Kindle

"The Emotional First Aid Kit - a Practical guide to life after Bariatric Surgery" by Cynthia Alexander really helped me get my head in the right place to deal with my new life. Let's you know what you can expect through the entire process with suggestions on how to deal. Got it on Kindle.

Berlyn, Jay Robb also makes a line of egg protein supplements.

Leysi, how are you doing?

I ended up getting a room at the Sheraton. I had purchased travel insurance when I got my tickets. First time I've ever done that. So I got reimbursed for the hotel room since it was an added expense due to the flight cancellation. Another member (coopspa) was on the same flight and they stayed at the Sheraton, too. The problem with getting into San Diego so late is that the airport more or less "closes" at midnight. The only hotels still running shuttles at 1:30am were the Sheraton and holiday inn express. There was another WLS patient on the flight that was going to get a US taxi to the border and then a TJ taxi to the hotel. Gloria, the travel coordinator at OCC STRONGLY recommended that I NOT do this. Never heard how his adventure turned out since he was not having surgery at OCC.

I like the Garden of a Life Raw Protein and Raw Fit lines of protein powders. Vegan, soy free, dairy free, gluten free. The protein comes from sprouted seeds, not whey, so they might work for you. I don't have an issue with whey, but these are a nice change from the artificial, sweet tastes of all the regular protein shakes. They come in original (kind of nutty/honey taste), chocolate, vanilla and vanilla chai. You may be able to find individual packets in a whole food or health food store to try out. Since they are a whole food product, not a processed isolate, they do not dissolve completely. I mix them with water in my blender bottle so I can shake them up as I drink. I've also used the Raw Vanilla to make pancakes...very yummy!

Quit buying it...throw out whatever is in the house. You have to give up all that junk anyways (forever) or this surgery will be a waste of time and money. You might as well start now and avoid the withdrawals when you are trying to recover. Besides, 1400 calories is an easy preop. I did 3 protein shakes and leafy green veggies for 2 weeks and lost 22 pounds. Like Harlem loser said, you need to make up your mind if you really want this and make it happen.

Ditto. I only had good feedback from friends and family. Lots of questions and concerns, but unconditional support. I was leery of telling people initially but now very glad I did. I finally had my first negative comment 4 months out. But it came from a loony "friend" who is terrified of surgery in general and who was immediately chastised by other people present. So glad we are surrounded by truly caring people!

4 1/2 months out. Examples of things I can eat in a single sitting so that I am satisfied but not full..... 1 egg with no more than 1 tbls meat or cheese added 1 Chobani flip yogurt 1" x 1" chunk of pork loin with 1 brussel sprout and 1 piece of yellow squash 1 Natures Valley Protein bar 1/4 can of tuna or crab with a bit of mayo 10-15 mixed nuts 1/2 of a 1/4 lb burger no bun 1/2 avocado 1/4 cup refried Beans 1/3 can Soup cheese stick wrapped in a piece of thin sliced deli meat 1/3 apple with 2 tbls PB2 I drink at least 1 large (20-32oz/35-40g protein) everyday. I often blend 1/2 banana in my shake and try to nibble on some fruit and veggies at least once/day....blueberries, apples, spinach, squash, green beans, edamame, and V8 juice are go to's. Haven't had bread, Pasta, or rice, but I have had a bite or two of chocolate cake, ice cream and tiramisu. Also had 1/2 glass wine on 2 occasions and 1/2 Bloody Mary.

Wow! Not sure why Ponce De Leon dropped his price so much. When I was researching surgeons he was charging $5500. (This was last summer/fall). During my research I ran across a thread from mattuti86 on this forum. She had her surgery with PDL and developed complications within a couple weeks. Her dealings with him postop were pretty bad (she lives in San Diego so was able to go back to him for followup) so he got crossed off my list. She was eventually diagnosed with a leak and is still dealing with it over a year later.

Since you are so early out, I assume you aren't on solids yet, Muscle Milk is easily available at convenience stores, Walgreens, grocery stores and even a lot of gas stations.

I used PB2 in my shakes immediately post op. Now at 4 1/2 months I add a little water to the powder to make it normal peanut butter consistency and eat it with apple slices as a snack. Mmmmm.

I am a vet tech and went back part time after 7 days and full time after 14 days. It's just me and the vet with our own mobile practice, so we are always on the go. We did have to limit surgeries to patients under 60lbs for 3 weeks since I couldn't help with the lifting and we didn't schedule any equine appointments during that time. As a comparison, my vet partner was "spayed" 2 months after my VSG and she took 2 weeks off. She was still pretty weak and sore, so 3 weeks would have been better. Her lifting restrictions were much stricter and longer than mine.

Be grateful you are there and relaxing and have a comfy bed to sleep in before surgery. I spent the night before my VSG just trying to GET there. My original flight was cancelled and all flights grounded due to a snowstorm. I had to drive 5 hours (in a snowstorm) to another airport in another state to try and get on another flight on standby. Finally arrived in San Diego at 1:30am and had to crash there until the OCC shuttle could pick me up at 7am and take me straight to the surgical center. I was too busy dealing with travel to get nervous. Enjoy the Marriott.....I loved my stay there. My sister made me walk up to the Walmart plaza so she could get her Starbucks fix several times postop. good luck...you will do great!

16 days Protein shakes and leafy green veggies....sorry, followed to a T. Good luck.

My nut never gave me a calorie goal. Good thing since I'm one of those "rebel sleevers" and I've never once counted my calories since surgery. I tracked Protein and fluids for 2 months to make sure I was meeting minimals, but now I just wing it. I eat when I'm hungry and drink all day long. Eat protein first and avoid carbs. Never give fat content or calories a thought. I still drink 1-2 protein shakes/day or I know I wouldn't be getting enough protein because I can only eat such a tiny amount. It's just me, but I could never do this thing if I was worried about tracking everything all day. There just seems to be a lot of posts on here from people stressed out over numbers... I've got enough stress in my life I don't have to create any more. I did stall for a month at 6-10 weeks out and really didn't do anything special to break the stall. I knew it would end when my body was ready. Besides, I lost a whole pant size while not losing weight so it's not always about the numbers on the scale. I only weigh once a week, so I wouldn't notice a 3-4 day stall anyways. Good luck with everything!

I know there's a lot of recipes online for Protein pancakes, but I'm not a big fan of cooking and even less of a fan of grocery shopping, so I thought I'd wing it with what I had in the house this morning. I made 1/2 batch of Bob's Red Mill Buttermilk pancakes with 1% milk and added 2 instead of 1 egg and a scoop of unjury Protein powder. It made 8 pancakes...I ate one and froze the other 7 for future "grab and go" microwave breakfasts. I had no syrup in the house so I topped it with a little bit of butter and a pinch of sugar (yes, REAL sugar) with a side of 1/2 sausage link. YUMMY!!! For those of you who count calories and stuff, I did some calculations as I was mixing. I normally don't track anything, but don't worry, I got all "A's" in math.... Turns out each pancake (without the butter and sugar) has about 3.5g carb, 5g protein, and 54 calories. Sorry, didn't look at the fat numbers. Anyways, it was a nice change from all the eggs and oatmeal and yogurt and shakes I've been having for Breakfast, and I'm stuffed!

Ditto above plus these were keys to my survival.... Blender bottles -1 have two different sizes and even 4 1/2 months out I use them every day unjury unflavored Protein powder to add to broths and diluted/strained cream Soups (the sweet Protein drinks get old) Broths and cream soups Drinkable yogurt ... Kefir had less sugar than a lot of other ones (very encouraged by my nut, but check with your surgeon to make sure this is on your OK list) GasX strips Mio or Dasani drops or crystal light or tea bags...something to add to Water since a lot of people have a hard time drinking plain water postop. (I couldn't drink it until 3+ months out) Elastic waist pants - you will be very swollen and bloated. I couldn't wear jeans for 2 weeks. Comfy (loose) bra - most people have an incision right in the middle at bra strap level A lot of people have issues with constipation, so you may want to consider Metamucil, benefiber, miralax, milk of magnesia, etc.

Travelmego, I went with Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez at OCC as well. One explanation about the "coordinator" you were asking about....OCC does not go through a 3rd party Medical Tourism agency. You are booking directly with them, your coordinator is just your main preop contact person. But I also dealt with Dr. Jimenez, their cardiopulmonary specialist before getting down there. He oversees the preop health survey questionnaire and spirometer instructions once you get a surgery date. I know several people even Skyped with one or both surgeons before deciding to go with OCC. Dr. So is their followup doctor, so that's who I've dealt with postop, although I have spoken with Dr. Martinez since surgery as well. Anyways, I'm getting way ahead of you with my info, but feel free to ask any questions. The OCC thread in this sub forum should give you a really good idea of what you can expect from them.

My surgeon's office (Obesity Control Center in TJ) has actually been great with post op questions and concerns I've had. Miranda, (the nutritionist), Dr. Martinez and Dr. So have all replied promptly to phone calls and emails. As for any actual complications that require hands on treatment, do you have a PCP? My PCP is fine with doing any postop stuff (or referring me to a specialist if needed). Even my OB/Gyn volunteered to arrange for any of the routine postop bloodwork I need. I haven't had any surgical problems, but it's nice to know they've "got my back"

Ask if you REALLY need to drink to Celebrate your birthday. Preop I had a whiskey or vodka cocktail everyday after work and on the weekends I could just about out drink a small football team. My last drink before surgery was December 3 (started preop diet Dec 4). I tried a 1/2 glass of wine about 3 1/2 months postop at a girls night. Did nothing for me. Then I had a whole glass of wine one day after an insanely stressful day at work (had to call the cops for an escort due to a violent client making threats). Again, did nothing for me. Then had a Bloody Mary at a party last weekend and managed to drink 1/2 before pouring it down the sink. I truly never thought there would ever come a day that I wouldn't want a drink, but turns out postop I really don't....

A true friend would be happy for you and support you no matter what. I've got a fellow "fat friend" who has said of course she's jealous, but absolutely thrilled for me. She even asked for my fat clothes as I got smaller so she can at least get a new wardrobe out of the deal. Hopefully your "friend" will display more appropriate friend behavior on Friday, but if not, do not feel guilty about moving on with your life without her.... In that case she is no friend.

It's called a stall... (Specifically a 3 week stall) Use the search feature on this website and you will find 100's of the same post and explanations.

Ooops! I guess maybe it was meant to be...your FB friends were probably like WTF?! News of my WLS got out via good old fashioned verbal gossip, but in the end I'm glad. I've had a lot of people ask curious questions about my experience and it's a relief not to have to lie about my weight loss (no way to hide losing 70 pounds in less than. 6 months) everyone has been excited and supportive and admittedly a little jealous of my success. The only negative comment was from one person who is so afraid of surgery in general she won't even have a hysterectomy despite bleeding, pre cancerous masses in her own uterus.

Are you gluten intolerant? Like Arielle said, gluten has nothing to do with carbs.

New version of my "30 second microwave protein pancakes"!... So I ate all the pancakes I made from my OP and decided to make another batch (you can't beat a 30 second pancake breakfast) this time I used 3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Buttermilk pancake mix, one scoop Unjury unflavored powder, 1 scoop Garden of Life Raw Vanilla Protein, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 2 eggs and 1/2 cup skim milk. Made 8 pancakes. Ate 1, froze 7. Man o man these are good! Much lighter and fluffier than the first batch and the Raw Vanilla Protein added a much richer, nuttier "whole wheat" flavor. And the protein per pancake went from 5g to 8g.