finallyfree!

Try hydralyte iceblocks from the chemist. Like a frozen gatorade. Helps with hydration, they say. I have 3 boxes in my freezer for next week.

Breezy, thanks for asking this and thanks to all who replied. Im on 4th april and was getting the jitters big time. Am going through the 'do i really need it'stage and my pre-op diet has shown that i do. Losing weight but had a couple of extra sqlads and soups but nothing 'bad'. On the final run up now, busy doing all the house work. Good luck breezy.

My BFF told me it was 'wrong, wrong, wrong!' on 3 separate occasions. She would not listen to me, discuss it with me and finally I told her I don't want her to mention it again and she hasn't. She is average weight but not in top health. I feel the loss and hurt by her lack of support and realise that I will get no mental, emotional support from her, which is a bummer as she lives on the ground floor of my house but on the bright side, she is going to look after my cats for me while I am in hospital and recovering. Different situation to yours but as someone says, it is your friends issues and not yours, as I finally realised. Do this for you and accept that some people just cant give us what we want from them. Not always wont but sometimes just cant, due to their own situation. Be happy and do what you need to do for you.

Hey GY, I have nothing useful to add as I don't live in your country, but I have found the posts on this forum to be particularly informative and helpful and the overwhelming majority of members just leap in to help. I am glad you have found a support group as we all need someone. I do not have anyone as such but at least I don't have a 'stone wall' either. Maybe he doesn't want you to succeed - his issues, not yours. Do this for yourself and be happy with your success, acknowledge the beautiful inner and outer you, we are all behind you.

Hi ISG, you are just amazing. Everything you post is educational, inspiring and sincere. Thank you.

Hey Angie, you are tired because your body has been through a heck of a shock with surgery. Your mind has had to change its habits. You no longer have your emotional crutch, if you were an emotional eater. You had pre op stress about whether to have the surgery, how to finance it, family stress etc. No wonder you are tired and i bet you have continued on your life while all of this was going on? Still working, paying bills, meeting responsibilities, it is a really big thing. Rest every chance you get and give yourself a chance. Indulge yourself with a facial or massage or walk on the beach or through the trees. I cant comment on the hormones as i have a week to go but i did read about it. Would meditation help you? Be kind to yourself, you deserve it.

I am one week pre-op and started freaking some weeks ago when i read cgjanes post about her kidney stones. That made me drink a squeezed lemon in water every morning and 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar i water every night while on the pre op fast. I will conti ue with it post op. Ahyone used the apple cider vinegar?

Do call your surgical team please. You dont want to become malnourished.

Hey, how are you going Mel? I have been offline for a couple of weeks and only just caught up with some of the great ideas offered. I hope you have fiund something to distract yourself. I am one week off being sleeved and am getting the jitters big time. Reading too much what problems other people have had. Mind you for my ffirst week shake fast, i have lost 10lbs and am quite happy, hungry but ok. Now i think well ifnyou can do this why cant you do it without the sleeve but have tried so many times and yo yo'd. Just such a big thing to do to the body. I have no doubt i will ,ose the weight and am fairly confid3nt that i 2ill keep it off, just have the jitters.

I wonder if a bell would have a similar effect?

Thanks EWT

Ooops, cultural difference here. I wondered why a word was ** out and after so e thought realised that a perfectly normal word for me (in Oz) has a different meaning in US, gulp. The word meant similar to grabbed. Now i am putting both feet in my mouth! Basically you sound a nice human, and let's leave it at that.

Smitty, will you marry me? Uh oh, guess i am too old for you but with an attitide like that, i would snatch you up in two seconds flat!

Does anyone know how to order Unjury from Australia? I looked at the bulk nutrients site, what is the flavour like?

I feel for you. My experience is that when life overwhelmes you it is very difficult to see a way out. I felt like that when nursing a quadreplegic elderly Mother. You know, the mindset change could be the same process you used to lose all of your weight. Whatever you did then, worked! Can you adapt it to your current situation? If I say, just try to go with the flow, i can imagine your reaction - not helpful but if you can it could help a bit. Usually after these difficult periods in life, we get a bonus, almost a reward. Likewise when we have a really good run at life, the sideswipe is coming, lol. It is old fashioned, but chin up. You obviously have courage, determination and a great sense of humour. I suppose you have imagined all the new redecorating for your unit? Sorry i cant help you more. I have yet to achieve what you already have, this will pass. Good luck.

Hi, i dont know how helpful this will be - are you able to have a pet? Walking the dog, laughing at the cat or arguing with a bird, meditating with aquarium fish? Of course, this comes from a person with many animals who volunteers in a shelter. Best way out of boredom is to help others. You already help a friend at her deli. Is ther other charity work? Or craft work, knitting bonnets and booties for premature babies, painting timber toys for a charity raffle or donate to some child organisation. Visit the elderly in a nursing home, or read this site, and as a veteran think of ways to help us newbies. You cook, do you have recipes that we can use? You have suceeded, we are only just starting. Buy some ridiculous clothes, something you have always dreamed of but never been game to wear, the hidden flower child, the biker chick, the hayseed, anything. Dye your hair, something special for you, have that facial wax so you dont look like a werewolf . Go into nature and wonder at the beauty of it. My dog of 16 years died last thursday and i am also trying to be positive to give myself the best chance at this. The only person in my house just tells me WLS is wrong, that hurts but you know what? When i lose weight, every day I'll smile! Love to you.

I am grateful that God took my very old dog last week with much love. I feel like my arm or heart is amputated. I know my girl is okay. My other gratitude is that she went pre-op and not in 4 weeks time post-op. How would I have coped and how could I have nursed her? Thanks.

Ahhi

Hi Kiwijet, well feel free to keep contact with me and help each other. I am in Brisbane, where are you?

EziProtein have unflavoured but i havent tried it yet. It is organic vegan australian. They have a supablend protein piwder in berry that i want to order, ut i am waiting to see what dietician says first.

Hey newbie, this time i am seeking support/emotional help with habit of overeating and what caused this in the first place, i.e. what was lacking in my life, that i had to fill up on, so i dont continue to meet situations with the solution of overeating. That is deadly without the balloon in place and also from whaat i read, if you dont respect your sleeve diet. It gave me the confidence to think i will be successful with the sleeve but i was more determined then also. Will get motivation into gear properly soon. Bit of a scaredy cat for this one, but balloon is easy procedure.

No, but FYI, i had a gastric balloon in 2012 and apart from a couple of days slight nausea no problems. Attended dietician for 12 months. First 6 months lost 26kg, second six mo ths with second balloon lost 14kg. That is about 40kg which is, omgosh translating to pounds, if you look in the margin it is the amount i am now tryi g to lose with a gastric sleeve. I found losi g weight with the balloon easy but i stuck with the diet, basically, no alcohol, no breads and very little sugar. I wish i could have kept that balloon for ever but i did keep the weight off for two years but then some trauma and here i am again. But i wish you luck, it certainly works, but maintenance without the balloon is difficult. We are all different and your eati g habits might be very different from mine. Good luck.

Hi everyone and well done. I am 4 weeks pre-op and i live alone and wont have anyone to help me. My sister offered for me to stay with her for a week and i was going to accept but then i read about all the flatulence type problems and thought, no i would rather be in my own bedroom in privacy if i am going to be 'sounding off'. Also she has male partner so would have to dress more modestly if i stay there. Do you think having someone earby is necessary for the first week? Are you able to 'do' for yourself?

Also thanks for info re hormones. That makes sense. If I start baying at the moon in April, you will know about it!

Hi ISG, I am going to Learn to meditate class tonight. I will post nutshell version of any tips I get from classes. Just not enough ti e now. ☺