Vixynne

Even though my surgeon didn't order it, I've been kind of doing my own pre-op thang for the last month and a half. I've had a Protein Shake for Breakfast faithfully every day, followed by a low-carb lunch like cottage cheese, and a healthy, small-portion dinner with lean protein (chicken or fish), veggies and few to no carbs. I also gave up soda, coffee and all fast food. So far I'm down 16 pounds, so it must be helping!

I'm sure it will be plenty of time for your pre-op diet--if your surgeon were concerned that it wasn't enough, he wouldn't schedule you, right? My surgeon doesn't require any pre-op diet; so look at it this way, you're getting six more days than any of his patients, and they do fine!

Congratulations on getting your date! I'm a July 1st sleever too--there's quite a lot of us on the boards. Good luck on all of your preparations, and may you have a speedy recovery!

It's all an illusion of being organized, LOL...I have to start way in advance, because I'm so neurotic about forgetting something!! I'm actually not a very naturally well-organized person, so I have to force myself to start things early, or it won't get done well at ALL. When I have a vacation planned, I usually start the packing process about a month ahead of time. I actually haven't started packing my hospital bag yet--I need to get on that!

I agree--I have the Syntrax Medical unflavored, and I don't notice a strong flavor if it's mixed into something that's not bland.

I think all of the surgeons at Tobey are a little...ummmm...abrupt in their personal styles. I call Dr. Kruger "Lightning McQueen" because his exams/consults go something like "Heyhowyadoing, everythinggood? That'sgood,okaymakeafollowupappointmentwiththenurseonyourwayoutVrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooooom!" Blink, and he's gone! But as one of my good friends (also a Kruger patient) reminded me, "Who cares about his people skills--you care if his hands are good in the O.R., and he is an amazing surgeon!"

I'm in one FB group called "Drama Free WLS Buddies". I'm so sorry to hear of your leak--how long ago was your surgery?

I've had 2 C-sections in the past, but this is the first time I'll be having general anesthesia, so that's a little nervewracking. You were hospitalized for 22 days? That's a long time! Did you have surgery complications?

Caribbean Cooler mixes pretty well with water--I haven't tried it with milk but it may work well; it tastes like a piña colada. It's probably my third favorite after Vanilla Bean Torte and Double Stuffed Cookie. There's a website where you can buy 11 sample packets for around $15 to see what you like. Here you go: http://www.bjsbariatrics.com/product/synSamplePack.html

Those are my two favorite Syntrax Nectar flavors, too. I also like Caribbean Cooler, if I had to choose only one fruit-flavored Syntrax, that'd be the one I'd go with. Syntrax also makes a medical-grade unflavored Protein which works well as long as you don't use water over 140 degrees; that will curdle the protein and ruin it. I like that Syntrax powders dissolve instantly (other powders I tried didn't do so well, even with a blender-bottle), and they are delicious in almond milk. I sometimes toss a few ice cubes into my Ninja blender to make a milkshake-consistency shake with them. I'm hoping that my tastes won't change post-op, but we'll see!

Hi, ornurse! Do you have a nutritionist on your surgery team? He or she can tell you everrrrrything about what to eat and what to avoid...that being said, I haven't heard anything about avoiding certain colors of jello. Protein powder shakes are usually during "full liquids" since they are a suspension of protein powder in a liquid base of water or milk. A good clear protein drink (premade) is Isopure Clear--it's a little pricey, around $4.00 a bottle, but the coconut one that I tried wasn't bad at all.

I won't know my hospital arrival time until the day before--I'm going to be sitting by that phone, staring at it and trying to MAKE it ring, I just know it, LOL. I haven't started packing yet, but I've been buying supplies every couple of days. So far I have my magnesium citrate for the pre-op clean-out (urrgh), all my vitamins and protein powders, broth, cream soups, yogurt and pudding, lip balm, Gas-X strips, Pepcid...I feel about 75% prepared, materials-wise. Emotionally, I'm up and down and up again almost every couple of hours! Good thing I'm not a nail-biter...I'd be down to the first knuckle by now!

I sure do--I'm being sleeved a week from today! I'm nervous and excited--just one more visit with Dr. Kruger on Wednesday, then it's full steam ahead!

Some folks around the forums have recommended having a lip balm in the hospital, since you may have dry lips on the day of surgery (IV liquids only, usually nothing--or not much--by mouth). I've seen recommendations for eye masks and earplugs to help you sleep better in the hospital, too. This thread mentions other ideas that people on the forums put together to help pre-op'ers set up their hospital bags: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/10081-the-official-what-you-will-need-for-your-gastric-sleeve-surgery-thread/page__st__200__hl__+packing%20+for%20+hospital%20+list#entry746289

Here's a link to an "official what-to-bring-to-the-hospital" list! http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/10081-the-official-what-you-will-need-for-your-gastric-sleeve-surgery-thread/page__st__200__hl__+packing%20+for%20+hospital%20+list#entry746289

Was it the color of egg yolk? That's probably stomach bile, which you tend to bring up on an empty stomach.

I'm a big fan of Syntrax--the Double Stuffed Cookie and vanilla Bean Torte are my two big favorites so far. When you blend the Unjury, are you using a spoon, or a blender-bottle, or a blender? I think the Syntrax dissoves really well, but if you want to avoid wasting your Unjury, maybe a blender or blender-bottle will help.

If you did this, which measurements did you take? I have a tendency to go overboard, and if I don't ask for a little guidance, I can imagine myself taking more measurements than I'd need to hand-stitch a customized ball gown. I'm assuming chest/waist/hips are standard measurements; what about thigh circumference, upper arms, etc? Or is that overkill? Please advise. Thanks!

After two kids, my feet went from a size 7 1/2 to an 8 or 8 1/2 wide, depending on the shoe. I can't tell you how tired I am of buying clunky shoes that aren't CUTE! In one shoe store, after asking repeatedly about several adorable styles, "do you have this in wide?" and being told no, I lost my patience and said "Big girls want sexy shoes, too, y'know!" and walked out. Time to make room in the shoe closet!

Bailey, keep in mind that you are making sacrifices, too! You're sacrificing your relationship with food. You're sacrificing more than half of a major organ! But you're doing it for the greater benefit to your health and your family's well-being. Yeah, it might be a little inconvenient for a few days or weeks, but when you're fully recovered and making progress to your goal, just think how much more energy you'll have for your kiddos and how many extra years you'll be around to make memories with your husband, your children (and someday, grandkids)! Don't feel guilty for doing something amazing and important.

Maybe he can learn to see it as a point of pride! Instead of being defensive and reacting with thoughts like, "hey, whatchoo looking at, that's MY woman!" maybe he could spin it to be "yep, that's right, that's MY girl--eat your heart out, sucker, she's with me!"

I hope you get a surgery date soon, too! I'm in the same boat--no waiting period, no six month monitored weight loss program. My visits all went very quickly, but to be honest, I think my surgeon's office "fast-tracked" me because I'm a teacher. I need every possible moment of recovery during summer vacation that I can get! Good luck, and thank you for the advice, I appreciate it!

Thanks, Amy! I'll be officially on The Bench in just a week--I can't believe it! Part of me really wanted to measure everrrrrrything, but I figured I'd better check to make sure I wasn't going overboard.

Good luck, and wishing you a speedy, uneventful recovery!

I think it helped in my case to have a "support person's seminar" where spouses, SO's, friends, etc, can attend (the surgery patient has to pick just one person to attend, though); it was a great chance for questions and concerns to be addressed by a medical professional. I've noticed a definite uptick in support after that seminar--is there any chance your husband could have his worries addressed this way before The Big Day--even through a phone call, a Skype session or some emails to your surgeon, maybe? We all fear what we don't understand, and since many guys have been taught that fear is a weakness, they resort to lashing out. Understandable, maybe; but not the best way to support the women they love!