notime

Welcome to the site. My nutritionist says there is no real hunger, that the hunger is in your head. In surgery, the part of the stomach that "gets hungry" is removed. I don't know what to say about the nausea. Are you eating very, very slowly, chewing your food very, very well, eating very, very small bites and eating only small amounts at any given time? Are you sure you still need to crush your meds? I only had to do so for about three weeks. If you need to, mix the crushed meds with applesauce or pudding, something with flavor. I took one pill that was very bitter when crushed. It was vile tasting no matter what I mixed it with. I just had to buck up and take it anyway. It is only for a short time. In fact, all of your difficulties are only for a short time. Hang in there and give us updates on your situation.

At first, getting the required fluids and protein are a chore. At your point, you should be able to drink the requisite amount of fluids. It doesn't really matter whether or not you are thirsty, drink anyway. Force yourself to drink small amounts frequently, vary the type of fluid you take ( water, flavored water, low salt V-8 juice, etc.) and try warm drinks as well as cold ones. Also, as your abilities to handle different foods and to fit more in your stomach improve, getting in the proteins will become easy and with planning you will be able to do so without protein drinks. One tip, try foods that count as both fluid and protein, nonfat plain Greek yogurt is one of those. No sugar added hot chocolate (Swiss Miss makes this.) made with nonfat milk and a partial scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein powder works, too. Most importantly, tell yourself that you can do anything for a short time.

Once I went on soft foods, I never had a protein shake. You can get all your protein from food. Try eggs fixed any way you like them, refried beans with cheese, plain no sugar added fat-free Greek yogurt, Jello with fruit flavored protein mixed in as you make it, no sugar added hot chocolate made with milk, Carnation Instant Breakfast mixed with milk, tuna or chicken or salmon in cans or pouches, steamed or poached mild fish/seafood, nonfat or low fat cottage or ricotta cheese. There are lots of other things, but it has been a while so I don't remember all of them. Good luck. These symptoms won't last long. You can do this.

Try keeping in mind the reasons you are having the surgery. I had a one day panic about a week before my surgery, but kept reminding myself about my looming health problems from being overweight. In the end, I once again realized there was no option and then I lost my fear.

It took a while for mine, too. When the psych appointment was over, she told me she would approve me but that the paperwork would be delayed because it was lengthy and required more than just checking off boxes.

I'm with arts137. I wore loose clothing to the hospital and the same clothing home and took a book. Everything else the hospital provided. I suggest people not make packing for the hospital something else to stress over.

Sounds like it was too much egg. When I was in soft stage I could only eat half an egg. If you slow down your eating, it will be easier to tell when you are getting full. I'm sure you didn't hurt yourself, but it sure can make you miserable to the point of throwing up. Good luck.

Are you eating a lot of carbs? If so, try going very low carb. Also, as the others have said, call your nutritionist. She/he will be able to give you specific advice.

My doctor says there is no way to stop the loss of hair. Some claim biotin or special shampoos or lotions will help, but he maintains they are a waste of money. The loss will stop on its own. Mine began at around 6 months and lasted until about 10 months. The biggest problem for me was finding hair in the food I cooked. Yuck!

Whether or not you can comfortably and effectively do it depends. Many people fly from Mexico one or two days after surgery. And one person on here flew to Hawaii one week after surgery and had a wonderful time, even took a one mile hike. On the other hand, the site is replete with testimony from those who had complications or who had long slow recoveries from the surgery. It isn't possible to know in advance what your situation will be. If you go, I wish you good health and a good time.

At the consultation, you will be given information on everything that you need to do to have the surgery and to have your insurance pay for it. You will be told the medical tests and consultations you need and the classes you have to take. In essence, you will then have your roadmap to the surgery.

I am one year, four months out. My pcp reduced the amount of Lipitor I take for high cholesterol. I was not on meds for diabetes or high blood pressure. As always, visit your doctor for the tests necessary to determine what your meds should be and how much you should take.

Not to worry, most post-op diets allow soft foods by then. I do recommend you follow your doctor's program from now on though.

Try mixing half a scoop of fruit flavored protein mix in with the jello mix when you make it. It might not all dissolve, but it still goes down easily and tastes good.

There have been many posts about not getting in protein in the early days. Almost everyone is limited in proteins early on. The fluids are most important. Push to get the requisite fluids in now and get as much protein as you can. As the days go on, the capacity for fluids and proteins expands.

No issues for me either.

Tylenol

No. Nothing works. It is temporary though. Some people lose hair and start taking or applying something. When the hair loss stops, they attribute it to whatever they took/applied. What happened, though, is that the hair loss abated on its own.

No, but my skin does!

The younger you are, the more elastic the skin but, according to my doctor, there is nothing that will help sagging skin except plastic surgery.

I was told 1 to 2 oz a meal to start and about 3 oz after one month. Some of the foods I ate were: eggs fixed any way I wanted, steamed or poached seafood, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, tofu, unsweetened applesauce, mashed ripe banana and refried beans with cheese.

Looks like a winner. As far as supplementing it with protein powder, according to my nutritionist, the body won't process more than 25 grams of protein at one time. If your nutritionist agrees, you may want to limit the number of grams of protein you log in for that.

I realize a credit card was not one of the options you listed, but perhaps they will accept certain cards. Check to see. If you use a credit card in order to get points, just call ahead to the card company to make sure there is no large surcharge or to try to get any surcharge waived.

Don't forget to give up caffeine if you currently partake. Caffeine withdrawal while recovering from surgery is an unnecessary complication.

1. Cost of exercise: gym or recreation center, personal trainer, workout clothes/shoes, workout equipment. Of course, you can get around these by seeking out relatively cheap gear and workout options. 2. Lack of attention to exercise component of the program.