PRE-OP 5 MORE DAYS - NEED HELP - SOME QUESTIONS

Hello all,

Well I am down 21 and have 5 days until surgery!  The anxiety is building and honestly I was not hungry until yesterday - I just wanted to eat real food....or is it real food?..lol  I have a had a few ups and downs but pulled through as I am grounded that this is the process.  I do have a few questions for all.

1 -  I will assume as my research has allowed that this hunger will go away or any urge for sweets etc with surgery?  I guess the first week it is about healing the stomach as well as the next few, but the thought of not eating still after surgery is mind boggling.  I assume the ghrellin is the key to all that?

2- Constipation - I thought I had been drinking enough water and between the vegetables; I just can not shake that constipation.....itt is not constipation but hard stools that really and I hate to see blunt on here, but I have major anxiety about the whole stool constipation thing.   Always in my life have a balanced fiber and have been regular.....any thoughts or reccomendations on that?   I started citricell which I was allowed but that has not helped!  

and lastly - what would be some things I would need for my stay?  Anything would help!   Thanks all - I have found this a great tool since starting the process.

Jp

Hi there!  Congrats on your upcoming surgery!  I am being sleeved on 4/20 and can certainly relate to your post.  I am on a 2 week pre-op diet and up until yesterday it has been smooth sailing.  I am allowed sugar free popsicles  and that seems to help with the hunger, but I still have to be careful because they are 15 calories a piece.

I don't typically weigh myself every day, but have been while on this diet.  3 days ago I weighed myself and found I had gained from the day before.  Since then I have fluctuated each day up one pound and then down one pound the next day.  I'm pretty sure it's due to constipation so I'm off to get a stool softener today.  

I think for me this happened because this diet is such a change from what I was eating.  Before this diet I ate pretty healthy but there was still room for an occasional treat, which I think helps to "move things along." 

My hospital suggested we bring a pillow of our own to use around the midsection when driving home (it helps with potholes!), hand sanitizer, comfy socks since they want us to walk as much as possible, lotion, and things to do (book, ipod, etc.).  Also I have to keep reminding myself to bring my phone charger since I won't be home for a couple of days!

Best of luck to you!  Keep us updated on everything!

Sttol softener s will be your friend as well as mirilax.  Constipation has not gone away for me and if I don't stay on top of it then I'm in real trouble.  

What to bring. Headphones, phone charger,  I listened to Pandora all day/night, free WiFi in my hospital.  Slippers and undies or shorts so your butt doesn't hang out during walks.

Best of luck to both of you.  You've got this..

Hi, congratulations!! on your weight loss and future VSG surgery. This is my 1st time ever replying to someone's post, I'm fairly new but have been browsing on this site since Jan 2016. I'm also having VSG surgery soon! so I can relate to the anxiety. My date is for 4/19 and at my preop I was given a list of things that I will need after surgery & for hospital stay. These are a few of them:

(1)Dulcolax(stool softner)

(2)Probiotic( for digestion) I bought Phillips Colon Health

(3) Pill cutter 

FOR HOSPITAL STAY:

CPAP & mask ( only if you have sleep apnea) not my case

Robe, slippers, loose fitting clothes & pillow for discharge and ride home, toiletries for showering: Do not wear jewelry or bring valuables only cellphone, and wear clear or french tip fingernails.

I start my liquid diet on 4/17 48 hours before surgery, I'm hoping that goes smooth so I have no idea on how to answer the hunger question. I hope some of this information helps good luck! and wishing you a safe! surgery   

You will also need Chapstick as your water will be very limited and your lips will dry out quickly.  While in the hospital I was allowed 1oz of water every hour or 2 oz every 2 hours the first day.  I took the 1 oz option.  I was in the hospital 2 days (Jan 27 2016).  At my hospital the nurse put another hospital gown on my back as well as the front.  I didn't have to worry about 'mooning' anyone?  Wear comfortable shoes to walk in.  Forget the bra you won't be able to wear it home as the incisions will be exactly under where your bra needs to be.

That is some helpful information, I'm surely gonna join in on that advice too! thanks!

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery.  You'll do great.  Its wonderful that you are sticking to your pre-op diet so well.  This bodes well for your future success!

Hunger:  For most people the hunger diminishes or goes away completely for a while.  But it does come back.  Sometimes excess acid mimics hunger.  Most doctors prescribe a med for acid for the first month or so, but if you need it longer, you should ask your doctor.

Many people are sensitive to carbs, and find they have huge food cravings (that look like hunger to me)  when they eat carbs.  So I'd recommend going low carb and then adjusting the carbs based on what level you can tolerate without waking the carb monster. 

But being 3 years post op, my hunger is working as well as ever.  I think the hunger came back between 6 and 8 months post op. 

Constipation:  I've had to take miralax daily since surgery, and I eat a fair number of veggies.  I am still low-carb, so perhaps more fiber would help, but I need to be low carb.  I take half a dose of miralax per day, and that seems to solve the constipation problem. 

Hospital stay:  I brought way too much to the hospital.  I was glad to have my own pj's so I could get out of the hospital johnie as soon as possible.  I brought lots of reading material, puzzle books, ipad, and my knitting, but all I did was sleep.  The hospital had all the toiletries there, so I really didn't need anything.  I kept a pillow in the car to cushion my belly from the seatbelt for the trip home. 

best of luck on our weight loss journey.

Carol

Magnesium (pills , capsules or liquid) Miralax, and or stool softners are life saving. 

Supositories. Warm water enema. Some days I had to attract that from both ends. 

Specially after surgery - make sure your BM is moving... Anesthesia + pain pills makes everything stop for most of us.  

Vaseline or other good ointments by the toilet really help when things are just rough... Trust me... Plus wet wipes or plain water... You don't want irritation down there... 

And if things start moving and sometimes move too much - too fast - all of the above are critical.  

Congrats on your upcoming surgery & sticking with your pre op diet. Hunger, at least for me did return but it was nowhere near it was pre op. It's more like a reminder rather than a full out emergency eat now or I'll make you miserable type thing.

I still have a sweet tooth, but I think of it more as head hunger since its me & not my body craving sweets. Usually if I have a lot of carbs, the refined kind, that's what brings on the cravings. So you might have to detox from them & it'll totally suck the first couple of days, but after that its not so bad. 

So far, for sweets I'll find alternatives, you'll have to experiment after you're healed up to find what you like & your new sleeve will tolerate. For me anything that had malitol in it, had me running to the bathroom. 

Good luck on your upcoming surgery, sorry I got nothing for ya on the constipation front other than miralax/stool softener.

I have been through loads of surgeries in the last few years, and one thing I have learned is to avoid going into a surgery constipated or backed up at all. The anesthesia and pain killers make for slow going that first week out. Perhaps use colace to help with this prior to going in, if it is Ok with your doc. 

The folks who have a rough go of it with constipation are the ones that go low carb (40g or less daily) due to the absence of fiber in their diet. Get fiber in, colace as needed, and you shoud be Ok. 

Sweets- head hunger for most of us is the hardest part. I did a good job during the first 6 weeks, and can honestly say I lost the cravings entirly. Then I added a little in here and there, and have since dealt with battling the sugar demon. The surgery won't fix head hunger, and eating a diet that spikes your insulin levels will trigger hunger and cravings. 

Most of us lose all hunger, with some returning during the first year. Personally, hunger is nothing like it was preop. It is more of an empty feeling. Acid though will mimic hunger, so if you notice you are hungry a lot it may be an indicator that you should try a ppi.