prepping for sleeve

hello all!

I am in the stages of getting all my dr visits for preop, so I can schedule  surgery date I am excited  although im concerned about surgey going wrong its very minimal fear is it weird to be more excited than scared?

also what are some things I could do now to start prepping for after surgery like taking vitamins, no caffeine, etc so I can start habits now?

Hello and welcome! If you are considering the VSG, you should hop over to the VSG Forum! Everyone is pretty nice over there and you will get more replies from fellow VSGers there :) 

As for prepping for surgery, the best advice that I can give is to start NOW wrapping your head around any issues that you have with food. Do you use it for comfort? Do you overeat? Do you binge? Do you eat when you're bored? Figuring this sort of stuff out is the MOST important thing if you plan to be successful post op.

When it comes to habits...

*If you smoke, stop now unless you want to run the risk of life-threatening bleeding post op.

*If you drink, understand that alcohol will affect you differently post op (you'll be an extreme lightweight).

*Starting vitamins is always a good idea if you want to get into the habit early!

*As for caffeine, this is one to discuss with your surgeon. Some surgeons say give it up, while others (like mine) offer black coffee the morning after surgery! Mine said that there was no reason for me to have a caffeine headache on top of abdominal pain from surgery!

*Get yourself a digital food scale for weighing foods post op. Since the nerves in your new stomach will need time to heal, you will need to weigh everything until you can trust your stomach to send you "full" signals again.

*Get an accurate scale (for yourself!). I prefer digital so that I can track tenths of a pound, but that's just me...

*Do NOT go nuts buying protein powders before surgery... If you want to start "testing" flavors, get online and buy SAMPLES. Many (if not MOST) people experience a change in their tastes post op, and some people (like myself) even become lactose intolerant. I still have a couple of tubs of powders that I can't use, but can't bring myself to throw aaa because they were so $$.

*If your surgery is being covered by insurance, make sure that you know EXACTLY what your policy says regarding WLS and follow the instructions to a "T". You will likely have to make phone calls to the insurance company during this process, so knowing what your policy says is imperative. Be an informed consumer.

Best of luck! Feel free to add me or PM me any time! I don't claim to know everything, but I try to "pay it forward" whenever I can! See you on the VSG board!

This was extremely. Helpful!! I appreciate. It somw great advice especially. With protein powder and tastebuds changing 

Super great advice Chrissy :D