What to do...

Between now and the day of surgery... I don't meet with the doctors and all until the first week of October, so of course I am thinking... what should I be doing? Hitting the gym? Eating right? Enjoy some of the meals I won't be able to eat for a really long time... What should I except between now and then? I have to do Blood Work, EKG and Chest Xray between 9/30-10/3... do I get the ultrasound and all that good stuff after? or at all... just wondering! haha October 30th can't seem to get here soon enough!

Oh wow - this question brought back some really great memories for me. You have about 6 weeks till surgery. Now is a great time to be working on getting yourself into the best possible shape - so that your surgery and recovery will be as uneventful as possible. Start exercising. don't get crazy with it - but start now so that your heart / lungs are in as good a shape as possible. It will make your recovery a LOT easier. The reason I say don't get crazy is that you are trying to establish good habits to carry you through the rest of your life. If you overdo you are too likely to get tired / bored with exercise and stop. I walk - a lot. I do some free weights in the evenings while we watch the tube. I try to be just as active as I can within the confines of my work. WalMart (yep, my favorite store for cheap stuff) has dumbells very inexpensively. You want fairly light ones - no more than 5 pounds. simply doing arm lifts will improve your lung capacity and your overall stamina and you can do that and watch TV very easily. You can also get the weights that strap onto your ankles for walking. They look goofy but they work and again, they are not expensive. This is a good time to be researching (and check with your surgeon) what your diet needs to be post-op. Be sure you have the necessary items in your cupboard. Don't overbuy. If your doc says protein drinks - only buy samples of several different ones. If your doc says sugar free drinks - again only buy small sample containers. I would bet that all of us have tossed out a lot of food that we bought in preparation for surgery, only to discover that it tasted nasty. Mine was crystal lite - I must have bought a dozen different kinds - threw them all out - I cannot tolerate the taste and the sugar alcohols do a real number on my digestive tract. I can't tolerate the sf stuff at all - I get the sweet I need/want from fresh fruit. My standbys for the pantry were and still are "Better than Bullion". this is a paste, sold in the same place as bullion cubes at your grocery store. It's made from actual meat!!! chicken and beef are my favorites and now I use them to jazz up soups / stews / gravy, etc. Another standby is cottage cheese. Plain old cottage cheese. You can do a lot with it and it's chock full of protein. I love Oscar Meyer's smoked turkey deli meat - very low cal, high protein. I've lived on the stuff for the past year. My breakfast and lunch have been the same for the past year - smoked turkey, a whole orange (or grapes or tomatoes) and a glass of milk. Less than 400 calories, 40 grams of protein. That gets my day off to the right start protein wise. Check with your doc re vitamins and be sure you have them on hand. It's real easy for us to get out of whack since we no longer absorb nutrients the same way. I take my vitamins / calcium with breakfast and lunch. I keep bottles here at work and at home. Oh - you need calcium CITRATE. Be sure that when you buy calcium you check the label. Calcium citrate is better absorbed by bypass patients. Locate a really good thrift shop. You'll be "renting" your clothes for the next 12 - 18 months, and even WalMart is too expensive if you are only going to be able to wear something for a couple weeks. I have a great one where I live. since surgery I have bought new underthings at a real store - everything else is from the thrift shop - including my shoes / purses and belts! Yes, even shoes - my feet are even smaller than they were a year ago! Start a journal - your profile here. It's a great tool. Oh - take your measurements! I wish I had. I have gone from a size 28 to size 6 (yep, that's SIX!!!). I held on to one belt from my fat days. It is now 20" too big. I was damn near as round as I am tall. I wish though that I had taken my measurements pre surgery. I'd love to know how many inches I've lost and from where. get familiar with a website called fitday.com. It is free and gives you a great place to journal your food / exercise, etc. Start using it now - you'll find that it's real helpful as you go down this road. It helps me keep on track with regard to my protein, etc., needs. Have fun. Know that this is a for life proposition. Accept that some days will be tough, but 99% are fabulous. Be as informed as you can possibly be. Read everything you can find. One other thought - look up two members on the main board - Dame Tooter and Dx e (I think that's his board name). they are both "graduates" and have wonderfully informative posts. Dame's web site is www.bariatricbytes.com. She has links to other sites, some great articles and good recipes. wishing you lots of good things - Mom Bear (below goal, mine and the doc's!)

Hey Nicole, I got a date, 11/8/06!!! So I may see you in some of the preop education groups!! I know they need the ultrasound to get for gallstones, I already had mine, get as much stuff out of the way as possible. I'm faxing Noreen as soon as I get offline!! Funny I know I should eat healthy but I kind of want to have some "last meals". Still in shock really that it's really happening. Let me know if you want to get together prior for some support, as I mentioned I live in your zip and do go to their support groups. Wow!! Should be a fun fall!! Take care, Katie 8-)