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Not all doctors require this. My doctor does and mine is a 14 day dose per day. I had to watch the DVD on how to give yourself a shot. The morning of surgery, the nurse had me do the shot so that they were sure I knew how to do it. It helps to prevent blood clots. Some days I feel it and some days I don't. They did suggest to make sure the alcohol swabbed area is dry and that will help in preventing the burning. It will leaving bruising but hey it is a blood thinner. After reading someone's post who developed a blood clot in the stomach and had to be readmitted, I am glad that this is a requirement from my doctor.

You can get fruit and nuts and veggies past your band if you don't have it too tight. The band reduces hunger and allows you to control what you eat but if you try to lose the weight too fast and have it that tight that you can't eat anything healthy then you are setting yourself up for disaster. Most folks want to feel full and can't work out that the band is all about not feeling empty rather than feeling full. I have been banded for 16 months, lost 48kgs and 4 months ago had all the Fluid out. I have since put on 5 kgs (almost straight away and nothing since) I am working out how to eat right without using my tool before I have it removed. I have the option to have it refilled in one large hit if I decide I can't go it alone. If your band is too tight then you learn nothing, you will probably get complications and if you have to have it removed you will probably regain all the lost weight because you don't take the time to learn while you lose. These things I knew before I was banded through reading everthing I was given and researching as much as possible. Those of you saying it is a scam; can you honestly say you were given no information and you had no opportunity to research for yourself or were you given the info that told you how it works and then expected it to work differently because that is what you wanted to believe? Were you really told that you would always feel full, you'd never think about food, the weight would drop off without any work from you and there was no possibility of any complications? or is that just what you wanted to believe? Slow down, take responsibility. The worst thing is an over filled band, fill it slowly and feel the difference, have it topped up as you lose weight because it gets looser. Learn as you go and don't blame the band if you don't give up ice cream/fizzy pop/alcohol/chocolate/lattes or whatever else you claim to be addicted to. What would you think of someone who bought a vacuum cleaner and then said it didn't work and that vacuum cleaners were scams just because they couldn't be bothered to take it out of the box, plug it in and push it around. If you used your vacuum cleaner right and had lovely clean carpets you would be unable to takeseriously those saying that vacuums didn't work at all. There are folks that the band fails but there are way more that fail their bands through lack of input. You hear about the band, you want the band, you dream about the band, it is the answer to all your problems then when you wake up with the band you don't like the reality because you prefered the dream and then instead of working to make the dream happen, you just move onto another dream, bypass or whatever. Let's face it, if you have half your stomach cut off then it has to be easy, right? I wish you all luck with your weight loss journeys but I think many of you need to start being pro-active and think about how to use this tool you have. And by the way, imho, once you have healed post surgery, you should eat good food slowly untll you are no longer hungry but never until you are full. Learn the difference between 'not hungry' and 'full' and if you are hungry an hour later then have a little more. Learn the difference between good foods and bad foods, good liquids and bad liquids and make the changes. Most of you will find it is up to you and if you do it right, it will work.

The Oh Yeah protein wafer bars are "okay". Most of the ones out there are chalked full of carbs and sugar alcohol which gives me horrific gas. I wasn't willing to eat them when I could chew up 3oz of beef jerky, and kick the carbs and sugar alcohol.

Thank you for everyone's advice and support. I'm going to try the Protein bars at cosco. Also I never heard of alcohol sugars before, its that new? Hope everyone has a nice weekend, Janine

brilliant analogy to alcoholics. I've never thought of it that way, but it's true.

Confused texan, Ok so after I had my daughter I gained weight I over the years.I am now 210 the most I have ever been I want one more kid in the next 4 years.I am trying to decide with getting the sleeve or just doing more dieting.My godmother is offering to pay the surgery.I worry that if I gained the weight back she would threw it in my face that I wasted her money.Does it get easier to eat less very time you eat.My doctor did not answer to many questions.Since the day of the first app havent slept more then 4 hours,but from what I am reading that what my new life will be.I dont have much support from hubby and only told a few friends most dont want to talk about it much with me much.My hubby just says do it.Juat frusterated nt know what it will be like to eat very little for forever and haveing to watch your drinking alcohol as well. How many people out there that can tolderate dairy after the sleeve. DO you even going out to dinner anymore? Any regrets Any advise would be so great I feel very alone

Thanks folks. I actually havent had a cigarette for 10 days now, nor a carb, nor a molecule of alcohol. just imagine how pleasant it is to be around me! I'm happy to have found you folks, however. I'm changing my life and all, but it's nice to know i have some buffer zone if i need it.

Hey there, well of course there will be bashing going on here shortly after I answer your question, but here it goes. . it really doesn't matter Michael. . . my doctor didn't have me quit or do anything before my surgery. . .he said first off that it takes quite some time to "shrink" livers. . he doesn't believe that you should "stop" smoking . . . your just going to start up after anyhow. . he said it's good cause of the anesthesia, but it really didn't matter. . .the alcohol thing, well you really don't want to put something quite as harsh down there right off, I started my rum and cokes up again at 3 months out and let me tell you that was so good! I think in all reality, let yourself heal up really well, and continue to live your life as usual. . . we are given this great gift to help us and help it does! You will loose the weight some of us quicker then other some of us slower, but hey Rome was built in a day either. . . But don't go crazy over everything. . .life is way too short. . . . ok forum lets have it! :lol:

Congrats on getting your date. As a smoker, I can shed some light on the smoking thing. Other than the obvious anesthesia risks for smokers, due to the smaller size of our stomachs, it does increase our risks for ulcers. It's a risk with gastrectomies in general. As as smoker, I can tell you that I've quit and gone back to smoking 3 times since my revision. Yep, I smoke, I know it sucks, but I'm not going to lie here or anywhere for that matter. When my gallbladder was giving me hell, my surgeon decided to scope me to make sure I hadn't developed an ulcer as well because my pain was occurring any time I eat or drank anything including Water. He was damn positive I'd have an ulcer, well least to say, I didn't and my sleeve is beautiful. That was at 8 months post-sleeve. Also, the little respiratory therapist that I prefer to call the torturer from hell, likes you to use that little spyrometer to help your lungs "wake up", and prevent pneumonia. I can tell you with a cut up abdomen, CO2 gas inflated tummy cavity, gas pains, incisional pain, that whole hacking up a lung really sucks, and I imagine not being a smoker helps with that issue. You'll do great on the low carb, high Protein, the diet will shrink the slippery, slimy fat on the outside of the liver which makes it easier for the surgeon to move it out of the way to get to your stomach. I was specifically told it takes several weeks and sometimes months to actually shrink a true fatty liver, a couple weeks of low carb, high protein, or even an all liquid diet isn't going to do it. All that pre-op diet does is shrink , or help alleviate the fat deposits on the outside of the liver. Nicked livers kind of suck, but happen when it's in the way and slippery. I had a starting BMI of 50, had hoards of tummy fat, and was given 1 weeks of low carb, and high protein, essentially meat, cheese, eggs and salad. Think of all the "fat" in meat, cheese and eggs? ? ? It's not going to shrink a fatty liver, but it'll get the fat burning via ketosis. I was allowed to have a "last supper" night before surgery, and I did just that. I ate spinach/artichoke dip, an 8oz ribeye steak, loaded mashed potatoes, french fries, some corn and other veggies, and I shared a Cookie monster with ice cream, it's essentially a 3000 calorie brownie/cookie combo sundae with caramel and hot fudge, I did share a few bites with my then 10 year old son LOL. My liver looked spectacular day of surgery. Least to say, all that food coming out post-VSG was a total wreck, and good lord, it was NOT a pleasant experience. Sorry for the overshare, but most want the whole experience. Alcohol also thins your blood, you'll get standard anticoagulants to help prevent blood clots and they do not want any other additives, drugs (aspirin, NSAIDS, tylenol, alcohol, etc) to increase your clotting time anymore than the prescribed doses of heparin or lovenox. Congrats on getting your date, best wishes on your sleeve ! ! ! You'll do great. . .

Ok, so I quit smoking. Not fun. Also quit drinking. not AS bad. and not a single carb for 7 days now. not-a-single-gram. I'm finding myself having energy crashes, which i guess is a good think cause the old carbo-bank in the liver is empty now. which was the point. My pre-op is basically 10 days of zero carbs (and alcohol, etc) and then liquids only the day before. I'm set for the 15th. did my preops, have clearance. it's a countdown now.

I feel your pain on the wine thing. I am a home brewer (beer). My friends, my social life, everything has been brewing and beer. Beer club meetings where we all share our latest creations, brew fests, micro breweries, this was what I did when I took a night off from being a mom. The day I found out I was approved was a Friday. We got a sitter, and all my friends and I went to a beer bar where I said goodbye to all my favorites ... I explained to my Maharajah IPA(my favorite beer) it was not him, it was me ... and had one last glass. And I have not had a beer since. HARD to do. Unfortunately, I have had to separate from spending time with most of my beer buddies as that is just what we did together. Now I work out at least 1/2 an hour every day ... usually more, but that is my minimum. It keeps me motivated to stay away from the no no foods when I just burned off calories. I do not enjoy working out. I do not enjoy giving up beer. I miss laughing with my friends while tasting an awesome new release beer. On the flip side ... I have lost 40 lbs in less than 3 months!!! My first fill was 10 days ago, I had no restriction before, and almost none now. I eat three times a day. 4 oz of Protein, 1/2 - 3/4 cups of veggies with every meal. I even puree spinach, bell pepper, and fresh basil into my eggs before I scramble them in the morning so it will make a bigger portion until my fill. For me, this was a life changing decision and I am in 100%. The thing that helps me stay on track with not drinking alcohol or eating the wrong foods is journaling. I journal on line, enter every bite of food i eat. I have been at 800 calories a day since two weeks prior to surgery. 800 is ot a lot of food (tons of veggies help). I'll be damned if I'm going to have a couple of drinks and blow a third of my calories for the day doing so. Butter, yea friggen right! I would NEVER waste those calories on a full fat condiment either. Start journaling, every bite. It is totally what keeps me on track. If it's truly what you want, to lose the weight, make the decision. Best of luck!

I thought to try these before surgery and had a bad reaction to the alcohol sugars which I am fairly sure caused a rapid drop in my blood sugar. I would feel lightheaded, then flushed, confused, shaky, and nauseous. They tasted great, but I am scared to try it now post surgery.

This is a journey. Sometimes it feels like being an alcoholic. Food is our alcohol and we fall off the wagon. However, your strength and determination will help you to refocus and move forward. I do use this website as my support from those who understand what I am going through. I am fortunate to have a supportive family, but it is nice to have the support of others who know what I am going through. You are refocusing and you can do this!

Gosh this site is making me mad..... multi, did not work again, but on the positive side I AM getting email notifications in my hotmail inbox!!! yeah for that! Yup still getting snow Phyl, 3 foot drift just outside the door.... Peter took care of it... I am lucky!!!! Bridget has taken to peeing 2 feet from the back door, on the DECK.... only goes down the stairs to poop.... and I`ll bet she shortens that route soon too! LOL Phyl, that skin rash sounds nasty.... is it yeast? sounds like the areas that its in is YEAST friendly... man we do have issues with skin huh? I never had this much trouble until after menopause... do you think lack of estrogen has anything to do with it? Waiting by the phone today for Mark (guitar player) to call... see if we can tee up some kind of a meeting... I may sound nuts, but I am leery about inviting someone who I`ve never met into my home..... how do you ask someone IF they`ve ever been in trouble with the law? What is his alcohol consumption like? Does he DRINK before a gig? I know, I`ve just got to suck it up and ASK!!! or I`ll not be able to relax. Any suggestions would be appreciated.... seriously.. We are going ahead and rehearsing with another musician(piano) tomorrow night... Peter has already met him several times and this guy is a MUSIC teacher at the school on the military base here.... so he`s CLEAR!!! Karla, I`m gonna skype you ok..... turn yourself ON

i was told 3 months for alcohol and carbonation.

The problem with alcohol is empty calories. I think my doctor had told me to wait up to a month but still doesn't recommend it. As far as you Swan56, I would ask your doctor. That could be a problem with pre op, or maybe not. I really don't see how it would be a problem pre op unless you drink a lot and it was like a day before your party. Remember you need to try and heal your liver and reduce the fat in it, if you don't they can cancel your surgery. As long as you are doing well with the pre op weight loss otherwise, then I don't know how it would be a huge problem. Again, I already said that. LOL

Hi there and welcome ! ! ! As for the alcohol, I was restricted for 3 months. Sodas were out for 6 months, and heavy lifting (anything over 10lbs) was restricted for 6 weeks. Normal working out could resume at 6 weeks out. As for the pills, I was allowed to swallow pills no bigger than a regular m&m around 4 weeks out. You'll want to remember that with alcohol comes some dehydration and immediately post-op, you might struggle to get in fluids. That goes for night clubbing, dancing etc. You'll just want to make sure you're hitting your calorie/protein/fluid goals to ensure success. Just play smart, and you'll be fine.

How true you are!!! I am 57 yrs old and have been battling this weight my whole life. I have been banded since 12/20/08 and am down 90 pds but every day is a new day to fight this addiction. Everything you said in your post is so so true and I agree 100% with it. We cannot give up food like an alcoholic or drug addict and go on to live life, we have to learn some kind of controls and every day is a new trial and error episode to our life long battle of the bulge. Truer words were never spoken like you hit the subject on the head with this post. We are all in this together and that is why even after 2 years of being banded, I come on this website every single day, every morning with my cup of coffee, I read how we are all in this together. I hope that everybody that reads your post realizes that we are all in this together and there is no magical cure (the band), everything is a work in progress. I will continue this battle since I love being a size 8-10 again after all of these years of being overweight. I love people saying how tiny I am and how young looking I look after shedding all that weight. Good luck and I hope that someone else beside myself can see the reality of what you have just posted. Bless all of you for your long journey to a better life with the band.

Hi -- this is what I was told by my surgeon, but PLEASE note that every surgeon's recommendations are different and you should ask/follow his or her suggestions: 1. sex -- we could have sex within 2 weeks following surgery 2. alcohol -- I was told I could have it now (3 months out) -- BUT from what I've read and learned, alcohol is empty calories -- you will be using up a fair amount of your day's allotted calories on alcohol. In addition, from what I've read, the alcohol immediately passes through the stomach to your small intestines, making you feel buzzed immediately and then it wears out immediately. So, might not be worth it until you're done with the losing phase of your post-op adventure. In addition, you probably should avoid any carbonated drinks -- beer, champagne, spritzers, etc. Hope that helps -- and if I don't have the facts right about alcohol (those who are done losing have a better grip on it) then I'm sure others will chime in.

What about alcohol during pre op diet? I know the big issue would be the sugars in the drinks but my big 30th birthday party is about 9 days before surgery. I am skipping Christmas dinner (2 days before) and not having cake on my birthday (13 days before) but I figured a drink or two as long as it's not beer (carbs) or some super sugary drink may be okay...? Just need some opinions...

I read the replies to the CNN report on the FDA recommendations and they were 80% horrible as well. Some of the logic was really disturbing; they felt that if you are fat that you should receive no help and die from complications. We treat people for cancer, heart disease and infertility; but if your fat than you should not get help. Wonderful. The article I read did not really explain the after surgery effort that someone has to make. Most of the responders thought people could continue to eat badly but loose weight. Many of them said we should take the money spent on the operation and get a lifetime gym membership. What stikes me as funny is that I KNOW that I exercise more than most thin people. I go to the gym everyday Sundays, holidays most people don't do that. Some of them wanted to compare losing weight with drug addiction. Only problem is we don't tell alcoholics to have three small drinks a day then stop. I agree with a previous poster that many remarks regarding online articles are very disturbing. People are very bold online. Someone would never dare to say these things in person because in many cases they could be arrested for hate speech (religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity).

These are my personal observations about my own weight issues. I have spent years struggling with real and imagined issues with food. I decided to have the lap band surgery after about 4 months of deep and meditative introspection about what my true 'issue' with food was. I had tried everything as many of you have. But when I took a good look at why diets, exercise & food control issues failed for me I realized a lot. One thing that became clear was that I was using food to 'medicate' myself. Every issue, large or small good or bad was medicated with food. I used food in place of dealing with my true issues. Tired, bored, happy or sad I solved the problem with food. It was no wonder I was never full. It was no wonder I was always reaching for something to eat. I would attempt to make healthy choices, I would exercise and I still did not lose weight for all the biological reasons doctors explain about metabolism. But the bottom line was that food was always front and center in my mind. I hated the grocery store like most people hate going to the dentist. I realized at one point that food, for me, was in actuality, an addiction (I speak for myself only, of course). And I realized that this was the worst kind of addiction ever. People can give up alcohol completely and live, they can give up cigarettes & drugs and still live. They can completely remove themselves from temptation of those substances (in extreme cases of course) and function. But food addicts can't. No one ever says, "Oh, I'll just have a little heroin today." But food addicts do. We attempt to restrict the thing that helps get us emotionally and physically through the day. The bad news is that we can never truly escape our addiction to food, after all, we need food to live. The only thing we can do is make vital attempts to undertand our relationship with food, make changes where necessary, & most of all understand ourselves and WHY food is so gosh darn important to us. If we could simply view food as fuel we wouldn't overeat, right? After all, there's no sense in overfilling your fuel tank in your car, is there. But that's not so easily done. Food has a powerful influence in our lives. We Celebrate with it, we suffer through mourning with it, we simply need it to survive. So I had to ask myself, "What the heck are you trying to avoid by numbing yourself with food?" It took a ot of time and listening to things my inner self didn't want to listen to but in the end the answer to that question was...."Everything!" What I lacked in my relationship was covered by my relationship with food. What was lacking physically after a workout was covered by the physical apsects of food. What was lacking in the department of self-love was covered by food. For me food was a cure all. I didn't have to search for answers anywhere else, I didn't have to look for solutions to deep and heavy issues in relationships because food cured those for me. Food, for me, simply made those things go away. Unfortunately the side effects were a catch 22. The food made me feel better in the moment but then almost as soon as I'd eat it I'd start to realize that I did not do myself any favors and of course would feel intrinsically bad and would search for more food to cure the problem...creating a catch 22. For me the answer came one day when i took a good hard look at myself. I realized that I really did love myself but what I was doing with food was inherently NOT loving to myself. I knew then and there that the best way to love myself was to overcome my addiction to food and start solving the little issues of life some other way other than food. But how? I attempted to gain control of my eating. I made health choices, exercised and foced on all foods I put into my body as a gift of love to myself. Food is fuel not medication, I would tell myself. Some days I would do very well, and others I would fail miserably. Days when emotional issues, fatigue, stress or other stressors increased I would feel myself quickly losing control over my new found 'self-love' mantra and back through the drive through I'd go. After many attempts to control increasing hunger after workouts & emotional eating I decided I needed help. I did my research on the lap band and decided that it was the right thing for me. I'm a natural health kinda person so the thought of surgery was not an easy prospspect for me but I knew this was the right thing to do. I did struggle a little with the thought that I SHOULD be able to hand this on my own, after all I did have good in-control days, sometimes. But my weight was getting dangerously high and I knew I had passed my personal point of no return, weight wise. So I chose the surgery. I came to the conculsion that I would probably always have an addiction to food deep down. Just like recovering alcoholics say...you are always recovering. I knew I'd always be recovering from my food addiction but made my peace with the fact that alcoholics get help, drug addicts get help, gamblers get help, why shouldn't people with food addictions get help. The lap band was my addiction help. I knew I'd have to do some work too but I figure that if I could get a little help on the really bad days I just might be able to fight this addiction. It has been a year and two months. I've lost 80 pounds. I struggled with new issues after the band such as exercise. I knew I was supposed to exercise but exercise never worked for me before. I feared failure or even muscle weight gain so I didn't exercise much. Yeah, a new issue to deal with. I feared I spent all that money on the band and it wouldn't work, because after all, nothing else had and this was (for me) an addiction which is all in the head right? But as weight slowly started to come off and I recieved support from friends and family who loved me (but admittedly knew nothing of how hard it is to struggle with food issues) I began to see the light. The band helped me gain control where I was simply ill-equipped to do so previously. Can you fail with a lap band? Probably. Can you sabotage yourself? Probably. Did I want to? Absolutely not. In my mind, this was my last chance and I was going to do whatever it took psychologically & physically to make it work. Even if that meant I'd have to search elsewhere, namely deep in my soul for answers to those daily stressors and emotional issues I avoided and had medicated with food for so long. Do I still crave food when I am angry, hungry, happy or stressed? Not really. Does it cross my mind? Yes, on occasion. Why? Because over the last 14 months the physical attributes of the band and intense personal exploration has helped me develop new habits. I use the band like alcoholics use Antibuse. I know that if I eat more than I should out of compulsion I will get sick and that's not good for me. So over time, I have come to the understanding that my band is there to help keep me in control of eating while I use my mind to solve emotional stressors. Of course I still need to eat, but out of nutrition needs, not emotional needs. I let the band help me get the proper nutrition and use it to assist me in dealing with stressors appropriately. It's sort of my version of 'tough love'. It won't let me have what I want because it knows it's not good for me and forces me to deal with the rest of life the way I should. And the only side effect is that I am losing weight. Recently my band became lose with weight loss & increased exercise. I was hungier than usual, could eat more and I did. I felt like I was a little out of control. I attempted to handle it on my own for a few weeks understanding that at some point in my life the band may not work well anymore and I needed to see how much progress I had made in my emotional journey. The answer to that was...only a little. I didn't feel bad however, after all, I'd spent a lifetime developing my food issues. I didn't expect them to disappear in 1 year. I found myself able to eat larger portions, reveling in it, & in truth thinking "Oh, I bet I could have a Sonic hamburger." In essence, I was having a relapse. I was thinking of all the wonderful things I could have to 'love myself' with. But! the funny thing was, that the food didn't have the same medicating response anymore. Nothing that I ate gave me that sensuous UMMMM! response I thought it would. I didn't have one of those...."Oh my God, I haven't had this in a year and it tastes incredible!" feeling. I simply just ate a little larger portion than ususal and felt kinda bad about it, simply for the fact that I was pretty sure I didn't need that extra portion. So I learned that just because I could eat more, I didn't really need to and in actuality I wasn't getting that response I had expected. And no, I never really did eat a Sonic hamburger. It was at this point I chose to get my band adjusted a little to give myself the assistance I needed. I know I am making progress and my goal is to some day get to the point where I am in control of all food issues band or no band. I think I'm well on my way. I no longer fear the day I may not have use of my band because I have seen progress and I know I will get there. So for those who still struggle with hunger, compulsion to overeat or cravings I feel for you. All I can suggest is that maybe you take a good hard look at what food means to you and how you are using is. Be honest with yourself, I know it's hard. Society doesn't make weight loss or body image easy. After all, simply take a look at your next restaurant portion and you'll see that. Your body probably only needs about a quarter of what is put on your plate to survive nicely. No one can come to these realizations for you. All I know is that I was tired with struggling with my love/hate relationship with food. I was tried of trying to bend food to my will skipping this, substituting that. I wanted my relationship with food to be normal. And I can honestly say that with the help of my lap band I'm as close to normal as I have ever been in 41 years, but still a work in progress. I am slowly making peace with food, using it for what it was intended & loving myself in the process. I used to tell people who said I need to love myself more...."I'll love myself when I'm a size 8 again." I finally realized I was missing their point. Loving who you are, doing things that honor & love the self is a process not a size destination. I am now 185 pounds, 41 years old, a size 12 and if I never lost another pound I honestly think I'd be perfectly happy with myself, physically and emotionally. If you have ever uttered the phrase "I love to eat." or "I just love food." I would highly suggest you take a good hard look at why you made those statements and you'll get some good insight as to your personal issue with food. It may not be like mine but it just might. Thank you for reading my story and I hope you have a wonderful learning experience with or without your band. Sincerely, Samantha Hall

My work out of choice is swimming. After swimming I am Starving! My mother on the other hand does not get hungry from swimming. Soooo I exercise before dinner. I measure my meals out and that's what I have no seconds. I recently had my fourth fill which may be restriction (or close to it) but time will tell. You may want to find preplanned Snacks. When I don't have a plan and get hungry is when I'm in trouble. I like hummus and baby carrots, instant hot cider (non alcoholic) 15 cal., suger free hot chocolate about 60 cal., and hot coffee with splendra/and or suger free flavored syrup no calories. I'm in NE and it's starting to be winter. It can really calm me down to have a hot coffee.

Jackie, I can so relate. I love to bake and cook and, particularly at this time of year, I get the urge to bake. Even one year post band, though, and I know it would be a huge mistake. I'd start off with good intentions, but it would be a cookie here, a cookie there and 10 extra pounds after Christmas. I did make pies and a fruitcake for Thanksgiving, but took it to my mother-in-law's for dinner and left it all there afterwards. They weren't the kind of things you could take a bite or piece out of, so they were safe. Cookies, though...uh uh. Good for you for knowing your limitations and don't let anyone guilt you into baking if you know it will be your downfall. I mean, realistically, if you were an alcoholic, would you let your family guilt you into stocking up on alcohol for the holiday season? It's the same thing...really. .

Well I have to admit that I have not always followed my preop diet to perfection. Through Kaiser they want you eating a certain way and well I would on a few occasions have a cheat day or rather a cheat meal. Just this past Friday, 9 days before my surgery, I drank two margaritas and had a veggie burrito. I felt really guilty about the alcohol. I guess it was sort of my last meal. I just now worry that my liver is going to be all gigiantic and slippery during surgery. I think that I am just getting really nervous about the surgery in general. I will be sticking to low carbs and high protein until my surgery which will mean that I will be doing that consistently for 8 days. I have lost a little over 30 pounds during this preop period. I just hope that I will be okay and that my liver will not cause any difficulties during surgery. I can't stop thinking about this surgery. It is so crazy that I am doing this to myself. I know that it is just nerves and that almost everyone goes through these feelings before surgery. I just wish that I wasn't so freaked out. I am sure that I will have a mini panic attack when I get into the operating room. Then being in the hospital overnight by myself. I guess I just need to stop thinking about these things and try to think about 2 months from now when I have lost weight and can eat and drink easier and not be in any pain. During my preop class last week the case manager gave us relaxations CDs...maybe I need to go and listen to it!