Wiki-wls: Newbies guide to the galaxie - pre-op

Wiki-wls: Pre-op

Welcome. Here you will find useful information about pre-op issues that will help you on your journey. Feel free to post your questions on this thread and someone further along in the process will hopefully provide you with an answer. Please keep the questions to general information that everyone can benefit from and not issues specific to your situation.

If you post a link to another thread, just include a brief description of what it covers. If you think someone has posted inaccurate or incomplete information or something needs updating, in the interest of keeping posts to a minimum, try asking them first to edit their original post before posting yourself.

Here's a the links to this thread &  the post-op thread to bookmark & pass on to newbies:

www.obesityhelp.com/forums/on/4070989/Wiki-wls-Newbies-guide -to-the-galaxie-pre-op/
http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/on/4070990/Wiki-wls-Newbie s-guide-to-the-galaxie-post-op/
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/on/4070739/Wiki-wls-Newbies-guide -to-the-galaxie-food-amp-vitamin/
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/on/4071433/Topic-Wiki-wls-Newbies -guide-to-the-galaxie-OH-How-To/

As with anything you read on this forum, it is only someone's opinion and not to be taken as medical advice. If in doubt, check with your surgeon.

Thanks for your contributions

Lorraine, where are the links to these to sites, cause I can't find them.

Hugs,

Nancy

Forum Lexicon

Here's a list of frequently used short-forms or words that are used on the forum

Angel - a surgery angel is usually another member who has already had surgery who you can go to for information and who will be the person who lets us know how your surgery went
AVATAR - the picture or graphic that shows up
Band/Lap Band - one type of weight loss surgery not covered by OHIP
Bench/on the Bench - after surgery you get to sit on the "losers" bench with all the other "losers"
BMI -  body mass index, measurement used to determine weight classifications: normal, overweight, obese, morbidly obese
Bump - posting an empty message to move the thread up to the top of the list
DS - duodenal switch, one type of weight loss surgery
FF - fat free
Ghrelin - appetite stimulating hormone produced in the stomach
IMHO - in my honest opinion
KWIM - know what I mean
LOL - laugh out loud
LMAO - laughing my ass off
NSV/WOW - non-surgical victory, an achivement or positive experience other than actual pounds lost
NUT - nutritionist
OH - Obesity Help, this forum
Onederland - getting your weight below 200
OT - off topic, a subject introducted not related to weight loss surgery
Hijack - introducing a new subject in the middle of another thread (usually a personal comment like a compliment)
PATS - pre-admission tests, usually required 2 weeks before surgery
PCP - personal care physician, aka family doctor
PM - private message, a personal message you send to another member
Pylorus/pyloric valve - valve located between stomach and small intestines
Reactive hypoglycemia - a condition involving chronic low blood sugar, sometimes develops 18 months to 2 years after bypass
RNY/bypass/gastric bypass - roux en y, the most common type of weight loss surgery
SF - sugar free
Stricture - narrowing of the stoma (opening) in your pouch that doesn't allow food to pass through, can be stretched by a simple procedure performed by your surgeon
Thread - a new topic started by a member, shows up in list by subject
Ticker - the personalized scale at the bottom of messages related to weight loss or changes in BMI
Twoterviller - getting your weight below 300
VSG/sleeve - vertical sleeve gastrectomy, one type of weight loss surgery
WLS - weight loss surgery
X-post - cross post, starting a new thread already posted on another forum


If you think of any others, send me a message and I'll add them.

Things to pick up while in the US..............

Jello - for your liquids before and after surgery. They have an unbelievable amount of different flavours!

Puddings - for your soft foods stage. Again.... they have so many different sf kinds!

vitamins - The vitamins in the US have 18mg of iron as opposed to our 4-10mg. They're also cheaper.

Calcium - They sell the calcium petites for $9.99 a bottle which is cheaper than here. They also have huge bottles of the Equate brand calcium citrate which can be snapped in half easily making them the same size as the petites but at about half the cost!

B12 - this is a good one to pick up as well. We have the dissolvable strips here, but they have the little tablets that you put under your tounge. They taste okay and they're a heck of a lot cheaper than the strips! I get a bottle of 200 for less than half the cost of a box of 50 strips.

sugar free popsicles - I bring a cooler and buy ice to put them in with. They have a lot more flavours (like Diet Dr Pepper flavoured.... yummy) and they're also much much cheaper!

Protein powder - but wait until after surgery to buy more than small quantities of any specific kind because your tastes will change. They have a heck of a selection there and it's usually cheaper or about the same.

0 calorie drinks - holy selection!!! They also have more in the way of singles..... like sugar free KoolAid which you can't get in singles here. You can also find kinds that you can't find here, like Hawiian Punch and more of a selection of Crystal Light and Kool Aid.

If anyone thinks of anything to add, just pm me and I'll add it to the post :)

Useful things to have on hand for after surgery

Sippy cup - you will have to drink really slowly after surgery, sip, sip, sip -  a sippy cup helps prevent you from taking too big a gulp

Baby spoon - same theory as above, after surgery you have to take very small bites, using a baby spoon helps prevent taking to big a bite

Egg timer - same theory as above, after surgery you need to wait 2 minutes inbetween bites, using an egg time or something similar helps to keep you on track

Food scale - you need to keep track of your daily protein grams, a scale is useful for measuring protein

magic bullet - really handy for making shakes or pureeing food, the great thing about the magic bullet is that you mix your drink in the same container you drink from - less cleaning; they go on sale once a month at Canadian Tire

popsicle maker - these are a refreshing way to get your liquids in, making your own means you can control what goes into them

protein samples - your tastebuds can change after surgery so don't stock up because what you like before surgery, you might not like after but it is useful to have a selection of samples on hand

If you think of any more to add, send me a message.

Things to bring to the hospital

Everyone unanimously agrees that they brought too much to the hospital. Most people found that they just wore the hospital gown provided and didn't need their own pyjamas or housecoat. Many American hospitals provide you with a personal kit that has everything you need including a toothbrush. Here's a suggested list.

lip balm
toileteries
pillow (for coughing)
slippers
book/magazine
comfy stretchy cotton bra (keeps the girls off the incisions)
comfy, loose, non-restrictive clothing to wear home
ear plugs
sleep mask
mouth moisturizing spray

Don't forget to provide the person coming with you to the hospital with a list of the contact info for your angel and anyone else that you want contacted as your surgery is done.

Something else you might want to think about is making sure you have a will made, a power of attorney completed and think about writing a personal letter to those near and dear to you. The possibility of a negative outcome is miniscule but better to be prepared.

If anyone has any other suggestions, send me a message - thanks!

Booking a hotel room

The best way to get a good hotel room for cheap is to use www.priceline.ca.

You can make an offer for the price of your hotel room and save a lot of money.

For example, I asked for a 3 star hotel in the Ypsilanti, Michigan area, I bid $50 a night. I got a room that would normally cost $109 dollars.

 What to expect Post Surgery:

2 weeks pre op : Freak out and have doubts - Plan Of Action (POA) : remember why you wanted this in the first place, keep your eye on the prize!

Week of surgery: Whining, gas,pain, worry that you are the rare one with a leak, gaining weight because of IV fluids - POA - walk, sip, burp, try to be calm.

Weeks 2 and 3 - Buyers Remorse, tired, bad breath and body odor - POA - remember why you wanted this in the first place.  Bad breath and body odor is from being in Ketosis.  Add a little more carbs to get rid of it or suck it up because in Ketosis you lose a lot of weight.

Weeks 3 to 6 - Stall, Hormones leaving fat cells - POA -Take measurements to see improvement there and forget about the scales for a while.  Remember these emotions are normal and temporary from the release of hormones.

Weeks 6-24 - Hair loss, Honeymoon - POA - Try Biotin or Neo Cell Collagen (not proven to help) or just suck it up princess (or prince), it's temporary, Celebrate weight loss with more energy and therefore new exercise routine.

6 mos on - Should be healed, remember the basics, no drinking a half hour before or after meals, minimum 64 oz water, 75 gr protein, exercise, continue to enjoy honeymoon period and work it!

Love the summary!

 ThanksTBIYTC!