I HAVE A DATE! I ALSO HAVE A QUESTION...

My date is coming up.. I'm sooooo excited! My date is May 22nd. My surgery will be at Boston Medical Center. I was wondering if anyone is willing to share their experiences from the hospital? I'm not sure what to bring, I'm sure this has been asked a few times in the past.. what are you allowed to wear in the hospital? PJ bottoms? Do you have to wear a jonny the whole time or can you change into a PJ shirt, that is fitted very losely? I'm just curious

For me, I brought stuff like toothpaste and shampoo. As far as anything else though, I didn't feel like using or changing into anything. They put a catheter in you so your tied up. I didn't shower because of it.

Jenn, So glad to hear you have a date! I just had mine there on Tuesday, 4/24, and came home 3 days later on Friday, 4/28. I had packed all kinds of things, but really the only things that I ended up using were my chap stick (first couple of days), comb, brush, crocheting and loose clothes to come home in. I had an extra 13 pounds of water that hadn't made its way to my kidneys yet and was vacationing in my belly, legs and feet. It soon left after I got home, so don't freak out if the same thing happens to you. I was quite comfortable in their humungus johnies, but other WLS patients were wearing their own pj's and robes. They give you slipper socks, soap, tooth paste and tooth brush. I washed my hair the morning that i went in, so I didn't need shampoo (dry hair). If you have any meds that you must take or are allergic to any, make sure you bring a list or the stubs that you get when you pick up your prescriptions - it's a lot easier to hand them those (several people come and ask you for the same drug information, you'd think they'd share info, huh?) and let them copy them than to remember all the milligrams and names. On the whole, the staff there was wonderful. My only bad experience was with one night nurse - Kathy, so if you get her and need help right away, make a lot of noise - she takes forever to respond. All the other night & day time nurses and all of the aids were wonderful - it was like saying good-bye to old friends when I checked out. You will do great, just make sure you get up and walk as much as you can. Honest, I still can't believe that I've only taken one pain pill since I got home and really didn't need it - the pain was from gas! Mylanta and Gas-X strips are my new best friends, so stock up on some before you go into the hospital and they will be happily awaiting for your home-coming. Let me know if you have any other questions - [email protected]. God Bless, Laurie

Thank you Laurie and everyone! I think I may being a pair of pj's just in case... I am so glad to hear you are doing well Laurie!!!!!!!!!!!!

Laurie....I'm new on here and have been trying to find people to talk to about it...How is it? I see you are in great spirits..Very happy for you. I go in June 18 and am very nervous...I dont know if I am more scared about the surgery or about not eating the foods that taste so good...Let me know...I'm afraid if how fast I'm going to loose the wieght or how slowly....Anyways if you have time...Write me back if you can..Thanks....Selin

Hi Selin, Everyone's experience is different, so please consider several people's results. I'm on the older end of the spectrum for this surgery - just turned 60 (yuck!). Also, I do not have diabetes (thanks be to God) or heart disease, yet. I do have arthritis and degereative disk disease in my back and knees. I had my gall bladder out 20 years ago, so I was basically expecting the same amount of surgical pain as I had experienced from that. I was pleasantly surprised that my surgical pain was minimal thanks to Dr. Hess's expertise and the fact that this was done laproscopically, rather than open, as my previous surgery was - both factors made a big difference in pain level and recovery time. As far as foods go, I still have cravings for pizza, other things are not so bad for this former choco-holic, but I have to deal with it in a rational way. You'll hear people talk about the difference between head hunger and real hunger. That part doesn't change, we still want to eat the whole thing, but now, the size of the 'pouch' (new egg-sized stomach) limits us to how much we can eat at a time. The liquid stage was getting rather boring, so I was glad when they moved me up to the 'mashed' stage. However, now my challenge is getting the 80 grms of protein in while still getting my 48 - 64 fluid ounces per day. Having to wait 30 minutes between eating and drinking is also a challenge, as I used to drink water with all my meals and now cannot. Each stage will have its own challenges and rewards, so we just need to plan appropriately and do the best we can. The surgery is just the beginning, there is no magic, if we eat the wrong things the weight will not come off. At my age, I know that I'm going to have to exercise my butt off, literally, because my metabolism has been so screwed up over so many dieting attempts. So, if you value the foods that taste so good, more than the feeling of having accomplished a very hard task, then you should rethink having this surgery, as you may be disappointed. Then, again, you may be one of the lucky ones for whom the weight just falls off. There's no way to predict it. I put my trust in God that He would take me through it and He is guiding me. As long is my focus is on Him and not on the foods that am 'giving up', I know that I will succeed. Good luck in your decision. Laurie