029 Pre-Op Week 1 Update

Friday! Friday! Getting down on Friday! Ok, now that I have had my Rebecca Black moment I can get to work. So I have been promising more videos from Jimmy and today you are going to get it!

Jimmy has been recording daily video diaries about his experiences during week one of the pre-op liquid diet. I have compiled all of this weeks clips into one video for you that I am posting right here--right now! No editing has been done to the actual video clips so you will see and hear everything that Jimmy has recorded for you. The video is about 6 minutes long and I hope you enjoy it.

But real quick before I post the video I want to say a BIG THANKS to our friends, the Grieve Family, who live in Arizona. Feeling the love and support from you guys. Thanks for the Flintstones vitamins that you sent from our WLS Wishlist on Amazon. We still have a lot of things that we need to buy to get ready for the surgery and beyond. THANK YOU!!!

Now on to the show!

028 TESTING. TESTING. TESTING 1-2

Good morning, everyone! I hope that you have enjoyed hearing about Jimmy's liquid diet. Rest assured you will be receiving more details about that as time goes on BUT today I am going to jump back to the chronological storyline we were following.

So let's see…

Insurance requirements…Monthly appts…Exercise…Dieting…Dr. Appt. Blitz… Now I remember, we were getting ready to talk about Testing Day!

Ok, so it's not really called Testing Day but that's what I decided to nickname it since Jimmy had to undergo a bunch of tests :) In all reality this was the day that if Jimmy could pass all his tests then he would be able to schedule his surgery date.

TEST #1:
Our day started bright and early at Heartland Medical Center. First stop was to the lab. Let me tell you Jimmy is not jazzed about anything related to drawing blood or giving blood. Then you match that reluctance up with an early morning appointment and I was sure that disaster would ensue.

Thankfully I was wrong! The lab technician was awesome! She got Jimmy on the first try which kept him in a good mood too. Not only that but I was also relieved when we later found out Jimmy's cholesterol and blood sugars looked good. One set of tests down and passed.

TEST #2:
Next we had to go the cardiology section of the hospital for an EKG. The technician hooked everything up, took his readings, and sent him on his way. When we talked to the Nurse Practitioner we found out that the anesthesiologist would want further testing because his results were not clear. She also said that this was normal for a person JImmy's size.

TEST #3:
The final test was with Cindy Roberts the Nurse Practitioner. She wanted to check that Jimmy knew what was expected from him as far as diet and exercise. She also checked to make sure he knew his vitamins and medications for post-op. She also re-assured us that we would be able to schedule the surgery date but that we would still have to go see a cardiologist for further heart testing.

PASSED!!!

Jimmy and I took the first available surgery date. Bright and early on Friday, November 16, 2012.

027 Get a Will Today

I listen to the Dave Ramsey Show online while I am working. I can't tell you how many times I have heard Dave tell people "Get a Will today." or how many times I have heard the US Legal Forms commercial. I think that I could actually quote it!

Jimmy and I have known the importance of getting a will for a while now. It's just that we don't have much and the prospect of something happening to us seemed really far away. However, as we began to prepare for Jimmy to have WLS we realized that it would probably be a really good time for Jimmy to get a will done.

Well, we didn't go to US Legal Forms, but we did talk to our friend Ben who is a local lawyer. He was able to help Jimmy get all his paperwork in order. Laproscopic gastric sleeve surgery is very low risk (comparatively) but now if something were to happen we are covered.

It's nice to know that Jimmy loves me enough to get all the details hammered out so I am not left with "a big legal mess to deal with" (Thanks, Dave!) and I know exactly what he would have wanted. Dave's right. It is important to get a will today. I just never appreciated it before.

026 Be Prepared!

I know it's stupid but one of my favorite songs from the Lion King was when Scar and the hyenas were singing the "Be Prepared!" song. The hyenas didn't really get it and I don't think that we always get the importance of being prepared either. So let me tell you why Jimmy and I find it important to be prepared as it specifically relates to the liquid diet he starts today and his gastric sleeve surgery in two weeks.

#1 Being prepared makes the transition easier
I am in NO way going to say that this liquid diet is going to be a walk in the park but I know it would be so much harder if we weren't ready. What if we hadn't gone through the house getting rid of all the temptations lurking in the fridge and cabinets? What if I hadn't planned ahead and bought the foods that he will need to have on hand so succeed? What if we hadn't been trying to eat healthy for the last couple of years to prepare for healthier living and eating post-op? Things could be even worse!

#2 Being prepared has helped us with our finances
Much to Jimmy's sometime annoyance I am a HUGE Dave Ramsey fan! We were blessed to be able to go through Financial Peace University (FPU) several years ago and since then we have been on our way to financial freedom. Let me tell you that we still aren't perfect.

However, we are much better than we used to be and "Uncle Dave" has taught us some really important lessons about preparing financially. This applied here as well. As soon as we had decided which Pre-Op diet we were doing I began to set money aside and I would also purchase an item or two a week over the last few months. This allowed us to spread out the cost instead of freaking out about the bill coming all at once or being tempted to put it on a credit card (that we don't have).

#3 Being prepared allowed us time to recruit
Since we were planning and preparing ahead we were able to recruit our support team at our leisure. We know these people are going to really be there for us because they have a proven track record. We aren't asking them on a whim or last minute. Over the last few months and years they have shown that they really care about us and support us. We don't have to worry about it--which is amazing!

So I urge you, if you are still preparing for WLS I urge you to begin preparing physically, financially, and mentally for the many challenges that lie ahead!

025 Ode to Jeff Foxworthy

This weekend Jimmy and I were experiencing all the nuances of being on a liquid diet for the first time. While I was preparing one of our meals I began to think about just how funny it all was. The funniest thing was that it popped into my head in the form of one of Jeff Foxworthy's "You Might Be a Redneck" jokes. So I decided to test a couple of my thoughts on Jimmy. Well...he laughed so I thought I would share a few of them with you.




An Ode to Jeff Foxworthy:
Top 5 "You Might Be on a Liquid Diet" Jokes

5. You might be on a liquid diet if you have 4 empty gallon milk jugs in your trash at the end of the week.
4. You might be on a liquid diet if your dishwasher is full of cups but no plates or silverware.
3. You might be on a liquid diet if you have more Gatorade and Crystal Light in your kitchen than the local high school locker room.
2. You might be on a liquid diet if you crave Jell-O to "fill you up".
1. You might be on a liquid diet if the answer to "What Do you want for Dinner?" is either chocolate or vanilla.

I hope you had a laugh readying our little jokes. If you have your own Liquid Diet jokes, please feel free to add them to the comments below. We love your thoughts and comments.

Also, if you are interested in how Jimmy is doing on his liquid diet he will be posting a vlog on Friday which contains clips he has been recording over his first week of the liquid diet. It should be pretty interesting so make you come back on Friday to see it.

Grace and Peace,

MORE Liquid Diet Jokes
- You might be on a liquid diet if you suddenly see food in every TV show, commercial, or movie you watch.
- You might be on a liquid diet if your nightmares suddenly revolve around food.
- You might be on a liquid diet if you can smell everything cooking within a 2 mile radius of your current location.

024 Prepping for the 2 Week Pre-Op Liquid Diet

TODAY IS THE DAY!!! Jimmy starts his two week pre-op liquid diet today. We will be giving you updates on how he is doing along the way.

Yesterday, Jimmy and I really started cracking down and getting ready for today's kick-off. As many of you who follow Jimmy on Facebook know he celebrated his "Last Day" yesterday. I am going to post the pics of two of his "last meals" here so that you can see some of the things Jimmy is really going to miss. Then make sure to check out the video of Jimmy cleaning out the kitchen in preparation for his liquid diet.

It's all right here on Jimmy Goes Gastric!

023 Pre-Op Liquid Diet (2 Weeks)

Good morning, everyone! Tomorrow Jimmy will be starting his Pre-Op Liquid Diet. Before I get into all the specifics of what Jimmy is going to be doing, I want to remind you that every WLS program is different. This is the liquid diet that was given to Jimmy by his surgeon and it may differ from the diet either you or someone you know were asked to follow. Also, please remember that you should always consult your personal doctor before trying a new dietary program.

Ok, now that all the technical items are out of the way we can get down to business!

As I said, tomorrow Jimmy will be starting his 2 Week Pre-Op Liquid Diet as perscribed by Dr. Hornbostel. The purpose of the liquid diet is to help Jimmy drop a few pounds before the surgery, prepare his body for smaller amounts of food intake, and to cleanse his system before undergoing operation.

Heartland Bariatric Center has designed specialized diets for men and women for each type of surgery they offer. They even offer two different options for men undergoing the gastric sleeve! Through some discussion about taste, amount of food allowed, and cost of supplies this is the option that Jimmy and I decided upon for him:

DAILY

• Five Cups (40oz.) of 2% milk, each with No-Sugar added Carnation Instant Breakfast
• One Cup (8oz.) of 100% fruit juice
• At least 48-64oz. of other liquids (from the allowed liquids list) daily

ALLOWED LIQUIDS

• Water
• Diet V-8 Splash, V-8 juice or Tomato Juice (Not a chance Jimmy will try these)
• Sugar-Free Jell-O
• Sugar-Free Popsicles (Less than 15 calories per serving)
• Fruit 2-O
• Crystal Light (Jimmy was really excited about this one!)
• Diet Snapple (Not a Chance)
• Up to 2 Cups of broth (unlikely)
• Decaf coffee, tea (Not a Chance--I know he's weird, right?)
• Powerade Zero/Gatorade Zero

Now that you know what Jimmy is in for I really ask that you will keep him in your prayers. Other people have said that they have experience hunger, irritability, and fatigue during the first few days of their liquid diets. So I am sure that things are going to be really fun at our house!

Also, pray for us as we continue to make Post-Op Preparations too.

Grace and Peace,