31 days and counting until surgery...........

OK, so since everything came back ok on the second booby-gram all is set for my surgery on the 21st of March. I'm not really nervous yet, just anxious and wishing I was post-op and not pre-op. I go next Thursday for my abdominal ultra-sound, EKG, and blood-work, so barring any issues with those tests my surgery is as scheduled. I was so worried with everyone getting their surgeries pushed back that mine would be also, but I'm still on schedule for March 21st. I have my pre-op class on the 28th of this month, my appointment with Dr Blackstone on the 8th of March, and my surgery on the 21st of March.....I am really starting to get excited!!! Does Dr Blackstone require any pre-op diet? The Nut told me I needed to lose 10% of my excess weight which is about 11lbs, and I've only lost 3 so far, is that going to be a problem? How long does she give to be out of work for Lap RNY???? Any other helpful hints from her patients would be greatly appreciated PS.....I don't have an Angel yet so if anyone is interested please let me know ...... Alli

Ali, She will tell you to cut out everything white, meaning breads, potatoes, and such if you haven't lost the weight. They want you to lose 10% so that your liver shrinks, and they have more room for the surgery. However I gained weight, and she told me my surgery went like text book and that my muscle tissue was wonderful. Apparently sometimes they get in there and the muscle tissue falls apart when they are stapling you. So it is good to lose the weight, but she won't cancel the surgery if you don't. I think it is 3 weeks out for the lap rny with her unless you are open or have complications, but she rarely has to do an open if you look at her stats. They say you should quit drinking caffeine at least two weeks before, I had three sodas the day before my surgery. I didn't have any caffeine withdrawals or headaches like they said I would. I did find that as I got closer to the surgery my desire to eat bad stuff got less. I think that was just mental conditioning. Other then that I would say enjoy a few last meals, or if you like going out to restaurants go out and treat yourself to a nice one. Don't over do it, but it will be a long while before you are up to eating out again. I think the most important thing is to just take good care of yourself, pamper yourself, and eliminate as much stress as you can prior to surgery. You want to be able to focus on yourself and your recovery after the surgery. Your almost there. This month is going to fly by for you!

Thanks for the info Melissa. I am so addicted to Diet Coke that I know that will be the hardest to quit, as for regular food, I'm so tired of eating that I forget to eat at all some days. I know I'm not losing weight because my body is going into starvation mode. I never thought I would get approved, and when I did I was surprised. I never thought I would be able to stand waiting for over 4 months for surgery, and now I'm down to one month and counting. I never thought I would find anybody who understood how hard it is to be obese and the discrimination I face everyday, then I found OH.com.......My life has changed so much already and I'm so happy with the way everything has turned out so far. Alli

Also make sure you have a heating pad. You may want it after your surgery. I never shut mine off the first week! I think the diet coke might be easier to kick then you think. I was drinking 6-8 mountain dews or cokes a day since high school. I didn't crave it or miss after the surgery. Now my sweet tooth is starting to come back, and I kinda want one now. But it is much easier to deal with after this long without. I only want one now when I see one, much like cigarettes I don't get the craving until I see someone having one You might think also about getting a cheap little alarm clock that you can take with you to the couch or chair or where ever you will be hanging out and a small notebook to write things down in. After the surgery I set the alarm on my little cheap clock to remind me to walk every two hours. And I also kept a journal to record my breathing treatments, walking, and vitamins. It helped me to be sure I was doing everything. It was also interesting to me that after surgery i was walking walking almost an hour and a half each day when i added it up. Now i'm lucky if I do a 20-30 minute walk. I really need to kick up my exercise routine!! Sleeping was a little hard also. It took me a long long time before I could sleep on my side again. For at least the first week I slept propt up on pillows with pillows tucked around me. I could only sleep a few hours at a time because I got really stiff, and then sore. So you might want to have some extra pillows on your bed just in case. Everyone is different though, you might not have any problems with sleeping. I spent a lot of time sleeping in my lazy boy because it was more comfortable then the bed. Don't stock up on a lot of protein drinks or vitamins because they will taste a lot different after the surgery. Especially the chewable vitamins like the calciums. Some of them tasted good before surgery, but tasted so sweet afterwards I couldn't eat them. On the same note I found that some of the protein drinks that tasted bad one week, tasted okay the next week to me. So don't give up on anything completely either. If it doesn't taste good, you might want to try it again in a few weeks or so. I'm excited for you! And so glad you feel the changes already in your life I feel the same way. Dr. B told me the first four months would be hell. She wasn't wrong. LOL. But they were absolutely worth it!

Hi Alli, I was out for 5 weeks with my surgery, but ended put 5 weeks because I dealt with the stricture the last week. I think it all depends on the type of work you do, but I think she gives 4-6 weeks for Lap RNY. I felt like I could go back to work after 3 weeks and I am grateful I didn't... take the time to recoup. As for the 10%, I would try really hard to lose it. From what I understand at groups, they is cracking down on it... I am not sure if she is cancelling surgeries or what, but one guy got hell for it, maybe he was just joking, I don't know. I didn't lose it by my pre-op visit with her, but I lost it between that day and my surgery. I just drank alot of water, cut out the diet coke, stopped eating fast foods and laid off on the carbs. I pretty much followed the post-op diet. They were very pleased with me that morning. I had to ween myself off the diet coke, otherwise I got a nasty caffefine headache. You will get LOTS of information in your pre-op class, bring some comfy slippers, to the hospital with you to walk around in, also a robe to cover yourself when walking. I brought one of those pillows that are made of the beads, they use them alot on the planes... that is where I got mine actually. It helped alot with sneezing, coughing and holding your abdomen. It also helped keeping my neck still while sleeping in the chair in the hospital. You will get that pain in your left shoulder... most likely. I would suggest going to a support group this week or at least before your surgery. There are a few people that I have been sitting near that are having surgery right around the same time as you. We share alot of helpful information and I remember as a pre-op that information was very valuable. It is definately important to attend support groups... you feel so much better after. If you would like an angel... I will gladly volunteer! ~Nicole

I would love for you to be my Angel. Maybe we can meet for lunch or dinner in the next couple of weeks if you have time, just let me know, and thank you so much for all the info ALli

Hi Alli! I would be honored... We can definately do lunch or dinner soon. I leave for NY next week... so maybe after that. As of Tuesday, its my 4 month appointment and I can bring in all foods types, so I am very very excited to have some salad! The next few weeks will fly by... they did for me. I felt like the day would never come and then all of a sudden I was doing a bowel prep! I wasn't nervous thru everything... I was excited and stoked! My mom was nervous enough for me, so I just was very calm. Email me and we can figure something out! ~Nicole

Hi Alli This is such an exciting time for you! I remember it all so well. I too was not nervous or scared but very anxious. You will be post-op in no time at all. Dr. Blackstone doesn't have any set pre-op diet but like you said she would like you to lose 10% of you excess weight. I wasn't able to do it before my appointment with her but I did lose almost all of it (14lbs) by my surgery date (I think more from the clean out the night before). She didn't say anything to me about not losing the required weight but I'm not sure if anything has changed since November or not? Just cutting out breads, pasta's, simple sugars should be helpful though. The office told me that she gives 3 weeks for Lap RNY but you could always try to get more time if you want. My biggest suggestion would be to have a lot of patience when eating for the first time and trying new foods. Remember that there is a lot of turkey products out there. If you need any suggestions, especially in the beginning of soft proteins feel free to email me. Good Luck and I'll be thinking of you. Cathy

Thanks for the info Cathy, I'm hoping to lose my 11 lbs before my Dr's appt on the 8th, I don't want anything to delay my surgery. Wish me luck

Hi Alli, My surgery is on the 8th, what time is your Dr. appt.?? I hope not the same time as my surgery, LOL, jk. I am scheduled for 8am and I have to be there at 6am. I am not a morning person so that is going to be very early for me. I am working on losing my 10 pounds by then too. It's not easy! Maureen