Question:
What to do for the wait
I have my surgery date which is set for January 29th. I am the type of person that goes on fast forward. From the time of my intial consultation until I got my surgery date I schedualed my test and and everything for a soon as i could. However, now I have only three more appointment and they are pretty well spaced apart. I am not working because of a car accident and don't know what to do to kill the time. Anyone have an suggestions. — avababy (posted on December 4, 2007)
December 4, 2007
You may want to go through all your post-op literature and make a shopping
list for all the right foods you will need after your surgery. It is very
helpsul to have these on hand. Also research ways to get in your protein.
That seems to be a problem because so many of us don't like certain ones,
or cannot tolerate certain brands. Now would be a good time to do the
testing. Also, why not start now by eating more of the correct foods? We
all know what we did to get to the weight we were at before surgery- try
out some recipes you can find on the internet. Start a diary either on the
web or in a journal. Losing, even after surgery is mind over matter. If
you don't get your mind in the right place, you will still lose, but you
face the risk of regaining weight. Good luck to you!
— beckiemclarty
December 4, 2007
That was some great advice Beckie!
— babytamtam
December 4, 2007
Kudos on Beckies reply
— LuvNSummer
December 4, 2007
You can try doing some kind of craft to keep your hands and mind busy. I
personally enjoy cross stitch, keeps BOTH hands busy so i can't munch! You
will do fine over the few weeks. Definately checking out different protein
sources is an excellent idea!
— Rebaboh
December 4, 2007
Meal planning is a great way to prepare for your surgery. You won't feel
much like doing it after, at least for a few weeks after, so do it while
you need the activity.Get your Vitamins in order and your daily meals in
line. Lord knows it isn't easy to prepare your meals in addition to your
family's food.You will be glad you did. Thats my plan too.Best wishes to
you and may the Lord watch over you and keep you safe during your journey.
We are all here for you.
— [Deactivated Member]
December 4, 2007
There really is plenty to do. You can do research on the subject, buy a
few good books about it, or if you have them read them again. You can make
your shopping list and pack your bags, you can spend some time supporting
others on this site. You can volunteer somewhere to do something to keep
you busy, it doesn't have to mean busy about wls. There is plenty to do.
Take care. Patricia P.
— Patricia P
December 5, 2007
Have you tried SUDOKU?
— [Deactivated Member]
December 5, 2007
Thanks for the suggestions. I have my crafts that I do I've made like 10
sets of coasters and some online games that I play I just wish there was
doctor appointments or something that I could do. Maybe I'm just being
mental.
— avababy
December 6, 2007
Find a way to volunteer!!! It's makes you feel good, fills your time, and
keeps you sane. I'm on disability and I'd go nuts without something to
do.
If you can't volunteer somewhere (library, clinic, school, shelter, etc.),
try to find stuff you can do at home. Lots of places need volunteers to
stuff envelopes, fold and label newsletters, etc.
If you're tired of coasters, what about learning to knit or crochet (if you
already know, great!) and making hats, scarves, or gloves for those who are
in need? A neat thing that goes on in my area, a group of volunteers make
very basic teddy bears (just two pieces of material in the shape of a teddy
bear either sewn or glued together and stuffed) that are given to
police/emts/fire dept and local hospitals... the kids love them and they
give a lot of comfort at a time when a child is likely to be frightened.
The meal planning idea was great too.
Best wishes.
— mrsidknee
December 7, 2007
I'm in your situation, Becky, but won't be able to have my surgery until
late Febuary or early March because many patients had put off their
surgeries until January vacations. So, I can tell you what I'm doing, if
it'll help (I've also developed these plans throughout the process since
I'm 56 but ill and permanently disabled):
> Read, read, read ALL the literature given to you - I find something
I'd previously missed each time.
> Attend as many support groups as possible - now that I've been
cleared I've even started going to both day and evening groups - even if
it's the same speaker (fo r the same reason as above)>
> Begin to try postop recipies for 2 reasons - even though our tastes
supposedly may change postop at least you'll get an idea if you like it or
if it stinks, and it gives you the chance to have ingredients on hand. A
good site (besides OH) is bariatriceating.com.
> Consider investing in some postop recipie books. Some I've found
that have some delicious recipies are Before & After, Revised Edition:
Living and Eating Well After Weight-Loss Surgery by Susan Leach and Eating
Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat High-Protein
Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery by Patt
Levine. Both can be purchased on Amazon.com.
> Volunteer. I've found this helps me focus on something other than
medical tests, appoinments, etc. and is fun and rewarding. I volunteer at
my local MSPCA shelter and also foster cats and birds in my home for them.
I also drive elderly persons to appointments.
> Finally, take care of yourself. I've learned that by committing to
this surgery we owe it to ourselves to take as good care of ourselves as we
do of our family, friends, coworkers, etc. I've also found a great
easy-to-read book about this (I've actually bought it for several people!):
The Emotional First Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric
Surgery by Cynthia Alexander.
Congratulations and good luck - I hope you find this useful!
— obeseforever
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