Rosslyn

That's fantastic! 🙌 I hope you continue to feel great!

How are you doing?

I envy those with limited liquid diets. I've been on mine since this past Thursday and I feel tired today, which I was warned would happen. I haven't enjoyed chicken broth as mush as beef or vegetable. I ended up mixing the vegetable and chicken together and it's pretty good. What kind of items are you bringing with you to the hospital so far? I hadn't thought about that yet.

Cool, we share surgery dates! I'll be sending you positive energies all day (when I'm conscious lol)! Are you in a preop diet?

August 7th isn't too far away! You're close to the preop diet. I started mine a few days ago and it's testing me, but I knew it would. If I were a smaller person, I don't think it would be such an issue. If I weren't having appetite issues even before the diet, things would be easier, too. What's helped has been sipping on broth or slurping on sugar free Jell-O all day. I go slow with those so it feels like I'm eating/taking in more than I am. I'm only nervous about one thing: the gas pains immediately after surgery. I've never had surgery before, so I am not sure what to expect. I want to have a realistic expectation of pain before experiencing it. I know I will handle it better that way. Luckily, I have a few family members who have had laparoscopic procedures before and we willing to be honest about the experience. I've been avoiding stories online of others' experiences of that moment, because we all have different pain thresholds and it's too easy to go down the rabbit hole of scary stories. Especially with AI/algorithms thinking we want to see the worst of the worst. I want to share why I made my decision to have the SADI-S vs a sleeve or bypass. While I cannot speak to what things will be like after surgery, I am confident I'm making the correct decision for myself. I'm in my 30s with no kids, but would like some. I have been struggling with my weight ballooning up and down for the last 20 years. At my heaviest, I was over 320 pounds. I hit that as I made the decision for surgery. I didn't know what surgery I wanted, so I started doing research into the best bariatric surgeons in my state. I read through their websites and looked at reviews for the surgeons through my insurance provider, google, yelp, and other such websites. Then I asked a few friends in the medical field which doctors they would want doing surgery on them. All of that narrowed my list down significantly. I ultimately went on gut instinct and don't regret it at all. My surgeon is amazing. Her teams is extremely supportive. Here's some information she gave me on my options: -- Gastric Bypass: She does not recommend the procedure to any patient. It has more points for potential surgery complications and, in her medical opinion, the highest chance for weight regain. -- Sleeve: potential to lose 70% of excess weight. Less than 1% chance for complications. -- SIPS/SADI-S: potential to lose 80% of excess weight. Less than 1% chance of surgical complications. I want to have children, and she advised that the SIPS/SADI-S (there really needs to be a better name for this) is the best choice to allow me to get pregnant a year or so post-op (depending on how I'm doing) and reenter weight loss when appropriate post-birth. I will have to work very closely with my weight loss team throughout the entire pregnancy, but it really feels like a bonus to have more support. My surgeon's office also recommends patients to very talented specialists for all surgery clearances. They all treated me like they were part of a huge team dedicated to helping me get through surgery clearance. It was amazing. I was given a packet with all the possible issues I might encounter post-op, what can be done if they happen, and how to avoid them in the first place. When I read through it spelled out in black and white, it's easy to see what my life would need to be to avoid a horrible experience. The most embarrassing ones are noted as being most common with gastric bypass than sleeve or DS. Most of these complications can be avoided by chewing well, not drinking during meals, and not overeating. One of my doctors said I am going back to being a baby again, digestively. I will need to reteach my body how to process what I eat and not be afraid to push back milestones if I'm not ready to start the next leg of the journey. I'm definitely anxious. The unknown is always scary. I'm confident at the same time because of the team I'm working with. And because of the support I have at home. I know I'm extremely lucky to have the surgeon and support I do. It's definitely a burden to afford this surgery right now, but I don't believe I will feel that way in 5 or 10 years.

For those recommending medication over surgery: I am having the SADI surgery on July 25th. I considered medications initially, however, most of them aren't covered by insurance; and if they are, the insurance approval process usually requires a diabetes diagnosis. While I have a BMI in the 50s, my A1C is extremely health, which means I would pay out-of-pocket. The medications are intended as life-long commitments. Stopping them can have serious impacts including weight regain. Out-of-pocket for the cheapest meds I encountered was $900 a month. Out-of-pocket for my procedure is one-time $19,000 (unfortunately, not covered by insurance) If we look at the impact in 5 years of both... Meds = $54,000 Procedure + Vitamins = $19,000 + $3,800 = $22,800 How about 10 years? Meds = $108,000 Procedure = $19,000 + $7,600 = $26,600 The financial impact was a huge consideration for me. Please understand that the decision to move to surgery is not quick or easy. The financial impacts and health impacts are serious and really should be discussed with a trained medical provider. The purpose of this forum is to help guide others. We should be focused on the questions they're asking instead of offering an off-topic alternative. The OP made it clear in her posts that conversations with a trained medical professional led to the decision for another surgery. Shaking her confidence in medical guidance from her surgeon is not our place. We should accept that surgery is her path and give our own anecdotal experiences as references to help her understand what she might experience.

You're so close! How do you feel?

My surgery is the 25th, so I'm just starting the liquid diet, but it's not too bad so far. I have a recommendation for something crunchy: crushed ice! I measure 17 ounces of water into a gallon baggie and add a packet of fruit punch crystal light. Set it in the freezer, and when it's solid, crush it with a rolling pin or heavy pan. If you have a thermos, the ice shards keep for a while and are fun to munch on during the day. Hope the next week goes by quickly for you!

Oh goodness, I would struggle with that diet more than a liquid-only diet. With liquids, it takes away the temptation to have so many things I shouldn't. With a food-limiting diet, the food is there still, waiting for you to break and have a bigger portion. I'm sending all my self-control energies to you!

What kind of steak are you getting? It's the last meal as you are, so I hope you make it something you truly love!