Question:
I'm APPROVED!!!! Any suggestions for pre-op?
Wow, my surgeon called today with news that I have been approved. I'm scheduled for April 7th!!! I'm a little in shock as it has only been 10 days since he submitted a letter to my insurance, and he did not have any of my medical records at the time! I was fully expecting them to say I needed a psych eval, proof of medically supervised diets, diet and weight history etc, but I guess I'm one of the lucky ones! Anyway, the coordinator says I am not really required to do anything prior to surgery, but did recommend that I start exercising. Anybody have any good advice for me? Things you wish you would or wouldn't have done? Thanks in advance, Barb — Barbara C. (posted on March 6, 2003)
March 6, 2003
One suggestion is to not go overboard on the "last suppers".
Remember, any weight you put on before the surgery is weight that you will
have to take off afterwards (and the further away you will be from goal at
the time of your surgery). My weight at the time of my initial consult
was 440 - it was 427 at the time of my surgery (3 months later). No last
suppers for me... I didn't diet - just tried to eat sensibly and smaller
portions. Kinda prepping for post-op life...JR (open RNY 07/17 -157 lbs)
— John Rushton
March 6, 2003
A couple of other things not to go overboard on. Post-op food buying and
things to take to the hospital. You do want to have some sf Jello, broth,
etc., but you really won't be able to eat much of any of the clear liquids
and by the time you can start full liquids you'll be very tired of the
clear liquids. I still have about 10 boxes of sf Jello in my cupboard at
10 months post-op. I don't want it at all.<p>The other thing is not
to take too much to the hospital. You won't need a robe or much in the way
of reading material. You can get a second hospital gown to use like a
robe. If you have an IV in, it's easier to use one of the gowns with snaps
on the shoulder. You will want your own slippers, once that you can just
slide your feet into. And chapstick. It's also a good idea to wear
something loose to the hospital. You don't want any tight clothing on
immediately post-op, even if you have your surgery lap.
— garw
March 6, 2003
Barb, Congratulations!!! I am very happy for you. I am sure you will do
just fine and I am sure your children will be very supportive of you. My
date is April 3rd so I will be right ahead of you- we will basically be at
the same step of this journey!! The only advice I have recieved so far it
to drink alot of Water a few days prior to your surgery- it is suppose to
make you less thirsty post op. Otherwise- I would just follow your surgeons
recommendations. Good Luck and Way to go!!!
— Jan S.
March 6, 2003
Gar...do you have a live support group that you belong to? If so, you may
want to take those 10 boxes of sugar-free Jello with you the next time you
meet. Some pre-ops will appreciate it. Either that or take them to your
surgeon or nutritionist the next time you meet. They can see that they get
into the hands of a pre-op or recent post-op...R
— John Rushton
March 6, 2003
Glad to hear of your quick approval - mine was similar. It sure does help.
I have such a hard time with some of the run-arounds that people get. It
just makes we want to take them all on. Afterall we are literally fighting
for our lives.
<p>I wasn't as behaved as John and did the last supper syndrome to
the tune of 10 lbs (maxed out at 442 lbs), but I did it 3-4 weeks before
surgery because I knew my surgeon wanted me on protein and veggies only,
the last 2 weeks before surgery. Thankgoodness he did. I lost 21 lbs
before surgery (421 lbs day of surgery), so that got me on the right track.
It also started getting carbs out of my life and eating only 3 meals, no
snacking or grazing. The funny part was that with eating only protein and
veggies I was totally satisfied between meals and didn't have a problem
snacking. The protein really stuck with me. I only was a bad girl 1 night
when a bunch of brownies called me, but I guess it didn't hurt because the
rest of the 2 weeks I behaved very well and my liver was shrunk at the time
of surgery, which is what the surgeon's goal was with the pre-op diet.
<p>I agree, don't take a bunch of stuff. However, the smartest
things I took was shorts and sleeveless tank top. I'm not normally overly
warm but when I am in hospitals I am always very warm. Shortly after I
came out of surgery I was complaining about the heat of which it was set as
low as possible. They could not find a fan so I suffered on and off. Add
to this those leg things that keep the circulation going and I felt like I
was having hot flashes LOL. Yes they had a cooling cycle but what a joke -
at least for me. By Wed morning (2nd day PO) the room was comfortable and
then I went for a walk. I came back and the heat was just pouring out and
I could not take it anymore. I put on my shorts and top. The catheter had
been removed the night before and I already had underpants on. I didn't
have a gown with snaps so I got my shirt on as best I could and the next
time someone came in I got them to disconnect the IV so I could get the
gown off and shirt on. I got some comments from nurses and my surgeon
about putting on my own clothes but I just told them I had been complainin
about the heat and no one would do anything, so I did. They laughed and
didn't say anything after that. It wasn't like I was going to walk out of
the hospital in summer wear when it was snowing and about 10 degrees. LOL
<p>Prior to my clothes, I just tied the gown in the back (they have
very large ones so no tushy hangs out) when I went for a walk - no need for
a robe. Take toothbrush and paste, brush and/or comb, slippers/socks and
that's about it. Most women tend to start a period right after surgery
because of the shock to their body, even if you haven't had one in years.
So if you are not in menopause you might want to be prepared, but bring
pads as it will likely be too difficult to use tampons. Me, I was a lucky
one as I have been on Depo-Provera since 1995 and had none of these
problems. YEAH! Good Luck and congratulations! Chris
— zoedogcbr
March 6, 2003
Barb,
Congradulations on your approval! All the suggestions here have been
fantastic, but I didn't see the one that my surgeon recommended that really
made a difference in my surgery. I had LAP RNY and he wanted me to try and
lose at least 10 lbs before surgery. The reason for this is that your liver
and internal organs also have lots of fat on them when your are MO.
Dieting, even just as little as 10 lbs of loss, makes a huge difference
when the surgeon operates. So my suggestions would be to try now to get
yourself adjusted to less sugar, fats and carbs in your diet now. This will
make the post op transition eaiser too. Lots of people want to do the last
supper syndrome, but that really is more harmful than helpful. Consider
your approval your last day of the old life, now start working towards the
new one! It is much better! Trust me!
Good luck with surgery...
Tami
— Tami D.
March 7, 2003
I'm still pre op, but I do have a few suggestions for you. First is, start
walking. I just got a membership to my local community center and last
night was my first visit to use their indoor walking track. I plan on going
at least 3 times a week. I have also cut out all soda. Another thing I am
really going to try to do, at least a week or two before my surgery (April
11th), is cut out all sugar, and watch what I eat. That will be the hardest
for me. I have a major sweet tooth!! Good luck to you, and concrats on your
approval!!! :o)
— Cat S.
March 7, 2003
CONGRATULATIONS!!! I had to wait over the holidays (Christmas/New Years)
and it was murder but I lost 5 lbs prior to surgery. I also took my
vitamins every day and started walking. I also kept Zicam and loads of
vitamin C and Echinecea on hand. My family came down with colds over
Christmas and I took the Zicam and lots of Vitamin C and zinc lozenges. I
did NOT want a cold and a few times I started to have the sniffles but I
believe the preemptive cold remedies nipped it in the bud. Lots of Vitamin
C is a good idea even if you're not exposed to colds. Get plenty of rest
and PLEASE take pictures and measurements!!! I barely remembered my
picture and didn't take measurements until recently.
— susanje
March 7, 2003
Go to Walmart or to a neighborhood photo center and have a good pre-op
picture made. You have probably been hiding from cameras for years! You'll
be so happy, a year from now, to have a good picture of where you started!
hugs,
Ann rny 9/10/99 260/124
— [Deactivated Member]
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