JadedMage

The good news is that you will arrive out of surgery alive ....you don't want to take a risk that they give you anesthesia and you don't wake up ...so although you will have a delay in becoming the new person you want to become.... you will be that person because you will wake up from surgery and go on about your business ... hang in there :-)
Shel

I would be equally frustrated under the circumstances and I'm so sorry this delay has happened to you. The issue really is one of liability. If you have a known medical problem such as sleep apnea and your pulmonologist does not clear you as safe for surgery, the liability of risk falls on your surgeon. There are many people who have undiagnosed sleep apnea and have surgery all of the time. If something untoward were to happen to them, it is unfortunate, but it's a risk the patient assumes when undergoing any kind of surgery. Prior to an operation, it would be considered negligence for a surgeon NOT to obtain medical clearance from any specialist (cardiology, pulmomology, renal etc.) a patient typically sees for medical care for a known disorder. It's a matter of policy, decreases lawsuits (malpractice), and ensures the safest circumstances for patients.

Yes I do have sleep apnea..severe...I have a CPAP. Although it looks like different drs requires different releases. .I only needed to meet with the surgeon nurse to enter all current meds, a psych evaluation not only from his but also had to b released from mine whom Iv been seeing for yrs to make sure I was mentally prepared an their dietician. ..I went thru what they just did to you..the night before they called me to put on hold bc of a lil statement my psyc wrote at the very bottom..the nurse new an called me saying that with that" vaug" of clearance that insurance would not approve so I said don't submit that yet I will go in personally an tell her wat I need an that I was not depressed I might have" appeared. Depressed but when you live with chronic pain daily yea I'm goin to have a look on my face..sure enuff they resent her needed pw filled out right an within 48 hrs I was approved. ..it only postpone me 2 wks...but I stayed ontop of all of them...it's really a good thing they caught this..this way they will b prepared an they will provide u with a machine after surgery with laying on it back. U don't want to code on them! Call ur pulmonologist tomorrow tell front desk u need app asap this wk an get the ball a rollin. ..u will still get ur surgery believe me I feel ur frustration I went thru it..hang in there..it'll happen before u no it an I'm already 1 wk postop. .chin up.. keep us posted

sublingual B-12

sublingual B-12

Well, I feel I have been very successful so I wouldn't really change anything in terms of how I approached the eating/exercise part of it all.
I continue to be astounded at what losing over 160# has done to my headspace. At first it was the attention and looking different - I am so over that now. Now, it is more of the peeling away the numbing effects of all that fat ... I am still trying to figure out what my new life looks like. This has been a big deal and it is turning out to be a wondeful opportunity for me but it has been pretty hard too. I thought this wouldn't be so hard because i am a sensible, analytical, confident person. I didn't freak out over losing food as my best friend (was a cruddy friend quite frankly) so I had more of a delayed reaction to all this. I don't know that I would have done a thing differently but it was for sure the shocker of this whole journey.

Definitely don't stock up too much because I had a nose like a pregnant person right after surgery and everything I thought would be good I hated cuz of the smell! I couldn't stand sugar free things after surgery! I had Water, Soup, cottage cheese, tuna, potatos, added unflavored Protein Powder to things that didn't have much cuz I can't stand puréed meat. Get 1% or skim milk for your shakes cuz milk made me gassy at first. And yes never trust a fart!!! I had severe diarrhea for quite awhile after surgery. During the hospital stay I recommend bringing feminine wipes in case this happens because you will get raw from going so much. Or you might be the complete opposite. Bring Chapstick. sleep all you can. I recommend chewable vitamins . My dr did not want me to even care too much about Protein or the Vitamins until my follow up appt 2 weeks later. Hydration and rest was the most important thing. I'm 7 weeks out now almost 8 and most of my energy is back. I do recommend cleaning all you can right before. Don't get frustrated if you are not reaching the protein and fluid goals right away. That takes time. Do what you can and try to stay hydrated. I still struggle with getting in all the fluids. Be patient with your body and new stomach. Just when you think you are killing yourself from lack of calories and Fluid and you feel so weak you can't even make it to the fridge to get a drink, you will one day in a few weeks start feeling more normal. Day by day drink more. Bowels get back to normal. It's rough the first month but hang in there around six weeks I felt almost completely normal again. It's the best thing I ever did for myself!!!

Never ever trust a fart. Never. Seriously. Never

Pre-op. Don't stock up on anything. You should be out and about by day 2 or 3 and able to buy what you like. What you like now will change.

Post-op. Eat really freaking slow and never trust a fart.

July 28th for me! I'm in South Jersey and having surgery at Kennedy Hospital(Stratford). I'm excited/scared and very hopeful that this will be the tool that finally allows me to get healthy.

wow that is just sooo great to hear! congrats!

my surgeon said that i would loose about 65 to 75% of my excess weight in the 1st year. If you are averaging 10+ lbs a month weight loss, thats good!

Amen sister! Like you, if I could diet, I wouldn't need to have my stomach ripped out of me!
Thanks for the tip on where to find the bouillon! Makes sense...I had completely forgotten that aisle! Thank your husband too!

My surgery is Thursday so I started my 3 day clear liquid diet today.
It started out ok. When I woke up, I drunk the bottled laxative and had a bottle of Water. A couple of hours later I had a SF strawberry-orange Jello cup. A few hours after that I had a SF pineapple popsicle. That's when all heck broke lose in my head. I normally eat around 12:30 pm or around 5:30 pm. At 5:30 pm, a popsicle was not cutting it. I was thinking of Chili's or S&S Cafeteria but looking at Jello and tea. The hungrier I got, the madder I got. Then I thought about all the people whose doctors don't even require them to do a pre-op diet and I really got mad. Suffering for the sake of suffering does not go over well with me.
Thank GOD, I remembered I bought some chicken bouillon at Costco's. I bought the organic Better than Bouillon chicken base and beef base. I didn't think chicken broth would help but I went and heated up some Water anyway. Ya'll, it was awesome. The sun came out, birds started singing, and rainbows filled the sky. It was clear, it was hot, and it was DELICIOUS! The label states it has chicken meat and broth so maybe that's why it's so good. Whatever the reason, thanks to the geniuses at Superior Touch, I just might make it 72 hours to have my surgery on Thursday.
So I'm spreading the word - BUY ORGANIC BETTER THAN BOUILLON CHICKEN BASE! I know there are a lot of cooks on here but I'm not one. I don't cook. I haven't used my stove in years. I mainly use the kitchen for the refrigerator - my sodas and leftovers are in there. I also use the glasses if I buy a 2 liter soda. So for me, even heating up water to dissolve chicken base is a big deal. It's out of my comfort zone. But I did it. I'm making tiny changes and they're sticking. I'm going to have another cup of broth in an hour and after that another popsicle. After that it'll be my bed time and I'll have one day down.

ok i hate to be the killjoy, but after i go through this surgery, there is NO WAY i am going back to what I was eating before surgery. Lets Face it, we the overweight or obese are just like junkies or alcoholics. Part of recovery is not going back to those things that got you there in the first place for a very very long time or even at all!
From every thing i have read, you are supposed to eat Protein first, then veggies and fruits, then if there is room carbs.
I get it that you will most likely have cravings but fight them! don't give in!
If you are not going to do what you know you are supposed to do, why did you have the surgery in the 1st place?
I am still a few weeks out and I have already started preparing myself for what is to come. Ive gotten rid of all the crap in my house, started drinking Protein shakes twice a day.
I made this decision and became informed. And although I may miss some foods, I will not cave into them, not this time!!!

Hah I like you E!
I think it comes from Jealosy that people will debate a decision like the ones that we the over endowed will make. I have know so many "skinny" people to say to me "just dont eat" yea right, just walk a mile in my shoes...they couldnt take the weight...
Im sure your coworkers looked at you sideways when you were only eating a babies portion of stuff LOL
you should be proud of yourself!

Agreee with Lipstick Lady. I prefer to eat foods I enjoy in small quantities, on plan. At three years out and more than two years at goal, I am doing well with that so far.
Not everyone is so lucky. For some, certain foods are triggers that cause a lot of problems. For those people, the smartest choice is to chose to be free from those trigger foods. For example, bariatric bad girl Shelly, who does the blog http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/, gave up simple starches such as bread, crackers, Cookies and cake. She has a rich and varied diet and posts tons of yummy recipes, none of which include those foods.
Lynda

On the other hand, I had this surgery to regain control of my eating. Denying myself during diet after diet was a vicious cycle of denial followed by binge eating. I refuse to ever do that again. My restriction is a wonderful tool that has helped me get back on top of my weight and I refuse to live the rest of my life on a "diet".
I will always log. I will always exercise. I will always eat my protein first. I will *not* deny myself a bite or two of foods I love like I've done for the last few decades. That was my biggest downfall.

ok i hate to be the killjoy, but after i go through this surgery, there is NO WAY i am going back to what I was eating before surgery. Lets Face it, we the overweight or obese are just like junkies or alcoholics. Part of recovery is not going back to those things that got you there in the first place for a very very long time or even at all!
From every thing i have read, you are supposed to eat Protein first, then veggies and fruits, then if there is room carbs.
I get it that you will most likely have cravings but fight them! don't give in!
If you are not going to do what you know you are supposed to do, why did you have the surgery in the 1st place?
I am still a few weeks out and I have already started preparing myself for what is to come. Ive gotten rid of all the crap in my house, started drinking Protein shakes twice a day.
I made this decision and became informed. And although I may miss some foods, I will not cave into them, not this time!!!

Really? You are Unhappy because you cant eat "like a normal" person, Really???
Why did you bother having the operation?

salad 3 months<br />Refried Beans, mushy stage, about 4-5 weeks<br />Avocado 2 months<br />Nuts, 6 months<br /><br />The rest we don't go there. No bread and Pasta in our house and no sweets. A few bites of something you might be okay but a bagel would stick in your chest like lead. I make ground beef/turkey and add taco season but no shell or tortillas. You might get by with something a time or two, a few bites, and feel like it would be okay, and the next time maybe not so lucky. I had a small piece of soft chicken get stuck in my chest at 5 weeks and learned a lesson I won't soon forget. Felt like a heart attack. Good luck and here's to healthier living!

My surgery was on May 29, 2014. I had been feeling ok up until today, I am weak shaky and really down. :/ anyone have any good pick me ups. More or less just some reassurance that I did the right thing. Thanks y'all!

I'm so excited, I had to share! I have finally made it to ONEDERLAND! I am so thrilled I just don't know what to do! This is the first time in my adult life that I can remember being under 200lbs!!!! I just don't even know what to do with myself

I started my new job and they don't suspect me at all. They think I'm just a regular old sized person. I've infiltrated the normal sized people club!
I also cut my hair off!

Today is my last day at the job I had when I had my surgery. When I started there I weighed 288. As I leave I am 195. I've never hidden my surgery. This was a personal decision which is oft debated on this site. As I approach my new job on Monday, I am contemplative of the new relationships I will be building. My new colleagues will not have any awareness of me as the "fat girl". I know I still have a ways to go but the mental fat girl has mostly fallen away. These new folks will see me eat healthy, exercise and lose weight fairly gradually. They won't even require an explanation. I wonder if I will feel compelled to tell them. I am happy with my decision to tell folks about my surgery and I won't debate the choice as its been done here already. But I wonder how long the former fat chick will be my chosen identity? Anyone have any thoughts?