My Bariatric Surgery prep

You may be wondering what preparation for bariatric surgery looks like. For me, I didn't have to lose any weight before surgery, at least my insurance didn't require it. This may have been due to the fact that I have followed a weight management plan within the past 5 years and lost weight with it or because my BMI was lower than 50. Some folks have to do this for 6 months before instance improves the surgery. I did have to pass psychological screening to make sure I didn't have a binge eating disorder or other eating concerns. 

The bariatric surgery program recommended i start changing eating habits in advance of surgery. Most of them followed information provided by previous weight management plans I have done. Others were new, such as cutting up meat into "pinky nail" size pieces, sipping drinks, avoiding carbonation, avoiding straws, eating protein first, etc.

There was a group class about 3 weeks before surgery. This consisted of going over educational material for the surgery including prep and post-op expectations (all already given to me in a binder with my name on it). Plus, there was a weigh in. 

A few days later I got the call from preadmission testing and was told what vitamins, supplements, and medications to not take for the next 2 weeks. This included multivitamins, fish oil, Vitamin D, and caffeine (which I took to offset the drowsiness of other medication - I stopped my diet Coke habit last year). Then I went in for lab work last Monday (all normal). 

For the last 8 days, I have been following the required week before surgery diet which is designed to reduce the size of the liver. It consisted of 3 protein shakes, 4 oz of lean protein, 1 cup of vegetables, and one 100 calorie or less snack (String cheese is my snack of choice) per day. It consisted of at least 100g of protein a day but only about 600 calories a day. 

Last Thursday, 5 days before surgery I had to go in and make sure I had lost weight, ideally 5 pounds. My body overachieved and lost 7.5 pounds.

As a result of the diet, my brain has been spacier than usual. For example, I missed posting on Facebook about my oldest's birthday yesterday,  I've placed numerous Kroger orders this week because of forgotten items, and work tasks took a bit longer than usual. But now hopefully my liver is out of the way of my stomach.

Today, I have eaten Triple Zero Greek yogurt so far and will have 2 protein shakes before 3 pm then it's just water, sugar-free Popsicles, and sugar-free Jello until midnight. Plus I get to have 20oz of Gatorade Zero before I leave for the hospital. I report to the hospital tomorrow at 5:30 am for an 8 am surgery time. I will pack my hospital bag later today and take a shower tonight and prep with medical wipes. I will have to pack up my CPAP machine in the morning as I will be staying overnight in the hospital tomorrow night. I haven't done that as a patient in almost 20 years. 

Overall, I'm feeling pretty chill about it all. I'm just hoping for a successful surgery and uneventful recovery. Wish me luck!