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I was also "raised" in a world of NPO prior to surgery. I'd be interested to see the evidence by which they make this recommendation. Have there been any scientific studies? How did they come upon this practice? Secondary thought: doesn't this defeat our low or now carb pre-surgical diet that essentially weans us off of high-carb/sugar? I can see the issue pertaining to dehydration, but to give us a sugar bolus seems counterproductive.

Yep. Every doctor seems to have their own standard practice. I guess I'd rather use the special soap than get an infection. The purpose of it is to clean off as much bacteria as possible. They will still prep you in the OR, paint you with betadine, etc. But an ounce of prevention.... So sorry to hear that. Most central lines that I see have a plastic covering over it to prevent moisture from getting to the insertion site. Have worked with cancer patients, burn patients, catastrophic injury patients. Most have that occlusive dressing.

I'm with GreenTealael, check the nutrition content and decide if it fits your plan. I'll also add: just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD. That being said, no judgment. I ate it up to my soft-food stage on occasion out of convenience. However, I also ate it with crackers. Slippery slope my friend. Good luck!

I didn't have one, but as a nurse I can understand why a doctor would want one. If you have bad veins or difficult to access veins, there's some reassurance in having a central line. No worries about infiltrated IV's or blown veins. My day of surgery, my veins all seemed to go into hiding and they wound up putting mine in the antecubital area (the place in the crook of the elbow where they draw blood. What a pain in the a$$ it was having it there. Every time I bent my arm, my IV machine would alarm. If I got too relaxed during sleep, it would go off and wake me. Miserable. I suppose if I had it to do over again, I'd consider insisting on a different site. If they couldn't, I would have been willing to do a central line. And I'm not 100% convinced you'd have to wash with special soap. I didn't have to wash with a special soap before my VSG. The only surgery I've ever had to do a skin prep was my hip replacement. Besides, a central line is usually in a vein near your shoulder/neck area and has an occlusive dressing over it, so it wouldn't be an issue when showering. Just my 2 cents.

I had the intermittent pneumatic compression cuffs on my legs in the hospital. You know, those things that inflate to prevent blood clots. They sent me home with the anti-embolism stockings. Those very attractive white things with the hole in the toe (NOT)! I don't remember wearing them after getting home, BUT I do have athletic compression stockings that I have worn for years. My work is mostly sedentary and if I sit at my computer for long periods of time, I get ankle swelling. So, I wear them to prevent elephant ankle. I also like wearing them when I fly. Energizes my legs a bit. The ones I have are more attractive than the white ones from the hospital and have a stronger compression. https://procompression.com/ I could get them in loud colors and patterns for fun, but I ordered my original set (6 pairs) when I worked in an office environment and had to dress business/business casual. So, I have all black. Now that I work from home, I still use them. If/when these wear out, I plan on getting some fun ones. I have no one to impress other than myself these days.

@mr.sean I stumbled across the 1st season of Outlander 5 years ago. My husband had been relocated for work and I was alone managing the details of a cross-country move. I've read the books multiple times and watched all available seasons (most episodes more than once). I Love Outlander! At a difficult time in my life, it filled the void and gave me something to look forward to. Now, considering I'm a Texas transplant, I feel a little like an Outlander so the username fit my heart and my circumstance! I hope you find it as enjoyable as I have (and still do)!

Wow! Looking great! Love a man in a Kilt 😍

Believe it or not, my doctor didn't give me a goal. I set it myself. We discussed it, but ultimately he left it up to me. My ideal weight is supposed to be 150-155, but I have never been able to maintain that weight. I have old photos of myself at or near that weight and to me, I think I was just a little too thin. So, I set my own goal at 175 which is still in a "normal" BMI range but I thought more reasonable to achieve and maintain.

I think the first time I really tried a salad was around 4 or 5 months? I recall that I avoided raw veggies, including lettuce, for months. While my sleeve didn't reject it, I was concerned that it would take up too much bulk in my sleeve and prevent me from eating my protein. I was surprised, but I didn't crave them (I have in the past). Even now I don't eat a lot of salad, although I don't avoid like I used to. Good luck! It gets better. just a thought: maybe you didn't chew well enough?

These are my favorites. I think they're the same as GreenTealael's Great Value bars she showed above. I get them at Costco in a super-sized box. At this point, I don't eat them very often (maybe once or twice a month). I mostly keep them on hand in case I know I'll be going somewhere that food choices are slim/non-existent such as traveling or work-related affairs. They help me avoid making REALLY bad choices. My husband keeps them in his locker at work because he doesn't have a cafeteria available and if his lunch either didn't satisfy or he has to work overtime, he has something to keep him going. These bars are a little high in carbs. Hence, the slippery slope. I've tried many of the other protein bars and don't care for the protein flavor. To me, it tastes so artificial. So, I settled on these because I can recognize most of the ingredients just by looking at it as well as the ingredient list.

@Goldn02GrlCan you tell us what toothpaste that is so that we can ask our dentists? My dental hygienist believes the problem is acid and I have been on a regime to help with the erosion of the enamel. I would certainly be interested in a special toothpaste to help!

I have the benefit of having two pre-op diets to reflect upon. The first time around I toughed it out on sheer determination. I thought that I was doing well, but about halfway through I started dreaming of mashed potatoes and spaghetti! The 2nd time was more than 10 years later and really, for the most part, I was back to square one. The difference was that my new surgeon didn't have me on liquids only. I had a protein shake for breakfast and lunch with a "sensible" meal in the evening. Enduring this was MUCH easier, but I had a bad case of carb withdrawal after about 3 days. I had the worst headache that was constant for about 3 or 4 days and NOTHING helped it. I had brain fog, fatigue, irritability. I'll take the dreaming of mashed potatoes and spaghetti any day after that! Hang in there! It's a temporary situation and this will pass. For me, I just kept my eye on the prize. That was inspiration enough to help me stay on track and push forward.

My surgeon told me not to worry about vitamin supplementation until I had transitioned to regular food.

Curious. At my dental visits, the gums around my back molars are showing signs of periodontal disease where I never had before. I haven't changed my dental routine and in fact, I have stepped it up a notch to combat these deepening pockets. Wonder if there's a connection?

When the weight was coming off faster, I had some sagging in my face and my chin/neck looked sort of shrunken with wrinkly waddles. Now, the weight loss has slowed and my body has done what I call "redistribution". At certain angles, I can still see some of the wrinkly waddles in my chin/neck area, but for the most part, it's sort of evened out. As I'm staring 50 in the face, I'm pleasantly surprised at my skin. For most of my life, people have complimented me on it, even when I was super-sized. I guess I was genetically blessed in that department, plus I've always taken care of my skin. I can see the aging, sun-spots and such. But I really don't have too many wrinkles, although I do have some persistent dark circles under my eyes that I'm very self-conscious of. For me, my flappy arms are my biggest point of shame and I will probably look into having them taken care of in the future.

Had spaghetti squash. Meh. It works, but to me there was something "off" about having it with my spaghetti sauce. Spiralized zucchini...Much better! Now, I'm really curious about the Shirataki Noodles. @ms.sss Have you tried them? How are they? Taste? Texture?

Your setlist looks a lot like mine (minus U2, not a fan). But seriously, these days I mostly work out to spa-like music. I take Tai Chi and Qigong classes, which have made a HUGE difference in my life. If I need something to get the blood pumping, my favorite is: What can I say...I'm an 80s girl and this is inspiring with a good beat. Although, I love a good classic rock tune like Rock Candy by Montrose and I have a Metal streak running through me when I need to get out the rage!

Anatomically speaking, I would think it would be unusual to feel a gastric spasm in the back. If you already have a diagnosis of a herniated disc(s), it is entirely possible that the discs are causing spasms in the muscles of your back. It's also possible that the herniation is impinging a nerve. With these kinds of degeneration and injury, there are a lot of conditions that could be contributing to your pain. You may want to follow up with the doctor who treats your back, just in case. The good news is, as you lose weight and become more physically active, these should help your condition. disclaimer: I am not a physician, but I am a nurse who specializes in these types of conditions. Always consult a doctor.

I think it's pretty normal to have sleep disturbances for the first couple of weeks. I know I slept very poorly for about the first month. So, not only are we dealing with surgical recovery but sleep deprivation! Best of luck and congrats on the soup!

@FluffyChix That post is awesome advice and something we all need to have reinforced once in a while. I think I'm going to save it to my archives and maybe even post it somewhere for me to see every day. Thanks!

Congratulations! How exciting on all levels. Those roller coasters are so exciting. I grew up in NW Ohio. Cedar Point was an annual event for our family. Especially loved the Hallo-weekends! I haven't had the courage to get on Top Thrill Dragster or the Millenium yet. Maverick left my head spinning so I figured that's about as thrilling as I need.

If you're on full liquids, you can blend banana and PB in a vanilla protein shake. Bliss. I called it my Elvis Shake and it was one of my favorites.

My surgeon said no baths or swimming until I was healed. I had steri-strips and those buggers did not fall off for about a month! Once they did, I was fully healed underneath.

Perfectly normal, and sounds like it's right on track at 3 months. Look up: Tellogen Effluvium Not much you can do about it but wait it out. It gets better.

My surgeon never told me to avoid straws. In fact, I believe I may have had one in the hospital right after surgery. Knowing that it could lead to swallowing air or taking gulps that were too big, I took it upon myself to only sip. Since then, I haven't avoided them but I don't go out of my way to use them. However, recently I have developed an affinity for my Yeti topper with a straw. I like having it keep my drink cool in the evenings as I sip away.