DebbieP52

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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.

 

I'm counting down now....2 wks., 2 days to go!  I start my liquid diet Sunday, 4/18.  I am totally optimistic about everything!!  I'm getting more excited the closer it gets to my surgery date!  

I did not make a quick decision about having WLS, it took a number of years actually.  I'm glad it did because I know it wasn't a snap decision, it was a well thought out choice.  The fisrt person to ever bring WLS up to me was my family physician, this was a few years ago.
I was not, at all, interested in WLS.  It was a new concept to me and I dismissed it.  Some years went by and low & behold, my sister-in-law decided to have the procedure herself.  Now someone close to me actually had WLS...wow...I could see up close what the outcome could be!  Now WLS had come front & center to me.  I thought about it now, but it was still not the right time.  I don't know if other people have had the same feeling as I had before being able to go on a diet....it just had to be the right time, or I couldn't even start the diet.
I didn't dwell on it even though I could see the dramatic differences my sister-in-law!  Every so often it would pop into my mind, but still not feeling the want to do WLS.  Then it start-ed to pop-up more often and then more & more.  All of a sudden, in very late spring of 2009, I decided I wanted to do this!!  Just like that!...after years....I felt it was something I truely wanted to do.  I knew it wasn't a quick, overnite, spontaneous decision, it was front & center!..... and I was ready!

First, I checked into my insurance, all was ok with them.  Second, I had to make a decision as to where...what hospital.  Then, all it took was 1 phone call.  The first meeting was on June 18, 2009.  It was a general infomational meeting, open to anyone that had interest.  Then a pamphlet, if you wanted, to complete & send in.  Then, I waited to be evaluated from the information supplied, by my family physician, & myself.  I was hoping that I would be accepted into their program.  Finally, I received the call.....I was accepted! 

My 1st appt. was July 21st!!!  I'm on my way!!!!!  My surgery date, 4-26-10, will be 9 months from my 1st appt.!!  I have learned so much!!!....and I'm still learning.   My day is coming and soon I'll be another success story!...but for now....I'm counting down the days......    

    

Starting a liquid diet today.  I hope I can do this...I am trying to be optimistic!  I have a weigh-in on 4/5 and I need to show some weight loss!  Doing 6 - instant brkfst. bottles a day with a 90 calorie protein bar here and there.
I'm having a big Easter dinner on the 4th, I should be good to eat that day, if I'm careful what I eat!  Keep me in your thoughts that I can do this liquid diet, I hope so, because I have to do it again 8 days before surgery.

Went to see surgeon Thursday%>C got a surgery'date of 4/14.

What can I say....tomorrow I see my surgeon, for the 1st time, and will probably get my surgery date!  The closer it has come to this appt., the more anxious I have become!  It seems like it has been a long time coming.  If I can go by what other people have said, it will be within the next 6 weeks.  I hope it's sooner than later!  I have to keep this anxiety to a minimum!  LOL