optimumhealthgurl

Yes, the pre-op diet is hard, but the closer you get to the end, the easier it becomes. Hang in there! You'll be relieved to know you can go into surgery knowing you followed all of the directions to begin your journey to success.

Yes, the preop diet is difficult! I though I was going to lose my mind but after losing 10 pounds, and having my surgery go very smoothly, it was worth it. Hang in there, you will be fine. One of the things that kept me going during pre op phase was I didn't want the surgeon to open me up and find something wrong as a result of my not being compliant with the pre op diet and not perform the sleeve. My surgery was July 2 and I am down 40 pounds which includes the 10 pound preop. Never since I've been struggling with my weight have I been able to shed that kind of weight! Good luck to you!

It works out fine. I find that I have to remember to eat most of the time and breaking away from the old habits of nibbling, just because, or stopping at the vending machine on my way home, etc. The goal is to use the sleeve as a tool to aid in weight loss, so habits need to change. I'm soooooooo happy I've done this. Good luck to you!

My insurance company didn't cover surgery either. Surgeon's fee was $4500 -which I put on a credit card and the hospital fee was $13k. The hospital required a $3k deposit and will bill me monthly installments for the next year without interest charges. I'm moving my credit card balances to a lower rate card. It wasn't the best financial situation, but there was an exclusion in my policy. My health was more important to me. CareCredit is also an option. Good luck, I know exactly how you are feeling right now!

Oh the six months of classes, yeah, that was a formality and time for me to relearn some things about eating and learning some of the behaviors that needed to change prior after WLS. I even used that time to say goodbye so some of my favorites...but I was very strict for the two weeks leading up to my surgery....It will soooooo worth it!

I did not cheat pre-op. Those first couple of days I thought many , many, MANY times, I am not going to be able to make it. My NUT did allow for adding 3 oz of lean meat (chicken or fix) with 1 c of salad and that did help me out tremendously. The reason I didn't cheat was fear I'd go into the OR and there would be complications or the surgery would have to be postponed. You can get through this, it's only for a short period of time that will change the rest of your life!

I'm following the post op diet. This is a very drastic step I've taken to get healthy. I tried to push the limit Saturday by eating a little crabmeat but was so afraid I'd have something terrible happen and have to go back into surgery, that was the end of it. I'm two weeks out and my surgeon told me to follow two weeks of pureed foods....I've had no issues, until today, I tried to eat something too quickly, and I got that "stuck" feeling....learning very quickly.

Hello Everyone! My procedure was July 2 and things are going OK, except I'm hungry much more frequently than I imagined I would be. broth, Soups, teas, and Jello are barely doing the trick. I can get about 9 oz of my Protein drink in and it takes close to 1 hour. I go back for my post op appt with the surgeon on 7/17. I'll be curious what his scale says in comparision to mine. My initial healing was kind of slow, I managed to walk around my neighborhood for a few minutes and my treadmill too. Yesterday was my first full normal walk - 1 mile that usually takes me 27 minutes took 45 minutes yesterday. I'm OK with that, and realize my body has been through a major change. Looking forward to sharing information with everyone!

People can be very judgmental in offering their non-medical advice. Do what makes you happy!

Congrats on your approval!!! I don't have any answers about long term sleeve success and am still pre op (tomorrow is my day). The decision for me to go with the VSG was due to the absorption issue. I'm on an anti estrogen adjuvant medication for the next 4 years and need to be certain I'll get the full benefit from the medication. Good luck with your decision!

Good luck to all the July sleevers! I can hardly believe that tomorrow is my day and I'm a bundle of nerves. My nose has been stuffy the past couple of days & now I'm getting post nasal drip....this can't settle in my chest because my surgery will have to be rescheduled. I managed to drop 10 pounds on the pre op diet and if I hadn't confused it with some of the information I received in my NUT class ....never mind, I'm not going there. For those on the pre-op diet, hang in there! One of the best things I found that got me through a few days was exercising first thing in the morning. I went for a 1 mile walk and realized I didn't have a headache the rest of the day. You will get through it!

Hello Ladies, I'm a breast cancer survivor and have been on tamoxifen for just a little over a year. My entire medical team is on board with me having the surgery and my scheduled date is July 2. I'll resume tamoxifen two weeks post op and am curious about some of the side effects and how it may impact my results i.e., tamoxifen causes weight gain; that metallic taste that you get when you first start taking it, does it worsen with weight loss surgery, etc. I'd appreciate anyone sharing their experience. Thanks so much!

You are providing inspiration for me!!! Congratulations and continued success to you!

You look amazing! Congratulations and continued success to you!

Congratulations!!! You must feel very good!

Hello June 30th Sleevers, I'm wishing the best to all of you tomorrow!!! Please post when you are able to let us July sleevers know those last minute details!!! July 2 is my date!

Don't get discouraged, your mind is made up for all the reasons that work for you! You are not seeking the approval from anyone outside of your medical team. People think they know it all. I remember sharing with a couple of people when I through about it back in 2006....my mother, who has never struggled with her weight was the worst critic. I have to admit that until 3 years ago I throught I could do this alone....and I can, it's just going to take me much longer without this tool. I'm not saying anything about my procedure at work, it's no one's business. I've shared it with very few people and surprisingly, my mother has been very supportive this time. I'm going out for a procedure and that's it, end of story and at my age, I really could not care less about speculation and rumors, it's my choice. Good luck to you, you're going to be very happen with your decision!

I can hardly believe my date is July 2nd! Emotions are moving between excitment, stressed and trying to keep track of all the "checklist" items for my home to run smoothly while I'm in the hospital (pay bills, premake dinners for my son, etc.). The worst is the pre-op diet. I started Thursday and thought I was going to pass out from hunger! Friday was a bit better and Saturday was a breeze in comparison. My nutritionist provides a modified liquid diet which I have been following, but today was the worst, hungry, tired, irritable, and a killer headache. Have others experienced this and does it get better?

Ohhhh noooo, it's going to get worse? LOL! I've always been obsessed with makeup, perfumes, etc. I always find a reason to buy new makeup!!! Post op will be another reason for new make up purchases! Clothing ....my closet is bursting with clothes in different sizes from 16 reg -20w, so I won't have to shop for a while. I also have rediscovered my love of sewing and plan on making myself some new items to get me through before I fully resume shopping. One of the reasons I stopped sewing is no matter how hard I worked on the garment, the with best fabric, threads, and techniques, I hated the way my finished clothes looked on me.

Thank you all so very much for insightful, and knowledge based responses! I sincerely appreciate you taking the time from your day to show me support, provide tips and advice and listen to my "cyber whining" !!! Yes, the headaches are terrible and I find that something hot helps, tea, broth, or Soup. My NUT also allows 3 ozs of lean Protein for those like me that cannot tolerate it. Fortunately, I baked some fish and weighed out and froze the serving sizes prior to starting this so I'm good in that area and practially licking my plate to get every morsel of fish! My EKG came back slightly abnormal yesterday and my PCP sent me to see a cardiologist today who repeated the EKG and followed with a stress test...results were in normal range, so he is clearing me for surgery. The hospital also requires a pre op education class that I went to today that only confirmed the magnitude of what this procedure is going to do and why it's important to stay on track with the pre op diet as well as the post op transition eating for success. It's been quite a day! Oh yeah, almost forgot, had my pre op bloodwork this morning too, and the tech had to do some things to get the veins to cooperate...never has that happened before... Thanks again for weighing in and July 2 can't get here quickly enough!!!!

Hello, I'm pretty new to this forum and site. My surgery is July 2, and I can hardly believe it's finally here. I'm very excited!