CandyPants81

@@StarAnge13 I can only imagine how tough it must be to stop smoking at such a "stressful" time in your life. I say stressful because I know when I was a smoker, anytime I got scared or nervous I wanted a cigarette. I stopped smoking in 2012 cold turkey, and have not had one puff since (although I did dream about it the other night). I would think that as long as your surgeon knows that you stopped smoking, the nicotine levels in your blood should be enough for them to tell how long ago you smoked. Maybe. Lol. I don't know.

Lisa, your diet and mine sound very similar. Did your surgeon specify a particular kind of shake?

@nursecruz73 That is SO exciting. Wow! I would check with your doc's office and make sure they don't want you to have protein shakes sometimes. My surgeon recommends that I have 3 protein shakes per day, plus unlimited broth, sf jello, sf popsicles and greek yogurt. Two weeks on all liquids!!! Yikes!

@@nursecruz73 Christine, I sent you a friend request. I start my liquid diet on July 8th, but I'm considering starting on the 7th just because it's a Monday and it makes it easier for me to keep straight in my mind. Are you on all liquids? What's your pre op diet look like?

Me too! Are you on all liquids? I've been replacing one or two meals a day with a shake but then I come home in the evening and eat the whole house. I'm terrified. Have to get it together.

Thank you!!! I'm nervous and excited. I've had a couple moment where I've thought I might be crazy for doing this. The closer it gets, the more nervous I become. I start my official pre op diet one week from today! How is that possible?! Lol. Seems time is frozen sometimes. Other times, I can barely catch my breath because it's happening so fast. But I'm looking forward to so many things. Health, freedom. My weight has held me prisoner for far too long. I want to break free!! Candy

I'm not the admin and I just added someone a couple days ago. I just had her friend me on Facebook and added her. Easy. There were a great deal of people who explicitly stated that they were interested, but didn't want to join unless the page was secret. Not closed, but secret. I know how to turn off visibility, but I think it being a secret group gives people a greater feeling of comfort and freedom to post what they want. Candy

@@SAP78 Hi, and welcome! The Facebook page is already secret. If you'd like to pm me your full name and/or email address (associated with your facebook account), I can friend you on FB/add you to the group.

My date is July 22nd with Dr. Quinones in Tijuana, MX. I'm back and forth between nervous energy and excitement. I start partial liquids tomorrow for 7 days then full liquids for two weeks. Nerves are kicking in.

@@deline23 we have the same day! Technically, I start my preop diet on the 8th, but I'm actually starting a week early to get in the swing of things. I may still have solids for dinner this week...haven't decided yet. If you haven't been added yet, you can PM me your name and I'll find you on FB so I can friend you and add you to the group. It's a secret group, so you can't search for it. Candy

My pre op diet is all liquid with 3 protein shakes a day and unlimited broth. I can also have some sugar free popsicles, jello, pudding, and drinks. Nothing chewable.

Same as Ginger with 10 days until pre op. I am sooo ready for this and it seems that time has slowed to a crawl. I join the losers bench July 22nd!

Congratulations!

I'm going to Dr. Quinones in Tijuana, but I do have a Google spreadsheet of questions I asked various surgeons before I made my decision. It may give you a springboard for questions you'd like to ask. I based this one loosely on one created by another user, Travelmego. She has a good one too, but I don't have the link for it. Here's mine: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PZ4Meo-rfl85rxfJukveUguf_UQ3D7WHrwe9t-32o_Q/edit#gid=0 Good luck. Oh, and about the financing, I'm not much help. I couldn't qualify, but it worked out for the best. It has been tough as hell, but we ended up just saving for it which means no payments for us later.

July 22nd

I sure will!

I agree about Disney. Went last year with my family and had a blast. They are very accommodating for people of size.

I want to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and not worry about whether or not I'll fit in the seats.

@@Missviscious As far as this surgery is concerned, I've kind of adopted the "what will be will be" philosophy. I've done all I can to make sure that my surgery and recovery go well. I will stick with the pre op instructions and follow the post op diet and instructions to the letter. Other than that...what will be will be. And I'm sure we will be fine. Candy

I'll be honest, I was concerned about the surgery center as well. In fact, it was my primary concern regarding choosing Dr. Q (I'd already researched his credentials and experience so I was comfortable with him as a surgeon). But I spoke with every former patient that would speak to me, and nobody had anything negative to say about their experience. I've heard that it is a small clinic, and that it is very clean and efficient. I don't need it to be a luxury hotel. My main concern is that I would feel safe and comfortable there, and not one person I've chatted with has had anything negative to say about the facility. Aside from safety and comfort, I needed to know that I would have a private room and bathroom, and that my husband would be able to stay with me in my room. That was not negotiable, and I was pleased to learn that those requests can be accommodated. I was told that it is different from US hospitals and clinics, but not worse. Just different. Knowing that, I'm excited to go. And believe me, I researched this for MONTHS. Candy

I think it's natural to have a healthy fear of the unknown. Honestly? What I tell myself when I start to get afraid is that yeah, there could be complications, and yeah, there could be problems down the line, but I'm making this choice to reclaim my life. I know what doesn't work. Fad diets, gimmicks, pills, and everything else we've all tried. But this is my shot at a good healthy life. And it's worth the risk for me. I've exhausted all my other possibilities, and honestly if I hadn't tried everything else short of surgery, I'd probably end up talking myself out of this. But this is it for me. This is my shot at getting to a healthy weight and staying there, and I know it will be worth it. Go to some of the post op threads and read all the wonderful success stories. They far outweigh the stories about complications. Make yourself aware of the risks, but don't dwell on what could go wrong. Focus on what you will gain. Ultimately, though, the choice is yours. Follow your mind and your gut. Candy

@@KQH I'll be three weeks after you! Soooo excited! How are you doing on your liquid diet?

Thanks!!