New surgery date !

Got a call today to change my Oct surgery date to July 28 !!! Feeling excited and so nervous at the same time ! Any advise or tips for the next 3 weeks would be appreciated..I will be starting opti on Friday !

Also, how many weeks did everyone take off from work ? I just do a lot of walking and standing at work and wondering how many I should take off .

How exciting! So happy for you!

My tip; make sure to drink your opti ice cold, lol. I didn't have ice my first time, and it was awful (to me). But I quite liked it cold, and grew to love the stuff.

A lot of people add sugar free flavorings to the vanilla opti; you could experiment with that. I liked it best plain, myself.

I'd take as much time off as work would let me, if I were you.

Wow - that's great but moving fast!! Optifast can be challenging but its manageable. Lots of great advice here for making Optifast more palatable - some like decaff coffee with it or mixing it up with sugar free syrups.

And don't forget to do your prep list for the hospital - I brought phone and charger, tablet, chapstick (so dry) and baby wipes to keep refreshed, barely needed clothes as I was in hospital gown the whole time. Barely used the electronics honestly as I slept alot and time flew. I did read a little on my tablet so it was nice to have that distraction.

I have a desk job so I took 2 weeks off and went back half days on the 3rd week and back full time on the 4th week. I probably could have went full days on the 3rd week, but I was pretty tired still so I didn't ru**** Depending on type of job you have, check with your doctor and they can advise you how long you can be off. Some have up to 8 weeks off - if you have the sick time, take advantage and take your time to heal

Great tips!

Do they have big gowns.. every time I had to go ... the gown was so small I was scared to move!

I was in Toronto East General and they used two hospital gowns.. one open to the front and one overtop open to the back so it was good.. lots of coverage!

Congratulations! Opti, is what it us. I hated it, but search recipes and experiment. Vanilla is easier to flavour. I never tried the chocolate.

Time off should be relative to the physical nature of your job and whether or not you have sick time or are able to sip, sip, sip at your job. My 12 hour job - I took 6 weeks off and then modified for 1 month and I was bored stiff. My 4 to 8 hour, less physically demanding job with a lot of standing, I took two weeks with modifications (agreement to not push, pull greater than 10 kg or lift more than 5 kg) but I did not work every day and crashed and slept like a baby after any shift.

Biggest packing tip: Add an extension cord to your go bag for your electronics, that way you can reach electronics easily.

Second: easy slip on shoes, you will be walking the halls, a lot.

Third: pillow to hug when getting in and out of bed and the drive home.

all of the above are about ease of mobility - your stomach will be sore.

CONGRATULATIONS!

I am on day 20 of 21 days of Opti! I was used to protein drinks so I dont find that it tastes badly. HOWEVER I take my little blender & ice everywere I go. I find it is like drinking a frapp if blended. I also use a bit more water than recommended. I space them every 4 hours and I have not been hungry. We sit for dinner so there is where i have my broth and 1 cup of veg like a soup. The first couple of days was challenging but keeping busy is the key. Pamper yourself and just get into prep mode. Make stuff and freeze. Get your hair and nails done. Focus on you.

Congrats again.

Shel

but depending on your hospital, no polish on your nails. TWH doesn't allow it for surgeries.

Boooo! I always wear polish. I was hoping they allow it. Lol

Yes no polish on nails for surgery but that just means you need tow trips to the nail place. One to put on and one to take off!