Surgery January 2

WOO HOO! I go tomorrow for preop stuff. What can I expect? Please keep me in yur prayers. I have fought so hard to get this far.

Donna: We had exchanged E-mails earlier. Congratulations on your surgery. I know that you had a number of obstacles to overcome. Mary and I had our surgery in late 2005 at WVU and our lives have been the most rewarding they have ever been. There has been no down side to the this surgery. I am now at 195 from a high of 341 and Mary is down 120 pounds. Remember that the two week preop diet is such a short period of time. After a couple of days you will be well into it. The excitement of getting the surgery should carry you through. I lost 26 pounds during that two weeks. So your weight loss journey begins when the preop diet begins not the day of surgery. Eat all of your Carnation Instant Breakfasts. When it gets boring, add crushed ice or reduce the liquid to make it into a paste and eat it with a spoon. Eat and drink all of the things that you can have unlimited quantities of. Use those to satisfy your cravings. After I finished the preop, I have never had another Carnation Instant Breakfast. I had a lifetime worth during my preop. You are going to be surprised at the changes in your food desires. Somethings that you dearly loved with hold no interest (pizza in my case). Some things that are bad for you will make you very sick and you will not want to do those things. Some healthy food that you were not interested prior to the surgery will be delicious to you. Meals will become something you have do not what you look forward to now. I have been successful with my post op by concentrating on getting the necessary protein I need. I will treat myself to eating out from time to time, but Mary and I just cannot physically eat what we used to. We went to a Ryans buffet in Hagerstown yesterday and had a little salad and a piece of baked chicken and a couple of spoons of vegetables. I never even wanted to look at the dessert table. We left full and happy. We have found the Lean Cuisine, Weigh****chers Smart Ones and others like that to be just right for us as far as portions are concerned. If it has double digit grams of protein, that is the primary determinant on whether or not we want to try it. This is a tough time to do the preop with all of the holiday treats and cooking. You might want to let someone else do the holiday cooking. Do not let others try to sabotage your efforts. Almost everyone will try to tell you that they knew of someone who had died from this surgery. If that was true, the surgery would have been outlawed a long time ago. Ask yourself why people are telling you this. No everyone is going to be excited about your new life. Mary and I have had a marvelous life since we had the surgery. Every facet of our lives is 1000 percent better than it was. We wish you well. Remember you will have two birthdays from now on. The original birthday and the day of your surgery. I have gone on too long, but I wanted to share with you the joys that Mary and I have had a result off the surgery. Good luck. Say high to Mary Anne for us when you see her. Curt

Donna, how wonderful, you have your date. Haven't you been on liquids for a long time? I'll bet your glad to be moving forward. The holidays will be an extra challenge for you, but look how far you have already come. Keep us posted. God Bless Michelle

I was told the day after my preop testings that I could have it on December 29. My surgeon had a cancellation. WOO! HOO!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!