Freakin out about surgery, and the food afterwards!! Help!!

Hi, I am having the open RNY on 03/19/04 and I am so scarded about what ifs after the surgery, I mean can I eat something sweet, can I drink diet soda, can I have pizza, can I take asprin??? I go from one extreme to the next, from happy to I want to cancel the surgery, I do see a bonus in this, I will get 6 weeks off of work, but that is the only thing I am looking forward to, I want the surgery to be over and the healing done, what can I do to make myself feel better. Tori

Hey Tori, My sugery is March 16. I think it is normal to be a little scared. But remember you did not make this decision lightly. It was a tough decision and will cause major changes in our lives. I am not nervous at the moment but I know I will be by the day of surgery. Let me see if I can repeat some of the things I have learned from this site. The main message board is full of information for us all. Your taste will change so I am told. Your stomach will not tolerate sweet things to begin with. Tonight at a support group meeting they sugguested that you get the pharmacist to order you sugar free children's liquid tylenol as your stomach will not be able to handle the regular children's liquid tylenol. The reason..it is too sweet. Carbonation is the culprit on the soda's. The dietician I met with said you could wait till the carbonation is gone to drink it. You have to worry about having gas after surgery. Someone stated the more carbs, the more gas. (MMMMMMMM) Others eat the topping from a pizza at the beginning and later get brave and eat some crust. I am told, by the end of the first year or less you can eat whatever your stomach will allow you to...regular foods but much smaller portions. I hope this helps you.

You must stick to tylenol for pain relief. Aspirin, aleve, motrin, ibuprofin, etc are all NSAIDS which are prone to cause ulcers in your pouch. Joy (3/1)

NO soda (the bubbles can stretch the pouch and can irritate the stomach lining), NO sugar (can cause you to dump -- not a good feeling), Pizza (maybe later on -- too spicy and greasy at first) I think we all go through mixed emotions This is a really big change and it is expected to have some doubts and fears. You have to really think about the reasons you are doing this. You have to want it more than anything else. You cant be doing this for anyone but YOU!! That is the most important thing. You could write out a list of all your anxieties and fears and then write out the reasons you are doing this and a list of all the things you'll be able to do once you lose the weight and I could not recommend something more than just coming here to us for support. We are here for you Have you done any reading? I have read both Carnie Wilson books and it gave me an insite to life after surgery and also profiles on this site help a bunch!!! I particularly like Sharon Neva's site and www.mygastricbypass.com Hang in there girl, you'll be OK Whitney