leebick

I rescheduled for Sept. 8. It was supposed to be July 18, but life happened and things needed to be rearranged. I won't postpone this again! I teach in special ed, one-on-one, and will be there for the first 2 weeks of the school year. This will give me time to set the schedules, write lesson plans and sub plans, and make sure everything is running smoothly for the new school year. My substitute is a woman who regularly subs for me, as well as for the other teachers in the room, so she knows my kids, their strengths, and their issues. It's early enough in the year that we'll still be reviewing (heck, we sometimes don't see kids for the first week or so; teachers like to keep them in their classrooms to foster friendships and set the classroom environment, etc.), so I'm not going to worry about missing out or short-shrifting the kids. I've postponed this surgery twice due to illness; I'm not going to postpone again. Three's a charm!!

My pre-op diets have been pretty straightforward: 4 whey Protein isolate shakes per day (I like Syntrex Nectars, 0 fat, 0 carb, 25 protein) made with Water or skim milk (skim changes the carb/prot count slightly... I actually use unsweetened vanilla almond milk which adds fewer calories than skim milk). I can also have 1+ cup of strained, low-fat cream soup like Healthy choice (I like the chicken and the celery) OR 1 Light and Fit greek yogurt. I can also have unlimited sugar free Jello and sf popsicles, and drink whatever non-carbonated, sugar-free, Clear liquids I like, including decaf coffee. There's pretty much no guess work here! DISCLAIMER... I AM NOT YOUR DOCTOR (but I do have a degree in nutritional biochemistry). FOLLOW THE DIET PLAN YOUR DOCTOR OR NUT GAVE YOU. However, since you asked, I honestly think your diet is way too high in carbs for it to be effective in burning glycogen from your liver (a.k.a. liver shrink). Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrate, stored in many tissues but mostly the liver. When your diet is deficient in carbohydrate, your body converts that stored glycogen to glucose, the sugar that we need for energy and cell function, thereby shrinking your liver. All that fruit, bread, crackers, and potato in your diet is recognized by your body as glucose. Since you're getting adequate glucose from your diet, your body won't detect the need to convert the glycogen in your liver to glucose- you already have enough.

Two pounds a week will take you to your goal pretty quickly, though! I have to admit, I am worried about being in your position. Although I didn't have to follow as rigorous a protocol as you did, my surgery has been postponed twice now, so I've done the 2 week liquid only pre-op diet twice: 13 days the first time, 9 the second time my surgery was postponed. I made it a goal to not regain the weight (down 36 pounds since January)while waiting for surgery, so I've been trying to stick to 2 or 3 Protein shakes during the day and a dinner of protein and salad/low carb veggies. Now I'm wondering if I should loosen up a bit and eat a little more- maybe more like Atkins induction- so my body doesn't kick into starvation mode and slow down on the weight loss. I totally understand how you feel about not dropping weight miraculously, like so many others. Just stay on the eating plan, keep exercising, move forward- it's gonna happen!!

I think it's interesting/frustrating to compare the differences in "rules" from different surgeons. I'm not always happy about it, but it's interesting. It's also easy to distinguish between real questions (I ate some chicken breast on my 2 week pre-op shake only diet, am I doomed?) and those looking for justification for their actions (I'm 2 weeks post-op and drank a case of Natty lite and didn't die, so why is my surgeon so stupid about restrictions?). While I agree with OP that you should follow your surgeon's guidelines, I don't think it's the end of the world to educate yourself about all the different approaches that different practices take. It's all knowledge.

Never mind.

Hahaha... I did the same thing. My first NUT appointment with official weigh-in was on Dec. 12. They told me to lose 7 pounds. Instead, I gained 5. It was holidays and I was supposed to lose weight?? I was going to be happy if I'd just not gained... but that was not to be. You know what motivates me to exercise right now? If I'm sitting on the lifecycle, I can justify reading for an hour on my nook!

Girl, I've learned to quote the crap out people when they post mean, inflammatory, nonsensical junk. If you don't, they come back and edit it, or remove it all together and then claim they never said it. Nope. Quote, quote, quote... On another forum I frequent, this is known as "The Rule." The first person responding to a post simply quotes the original post, so there's a copy of the original post in case the OP decided to go back and change/delete it. Keeps everyone on topic- NOT!!! Now, I'd like to ask folks to PLEASE punctuate. (OK, flame suit ON) I have the WORST time reading long posts that have no capitalization or punctuation, just streams of thought connected by ellipses; you know, the "..." that some folks use endlessly. It just makes it so difficult to read a post. Finally, is there a button or toggle anywhere that allows us to choose to go to the end of a thread? I've followed this one through 15 pages by clicking on the page numbers at the bottom of the pages, skipping pages by 3s or 4s. Is there an "end of thread" button anywhere?

food funerals... sigh. I remind myself that with the sleeve there is a much lower chance of dumping, so if I want to have a sip of champagne or a bite of cake at a wedding, it'll be OK. I keep in mind that I won't be giving up foods, I'll be giving up QUANTITY. The first year, of course, will be harder as there are foods that aren't recommended for a long time after surgery, but it won't be forever. I am following a moderate fat, high Protein, low carb regimen while waiting for surgery, and it's going OK. I started this process in January. My surgery has been postponed twice, and each time I was more than half-way through the pre-op diet (1st time was 13 days, 2nd time was 9 days), so of course I spent a couple of days being bad; food choices included beer, pizza, wings, ice cream. However, after 2 or 3 days, I went back to 2 shakes, a greek yogurt, and dinner of grilled meat and veggies. I've also been on vacation twice during this time. I've lost about 35 pounds and am holding steady. Now I have to figure out when I can reschedule surgery that will fit into my family and work schedule!

Make sure you are drinking enough additional water; weakness could indicate dehydration. Good luck!!

You'll be out of work for six weeks? Are you having more surgery than just the sleeve? That seems like an incredibly long time to be out. My program says definitely take 2 weeks, but prepare to take another week if I'm still too tired, but almost everyone I talked with only took 2 weeks off. When I had my gall bladder out (laparoscopically, like the sleeve surgery will be) I took three days off. Six weeks seems like a long time; I'd go stir crazy!

I've done the liquid diet twice now; first for 13 days before the surgery was postponed (I was too sick for anesthesia to be safe) and this time for 9 days (postponed due to family issue). It's really not that terrible, or at least it wasn't for me. I honestly got to the point where I just didn't pay attention to it anymore- there were days when at bedtime I'd realize I'd only had 2 shakes all day. On a "regular" day I don't eat Breakfast at all and don't have lunch until around 2pm, so I am accustomed to going long stretches without eating. I had a harder time with the caffeine the first time around. The second time, I switched to half-caff for a week before starting the liquid diet, then switched over to decaf on day 5. No headaches the second time around. I'm not sure for when my surgery will be rescheduled. It might be as late as mid-September. I don't know.. need to look at the calendar and juggle dates. BUT I"LL GET THERE!!

@Crevidae, my husband had the very same surgery on his knee, where they relocated the middle third of his patellar tendon into his knee to replace his ACL. It held up well for about 20 years or so... and this is a guy who runs about 30 miles a week. He's finally had to stop running and is scheduled for a high tibial osteotomy because his knee is basically bone on bone in some areas, but that's mostly due to arthritis and "misuse" (aka, too much running with a bum knee!). We were very thankful he had the patellar/ACL "transplant" all those years ago; it gave his knee a new life!

Hang tight, LA lady. You chose to do this for all the right reasons. Pre-surgery jitters are expected; after all, this is a major lifestyle change you are choosing, but it's going to make you SO MUCH healthier! I've talked to lots of folks who've had the surgery and they all say this is the best thing they've done for themselves. The restrictions ease up after the first 6 months, and they all have said they can eat pretty much what they like, but now they are happy consuming about a half-cup of food at a sitting instead of a mountain, as well as making smart choices about what they eat. My cousin jokes that she's the cheapest date around; she goes out for "50 cent chicken wing night" and can eat about 2 wings and has a 4 ounce beer! However.. she is satisfied with this and SO pleased to have dropped 120 pounds this year. In fact, today (it's a gorgeous day here in Maine) she took her bike and bathing suit and went biking in a local state park. She also went SWIMMING... first time she's been in the Water for 12 years! Reading her post about this is heart-warming and inspiring. That's going to be YOU soon... healthier than ever, happy with your choice. YOU CAN DO THIS!!

@Daisee68... Thanks for your support and WOW!! You met your goal within a year of surgery? Good work!! Right now I'm so worried about my mom (not irrationally worried, but informed/worried) that I'm not too upset about postponing surgery. I talked with the practice manager and realize that if I'm going to do their program, I need to follow their program. This is a large BWL program- both a surgical and non-surgical component- with three surgeons at the primary site and 6 satellite sites in northern Maine. They have terrific success rates, both for surgery and follow-up weight loss, are a Center of Excellence, and train other physicians from around the world to do BWLS robotically. I'm sure they have their reasons for prohibiting flight for 6 weeks, doing a 2 week, high-protein, liquid-only pre-surgery diet. etc. I'm going to sit tight until I hear from the scheduler next week. I now need to figure out for when to reschedule; I had the rest of the summer sort of planned around the stage at which I anticipated I'd be post-surgery, and I have to go back to work on Aug. 30th (I teach). I can't miss the first 2 weeks of school, so I might reschedule in mid-September, but that seems SO long away! OTOH, I can't imagine scheduling for mid-august and having to do the liquids while I am in a hotel room at Cleveland Clinic, and what if I need to be there longer than anticipated? We also have a cabin rented for Aug. 20-27 (3 hour drive away) and I really don't want to be in my first week post-surgery while there. It's surely a dilemma... I just want this done, so I can start moving forward again!

I 100% totally agree and hope that anything I posted didn't lead folks to believe I advocate cheating on the pre-op diet. I was hoping that by seeing that there are a variety of diets, the OP wouldn't feel like she'd totally ruined her chances- that'd she'd understand that she needs to get right back at it and follow the protocols! I just had something similar happen. I am supposed to be sleeved on 7/18... just 6 days away. Unfortunately, my mother is having open heart surgery on 8/4, in another state. She is 83, will receive 2 valves and have a double bypass. I OBVIOUSLY will be there, but my surgeon has a 6 week no-flying rule. I was hoping that, as it'll be a little over 2 weeks and I know many folks who have surgery in Mexico and then fly on day 2, my surgeon would waive this. However, she said no how, no way. She was kind and logical and I understand, basically saying that this is the program they follow and if I can't do my very best to stick to it, maybe I should reconsider. I get it...just hate to postpone the surgery. (Of course, the scheduler is on vacation, so I don't yet know WHEN I'll finally have this surgery!) The bottom line here is: Your surgeon has a protocol s/he follows. BWLS is not a one-day deal; it's a progression and a commitment, and you need to stick to the protocol your surgeon's practice has put in place- or find another practice! (not possible in my area, with my insurance).

After 8 days on the liquid diet, I've honestly gotten to the point that I don't even bother to drink all the shakes. It's 4pm, I've had 2 shakes and about a quart of water, and I worked out for awhile (burned 300 calories on the exercise bike). Six days to go!!

I don't know how they know for sure if it's too large... I just understand the biochemistry. HOWEVER... one way to diagnose a fatty liver is by biopsy, and I don't know ANYONE who'd have a liver biopsy to see if they need to do this diet pre-surgery. As I said (and read... lots of info on the web, search "metabolic syndrome" "fatty liver"), if your BMI is 40+, it's pretty safe to assume that you have some degree of fatty liver. Reducing it will make surgery easier. I wouldn't worry too much about this; I have met many people who started this journey in the 400 pound range who had laparoscopic surgery. Just follow what the doctor orders and I'm sure it'll work out.

What about this shrinking the liver, i never heard of it. Sent from my LGMS631 using the BariatricPal App Lots of nutritional biochemistry and physiology going on here- it's pretty complicated- but in a nutshell... Excess fat from the blood is stored in the liver, resulting in what's known as fatty liver disease. This is very, very common in people with metabolic syndrome. Most of us who are having BWLS have metabolic syndrome... high cholesterol, high triglycerides, low HDL, insulin resistance, preponderance of abdominal fat, pre/diabetes, high blood pressure. Anyhow... it's safe to assume if you have a BMI over 40, you have some type of metabolic syndrome and consequently also have a fatty liver (glycogen from the bloodstream is stored in the liver as fat... hence, fatty liver). Research has shown that a diet that is high in Protein and very low in carbohydrates forces the body to burn the fat stored in the liver as an energy source, reducing the amount of fat stored in the liver. This shrinking of the liver makes it easier for your surgeon to move the liver around to perform BWLS laparoscopically (i.e., through small incisions instead of a big, long incision). MANY (most?) BWLS programs require some form of liver shrinking diet before surgery, to make the surgery move along a little more easily.

Well that's up to your doctors, but don't cheat anymore. Follow the diet to the letter! I can't imagine that a shrimp and a couple of wings would disqualify you, but I'm not a doctor- it'll be up to them to decide (but I can't imagine they'd have any way of knowing unless you tell them).

Not in my experience! I started out with a BMI of 46 and am down to 41, no hernias, no GERD, no high blood pressure, no apnea, no diabetes. Basically just fat! I still get the 2 week pre-op liquid diet. Sigh. Sleeve on 7/18, can't wait for it to be over.

I have a colleague who took 3 weeks off for RNY surgery in October. Her plan was to get her kids started, then turn them over to an experienced retired teacher (the women had team-taught for 10 years before one retired) while she had surgery and recovered. I know there was a fair amount of grumbling among the faculty, and the students' parents weren't thrilled, but it's really nobody's business but your own. If you have the sick leave, take it- you don't have to get permission, don't have to explain what you are having done or why. What you DO have to do is make sure you are rested, hydrated, and healthy enough to return to work- otherwise your full recovery will take that much longer.

I am on my second round of the 2 week, liquid only, pre-op diet. My first surgery was canceled on day 13 of the pre-op diet because I had a terrible chest cold! I've been doing OK, although I noticed yesterday that when I was making dinner for my husband and daughter, I was tasting things without thinking about it. I'm not talking a lot… checking the broth for salt, a taste of chicken for seasoning, etc. That has to stop. My nutritionist explained that their choice of pre-op diet is to shrink the liver (I've lost 33 lbs since Jan, so I think I'm on target there anyhow), to shift the body into ketosis to accelerate the liver shrinkage, and to get you used to the post-surgical diet. I'm going to do my best to stick to this! From reading a bunch of boards, it seems that the choice of pre-op diet varies from practice to practice. In addition to the 2 week, high Protein, liquid only diet that I'm following, I've seen low calorie with low carb/high protein (basically Atkins induction), two Protein shakes and one low carb/high protein meal a day, no diet at all except Clear liquids only on the day before surgery. Some diets are for 2 weeks, some for only 1. I'm not saying this to tell you it's OK to cheat, or to not follow your surgeon's directions, but simply to encourage you. Don't feel guilty, because you can't change it. I don't think it's going to have a huge effect on having surgery if it doesn't continue! Get back on the horse, adjust your thinking, and MOVE FORWARD!! PS- on the pooping- I have the OK to drink a low-carb stool softener. Can't remember what I bought. I think it's psyllium- stirs into a glass of Water. I will stop this a day before surgery. So far, things are "moving along!"

I haven't had my surgery yet (canceled from May, rescheduled July) but the more I read here, the more unprepared I feel. I've had a meeting with the psychologist, 4 nutrition meetings, and 1 meeting with the surgeon, who described the surgery and "what to expect." That was basically an outline of what they do surgically and the diet I need to follow post-surgery. Reading here, I had no idea of how challenging the post-surgery experience can be. It never dawned on me that my insides will be so swollen that I could actually struggle to be able to swallow a sip of water, or that my taste perception might change. No discussion of what to expect for pain, or healing time, challenges with following the diet, bowel changes, etc. No discussion on what NOT to eat and why. Maybe I expect too much, but it would make more sense to me if they explained what's happening internally during those first few weeks and why it's important to NOT eat anything solid; who knew something could get caught in the staple line and become an irritant/infection? I kind-of feel like I agreed to this surgery almost blindly. I think I have learned a LOT more from reading these boards and learning about what people have really experienced, than I learned from what my doctor told me. Anyone else feel like they weren't really prepared for the post-surgical experience?

Hang in there! I've done the liquid pre-op diet for 14 days. It's not fun, but it's manageable. Remember that you can probably have sugar free jello and sugar free popsicles, and healthy choice/low fat cream soups in addition to the protein shakes. You can do it!!

My date is July 7 but I'm out of town July 2-6, flying back the night before surgery so I'm working on this list. Have to have everything ready for the hospital and immediately postop before I leave on the 2nd. Here's what I have so far: - make sure I have at least one of all of the allowed post op liquid options stocked and reachable (broth, tea, protein powder all come down from the high shelves. Popsicles in the freezer and ready made drinks in the fridge) -fill my prescriptions before I leave town - clean bed sheets to come home to (always the last thing I do before traveling anyway) - place heating pad by the bed in case I need it - braid my clean hair the night before surgery (so I don't have to worry about it!) - make sure I have antibacterial soap on hand (hibiclens) - fill all the ice cube trays - clear my schedule for the days immediately following surgery - stock up on some library books and fresh reads for when I'm around the house (looking forward to this!) - set out some comfy, easy to wear breezy clothes for around the house - clean the house (in case I'm too tired after) - pack for the hospital (phone charger, gas x strips, eyeglass case, face cream, headphones) That's all I have so far. I'm recovering alone so this list may look strange to anyone who has help! Should you have Liquid Tylenol on hand maybe- so you don't have to go out and get any? (Because I am hoping you won't need the heavy-duty prescription drugs for post-op pain!) Great idea. I'll add to my list. Thank you! I'm thinking some kind of gentle laxative as well. Based on reading the forums! Yup, me too. I'm actually going to do stir-in fiber (psyllium) while I do my 2 week liquid-only pre-op diet and then have liquid (Miralax) on hand for post surgery. I'm skipping the gas-x, because that works on gas within your digestive system and the post-op gas is in your abdominal space (to inflate it and lift your skin/muscle away from your organs). There's really no way for the gas-x and the "gas" to interact; they are in 2 completely different regions. HOWEVER... I bought my favorite lip-balm and some Biotene dry mouth spray for the hospital, as I'll be 24 hours with nothing by mouth, not even sips of water .