I have my surgery date for April 22. And I have lots of questions.

I am new to this forum. I am going to have surgery April 22. I am so nervous. I was hoping there would be others that could tell me what to bring to the hospital, and what, and how much food I need? Shakes what ones are good?  I am looking forward to any info. I can use. Also how much weight does the average person lose in the first month? 

First off, congrats on your upcoming surgery!!!

I ended up bringing a bunch of crap I didn't need.  I did bring a book to read while I was in recovery.  I brought my iPod but didn't use it.  I also brought clothes like yoga pants, t-shirts, undies & slippers but didn't use any of it.  I was too out of it & settled for a double hospital gown & their disposable undies.  Premier protein RTD shakes are the most convenient & super high in protein. 

The average weight loss varies by person.  You gotta consider how much one person weighs to start with.  Sometimes it can even depend on how much was lost right up to surgery.  I lost 18 pounds in 3 months right before surgery & about 15 pounds the first month.  I stalled in week 3-6 which is normal. 

Whoo Hoo, I'm happy for you to start this new journey, keep us posted!

I am getting sleeved on 4/25/13 and this is what my doctor's secretary sent me - best of luck on your new journey! :)

"Just as a suggestion you might want to do a bit of grocery shopping before you have surgery so that when you come home you will not need to go to the store, you will be able to rest and relax.  Some ideas are:

Broth, Chicken, Beef, Vegetable, or they have new products out (new to me) that are Chinese soup broths in a carton that you simply heat.  It would give you a bit of variety.

Popsicles that are water based, sugar free, and a variety of flavors.

Ramen Noodles.  While the noodles are not acceptable during the clear phase of the post op diet there is a packet of dry broth mix that many seem to like, it has a bit more kick than regular broth, I am told.

Propel water, you can purchase this as bottled water or you can purchase individual packets of this product and put it in water and mix.  The reason this product is good is because many are used to a high carbohydrate diet and when your body is used to many carbs, especially white carbs such as flour, pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar; your pancreas tends to put out a bit too much insulin because of the carb load.  When you remove carbs from your diet it can potentially be a drastic change and your pancreas is still putting out a bit too much insulin during the post op diet.  This can cause low blood sugar, your stomach might feel nauseated, you might begin to perspire, feel like you are trembling.  This does not happen to everyone but it does seem to happen more to older folks or those used to very high white carb diets.  Propel water has a very small amount of sugar in it.  Just enough to bring your blood sugar up but not enough to cause large blood sugar spikes.

Power Aid Zero, it is a new product that is low carb but it has some electrolytes that are beneficial during the post op stage.

Water, you need to get about 64oz of fluids in daily.  Your broth and Popsicles count toward your 64oz of fluids daily.  The key is to sip, sip, sip all day long.  The first few days you may find that you cannot get your full 64oz of fluids in, try as hard as you can.  You do not want to become dehydrated.  If you enjoy tap water that is fine, if you don't then perhaps try bottled water and see if that goes down.

Crystal Lite, Sugar Free Hawaiian Punch, pretty much any sugar free water flavorings are fine during the post op diet.

Protein products, during days 1-5 you'll need a clear protein product such as Isopure clear bottled protein liquid or Unjury.  You can find Isopure at General Nutrition Stores or a variety of Health Food stores.  Unjury must be ordered on line in advance of your surgery, www.unjury.com.  They have an unflavored product that is nice because when you are done with clears it is versatile and you can add it to  Jello, cooking, smoothies, etc.  Please note, this is a whey protein product.  All whey protein products have one issue in common and that is that they don't heat easily.  If you add any whey protein product to a hot liquid it will clump.  The key is to add it to a cold liquid and heat slowly, then it will not turn into lumps.

A good source of protein products after the clear liquid phase (you can use these with water instead of milk starting day #5, and with milk starting day #11) can be purchased reasonably at:

www.netrition.com

Some excellent products are:

Matrix 5.0 by Syntrax  http://www25.netrition.com/syntrax_matrix_page.html

The most popular flavors are Chocolate and Cookies & Cream.

You can spice up the Chocolate with Da Vinci Sugar Free Syrups:

http://www25.netrition.com/cgi/prices.cgi?manu_id=121

Another very popular protein product if you like Chocolate and Peanut butter is Whey Gourmet, Choco/Peanut butter:

http://www25.netrition.com/pvl_whey_gourmet.html

I suggest the above because you'll need to consume about 60-80gms of protein after surgery.  During the post op diet this can be difficult to do.  Adding protein supplements can make this much easier.

You'll want to track your protein intake in the beginning and a few free, on line sites you can do that are:

www.thedailyplate.com

www.sparkpeople.com

www.fitday.com

Just see which format you prefer of the above.  The Daily Plate has a weight graph, daily you put your weight in and it is satisfying to see the numbers go down!"


 

I am being sleeved on 4-18 and I ordered all my protien shakes from www. mybariatricpantry.com. I am using the Syntrax Nectars and really like the taste of most of them. I first purchased the sample pack of them way before my pre-op diet started so I could figure out which ones I liked. They are delivered quickly and easy to order.

"Some items you may want to consider taking to the hospital with you:

Pajamas, the nurses and doctors will be checking your incisions so you might be more comfortable in your own pajamas than the hospital gowns, however, hospital gowns are provided if you prefer.

Non skid slippers, thongs, or slip on shoes of some sort.  The hospital floors are very clean and waxed, so you'll want non-skid.  It will be sore to bend over so you won't want to tie shoe laces so slips on shoes are easier.

A favorite robe, many times it is comforting to have a favorite robe.

Computer and cell phone.

Shampoo - this is provided by the hospital but many prefer their own brands.

Book or other reading material.  You will not likely feel like reading the day of surgery but you might the day after surgery.

Loose fitting clothing to wear coming home.  You will likely feel a bit  bloated after surgery so bring a sweat suit or something very loose fitting and comfortable for your ride home from the hospital."

 

Congrats on your upcoming surgery!! I am 9 weeks out and have no regrets, down 38lbs and feeling great.  THe only thing I really needed at the hospital was a chap stick for very dry lips (you can't drink) and my cellphone. I was only in the hospital for about 30 hours, and slept much of that time.  Hospital gown and slippers were fine for me:)  Good luck

 Others have also mentioned gas x strips.