hsirk

Hello, Octo-sleevers! I just finished my last night of work before surgery and I am SOO excited for Monday morning! I am down almost 50 pounds from my highest weight and I am so ready to keep going! I just wanted to pop in and wish you all good luck with the liquid diets as your dates approach. I have been on liquids since (my birthday, of all days) September 9. I have PAT tomorrow and I then all I have left to do is to get up to the hospital on Monday morning. Thank you all for being such a positive support system - it has really gotten me through the last few weeks! <3

I am obviously not a doctor, but I don't think they would be able to use the same sites due to scar tissue...?

I have 2 weeks left. I know that the time is going to go super fast! I just hope that I can get everything accomplised before my surgery date comes! How is everyone else feeling?

I am getting the sleeve done on October 1st, and I have been on my liquid diet for one out of three weeks needed. I tried to stay to myself for the first few days and just kinda hang out where I wasn't going to have the issue of food being *right* there. I worked all week, did my thing, and now I find myself on a day off and I realize that this is one of my problems! I always eat so much more when I am at home with nothing to do. I am happy to report that instead of just sitting around I mowed the lawn, went and got another Protein option, got another of the supplements that my NUT wanted me to get for post-surgery, and I bought a more reliable scale for tracking things. I was active, I was moving around, I was feeling good. I have to tell you, though, my moving around had me driving past places that I would have normally dropped in and ate something at. It felt good to drive right past. That brings me to the title of my post: tip-toes and eggshells. I feel like this week has been an eye-opening experience for me. My relationship with food used to define me. But now, I can drive past my old food favorites and I know that I am moving on to a better life. I am even ok with smells. (I went to a GNC to get some stuff and there was a Little Ceasar's 2 doors down. Smelled good, but not enough to compromise this.) I went to visit a friend because we haven't had much occassion to see each other in the last week. I mixed up a strawberry-lemonade Protein Shake and figured I was going to be just fine. D, my friend, felt she had to warn me that her house was going to smell like food because she had a meal cooking in the crock-pot all day long. I told her I would be fine and she dropped it. I sat with her and just talked for almost 3 hours and every time she brought up a new topic is was in some way wrapped around food. Finally, D stops and looks at me and actually appologized for talking about food! I had to laugh and tell her it was ok. I think she felt like she has to tip-toe around the subject because I am denying myself solid food right now. I am not going to lie, I am a total foodie. I love cooking, I love different tastes, I love the social aspect of having a meal with friends. But, I am also at a point where I am not going to let food define who I am. I have thought about surgery before (at my highest I weighed just over 400 lbs) but it was never right for me before. After nights like tonight, I know I am on the right track. I know that it is finally right for me. I think I have seen these called non-scale victories. Well, my friends, I think I have had my first NSV. And I like it.

My weight has been a prison sentence for me in the last few years. I went to Vegas with some friends and tried to get on the New York, New York rollercoaster - yeah, that was a no-go. I have had to ask for the seatbelt extenders, and I have just gotten to the point that if I can't drive there, I don't go unless I have to. Oh! And I won a cruise through work. Have you ever tried to shower in the teeny-tiny, itty-bitty showers on a cruise ship? Not fun for a fat person. I, too, am going to start a list of the "re-dos" that I want in life. Las Vegas, a cruise, and an amusement park are totally on that list!!

I am really hopeful that I will lose around 30 or 40 pounds on the pre-op. Not only to make sure that I have downsized enough fatty tissue around the liver, but also because the more that comes off now, the less I will have to lose later. I was at 20 lbs yesterday - I am going to have to hide my scale so that I don't become obsessed!!

My doctor decided to do 3 weeks of a high protein liquid diet before surgery. I started that liquid diet on Sunday and as of this morning I have lost 13 lbs by my scale. How much should I hope or expect to see come off in these first few weeks? Anyone have some insight they can share?

I have 16 days! It is getting very real and very, very exciting!

Thank you for this! I have been looking for a variety pack of the syntrex nectar stuff! I have seen awesome reviews about it, but not a lot of places where I can get samples in a variety. Thanks!!

Hi dear! Just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I am bigger than most of those posting here, too, I am on my pre-op liquid diet right now for surgery on the 1st of October. Just remember that size is relative to everyone posting here - we just need the community support of those that are in similar positions. I wish you well on your surgery - You are gonna rock it!

Awesome! Thanks for your help! I was scared to try the unflavored after I read that review as I have really sensitive tastes and I am able to taste the stupidest little differences in things. I will try the unflavored, though! I am excited to do so, actually, since I am already getting sick of the drinks... LOL!

i work in a call center, so I don't have to deal with customers, but it took me a long time to get comfortable in my surroundings because I was afraid of what other people were whispering. At my highest I was over 400, but I had a nurse at the hospital actually tell me that I carry the weight in a way that I didn't look that heavy. Not sure how much of a reassurance that was, only because I know how I looked and it wasn't like I looked that much smaller. I hoovered right around 375 for years, but then docs had me do prednisone for some lung issues and that's what pushed me over. But - I have just a little over 2 weeks and I am not looking back! Ever again!

Would you accept an answer of way too much? At my highest, I was just over 400. I have to get over being ashamed of that. I think that is the hardest psychological issue with this process for me. :-/

I have read a few reviews that the unflavored does actually lend a slight taste to things. I was thinking about getting some and trying it in the magic bullet with a crystal lite packet. I am quickly finding that chocolate Protein is not my favorite drink. Do you think the unflavored does have a taste that would ruin something like that?

Is anyone else on to the pre-op diet yet? Mine started last Sunday and I thought I was going to DIE at first. However, it seems to be a great thing for me! I have lost almost 15 lbs since Sunday, I have so much more energy, and I just feel great! I woke up today, and I KNEW that this was the right decision for me. I am so ready for this! We got this, October sleevers!!

This can vary by the procedure (open or laproscopic) and how you respond to it. Or, at least, that's the answer I got from my surgeon. I was told to expect 2 nights laproscopic, longer if they have to convert to open. Hope that helps!

I have been in this spot a few times, too. Then I think of how awesome it is going to be to go out into public and not worry about other people staring or commenting on how fat I am. I remember that I want to travel. I remember that I want to be more than just a number in a statistic. If you choose to cancel, do so because you are absolutely sure. Don't let fear cheat you out of the rest of your life. We are here for you, and we are gonna be going through the same stuff. Hang in there, hun!

All of my paperwork from my Doc says no motrin, no advil, no aleeve. The only OTC pain med I can do per my doc's instructions is Tylenol. Not my favorite, but it will do, right? I have thought about having some sort of bracelet made up - it is smart so that if you can't talk to someone and let them know what your particulars are that you aren't harmed in the administration of first aid or something. If you get an answer from your doc, please let us know!

Yay, not Yikes! I am on day three of the pre-op diet and it is quite a change. I don't get surgery until Oct 1, but it is quite a journey to that point, even. Good luck, Cinders!

That is unfortunate. However - you will make one heck of a patient for Halloween and then next year you can go as a much thinner, healthier person, right? Good luck!

I am really particular about the taste of my food and drink. My NUT gave me a sample of the ready to drink Premier Protein that can be found at Sam's Club and Costco. It is ok, not great. She also gave me a packet of the Strawberry Sorbet from Unjury and I mixed it with water, ice, and a packet of Lemonade Crystal Lite. SOO good! It was really fantastic! I also know that where I live in Montana there is a Weight Management Clinic through one of the hospitals (not the one I am using) and they sell products and samples. You should see if there is anything like that in your area. It would make the protein a lot simpler for you. Or, just get the sample basket from Unjury. Hope that helps!

I am sure that most of us sit here with our fingers poised over the keys, wondering what to write. Do I start of with my name, my age, what brought me here? Do I talk about my goals and dreams? Well, here goes nothing! My name is Kristine, I am 27 years old, and at my highest weight (that I know of) I was 415 pounds. I live in Montana and it has taken me a long, LONG time to get to the point of admitting I needed the help I am getting now. My whole life I have been the fat kid. I was "gopher cheeks" in the first grade per the bully on the school bus. I was "Porky Pig" per my own mom in a ruse to help me quit snacking after school. I was "thing" per my older sister in her rash of older sister contempt in my teenage years. But mostly, I was and am just me. It has taken me a lot of time, a lot of crying, and a lot of help from special people to know that who I am is not just a number on a scale. That number, however, comes with its own set of problems. When I was 18, my mom died of a heart attack that left me knowing that I was going to be next if my life didn't change. I was even a realatively healthy weight at that age. I got sick right around the time that my mom passed and life has just spiraled out of control since. I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder that included treatment with prednisone and chemo that just made me sick and, well, fat. Then, once I was medically cleared of that issue, I started getting infections in my lungs that landed me in the hospital twice for a severe pneumonia. The first time it happened, my oxygen saturation levels were only in the 70s. I was lucky that I went in when I did or I wouldn't even be here to realize how lucky I am now. To figure out where the lung infections were coming from, not only was I put back on prednisone, but I started seeing a specialist that recommended I get a lung biopsy. That was done last July and the result was a diagnosis of cancer. Man, I can't even tell you how that blow felt. It was like I was punched in the gut and couldn't breathe (no pun intended). So, they tell me I have marginal zone, B-cell non-hodgkins lymphoma. Quite a mouthful, eh? When my oncologist came into an appointment, asked me how I was breathing, and then proceeded to tell me that the nodules in my lungs were dissapating and that I should be breathing better I realized that my weight was holding me back in more ways than just socially. I finally had something that was concrete to say, "Hey, dummy! Your weight is killing you!" So, in May 2012 I started seeing the newest addition to my clinic: a bariatric surgeon. I was mortified to admit it to any of my family, so I went just to get things in line and see if it was something I was even eligible for. Four months later, I have a surgery date set for October 1. I started my pre-op liquid diet yesterday (and hating life because of it... Yuck!), and I am finally looking forward to the future. I am ready to start traveling with my best friend and get out of Dodge for the weekend. I want to be able to hop a plane every weekend and not worry about some skinny person telling me that they feel their space is being encroached upon. I want to meet my special someone and feel what it is to be loved without worrying about how I look. I want to buy clothes off the rack. I want to live for a long, long time. That's the most important thing. I want to live for a long, long time. Sounds good to me, for sure.

Hi everyone! I was creeping around here earlier and I realized that a group like this is just what I need: A group going through a similar journey that isn't going to judge! I love it! I am 27 y/o (as of yesterday!), single, and I live in Montana. I will be having my VSG done on Monday, October 1. I am scared, I am excited, I am nervous, I am HUNGRY! That last part only because I am 2 days into my 3 week pre-op diet. I think the doctor is being especially cautious with me because I have a huge history of medical issues and this surgery is so important to my future!! I am so excited to go through the journey with you all! Good luck to everyone!!