Consulting the Nut (and other things)

So, I started writing this post and then it all kind of got jumbled and ramble-y in the end. I apologize in advance. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

Okay, so if you've been following along, you know that there are five pre-op requirements that I have to fulfill:

1. Blood work
2. EKG
3. Fitness Consultation
4. Nutrition Consultation
5. Pre-op Physical

Last night, I crossed the first one off the list by having a phone consultation with the Nutritionist. Originally, I was supposed to come to the office and do this in person, but they took pity on my extremely limited paid time off and the fact that I work about an hour and 20 minutes away from the office, and they arranged for me to have a phone consult. (Holy run-on sentence, Batman!) 

Aside from signals getting crossed and me expecting a 7 pm phone call which didn't come until 8:10 pm, everything went fine. She asked me about how much sleep I get, what times I eat normally, what "normal" meals are for me, how much pop I drink, etc. She walked me through the pre-op and post-op diet paperwork that I received at the office. She told me about two bandster rules, which I have heard about a zillion times so far:

Small Bites! Chew, Chew, Chew! Eat Slowly!

and

Protein First! Then Veggies! Then Fruits/Starches! 

All in all, I don't really feel like I learned anything I didn't already know from my two years of research and following so many amazing banded bloggers. Still, it was nice to have affirmation from someone else that the band is an amazing tool and that people do succeed with it, and that I can succeed with it too. 

At any rate, it's one thing checked off the list. My blood work will be done Saturday morning, my fitness consult (and signing of all my operation paperwork) will be done next Monday morning, my pre-op physical is scheduled for October 26th, which is a little later than I would have liked, but the earliest I could get in with my PCP, and I am going to schedule my EKG today.  

After that, all that's left to do is pay (ohmyjeebus!) and start my pre-op diet, both of which have to be done on October 24th. 

I'm kind of starting to panic a little bit because I feel like ever since my consult, things are just snowballing so fast. October is a crazy busy month for us in general - lots of birthdays and anniversaries, our anniversary on the 18th, our trip to Gatlinburg the weekend of the 20th, a wedding to go to, a performance of Dracula to see (a friend of mine is in the play!), and Halloween. Not to mention, crazy stuff at work. And then all these band requirements are thrown into the mix, and it just seems like a whole lot of juggling going on. It also seems like time is just completely flying and surgery day will be here before I know it, which just makes me feel completely unprepared. Blargh. 

I just need to get organized and make a plan. Oh, and I'm still completely lost on protein shakes! I almost wish the doctor's office would have required one specific one so that I didn't have to figure it out on my own. I could really use some bandster advice here, guys! Please help?