VSG in 8 Days...OVERWHELMED!

I have been scanning/reading OH for awhile, and tomorrow I start my pre-op diet. I am so overwhelmed that I can't even seem to put together a shopping list for this week and then post-op. So much information, so many products I have never seen or heard of, and so many feelings as I try to absorb this new life/lifestyle...all of this is keeping me from thinking clearly enough to know what I need. I feel like an idiot; I'm really not...it's like I have "thinker's block!"

Can someone PLEASE simplify this for me? Help me put together a shopping list? If I need to order something online, can you please tell where to go that offers the best prices? What flavors are best? I have a sweet tooth. Love chocolate. Love REAL strawberries, fresh pineapple, etc, but usually don't like the strawberry-flavored, pineapple flavored...fake fruit flavors, etc.

What protein powder? What exactly can I have? What do I need? I'm sorry, I know all this info is on here, but I'm so overwhelmed I can't seem to put it all together. I know different docs have different requirements (mine is Dr. Alvarez) and people have different taste preferences...

Ugh. I just don't know what to shop for today.

Can someone PLEASE help me?! Not being prepared is really stressing me out and just makes clear-thinking that much harder!

Thanks in advance!

 I overbought. My suggest would be to just get what you need for the first two days. The biggest reason for this is it will force you to go back to the store and give you something to do instead of eat. The pre-op diet is very hard. I am not sure what your doctor has prescribed for you, but mine was water, fat free cottage cheeese, fat free yogurt, and low cal protein shakes. I bought all kinds of gimmicky protein shakes. If you are still working and have a fridge I would recommend premixed shakes that are ready to drink. For home use powder and a shaker bottle. You can get it all at walmart at the best prices I've found so far.

Vitamins become very important at this point, so get some you can tolerate. I found gummy chewables very satisfying.  Get it in your head now that you are going to be hungry now and for about the next 4 weeks. Its hard but worth it.

 I used the "lean shakes" from GNC they have fiber in them so it helped some with the hunger.  Now after surgery I dont like them go figure but they say it happens.  You need sugar free popsicles and sugar free jello chicken or beef broths.  Tomato soup skim milk. gas x srips for after surgery.

I read Dr. Alvarez's book. He outlines these lists pretty well. Although my Surgeon dosen't follow Dr Alavarez...it was a good place to start. PLUS I would talk to your NUT...my simplified it for me.

My dr's office has a nutrition preop/postop class two weeks before you start the preop diet to help answer all these questions and gave us lists of what to get and when. I bought sample packs of the Unjury powdered protein, syntrax samples and then an 18 pack of the Premier ready to drink protein drink at Sam's and tried them first. Once I found the flavors I liked I bought enough for the preop diet and first couple of weeks after surgery. Unjury is at unjury.com and premier can be bought online at premier.com or at Sam's clubs. Sorry but I can't remember where I got the syntrax samples but I didn't like any of those at all. The unjury and premier two were my favorites and I still keep them on hand and use them now when my protein is not high enough with just foods. I also bought chewable multivitamins and chewable calcium tablets through unjury online. Loved the calcium, hated the multivitamins. My dr's office gave us a whole bag of samples from different places to try though. I just chewed the multivitamins anyway until I was 6 weeks out and could take pills again. I bought gas-x strips for after surgery, my husband bought me a $5 candle warmer at Wal-Mart that I used for keeping warm drinks and soups warm while I sipped them. (I loved it!) My dr also put me on zinc 28mg to help prevent hair loss. I took the 56mg tablets by mistake and had to go off it at 3 months out because my labs showed it to be too high, but no hair loss yet! lol Grab a notepad and pen and just read through this OH website. Writing these things down will help calm your nerves. Don't be nervous, it will work out fine and you'll be paying it forward helping others real soon!! Saving you a seat on the losers bench!

I just had my VSG With my new hero dr Alvarez on 9/27. I made sure I had bought a lot of it before hand but not all the protein stuff because I was told my taste would change and they did, everything I drink was super sweet so I have to wat down a lot. I made sure to have sugar free popscicles and regular, sugar free jellos, I drank EAS READY TO DRINK protium shakes, had lots of cream soups(tomato was my favorite) and I even made some weigh****chers soups ( made the chunks blended). I bought my b12, biotin, and multi vitamin( tried flip stone chewable but hated them so I went to a gummy kind) gas x strips(used all of them). I had ordered nectar sampler(but I am not a fan of protein powders so I didn't used them. I would suggest buying and trying different kinds to find one you like. I bought the childrens Tylenol but never used it. Never needed it, found I had no real pain after discharge day. I Slo was able and wanted to gt out of the house after I got back so it was nice to have to get a few things so I could walk.

Good luck and I hope you have the greatest experience. I know it was a life changing event and you could not get a better doctor or staff to help you out. From dr alvarez, dr Gabe ,rosy, Jessica, Jesus, and the nurses I could not have asked for better care. I will forever be thankful for such amazing group of people. hope this info helped. The pre op shopping list was pretty helpful and then knowing exactly what happens every step of the way also took the fear out of a,l of it. My thoughts will be with you.