QueenCityGal

Ohhh man. Mine starts this weekend but I have already tried it for a couple days to prepare myself and barely made it. Its NOT easy! One suggestion I can make is to get yourself some kind of fiber supplement. Like the fiber gummies or a clear fiber drink mix (make sure its sugar free though!) I chewed a few to curb that empty stomach feeling and it seemed to help. The fiber will give you the full feeling and it will help clean you out at the same time so it will help even more haha GOOD LUCK, you made it this far don't stop now!!

My understanding is that the purpose of the pre-op diet is to deplete the excess glycogen and fat storage in the liver, thereby shrinking it to make it safer for the surgery. Therefore a high-Protein, low-carb, low-fat liquid (or semi-solid) diet must be followed for 10-14 days prior. Although I have since learned that not all surgeons require this... some require more, almost a month. Some require none at all. Mine is ten days and I start this coming weekend. I've heard stories of people going in and being opened up, only to be closed again because the liver is still too large... erf! Maybe you should consult with your surgeon and ask for clarity on their instructions, regardless of what other info is out there, especially since you are a diabetic and may have special dietary requirements.

Hey I find some more December 17-ners! Yay. Me too Counting down the days... starting the LRD this weekend - what about you guys?

Hi there! There were some Buffalo people on here, but everyone got quiet! I'm from Buffalo and was hoping to find some active WNY people with recent or upcoming dates to follow along with. There has to be more of us out there I'm going in on 12/17.

To everyone with upcoming surgeries: Wondering if any of you guys will be using Twitter to "live tweet" your hospital experience (and tweet your recovery journey going forward)? If so where can we find you?

I have it too, but I am also still pre-surgery. I have two weeks to go. I have wondered the same thing, and have asked around, but I cannot get a definitive answer. My doc seems to think the sleeve will help. I, am not so sure. I do not eat horribly or consume copious amounts of food either, but the weight crept up due to the thyroid issue - and being less active and in pain because of the weight, has led to the weight staying on. Ugh. I do not expect to be one of the fast losers. I'm keeping my expectations low and sticking to the plan though. Maybe then if things go well I will be pleasantly surprised I am hoping someone in the same shoes can chime in here with their experience.

Glad you mention this!! I have been wondering the same thing as well! I just sent a support email yesterday on this (there is a form somewhere on there to be able to do that). Maybe you should too. Because right now no matter what your info and anything you put on here is visible to EVERYONE, including non-members. Which I assume is somewhat good for lurkers, seeking info... but we should be able to keep some things private or visible only to certain members. This issue is preventing me from fully using this site and it's features

Thanks to you and Miss Mac for taking the time to share these stories!!! Can't thank you enough! Seems like you had a pretty textbook surgery. Safe to assume you are doing quite well now? We are all hoping for that!

Yes please do keep us updated frequently! I'm going in on the 17th, so a few days after you. I have lots of anxiety setting in too. Actually it's all a fight within my head now - "should I or shouldn't I"... My mind says no but my body says YES. At the end of the day when my knee is swollen and my feet and back ache, I know they will thank me once the weight starts coming off. On the other hand, my mind worries too much about the negatives and is fighting to stay off the operating table. If I don't do this now while I have the chance, I'll regret it. If I do this and have complications, I'll regret it even more... because I have people who depend on me and I can't leave them hanging should something take a turn for the worse. Yes, I have anxiety too! I keep trying to convince myself that I came too far to not do this and If I follow protocol I should be ok. Maybe I'm over-thinking. I guess this is normal and we are just supposed to be a nervous wreck!

Congrats on making it! I have Hashimoto's too, and my thyroid is always up and down like a runaway train. It's been very hard to get a normal reading, always needing to adjust my meds. I could not get approved until my TSH test came back with a normal range which set me back 6 weeks because I had to re-adjust meds the last round. I finally passed my last labs and got approved. You were not required to have your Hashi's under control before they scheduled?

I am scheduled for the 17th, and I am getting more nervous as days go on. I've had surgeries but nothing this major. I start my pre-op diet on the 7th (10 days). Not to freak you out (actually this still freaks me out!) but the other night I actually woke up in a nightmare choking, thinking that I already had the surgery and had some kind of obstruction from it and couldn't breathe... It's weird, because I know this is something I chose to do and not an immediate life or death surgery. In the end I keep telling myself it WILL be life or death if I don't get the weight off.... regardless the anxiety is setting in bigtime as the days pass and the date comes closer. I am going to ask my primary if he can give me some anxiety relief meds when I see him in two weeks.

I kind of feel the OP on this. My situation was a little similar. When I started the whole process I was given a list of things I had to complete before insurance submittal. I did them. When I was done, I was told it would be time to submit.... only to get another letter stating i needed to complete two more requirements before submittal because "insurance requirements have changed". Total BS because there were no changes to my policy nor was it after a policy renewal. Thank goodness I was able to complete these last required tasks in a timely manner... nonetheless I was pissed because my surgery center should have known this to begin with (or they just goofed and sent me the wrong requirement letter template). I eventually called my insurance company inquiring about these "requirements" and they told me their rules and requirements have not changed in years. There is cause for concern here because there is zero tolerance for errors when it comes to medical stuff. Whether it be paperwork, procedures, diagnosis, surgery, whatever. I've spent the last two years dealing with the medical disaster of a family member, and I totally get the frustration. The only way to sometimes force these professionals to do their job right is to be assertive and not take any crap and let them know you're on top of them. I would have probably changed my surgery center based on the above, but I already came too far and my surgeon is tops in the area so I'm sticking it out. Fingers crossed there are no more issues or confusion post-op!

I've been thinking myself how to get creative with Protein when the time comes. Because I'm a savory person more so than sweets, and I know I'll get sick of the sweet drinks as well. An idea I thought of for a puree is made with split peas. If you like pea Soup maybe try this. I'm going to Make some split pea soup, cooked real long until it's real mushy and not too thick. Add some extra chicken base for extra flavor if desired. Take it and put in a Ninja single serve or a Magic Bullet. Add an addition scoop of unflavored pea protein (a very good source of protein!). NOW makes a good pea protein. Whizz it up until it's pureed, add more or less pea protein to desired consistency. Would make a nice hearty savory (and hopefully satisfying) protein rich thick soup. I think it would be pretty good!

Not NYC but upstate in Buffalo (close enough, haha)... There's some folks on here from Buffalo but no one with an upcoming date. I'm going in on December 17. I was hoping to follow along and buddy up with someone around that same date from NY state as well, or maybe a few people within a few days of the 17th. Feel free to message me if you'd like to communicate

Gosh I wish I had your doctor! My current boss is like that, you either love him or hate him for his frankness (and potty mouth haha). You're on his team or your not, and those who are not miss the opportunity to work with a smart businessman. Needless to say, I'm on his team and have followed him to three different companies over the years. Anyway back on topic, and regarding the pre-op diet. My diet will be 10 days. I have heard stories from my center about people getting opened then closed up because their liver is too big. Is 10 days REALLY enough to fully de-fat/detox a liver that has had 40+ years of abuse? I'm not so sure of that. I think it will help some, but I think this is also sort of a "scared straight" approach to staying focused both pre- and post-op. So many docs are different from what I've gotten out of reading so many stories. From 1 month or more pre-op diets to only 1 or 2 days... I have high anxiety about my phase because I don't have much "head hunger" but I get really physically stomach-hurt hungry, like shaky dizzy can't concentrate hungry if I don't eat (I don't have diabetes or sugar problems). And the real kicker will be having to deal with work stress while on the 10 day thing. I'm already preparing by doing a bunch of things now and do not want to fail at this! I'm really looking forward to not having that horrible big stomach growling hunger after surgery. I hope it really helps with this.

I got the products and here is my opinion. About Time: AWESOME. I tried the banana flavor. I ordered vanilla, banana, and strawberry. I used 2% milk, that's all I had on hand (wanted to try milk instead of Water first). It tasted (to me) just like the Nestle Quik banana flavor mix... really good! And stayed quite liquid, did not get thick like most other shakes which is good for someone who can't tolerate that thick texture. Yes Whey: HORRIBLE. Omg, I can tolerate lots of harsh flavors and textures, but this stuff is baaaad!! It was not what I expected at all. First off the stuff was very settled in the tubes. It says to shake well, I did, and had to shake for like 5 minutes to get it all mixed again. It looked thick and pasty - I opened the tube and not all of it mixed and there were thick pasty chunks in it. It was a thick milky mix. I stuck a butterknife in and stirred it up then tasted (grape flavor). It was a super sweet tangy fruity thick substance... a milky thick gel-like liquid. I gagged down a few gulps because I didn't want to waste it. It was really harsh on the pallate!! Yuck, these are going back. I was thinking this would be more along the lines of a concentrated Syntrax nectar type product. Gross.

I couple supplements I found, worth noting! I've heard and read a lot of negativity regarding RTD Protein shots. A lot of them contain either hydrolyzed collagen or a combo of collagen/casein/whey. Seems a lot of folks are on the fence with this, some say its ok and some say junk. But... Good news! There is a totally 100% pure whey isolate shot out there called "YES WHEY". No casein, no collagen. All whey isolate. And it has PDCASS (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score) of 100, which is as good as it gets. Conclusion? High concentration of good protein per volume. Get your protein on without trying to down big shakes all day. Also, a high quality shake mix that is clean, pure isolate, with no added junk or artificial sweeteners: "About Time" RDT shake bottles - add your own liquid, shake, and go. Both above can be ordered from Lucky Vitamin. I have an order coming today and can't wait to try both, they seem like good products for both pre- and post-op phases. Anyone out there have any experience with these products?

I like this idea While being in with all the December people is great, I'd like to eventually communicate more with people who are close to my date within a few days, especially post-op. How would this be accomplished?

Glad to hear this. I tend to over-think and over-analyze situations. Right now before surgery it's easy to TRY to comply and fail because there is nothing forcing us to do otherwise. Post-op, there really is no other choice because the small tummy will fight back with a swift punch and force us to correct the bad habits, hah. I feel better about this now, thank you

Hey pre-ops out there... I'm just under 4 weeks to go until d-day. I have a big problem that will be the death of me and I'm hoping for some input or tips from anyone else struggling with this. My problem is that I eat way too fast and don't chew properly. I've done this most of my life, always being on the go, never enough time to sit and properly enjoy a meal, "hurry up and eat" syndrome is what I call it. Letting myself get too hungry, then finally eating and eating so fast that I don't realize how MUCH it is I eat until I'm way too over-full when everything finally settles in my stomach. Since knowing I am doing the surgery for a few months now, I've tried to be real conscious about eating and chewing. Sometimes I can slow down. Most times I make a valiant effort to chew chew chew. Since getting my actual surgery date, I know I have no choice now but to get this under control or it will ruin me and I will make things very hard for myself. I know - small bites, put down utensil, chew. 20-30 minutes per meal. For me, this is proving to be the biggest challenge. This is a lifetime of a bad habit that needs to change within a month. I need some help. Also wondering about the small sipping just post-surgery. So worried I'll swallow too large and either puke or be painful. Anyone have any other useful tips or advice? Thanks

Big ups to all the holiday season sleevers! Going through this whole process, makes one realize just how much society is food-focused. I finally told my best friend today about my date (she too is overweight and knew I was thinking about it but didn't take me serious) - all she said was "are you nuts? you're not going to be able to eat all the holiday goodies!"... and to that I said "hooray!" She just couldn't fathom the idea of giving up all the gorging on holiday food. I know some people here will want to have a little binge before their surgery, have a last pigout on some favorite or no-no foods, etc. Me, I'm preparing now both mentally and physically by already cutting way back, eating right, and doing the high-protein thing (I've done this many times before on attempts to lose weight but always gained it back!). Knowing that I'm all in with an irreversible procedure now, easing into the pre-op liquid diet this way would be much more helpful than calorie cold-turkey I think. How is everyone else tackling this? I'm not going to miss the food fest. And, I'm looking forward to saving a ton of money at the supermarket going forward! Happy Sleevemas to all the December folks!!

You can put me in for December 17th yay Looking for someone around that date to buddy up with, NY state area preferred. Anyone with me on this? Feel free to message me, thanks!!

I got my date, I'm going in on December 17... stoked, nervous, scared... and excited!

Wow you cancelled after (most likely) so much waiting and hard work to get to that point? Are you able to reschedule? I asked myself also what you wrote but as the post above says, sleeve is fairly new and not used hardly as much as the RNY was 5+ years ago... so that's why you won't see much if any 5+ year sleevers out there... also it's been suggested to me that people who have WLS are usually into the online forums and post about their experiences for probably the first 2-3 years, then lose interest and drop off because they've gotten used to and settled into their new life. So that could be another reason for not seeing many veteran experiences out there. I've just gotten approved for the procedure after 5 months of process and red tape - while I am also nervous and have my concerns, I'm convinced that the outcome will surely be better than my current physical state and quality of life. I'm stoked and can't wait

Good news finally! My angst about this process have (hopefully) come to an end... I got the news I was approved today! **happy dance****happy dance****happy dance** Sorry I've had a little negativity before - just dealing with so much medical nonsense for the past few years; medical red tape is sooo frustrating to get through. Anyway I'm stoked! Nervous and anxious now too. Awaiting calls/letters for the date and other pre-op stuff now. Maybe this will be a nice Xmas present for me!