Hi All! Im new here..

Wow, Thanks Everyone for your replies!!  Lots of great information!! Thank You!! Amy

Have you been to a support group meeting?  That is a great place to talk to people first-hand who have had the surgery.  Best wishes for a successful surgery and a quick recovery.

hi and welcome to the NJ board :) great group of people here with a wide range of experience!!  1. don't be scared -- you are in good hands with your surgeon 2. have a good sense of humor -- especially when you lose the weight and you see the skin issues 3. don't over buy -- SF jello, SF popsicles, Broth - anything -- do not over buy -- you will be out shopping again before you know it! 4. just take yourself to the hospital -  you will not have time to read  or do puzzles or listen to your ipod - you will be on pain killers that will keep you asleep most of the time  5. if you want pamper yourself with a new bathrobe and slippers so you can walk the halls of the hospital and feel like a new person  6.when you start to lose the weight - don't buy alot of clothes - you will be out of them and in another size before you know it  7. after surgery drink real real slow  or else you will know if you drank too fast  8. do not be afraid to ask for help! this is MAJOR sugery  9. follow your surgeon's orders and all will be fine :) i didn't have any special requirements before surgery -- i just had to show up the day of surgery  as for the avitar help -- http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/a,messageboard/action ,replies/board_id,4856/cat_id,4456/topic_id,3337266/ this posting will help you with avitar questions and how to resize the photo and all  good luck to you -- if you have any questions just shout them  out and someone will answer :) good luck roberta

Just wanted to welcome you to the boards as well.  Sorry Im a little late in the posting.  Everyone has been pretty much right on target.  Good luck and can't wait to see you posting!! Pam

Welcome AmyLyn,      We live in the same area. I had RNY 6/21/07.  i was surprised how how hard clear liquids was post-op. I had every SF ice pop flavor...SR on Rte 1 had a great selection. I grroved on many flavors of SF jello. Then I discovered soups and realize that straining out the guts of a soup kept it allowed (liquid diet post-op)and the warmth really felt great post-op. You're close to Panera. It was great in a pinch. :) I could not believe how much I missed CHEWING....during the post-op liquid phase.... So a few times- I chewed a few bites of something and spit it out..... Then I was on soft foodsand the variety made it easier to tolerate. Tastes do change post-op....      I was addicted to Diet Coke & alwayshad to have 24 ounces of coffee daily. Diet Coke flat and non-flat tastes terrible to me now and if I buy a coffee now- I barely drink an ounce or two..... Diet Minute Maid lemonAde (canned or at Wendy's, and Costco),  Fresh Brewed Iced Tea (@WaWa & Panera) are my drinks of choice. Propel is always in my bag. I cannot drink plain water since surgery....another weirdness...but I just add ice to all my drinks to get extra plain water in me. The first time I had the "foamies", I had a piece of Costco rotisserie chicken and chewed and swallowed. The SECOND I did it, I knew I had swallowed too quickly. What pain and nausea, and frothing like a rabid dog.....so when you hit solid food like meat...be so mindful and chew, chew, chew,,,and chew some more.... Another annoying thing is one minute you can eat a hot dog- no issue and the next time it can make you sick.... People seem to have a lot of issues early out tolerating eggs.... Well those are my first thoughts this morning!!! Good luck....Can't wait to welome you to the "loser's bench!!!" Bernadette

whhops  forgot the pre-op part of your question. I was not required to do anything pre-op. my surgeon was pleased with my weight loss... I did a mostly liquid diet anyway for just over a day before surgery.... otherwise nothing.... Bernadette

Hi there.  I don't often visit the NJ board here, but I do pop in from time to time. I would like to add to everyone's great advice, that you might want to pick up a copy of the book "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies."  I got mine in person at Borders, but I know you can get it from amazon.com or other stores/online retailers.

This book, for me, really answered most of my questions as to what to expect.  In fact, I never really had alot of questions for my surgeon, as I had read this pretty early on and found it to be quite comprehensive.

The questions I really had couldn't be answered by anyone - because noone could know how I personally would react to having this surgery!

Best of luck to you as your date approaches!

 

Wendy