newbie - got my date!

I am new to this site tonight -I got the call that my surgery will be in September, I have been waiting forever it seems and they had a cancellation, so I am up... I am very nervous, I get the date Monday but what do I take with me? It is a 2 hour drive and a 7 day hotel stay, did anyone else do that and is it absolutly necessary? The money is the problem, that and my husband taking a week off work and leaving my kids with my sick mother!!! Ouch, maybe this is a bad idea? What is the diet like afterwards? what do you eat? I am addicted to late night McDonalds raids, guess that will stop... will this really work???? And what if I cant stick to it? My mom has three friends who had WLS and regained the weight, I dont want that to happen to me... and will I feel like feeding my family a nutritios meal? seems like a lot of work if I cant eat it! Too many questions to post!!! think I need a support group! Lisa

I strontly urge you to get a support group & you can get lots if info on this web site. My surgery date is Sept 21. I too am nervous. My surger site is 20 miles away but I am single & will need my friends to help me. I think we can keep from regaining the weight if the proper type of surgery is done. I am trying to look at my new eating patterns as learning to eat again. I am pretinding I am a baby & first leearning to eat. We go through the same stages, but at a faster pace. we start with clear liquids, to full liquids,to puried food, then "junior" foods, finally to SMALL meals. Remember our stomach is going from a football size ti 1/2 cup size. My friends know when we go out to eat I will get a seperate plate & share . We become taste testers. Our meal size will be that of a 4 yr old. When I go to the hpspital I will have a loose fitting dress because I wont want anything tight across my stomach for a while. The hard WORK we face will be worth the effort. Just look at the before & after shots of members. Good luck. Suzanne Hicks