4me4them

Big breaths...you will do great! We'll be waiting here when you get back to the computer

I'm day 3 and actually had to sleep in and take a couple hours off of work...of course I also quit caffeine two days ago so that is probably not helping....not to future pre-oppers....get off caffeine before you start the preop....wish I had

OH man, hang in there....

I did buy a very small one cup food processor that someone else recommended...I will make my own baby food thank you very much but that's just because I like to cook and really dislike additives/chemicals and salt. I also found a very cool 4oz shot glass at Walmart that I think will help me keep track of how much I'm taking in (my date is 03 December). I also did the whole nesting thing...lol. My house has never been cleaner. I have two good recipes one for chicken stock and one for beef stock that I've made and frozen in ice cube trays...each cube is 1.5 ounces. I really prefer the Premier Protein at costco, but was worried about the texture afterwards (it tends to be a bit thick) so I did get some unflavored Protein Powder and some vanilla. Also got some cool teavana holiday teas...can't eat candy canes but I can drink peppermint decaf tea...Good luck!

Welcome! You will find lots of good folks here with all kinds of opinions on just about everything! Good luck on your journey...

Welcome and congrats all around!

Unjury makes an unflavored protein that you can add to stuff that you like...might give that a try...

Awesome work! I soooo aspire to be in your position in 7 months...thanks for sharing!

Just what I needed to hear after a difficult day yesterday...thanks!

If you have an iPod there are some free guided relaxation meditations on the itunes store...I use them before I go to bed if I'm feeling really keyed up...or if I wake up and can't fall back to sleep...they help me clear my mind.

I'm not there yet as surgery isn't until 03 December....but I've been wondering about the same thing. My NUT recommended I buy baby food...literal jars of baby food! I just couldn't bring myself to do it, so I googled homemade baby food and am going to use some of those recipes to make my own purees. My favorite that I"ve seen so far is chicken and applesauce....don't know why that sounds good to me but it does...

I'm just dayone...but I was doing 2-3 days a week for about a month now. I'll be glad to get to day FOUR. Then I will know I will be OK...Also doing half caffiene and then using surgery as the breaking point to no caffiene. Keep up the good work!

So I survived vacation with only gaining 2 pounds, which came off in 2 days! Yay me. We (hubby helped a lot) did very good the first week at my moms. Shakes for breakfast and lunch, reasonable dinner. Even went to my favorite Italian restaurant and ordered meatballs, no appetizer and only had 1 bite of their signature almond cake. The beach was not as good. I'm not sure why...might have been because I had not told my in-laws about the surgery. Anyway it's over and I don't currently have another one scheduled so I should be well down my road before I have to figure that out. Had the endoscopy and it wasn't too bad. Arrived at 0700 (I was the first of the day). Was in the prep area by 0715...it was the first time in a long time that my husband couldn't come back with me. The nurse cracked me up...she asked if I wanted the larger gown and I thought Duh of course I do. Then she said....I think you could use the regular one...I mean your big but your not BIG....LOL I am too BIG that's why I'm here So I meet the anesthesiologist who is a nurse practitioner...I joked and said "I guess you are going to put me a little under" and he said "Actually we are going to put you a lot under" I guess that is sleepy time humor. Then Dr. Galvani comes in absent his usual entourage of students (I'm using a university hospital). He jokes that he will be slower because they usually do the paper work. IV is started, and by 745 I'm on my way into the procedure room. They put the mask over my nose, turn me on my left side, put a bite block in my mouth and I start to fight to stay awake. A bite block is a round tube like thing that they strapped onto my face (I guess they did, all I remember is being told to bite it but not hard). It protects the scope and keeps the mouth open during the procedure. The last thing I hear is Dr. Galvani talking to the others in the room about a different design for the room with stuff hanging from the ceiling...I think. I woke up back in the original staging area around 840. Had some gunk in my throat as I was waking up that they suctioned out. I swear that nurse had me out of bed and in the bathroom to get dressed within 10 minutes and I wobbled to the car at about 850 with a print out of pictures of my insides...kinda cool for a science nerd like me but hubby passed on the offer to look. We had always planned to go get breakfast so we took the long way to the café because I was feeling kinda woozy. Breakfast was uneventful except when I put pepper in my tea....but hey, that could happen any day right? Had only two lasting side effects...one was a slightly busted lower lip...apparently I caught my lip between my tooth and the bite block (it cleared up in 2 days) and I had a tenderness right under my left ear...which also went away. We putzed around in Tucson till my last NUT apt and my pre-surgery class...both of which went well. Back to work the next day, Friday and as I was driving home I got the call that the insurance had been approved! So I start my pre-op diet on 19 November and am scheduled for surgery on 03 December...This has been a long one so I'll talk about the irrational stupid self talk my brain is now putting me through later.

I think for me the word is challenge...that is what motivates me...I'd like to say adventure because that sounds so positive...but in reality I think of it as a challenge I'm working through....maybe so I can get to the adventure? I find myself getting more and more melancholy as my date approaches...maybe it is because I know that in 2 more days I have to start the 2 week liquid diet...anyway...challenge sums it up for me!

I haven't had my surgery yet ( Dec 3rd) so I can't give personal experience....but I have seen the suggestion to return to liquid or previous phases if the step up doesn't seem to be working so I think you are on the right track by returning to shakes. Would also wonder if measuring something according to your plan, then eating that and walking away would help....then you wouldn't have to stress about how much you can/can't eat....just some thoughts!

Thanks!

Have you tried almond milk and find it yucky...if not give it a fair shake. Blue Diamond has an unsweetened vanilla that is actually pretty good...especially if you are putting it in something!

At my final class with the nurse coordinator she told us about "buyers remorse". She said almost everyone has it the first couple of days...some dwell on it longer than others. Hang in there...you can do it! I once had a personal trainer who said "You can do anything for a minute" of course this was while she was trying to get me to run at 5mph while weighing close to 300 pounds but that is another story. You.Can.Succeed.

Wow, you have come through a lot of complications. I would recommend finding a personal trainer to work with for a few weeks to get your strength back. A trained trainer will know how to rehab your muscles so that you can get stronger without hurting yourself. I wonder if your surgeon could order physical therapy to rebuild some core muscle strength? I'm hoping that things continue to look up for you.

Congratulations and THANKS for your post. As someone who is getting the sleeve on 03 December, it is good to hear your words. I'm not having second thoughts at all...just nervous worrying...

Yep...been there. My Nutritionist insisted that I journal my food...I resisted, but did it because she was expecting to pull it up online and look at it the second month. It is kind of a pain, but it is a really really valuable tool. While my three months weren't perfect...I lost 12 the first month 2 the second 8 the third and 1/2 the fourth....logging my food actually gave me the control that I felt like I was loosing by being put "on a program". As long as I stayed within my Protein, carbs and calories I could manage the food I ate and it helped me learn portion sizes (1/8 cup of shredded cheddar cheese is actually a decent amount) and to make tradeoffs. I used myfitnesspal.com It is free and has a great database...almost everything I ate was already in there... Hang in there....if we could do it perfectly we wouldn't be in the shape we are. Baby steps and you WILL get there...

Welcome to the forums! So glad you have turned a corner and are doing better. Most doctors that require the pre-op diet do it to shrink the liver so that it is less in the way during surgery. I start mine on the 19th and it is liquids, plain yogurt and 1/2 cup cottage cheese a day....good thing I like both yogurt and cottage cheese huh? lol

My two cents....it is ultimately your health and your decision. Perhaps you can try this tactic...if you had a coronary blockage you wouldn't "try one more time" to get it cleared...you would have surgery because that is what is medically indicated. You don't mention whether you have any co-morbidities but if you do, reinforce the impact that surgery will have on those. And then..unfortunately....be prepared that she may stay resistant for many many reasons and you may not be able to "win her over". She wont be able to argue with the results and your improved health...