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I'm having surgery in 11 days in China, and with the language barrier im a little stressed im not prepared enough.

Simone

Simone

Member
Hello everyone, im brand spanking new to this site but very happy that i have discovered it, everyone seems to be very helpful and positive. Like mentioned above I'm having surgery in China, although this is American bariatric support group I hope you guys can still give me some advice and guidance as to what to expect and what to prepare for and support so it doesn't feel like im doing this all on my own(even though i am, my family members are all in South Africa). Some of you may think I'm crazy to do it due to the language barrier, but I've been living and working here for the past two years and with the virus making traveling impossible I have decided not to postpone the surgery any longer.

I found a local surgeon that specializes in bariatric surgery and he can speak very little and very basic English so I do feel more comfortable with having him as my surgeon, although there is a very big possibility that there won't be anyone speaking English around me in the hospital but I've been making my way about using translation apps for the past two years that I've been here and that's okay with me. I've had my consultations with the surgeon but I haven't really received much information about how to prepare myself for the surgery. He's asked me to discontinue some medications that I was using, he advised me to eat less fatty foods, less spicy foods and foods high in sugar and avoid alcohol if possible but he never spoke about a liquid diet needed to be done before the surgery although everywhere that I read online most people have done the liquid diet pre-surgery. Did all of you do the liquid diet before the surgery and was it completely necessary? If so i should probably start very soon.

Hospitalization also works a little bit different here ,so nurses are here mainly to administer medicine and to monitor the progress but if you need someone to help feed you, collect medication from the pharmacy or if you need someone to help you get up or go to the bathroom or something like that you are suggested to hire a nurse for the day. I just wanted to find out what were your experiences after the surgery? do you think it's necessary for me to hire a nurse to help me or will i be able to move around and go about on my own for the 4 days in hospital after the surgery.

Because the hospitals are not responsible for giving us food I should probably prepare my own things to take with do you have any suggestions of what I should pack with for the first 4 days after surgery the doctor said it will probably be mostly water and some protein powder.

Did all of you know what surgery you will be having before it was done? My surgeon said that within the three days in hospital before surgery there will be a series of tests done and only after the results they will decide what surgery is best suited.

Did you tell people you were having the surgery or just keep it to yourself? And how did you handle the question

Any suggestions and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Im very excited yet very anxious about the surgery and my weight loss journey ahead.
 
Hi Simone, welcome to our group! Wow, I can see that it could be very challenging having the surgery in China but I don't blame you for not wanting to put it off. Have you checked with the hospital if they have interpreters? Our hospital here in our rural area of New York has interpreters in many different languages.

My doctor did not do the full liquids. As soon as I met with them, early on the process, they had me do a healthy diet cutting out junk food and eating regular meals in smaller portions. Then two weeks prior to surgery I did a protein shake for breakfast, one for lunch and then a lean dinner. But I know there are a lot of doctors who put their patients on a 2 week liquid protein diet. The main thing is they want you to lose weight before the surgery and shrink the liver down by not eating fatty, high calorie foods. That helps them during the surgery and is probably easier on your body too.

If you can afford to, why not hire a nurse. That would give you peace of mind and maybe, if you set it up in advance, you can find one who speaks English. Typically here the hospital stay is only overnight, so maybe you don't even need to have the nurse for all 4 days. The important thing to do after surgery is walk and hydrate. You won't be able to drink much at a time but drinking small amounts every 15-30 minutes is a good idea.

We have a whole thread of recent conversations here on whether or not to tell or not tell. Click here for the threads.

Here is a guide that was posted from one of our members, 3momchaos, where she had her bypass surgery:
Click here for guide.

Here is the post-op diet following gastric sleeve (which I had) that my bariatric center gave me:
Click here for guide.

I've also attached a guide to Gastric Sleeve Surgery below. Hopefully these links work, if not I will try again.

I have one more recommendation. There are several YouTube videos out there that can be helpful. My favorite one is My Level 10 Life by Erin Branscom. She has lost 150 lbs. and talks about her journey along the way. Erin also talks about mindset and self care which is so important as the surgery is just a tool for success and we all need to know how to use that tool to the best of our ability.

I wish the the best and hope we hear more from you.
 

Attachments

  • EMMI Program Summary - Gastric Sleeve.pdf
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Welcome, Simone. I have to say I admire your adventurous spirit; living, working and now having surgery in a country where you have a language barrier is crazy cool. And crazy scary, I'm sure. The requirements are different for the Sleeve and vary program to program as well, but I will tell you what I had to do after Gastric Bypass.
* I did have to do the liquid diet for 2 weeks before surgery but not everyone has a surgeon or program that requires that, even here. That said, if you choose to do so, it's the full liquid diet. (Which I will explain below in the after surgery area.)
After Surgery, I personally (again others are given different plans) had to do the following:

Week 1: Clear Liquid Diet - Strive for 60-80g of Protein and 64oz Water (it all counts as water during liquid diet phases)
Sip 1oz every 30 minutes on Day One and 1oz every 15 minutes Days 2 - 6
You are only allowed to have clear protein drinks, broth, tea and diluted fruit juice for the first 6 days. I was given Isopure Zero Carb (40g protein per 20oz bottle) in the hospital and that is what I used at home. My program also suggested Premier Protein Clear, Atkins Lift Water, Special K Protein Water Mix. (This is all you would need to take with you for "food" in the hospital). You may also have Sugar Free Jello and Popsicles. As a side note: I felt fine, I did not need help walking or going to the rest room, so I would not think that you would need to hire a nurse. That being said if you have to decide before surgery, I might suggest hiring one for the first day JUST IN CASE.

Week 2 & 3: Full Liquid Diet - (Protein and Water Goals remain the same forever)
You may add Protein Shakes, Sugar Free Pudding, Milk, Yogurt (no fruit pieces), Strained Soups broth or cream based (no chunks), Sugar Free Crystal Light (and similar)

Week 4: Puree -
You can puree almost anything with some broth, gravy or milk to make it pureed consistency. Things that are naturally the right consistency for this phase are scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, applesauce, refried beans, mashed potatoes, cream of wheat etc.

Week 5: Soft Foods -
You can add in ground or slow cooked turkey/chicken, tuna, beans, soft cooked veggies (pretty much any canned), soups with chunks, and cheeses.

Week 6: Regular Diet
Try to avoid high fat, high sugar, highly processed foods.

I was told to strive for 4 - 6 small meals per day during that time frame and 3 small meals and 1 -2 snacks once I reached regular diet.

Good luck to you!
 
Last edited:
Welcome! I only stayed in the hospital overnight, so I didn’t have to worry about 4 days worth of packing and things. The only “food” they brought was in liquid form. Protein shakes, sugar free popsicles, broth, and water. I did not have to do the liquid diet because I was too close to disqualifying myself from insurance requirements. I got up to use the bathroom on my own from the start, I wasn’t dizzy or anything. Plus I got up and started walking around the floor a few hours after surgery to get that gas out. I told everyone I was having the surgery and I still tell people. But that’s a very personal thing, and everyone is different. I don’t mind telling the nay sayers to kick rocks if they don’t like what I did was best for my health. Good luck!!
 
Simone said:
Hello everyone, im brand spanking new to this site but very happy that i have discovered it, everyone seems to be very helpful and positive. Like mentioned above I'm having surgery in China, although this is American bariatric support group I hope you guys can still give me some advice and guidance as to what to expect and what to prepare for and support so it doesn't feel like im doing this all on my own(even though i am, my family members are all in South Africa). Some of you may think I'm crazy to do it due to the language barrier, but I've been living and working here for the past two years and with the virus making traveling impossible I have decided not to postpone the surgery any longer.

I found a local surgeon that specializes in bariatric surgery and he can speak very little and very basic English so I do feel more comfortable with having him as my surgeon, although there is a very big possibility that there won't be anyone speaking English around me in the hospital but I've been making my way about using translation apps for the past two years that I've been here and that's okay with me. I've had my consultations with the surgeon but I haven't really received much information about how to prepare myself for the surgery. He's asked me to discontinue some medications that I was using, he advised me to eat less fatty foods, less spicy foods and foods high in sugar and avoid alcohol if possible but he never spoke about a liquid diet needed to be done before the surgery although everywhere that I read online most people have done the liquid diet pre-surgery. Did all of you do the liquid diet before the surgery and was it completely necessary? If so i should probably start very soon.

Hospitalization also works a little bit different here ,so nurses are here mainly to administer medicine and to monitor the progress but if you need someone to help feed you, collect medication from the pharmacy or if you need someone to help you get up or go to the bathroom or something like that you are suggested to hire a nurse for the day. I just wanted to find out what were your experiences after the surgery? do you think it's necessary for me to hire a nurse to help me or will i be able to move around and go about on my own for the 4 days in hospital after the surgery.

Because the hospitals are not responsible for giving us food I should probably prepare my own things to take with do you have any suggestions of what I should pack with for the first 4 days after surgery the doctor said it will probably be mostly water and some protein powder.

Did all of you know what surgery you will be having before it was done? My surgeon said that within the three days in hospital before surgery there will be a series of tests done and only after the results they will decide what surgery is best suited.

Did you tell people you were having the surgery or just keep it to yourself? And how did you handle the question

Any suggestions and advice will be greatly appreciated.

Im very excited yet very anxious about the surgery and my weight loss journey ahead.
Click to expand...

I'm going to be honest here, if it were me based on all the unknowns in your path and the language barrier I would not be doing surgery there. I also am not ok with a doc who decides for me what surgery I will be having. This process can be hard particularly after as your body adjust to healing and new eating. I really don't like how other countries do the surgery and send people on their way with no information on how to heal and eat again. ThT said, if you are insistent on doing it there I would probs try to see if its possible to connect to a bariatric nutritionist in the states for aftercare guidance.

Every doc and procedure do things differently and the fact that you don't even know the procedure makes it pretty difficult to identify what if Nutting to do up front and what you will need after.
 
Hi Simone, welcome! My name is Gwen. I am having my surgery on 2/12/21. So we will be going through the process about the same time.

My surgery was cancelled in January due to high COVID cases in the area and moved out a month. I am having bypass. My last appointment before surgery is this Monday.

The replies above gave us both so much good information. My doctor did not do a liquid diet prior, and instead does high protein, no carbs, low fat for that two weeks. The goal is to shrink the liver.

Best wishes!
 
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