Jadesatin

Hey there... Lisa's back and ready to chat, chat, chat.. Where O where do I begin ?? My "last meal". I felt like Jesus at his last supper. The Friday before my surgery after eating very good for two months I had the wonderful " I will never eat like this again meal". I went with my daughter to Hurricane Grill and had 3 Conch fritters, 1/2 chicken wrap, few chips, 1/2 chicken fajita and OH YES a Sangria... TOTALLY off my diet but I was going to go out with a bang if I wasn't going to eat for the next two days. Saturday was an OK day. I got to have a "no chew" diet of Yogurt ( with no fruit in it), Protein shakes and sugar free pudding. Sunday was a little harder as it was a "clear liquid" diet of Chicken broth, Water, sugar-free Jello and Vitamin waters. I ate my last bite of jello at 12:02 and then that was it until after the surgery. I didn't have to wash with any special soap or use listerine to cleanse my mouth. I showered, shaved and went to bed. OH on the bag note.. YOU will pretty much need NOTHING in the hospital. What did come in handy was pull-up toilet wipes ( for personal hygeine), Lip Balm b/c you can't eat anything at all for two days, No slip shoes b/c you will be walking and about 20.00 for the phone/tv hook up. Other than that you are provided with a gown, socks, tooth brush, tooth paste, lotion for your legs and arms, any "food" your allowed to eat. You sleep 75% of the day and the rest of the time you are being poked, prodded and bugged by nurses. Woke up early on Monday morning, dropped my daughter off at cheer camp and had my husband drop me off at the entrance to the hospita at 9AM. Some people invite people to sit with them.. I just wanted to have peace and quiet. He was a nervous wreck. Advice... if your spouse/parent/sibling is more nervous than you don't have them with you unless necessary. I walked over to admitting and got my paperwork put throu, went to the admittance area and had my urine tested for a pregnancy test ( NOT ). Ended up waiting for 4.5 hours in the waiting area. About 8 other people were taken for various surgeries before mine. UGH what a LONG wait. Finally was called at 1:20. Was given a great comfy cozy blue gown with these terrific interesting slits in them ( for surgery ??) and some fuzzy "no slip" socks. My stuff was put in a bag and labled with my name. I went to sit in the nurses office where I was poked and prodded trying to find my vein. And this was the "good nurse". Finally the officer came to take my things, I was given a blanket and reclined back to take a nap until my name was called to go back to the Operating Room (OR). Apparently my name was called but they couldn't find a stretcher for me b/c the next thing I knew the OR nurse came to the front nurses station asking how long I was going to take. UH.. I had been ready since 2:10 and it was now almost 3PM. My Doctor and Anestesiologist came to the nurses station to ask if I was ok. Doc made me sign my last consent form to do the surgery and the anestesiologist asked if I had any concerns. I said " Uh yeah. When are we going to get this show on the road?? Can't I just walk to the OR ".. He laughed and said in his Russian accent " I like this one. You want to walk... well lets go". What a nice little parade it was me being led by the Doctor, Anastesiologist, Head OR nurse and an assistant. It all seems like a dream but I walked right into the OR, smiled at the attending nurse as she said " SHE WALKED ??!! Never in 10 years have i seen a patient WALK into the Operating Room" LOL. I hopped up onto the table and said " Now what??" They told me to lie down with my feet against the foot pads, I put my arm out onto the extendable arm rest and the anestesiolagist said " We're going to give you a cocktail mairtini now" I said "Sir... If its a chocolate martini give me a double".... AND THAT WAS THE END OF MY PRE SURGERY LIFE... According to the calls to my hubby from my doctor I went into surgery at 3:20 and was out by 5:10. Apparently I got the 2 for 1 special... I had a hernia in my abdomonial wall and my intestines were poking out... in addition to the gastric sleeve. Come three hours later I wake up super groggy like "Holy Cow it was over !!" I looked at the clock and it was about 8PM. I was not feeling any pain at all just super groggy from the anestesia. I woke up about an hour later with a clearer head and just remember asking for my cell phone. I planned to call my hubby to let him know I was OK and tell my daughter goodnight. By 10:30 the phone still hadn't come so I asked the nurse to wheel me to the nearest phone and let me call my daughter. LOL Persistant little bugger I was. She got me a phone and I spoke to the hubby. Daughter and mom were sleeping. I have NO IDEA what my conversation was about I was still out of it. My throat was a bit sore from the breathing tube they put down my throat but not worst than a dry throat. Next thing I know I was being wheeled into my room and my roomy ( who was one of my nurses at the baratic center who also had her's done the same day) was calling my name. I said " Hey Stacy.. welcome to the other side" and passed out again. The nurses do not leave you alone for the entire first night. They check your blood pressure and temperature every two hours. They poke you will small needles every six hours to give you medicine to thin your blood ( choice arm / belly ) and you are not allowed to eat anything. UGH. Thank goodness my "swallow test" was the next day. I was given 3 cotton swabs flavored with Lemon that tasted delicious ( but later when I tried them taste HORRIBLE ). I slept on and off that night and the next morning. Funny thing was.. there was no pain. I read this on another persons report but really aside from the "fear" your going to rip something you don't feel any pain. it is mostly just an ache. Mainly in one area where they remove the remaining stomach from. Mine is still tender three days later. You do get a little button to push to get meds when you need them but for the most part the only real uncomfortable feeling is the gas left in your bloated stomach. Oh the other gross thing was the catheter. I mean it didn't really hurt persay but its not comfortable. When they wake you up in the morning the nurses made me sit up in a chair to get my blood circulating and that damn thing hurt when I sat down with it. In the morning the doctors came in and looked at my gross belly then it was time for my test. Woo Hoo. The swallow doctors took a general xray of my belly area. They then handed me a cup, laid me on a tilted table and told me not to drink it until they said. They left the room and I swallowed it. The doctor could see the gross tasting 1oz of liquid run down my esophogus and into my stomach. She repeated the test and then it was over. I was cleared to eat. NO leaks. YAY !! Good news one.. good news two I got to get the damn catheter out. OK so we don't feel it going in ( for ladies) b/c we are sleeping but when they deflate it and pull it out feels like a burning UTI. So not comfortable but it's only for a second and then its gone. Only sucky thing is its replaced with peeing on a "hat" thing that fits into the toilet so they can measure how much you are peeing and how much fluids you are intaking. Back up to my room. More blood pressure and more temperature taking then it was lunch time. Ohhhh what's for lunch... Oh joy... a 3 oz cup of yellow jello, a 3 oz cup of chicken broth and 3 oz of crystal lite lemonade. Ohhhh before you get so excited you can only have 3 oz TOTAL of these three. So the first meal was 1 1/2 oz of chicken broth and 1 1/2 oz of jello. I was also allowed to drink water non stop as much as possible. That night I was able to sleep a little better and was only bothered twice in the night by the nurse. The day passed pretty uneventful with another visit from the doctor and not too much sleep. The next morning my doctor cleared me to go home so after another Breakfast and lunch of broth/jello I got to go home. WOO HOO !!! And so begins my new life after Vertical Sleeve surgery... Short recap of since I've been home... Got out of the hospital and told my hubby to go to McDonalds... ( GASP.. Not for me silly people for him... LOL). He ordered a Big Mac meal with a soda and large fries. I sat there with my bottle of water and watched him eat. What I used to love now became disgusting. I have been eating just my Protein Shakes for the past two days and haven't been hungry at all. It's all been fine and you will be fine too. Still a little sore on my biggest scar but it will pass in time. Hope you all enjoyed my story. Take care and Good Luck to all.. OH BTW... I've lost 8 pounds since Monday. WOO HOO !! I'm on my way !! Oh kind of what to expect after surgery. The two incisions on my left ( close to each other ) are where they took the rest of the stomach out and are the ones that bother the most. The other 4 I don't even know are there. I was closed up with surgical glue so it will fall off over the next two weeks. No scars except 1/2 " to 3/4" lines. YAY !!!

Hi there... I'm three days away from surgery. Scheduled for Monday the 27th and I woke up last night at 3:30am freaking out. I guess getting my final clearance made it all real for me and now I am starting to worry about " What if something happens to me ?? What will my hubby and daughter do ?? What if they don't give me enough anestheia and I feel the surgery??" Am I being nutty ?? Did anyone else get super nervous the day before. My hubby works that day and I told him to go to work because why should he sit around a hospital all day when I won't wake up until after he's out of work. Now I don't think I can go into the OR without him there. I am kind of going nuts. I've lost 14 pounds since beginning this whole procedure. I'm wondering if I am losing b/c i HAVE to in order to get the surgery or if I can do this on my own without any surgery. Is that the "cold feet" thinking again ? I mean I have tried dieting many times before and haven't crossed the 10 pound mark once. Now that I am I wonder if I am strong enough to go without the surgery. THEN last night I had potatoes ( OH YES those yummy white fluffy things) and gained back a pound !! REALLY ?? OK I am going through with the surgery... clinging to the hubby's hand... not sleeping for the next 3 nights... and worrying my tush off... ( Wish it was literally LOL)... I should make for one interesting wife/mom on a liquid diet for the next three days. LOL. Take care all and thanks for listening. Lisa

Hey there ladies and Gents.. WELL I MADE IT !!! TWO WEEKS WITH NOTHING SOLID TO BITE... UGHHHHHH... The "BAD PART" for this week. The second week without food was the hardest I have to admit. I got through the first week fine b/c it was hard enough getting down the shake and alloted amount of Water that I had no interest in solid foods. Come week two... OMG it was all I could think about. I kept begging my hubby " Just ONE BITE" it's not going to kill me. Well, I spoke with my nurse and one bite of the WRONG thing could have landed me in the hospital b/c it could have gotten stuck in my swelled stomach. SO I had to stay away from solids which made it that much harder. I thought about my "FIRST MEAL" about as much as I thought about my "LAST MEAL" before the surgery. I FINALLY crashed on Thursday and BOY did I knock out. Thank goodness I have a good understanding job. The stress from the whole past week and surgery finally caught up on me but other than that I have been FULL of energy like crazy !!! THE GOOD : I was no longer swollen and the only "sting" I felt was in my largest 2 incisions and that was because they were healing. I have been monitoring them like crazy b/c they are healing and are actually itching a bit. I just rub them lightly over my shirt and it goes away. The FOOD: Ok I cheated a few times in the past week. I had ONE Perogie and 3 small slices of Kelbasi. Went down fine but I had to chew it forever and ever. Tiny pieces worked ok. ( I used to have 5 perogies and about 20 slices of Kelbasi !!). I had half of a Dannon Lit & Fit and that went down fine, but I was stuffed after only 3 oz. I had 3/4 of ONE baby bagel bite and felt like I just ate at a chinese buffet. It was sooo gross ( the bread was too much) I had LITERALLY two " NORMAL" bites of London Broil cut up into 6 tiny bites and I thought I would DIE !! ! The "BEEF" was stuck in my esophogus/stomach all day until the next evening. I forgot we can ONLY EAT MOIST meats and when they say stay away from beef take their word for it. It is SOOOOO not worth it !!! FIRST MEAL !! lol : I chose to have Talapia. I chose a .94 oz pack of Talapia, froze half of it and made the other half. I swore I would eat the whole fillet and LOVE it. I sauteed it in a little butter with some flavor on it. I sat down all ready to eat it and don't you know... I could only finish 3/4 of ONE fillet. I was full before I knew it. Now I know I have to split up my mini little 3oz of Protein into a lunch serving and a dinner serving b/c it was too much at one time. WEIGHT: Well I wish I could say I lost another 14 pounds this week, but I lost only 2 pounds. BUT before you feel bad for me... my size 22 pants can now be pulled off of me with the button/ zipper closed.... my size 20 pants look like I am a baggy pants wearing rapper.... AND the size 18 pants that were so tight they stretched across my thighs now fit a bit big by the end of the day. SOOOO.. we can't always live by the scale. I can wear pants that I would NEVER have been able to fit in before AND I can see my toes without bending over. WOO HOO !!! That's an accomplishment in my book !!! Hope you all enjoyed my update. Any 2 week questions feel free to post.... OH my intake schedule to get it ALL in with Protein and water: I make my shake the night before so it tastes more like a pre made Protein Shake. Each item is approximately 3-4 oz. 7am shake with Multi-Vitamins, Actigall ( for gall bladder), Pepsid ( for acid ) 8:00 water 8:30 water 9:00 water 9:30 water 10:00 shake with Second Multi Vitamin 11:00 water 11:30 water 12:00 water 12:30 water 1:00 broth ( less fulling so I have water sooner after) with Calcium, Actigal, Pepsid 1:30 water 2:00 water 2:30 water 3:00 water 3:30 shake with Calcium 4:30 water 5:00 water 5:30 water 6:00 water 6:30 shake 7:30 water 8:00 water 8:30 water 9:00 water 9:30 sugar free ice Pop 10:00 water 11:00 Last shake with Calcium and Lyrica ( I have Fibromyalgia) By now you have consumed : 2 scoops of Protein powder in 15-16 oz 1%milk 63 oz of water (w crystal lite) plus water in broth and ice from shake PLUS one tasty Sugar Free Ice Pop treat !! Good Luck and Enjoy !!!

This schedule works for me and it's pretty easy to follow b/c its on the "half" hour timer. Every :00 or :30 take a drink !! Good luck.. I make my shake the night before so it tastes more like a pre made Protein shake. Usually I pour my 3oz over a few ice cubes to have my " Shake on the Rocks ".. plus it adds Water when they melt a bit into the shake and makes it soupier to drink. Each item is approximately 3-4 oz. 7am shake with Multi-Vitamins, Actigall ( for gall bladder), Pepsid ( for acid ) 8:00 water 8:30 water 9:00 water 9:30 water 10:00 shake with Second Multi Vitamin 11:00 water 11:30 water 12:00 water 12:30 water 1:00 broth ( less fulling so I have water sooner after) with Calcium, Actigal, Pepsid 1:30 water 2:00 water 2:30 water 3:00 water 3:30 shake with Calcium 4:30 water 5:00 water 5:30 water 6:00 water 6:30 shake 7:30 water 8:00 water 8:30 water 9:00 water 9:30 sugar free ice Pop 10:00 water 11:00 Last shake with Calcium and Lyrica ( I have Fibromyalgia) By now you have consumed : 2 scoops of Protein powder in 15-16 oz 1%milk 63 oz of water (w crystal lite) plus water in broth and ice from shake PLUS one tasty Sugar Free Ice Pop treat !!

My personal life saver was pull-up wet wipes. They wouldn't let me take a shower so I lived to clean myself with those wipes after a day of not showering. UGH. Oh and I agree the chapstick will be a lifesaver especially the first day before your swallow test when you can have nothing. other than that a few bucks to turn on your tv but the hospital provides mostly everything you will need.

Hi there.. I am 2 weeks out and YES the first week is the worst. According to my nurse you are "supposed" to be able to hole 3oz after the surgery but bc of all the trama your tummy and esophogus went throu it is swollen so you more than likely only can consume 2 oz at a time or 3 oz pushing it this week. next week gets better. You also may feel pain when you swollow more than a little sip bc your esophogus is swollen. Here's what I do... I make my shake the night before so it tastes more like a Protein shake. I have 3oz first thing in the morning with my Vitamins. Then a half hour later I have 3 oz of Water, Then every half hour I have 3 oz of water for 3x. Then I have my second 3oz dose of protein shake. I have the shake over ice so as the ice melts i am also consuming water. Then i have 4 more doses of 3 oz every half hour and then it's "lunch time" when I have just my broth. ( water). Half hour later I start my 3oz every half hour again. Here's an example. Everything is usually 3oz. 7am shake 8:00 water 8:30 water 9:00 water 9:30 water 10:00 shake 11:00 water 11:30 water 12:00 water 12:30 water 1:00 Broth ( less fulling so I have water sooner after) 1:30 water 2:00 water 2:30 water 3:00 water 3:30 shake 4:30 water 5:00 water 5:30 water 6:00 water 6:30 shake 7:30 water 8:00 water 8:30 water 9:00 water 9:30 sugar free ice Pop 10:00 water 11:00 Last shake By now you have consumed : 2 scoops of Protein powder in 15-16 oz 1%milk 63 oz of water (w crystal lite) plus water in broth and ice from shake PLUS one tasty Sugar Free Ice Pop treat !! Good Luck

Sorry its taken me a while to get back to you guys. I have been getting back to work and my daughter back into school.. not to mention moving last weekend and my mom this weekend. UGh it's been a crazy two weeks to say the least !! OK onto Shakes... I'm using the frosty chocolate pure Protein whey protein with 25g of protein and body fortress super advanced strawberry whey protein 26g. Both about 20.00 from shop rite. The chocolate I make with ice and mix in a blender -tastes like a chocolate shake; or let it sit in the fridge overnight and it tastes like a pre-made one. The strawberry I mix with just milk and it tastes like strawberry milk. Yummy. OH and to Sike out my brain I pour my 4 oz over ice and make it a "Protein on the Rocks" meal... then when the ice melts it tastes a bit like strawberry and I get in about 3 oz of Water as well !! Enjoy !

Hello guys and dolls, How's it going today ?? Well I have been insanely busy. BAD news first.... I moved this past weekend.. yeah just five days after surgery OH JOY and ended up having my movers cancel on me last minute , had to find a "fill in" seet of movers and had to have an insane fight over my lease with my old landlord . SO needless to say... I moved from the day I got home straight through until Labor Day. We worked from 8am until Midnight nearly every day and guess what... I had the energy of an energizer bunny !! It was absolutely incredable. I couldn't even imagine that I had surgery just a few days before. I had such a great amount of strength and power that I was overwhelmed with the fact that I had just had surgery. GOOD news second.... I've never felt better in my life !! I have boundless energy ( as mentioned above and worth mentioning again) and have lost... get this.... 14 (!!!) pounds since the surgery last week. I will weigh in every week on Mondays to keep you all updated on the "progress" I make. I have been on a Water and Protein Shake only for the past week. I won't lie and say it's easy. Hint.. One thing to do is to make your shake the night before and put it in the fridge overnight. It will taste like a very rich chocolate ready made shake. Delicious !! THE UGLY news... this crap is HARD !!! I am on day 15 of not eating. I had my "Last Meal" on August 24th and I haven't eaten anything since then. Well I haven't CHEWED anything since. I look at food and thou I am not hungry I smell the food and I want it. I look at the food and I want it. I did "sample" a thing or two and by sample I mean I took a tiny BITE of pizza and chewed it to death. It was like mushy pureed baby food by the time I swallowed it. It went down OK but I realized I didn't really WANT it. I spoke with my nutritionist who said the reason you can't eat solids is because your stomach and esophogas is still swollen. I was consuming too much of the shake but I have decided to leave the ice out and just put the 16 oz of 1% milk in a shaker, add 2 scoops of powder and shake it to death. In the end it's a creamy chocolate milk and tastes great. I have 5 servings of this chocolate milk over ice. It's like a fake chocolate martini on ice. LOL Enjoy. Hope you all enjoyed my update. So... 1 Week Down.... 14 pounds down. Have a great week all. Catch you on Monday... XOXO Lisa

FIRST.. Good luck !! It's a wonderful thing you are doing for yourself and for your family. YOU are making a wonderful decision. Second.. not sure if you have had kids but think of it this way..there's no WAY it can be as bad as squeezign a watermelon through those parts. Secondly.. i've heard the gas is the worst part and you feel like you have done a million sit ups. You feel tired, worn out and like you have the flu but no real pain. I think you will be wonderful. Good luck will be thinking of you as I am wheeled in for mine tomorrow morning !!! Lisa

Good Luck today... I'm stalling going to bed because I know I will just twist and turn. BUT as you said... we are going to be healthier, happier and wonderful in about a month. As far as "pain" goes... i've been told you feel uncomfortable and sore more than pain. Your incisions and the stomach itself don't hurt but your belly feels like you've done a million sit ups b/c of the gas. Other than that you have little pain so far as I heard. And heck.. I think of it this way... I live with pain every day of my life for the past 10 years.. GIVE ME WHAT YOU GOT so I can live free of pain for the REST OF MY LIFE !! Thinking of you... Lisas

So by the time I post this I will be 24 hours away from the third biggest day in my life (first two bring the days my girls were born)...funny how my happy days are all in hospitals...hmmmm ? ? Well I thought I would be a nervous wreck, not able to sleep and freaking out but I'm surprised...BC I'm fine I've been insanely busy packing, moving some stuff to the new house and running around but overall just crossing through the day. Woo hoo. I've been having issues sleeping but that is more because I haven't been able to use the medicine for my fibromyalgia so it hurts to lie down for so long. I've been on a liquids diet since yesterday and I have to say it isn't half bad. I like not having to be worrying about food all the time. My loving hubby takes care of dinner for himself and Meg's so I don't have to go near it....ok I cheated and chewed on a sausage slice yesterday but "I DID NOT SWALLOW" LOL. so today is more packing, moving stuff, Walmart and CVs run, clear liquids and then passing out (thank goodness for the move) oh and pack some in between. Hope you all have a great day and see you right before surgery... Xoxo Lisa

Hey ladies (and gents?)... I'm in for tomorrow as well. Excited to begin my new life ! Thanks for the picture and measurement reminder. I can't wait to post pix... Heck I can't wait to fit into...get this...the sexy calve high boots I bought on sale and never could squeeze on past my ankles ! ! Come on fall... Go away pounds ! ! Focus on all the good things you will be able to do after. Btw... From what I've heard there really is no pain after its more soreness like you've done a million sit upset and tummy feels gross from the gas (maybe like when you have to poop and can't? ). What had anyone else heard?

Hey love.. my doctors WANT my to "poop" out all the bad stuff in my stomach. My surgery is Monday and they had me on a liquid diet since Saturday (only 2 days thankfully). They said if I didn't poop on my own by Friday to get sugar free Metamucil or Benefiber to clean me out. I think they need your insides clean so definitely check with your doctor.

The bruise pain makes total sense. I keep hearing sore (like a thousand sit upset sore ) and the gas aftermass is the worst part. thanks for confirming that.

Woo hoo by now you should be sleeved ! ! I am so happy for you. Wishing you a speedy recovery ! !

Wonderful. I can't wait for the day I can go out and not worry if people are staring at my big BUM or if they are saying in their heads " she's so pretty if only she'd lose a few pounds"... if I had a dollar for everytime I heard that i'd be rich !!! Congrats on your first 10 Post Op pounds... I'm due on Monday to go in. hope mine is as uneventful as many of the one's i've heard of so far. Take care and have a great day. Lisa

OK buddy... Spill it !! LOL.. How are you feeling great ?? It's only 4 days since surgery !! What did you do ?? What is it like to wake up ?? I know your still only on a Fluid diet but have you gotten those UGH I want a Big Mac feelings or is it just like " meh whatever it is what it is?"... HELP !!

Hey Luv.. By now you should be on a plane to San Diego and then off to Mexico. I pray things for you will go well and you will be up and at em before you know it. I heard of a lot of people going over to Mexico to get it done so feel secure in knowing your not the first. I hope things go well for you. Keep us posted. Hugs from across the USA, Lisa

Carol, First off thank you and second... I LOVE your signature with all of the wonderful things you want to do. It is probably the exact list of many people wanting to lose weight. I can't WAIT to wear boots that fit my calves. i've already bought two pairs on summer sale !! Oh and the hubby is more of a wreck than I am so he isn't going to work. Since I am going in at 2pm ( and he gets out at 4 ) he is going with me and will be there the whole time.. UGH.. more to make me a nervous wreck. LOL

I agree. I have been up and down so much and when i go back up I go way way up. I'm going to have the surgery b/c I need it not b/c I want it. So... the countdown begins. And by the way... that Harley is my "goal gift" so for the next few months I will be saving until I get to my goal. Thanks a bunch for the "two cents". Lisa

Thank you so much. I will definately need the after support. So far so good. Today is my last day of eating and I am going for the gold... Hibachi lunch here I come ( then i will eat light for dinner LOL ). Hope your having a great day. Lisa

What was it like to wake up in the recovery room ? I think I will be happy i'm alive but freaking out b/c of pain... I've been told it's "like being hit with a MAC truck". NOT very descriptive. What do you think ?? Thanks. Lisa

Congrats !! And wishing you a speedy recovery...