Free tools from The New Full
The trackers and checklists from the book, ready to print or fill in. They're tools from our own experience, not medical advice. Your care team outranks anything here.
Paperwork tracker
Fill it in here (it stays in this browser only), or print it. The first three rows are the book's examples.
| Task | Who It's With | Status | Next Action | Due / Follow-Up |
|---|
- After every single appointment, update the tracker before you leave the parking lot. Memory is not a reliable filing system for this many moving parts.
- Ask every provider directly: "What happens next, and who's responsible for it, me or your office?"
- Keep a running list of questions for your surgeon's office instead of calling every time one pops into your head. Batch them.
- If your program has a patient coordinator or navigator, use them constantly.
Daily habit tracker
A simple, printable structure. Photocopy this page, or use it as a template for your own version.
| Day | Protein Goal Met? | Water / Fluids | Movement | Mood / Energy (1-5) | Notes |
|---|
Questions to bring to your consultation
Write these down and take them with you. You will not remember them in the room.
- Based on my specific medical history, which procedure do you recommend, and what's the reasoning?
- How does my reflux history, if any, factor into that recommendation?
- How does my diabetes or pre-diabetes status factor in?
- What will my lifelong supplement requirements look like with each option?
- What labs will I need, how often, and for how long?
- How would my current medications be affected?
- What are the complication rates for this procedure, in your hands, for patients like me?
- What would revision look like later if it were ever needed?
- Will this be done laparoscopically, robotically, or open, and why?
- How many of these have you performed?
The Drift Audit
Quarterly, ten minutes.
- Am I still tracking anything, even loosely, or did that stop?
- Am I still taking supplements daily, or is it more like most days?
- When did I last have bloodwork done?
- Has my eating speed crept up?
- Am I still eating protein first, or has it drifted to whatever's convenient?
- Have my portions grown gradually? Would last year's portion look small to me now?
- Am I drinking what I used to drink, or has that slipped?
- Am I still moving the way I was six months ago?
- When did I last weigh myself or take a measurement?
- Am I avoiding any of these questions? Which one, and why?
Wallet card: when to go to the ER after a bypass
Print it, cut out both sides, fold, and keep it in your wallet.
Symptoms That Warrant an Emergency Room Visit
Not a phone call, not a wait-and-see:
- Severe, persistent abdominal pain, particularly pain that comes in waves or keeps escalating
- Nausea and vomiting that won't stop, especially if you can't keep fluids down
- Abdominal bloating or distension paired with pain
- Inability to pass gas or stool
- Any pain that feels categorically different from the ordinary discomfort you've learned to expect
Say the words "I have had a gastric bypass" to whoever is treating you, immediately and clearly.
Ask: "Is this a life-or-death emergency right now, or is it urgent?"
From The New Full. Our experience, not medical advice. Your care team's instructions come first.
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