where is everyone

Hi there back from holidays and I see there has not been much happening on Sask. site. Hope everyone is doing well. I am getting closer to my surery date of aug 6th. I will be leaving to start my journey on the 3rd. very excited to be on the loser's bench. I am doing the liver shrinking protien diet right now. How gross is that....! I am sticking to the Atkins drinks for now. The powder stuff is nasty.. Any suggestions from anybody? Penny

Hi Penny You are not being very encouraging right now - with the yucky taste of the liver shrinking diet. I am going down to Mexico to Dr. Kuri in November and have to do that diet too. You are not making this any easier. Yucky indeed!!! (hahaha) Good luck to you and I hope to see you on the Losers Bench very soon!! Can you mix it with any juice or anything? Not sure if you can have orange juice or not - I just remember the many diets I have been on and the powder stuff works best with orange juice. I put in the same title in my contact last week and had only one or two hits. I guess everyone is on holidays. It may pick up as the weather gets a little more bearable. Talk soon. Take Care Elaine

Hi Penny and Elaine, I hope you had a terrific vacation, Penny. Your surgery is coming up fast, are you excited? I didn't have to do the preop diet but I used the Atkins shakes after on full fluids. I found they tasted better really cold. I freeze leftover coffee in ice cube trays and put the shakes in the blender with the cubes - kind like a frappocino - I really enjoyed them especially when it's been so hot. Dr Kuri says we aren't supposed to drink our protein after healing because the band works best with solid protein, or I might still be drinking them. If you have to use the powder protein, WalMart has a Whey powder that's not bad, Six-Star body Fuel, I like the vanilla flavor. I even mix it in my morning oatmeal. If you like peanut butter it also adds nice flavor to the shakes, use smooth, the chunks don't blend very well. Just remember this next week will fly by and you'll soon be on your way. I'm really glad I did this and I can't believe I'm already almost 4 weeks out! If you have any questions that I might be able to help with feel free to ask. See you soon on the loser's bench-I'm cheering you on!! Take care Betty

Hi Elaine & Betty I am getting very excited & scared at the same time fighting with myself " can I do this to Yes I can & I am goine to back to What am I doing???" My husband is great support so I'm sure I will get through this.. Elaine I am sorry I don't mean to scare you but they are nasty..............and you can not have juice because of the sugar. But Betty I will try the coffee that should give them better flavour. I have the Chocolate but it should be good too. I have been drinking the Atkins & the atkins protien bars you can have up to 2 of those a day as well because of the carb count but I am still hungry. But like you say by this time next week I will be so excited I won't even think about it. We were at a bbq last night & I had my shake & bar & it was OK. I made it through.... Nice to talk to you. Good luck to you Elaine. Penny

Hi Penny, I forgot to mention the "no sugar added" popsicles and creamsicles, I love them and they have saved me especially when it's been so hot. They're a little hard to find, but Safeway has them here. I'm 4 weeks out today and down 18 pounds and I've stopped snoring. My husband says "you sleep so quiet now I have to turn over to make sure you're still there". I'm so happy I did this! Hang in there for the next week! Talk to you soon. Betty

Thanks Betty I bet your feeling great. I tried the coffee with the protien shake & it was great. I did have a piece of chicken last night, I find I am light headed. Are you on solids yet or still mushies? Any suggestions as too what I need to take with me. How was the hotel & is there anything to do nearby ? I'm glad everything has worked out for you & it is nice to talk to someone who has been to the same doctor, I feel more comfortable. Thanks Penny

Hi Penny, I'm still on mushies for a couple more days, and I think I'm a little scared to try real food. It's a bit hard to get enough protein and calories in on mushies. But then I'm not real creative in the kitchen. There was no shampoo in the hospital, I can't think of too much else you need. The hotel was very nice, very clean, they give you bottled water in the room. there is a nice restaurant in the hotel - they have a lovely chicken broth. We just spent our time walking around the streets - be very careful, the sidewalks are treacherous, holes and cracks and high curbs- and sitting around the pool. There is a grocery store a couple of blocks from the hotel. Dr Kuri's office gives you a list of a few Spanish words that might come in handy, I didn't see the list until we were on our way home. The nurses in the hospital don't speak English, but we managed.