An introduction, questions and trying to get my profile set up correctly - HELP please.

Hi.  I am a brand new to this forum.  I am 38, and will be turning 39 one week after my RNY surgery (Apr 15/15).  I have struggled with my weight for most of my life, and have tried many different things to lose weight and be healthier, unsuccessfully. There are many reasons and excuses, but none of that really matters now.  I am so grateful that I am being given a tool, and that I am so close to starting the journey that will change my life forever.  My goal is to be in the 140's by 40.  Not sure if that is realistic, but I am aiming high. My surgery is scheduled for April 15/15 @HRRH with Dr. Klein.  To say that I am excited is an understatement.  I  am very happy that I found this forum, and I have so much to learn.  There is such a wealth of information and experience on here... Thank you to all who have taken the time to share their experiences, as well as giving encouragement and advice.  I have a couple of questions.  Any help would be much appreciated.  

1-  Underneath the weight loss ticker, some people have details about their past appts, surgery date, weight, etc.  I am trying to put some information in there for my own profile.  I cant seem to figure out where that goes, and what information i am supposed to put in each section.  I put the info under my signature spot, but i dont think that is correct.  Does anyone know where i can find information on how to properly set up all this stuff, and delete what i put in my signature space if its not the right place to put it?  

2-  Are there any WLS support/social/information groups that meet east of Toronto and west of Kingston (ie., Oshawa, Bowmanville, Cobourg, Port Hope, Peterborough, etc)?  Toronto is more than an hour away and I am really hoping to connect with some fellow WLS people.  I want to be successful, and believe that support and encouragement will be a big part of this.

3- Any words of advice/tips in preparing for my surgery? It is 2 months away, and I would like to have everything set up to make it as easy as possible to succeed when i come home.  Is there a listing of specific recipes during the 1st four weeks following surgery (for the different phases)?  Also, did anyone make a chart or anything similar indicating what to eat and when at the 15 min intervals to ensure they get everything in that they are supposed to.

4-  Has anyone had experience with Dr Klein, and HRRH over the past year?  How was it?  How long did you have to stay in hospital?  Did you feel like you had all the info and support you needed to be successful when you left the hospital. 

Thanks for reading and good luck to everyone with their WLS journey

Welcome. You may want to post this over on the Ontario forum for feedback as several of your questions are area-specific.

K.

Hi FitByForty

Welcome to OH!  We have a help section here with tutorials to show you how to set things up. Here is the link:

Help Section

When you are setting up our weight in Health Tracker make sure you have selected the option for it to be viewed on your profile and when you are posing.  It looks like you have enabled your signature line area, good job!  To set up your surgeon's information go to MY OH, Medical History and add your surgery/surgeon information there.

If you need further help just let me know and we can get things set up for you

Thank you

pre-op I started cutting down on caffeine as they didn't want me to have it post op. caffeine withdrawal can cause wicked headaches. I also purged my cupboards and frig of food I didn't want to eat. I got a few varieties of ready to drink protein drinks but not too many as your tastes can change. I track my food and fluids on the computer now but initially I just used a small notebook. sugar free popsicles would be good to have in. post op the most important thing you can do is sip, sip, sip so you don't get dehydrated. the protein is important but will come along so if you can't tolerate initially that is OK. do what you can. sometimes people can't tolerate certain temperature (ie: too cold liquids or too thick) so experiment post op with adding ice or letting drinks sit out or watering protein drinks down. I got all my meds in the house and some light reading/magazines. I would have someone on stand by that can run to the store if needed if you don't feel up to going out or maybe if you are bored you could go but not drive if you are not feeling well enough. good luck!

Thanks STP.  I appreciate the ideas.

Hi FitByForty,

Just checking in to see if you you are feeling good about things and if you need help with anything

Hi.  Thanks for checking in.  Yes...I think I am getting the hang of things.  I tried to activate the weight ticker thing.  I'm not sure if its working or not, but hopefully everything is set up correctly now.  I think it will just take me some time to find all the answers to my questions.  I will keep looking around on the forum.