BClarkIndy

I was sleeved on 3/29, and was scheduled to start solids this week. Well, as luck would have it, that time coincided with some business associates coming in from out of town who wanted to go out to dinner. Being armed with my wealth of knowledge about the pitfalls of overeating, and after doing so well on the soft food phase, I figured "no problem". Damn, was I in for a surprise. Of course the group vote ended up being Maggiano's. Man I always loved italian food... lots of wonderful carbs, sauces and huge portion sizes. I figured "who am I to disagree, I'm barely going to eat and I'll find something healthy on the menu". Well, that was my first mistake. I heard great things about their lasagna. I love lasagna. My wife loves lasagna too, so I figured she could have my leftovers (or I could eat it myself for a couple meals after). So, lasagna it was. No appetizers, just a tiny bit of the lasagna and the rest would go home. I hadn't had much in the way of calories that day, so I figured I'd be ok. That was my second mistake. The meal showed up and all sense went out the window. I tried to remember my training... small bites, lay your fork down, chew completely, savor every bite, etc., etc. Yeah I ate slowly, and yeah I savored every bite, but I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA when to stop! After just a few bites I *think* I might have been getting full, but when I looked at the plate it barely looked like I touched it. There was no way I had overeaten yet, so I had a little more. That went on for a few minutes more until I realized I had this lump in my chest like I just ate a quart of ice cream too fast. No desire to vomit or anything, just pain. Uh oh I thought, time to stop. Except it was too late. That was my third mistake. I spent the rest of the night in complete discomfort. When I woke up the next day, I still felt full. Odd I thought, but I went about my second day on solids and had (just half) of a small hamburger patty for lunch. More discomfort. I even ate a little dinner that night because I had very few calories that day, and again more discomfort. That's when I FINALLY realized I was outa control and paying the price from dinner the night before. Today was the second day since the italian incident. I still feel full and crampy, even when I take sips of Water. My surgeon warned me that my stomach could launch a counterattack if I mistreated it, but who woulda thought it would happen to me on day one! I think I'll take his advise and go back to liquids for a couple days! Sometimes the best lessons are learned when you experience them yourself. I think I'm going to stay out of restaurants a bit longer until I can adjust to this whole solid food thing.

Thinking about all this in retrospect, I doubt my problem had anything to do with lasagna specifically (it didn't help!) but was more about getting used to how different it is to eat denser foods. I read somewhere (maybe in my post-op literature?) that graduating from liquids to mushies to solids not only helps with the healing process, but it helps us learn how to eat with our new stomachs. While this may be partially true, I've learned it's a huge difference when "graduating" to solids. Since liquids pretty much slide right through, it was tough for me during the liquid phase to get an *overly* full feeling as long as I didn't gulp it down. The responsibility to my stomach and body was much easier to deal with. As long as I was watching the calorie meter each day, everything was fine. Solids brings in a whole new dimension, especially the dense stuff. All of a sudden you gotten PAY ATTENTION to your BODY rather than just watch some food log on a web site. Sounds easy enough, except you immediately realize that old habits are hard to break. For all the newbies out there like me who just can't wait to get on solid foods, take your time and pay attention to your what your body tells you! I thought liquids were tough; I'm now realizing that may have been the easy part.

What types of liquids are you drinking? I was stuck with "clear" liquids for the first 10 days. I also had severe gas discomfort and burping, but did not have the barfing problem. I was told not to exceed 2 oz. per 15 minutes, and immediately post-op I couldn't handle *near* that amount. I actually "measured" my sips when I got home from the hospital by drinking from a 1 ounce plastic shot glass to see what they felt like. I found I did best when it took 3-4 sips to finish that 1 oz. measure. Now (day 18) I can easily drink large 1 oz. sips if I want, but it's not really a good idea. Walking around and/or sitting-up definitely help. Every time I felt like I needed to burp or got that stuck feeling, just getting up for a couple minutes and walking around allowed me to burp and feel more comfortable. I know it sounds stupid, but many people experience a significant amount of gas issues immediately post-op. I was also told that warm tea helps reduce swelling and promote healing, but I only drank it while in the hospital. Some also say Gas-X strips help. I tried them, but I'm not sure if they helped or if it was more due to the passage of time. I'm not sure about the throwing up. Maybe take one tiny sip, walk around and wait awhile rather than taking a few tiny sips back to back. You might also try a tiny sip through a straw to reduce air intake. Some say it's bad, some say the opposite. I tend to like using them. Just be patient and don't push it. Like the previous poster mentioned, I too felt better with each passing day. Good luck!

I had a tough time with clears (first 10 days for my doctor). Hot tea, chicken broth, apple juice, and Gatorade in the hospital. Propel Zero, Gatorade G2, Vitamin Water, unjury and nectar Protein powders (only certain ones, and with water only) at home. Some drink Isopure, but I found it revolting. Any clear liquid was ok by my doctor, as long as it was low carb and/or sugar free (and alcohol free!). Due to gas discomfort and swelling, I didn't hit my recommended Fluid or protein intake levels until I got on "full liquids" (days 11-20). Once I was allowed to have milk and once the gas disomfort subsided, hitting my daily protein goals was easy. I still have problems hitting my 64 ounces per day fluid goal, however that's only because I forget to drink when I'm sitting at my desk at work. The key (especially early) is small, frequent sips - max 2 oz. per 15 minutes according to my surgeon. I always have some sort of protein or water drink in front of me, as I'm still not on mushies yet (day 18). My best day before day 11 was 48 ounces, and I felt like that was pushing it. Some have an easier time, some tougher. Just be patient. As for protein powders during my clear phase, Unjury strawberry sorbet mixed with lemon Propel Zero or Crystal Light wasn't too bad, kinda like pink lemonade. Also, I liked a couple of the Nectar protein powders (I bought a sample pack from bariatricpantry.com to get me through the clears and to try them before buying a tub). Oh, and you might find plain water boring now. I used to drink 3/4 gallon of ice water per day, now I don't like it. I must spruce it up with lemon, Crystal Light, or drink one of the aforementioned bottled brands. Good luck and welcome to the post-op world!

Hey Crosswind, I feel your boredom pain! I went back to work Monday just to have something to do. I am sick of all the water-based protein powders and flavored drinks in my house. I just got a shipment today from Bariatric Pantry with some Syntrax nectar powder samples... it was like freakin' Christmas! I poured the half-empty shaker bottle of boring junk I was drinking down the drain, closed my eyes and pointed to a random sample packet. And the winner was... Caribbean Cooler. Well, it wasn't a rum-runner and it sure didn't make me feel like I was on the beach, but it sure as hell beats the stuff I've had since getting home from surgery. My only drama has been my blood pressure since getting home from Mexicali. Thirty minutes after I got to work Monday, I thought I was gonna faint. I checked my BP and it spiked up to like 160/110. I called my PCP and he called in a second BP script for me. Wihin two hours it was under control. I contacted Gaby too. Dr. Aceves said it happens with some patients. Not certain why... maybe stress from surgery or anesthesia, or withrdawl from those awesome pain meds in Mexico! Good luck with the boredom. Post-Op Diet Phase 2 is just a few days away!

Now that I've had a few more days post-op to experiment, I learned a couple things. Since I'm on clears only, I need Proteins that work well with Water... I've already found a number of them that go well with milk from my "pre-op experimentation". I bought a bunch of Unjury single packs including the Strawberry Sorbet like you mentioned. I actually thought I'd have it around for my wife, but once I tried it I drank them all myself! I've been mixing Crystal Light lemonade powder and Unjury Strawberry into 18 ounces of water, and it tastes pretty good... a strawberry lemonade concoction. Any less water and it's too strong for me and harder to mix. Also, I'm learning to let the shaker bottle settle in the fridge for awhile before trying it, and sometimes it's nice to use ice to keep that stuff cold!

I'm finding the same thing to be true, sorta. The chicken broth and apple juice from the hospital was awesome, and I generally have never liked either. On the flight home however, my wife bought me a bottle of Fuji water and I couldn't drink it because it was too "minerally". I preferred a bottle of plain old purified drinking water. I'm also finding temp is having a huge impact on what I can drink (since I'm only on clears I know nothing else). For example, cold and hot liquids seem to taste much better than a room temp bottle of water.

Good luck drinking that stuff... maybe it tastes better to you than it did to me. Before getting sleeved, I stopped by GNC and bought a bottle of grape out of the cooler (they said it was their most popular seller). I took one sip and threw the bottle in the trash. That being said, today being my first morning home from the hospital I mixed a packet of unlfavored unjury into some lemon propel zero for "breakfast", and it wasn't so great either. At least the Isopure stuff is clear instead of "foggy and foamy"!

Loved your post Crosswind... what a great interpretation of your experience in Mexicali! While I was there at the same time and was only three doors down the (sometimes noisy) hall, I would not have been able to recount my experiences nearly as well as you did! I enjoyed meeing you... and being able to experience the process together with a few others gathered from who-knows-where (well, the midwest, Washington state, and Winnipeg in our case) who were gowing through the exact same thing at the exact same time. While definitely not a "vacation", I'm sure it was a much more "unique" experience than if I would have visited a local bariatric surgeon for a few days! Was it different, yes! Do I have any regrets, no! Good luck on your WL journey!