My countdown is now at  24 Hours!!!!  It doesn't seem possible, it's finally here!  I'm excited!  Tomorrow, is the 1st day, of the rest of my life!  This past week I've been on the liquid protein diet, I didn't feign for food nor did I want to chew someones arm off, I got through it with no problems!  hehehe  Today is clear liquids through 4:00am tomorrow.
   
I'm glad it's almost over, it feels like it's been a long journey, getting to surgery.  I hope my surgeon is able to do my surgery laproscopically, because it will be ALOT easier to recover from.  I have had 2 stomach operations, in my
life, 1 open and 1 laproscopically, there is a BIG difference!  I'm looking forward to recovery with no complications! 

I'm excited about losing weight!  I am not going to set a goal for myself though.  I don't want to say to myself....I want to lose "X" amount of pounds or I want to be a size "X".  It's going to be about how I look and how I feel.  I don't want it to be a number for anything!  I think that will be a better way to look at my weightloss.  

          

Hello to everyone out there in WLS Land.  I am on my 5th day of liquid protein drinks,  2 more to go and then 1 day of clear liquids.   It seems like it has been a long time coming, about 8 months now.  I'm ready to start the rest of my life!  This liquid protein diet hasn't been too bad.  No cooking is nice....for me maybe, but not for my husband!  lol  

Yesterday I had to have a IVC Filter put in.  I have a small hole between the top two chambers, in my heart, so, to give some added protection, my surgeon wanted one put in.  It would catch any clots headed to my heart, lungs, or brain.  It will be removed, at some point, after surgery.  It looks like something from out space...lol...Google it, to check it out.  It was nothing like I thought it would be.  I imagined it to be something like a little screen...NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!!  LOL

Since I had to stop taking my arthritis medication, I am in a lot of pain!!  I've been given some pain medication, but it's only taking the edge off, not really getting rid of it.  Plus, I can't take any NAIDs anymore.  They will be too harsh on my little bitty stomach.  So, I will be glad when surgery is over and maybe I can be put on a medication that will help me manage my pain better.

Well....today is my last day to eat!  Tomorrow I start a liquid protein diet which I will continue through next saturday.  Then sunday, the day prior to my surgery, I must have only clear liquids.  My count down is at 9.....9 days until my surgery!!  It doesn't seem possible!!  

Over all this time, through all my learning processes of how to eat healthy, reading labels, finding the correct supplements, vitamins, weigh-ins, quitting smoking, different appointments & procedures.  The one thing that was my hardest, was giving up the way I used to eat!  I thought the hardest thing, for me, was going to be quiting smoking, but it wasn't!!!  It was my relationship I had to food!  I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was.  We are all here because we have an unhealthy relationships with food......I didn't realize that......call me dumb, but I really didn't think my attachment to food was my problem.  I thought food would be easier to give up than my smoking!  I have really learned alot about myself and I'm sure I will learn more.     

Well, I made it through my appointments yesterday!!  Lost 8 lbs.!!!  I was really happy and so was my Nurse Practicioner, under my surgeon!  I didn't want to have my surgery cancelled, which she would have done if I hadn't shown some weight loss.  I can't tell you how happy I was that my appointment went well!!!  After lunch, I had my Anesthesia appointment.  Again, I was so happy that I didn't need any further tests!  I had, had so many tests up to that point, that I was sooo happy that no further testing was needed!!

Now I am on the last leg of the pre-op part of the program.  I will be starting my liquid diet on Sunday.  I will be drinking 6 bottles of Carnation Instant Breakfast a day, along with a multivitamin w/minerals.  I have to stop taking my arthritis medication and the low dose aspirin because they both are blood thinners.  Actually, I won't be able to take my current arthritis medication anymore, at all.  It would be too harsh on my little stomach.  I'm hoping that some of my other meds. will help me with my pain.  Anyway,...back to the liquid diet...... I'm hoping that it won't be too difficult going all liquid.  Sometimes I just need something to chew, so I think I'll get some gum to hopefully help with that.  I understand that somewhere around the 3rd day, it starts getting easier.  Then I go to clear liquids the day before surgery.