Noor1969

Assalamu Aleikum, am I the only Muslim here?!? There's got to be at least one brother or sister out there! Come say hi!

I was wondering if any of you vets eat Pasta and/or rice and how far along in the healing process it took you to begin eating it again. I completely understand that I won't be successful without consuming Protein first, then greens, and carbs last. However, I'm hoping to be able to enjoy pasta/rice again on a very limited basis. I also understand that I perhaps won't be able to tolerate pasta/rice at all after surgery. Just wanted to get some opinions.

Well, my 2 week preop diet starts tomorrow. It's pretty strict, with 5 shakes a day, sugar free beverages, sugar free Jello and sugar free ice pops only. And no caffeine (although I'm allowed to drink 1 cup of decaf coffee or tea per day.) My surgeon wants me to lose at least 10 pounds. I'm terrified. I'm terrified because I don't deal with hunger very well. If I did, I wouldn't have ballooned up to 270 pounds. I'm also terrified because for the first time in my life I will have to get a divorce from binging and compulsive overeating. The head hunger is going to be overwhelming. My surgeon told me that in her experience patients who comply with the preop diet have a higher degree of success post-surgery. And I have no intention of cheating. I don't want to wake up from the OR without a sleeve because my liver was too big for the surgery. I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude--knowing that I'll feel so much better as the weight comes off. And I'm seeing this as my chance to FINALLY leave the self-destructive behaviors behind. I know that some of you may suggest that I start therapy to deal with these feelings and compulsions. I haven't made that decision yet. I have attempted therapy several times in the past and I've never been able to find someone who was a good fit. My experience over the next 2 weeks will go a long way in my determining whether therapy is an option for me or not. A part of me is so damn tired of it all--the eating has gotten so out of control. And I have put on 10 pounds in the last month thanks to all of my last meals and food funerals. This madness has to stop. But I am going to miss food so much. Like I said, I have no intention of cheating. But I'm still terrified.

Yes, I have tried them, and maybe I'm in the minority here, but they taste AWFUL. I know this is TMI, but to me they taste like burped-up stomach acid. I was hoping that they'd taste like Crystal Light, but not even close. The only problem is that I get sleeved tomorrow and will have to do Clear liquids for a week. Isopure is one of the few liquids I'm permitted to have, so I'm going to choke them down anyway. I hope they don't go to waste! Don't let my experience deter you from trying them--you may end up liking the taste. If you have a Vitamin Shoppe near you, you can find individual bottles in their refrigerator case so you can just try one and see how you like it. I think they're about $3.99 or so. Good luck!

Oh BTW, I am also bipolar

Guess what, SuperFab? We are sleeve twins! I get sleeved tomorrow as well. You summed up ever single concern that I have. My biggest issue, even beyond the fear of never waking up again, is the issue of my relationship with food. It's so difficult for me to believe that by this time tomorrow I will have less than 20% of my stomach left and I will be physically unable to binge eat like I have before. I have used food as a drug for so long that I just don't know what it's like to cope without it. I've done everything to prepare myself since my first consult last November and now I guess all I can do is jump in with both feet and sink or swim. I have no choice but to get a divorce from compulsive eating as I know it's going to shorten my life. I'm also scared about becoming dehydrated--I've heard lots of horror stories. I plan to keep a Water bottle with me at all time and sip, sip, sip!!! Please wish me luck and I wish you all the best!!!

Do you like hummus? I'm going to be sleeved tomorrow and will be on liquids for 2 weeks, but I've planned to have some of it when I'm allowed to eat purees.

I asked my surgeon for one and her answer was a very firm NO. WIth my weight and hypertension I'm sure I would have been at high risk for a whole lot of problems. Just remember that even though you may feel lousy for the first 3 or 4 days eventually you will feel better and your hunger will disappear. Appetite suppressants come with all sorts of side effects, the risk isn't worth it.

I wish I had an easy solution to your problem but I don't because I'm dealing with the same thing. I get sleeved on Tuesday and am facing a divorce from binging and compulsive eating. I wish I had more faith in myself right now but I don't. It's sink or swim for me as I am NOT going to back out of having the surgery. I figure that I'm just going to have to suck it up and handle it somehow, otherwise I will stay obese and unhappy. I've given myself permission to see a therapist if the feelings become unbearable. Perhaps that's something that may help you as well. In the meantime, please continue to post here. We care.

What McButterpants said. Drink lots of calorie free liquids and Water. I felt horrible the first 4 days from detoxing from carbs and caffeine and just from general hunger. But on the 5th day I woke up feeling much better. Your huger will eventually go away. I don't know how strict your surgeon is, but if things become REALLY unbearable, ask your doctor if you can have an extra Protein drink or a couple of cups of green veggies. I was dizzy and lightheaded the first day and my surgeon agreed to let me have green veggies in addition to the shakes. You can do this!

This is exactly how I would like to feel post-surgry. Thank you for posting this!!!

I get sleeved next Tuesday. My surgeon says no regular coffee for three months after surgery. Interestingly enough, I am allowed to have decaf coffee, which leads me to believe that the reason why regular isn't allowed is not because of stomach irritation, but dehydration caused by caffeine consumption. Initially I was going to drink the coffee anyway, but now I'm so worried about becoming dehydrated that I don't want to take that risk. I think I can manage with decaf coffee for three months--who knows, maybe I won't even go back to the regular version.

Well, the date is finally here--I get sleeved next Tuesday. I feel 99% prepared for anything that may come my way. But the last 1% is a big one: I'm terrified that I'll become dehydrated. I was on another forum earlier today and read a post from someone who had to go to the ER for dehydration. She was very emphatic about how easy it was for it to happen and how life-threatening it is. Now I'm really scared. I just can't fathom only drinking 3 or 4 ounces per hour but from what I've read that's what I can expect to experience. I don't know how my body will take that WITHOUT having to return to the hospital at some point. Can I get some feedback from the post-surgery folks about how they managed to stay hydrated after the procedure? What were your experiences like? Good? Bad? Did you end up getting sick or were you able to drink enough? I'd really like to hear from you.

I know how scary this is--I was totally freaked out before the preop diet and wrote a long post about it. I'm not going to sugarcoat things, your first few days may be tough. I had terrible detox headaches from the lack of carbs and caffeine. But after the first 4 days I was feeling pretty good and not at all hungry. I ended up having to stay on the preop diet longer than 2 weeks because my surgery date was postponed. My surgeon was nice enough to let me have green veggies and egg whites at that point. 3 Protein shakes a day sounds really strict. When I was on the Protein shake part of the preop I was allowed to have 5 shakes a day plus all of the sugar free liquids. Are you allowed to have sugar free Jello? I'm not advising you to go agains your doctor's orders, but if the hunger gets really bad maybe you can ask them if you can have an extra protein shake or a couple of cups of green veggies. Trust me, you will be just fine.

Don't beat yourself up. I gained 10 pounds from when I had my first surgeon's visit in November to when I saw her again in December. Fortunately I was able to lose it all on the preop diet. I had to stay on my preop diet for weeks because my surgery date was delayed. But I just can't stay 100% compliant anymore. I have surgery in four days and am just sticking to high Protein and very low carbohydrates. My surgeon told me that my liver should have shrunk enough by now so I'm feeling relieved. I have had so many food funerals. In a way I'm still having them. I had a huge portion of hamburger last night because I knew that I would not be able to eat beef again for a while. I need to keep telling myself that I'll be able to eat almost everything again eventually, just in smaller amounts.

Great post. I have surgery in four days...as tough as it's going to be to wrap my mind around an entirely new relationship with food, as tough as it's going to be to stay hydrated and follow my surgeon's instructions to the letter, I still believe that getting sleeved is "easier" than my old approach to weight loss--constantly dieting, only to gain all of the weight back plus more. And also, getting sleeved is surely "easier" than the damage yoyo dieting causes to your body, not to mention all of the comorbidities that come from being obese. My take on this issue is, when I get sleeved, I am only going to go through the rigors of losing weight once. It will be the last time I'll ever have to deal with the problem again and as long as I'm compliant with my doctor's orders it won't come back. I'm prepared to do this one last time. The alternative is to keep losing and gaining and never getting off the endless hamster wheel of yoyo dieting. I didn't have this lifesaving tool before, but I will in four days. I never had any tools before. If this is considered "easier" in some way, so be it.

I have had an endoscopy and it's a breeze. They set you up with an IV that contains a very mild anesthetic to help you sleep and the entire procedure takes about 20 minutes or so. You won't even remember being on the table. You may have a bit of a scratchy/sore throat from the endoscopy tube but other than that you won't have any issues at all. You can do this!

I am also scheduled on the 18th. Hang in there, you're going to do just fine!

You poor thing! I also did the HCG scam last year too. I went to a doctor who was featured on Dr. Oz and she cost an arm and a leg. I've gained back just about all of the 60 pounds I lost. I get sleeved on the 18th and am feeling the same fears as you are. I had a lot of food funerals but that only resulted in my gaining 10 pounds and I had to lose it all over again on the preop diet. We have to remember that we are taking a huge step in improving our health and this is not just another diet, but a complete lifestyle change. You can do this!

Could it be that all of that intense walking has triggered your body to hang onto some pounds for a while? I've been reading your blog and have been impressed with the amount of activity you had on your vacation. Reading this post just reinforces my decision that I will only weigh myself once a month or at doctor's visits post-surgery. I'm trying not to get too attached to what the scale says and if I weigh monthly I won't get caught up in the drama of my weight going up and down by a pound or two.

If the OTC remedies aren't working, you may want to ask your doctor to give you a prescription for Lactulose. It's very gentle and can be taken long term. It's not a stimulant laxative, rather it's a liquid that attracts more Water into your stool and makes it easier to pass. I have asked my surgeon to give it to me post-surgery just in case. I'm also taking stool softeners every day and my doctor told me that they are OK to take long term as well. I hope you find some relief...constipation is truly awful.

Thanks SO MUCH for posting this, SandeeD! We are spending an arm and a leg right now on Quest bars and Atkins bars. I swear, my hubby eats a box a day! Looking forward to trying these recipes!

What an eloquent testimonial for this lifesaving surgery. Thanks for posting!

I wasn't sure where to post this so I'm posting it here. I want to start taking fish oil and I was wondering if any of you guys took it. The brand I want to take is called Coromega. It comes in these little packets and it's like orange flavored pudding (LOL) not those huge fish oil pill capsules that you can barely swallow. I've heard that it's a good supplement to take post-WLS and I was looking for some opinions. Thanks!

I have Horizon BC/BS of Nj and to my great disappointment the shakes aren't covered.