Surgery date scheduled

My VSG suyis Oct 18. Lap band failure also being removed. I'm excited and scared.

Any words of wisdom from your experiences would be greatly appreciated. Any must haves?

C

Sorry for misspelled surgery!

Congrats! Right behind you on 11/7. I also had the crappy lap band! Mine is already out though. Wishing you the best.

Mine is on Oct. 16th! So no wisdom but wishing you luck!

Yay! Congrats, Carol! If your surgeon allows GasX strips, try to get your hands on some before you go to the hospital as they probably won't have them at the hospital. I hear that they are being discontinued, but I had no problem finding them myself.

Bring a comfortable long robe you can drape over you for butt coverage when you're in the hospital. They will want you to walk, walk, walk and there's nothing worse than worrying if your butt is hanging out.

Before you will be allowed to start drinking on the day after your surgery, they play a really cruel trick on you. You have to have a swallow study to ensure your new sleeve isn't leaking. The dye you will have to drink will be the most foul thing you have ever tasted. And when it hits your pouch, it will not feel good, but that doesn't mean anything is wrong. Just be prepared for that up front. Also, your intestines will not be happy to receive the dye. Apparently, most people have a liquid stool within a couple of hours. Nobody told me until after it hit me. Just fair warning so you'll be prepared to get up quickly if needed!

One of the things I found out following the surgery was that I really wasn't keen on anything sweet (and I have (had?) a sweet tooth!), but they'll likely give you Jell-O and clear juices to start out with and perhaps an overly-sweet protein drink (I got one I actually liked pre-surgery and it was awful post-surgery). The broth I was served went down much better than anything else. If you're having difficulty with the taste of what they give you, ask them if your support person can go get you something else that might be more appealing. They probably won't let you go home until you have consumed a certain amount of fluid, so you want to be sure it's something you are motivated to consume.

My surgery is on Oct. 11, thanks for this great advice!

Congratulations Carol, it's going to fly by. I'm counting the days!

Do you have to do a pre-op diet?

My doctors office does not check for leaks anymore only if having complications. So ask your doctor if they do it at your pre op Dr. Appt.

Thanks for your great advice! Long robe YES!!

My pre-op is next week. I'll ask lots of questions. Your description sounds like barium drink with upper GI test.

getting up quickly is hard for me due to arthritis but good to prepare for.

thanks again for great tips.

I am right before you on October 2, also having my band out from 11/08 and being revised to Sleeve. Good Luck I feel the same way excited and scared my exact feelings!

Good luck and please post how things go!