mishi

I can't stand protein shakes. That's all I had prior to surgery. I've been adding a tablespoon of protein powder to my other food, adding extra water, and mixing it in. This my own "recipe" and I like it soooo much more than trying to drink 8 oz shake on top of food and water.

I am eating Gerber baby food along w the suggested portions as they match up w what I'm allowed to eat right now and I don't have to measure. I'm not a cook. Hate it in fact. I love to bake though so maybe a couple months down the line I can experiment with high protein muffins and other heathy baked goods.

Phew! Thanks! I was worried my body was storing fat because I hadn't eaten.

Hi Cervidae, My drain came out the next day while still in the hospital at the same time they removed the catheter. My instructions are to change the bandage every day for the week leading up to my follow up appointment. I've been told to walk 3-4 times a day and I've been doing three. My walk is like an old woman's shuffle right now but improving. I take the pain meds every 4 hours around the clock. I thought this would keep me up but I've been waking up to pee every 2 hours anyway. The first thing I ate was a sugar free popsicle. I had three small bites and was done. Next I had about 3 tablespoons of broth and was full. So far that's all I've eaten. The feeling of fullness is very different but I'm trying to pay attention so I don't vomit the first week as that can set back progress. I'm tired and nap day and night with no full sleep of the 6-8 hour variety. The thing I've found hardest is getting in and out of bed. I'm using the log roll technique which helps relieve some but not all the pressure on my stomach muscle. I won't lie. It hurts. But I'm getting better at it.

Had my surgery yesterday and was released this afternoon. If you have questions I'll be happy to give details while it's still fresh in my noggin. Hooray. First day of the rest of my life!

How much are you losing / supposed to lose on pre op diet?

I ended up losing 26 pounds on my two week pre op diet. Mostly from my boobs I think since my bras are too big. :/

Ok this may be tmi for some but I'm freaked out because I have my period and my surgery is tomorrow. Can I wear a tampon? Is this going to a problem with the catheter? I have PCOS so my periods are unpredictable and I had no idea I'd get it now. :/

I'm having my pre op stomach biopsy tomorrow. They're sedating me. Have NO idea what to expect. How long does it take? How soon do the drugs wear off? Is it painful afterwards? Do you remember it? Yes, I'm a chicken.

Congrats on the smooth sailing! Sounds like you have the right mind frame and are taking it day by day.

Good idea. I'll just put it out there and see what the nurse says to do. I'm sure nurses have had to deal with this sort of thing before.

It will be here before you know it! You'll do awesome!

Wow! That's fast. I have BCBS and it took 3 days.

Thursday August 20th! Excited / terrified on the eve of my surgery.

Yep. That's how mine was except I awoke with scope still in my stomach and it was not fun coming up, but hey if that's the worst that happens in this whole process I'll count myself lucky.

I'm on a two week liquid diet. The first 4-5 days sucked but now I'm doing ok. Surgery on Thursday. I think going through sugar and caffeine withdrawal before surgery can only make recovery easier. If my liver hasn't shrunk down to a raisin I'd be surprised. On the +++ side you will start losing weight earlier!

Today is the end of my week one liquid diet and I'm doing the same stuff. For myself, I think it's a change in mindset that I haven't conquered. I'm used to choosing to be in complete denial about serving sizes and the nutritional information of the food I'm eating. So having to look at labels and check that every little thing meets the guidelines is a BIG adjustment to me. I've made a couple mistakes so far but I'm trying to make this adjustment as best I can.

Had mine today. Asked my doc if it was going to suck and he said, no you're just going to take a nap. Passed out pretty quickly but woke up while they were still pulling the tube from my stomach. I gagged and choked over and over. It was awful. I was fully awake and vomited the bile and small bit of Water that was in my stomach. Hurt my throat. As they began wheeling me out to recovery I told my doc that he'd lied; it sucked balls. But hey, I got through it. Next week surgery. Hooray!

Thanks Nikikins! Hugging you back!

I'm not that hungry any more. Well I am but not like the first few days. Today I'm just really sad. I feel like crying. No energy. Last night I finally worked up the nerve to tell a friend that I was having RNY, and he told me it would be the worst mistake of my life, that I'd be in constant, unbearable pain, would have constant diarrhea, would be unable to eat the smallest bite of sugar without being bent over with cramps, and that I shouldn't go for instant gratification of quick weight loss. I explained all the medical reasons I came to this decision but he wasn't hearing it. At this point the only people who have been supportive of my decision are my doctors. I just feel alone in this. Sorry for this depressing post. I feel like this is my only safe place to discuss my impending surgery.

Thanks everyone! It's such a relief to have others to relate to and know I'm not alone in my experiences. I'm not doing this to be attractive. In fact it bothers me to think that people will treat me differently once I've lost the weight. I'll never be a skinny little thing. Never have been. I just want to be healthy. Also this journey has been anything but easy...and I haven't even had the surgery yet! It does seem like everyone knows someone whose had the surgery and therefore they are an expert and will gift you their advice when you haven't asked for it. I'm rambling now. Thanks again! Reading your posts have really cheered me up.

Thanks for this, catwoman7. It reaffirms everything I've learned but was second guessing after the conversation with my friend. He said he knows a couple people who had it done. He's a super health nut who bikes 40 miles a day but I think maybe his info is couple decades old before the surgery was perfected. Idk. Maybe I shouldn't tell anyone else until after the surgery. I don't want to act like it's a big dark secret but I'm tired of the negative responses. I'm trying to stay positive and keep my fear at bay. What kind of responses have you or anyone else received? All positive? A mix? Or mostly negative?

Good on you for working to lose 30 pounds before surgery. I gained weight eating "last meals" until I started my 2 week pre op diet. I haven't even been able to make 500 cals a day on the diet they have me on so I'm hoping I'm dropping weight like I dropped my last bf

Well crap.

Thanks for adding me! And for the offer of support. I sure do need it and am more than happy to support you on your journey any way I can. I think we are making such a big life change we all need all the support we can get. I've got a feeling the next few weeks are going to be a bumpy road for me!