Anyone with a 11/16 surgery date that wants to be buddies???

I just got my surgery date yesterday and it is on Nov. 16th. 10 days away!!! Now, I would love to hook up with some who are going to have the surgery the same day so we can help each other through this process. Let me know if you are interested!! My email is [email protected]. Erica

Hi Erica, 11/16 here for me, too! And, MAN...am I nervous, scared, excited, you name it! I would be happy to be in touch with you during our final days on "this" side of the threshold. Right now, I am struggling to lose the bit of weight required prior to surgery so that my surgeon won't postpone it. So, it's tuna fish, chicken broth, juices, and LOTS of water for me this coming week! I will be thinking of you and praying for you as the time approaches! God bless you! Pat

Erica, I am not the 16th but the day after.... I do go to the hospital on that day to do all the preop stuff. Is that close enough??? Goodl luck on your surgery.... Catch you on the other side?? B

Wow, B...you are right behind us! Please know that you will be in my thoughts and prayers. I know that you are going to do just fine! God bless you! Pat

My date is the 16th also but..... I go on the 10th to see if im at weight..if i am then it's a go ... If not then i will be set for another time so i can get to the weight they want me at. Cindy

Hey everyone!! I am so glad to hear from you. This was the first time I have posted to the Nov. board, which I just found yesterday. I totally understand all the emotions, Pat. It is still surreal to me, considering I just got approved yesterday AND my surgery date! It took so long, yet is happening sooooo fast, if that makes sense! As for the emotions, I am doing really well. The idea of writing letters to my family and friends in the event I should not make it is a difficult one to grasp, but I also know this surgery is meant to be...one way or the other. I am so excited and shocked, yet cannot be more happy. I have a two year old who we tried desperately to conceive, so it will be hard being wheeled in for the surgery. I see my surgeon on Tuesday and I am going to get an update of his latest statistics, just so I know going in. In April, he had done 250 surgeries and 1 passed of a heart attack 3 weeks after the surgery, which he counts as being a lossed patient. I personally don't count it, but I think it is very ethical of him to acknowledge it. All of my doctors have told me he is excellent, so I feel good about that. Right now I am a little confused about what I should be doing pre-op to prepare for the surgery, but I will be meeting for a class on that next Thursday. I guess if they wanted me to do anything special between now and then, they would let me know. I asked them and the said to get the psyche evaluation and I will have to go to the hospital for a blood workup. I would love to know what you guys have to do!! You guys are mentioning weight loss. What is that all about? My doctor's office hasn't said anything about it actually. Should I be doing the liquid diet thing now to make sure I don't gain? I plan to splurge this weekend, but was planning to introduce the liquids on Monday. I hope my surgery doesn't get pushed back because I didn't know I had to lose before surgery!! What are you doing to prepare? What have you been told to expect of your after surgery food intake? I want to go shopping for everything before the surgery, but not exactly what I should plan on being able to eat. I know I will find that out at the class too, but I feel like I should be doing SOMETHING!! LOL. I mean after 8 months of running around for everything, it feels like I have nothing to do! LOL Oh, a question I have is what are you doing for birth control after the surgery? This is a major concern of mine because we have never had to use protection because I have obesity induced infertility and have been trying forever to get pregnant, so I was on pills for like a month of my life. Can we go on birth control pills? I am so bummed to realize my period is due 2 days after I get the surgery done!! YIKES. Of course that would have to be the way it would work out, right? LOL. Sorry if I am rambling, but I have so much to learn. I have been visiting OH for months now, but never really had to focus so much on the last minute details of the surgery. I never thought I would get approved because we are switching insurance companies on Jan 1st, so I didn't think the current coverage would approve knowing I am not going to be their patient. It is such an amazing miracle!! I really look forward to chatting with you guys more often. We are in this together! I hope I can help you through the re-birthday jitters too Thanks, Erica

Erica, I started out weighing 478 and they want me to get down to 450 or below so i can fit on the cat scan table so they can check for leaks after surgery. And also so my liver will shrink. I weigh on a scale at GNC and it says i had ten lbs to go (last week). I think the Dr's scales read different i hope the say that i have lost more... I will find out Weds when i go to weigh in... I look forward to keeping in touch with you also I'm glad we have each other for this wonderful journey we are about to start...talk to you soon Cindy

Cindy, bless your heart! I know exactly what you are going thru there as far as trying to get those pounds off. Isn't it terrible to have to endure that BEFORE the surgery that is designed to TAKE the pounds off??? I swear, I am drinking so much water, I feel like may "slosh" with every step! And MAN...drinking all tha****er surely has a good laxative effect! (Sorry...too much information!) Last August, I weighed 329.5 at the doctor's office when I had my Nutritional Evaluation. Yesterday, when I visited the doctor, I weighed 330.3 on the same scales. I had been trying to starve myself the past week, so I am inclined to believe that between August and now I must have gained EVEN MORE...and had lost down to that, yesterday. But it's not enough. I still have to lose more (sigh). Yes, it is good to have a comraderie with others who will be going thru all this at the same time. I hope we all do keep in touch. God bless you! Pat

Erica, have you had a consultation with a nutritionist? There were three preliminaries I had to have before my paperwork was submitted to my insurance company. One, a Nutritional Evaluation, two, a Sleep Study, and three, a Psychological Evaluation. Once the reports from all these were submitted as favorable to my surgeon, then they submitted a request to the insurance company. During the Nutritional Evaluation, I was schooled on what to do pre-op and post-op as far as intake. I was told that for the first six weeks post-op, I can have only liquids...the first three weeks are to be clear..only what I can see thru, and the second three weeks, thicker liquids like cream soups, etc. After that, I was told that other foods will be introduced gradually. I was given a booklet that sort of goes thru the proecess by steps, and it is really helpful the closer I get to the date. I had my Nutritional Evaluation back in August and weighed at the time. I was told that the surgeon likes to have his patients lose about 10 to 15 pounds before the surgery so as to soften the liver and make the access to the stomach area he needs to work on much easier. This, they tell me, will make it much easier on me post-op as far as the level of pain. I am having the laparoscopy procedure, so I don't know if this applies to the open incision procedure....best to check with your surgeon's office about that. Yesterday, when I went for a consultation to have some questions answered, they weighed me again (almost three months since the last weighing) and not only had I NOT lost, but I had GAINED a half pound! The doctor said I needed to lose 10 pounds between now and the 16th or he JUST MAY postpone the surgery. So, I am struggling here, and praying I can accompli**** by drinking water, water, and more water!! It may be a good idea for you to call your surgeon's office and tell them you would like a consultation as you have many questions and concerns, then make a list of all of them. Take the list with you and make sure your doctor takes the time to answer all and puts your mind at ease. I think this is VERY important..that you know from your doctor, personally, what to expect, and the "do's" and "don'ts." Learning things on this board is fulfilling, and educatonal, for sure....I don't know what I would do without it, and I am so thankful I found ObesityHelp before I had the surgery. But what really matters is following the doctor's instructions to the letter. I'm sorry..I hope I didn't sound like I was preaching...getting down off my soapbox now. As for birth control...I doubt if I have to worry about that as I am 63 and I had a hysterectomy 31 years ago. I really can understand how everything seems to be crashing down on you right now...but even if it means postponing your surgery by a week or two...PLEASE make sure you know everything that is expected, ok? That way you won't go into it going crazy with doubts and not being informed. I am rooting for you, girl...and will definitely be praying for you! God bless you! Pat

My surgery is on the 17th. I hope everyone pulls through with out a hitch! Good Luck, and God bless!