Surgery In !4 Days What do I need to do

I am meeting with My surgeon on the 30th for my pre op.  What should I be doing during these two weeks.  I assume that I will be put on a liquid diet.  Is that the same diet I will be on Post-Op???Will I have enough energy to exercise on the Liquid diet???  Does anybody get in your last food likes before surgery.  I just want to know what is normal or accepted behavior before I do something stupid.  I also don't want to get any tough love from my new/future best friends on this board.  So let me have it but witha a little Splenda to keep it nice and sweet.

Sorry the Title is surgery in 14 days not !4

Follow all doctors orders, they give them to you for a reason and know best. This board will support you for sure but we will also tell you how it is with love. I have seen surgeons cancel surgeries due to last minute weight gain. I did not have to be on a 2 week liquid diet, but that was my surgeon, but he did expect me to lose weight prior to surgery and if i didnt he would not do the surgery. We all did last supper syndrome behaviors. It is normal to want it, but honestly most of the foods you are worried about you will be able to eat again in the DISTANT future so no point in sabotagiing yourself now. The only thing I dont eat now is sugar I chose not to, and that has worked for me and I dont miss it that much. There are days but for the most part not really. I can also tell you that some of my last minute meals before surgery and I have had since I dont even like them now. The difference is now that I have to slow down and actually taste a hamburger I have determined i dont really like them that much, and it was my favorite binge food prior.
You will figure it out

Congrats on getting this far! Many surgeons do require some sort of pre-op diet. Many only ask for 24-48 hours of liquids before. I would suggest living like a post op from here on out. Cut out sugar, caffeine, soda and bread. IF you ease into it now it will make things easier post-op.

I think we all have that panicing moment of "I'll never eat this again". This isn't true for most things - it'll just be a few months before you can eat them. WIth the exception being of course sugar. You don't want to touch sugar with a 1000 foot pole - it'll make you feel horrible! Trust me, been there, done that (it was by accident but still pure hell).

If you are a particular food person like me I decided to make my own beef and chicken stock and freeze it in small containers, the stuff in the containers is great but not when that's all you get to eat, at least for me. Pop ciciles and crystal light are great things to have on hand too. Don't go wild buying protein powder as your tastes are going to change post op. Try to get sample packets of lots of different things so you can see what works for you.

Best of luck! And yes, we are here for support and a friendly kick in the butt when needed!

Liz

Thanks for the Input....I have lost 30+ lbs during my 6 months of monitored diet.  The questions I had were mainly dealing with what the Dr will tell me on Tuesday the 30th.  Will I have enough energy pre-op on the liquid diet to walk my normal 1-2 miles.  I don't want to put myself in a bad positionThe hardest part for me to kick will be the caffeine and diet pop.  I like drinking Crystal Light so it won't be hard to switch to that

Keep in mind that every doc has their own protocol, usually tailored to each patient.  So it's really tough for us to tell you what yours will be like. 

I know for many people that the liquid diet pre-surg is 10x harder than post-surg.  For one, you still have your "big" stomach and will likely feel hungry and non-energized.  Post-op, you won't feel hunger and will have this tiny little stomach that's also swollen, so getting in your fluids and protein will be a "chore" rather than a hunger-driven necessity.  For most surgeons, the pre-op liquid diet is also more restrictive than post-op in content.

It's hard to say whether you'll have the energy for your walks, but if you push yourself to try and just do the best that you truly can do, you'll be ahead of the game. 

As to "last supper syndrome,"  I know many (most?) people went through something like that.  For me, I made sure in the weeks prior to surgery that I "said goodbye" to the things that I had loved and used as comfort foods.  I did my best not to binge on them (didn't want my surgery cancelled due to weight gain!) and made them "special" occasions.  I'm now almost a year out, and most of the things I said "goodbye" to are things that I've found a way to make legally for my new life.  The ones that I haven't revisited are either because I've had no desire for them (greasy hamburgers being one) or because they're trigger foods for my addictions (white flour carbs and sugars).

Congratulations on approaching the start of your new life.  Sounds like you're doing really well in the lead up to it and that you've got a great attitude.  Best of luck and welcome to the board!

Karen

All the advice so far I totally agree with! If you haven't done so yet, GET RID OF anything that is not allowed post op especially sugar!! If you have young children like I do, that can be a real task. It is possible. Do something nice for yourself, go to a movie, shopping, whatever will make you happy.

I am almost 10 months out and remember being on the liquid diet like it was yesterday. Karen is so right about feeling REALLY hungry pre op, but not so much post op. Make sure you move, breathe, sip, sip, sip!!! By the third day after surgery I felt really good. I don't know if you will be able to walk 1-2 miles, but listen to your body. If you get tired, sit down and relax for awhile. Hopefully you will have someone to help you at least for the first couple of days...

Good luck! We will make room for you on the loser's bench....

Beth

Let me share my "last supper" story. My special favorite food was pizza, so I picked  up a slice at Costco.  And you know what? It was the WORST slice they ever sold! I remember my "last supper diet coke" better than I remember that pizza! I also had a DQ medium cone, plain, about 2 weeks before surgery and I guess that was a "last supper" thing as well. No huge binge for me, just sort a farewell to some close (but disfunctional) friends.

In the next couple of weeks, I'd recommend...

If you can get started walking a bit, or doing some gentle stretching exercises it will help build strength and prepare you for the post op exercise program.

Clean house. Yes, get rid of the junk in the pantry, but also stock up on a few groceries that are good for YOU (the rest of the fam will find what they need, trust me). Do the cleanup jobs ahead of time because you won't feel like it afterward.

Get a journal and start today...write how you feel about your upcoming surgery, about your body as it is today, about your hopes and dreams, about your goals.

Take "before" photos and take your measurements. Write them in your journal. This is very important for the days/weeks when the scale may not move much, but your body changes are dramatic. I suggest recording your measurements each month, and taking at least one candid photo. (The measurements I keep include: bust, band under bustline, waist, hip, neck, upper arm, calf, and around the top of the knee. I also record my weight and BMI once a month, and recently started adding my body fat % since I got a body fat calculator thingy.)

Hang out on the boards to read up...but emphaisze the POSITIVE messages out there. Remember that some people turn to the forums for help with a problem or issue only - so the balance may be skewed a little heavily that way.

Best of luck!

It all depends on the person...and how long you are on a liquid diet.  Will you have the energy for walking?  Probably.  And if there are days you don't, then don't pu****  Keep up all the good habits you've gotten into and get rid of all the junk you may have!

Can't add more into what everyone else has already said Just wanted to wish you luck!

Pam