Jeri1053

On October 1, 2009, I met with Dr. Kuldeep Singh and Arlene Swantko - who were to become my Bariatric Surgeon and my Nutritionist as of that day. Dr. Singh is a fan of the liquid diet. He wants his patients to be on it for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery. He also made the suggestion that I try it. I looked at him as though he had 3 heads and responded "NOW???" Well, his answer was yes and his rationale was that I could sample some of the protein drinks before I HAD to drink them and that it's always a good idea to lose weight prior to having surgery. At this point I had no idea when I was having surgery, so the idea of the full liquid diet was extremely premature for this brain! I didn't see Dr. Singh again until January 2010. After being excited about collecting everything the doctor's office requested so that they could submit a clean package to the insurance company we realized that if we waited until January 1, 2010, then we wouldn't have to file an appeal and get into a big hassle because my husband's company had finally wised up and added the bariatric coverage to their insurance plan! YAY!!!! More waiting...and waiting...and waiting...it seemed that January 1st would never get here. It arrived, and along with it came a very nasty case of double pneumonia, pleurisy and a sinus infection that landed me in the hospital on New Years' Day 2010. Wow! I'd never had pneumonia before and this was nothing to mess with! I was in a lot of pain and I couldn't catch my breath. I was coughing like crazy and feeling as though someone was stabbing me in the side and back. Yet all I could think about was that this would delay my LapBand surgery and that even I got approved for the surgery I would have to wait to be cleared of this disgusting illness! The approval came on January 14, 2010. Just as I was starting to feel semi-human again and was making plans to have follow-up pulmonary, primary care and CT-Scan appointments. I wanted to do a happy dance! Problem was, I didn't feel well enough to do a happy dance! LOL So, I waited some more and even though I wasn't yet released from the pneumonia, I scheduled my surgery date for March 12, 2010. Surely that would be enough time! It was and I started the dreaded liquid diet on March 1. I decided that I was going to start on a Monday and didn't care that I was actually going to be on the diet for more than 2 weeks. Nothing really mattered anymore except that this was REAL! I was following the liquid diet perfectly, doing pretty well, losing weight and feeling a little bit better with each day. Until that fateful Wednesday night a week and a half into the diet. Looking back - WTF was I thinking??? I offered to make dinner for my husband while I was on the liquid diet - even though he had been perfectly supportive and wonderful with taking care of his own meal needs. Nope - I was going to make him a meat loaf! Was I kidding? Well - NO, I wasn't kidding, and he only wound up with about 2/3 of the meatloaf left because I couldn't help - one small piece with ketchup - ummmm - it was SO good...but not quite enough - one more small piece with mustard this time! Oh, YUMMMM...I hadn't had meatloaf in SO long! You get the picture! Before I knew it I had about 1/3 of a small loaf and was feeling full, bloated and disgusted with myself. The good news was - it was the only slip in the 2-1/2 week process. The better news was - it was a protein at least - it could have been a whole lot worse! So, I dealt with it, refused to feel guilty about it and went on with the liquid diet - finishing up the night before surgery with no more interruptions of the spirit or the brain! I'm 4 days post-op and I'm starting to get some of my strength back, starting to feel pretty good. SO - I look forward to the support and the friendships that I will develop here - those that have gone before are a wealth of knowledge and information that I intend to use to the fullest! Thanks for being here and I am viewing my future with hope and excitement for the first time in many years!

On October 1, 2009, I met with Dr. Kuldeep Singh and Arlene Swantko - who were to become my Bariatric Surgeon and my Nutritionist as of that day. Dr. Singh is a fan of the liquid diet. He wants his patients to be on it for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery. He also made the suggestion that I try it. I looked at him as though he had 3 heads and responded "NOW???" Well, his answer was yes and his rationale was that I could sample some of the protein drinks before I HAD to drink them and that it's always a good idea to lose weight prior to having surgery. At this point I had no idea when I was having surgery, so the idea of the full liquid diet was extremely premature for this brain! I didn't see Dr. Singh again until January 2010. After being excited about collecting everything the doctor's office requested so that they could submit a clean package to the insurance company we realized that if we waited until January 1, 2010, then we wouldn't have to file an appeal and get into a big hassle because my husband's company had finally wised up and added the bariatric coverage to their insurance plan! YAY!!!! More waiting...and waiting...and waiting...it seemed that January 1st would never get here. It arrived, and along with it came a very nasty case of double pneumonia, pleurisy and a sinus infection that landed me in the hospital on New Years' Day 2010. Wow! I'd never had pneumonia before and this was nothing to mess with! I was in a lot of pain and I couldn't catch my breath. I was coughing like crazy and feeling as though someone was stabbing me in the side and back. Yet all I could think about was that this would delay my LapBand surgery and that even I got approved for the surgery I would have to wait to be cleared of this disgusting illness! The approval came on January 14, 2010. Just as I was starting to feel semi-human again and was making plans to have follow-up pulmonary, primary care and CT-Scan appointments. I wanted to do a happy dance! Problem was, I didn't feel well enough to do a happy dance! LOL So, I waited some more and even though I wasn't yet released from the pneumonia, I scheduled my surgery date for March 12, 2010. Surely that would be enough time! It was and I started the dreaded liquid diet on March 1. I decided that I was going to start on a Monday and didn't care that I was actually going to be on the diet for more than 2 weeks. Nothing really mattered anymore except that this was REAL! I was following the liquid diet perfectly, doing pretty well, losing weight and feeling a little bit better with each day. Until that fateful Wednesday night a week and a half into the diet. Looking back - WTF was I thinking??? I offered to make dinner for my husband while I was on the liquid diet - even though he had been perfectly supportive and wonderful with taking care of his own meal needs. Nope - I was going to make him a meat loaf! Was I kidding? Well - NO, I wasn't kidding, and he only wound up with about 2/3 of the meatloaf left because I couldn't help - one small piece with ketchup - ummmm - it was SO good...but not quite enough - one more small piece with mustard this time! Oh, YUMMMM...I hadn't had meatloaf in SO long! You get the picture! Before I knew it I had about 1/3 of a small loaf and was feeling full, bloated and disgusted with myself. The good news was - it was the only slip in the 2-1/2 week process. The better news was - it was a protein at least - it could have been a whole lot worse! So, I dealt with it, refused to feel guilty about it and went on with the liquid diet - finishing up the night before surgery with no more interruptions of the spirit or the brain! I'm 4 days post-op and I'm starting to get some of my strength back, starting to feel pretty good. SO - I look forward to the support and the friendships that I will develop here - those that have gone before are a wealth of knowledge and information that I intend to use to the fullest! Thanks for being here and I am viewing my future with hope and excitement for the first time in many years!

Well, folks - here's another story of pre-op liquid diet - my experience was actually pretty pleasurable! My pre-op liquids were consumed between Monday, March 1, 2010 and Thursday, March 11, 2010. The longest 11 days of waiting I've ever experienced in my life - even worse than waiting for my son to be born or waiting for the final approval on my daughter's adoption! Day 1 and 2: Hungry all the time, wondering what the heck I was doing. Days 3 - 5: Dealing with liquids pretty well, getting into a routine, enjoying the change BUT the HUGE emotional rollercoaster was something that I could have done without. Days 6 - 11: With the exception of a meat loaf meltdown (I'll explain in my blog) one night - I did a great job with the liquids. The only challenge on the 11th day was not being able to have Water after midnight - I love having my water! I found a Protein powder that I love - The brand name is Pure Protein. It comes in 3 flavors that I know of: Frosty chocolate, Creamy vanilla and Cookies and Cream. It's a whey Protein with 25gm of protein per scoop. You use one scoop per shake. It lasts a long time, is extremely economical and it's like having a real treat! Rather than buy the powders when I first got started, I bought the canned liquid version of the shakes. Same flavors, different consistency. I figured if I liked them then I would like the powders. Well - surprisingly, the powders are MUCH better than the shakes - very tasty and very filling. I as able to eat yogurt, sugar free pudding, sugar free Jello, broth, cream Soups, vegetable and fruit juices, Protein Drink and watered down cream of wheat. I pretty much "ate" whenever I was hungry but limited the shakes to 2-3 per day as per the nutritionist's instructions. I've been having the same diet since I went post-op and will continue at least until I see the doctor on 3/25 for first follow-up following surgery. No adjustments until 6 weeks post-op and then only with a food diary of at least a week. Sorry to ramble on and on - I'm really excited that I've started this new chapter of my life and even more excited that there are so many terrific people out there to share it with and learn from. Thanks for being here!!! Jeri

Congrats, Sharon! Excited is good - the nervous is also good. I'm only 4 days post-op and believe me -you'll be very happy you did this! Blessings and peace - Jeri:thumbup:

Wow, sounds like you had a bad reaction, Bek - glad you're on the mend. I am 4 days post surgery and doing great. My abdomen is still pretty sore and I'm still not sleeping all the way through the night - but I went most of the day without pain meds. I didn't feel much like being on the computer those first few days, so now I'm playing big time catch up. Those who know me can't believe I didn't grab my computer in the recovery room - LOL

This is a test - I was hoping to see my signature here - I copied the picture of the March Marauders... Well - I'll post and see if it shows up! So excited that there are so many of us to share our experiences!

Great to "meet" someone on the other side of the March banding. Mine is next Friday (3/12) - I can't wait! Hope your pain gets to be less everyday - congratulations!!! Jeri:thumbup:

Hi, Jen... I live in Columbia - closer to Baltimore than DC, but most people consider it in between. Look forward to hearing from you again.

LOL - I love your sense of humor - thanks for sharing! I could so totally relate to everything - even though I'm pre-op (T-8 days and counting!) Hope you're feeling better and have this whole vomiting thing under control. By the way - what on earth is sliming??? It sounds really gross!

So, how goes the pre-op diet? I've been on mine now for almost 2 weeks and will be done on 3/11/10 as my surgery is scheduled for 3/12/10. The first couple of days were a bit rough - going from food to liquids, but it's been well worth it and I believe that this will be the hardest part! If I can do this without the band then with the band I should be in good shape! Keep us posted on how you're doing - there are some awesome people here! I just started today and have already figured that out!