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You will get a folder with detailed diet instructions and the dietician will sit down and go over everything with you. I actually had them email it to me ahead of time so I could be prepared. Basically 3 days clear liquids, days 4-17 full liquids, days 18-27 puréed food, day 28-40 soft food and day 40 anything you want (with a few restrictions like nuts and seeds and other crunchy stuff till 3 months) Have a great trip. You will do great!

My surgeon said no nuts, seeds or fibrous raw veggies for 3 months. Mixed nuts are my goto snack almost everyday now.

That was a very sneaky title to your post...I was waiting for the "but now....." So glad it had a happy ending!

Thanks! 6 months total from the start of my preop diet till I reached surgeon's goal. My personal goal is normal BMI, so another 10 pounds. I find excercise very boring so the only formal exercise I've done is riding my recumbent bike 20-25 min 3-4 times/week over the last 2 months. I can do that and watch TV at the same time. Haven't been to a gym in at least 6 years....used to do Curves. My life is my real excercise....I am a vet tech so a I am basically doing Pilates and squats and "lifting weights" all day long. I also have horses, and just last week had to unload and stack a ton and a half of hay (literally....50 bales that weighed 80# each)

I just posted mine here http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/308613-pics-1st-day-preop-and-goal/

People have god given appendixes, gallbladders, uteruses and cancerous kidneys, lungs, colons and other organs removed all the time. For us, this is just one other "amputation" to help us be healthier. Yes, it is a scary, permanant thing that shouldn't be taken lightly. I had a serious meltdown over it 2 days before surgery, but went through with it anyways and now feel great.

You're looking great! Good job

I was on full liquids for the 1st 18 days. I didn't really have "meals" I just drank all day long from the time I woke up till I went to bed. That's what it took to even approach my protein and fluid goals. Everything from protein shakes, drinkable yogurt, vitamin water, tea, broths and dilute cream soups with added unflavored protein powder. Just keep drinking and keep your eye on the big goal..... Following your surgeon's guidelines is really important in these early stages. The fear of a leak or other complication is all it took to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Dsmith is right...it's a healing/protective thing. My doctor sent us home with Omeprazole 40mg MANDATORY 2 months. I weaned off after that (went to 20mg OTC for a couple weeks) and stopped completely at 3 months.

Ask and then ask again about OOP costs and then be prepared to pay a lot more. A friend of mine has BS of Idaho and her deductible is $3500. She had a hysterectomy this winter that was "approved" by insurance. But after all was said and done, she had to fork out almost $9000 for all the expenses insurance wouldn't cover, despite approving the surgery. As for me, I am self employed and have BS of ID HSA with a $5000 deductible/$6250 max OOP. (The only policy I can afford thanks to the "affordable" health care act...my old policy was MUCH better) Individual policies do not cover WLS, so I was totally self pay and went to an International Center of Excellence in Mexico and spent $250 more than my max OOP would have been even if insurance did pay. So instead of a down payment on a new truck, I have a teeny tiny tummy and I'll take it!!

Probably acid or your fresh incision getting a little tweaked. A lot of nerves were cut and it will take awhile for normal feeling you come back. (Try slicing your arm with a knife and see if it still stings after 3 days). As for acid, are you on PPI's or taking an antacid?

WTH does your eating habits have to do with your friends having a good time in Vegas?!? Seriously, this is their problem, not yours. Order soups or appropriate appetizer when you go out you save yourself the cost of a full meal you aren't going you eat. I'm 5 months out and that's still what I do. Or I don't order anything and just nibble off everyone else's plates...all my friends know about my surgery and support me all they can. In fact, they are thrilled now that I'm their permanent DD.

Just try not doing it. You had to make a conscious effort to drive to the grocery store, park, get out, go inside, pick out the cupcakes, wait in line and pay for them and then go back out to the car, open the package and eat them. Next time just keep driving past the entrance to the store. I'm not saying this to be a smartass. It's basically what I did when it came to destressing with a cocktails every night after work. I can count on one hand how many days in the last year and a half prior to surgery that I didn't have a cocktail after work. (Usually involving whiskey or vodka) Once I started my preop, I never touched a drop. About 3 1/2 months out I caved once after a bad day at work...had to call the cops for an escort because of a violent client with a recent concealed weapons charge making repeated threatening phone calls. I stopped for a bottle of wine, went home and poured a glass. Got halfway through before I realized this was a dumb thing to do and poured the glass and entire bottle down the sink. I have since had two half glasses of wine socializing with friends, but to drink it because of a bad day at work would be restarting a bad habit so I am choosing not to do that. I'm not saying you shouldn't take all the advise above, but I am saying It can be that simple. Once you get through a few rough Patches without your crutch, you may discover you really don't need it and you are stronger than you thought.

I switched to decaf coffee months before surgery so I wouldn't have withdrawals. Immediately postop I drank a lot of decaf teas instead of coffee. I was never a tea drinker before but the warm liquid (especially camomile) really soothed my tummy early on. When I did try coffee, it was very irritating (even decaf coffee is very acidic) and I could only manage a few sips. So it was back to tea. Celestial seasonings Roastarama has a bolder, "coffee-like" feel. After about 4 months I tried coffee again and did fine with it. I'm drinking a cup right now On the other hand, I've seen posts from people that never missed a beat and drank their regular caffeinated coffee within days of surgery. For you, maybe decaf coffee with premier Protein vanilla for creamer could help increase your Fluid and protein intake. Chike also has a line of coffee flavored protein powders.

Wow, I'm surprised he passed the psych eval for surgery approval. Unless this is entirely new behavior for him. Does his bariatric team have a counselor you could talk to? They may see this all the time and have suggestions for you. You can't continue to live this way. It's not fair to you and he does not need an enabler. I agree with all the above posts about getting out and taking care of yourself.

There are plenty of posts from people that initially regret it. Seems these regrets fall under the same few categories.... 1) For some reason some people thought they would feel instantly better or lose all their weight in a couple weeks. They aren't giving themselves time to heal from a MAJOR surgery and they may not have realistic expectations. 2) having complications. Of course this would leave you with regret, but again, a lot of times these are normal postop issues that will resolve in time. Those with serious, long term complications definitely deserve to feel regret. But not everyone with complications have regrets. 3) There is often a level of true depression that creeps in post op and IMHO that's something that should involve professional intervention 4) some people just weren't emotionally and mentally prepared to make the necessary lifestyle changes and are disappointed with their weight loss results because this wasn't the magic fix they thought it was. But if you check with most sleevers longer out from surgery you will find very few regretters. The results far outweigh any of the hiccups they encountered along the way. As for me, at 5 months out, despite having some postop issues, have not regretted it for a minute. I feel fabulous and look fantastic!

HW 238 SW 216 CW 160 I'm at my surgeon's goal weight!!!! Yeehaw.

That's awesome. A good attitude and willingness to live in "the real world" is key to your success (IMHO).

That's a great idea Fiddleman, but unfortunately not possible right now. Between surgery and a tooth infection and my subsequent C. diff infection and visits to urgent care for IV fluids and bloodwork and antibiotics and fecal transplant and an insurance policy that doesn't cover any of it, I've forked out over $10,000 for medical expenses in the last 6 months. So I'll stick with my new riding boots for now . Maybe I'll plan for a special gift when I'm a few years out and have kept all the weight off. And BTW, thanks for all your support on BP. your success is an inspiration.

170 days after starting my preop diet I am down 78 pounds and officially at my surgeon's goal weight. There really are no words to express what I am feeling. It's a wonderful thing, but also kind of a weird let down. Maybe because I don't know how to celebrate. Celebration always meant food and alcohol. Now what do I do? ( And don't say excercise or go for a walk....or I might have to cyber slap you). I guess what I'm gonna do is go for a couple great horseback rides this weekend, wearing my brand new boots I just got yesterday. I'm sure no one (besides me) is happier and appreciates my weight loss more than my horse!

Apples and peanut butter have always been a favorite snack of mine. Post op it's been apples and PB2. So I thought I'd be clever and create an apple peanut butter protein shake. Mixed Syntrax Nectar Apple Ecstasy and PB2. Tried several different versions with varying the amounts of the two ingredients. They all sucked! And smelled like puke. Beware! Do not try this at home.

Holy cow that's awesome!

I was very much looking forward to my two weeks off. Unfortunately it turned into only 1 week off. I am partners in a mobile vet practice, so when the calls come in we go out.... And even in that 1 week off I only got to relax and enjoy the time off for 1 day. The other 6 were spent shopping, flying, driving and plowing snow. Still waiting for that vacation....

I am also 6 days out and have lost 8lbs since having surgery. Not that this is a bad thing. I just get discouraged seeing all of these high losses. I lost 3 pounds in the first 17 days postop. Now I'm five pant sizes smaller and 2 pounds from my surgeons goal...do not despair and do not obsess over the numbers on the scale!

No antibiotics because I've had C. diff, not because of VSG. NG tube is a nasogastric tube. You don't want someone shoving one down blind (without the use of a scope) because they could puncture your sleeve if they are expecting a full size stomach at the other end. NSAID is non steroidal anti inflammatory drug (like ibuprofen, naproxen, Celebrex, piroxicam, meloxicam, aspirin, etc.). They can cause ulcers and many surgeons instruct their gastric patients not you take them.