Surgery is tomorrow!!! (1/11/2019)

Thank you so much!

Oh thought of something else that people often struggle with. It is really important after you are off the IV to sip as much as you can to keep from getting dehydrated. It is really hard to get much down at first and sometimes people get nauseated when they try to drink. Try drinking different things at different temperatures. Some people can only drink very cold things OR room temperature OR hot. Many of us also struggled to drink plain water for a long time after surgery. SF popsicles count as fluid, try those. I loved herbal tea, including Lemon Ginger & Peppermint for upset stomach, Fennel seed for gas pain and anything SF and fruity that feels refreshing. You might also want to get some Crystal Light or Mio drops for flavoring your water.

Also a word about protein shakes. Your surgeon will probably have you drink some protein shakes at least for a while after surgery. There are ready-to-drink (RTD) kinds that are easy but are super sweet, expensive and come in limited flavors. You may want to try different powders, which are cheaper and come in more flavors. Many of us really like Syntrax Nectar, which comes in 17 different flavors. You can buy a sampler on Amazon with each of the flavors to try out what you like. I also really like the Isopure Zero Carb because they aren't as sweet as other brands. You can also search here on OH for more ideas...

You have a lot of great advice - I am sure tomorrow will go great! It's a relatively short surgery and you will be on the happy drugs, being wheeled into the OR without a care in the world, and then suddenly in recovery! It's amazing what those happy drugs can do! I would recommend you bring chapstick and your phone charger to the hospital and that's it. I didn't get a lot of sleep the one night I was there overnight due to noise, people coming in to check on me, etc.

Take a picture of you wearing something form-fitting from the front, back and sides as your official "before" pics. You won't even recognize who you will be a year from now! This is an amazing thing you are doing for yourself and your health.

I had almost no pain while recovering, and it wasn't hard for me to sip sip sip the water and take slow walks. I honestly wondered if I had been operated on, other than a few tiny incisions on my belly.

Know that some people have hormone fluctuations and buyers remorse at first. You will likely be at home for a few days, sipping water and broth, or eating sugar-free jello if you have a "liberal" food program, watching tv where commercials feature all the foods. And you will think, what did I do to myself? Why did I get so big? Why did I need surgical intervention? Will I ever get to have nachos again? And the truth is, you will one day be able to eat anything you want, but hopefully you will have a new lifestyle in place to eat those terrible foods with less frequency, in smaller portions, or even better, find healthier solutions for you. I no longer can eat a pound of noodles all by myself. Even if I could, should I? Nope. But I am making a ricotta bake tomorrow - mix up ricotta cheese with an egg and some parmesan cheese, top it with the family's meat sauce (they are having noodles) and bake - yum. All the flavors of Italian that I love, with few carbs and less calories.

Good luck and check in when you're lucid again!

Thank you so much!

Wishing you everything healthy and good! Looking forward to seeing you on the Loser's Bench. Bon Voyage!

Thank you very much!

Thinking of you today as you head into surgery! Let us know how you're doing when you can.

I can't thank you enough for all the support, I'm scheduled for 10:30 this morning so hopefully I'll be able to report back soon!! :)

I'm a little late on this. My biggest advice is find ways to get protein in, drink as much as you can (protein water accomplishes both) and walk, walk, walk.