Newby to the Forum

Evening, I was turned on to the site by a friend of mine who had the Sleeve surgery a couple years back - said the member stories and feedback he read about with their own journeys were priceless, so here I am...

I myself just found out that about Insurance approvals and am now scheduled for Surgery on the 26th of January.  Yes I am very excited of course but also a bit nervous which is normal I am told (:)) and figured I would reach out to the group and see what "tips" you have for the pre-stuff (over and above what the Doc's team have asked me to do to prep myself).  Appreciate the feedback and guidance.

M.

Welcome aboard, and how exciting for you that in two weeks you will be joining the loser's bench with us! The prestuff is likely much of what the doc told you, but I will share a list of what proved to be important for me. Your mileage may vary!

• Clean your house out of any junk food and especially trigger food (you know, the crap you can't stay out of and even worse the crap once you start eating it you struggle stopping.) Critically important for me still to this day.
• Begin tracking every little bite that you eat starting now. Many of us use myfitnesspal.com and it is free. Invaluable. 
• Begin getting used to keeping track of your different nutrients- how much protein, they type (can you absorb it, collegen for example you can't), carbs- good carbs vs. bad (bad- processed white stuff is the worst), etc. Too much carb at one sitting triggers cravings and that nasty little eating cycle we are all used to.
• Stock your pantry with a variety of protein supplements, but not too much of one kind. What you don't mind now might be intolerable post op. Expect your tastes and tolerances to change for a bit. Have protein shakes that are a little sweet (Premier protein RTD or a little less sweet, cream of chicken soup (savory), etc. 
• I packed a suitcase, and didn't use any of it. Don't be too worried about what to bring other than loose fitting pants and a shirt. A pillow for the car ride home might be helpful as well.
• Start perusing some of the sites for ideas for options during your different eating phases. Eggface has a blog that many rely on during those early phases.
• Measure, weigh, and take a picture of yourself. The pic is to help your brain "see" how much you have lost over the process. The measurements will help you not freak out during "stalls", as you likely will experience stretches where the scale does not go down but you are losing inches. 
• Clothes- be prepared to have to replace your wardrobe multiple times. In my case, 5 times and I would skip sizes when possible. Tell yourself right now you will not keep your fat clothes 'just in case". I did keep one dress as a visual reminder of what I don't want to go back to and how I felt (it happened to be from a major life event where instead of celebrating what I should have been I spent the entire time beating myself up over my weight/social anxiety derived from it.) One thing I found very helpful is to have one pair of slacks in a size too small. Periodically I would try them on, as they always ended u fitting far earlier than I would have otherwise guessed. Also a fun way to see progress.
• No ibuprofen- make sure you have acetaminophen in the house. Fill your scripts before the day so you don't need to mess with it post op.
• Post here regularly and use the search feature. You can learn a ton! Good luck!!!

Thi is awesome many thanks!

litereally ALL of this!

For hospital my movie w/ netflix + downloaded movies was awesome for me. I'd wake up, walk some, get back in bed and watch some of a movie, fall asleep, repeat. You dont need much in hospital clothing wise. Loose stuff. Maybe some biotene. A LONG phone charger to reach the wall from your hospital bed. I wore boxer briefs (some festive christmas ones in May lol) and that was it. I dont think I even tied my hospital gown... Other people (women really) had loose clothing and the nurses unhook catheters/IVs to put them on and hook back up. Not a bad idea, but I was fine being all open lol

Dont go crazy on protein stuff. I bought a full jug of unflavored protein powder, and its just sitting there... Hell, you pay postage I'll send ya a bunch (Isopure)

TAKE BEFORE PHOTOS! I wi****ook measurements but I didnt... Lots of photos. Maybe even a DEXA body scan, again something I wish I had done.

Save some of your favorite clothes now. Know which they are, and as they get too big put aside and save. Use to take a picture of in and put side by side. 

Not too far away! Have fun!

I also brought my own pillow, was super nice to have. Dont use a white pillow case, so that you can easily identify yours when you are discharged and want to leave :)

Everything Happy Teach said plus...don't worry your pretty little head about surgery.  It will just be a blip on the radar on your journey.  Remember just after surgery you will think "what the hell did I do to myself???" But keep in mind, you just took a life saving step to regain your health and as every hour passes it gets just a tiny bit better...again just a blip on the radar.

Lots'o room on this big 'ol loosers bench 

Thanks very much!

You will feel well enough to do grocery shopping etc. after the surgery.  DO NOT overstock on stuff.  I did and threw most of it away.  Your tastes definitely change after surgery.  I bought canisters of expensive whey protein, only to find I couldn't stand them after surgery.  About 300 dollars wasted.  Also food thrown out.  Buy a little at a time and work from there.  I was a big water drinker before surgery.  For 3 months I couldn't stand the taste of water after surgery.  I had to put drops of Mio, Crystal Light, or some sugar free flavor in it to drink it.  I eventually grew out of that and now don't use the drops anymore.

What ever you do, do not spend a fortune on clothes.  I buy all mine at thrift stores.  You will drop sizes and skip right over sizes so why pay full price for something your just going to donate or sell.  My thrift store clothes look new and no one knows the difference but my wallet.

Bring a pair of shorts to the hospital or pajama pants.  All the walking you will do you don't want your ass hanging out of your gown, lol.

Good luck to you, Sleeved 8 months ago, down 130 lbs. and wouldn't change a thing.  Best decision of my life.

Great points, thank you for your thoughts!

If I had known then what I know now?

Bring a pillow and ear plugs to the hospital. Pillow is especially nice to have on the ride home. The ear plugs let you sleep when other people keep ringing for the nurse, or like to sleep with the TV blaring.

Get a food scale. It helps to know how much you are ACTUALLY eating. I was eyeballing it, and I was wildly inaccurate. Costco has a good one that does various measurements and can handle tare, which means less math for me.

I also would've done some food prep, like freezing some protein shakes into popsicles, and making/freezing some puréed food in ice cube trays. At first I wasn't eating much, and would end up eating the same thing for days. I'd rather have had some variety.

Eggface and Bariatric Foodie's sites have a plethora of good ideas.

TMI: If they recommend a stool softener? TAKE IT! Trust me.

Good Luck!