Good luck and wishing you an uneventful surgery!  

Hi One-last-chance,

First off welcome to the forum and congratulations on taking the first steps into making your life healthier, wether you go through the surgery or not, because I think that just going through the process, becoming more mindful, will help overall, but the surgery itself is the biggest tool in helping to achieve your weightloss goals. I can't answer all your questions because I'm only four months out and don't have experience in certain areas, but I will try my best with my understanding. 

First off, on attitude, being positive always helps, but it's more understanding that the pouch is a tool not an instant fix. It's up to you how you use it. I personally believe this is why regain occurs. From what I've read on the forums, the first year or two are the honeymoon phase. The weight comes of quickly, you go shopping in smaller stores, rediscover yourself and come out at the end of your vacation looking like a brand new person. Then, about two years out, it's like being back home after the honeymoon and you realize all the routines and things waiting for you back home to take care of. It takes some work to maintain what you've accomplished, but if you stay pretty regimented and stick to the plan, it's not too bad. Again, I'm only four months post up, but this is my understanding that it only gets harder (or stays the same), not easier. That being said, at four months out, I still think it's worth it. 

Will it work for you? I don't know, statistically, the odds are in your favour, most people have a fair amount of success with bariatric surgery. I have conditions working against me that made traditional weightloss methods pretty useless to me and I found information online and from my doctors about other patients like me who underwent bariatric surgery to see their results and set a guideline for myself. I recommend doing this for you as well. Google Bariatric surgery and some of the issues you mentioned you had and see what comes up. Be mindful that not everything on the internet is supported by fact and you must be critical of what you read, read multiple articles and develop your own understandings based on that.

Of course I was worried about the risks of surgery. I wanted to be prepared, so I read and researched as much as I could. With everything I read, I began to understand a bit more, but the back end of that is I got freaked out by the whole process a bit more. I looked at it logically, weighed the pros and cons and found that most of the things on my con list were superficial (like missing foods) or were about not making it out on the otherside. I spoke with my doctor (well more the secretary because my surgeon wasn't available) openly about my concerns, they validated them, saying I was completely normal and gave me more specific stats that were again hard to take in, but helpful in easing my mind when I looked at it rationally. 

Complications? Yes, while in surgery, the staple gun they use to create the pouch misfired and my doctor, not wanting to risk missing any part of my stomach, decided to remove the staples in that portion of the stomach and hand sew the pouch to ensure a tight seal. Then after surgery, while recovering in the hospital, I was sent for an xray test that checked for leaks to ensure that eberything was okay. I wasn't even aware of this until the day after surgery but my surgeon took care of it and it wasn't a big deal. I also ended up back in hospital, days after being discharged for dehydration. It was hard, but because I was prepared presurgery, I was able to identify what was happening pretty quickly and get the treatment I needed. It ended up more of a pain (because by that point I just really wanted to recover at home in my own bed then be in the hospital anymore) than a major problem. 

Whatever you choose, do your research, know your options, discuss with your doctors and know that you have the power to change your mind right up until they put you under. Good luck with whatever you decide!
 

I was the same way. Only reason for not wearing shorts outside in the winter was because I would look silly. LOL Just joking, but I'm having the same issues you are, I'm cold very frequently. I've had to buy thicker socks, with slippers and layer up my tops. I look at like I used to complain of being hot all the time and there was only so many layers a person can take off, so I'd much rather be cold and have the option of putting on sweaters. Only down side is my sweaters are massive on me now and I have to roll up the sleeves! Still I'll take it!  

What is a good light read, these days? I recently did a big trip to BookDepot so I currently have a nice big pile of books waiting for me!  It's a must go place for any book lovers! But some of my favourite books are anything by Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot, The Millenium Trilogy, The Hunger Games (a teen novel but a great story) and Rick Riordan's book (both Young Adult and Adult fiction, his stories are so good).
What kind of perfume do you like/want? I like Mariah Carey's perfumes as well as Pretty by Elizabeth Arden. I think the Sephora sample packs (available in perfume, lipgloss and mascara I believe are a good bet because you get to try several different brands and usually contains two or three full size products.)
What kind of men's cologne? Don't know
New CD's? Not really a CD purchaser (iTunes)
New DVD's Blu Ray's? hmmm.... not sure
Electronics? anything that begins with an "i" is usually a safe bet
Kitchen Gadgets? I want a Keurig, I've heard many people talking about them on OH and after looking at their site and finding all their decaf varieties, it's got me thinking. Also, a stand mixer.
Tools? No idea
Clothes? I'm changing sizes too much to ask for clothes but do want some new lulu's
Jewelry? Again, changing sizes so don't really want to ask for this but it's aways welcome.
Do you like getting Gift Certificates?  Money? Yes.
What kind of certificates? Spa certificates, Visa gift cards, iTunes cards or mall cards. I'm not a fan of specific store gift cards because sometimes I've received a gift card for a store I don't usually shop at and it takes me forever to use it. I recently just used a Christmas gift card last month because it took that long to find something at that store that I wanted.
Do you like surprises or getting what's on your list, lol? Both
Anything you would like to add?  

Congratulations! That's so exciting! I'm almost to my half way mark too and I know how much I'm waiting for the scale to move down the last couple of notches! It must feel so great, you are doing awesome! Keep it up!

Edited because I can't spell LOL

 Hi Linda,

I'm hoping to join in this weekend. See you then!
 

Oooohhh! Thanks for sharing! I loved chicken nuggets and the stats on these are pretty good!  

So I had my blood work done for a specialist I see. I'm fortunate that this doctor takes in between labs of what the WLS clinic takes to make sure that I maintain solid levels. I got a call from my family doctor today *****ceived a copy of the results and she told me to cut my water a bit and add in salt because my sodium level was quite low....the receptionist said it was a really weird message to deliver because normally she has to tell people their sodium's too high and to cut back on the salt (and as someone who had high blood pressure before surgery, I also find it funny). LOL

But anywho, my concern is cutting back on the water intake. I get about 2000 to 2400mL fluid a day. I like to make sure that I maintain the high side of recommended fluid intake because I was rehospitalized within a week after surgery for dehydration and am nervous of a repeat event. What do you all think?

Also, how do you add salt back into your diet when your meals are pretty much unprocessed? I know I can season things more, but just looking for suggestions of things to have with a higher salt content that are WLS friendly...

Thanks for any input!
 

I'm not sure if this would help but I couldn't stomach my protein shakes until recently (I'm on the regular, solid foods diet) and I was able to disguise the protein with different flavours and fruits blended into my shakes. For the first little while, I ended up taking shots of protein. My protein, which I bought from GNC, says to mix 2 scoops (40 grams) with 8oz of fluid minimum. I mix one scoop with about a 1/4 cup of water. It was heavy, but I was able to get this down fairly quickly by taking little shots of it every fifteen minutes or so and having a few sips of crystal light in between to get rid of the taste. I also found that I had a better time when I didn't smell it, for me, it was the smell that made me feel queasy. I plugged my nose and took the sips of the shake until it was gone. It wasn't a glamourous process to view, but it worked for me. Another suggestion would be to add unflavoured protein powder into your cream soups. I found that cream of broccoli hid the protein really well. Again, I didn't use the full serving, just half of one scoop (so for my powder, 10 grams of protein) and added it into the soup. Couldn't taste it and helped to get in the extra protein. Hope these help and that you determine what's causing the nausea and that you get it fixed! Best of luck!  

I'm seriously surprised by the number of posters from Humber (where I went) that seem to have varied instructions from what I have. I guess it just depends on what nutritionist you saw...
Anyways, here's my answers with some annotations in black.

Pre-op	Which most closely represents the plan you were given:
Y		I was on Optifast and could have certain vegetables and no calorie drinks (no caffeine or pop)
Post-op	Which most closely represents the plan you were given:
Y		other (I was on clear fluids for the day of surgery when I arrived back in my room, then full fluids for 2 weeks, then pureed foods of 2 weeks than soft solids and slowly introduced normal solid food as I felt comfortable. Even today at 4 months out, some regular solid stuff sits a little heavy in my pouch.)
General	Which most closely represents the plan you were given:
Y		I can have caffeine after I have healed (As long as I get in enough fluids and suppliment any caffeinated beverages with non-caffeinated beverages --so if I have a cup of coffee, I need to have two cups of water to be able to count one cup of fluid to my daily total. As of right now, I'm drinking enough that I probably could have a regular coffee a day, but I'm okay with decaf.)
	N	I can never drink carbonated beverages (I was told that eventually, if I felt comfortable, I could have a diet caffeine free diet pepsi again--my drink of choice pre-op--if I reached my water goals already for the day. I was also told that I don't necessarily have to let it go flat, but that some people have trouble with it. Again, because I am getting in well over my fulid intakes for the day, I could I have one, I haven't really craved it yet.)
	N	I can't chew gum (wasn't told either way on this and recently bought a pack of sugar free gum. I don't swallow it though.)
Y		I can't use a straw
	N	I can't eat certain proteins (beef chicken et****il I am several months out)
Y		I wait 1/2 hour after I drink to eat, and 1 hour after I eat to drink (half hour before and after)
Y		I should supplement my diet with protein powder until I can eat enough
Y		I feel comfortable following exactly what my team suggested
	N	I don't agree with everything I was told to do

 

 I like Kay's Natural's Protein Cereal. I bought it from the low carb grocer, it does have carbs, but if you subtract the fibre and sugar alcohols, the carbs aren't awful, plus each ounce packs 9 grams of protein, the highest I've seen. I usually have a shake for breakfast, but this is nice to change it up every once in a while.  

 I was told as soon as I felt comfortable I could switch over. I gradually changed from crushing pills, to cutting it in quarters with a pill splitter, to a half and then finally whole. I found it easier to swallow the pills whole because I gagged on the cut up pieces.