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Surgery Early May

stub46

stub46

Member
I do not have a date yet but things are looking like early May. I have one more pre op meeting April 13. I think I have to do two weeks of protein shakes so my liver will shrink. Any tips would be helpful. Things I should expect right before and after the surgery. How long will I need help? I just feel like I have a millions questions.
 
Hi Stub46... I am new here also and have my surgery scheduled for May 1st (RNY). I know the feeling of having a million questions. It seems like I always think of them the minute I step out of my appointments. I have a pre-op appointment on 4/17 and my EGD on 4/18. I have a "bring-home" sleep study I am doing tonight and hopefully I will pass that and NOT have sleep apena (but who knows). Then I should be ready to go. Have you gone to your nutritional class yet? I found that they answered most of my questions. Everyone here is very helpful and has a lot of personal experiences that they will share. Good luck to you.
 
newbeginnings

Yes I have met with the surgeon. Nutritionist and a couple of pycoligests. I have gone to three different support group meetings. I got a few tips on were to buy the protein shakes.
Have you been told for sure what drugs you will have to take after? I do not have to do a sleep study because I have sleep apnia. I have high cholesterol, high blood pressure and now sugar diabetes. I take about a doz pills, half are prescription. I am looking forward to getting off of those pills (and that stupid CPAP machine. God I hate that thing.
 
hi stub46 welcome to this chat room, i came here too full of ? and still have many, haven't had my gastric surgery yet but see surgeon on may4, hope to be scheduled then. everybody on here has tried so many different kinds of protein drinks and foods, and most will gladly tell you what has worked for them.
also i was told there is a web site by a chef whom had w/l surgery I was told to go toworldaccordingtoeggface.com I am gonna give it a try and I will post if I got the right site.
welcome abroad.
ps the little dog pic is cute
donna
 
I can only imagine what that CPAP must be like every night. I did my take home sleep study last night and that was a hoot. I woke up at 12:30 and my nose piece was off then I woke up at 3:30 to the finger minister off and the machine had turned off completely. Hopefully it recorded enough info and wont have to do it again. Pain in the hiny. I'm sure you will be able to toss those pills away after you have the surgery. What a blessing it will be. I can't hardly wait.
 
stub46 said:
I do not have a date yet but things are looking like early May. I have one more pre op meeting April 13. I think I have to do two weeks of protein shakes so my liver will shrink. Any tips would be helpful. Things I should expect right before and after the surgery. How long will I need help? I just feel like I have a millions questions.
Click to expand...
Hi Stub46
Welcome to the site.BTW I love your picture ! I'm 61 and had a RNY on 4/8 last year-I had done a lot of reading and studied everything I could get my hands on before my surgery.I went to support groups and listened and asked questions but 3 days before my surgery I was still at that point where I didn't know what questions to ask and felt that although I had applied myself to the learning process I felt I was still really not prepared or had enough understanding of everything.When I said this to the group of about 40 people they all nodded,smiled and most laughed.Not at me,but with me-because that's the way it is for almost everybody !
In truth no one does-this is a life change-not just for you but for everyone in your enviroment and it's forever for most of us.There is no way for anyone that hasn't gone thru it to truely understand how deeply it affects everything in your life.Saying that,it's still the best thing you could ever do for your health and well being.We get new people at our group meetings all the time and someone askes "The Question"-Would you do it again ????"-Then the process starts-Everyone post op,raise your hand,we do-then we go thru the conditions we all had and don't have now-then we each tell the new people some of our challanges-at the end our leader askes us to stand and then she says "Anyone that wouldn't do it again or didn't think it was worth it to them sit down"-No One Ever Sits-Ever !
I reported to the intake floor at the hospital at 4AM on Friday and was discharged at 6PM on Saturday.My wife had the weekend off and went back to work Monday night-I'm retired so I didn't have an issue of returning to work myself and can't tell you anything there-but someone else on here surely can.
Again Welcome and good luck with everything-feel free to ask me anything and I'll do my best to help.
Ron
 
Bigtallsis said:
hi stub46 welcome to this chat room, i came here too full of ? and still have many, haven't had my gastric surgery yet but see surgeon on may4, hope to be scheduled then. everybody on here has tried so many different kinds of protein drinks and foods, and most will gladly tell you what has worked for them.
also i was told there is a web site by a chef whom had w/l surgery I was told to go toworldaccordingtoeggface.com I am gonna give it a try and I will post if I got the right site.
welcome abroad.
ps the little dog pic is cute
donna
Click to expand...
Yeah Sis-Eggface is a very cool site for a lot of things-especially food things-this womans story is pretty cool too-ya gotta look at it when you get a chance.It isn't like this site but for food and such it's really good.
Ron
 
Thanks

Thank you for the welcome. I am 65 and retired. 213 may not sound like a lot to some of you but I am not five foot tall either. I have lots of medical conditions that I hope will be improved or be gone soon. I have been getting baby food for after the surgery. I also have that bullet thing so I can mix my protein drinks etc. My husband will take off two days after I come home from the hospital. I understand it's a 2 day stay. I don't know what days they do surgery. I worry that my husband has no idea what to do or how much change we will both have to make.
:confused:
 
I started my liquid diet 4/8 and I have been taking Isopure which is sold at gnc. They want you to have shakes that have lots of protein, at least 25 grams of protein a scoop and this has that, plus it's lactose free which i need. I think they are actually really good. They fill me up and give me lots of energy! Surgery in a week 4/18!!
 
stub46 said:
I do not have a date yet but things are looking like early May. I have one more pre op meeting April 13. I think I have to do two weeks of protein shakes so my liver will shrink. Any tips would be helpful. Things I should expect right before and after the surgery. How long will I need help? I just feel like I have a millions questions.
Click to expand...

I was taken off my diabetes med 2 days after surgery but am still on all remaining meds including cholesterol and high BP among other things. You will not arbitrarily be taken off of ANY of your meds. I'm thinking my primary care physician will be making the decision on which meds to take me off of since the blood work being done by the surgeon is 6 months post surgery. Since your blood sugar levels are monitored in the hospital at least twice a day you stand a good chance of leaving the hospital without this med if you are a type 2 diabetic. My surgeon said 85% of type 2 diabetics having WLS are taken off of their diabetic meds.

You asked how long you will need help. I was in the hospital 4 days. Although I am physically disabled I was still was able to manage my own basic care but if there is someone who can check up on you or even stay for the first day it would be nice. At least if someone is watching out for you they can make sure you are drinking your fluids. It is imperative that you stay hydrated. You will not feel like drinking anything for a few days but you absolutely must maintain the recommended fluids. You will probably come home with a few extra pounds of IV fluids in you to help assure you will not become dehydrated for the first couple of days but you still must drink your clear fluids (sip, sip, sip). You won't feel like eating at all for at least 4 or 5 days after you are home. At this point in time you will most likely be in phase 2 of your meal plan and the things you are allowed are limited to a full liquid diet. My phase 2 meal plan allowed everything in phase 1 plus unsweetened applesauce, plain hot cereals like plain oatmeal (no fruit chunks), grits, cream of wheat and instant mashed potatoes all made with milk instead of water. You can use artificial sweeteners. No caffeine, no carbonated beverages, no fats, no sugar and no alcohol. You can also have bouillon and sugar free Jell-O and sugar free popsicles. You won't be starting on protein shakes for at least 2 or 3 weeks post surgery. You will be given specific guidelines on what to eat and drink and the timeframes to start each different meal plan phase. Since there are differences from surgeon to surgeon it's important to follow the plan that your surgeon and nutritionist gives you.

I hope this information helps you out. If you have questions you would rather not ask publicly feel free to send me a private message.
 
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Hello all, I have a date now. May 25th. I have three boxes of suger free popcicles, a few jars of baby food, I froze sweet potatos and mashed potatos that I had left over from Easter dinner. I bought some small baby spoons, Flintsones vitamins, b12 that I can put in my mouth and do not have to swallow. I have a bottle of orange Benefiber. I tried it and I like the taste. I also stocked up on Crystal Light, and flavored waters. I started to pack up some of my jumbo clothes. I know I have a few sizes in my closets. So as I shrink I will pack up the big stuff and get it out of here.
I am reading everything I can find about surgery. The best book so far is WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY FOR DUMMIES. Very good book. I want to be ready and no surprises. I also have to be able to answer the people who tell me I shouldn't do this.
Now that I have a date my husband will be around from the 25th to the 31st. I hope by then I will be able to get up and around a bit. I have two 6 month old yorkie pups who can really keep you jumping.:)
I have gone to 4 support group meetings so far. I still have to meet with a few more people as this gets closer.
 
Hi Stub, that sound great, you have really done your homework. Don't let people make you think you have to defend why you are having WLS, most people who are against us having WLS have know idea what we go through and what we have tried in the past to lose weight, those are usually the ones who say "you just need self controle" or something dumb like that, others just don't understand what the surgery is or does for us, they just need a little education and then they understand. The support groups are great I still go once a month. Let us know how you are doing as your day gets closer. :cool: Tom
 
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