13 days to go,then I'm off to see the wizard
Leona:
You don't have to be brave. I had the band done (are you having the bypass?) and the surgery really was nothing. I was awake, then asleep, then awake again. Pain was VERY minimal. The only problem was, when I woke up in recovery, I had NO idea where I was or why. I figured out that I was in a hospital, but thought I had been in a car accident. Aren't drugs wonderful?
And don't you just love Dr. E? He is so nice, and both he and his staff are fabulous. Don't be surprised if you wake up at 7:30 a.m. in the hospital and find him standing by your bed. He did it to me twice and (pleasantly) scared the daylights out of me! 
As for the "pearls of wisdom", regarding the 1000 calorie diet, it turned out to be not as bad as I thought it would be. I bought a bamboo steamer and steamed a ton of veggies, then baked some salmon and swordfish, make a sauce (low or no fat) and had a few cups of vegs and about a 1" x 4" piece of fish with it. A cup of most veggies is only about 30 calories, so you really can pack in a lot for that 1000 cals. I stayed away from carbs as much as possible because they didn't fill me up and just left me craving more.
Also try turkey meatballs with red sauce with some extra fat-free ricotta thrown in for extra protein. Trader Joe's has great, pre-made turkey (as well as meatless) meatballs about 2.69 a bag.
Drink a lot of water or Crystal Lite. It will keep you full, calorie-free.
Try going to fitday.com. You can find a lot of info on what calories a wide range of foods contain (along with fat, protein, etc.) and keep track of what you eat each day, if you want to.
It may seem like a tough diet to follow. I know I did, in light of how much I was eating prior to the diet, but I lost 21 pounds in the two weeks before my surgery, so the payoff really was great!
One other thing: try to store up "sleep points". They will wake you up every 2 hours, 24 hours a day, while you're in the hospital. I needed 2 weeks after the surgery just to catch up on my sleep.
Best of luck with your surgery. I know you'll do fine and I look forward to seeing you at the support meetings!
PS: follow the yellow brick road.
And don't you just love Dr. E? He is so nice, and both he and his staff are fabulous. Don't be surprised if you wake up at 7:30 a.m. in the hospital and find him standing by your bed. He did it to me twice and (pleasantly) scared the daylights out of me!
As for the "pearls of wisdom", regarding the 1000 calorie diet, it turned out to be not as bad as I thought it would be. I bought a bamboo steamer and steamed a ton of veggies, then baked some salmon and swordfish, make a sauce (low or no fat) and had a few cups of vegs and about a 1" x 4" piece of fish with it. A cup of most veggies is only about 30 calories, so you really can pack in a lot for that 1000 cals. I stayed away from carbs as much as possible because they didn't fill me up and just left me craving more.
Also try turkey meatballs with red sauce with some extra fat-free ricotta thrown in for extra protein. Trader Joe's has great, pre-made turkey (as well as meatless) meatballs about 2.69 a bag.
Drink a lot of water or Crystal Lite. It will keep you full, calorie-free.
Try going to fitday.com. You can find a lot of info on what calories a wide range of foods contain (along with fat, protein, etc.) and keep track of what you eat each day, if you want to.
It may seem like a tough diet to follow. I know I did, in light of how much I was eating prior to the diet, but I lost 21 pounds in the two weeks before my surgery, so the payoff really was great!
One other thing: try to store up "sleep points". They will wake you up every 2 hours, 24 hours a day, while you're in the hospital. I needed 2 weeks after the surgery just to catch up on my sleep.
Best of luck with your surgery. I know you'll do fine and I look forward to seeing you at the support meetings!
PS: follow the yellow brick road. 
Well, you certainly don't have to prove anything to anyone by being brave. Having said that, I know exactly how you feel. It's natural to be nervous and scared. You will be fine.
Just try to keep as busy as possible to keep your mind off of it. I came up with all sorts of projects before surgery to do and my house could have passed a white glove inspection the day before I went in for surgery.
It was all nervous energy. But, I expended it well. Perhaps you an think of a few projects of your own, like cleaning out your closet and getting rid of some things you will never waer again (you'll be too small!) or organizing the pantry or starting a craft project, etc. Get the picture?
Good luck to you and I can't wait to wecome you to the loosing side!!!
Hi Leona,
Your post reads almost like a carbon copy of the one I wrote a few short weeks ago.. Brave I weren't, girlfriend.. I just did the next thing.. right down to walking myself into the OR and jumping up on the table..
The low fat pre op diet is to shrink your liver - the surgeon will have an easier time manuerving around in there.. You've been at this a year my friend and a new life awaits.. you're almost there..
Here's to a smooth surgery and speedy recovery,
Elaine
Good Luck Leona,
Believe me the next two weeks will pass quickly and you will be on the road to a new life. You will find that really isn't that difficult to keep with in the 1000 cal your doctor prescribes. I use fitday.com religously and it is really helpful once you get the hang of it. Get your spices ready. I find that I now like to spice things up alot more than I used to. Not really hot but spicy. Extra garlic, Emeril's seasoning etc. I find that there is so much I can eat that I don't really miss the carbs like bread, pasta and rice. Haven't had any and don't miss them. Check out the soy crisps and atkins crunchers. Not bad for the times you want crunchy stuff. They are low carbs and have protein. Anyway feel free to ask any questions. We are all pretty friendly around here and glad to help when we can.
Linda 
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