Thank you for your posted story. I am about to get my VSG very soon. It will be revision surgery to my RNY I had 10 yrs ago. I hear you on the commitment needs!! I am highly allergic to blood pressure meds, so weight management is my lifetime commitment. Sometimes we are never fully prepared for these matters of surgery no matter how much or how hard we try. I also love good food, but find that my relationships to it and socially are not as important as the physical well being nutrition and healthy lifestyles bring to an image. I am seeking new work, so it is imperative to be strong and healthy. Looks to matter to the workplace, no matter what field you are in. I am a schoolteacher, so you imagine well the need to support good health and mental wellbeing. You are well on your way to happier times with friends, family, and your work!! Good luck and God Bless! RSR53 Hello everyone. I know everyone probably has a different experience, but I need to share mine. I hope this will be helpful for those who have not had the surgery yet and in no way am I trying to influence anyone either way. I simply wish I would have really understood what my new life would be before I rushed into this. I am sure I still would have had the surgery, but I think I would have been better prepared. Take from this what you will, but I do hope it is helpful. Insurance was not an option for me. My insurance does not cover the procedure under any circumstances. I had gotten up to 375 lbs. I was literally twice the man my wife married 25 years ago. My health was starting to decline and I could really feel the weight I was carrying. I had always been athletic growing up and until my 30's. I suffered a hip injury at 32 that basically rendered me unable to do much at all for a year and a half. During that time I went from 190 lbs to over 250. Once I recovered I just kept gaining weight. I love to eat and basically lived to eat. I ate out at lunch time 5 days per week and would eat to the point I felt miserable, but boy I liked that feeling. I could eat food that tastes good even when I wasn't hungry, I would eat it simply because it tasted good. I guess by now you can see why I got up to 375. I guess I was actually lucky I wasn't even more. One day in December I was at an appointment with my General Practitioner and I told her I had to do something about my weight. I had tried diets and to be honest, I was just past the point of wanting to be hungry and refused to do the diet thing. I wanted her to give me a pill or something to make me not eat. Due to my high blood pressure there was no way she was going to give me diet pills. She talked to me about the sleeve and suggested a surgeon. She arranged an appointment for me and I went to see the surgeon. We spent an hour or so discussing what my desires were and why I wanted to lose weight. I told him I felt my quality of life was going to very low within the next 10 years if I wasn't dead. My weight was causing me sleep problems, I woke up hurting all over, I was always sleepy, I couldn't walk very far at all without being out of breath, and had no energy. We discussed Bi-pass which he stated he would not do on anyone under 600 lbs, gastric sleeve, and lap band. He told me of the pros and cons to all three. I have known people who had lap band and all of them lost weight for a little while then gained it all back because they didn't go back to follow up on getting them adjusted. I decided I thought the sleeve would work best for me and he told me to think about it a little while and call when I felt I was ready. The cost of the surgery would be 13000.00. After my visit with him I discussed it with my wife and thought about it for a couple weeks. I talked with a couple people who had had the surgery and decided I was ready. I contacted my Dr and set up my Pre Op appointment. He placed me on a pre op diet two weeks before the surgery and I lost 25 lbs on that diet. I had surgery on March 17th, a Thursday, and it hurt way more than I thought it would have. I ended up spending two days in the hospital because I thought I was having bad nausea. It turned out I was hungry, LOL. When ever I would even try to drink the liquids I would throw up. It wasn't until being home a few days that I figured out the new hunger feeling was not nausea at all. I did the whole liquid diet thing for a couple weeks and it sucked. I was wanting to eat something with some taste and texture until I was told I could move to more solid food, after about two weeks. The papers I was given when I left the hospital said I could eat soft boiled eggs, tuna fish, chicken salad chopped fine among other things. My experience was that when I would eat these things they tended to feel like they were coming back up in my throat. I was belching all the time when eating. I had to return to liquids for a little longer. At this point I have been told I can eat pretty much whatever I want and there is the problem. I want to make it clear that since the surgery hunger is not really a problem. Yes, you will know when you need to eat, but it is nothing like before the surgery. I tend to feel a little nauseous when I am hungry. That is the only way I can describe it. That may not be accurate, but it is the best I can come up with. I am only able to eat a very small portion. There is no multi coarse meal just one whatever. The need for Protein pretty much means you eat some form of meat or Beans. When I am able to actually able to eat a serving size portion of meat there is no room for anything else. I am finding this to be very boring and frustrating. My surgeon has suggested I eat some type of vegetable about an hour or so before I eat my protein at night. I have not done that yet because he just told me this on Wednesday and I had a handful of boiled shrimp last night so I will be trying it out this weekend. ****Here is the important part of my ramblings. The mental aspect of the surgery is the worst thing. I miss food and I get depressed when I think about the fact I will never again be able to eat to my satisfaction point. I long for the foods I can no longer eat. I eat too fast most of the time and the penalty for that is throwing up. I am tired of puking and I guess at some point I will learn to slow down when I eat. Also if you overeat you will be visiting the toilet to puke. This surgery is not a magic bullet. It is not a sprint, but a marathon. Yes, You will lose a good bit of weight in a short period of time, but it is still going to be a battle to get it all off. Research this fully before you decide to do this and understand this is a lifetime change. You will never be able to go back to the eating habits of your past unlike lap band seems to do. Be prepared for this because it is forever. Now to end on a good note. I am very pleased to say I saw my GP this week and was taken off two medications completely. My blood pressure medication I was taking twice per day was cut back to once a day. I am looking forward to getting off of it completely. I really hope this post helps you and prepares you. Again, this is not an easy way out, but a jump start to a new lifestyle. Good luck to you all and God Bless.

Try mixing Protein with soy, or Almond Breeze Light, that is not sweet at all. I just discovered Almond Breeze at the store, about $5 a gallon for it, but this has no lactose, no soy, 40 cal per cup, and really a good milk. Only 1 or 2 grams of sugars overall, but has a host of minerals and Vitamins in it. I promise, this one is not sweet!! Since I am due to go to the hosp soon for my VSG, I am also stocking up on Premier Protein, and one by Muscle Milk that mixes with Water, which comes in a gal jar. The Premier I got in chocolate, which I plan to cut in half with Almond Breeze. Some folks say any sugar free flavorings for coffees are good enhancers to these Protein shakes. I would also invest in some flavored mineral waters, but you have to let them flatten before drinking as they have carbonation in them--I like Cascade Ice, and have also tried the Vitamin Waters, too. Today at costco, I found a liquid vitamin called EcoDrink; it comes in a pack of 30 with orange and berry flavors and has all of the daily Multivitamin requirements in it. I think you might need more vitamin support for your weakness. You have to vary your servings and liquids to try to keep your interest up. Some thoughts, frozen fruits you make yourself to whiz into vanilla shakes. Use low sugar or no sugar juice to freeze into cubes to whiz into your shakes. Make your glass or tumbler pretty by freezing berry into ice cube trays to add to the shake. Think of other ways to make pretty your otherwise bland liquid meal. If you make thicker shakes to spoon, that would seem more like a meal--not quite so boring. Congrats on your surgery! Hope I might have given you some suggestions and encourage your recovery to be more pleasant. I look forward to my surgery and recovery very soon, too. RSR53 I am five days post-op and I don't think I can take the thin liquids much longer. I still have 9 more days of them. I'm doing better with my water, but everything else just tastes disgusting. Everything has some sort of weird underlying taste that I can't really identify. Here goes the whining . . . I'm so freaking tired. I did some laundry today. Just lifting up my arms to fold towels made my muscles weak. I could barely hold them up to curl my hair. I walk a bit and then I have to go lay down. All I want is something that doesn't taste sickly sweet. But other than chicken broth there is NOTHING on my thin liquids list that is not sweet. I know what's done is done and I will be so thankful in about another month, but right now I'm grouchy and tired and never want to have a sugar free fruit jello/popsicle again. Anybody have any suggestions for getting through this period?

I got my approval today tooo!!! VSG Revision to my RNY.

Hi, I got my approval for revision to the sleeve today from my doctor's office. I am going from RNY to sleeve. I had my bypass 10 yrs ago. The pouch stretched about 80% and of course my weight came back. I have health restrictions due to severe allergies to alot of drugs that are common pills for high blood pressure. When I got my bypass, they took my gall bladder and repaired a huge hiatal hernia at the same time. I did not have discomfort whatsoever. Mine was open incision, but I suppose if you get laproscopic surgery the healing won't be too bad. I remember my drain tube for the gall bladder surgery part took longer to heal. Post op, I felt soooo much better--I had severe anemia 3 mos prior to surgery that the bypass saved me. Keep us posted--you will be in good care--try not to worry! rsr53 I got my approval letter in the mail yesterday for my revision. I will have the band to VSG and gall bladder surgery at the same time. I know several here have also had that surgery and would appreciate any advice you have. I am a little nervous about surgery but know that is normal. When I get really nervous I say to myself," you are going to have surgery no matter what because the gall bladder has to come out. this is just a little more." Seems to work a little. Is there a great deal more pain associated with gall bladder removal? Cathy