Hello again! :) As you can tell from the title of this post, I have set a date, for what you ask well my surgery of course! haha :) I went into see my doctor yesterday and it was considered my official preop appointment aggghhhh so exciting! I first went in and weighed, I lost another 6 pounds bringing my total to 57 pounds lost! I was hoping for more but I am not about to complain! I first met with a nurse who checked vitals and all that fun stuff. Then I met with their financial person, she will be the one submitting my claim to insurance to be sure they cover my surgery. There is so much documentation that they require in order to prove need for the surgery. So at this point they need my sleep study results, surgery clearance from my PCP, as well as 5 years of documented weights. So I have 2009 and 2013 covered, but that leaves 2010, 2011 and 2012 so my PCP better have that documentation or I am going to be so mad! I guaranteed my dr office that I will track down all that paperwork and get it to them so they agreed to go ahead and get me scheduled. They set the date for September 16th at 7am, check in will be at 5am. It falls on a Tuesday so I am hopeful my hubby will be there with me as I really want him there. My nutritionist explained to me about my preop diet which should help me lose the rest of the weight my surgeon wants me too. Then I met with my surgeon he said he is thrilled with my progress and said he knows I will continue to do well so it makes me happy to hear his confidence in me. I am a little nervous but I have full trust in my surgeon as far as that is concerned. I know from past experience my body does not respond well to anesthesia so I am not looking forward to that part. To tell you the truth the actual surgery is the least of my worries its the diet plan that makes me a little nervous. My preop diet begins 2 weeks from surgery so 6 days from now, I am to follow a strict diet of the following:
*no fruits or vegetables
-protein shakes no limit
-plain chicken breast no sauce or skin
-egg whites
-water packed tuna
-turkey
-seasoning - herbs salt and pepper
-broth
-sugar free popsicles
-sugar free jello
-Cystal light or smiliar low cal no sugar drinks
-water
-decaf coffe or tea
-skim or soy milk, unsweetened almond milk
-torani sugar free syrups
Which I am sure for the first few days wont seem so bad but 2 weeks it will probably get old haha
This is specifically designed to shrink my liver and lose abdominal weight as these issues would make surgery difficult and he said safety is number one if the liver is still too enlarged he will not perform surgery. So it is vital that I am strict with adhering to this food plan.
Post surgery is its own animal haha After surgery all I can do is just try and sip on liquids all day long. The pouch they created will be swollen and it will be hard to sip more than one ounce every 5 minutes. So the day 1-4 diet is clear liquids: water, broth, ensure clear, sugar free popsicles and crystal light.
After that 4 days stage one begins and there is to be no food consumed this week. I can begin protein shakes, mixed only with water, skim milk, or any sugar free mix so I will need to get creative there haha I can have broth, sugar free water substitutes. sugar free popsicles, sugar free jello and water. They have it spelled out every 30 try and take in 5 oz of liquid so I do not get dehydrated, so literally my whole week will be focused on try to get liquids down.
Second week begins stage 2 its called the mushy stage yum right??
I can then have low fat yogurt, protein powder with yogurt or pureed fruit, blended vegetables, V-8, 100% fruit juice, unsweetened blended fruit like applesauce, oatmeal, blended low fat soups, mashed potatoes, blended peas or creamed corn, baby food (the meats yuck!!) scrambled eggs mashed well, low fat cottage cheese, blended water packed tuna or chicken. I will aim for 1\2 cup of food or less for breakfast lunch and dinner.
Third week (which I am sure I will jump for joy) Stage 3
Move into solid foods, no more pureed food!! Still watching that I only eat the healthy foods I am supposed to have. Sounds like I will still be fighting with the feeling of still being hungry as I wont have any fluid in my band yet. So I will just need to eat frequent small meals.
Week 4 and beyond
This will be my diet for the rest of my life. I should eat up to 1\2 cups of food 4-5 times per day aiming for 1000-1200 calories a day. Minimum of 60g of protein each day, at least 48 oz of water, and 15-20g of fiber.
It all sounds intimidating but this is going to save my life and give me a second chance at being the person I always wanted to be. Happy, healthy and confident! I want to be sure I get all my exercising in too so I asked and I am not to do any lifting for a month. But can resume my cardio after 2 weeks. But starting the day of surgery I need to walk as much as possible, I read that if you don't the gas pains will be overwhelming.
I know that was a lot of info and I hope it wasn't too boring, but I wanted my family and friends to be aware of what I am going through, because there is so much going on and I want to keep everyone in the loop. And maybe this will help someone who might read this someday and maybe wanting to consider weightloss surgery. I know I need to start working on eating slower, taking smaller bites and chewing very well. They suggest you use kid sized utensils to help remind you.
I thank you again so much for your support it means the world to me, you all give me strength and hope and most importantly love and for this I thank you. For the people who believed in me before I started believing in myself. I love you!
Xoxo
Emily
Also in case anyone isn't sure what this procedure is and how its performed I found this video on YouTube and it gives a good explanation :)
What Is Lap Band Surgery
