Surgery in T-3 days!

[4my2girls 7]

Okay, so it's really real now! I am 43 and a single mom and my surgery is set for July 7th at 8:00 AM. I am so nervous, and preoccupied, 4th of July, what's that?! All I can think about is what will it all look like. What will I eat? Really? A liquid diet for a month? Will I really feel full? Am I going to be able to do this? What about feeding my kids, there is just so much running through my head, I can't seem to wrap it all up.

There are a lot of reasons for the surgery. I am a single mom of two little girls, 4 and 5 and I am their sole source of support. Right now, at close to 260, I can't run with them, I can't go for long hikes, I can't put on a bathing suit without feeling horrible about myself. On another note, I have crappy genes. My Mom has diabetes and hypertension and has battled her weight all her life. My great grandmother had diabetes and hypertension. My Dad has congestive heart failure and has multiple heart attacks, hypertension and coronary artery disease. I have hypertension and am pre-diabetic. I also have scoliosis and severe edema. Needless to say, the health benefits look to be promissing.

I cannot take the risk that something will happen to me because I wouldn't do anything about my weight. My girls deserve every chance they can get at a long, healthy life with their Mom. I want to see graduations, grand children and marriages (not necessarily in that order!) Then there's always the I would like to feel pretty, sexy, see my own toes! You know, not have the thighs rubbing, not have snaps popping, be able to buy cute bras and underwear; I can't even dress myself the way I want, because none of the clothes I like fit me.

The being knocked out doesn't scare me too much, it's the waking up that I hate. I am scared to death of throwing up, which sounds like it might make for a great deterrent! I have started taking the supplements, B12, C, D and Calcium....I need a good chewable multi, then I should be set. I am having the VSG and am very comfortable with my surgeon and his staff. I am looking forward to the time off, even if it does come with the removal of 2/3 of my stomach!

More to come in the next few days.

Me!

So, for the record, here we go....

Biceps 16.25

Neck 18.5

Chest at nipple line, no bra 50

Chest at bra line 44

Hips butt and belly flap 52

Waist 50

Thigh 25.5

Calf 19

Tops, size 3 - 4 x

Bottoms 22

[Tamlyn 107]

Hi and welcome! I have a 6 year old daughter, and I can't wait to be able to run around and play with her! She's always begging me to, and it's hard to explain to a child that if Mommy tries to go down that little tiny tube slide at the playground, it's going to take four firemen and a tub of Crisco to get her out.

I'm not getting my sleeve done until the 29th of July, but I started doing pre-op liquids and I've found that having some ready to eat foods for her helps a lot with preparing meals. Like, right after I have my Protein shake, I chop up fruits and veggies and try to do whatever cooking I can when I'm not hungry. It seems like dinner time is the most challenging time for me, so it's easier for me to reheat something I made earlier, or just make sandwiches or something like that.

Good luck with your surgery!

[mi75 1,235]

i wish you both the best of luck! i'm 11 days out and doing really great. i feel well, no side effects, no nausea/vomiting. off ALL my pre-op meds except for 1/2 of 1 blood pressure pill (i was taking 10 pills a day pre-op) and feeling just awesome!

i've been outside more in the past two weeks than in the past 3 years combined, just to be out there is awesome! already starting to see a little difference, it appears that my weight won't fall off in the same pattern it came on.

please let me know if there are any questions i can answer!

[losingsoon 30]

Thanks for sharing 4my2girls. It's interesting, your statistics are almost identical to mine. The difference is that I am 65 with a much higher BMI. I'm glad you are doing this early so you can really enjoy those little girls as they grow up. I'm looking forward to following your progress.

I wish you the best of luck. It sounds like you will do well.

Edited July 5, 2014 by losingsoon

[Queen of Crop 1,103]

Good luck!!!

[Carol Annie 15]

I am 66 years old and grandmother of 2 young ladies. Our oldest granddaughter just bought a new (small) car and I can't ride in it. Just one more reason I decided to have surgery. I made my final decision on April 24 and haven't looked back. I am scheduled for July 30. I will be doing a 2 week liquid diet. I've made the waiting period my "shopping" time. Because of a knee replacement gone wrong coupled with my weight, it is difficult to get around so Amazon is my best friend. I bought a package of bright colored disposable baby spoons, some measured containers with lids, several books, a Magic Bullet for mixing shakes, and two different brands of shakes. I try a different shake every other day or so at different times of the day. Because I have Medicare and a very good supplemental plan, my only cost is the $250 program fee and very few hoops to jump through. My husband is with me wholeheartedly as are our three married children. I have told a few people at church what I am doing so they will understand when I turn them down for projects around surgery time. Otherwise, I have not shared because it is so hard to know who might be judgmental. For the most part, I have kept a positive outlook--I see the dieting, surgery, and new lifestyle as an adventure. I wish each of you the best of luck.

[4my2girls 7]

It's done! The procedure went great, and I have nothing but good to say about the surgeon and all his staff. From the folks at the surgical center to the office staff, everyone has been wonderful. Day 1 post op was not too bad, but I still had a lot of the surgical meds on board. Day two post op was probably the roughest, but I found as long as I stayed on top of the pain medication, and continued to walk every three hours and try to keep drinking as much as I could tolerate, it made things much better.

Yesterday was day 3 post op, and it was exhausting. A two hour car ride is to be avoided if at all possible! Unfortunately, I could not. The incisions are all healing well and are beginning to itch like crazy!

As for food and diet - so far, not too bad until I got the kids home from their aunt's house. Why yes, I'd love to finish your toast, or have some pretzels with you, or eat some yogurt. Arggghhh! And this is just the beginning. Unfortunately my very Italian grandfather loved us with food from the start and if you didn't eat, he felt unloved, so you ate. Also, food has been my friend. When I am alone, I have used it to soothe those feelings, when I am happy I have used it to Celebrate. When I am sad, I have used it to hide from those feelings. Now, it's simply not an option.

I have been sober from drugs and alcohol for sixteen years and now it's time to take it a step further. I am under no delusions, and my eyes are wide open, and I am ready. With God, the support of my friends and family and some hard work, I can totally do this! Weighed in at the doctor's office yesterday before I left and I was down six pounds! Sounds like a good start to me.

More to come!