My 5 day countdown to DS in Mexico

[Clematis]

Day -4

The first day of clear liquids wasn't too bad. I power walked 4 miles and worked in the yard without weakness.

By 9pm my stomach was growling loudly. Damn but there's an unending barrage of food porn commercials on TV. No wonder there's an obesity epidemic.

 

[southernlady]

First it was my mother telling me how fat (and ugly) I was all the time, then it was the cruel things the kids would say in school, then incidents like the ones you wrote. It HURTS. I've had enough of that. I think we've all been there.

The cutting remarks by kids is hard enough but if you have solid parental support, you can survive it. But with parents also doing it, makes it so much harder to be a healthy adult.

Mine wasn't my Mother...she was more an absent parent than verbal abusive. She drowned her evenings in a bottle. My daddy worried about my weight but it was his mom, my grandmother that actually said the hurtful things..."you would be so pretty if you just lost some weight". THAT haunted me for a very long time. Took some therapy for me to realize it was her insecurities talking.

 

[Clematis]

Day -3.

Whine for the day: My stomach is growling non-stop. It's like a puma's in there. 3-4 cups of broth a day just ain't taming the beast. Two more days of broth -- the third day I get nothing but water for pre-op tests so broth may seem like a feast.

Ah, my infatuation with Crush packets has come to an end. The grape flavor turned by poop alarmingly green two weeks ago. And yesterday I thought I was hemorrhaging rectally until I realized the vivid strawberry flavor had roared through my empty intestinal tract and exited unchanged. No one should have that much drama in their toilet bowl.

Does one "nest" pre-surgery? I'm busy cleaning the house and tidying the yard. Part of this is knowing that if I die on the table my oblivious husband will let people in to mourn amidst tumbleweeds of dog hair rolling across the floor and other embarrassing evidence of the messy clutter in which we live. (Housecleaning is not one of my specialties, to put it mildly, and I've been without a housekeeper for the past year. That's gotta change.)

Returning for a serious moment to earlier posts about the cruel things people say about one's weight... If someone calls you a bitch or an azzhole or other insult, you can think, no I am not -- so it's inflammatory but an insult without real teeth. A flesh wound at best. But if someone calls you a fat cow or says anything negative about your weight, and you know you are obese, the retort "am not" doesn't fly. It's a bullseye kill shot, every time.

 

[BebeZed]

Day -3.

Whine for the day: My stomach is growling non-stop. It's like a puma's in there. 3-4 cups of broth a day just ain't taming the beast. Two more days of broth -- the third day I get nothing but water for pre-op tests so broth may seem like a feast.

Ah, my infatuation with Crush packets has come to an end. The grape flavor turned by poop alarmingly green two weeks ago. And yesterday I thought I was hemorrhaging rectally until I realized the vivid strawberry flavor had roared through my empty intestinal tract and exited unchanged. No one should have that much drama in their toilet bowl.

Does one "nest" pre-surgery? I'm busy cleaning the house and tidying the yard. Part of this is knowing that if I die on the table my oblivious husband will let people in to mourn amidst tumbleweeds of dog hair rolling across the floor and other embarrassing evidence of the messy clutter in which we live. (Housecleaning is not one of my specialties, to put it mildly, and I've been without a housekeeper for the past year. That's gotta change.)

Returning for a serious moment to earlier posts about the cruel things people say about one's weight... If someone calls you a bitch or an azzhole or other insult, you can think, no I am not -- so it's inflammatory but an insult without real teeth. A flesh wound at best. But if someone calls you a fat cow or says anything negative about your weight, and you know you are obese, the retort "am not" doesn't fly. It's a bullseye kill shot, every time.

Trust me, by the time they give you the funky chicken broth in the hospital, it will be the best thing EVER LOL
That's impressive that your poop turned colors for you thanks to the Crush packets. I didn't get to experience that... it would have been amusing. But then again, this IS the gal who thought her first post-DS poop was comical so you can see I'm easily amused by slightly gross stuff

I didn't nest pre-surgery but I sure as heck did when I got home. Yeah, I know that's a bit backwards but I knew if I cleaned before I left, The Boy (my 26 year old son) would have turned it all upside down anyway. I had to laugh about the tumbleweeds of dog hair... oh geez! lol I don't do well with cleaning either, btw. My live-in housekeeper (aka The Boy) doesn't do well with it either. He needs to be terminated immediately. *smirk*

Hang in there - you're almost there!

 

[southernlady]

Day -3.

Whine for the day: My stomach is growling non-stop. It's like a puma's in there. 3-4 cups of broth a day just ain't taming the beast. Two more days of broth -- the third day I get nothing but water for pre-op tests so broth may seem like a feast.

Ah, my infatuation with Crush packets has come to an end. The grape flavor turned by poop alarmingly green two weeks ago. And yesterday I thought I was hemorrhaging rectally until I realized the vivid strawberry flavor had roared through my empty intestinal tract and exited unchanged. No one should have that much drama in their toilet bowl.

Does one "nest" pre-surgery? I'm busy cleaning the house and tidying the yard. Part of this is knowing that if I die on the table my oblivious husband will let people in to mourn amidst tumbleweeds of dog hair rolling across the floor and other embarrassing evidence of the messy clutter in which we live. (Housecleaning is not one of my specialties, to put it mildly, and I've been without a housekeeper for the past year. That's gotta change.)

Returning for a serious moment to earlier posts about the cruel things people say about one's weight... If someone calls you a bitch or an azzhole or other insult, you can think, no I am not -- so it's inflammatory but an insult without real teeth. A flesh wound at best. But if someone calls you a fat cow or says anything negative about your weight, and you know you are obese, the retort "am not" doesn't fly. It's a bullseye kill shot, every time.

Some people do nest...it's not uncommon.

As to the growling stomach, that won't change anytime soon. My still has occasional GROWLS when I do things like hot apple cider or V8 juice. Water doesn't achieve the same level of growling.

 

[Charris]

Day -4

The first day of clear liquids wasn't too bad. I power walked 4 miles and worked in the yard without weakness.

By 9pm my stomach was growling loudly. Damn but there's an unending barrage of food porn commercials on TV. No wonder there's an obesity epidemic.

@Clematis Funny you talk about commercials. When I had RNY in 2000. We were told to watch no TV and don't eat while watching it because food commercials are to enticing. Lol

 

[Clematis]

@Charris Really? That's hysterical. But, yeah, I'd rather not see yet another piece of hot pizza being lifted with stretching cheese when I'm not allowed even soft food for another 22 days.

 

[Beckmo]

That block right there made me cry because I have felt that pain all of my life. First it was my mother telling me how fat (and ugly) I was all the time, then it was the cruel things the kids would say in school, then incidents like the ones you wrote. It HURTS. I've had enough of that. I think we've all been there.

You've been doing great with starting early and making sure that your pre-op vitamin levels are good. You'll be in top shape for the surgery and I'm convinced that helps with recovery. You've made sure to do what needs to be done and that will pay off. Try to relax a little bit.. let the flight out there be a peaceful and relaxing experience. Remind me and I'll inbox you with some info on how they work getting you picked up at the airport and what happens next so you won't be venturing forth into totally unknown territory. Seeing everyone from MBC and getting the hugs calmed me right down, and speaking with Dr Esquerra took away all the uncertainty - he's a very calm and confident (but not arrogant) man.

The 5 days will go fast. You're going to do just fine... and remember, after the pre-op tests, you can treat yourself to a really nice lunch and a light dinner IF you don't fall asleep like I did! LOL

Bebezed, I totally understand the lifelong mother thing with weight. I grew up with diet pressure on me and when I would gain, she would let me know she noticed. She took me to T.O.P.S. at 10 yrs old where I still remember from their motto "... even tho I may eat in private, my excess pounds are their for all the world to see. What a fool I've been." Then, something really weird happened. I went to the other side of the spectrum. I felt like I went from the "Fat Woman" to "Freak". I worked my butt off to lose 175 lbs (half my body) but then when people that knew me would see me, gasp then say, "Oh My Gosh!!!" They would then call people over to see me that I started feeling like a freak. I was really surprised how it made me feel.

Sometimes, when you are overweight, you overdevelop your sense of humor/personality. Then, I lost all that weight and became introverted.

 

[DSRIGGS]

I am happy for you Clematis. The time is nearly here and you will be on the dark side soon.

 

[Clematis]

Thanks @DSRIGGS But I believe I'll be leaving a lifetime of darkness and finally be in the light.

 

[BebeZed]

Thanks @DSRIGGS But I believe I'll be leaving a lifetime of darkness and finally be in the light.

That's beautiful. And more important - that is truth.

 

[bearmom]

One thing that helped me get though the liquid and then soft food phases, was just knowing NOTHING was off limits for good. I know people with RNY that say NEVER again for sweets or they dump, but I knew I'd be eating cake on my birthday or deep dish pizza on fridays. In fact, I knew I'd be able to enjoy for the first time in my life decadent foods that I'd avoided for decades. The liquid phase was well worth knowing I was heading toward rich foods with no calorie counting. Not just a new thinner life, but a new life where I could be free of the food obsessions, strict rules and unreasonable limitations.

It's always sad reading the horrible things that are now forever embedded in peoples memories from other insensitive people. We all have some of those stories. I've been called a bitch and much worse with little effect but those weight related comments and incidents cut like a knife, and take up residence in our minds for life. You will want to practice being assertive if you aren't already, because you will be amazed at how many idiot comments are yet to come as you lose weight quickly.

There are so many unpleasantries and indignities with this pre-op and post op stuff, but you will find there will be plenty of amazing surprises that you never expect as well. Try to look for those and enjoy what you can with this ride

 

[Clematis]

She took me to T.O.P.S. at 10 yrs old where I still remember from their motto "... even tho I may eat in private, my excess pounds are their for all the world to see. What a fool I've been."

A fool??? OMG. Why would anyone want to join an organization that shames them like that? I went online to see if they still use that motto but can't find it. Maybe they wised up.

 

[Clematis]

Thanks @bearmom That's one of the reasons I chose DS over any other.

 

[Clematis]

Day -2

Today is packing, hair cut, and can't forget that all important mani/pedi.

Because I have to get up at 3:30 am tomorrow to catch a 5:30 am flight, I got up at 4:30 am this morning so I would be tired enough to fall asleep at 9 pm with the help of an alprazolam. By 5:30 am I'd already done a test pack to make sure everything would fit in a carryon. (Barely.) By 6:30 am I'd downloaded Amazon Prime videos to Kindle Fire and loaded yet more books on iPad. Now it's 7:30 am, I've already done a load of laundry, fed the dogs and I'm bored and wondering how I'll stay awake all day.

Oh, on October 18 when I started the Atkins diet my fasting glucose was a shocking (to me) 115. It fell to 86 when I started the clears on Saturday. This morning it was 75. Yea, those beta cells are still alive. I've been on Atkins many many times, but in the past few years it has only lowered glucose levels in me by 5 points. So what's different this time? I think it's the 50k of Vitamin D I started taking 3 weeks ago. I suspected I was deficient, but I must have been REALLY deficient.