Groundhog Day surgery. Give me your best tips, VGSers.

Finally scheduled for Groundhog Day, Feb. 2. I'm a Pennsylvanian, so I hope Punxatawney Phil will be rooting for me.

I'm looking for a few last-minute tips, advice, words of wisdom, whatever, from all of you sleeve veterans out there. I don't mean the "stay on your liquids" or "listen to your doctor" kind of advice (good advice though it is!). More of the off-the-beaten-path bits that you don't read about in books or hear from the doctors. I want to be as ready as I can be.

I won't be able to answer your replies until later today, as I must take my husband to have a colonoscopy today. 

psychoticparrot (a little more psychotic than usual today) 

I occasionally feel like I'm hungry, but I don't think I actually am.  So, my bit of advice for you is to make sure that you have your mind set...when I feel hungry, I tell myself I'm thirsty (which is true) and I drink more water.  I think a lot of control comes from your mind.  Good luck!!

Expect a stall at week 3/4 - it's normal.  Also, i say don't worry about reaching your protein/water goals for the first week - just get in what you can tolerate.  It's the long term that counts - don't get yourself crazy if you can't get it in at first.

Take a good lip moisturizer with you to the hospital.

Take measurements and photos of your body NOW before surgery so when you do hit a stall, you'll have another way to gauge your loss.

Stay active on OH or a support group to keep you motivated.  You're in this for the long haul, not a sprint.

Track everything you put into your mouth using an app like MyFitnessPal, and BE HONEST.  

When they take you from recovery to your regular hospital room, if you possibly can, have them put you in a chair or on a couch, whatever is in your room that will keep you upright. Don't get in the hospital bed! Be upright as much as possible. If there is a rocker or glider in your room, use it. Bend over a little with your arms crossed across your tummy and rock/glide with the chair. This will help expel the surgical gas. Being upright rather than lying in bed will make it easier to get up and down and help you recover faster.

Don't invest too much in protein prior to surgery. What you like pre-surgery may, and often does, taste like @$$ afterward.

My hard-won lessons from the immediate post op phase:

* Social media and opiates don't mix! I definitely announced my surgery to a wider audience than I had previously intended to. 

* I found warm or lukewarm broth a lot easier to consume than ice water or cold liquids

* Protein shakes I loved pre-op were problematic post-op but not from a flavor perspective! Rather, Whey Protein Concentrate has a lot of lactose, while those with Whey Protein Isolate does not. Whey Protein Isolate was what worked for me, anything with concentrate gave me tons of cramps.

* Walk as much as you can. They should have you up and walking that first night in the hospital. I walked laps in my house until I was dizzy. Walking prevents blood clots and promotes healing.

* Take a before picture!

- When "hungry," drink water.

- Expect a stall at 3-4 weeks out.

- Pre-photos and measurements (already taken, but thanks)

- Lip moisterizer.

- Walk, walk, walk.

- Check out protein shakes to avoid cramping potential.

- Warm liquids are easier to drink than cold ones.

- Sit up as much as possible immediately post-op to expel surgical gas and speed healing.

- Buy most protein after surgery as taste may change.

These are gems, people! Thank you so much! I'm making a list and printing it out. Any more tips?

psychoticparrot

Hunger post-op might be acid, so drinking water might not fix that.  

Expect stalls more than just 3-4 weeks out. :)

I wrote myself a list of promises pre-op, you might find them useful.  

1. I will not panic if I stop losing weight for a few weeks. Instead, I will re-evaluate that my eating is on plan and wait until the stall has lasted 4 weeks before I start to panic.

2. I will not ask OH what I need to take to the hospital, I know these things. Chapstick and a pillow. And the pillow really just needs to be in the car for the trip home.

3. I will not lie when people ask me how I’ve lost the weight. I will either be honest and tell them “surgery, diet and exercise” or I will tell them “I’m not comfortable talking about this with you.” These are the options, lying by omission is not one of them.

4. If I fail, and I will fail, I will forgive myself and return immediately to plan. It’s okay to screw up, it’s not okay to beat myself up for it or let it become the start of a downward spiral.

5. If I don’t start losing sizes right away, I won’t freak out. Chances are the clothes I wear now are too small and tight, and I just deal with it. It might take awhile for my current clothes to fit correctly and that will happen before I can get into smaller sizes.

6. I will own my mistakes. They’re mine and result of my own choices, no one is ever going to hold a gun to my head and make me eat crap, I control what goes into my own body.

7. I will not compare my weight loss to that of anyone else. I’m me.

8. I will do everything I can to find a therapist I can work with. This will help me out in the long run.

9. I will be hyper aware of potential addiction transfer issues and especially aware of getting too caught up in numbers as I already know I am want to do.

10. Extra skin is a fact of life, get the **** over it. If I really hate the way my body looks, I can save my pennies and nickels for plastic surgery once I’ve maintained for a year or two. People will still have sex with me if I have weird skin, and Under Armour sells compression gear. I will, however, have every issue with my skin documented.

11. I will be kind to myself. I will keep getting to my monthly massages, I will keep engaged in my hobbies, and I will spend time with my friends.

12. I already know that being a “hero” about medication is stupid so I’ll work on remembering that when the time comes. Pain keeps us from healing, it’s not noble.

13. I will only weigh myself once a week. I will not let myself get obsessed with the scale. See #9.

14. My stomach will probably gurgle after surgery, this is normal. Just don’t go to silent Meeting anytime soon.

15. I will not worry if people don’t comment on my weight loss. I will assume that they’re being polite and not commenting on another person’s body, which is what they should do.

16. I will work to break the compulsions to “clean my plate” and to “not let food go to waste.” Sure, there are starving kids in Africa, but throwing away food will not change the situation.

17. There is nothing to be done for hair loss, assuming that I’m eating on plan. It will happen, or it won’t, but I will remember that it will grow back eventually. I will be a shavee with St. Baldricks six weeks post-op.

18. I understand that my hormones will be all messed up after surgery. I will do my best to remove myself from the company of others instead of taking my hormonal changes out on them.

19. I won’t weigh myself for the first two weeks post-op because I know that I’ll gain weight from all of the fluids and swelling that surgery entail. I’ll wait to weigh until I’m off liquids.

20. I will not panic if I don’t feel restriction immediately post-op. Chances are restriction won’t kick in fully until I’m eating dense proteins and that will take 4-6 weeks on my plan.