Very new to all of this....

 Hi Everyone,

I am new to this website and looking for some Canadian friends to talk to about everything about to happen in my life in the very near future.
My original consult date was scheduled for March 2011, but managed to catch a cancellation in April of this year.  Now I managed to get a surgery date of Sept. 14th of this year and starting to get a little anxious and a LOT excited.
I would love to hear from people who are going through this as well, and those that have gone through it.

How exciting!!

I'll admit i'm a little jealous that things are moving so quickly for you!  But still happy for you too!

What an amazing journey you are about to embark!  Best wishes to you!!

Christine

 Thanks so much for the encouragement!!  It's so appreciated and it's nice to hear from someone who has survived the journey so far.

Best wishes to you as well!!

Jo

Hello,
I survived the journey as well... I had surgery with Dr. Nohr March 2008... so I am at 16 months now... no regrets.  I had to wait years from my initial referral letter to my consultation then another year for surgery.  I did not go on the waiting list, not sure why, but it is certainly worth it.  I am so healthy, so happy... check out my profile.  I usually go to the Ontario forum and check out the questions/get support, etc  there but Manitoba is getting more active . 

If you have any questions you can always email me at [email protected] or thru this site.  Hope all goes well with you, ask lots of questions, people on this site are very helpful...

Diane
Wpg MB

 Hello,

Thanks so much Diane.  I thought the waiting was going to drive me crazy, but I just kept calling every Monday to Dr. Nohr's office and asked for any cancellations.  A friend of mine did the same thing and now our surgeries are 2 weeks apart.  Her original consultation date was in Feb. of 2011.  We were told that there wasn't a waiting list, to just keep calling and we might get lucky.  

So in case, someone here is waiting for a date, that would be my advice for them.  Being persistant and friendly just might be the key to all this.

With less than 2 months to go, is there anything I should be doing to prepare myself and my family?  Any advice?

Jo

Hello Jo
Are you having the surgery open or lap?  I had it open so the recovery was longer, some of the women who had it lap recovered so fast. 

I did not tell people who were negative or not supportive abour my surgery until closer to the date as I did not want to be discouraged by them.

As with any major surgery it would be good to make sure work and your home life are a bit more organized, so physically you can take 3-4 wks off any major work, lifting, etc.  I made sure I had all my vitamins and proteins, soft food (jello, pudding, soup) available at home so I did not need to go grocery shopping right away.  I had to travel from Manitoba to Medicine Hat, are you from Winnipeg?

I was a bit nervous as I never had surgery in my life but I kept busy, eat well ( I did not try to lose any weight) just tried to be sensible.  Hope this helps, anything specific you are thinking about?

Thanks for the comment on my pic.  I weighed 286 lbs pre-surgery and now weigh 140 lbs...oh yeah, take pics and measurements pre-surgery so you can compare on a regular basis.

Diane

 I am having open for 2 reasons.  I was about 10-15 lbs overweight to have the Lap which he said if I could lose it beforehand, he would schedule me for that but I should expect to wait about 18 months. However, if I scheduled the open, I could get in sooner and the chances of getting a cancellation would be better, so that's what is happening.  Even September can't come soon enough, lol.

I'm officially on holidays for the next week and plan on getting a number of things done around the house that I know will drive me crazy during my recovery.  If I remove the temptation, maybe I can learn to relax.  I have another week in August, and I plan on doing stuff with my daughters and Hubby that require fun.

I have officially booked 2 months off after the surgery.  I am hoping I won't need the whole 2 months, but will gladly take it as long my work insurance covers it.  It really should be my 'me' time and I have to keep reminding myself.

Did you get a list of vitamins beforehand?  I was told to try out several different protein shakes before and have it on hand.  So far, they all taste like liquid chalk, any recommendations?  I have also been told that yogurt and protein will be my only food options.  There has got to be more out there, isn't there? Lol.

My hubby and I will be flying out of Wpg on the 13th of Sept to Calgary and driving from there to Medicine Hat.  Did the drive home have any issues for you?  I'm a bit worried about the travel home.

Thanks again for the advice, it's so very much appreciated.

Jo

Hello again,

That is good that you are taking the time off, I did too.  I could have rushed back to work but I was tired after the surgery and travel.  I too felt it was my time to heal and look after me...

How long did the surgeon say you should stay in town after surgery? My brother lives in Calgary so after the hospital stay/surgery, my husband and I stayed there for a few nights, then drove back to Winnipeg.  I would not have felt comfortable to leave right after discharge.  I would pack a few pillows for the trip, it really helps to pad the incision area as the roads might be bumpy (we should be use to potholes right?), we stayed over 1 night in Sask then on to Wpg, we took our time. 

Dr. Nohr and the dietician will give you info about vitamins but from reading the forum and talking to others, most need to take vitamins and calcium citrate, B12 and maybe iron.  I went to a few drugstore and vitamin stores (Sangster) and bought some liquid vitamins and calcium citrate just to start with at home.  I know lots of people do not have trouble taking the pills but I wanted to be sure.  As for protein, yes the powder stuff can be hard to take.  I found liquid protein bullets (25 gm) at a drugstore and took that for a few weeks after surgery.  Can you tolerate milk?  I drank a lot of milk after surgery, you have to increase your fluids and proteins so I mostly drank milk.  Also another way to increase your protein is to use powdered milk, add this to puddings or yogurt and you can increase your protein again.  Right after surgery, I bought jello low fat instant pudding and jello,  and sugar free popsicles, crystal lite, low fat soups on hand.

Hope this helps. 

Diane

 Hi Diane,

My surgery is on a Monday and Lori said I would be in the hospital until Saturday.  We are going to stay in Medicine Hat until Monday and drive back to Calgary.  My flight to Wpg is at 6am on Tuesday.  My hubby has lots of relatives and friends in Calgary so we will stay with them that last night.

Unfortunately milk and I do not get along.  I get queasy when it comes to milk products.  I can handle dairy in small amounts.  I love water and certain flavored waters.  I think I could give up diet pop as long as I can replace with it Crystal Light or something.

You have been incredibly helpful, thanks again.

Jo

Glad I could help.  I see someone on the Manitoba forum is trying to set up a meeting... I can not go on Monday but would like to go next time.....
Diane