MinaT

Well you are in it now. Lettuce would be too darn hard and Bacon, who doesn't love Bacon, but seriously, I know what you mean by the craving, but I do have to tell you something. Who thought you could do this? You did or you wouldn't have signed up to have 85% of your stomach taken out and stapled. Crunchy is going to have to wait until you are healed so you don't end up with a leak and back in the hospital. I spent 5 weeks on full liquids after surgery and I'm on soft foods still and it's been 7 weeks since surgery on Monday. I have a post on my facebook that says they should make bacon packages bigger so it's enough for two people, and I found the cutest little way to make bacon baskets that you fill with lettuce and tomato's. It's going to be a long time until I enjoy the taste of a bacon again, but seriously you need to tell yourself a little more often that you can do this, you will do this and you need to put 100% effort into following your diet because you did put yourself through a surgery you can't undo. Why go through all this and set yourself up for failure by self-sabotaging yourself by saying you don't have great strength and will power. Tell yourself this is it, you are doing it and you are giving it 100% and the more you give yourself positive talks, the more apt you are to believe it and follow through. If you tell yourself you can't do it enough, it will become a reality. If you really feel you are not able to do this, think about some sort of therapy to deal with why you have a problem in the first place. It's something a lot of people that are successful do, because the sleeve is a tool and the issues you had that brought you here don't get fixed with the sleeve. Best of Luck to you! Sincerely, I Love Bacon too

I had some issues with pureed. I did tuna with lowfat mayo and onion powder and celery salt. I used the magic bullet and I thought it was moist enough and it wasn't. It was still to hard and it didn't puree well. I tried canned chicken, again too dry. I did a lot of Healthy Request Bean and Bacon. The best way to do this is blend the bean & bacon Soup with very little Water, then add your can of water. The best thing I had was rotisserie Chicken. I didn't use the magic bullet though, I put it in the food processor with real celery (I made sure to cut the sides of it down so there was no strings, and I added real onion. It was almost like a thick dip consistency. It slid down easily and didn't hurt. Some people don't have an issue with their esophagus into the tummy and some of us struggle. You won't know which you are until you get to that point. I'm on soft foods now and I actually cooked three bone in chicken breasts today in the crock pot (it tasted like rotisserie chicken and I had about 1/2 ounce and decided it would be better as chicken salad and I shredded it and did it lightly in the food processor (not as fine as I did for the pureed stage - that I made mushy) and it's a whole lot of Protein, very little carbs and it's great for lunch, a snack or dinner. Make sure your meat is moist and until you see how you do, make sure it's really pureed. I dreamed about the day I would get tuna and it was rough on me. Below also is the Pureed List the doctor gave me, I retyped the list and I posted it in another section. I didn't do any of these but the Tuna & Canned Chicken and again, I didn't puree it enough so it was rough on me. BTW I do not follow this diet suggestion and examples. I'm at 7 weeks and still at 425-475 calories a day and don't snack. PUREED DIET - SUGGESTIONS AND EXAMPLES Breakfast 1/4 cup high protein cooked Cereal 1/4 cup pureed low sodium/low fat meat 1 chewable sugar-free complete Vitamin Snack 1/2 cup pureed fruit Lunch 1/4 cup cottage cheese (lowfat) 1/4 cup pureed fruit snack 1 cup High Protein shake Dinner 1/2 cup mashed potatoes with low fat gravy 1/2 cup broth 1 chewable sugar free complete vitamin snack 1 sugar-free fudgiscle This sample menu provides approximately 80 grams of protein and 885 caloires - SIP water throughout the day ------ High Protein pureed Diet recipes Cheeseburger 3 oz. lean chicken or turkey 1 slice fat-free cheese 2 tbs.p warm beef broth 1/2 hamburger bun Cook meat and drain fat. Add all ingredients except broth to blender and puree on high. Gradually add broth to desired consistency Yield 1 serving Calories 309 Protein 27.0 grams Chicken Stew 1 Cup Chicken, cooked and cubed 1/4 cup rice, cooked 1/4 cup mixed vegetables, cooked 1/4 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup skim milk 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk Blend together Yield 3 servings Calories (per serving) 120 Protein (per serving) 15.0 grams Fish 4oz. Whitefish fillet 4 tsp. nonfat tarter sauce Warm skim milk (as needed) Cook fish by baking or broiling. Place fish and nonfat tarter sauce in blender. Puree on high speed. Gradually add milk to make mashed potato consistency. Yield: 2 servings Calories (per serving) 116 Protein (per serving) 15.0 grams French Toast 1 slice frozen French Toast "I can't believe it's not butter!" spray 3 tbsp. warm sugar-free syrup Warm French toast according to package. Spray with I can't believe it's not butter. Cut into quarters. Place all ingredients in blender. Puree on high until smooth consistency is achieved. Yield 1 serving Calories: 171 Protein 4.0 grams Grilled Cheese 1 slice whole wheat/high Fiber bread 2 slices fat-free American cheese I can't believe its not butter spray 3 tbsp warm skim milk Heat non-stick pan over medium heat. Spray one side of bread with I can't believe it's not butter side down on pan, top with cheese and heat until cheese melts and bread istoasted brown. Fold sandwich in half and cut into four pieces. Place in blender and puree on high, adding milk until smooth. Adjust the amount of milk used for thicker or thinner consistency. Yield 1 serving Calories 146 Protein: 12.0 grams High Protein Breakfast Shake 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt 1/4 cup skim milk 1/2 small banana 1/4 cup non-fat dry milk Mix all ingredients together in blender Yield 1 serving Calories 125 per serving Protein 12.0 grams per serving High Protein Mashed Potatoes 2 tbsp mashed potato mix 1/2 cup hot skim milk 2 tbsp. nonfat dry milk Mix nonfat dry mil with skim milk and heat to a boil. Add mashed potato mix. Mix well with a wire wisk. Mix thickens as it stands Use Butter buds or fat-free gravy to add flavor Yield 1 serving Calories 148 Protein 10.0 grams Chicken/Fish/Turkey 4oz meat cooked 6 tbsp. low fat gravy Chop meat into small pieces, blend on high speed, gradually adding gravy until desired consistency Yield 2 servings Calories (per serving) 126 Protein (per serving) 16.0 grams Tuna Salad 1 6 oz. can light tuna in spring water, drained 2 tbsp. fat-free Miracle Whip 1tsp mustard 1/2 tsp. onion powder 1/4 tsp. celery salt Add all ingredients to blender. Puree on high until smooth. Refrigerate Note: May substitute canned chicken for tuna Yield: 3 servings Calories (per serving): 60 Protein (per serving) 11.0 grams

I didn't lose 100 lbs in 7 weeks, only a labotomy could do that lol. I lost 70 pounds pre-op. I lost 10 pounds a month by following the recommended diet of 800-900 calories, 80 grams of carbs and 45-75 carbohydrates. This is the diet that most people are given as a suggestion by their doctors to follow pre-approval. I was in a 6 month pre-approval and I decided then I was going to give 100 % instead of spending 6 months having "last dinners". I know there are people that have gained during this time and I decided if I'm going to do it, I'm going to put 100% effort into it. I lost only 10 pounds during the 2 week pre-op shake diet and I lost 30 pounds in the past almost 7 weeks which is a lot, but I'm also eating 20-30 grams of carbs a day, I'm eating 425-475 calories and 60-70 Protein now. I do the gazelle about an hour early am, I swim 1-2 hours in the afternoon early evening and I walk 2 miles at night. I lost 30 pounds last summer, which was mostly Water really quickly, by doing all the wrong things, not eating basically and I started gaining it back and that's when I decided to call surgeon and make an appointment. I lost the 100 since November. It still equals about 10-11 pounds a month, which is realistic. edited to say *In all I lost 130 pounds since June of last year, but I don't count the 30 pounds in this, because that was all flukey and not part of this journey.

Thank you much, I am extremely blunt and some people don't take it well, but I actually get frustrated when people post things like french fries, I feel bad I ate ice cream, I am not going to hug someone and tell them it's okay. I love steak and I have a ways to go until I can eat it. I start regular food on Sunday and I'm still struggling and still need my food extremely soft or more pureed, so I know Steak is a long way out. I am eating about 2 ounces at a time..for my entire meal. (due to some complications) I can't wait to eat Steak but for now I'm sticking with rotisserie chicken (I did crock pot rotisserie today) and hopefully soon I can get down a little more food. Good luck to everyone!

I used to go to the doctors and REFUSE to be weighed. If they forced me to I would close my eyes and say don't tell me. I always looked at people on the biggest loser and said, no way could I do that, because they have to be weighed with everyone watching, no way! I told my husband my weight and my 22 year old son, I told my parents. I know how embarrassing it is. I weighed more than my husband and my son, both are 6 foot tall and I'm 5'3" I told my parents though I knew they looked at me with absolute sadness in their faces when they saw me. I could almost hear their inner-thoughts, oh my daughter, she's going to die if this keeps up. Today my father came home from the hospital after surgery and I called him and said Daddy, I did it. I hit Onederland today and I lost 100 pounds since November. My husband was so happy when I yahoo'd him while he was at work, my son did a dance and high fived me. I weigh less than all of them now. It's up to you whether you tell or not. Work hard during your pre-op and then you can tell them each time you lose a little bit, I lost 5 - 10 - 15 or whatever, but for the first time in my life, I wasn't ashamed to tell them.

I know many go to Mexico to get sleeved or they get into a program that fast-tracks them and everyone wants to rush the process. I have seen people go through the six month process and gain weight only to have to hurry up and do some major dieting to to be allowed the surgery. I balked the first time I went to WLS and they wanted me to get psychological counseling. I hate the lady, seriously, and my husband lost his job so I backed out. The 2nd time I went to another place, and I balked about the six months, I ended up getting pneumonia and I backed out first month. The third time I grabbed all the information and made a binder from both places and I started the diet on my own. 800-900 calories, 80 grams of Protein, 45-75 carbs and I started charting my food (the thing I dreaded the most was writing my food down and looking up calories etc.). I charted my Water, and I contacted Healthy4life. I realized I could get denied because of the Lupus and I decided to put 100% effort into it. I lost 70 pounds pre-op. I worked on behavior modification in advance. I think that is what is really truly needed. I think a lot of people think that this is going to do the work for them. Even with everything I did in advance, giving up coffee, exercising etc. the surgery still was a bit hard on me, I still kind of wig out that I can barely get in 2 ounces of food at a sitting. I still look at steak with longing in my heart, I would love some Rice-A-Roni Beef flavored but I love my life so much more. At the beginning of last summer I knew I was dying. I sat there with a heart monitor in my chest, lupus and I could barely breathe. My normal size A cup was now going on DD, I couldn't get up the stairs without help and I found out my great grandmother died at the age of 49 of Morbid Obesity related illnesses, the ones I had. She didn't have a brain tumor like me, or Lupus, or neurological issues, but she had the rest of the stuff I had. I figured my son would come in from school and find me dead and I said no more. If the people getting sleeved don't say no more, if they don't put 100% effort into this, and don't start thinking about their lives as worthy of putting effort into, they will lose weight at the beginning, but will find ways to justify the french fries, the piece of cake, the ice cream, the spaghetti and the burrito. It's up to you to work out the issues you have with food, with or without psychological help. The sleeve is only a tool. Many people I know that had gastric bypass have gained their weight back, people that were lap banded gained weight back, stalled or ended up with more complications. I can't afford to, I need to live. If I die it's going to be because I got hit by a bus, or because of the lupus, or the brain tumor, I'm not dying because of my weight. No more. Good luck to you.

I had hiatal hernia repair but the pain I had was mid/lower lumbar area and I truly had no problems with it prior. I do have degenerative disk disease in my neck though. I believe the pain was due to the complications that arose during surgery and I was manipulated into many different positions to try to get out the staples because the anesthesiologist let the esophageal tube slip into my tummy as the surgeon was stapling me and it got stapled inside me. I guess esophageal tube stapled with Titanium is not easy to remove. It was too close to my esophagus and they were worried. It's calmed down a lot lately and I'm 7 weeks out Monday. I sleep with an ice pack on it and one on my neck and it's getting a lot better. Feel better soon.

I am drinking an International coffee sugar-free Decaff coffee right now. I am so tea'd out. I have tried regular decaff and it made me feel icky when I was like 2 weeks out. I rarely allow myself sugar-free products unless it's made with Truvia or Stevia but this tastes great right now and hopefully I don't get a headache. I had a craving myself. I will never go back to caffeine though, I have been off it now over 2 months and it's like smoking...why go back to the old ways. I may purchase a dunkin donut decaff Ice Coffee one of these days as a splurge bonus.

Sending prayers. I have lupus and I understand autoimmune disorders. You really truly have had a hard time. I myself am worried about a stricture. It takes too long for the food to go past my esophagus into my stomach and no matter how small I chew the food it sits there for a very long time. I do not throw up but I feel like the food is there. I am eating about 1/4 of a cup at one time and I'll be out 7 weeks on Monday. I had a complication with surgery which may have narrowed the opening of the esophagus and stomach opening and I'm willing to bet the scar tissue from the issues is what is getting the best of me. I see other people seem to be eating so much more than me. The esophageal tube the anesthesia used (besides the bougie) slipped into my stomach at the exact moment my surgeon was making the last two cut/staples, and it so happened the esophageal tube was stapled inside my stomach. Unstapling it was proving to be too hard. They brought in a team of gatro's and they were going to go and cut around it but that would have severely narrowed my stomach/esophagus, and after several tries by other doctor's and surgeons, my surgeon was finally able to remove the staples and get the esophageal tube out of me. However, I have to make sure that every piece of food I have is completely and thoroughly chewed and I can barely get 2 ounces of food completely in me (except I can take down a sugar-free pudding) even Soup the most I have done is almost 1/4 a cup. I will definitely keep you in my prayers and if things don't seem to go down any better for me by my next appointment I will have them do some testing.

Tiff, sometimes we all just want a hug though You are doing great. I know what you are feeling, I hop on the scale sometimes and weigh a pound more and I'm like really.....400 calories, 20 carbs and I gained a pound...then I realize, oh boy I haven't pooped in 3 days, oh boy, look at my bicep, is that really a muscle, oh okay - wow, my underwear just fell, I measure myself and I realize, the weird stalls or up a pound thing is not really realistic. The scale is not really an accurate measurement. I have had days pre-op that I gained 4 pounds in a day and think is that really possible on less than 800 calories a day and my exercise equals more than 800 calories? Not only is the cake a lie, sometimes so is the scale. You are doing FANTASTIC!!!

I would definitely not have coffee. liquid in- Liquid Out. Coffee can cause dehydration. If you are on a pre-op liquid diet like many of us have had to do, #1 thing to remember, never trust a fart because you will most likely have watery stools. Drink coffee with that, and then you are looking at dehydration. Go into surgery dehydrated, and they could postpone on you. You should have been advised to quit before this stage too because most people struggle the first 3-4 days on the pre-op diet. Adding quitting caffeine is also a struggle, but since you are going to be struggling the 3-4 days, may as well get it over with at first. Try Decaff coffee, or try finding a decaff tea you like with an artificial sweetener. Coffee is also known to cause ulcers and with a newly formed stomach, that's not good for you. I was a huge coffee drinker and I quit coffee about a month before pre-op shake. I had to have 3 shakes a day and only sugar-free Jello and sugar-free popsicles. It wasn't easy but I didn't cheat. This isn't easy but we do have to be accountable for our own health, and you really don't want to get dehydrated this week. One major suggestion since tomorrow is your big day, don't carb overload today. Watch your carb intake, make today a pre-pre-op day. Perhaps a shake for Breakfast, something with Protein for lunch and a low carb dinner. Those that tend to carb overload (eat spaghetti, pizza, rice, potatoes, high carb foods) the day before starting their pre-op phase, seem to have a harder time during their pre-op phase. The more carbs you take in the more carbs you want and it messes with your glucose and insulin levels and then you crash the next day or two when you are taking in so many less carbohydrates. I wish there a central spot with these tips that people could read before they get to this point, because I know this would have been helpful information a few weeks ago for you. Good luck to you, tell yourself you can do it and you will be fine. Best of luck for a quick and speedy recovery from surgery too.

At one month I was about 22 pounds. At 7 weeks I struggle and can't get 500 and I don't struggle with it, I let it go. Make sure your carbs are 40 or less a day, drink your Water, keep working it and it will go. I have no clue how much you lost pre-op, I have no clue how much weight you had to lose in the first place. Have you ever lost 22 pounds in a month before? Really? Are you including the weight you lost pre-op to this? I lost 10 pounds a month pre-op during the 6 month pre-approval phase. In the 2 week pre-op shake I lost a whopping 10 pounds only, where I saw others lose 20 pounds in the two weeks). I exercised daily before etc. I am losing slower than others but I lost weight pre-op. It will come in waves. Your weight loss needs to catch up to your body. Pay less attention to the scale, and more attention to doing what you are suppose to be doing and the weight will come off you. When you lose fat, there are open spaces, and your body has to readjust and it can't do both at once, so maybe you need to measure yourself and when you feel like you aren't losing measure yourself. Do you feel better at -22 than you did before surgery. Stop telling yourself this isn't going to work, because if you tell yourself that one too many times, you are going to start self-sabotaging yourself. One day you will say, this isn't working for me, I'm a failure and then that is EXACTLY how people find themselves eating donuts, bags of chips, eating Ice Cream. The more you tell yourself you can't or it's not going to work, the more you will believe it and give up and that's how real failure begins. I know how it feels, especially when I see others losing faster, but it's not a race. I had it in my head I would hit 199 by a certain date and I didn't hit it. I was very disappointed. I even hopped on the scale one day and I was up a pound and wanted to throw the scale. I hit the 199 today, 2 days later. I hit it though. Start seeing the positive in the 22 and know as long as you do what you are suppose to do, you will lose weight.

I own a gazelle. I use it daily. I had gained too much weight and could NOT fit on it when I first started, so I marched in place. When I finally fit again it hit my hips and I could only do 5 minutes the first day. My ankles hurt my butt too. I got to 10 minutes then I started doing 15 minutes twice daily. I finally got to 1/2 hour mark and oh wow, I felt wonderful. I tried for 1/2 hour early and then at night another 10 minutes. I can now do an hour twice a day if I chose to do it. (this was presurgery) At 4* weeks after being sleeved I did the gazelle about 10 minutes and it pulled a bit too much on my stomach. I retried at 5 weeks and it was easier. I am back up to an hour every day. I swim daily about 1-2 hours and I also walk, I debate on how long I am going to do the gazelle now. Some days I try to do 1/2 hour and some days I do an hour in the am and then do other exercises throughout my day. If you try going barefoot or with unsupportive shoes your bottom of feet and ankles will hurt, you may even hurt your hips a little bit too. I use tennis shoes or winter crocs that have a thick bottom and they are very tight and supportive. Make sure you move your arms into different positions so you can work different muscle groups and not overwork the same part of your arms. Keep your body erect. Good luck. It's a great machine (though a bit squeaky & loud) especially for someone who has joint issues and for someone that is just getting used to exercising again. Take it slow and work your way up and as Tony Little says....YOU CAN DO IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!

Kellie, what stage of your diet are you on if you had surgery on July 9th? Did I read it wrong? Are you only 11 days out? I was only starting full liquids at 11 days and was on that for 5 weeks. I am still on soft foods until Sunday and I know it's going to be a while until I can actually go to regular foods. I'll be 7 weeks out on Monday and yesterday I had a Protein shake for Breakfast, I had one piece of deli light ham chopped into 3 teaspoons of cottage cheese for lunch, and for dinner I ate about about an 1.25 ounce of turkey tenderloin, 4 baby cooked carrots, about a teaspoon of 1% cottage cheese, and about a teaspoon of instant mashed potatoes. I spent an hour uncomfortable and realized I should have foregone at least one cooked carrots. My entire day I had less than 485 calories, 33 grams of carbohydrates (which is higher for me), 6 grams of fat, 60 grams of protein. You had one bean burrito from Taco Bell for dinner. 370 calories, 56 grams of carbohydrates, 11 grams of fat,13 grams of protein. While newly sleeved until maintenance most doctors ask that you stay within 40-45 grams of carbs per day. I'm sure it went down easy because the shell, the Beans and whatever is in it is just food that can easily be chewed up and swallowed and if you drank anything at all with that, it is just going to slide down your tummy, preventing the full feeling you were suppose to have. I know it's a lot less than you used to eat, but it's not a wise choice and truthfully that's the food that causes people to gain weight in the first place. High carb makes you hungrier. Add what you ate for the entire day and you will see. Are you charting your food, Water etc. on anything like myfitnesspal.com? I just would hate to see someone go through this surgery and wonder why they aren't losing weight or even gaining weight or go back to their bad habits. I would really hate to see you end up with a leak, eating solid foods immediately. I can't imagine your doctor would allow soft or solid food food at 11 days post-op. You may very well lose weight while eating like this at first, because you are only 11 days out and will be losing water etc. first, but you will struggle losing fat because you will be taking in too many carbohydrates and once that is used for fuel it will be restored as fat. Your stomach isn't even healed yet, and you are pushing the limits of it's size already. If you haven't been told where you are suppose to be nutrition wise, I would definitely speak with your nutritionist or find one, because I think you really need to talk to someone. Many people seek support from a behaviorist or therapist, to try to get to the underlying reason for the weight gain in the first place. I think it's wonderful that you see such an improvement but at 7 weeks, I could not eat even a bite or two of that, and it worries me that you don't see that was a bad choice for a meal. I hope you take this post in the light I am intending, as someone who has done a lot of research on the sleeve and started out the six month pre-approval phase working on behavior modification, lowering my carb intake and really fully getting to the root of my eating problems to begin with. Good luck to you and I wish you the best.

For the first month seriously relax and don't worry about your weight. Do what you are suppose to do, follow your post-op diet, chart your calories, carbs & Protein. Drink your Water and you WILL LOSE. Day of surgery, Monday June 4th I weighed 229. I came home from the hospital on Friday, June 8th and Saturday morning I weighed myself and I weighed 235 pounds. I was 6 pounds heavier!!!!! I didn't eat in the hospital, I had a few ounces of protein, and I had water and decaff tea with truvia. You are swollen, you are bloated, you are healing. My tummy was bloated and swollen for 5 weeks straight!!! I promise you, you follow the plan you will lose weight. Sometimes it will go slow or you may even weigh yourself on day and be up a pound, but your body is rearranging and those are the times you need to measure yourself to see loss there, figure out if your clothes are loser. You are doing great, stay away from carbs work on your protein and water and it will be fine!

7 days after surgery I still had a drain, find out if you will have a drain and for how long. I spent 5 days in the hospital and I know some people came home in one day. I had my drain taken out day 13. I took naps daily for the first 2 weeks. I'm 49 and I have Lupus but I also lost 70 pounds pre-surgery and I had a leg up on the weight loss. I have heard stories of women crying during dinner because they couldn't eat what everyone else is eating. Realize that your eating is going to be seriously different. From clears, full liquid, pureed, soft & regular. If you have been working on behavior modification pre-surgery that will probably be a piece of case for you, but for many people they really get depressed after surgery. Around day 9 it seems everything is much more emotional than before surgery. I would love to be a foster mom, mys on is 22 years old and I think what you are doing is wonderful. With that being said, you will have people say to you, oh yeah, no problem I did this that and the other after surgery. No two people are alike and you have no clue how you are going to be until after surgery. If you go into surgery with the right frame of mind and you are an upbeat and positive person, you will most likely do better, but complications do happen, people respond differently to different things. If these girls have been through a whole lot of stress prior, it could be hard on them, but if you have help for the first week they are there, and you can control your emotions when it comes to food and you don't have food mourning in front of them, you could do it. I think being a foster mom is a wonderful thing, and I wish you the best of luck and I'm not trying to scare you, I want you to be as informed as you can be. Again best of luck and I am looking forward to hearing good news after your surgery.

Congrats to you, what a wonderful accomplishment and something to be so proud of!! Good luck getting to the finish line, it won't be long.

I get cold easier now since I lost weight and I'm 6 weeks out. The fingers asleep maybe you are cold when you sleep and you are tensing up in bed and your hands are falling asleep. Have you had a problem with raynauds in the past (cold fingers that turn blue/white)? Do you have an issue with carpal tunnel. Sometimes our body temperature differs and we are apt to get colder easier when you lose more weight. If you feel like you are coming down with something, definitely see a doctor. I have neurological issues and my hands fall asleep a lot when I sleep, but they hadn't in a while, but I'm having it more so now, because I'm curling my wrists when I sleep trying to stay warm. Best of luck to you.

No.....it took me over a week to finish 3 bottles. I got in as much Protein as I could. each bottle is 40 grams of protein, I was lucky to get in 1/2 a bottle a day.

Clear Liquids are clear like broth, Isopure anything you can see through, sugar-free Jello / sugar-free popsicles. This is usually in the hospital until you go home or usually up to a full week depending on your doctor. Full liquids are your Protein shakes like the chocolate etc. low sugar yogurt, sugar-free pudding, cream strained Soups. I was on full liquids 5 weeks, many people aren't on full liquids a long time. I was on clears in the hospital and then saturday - Wednesday. Then I went to Full liquids. I think I went through 2 or 3 bottles of Isopure and chicken broth. Each bottle of Isopure is 20 ounces and 40 grams of protein, though I didn't end up with 40 grams a protein a day. You have to work up to it. I was happy to get down 10-15 grams of protein through the Isopure a day. I was close to my 64 ounces of Water though. I also wasn't having any carbs, the first week getting your liquid (water etc. in ) is imperative. The protein, you got a while before you become protein deficient they want you to get as much as you can in, but water then protein is the important thing. Your taste buds WILL change pre-surgery and after surgery. I had two tubs of my favorite Protein shake, which I used 7 months prior to surgery daily. I couldn't tolerate it, it made me gag after surgery until almost 5 weeks out. I am now back to drinking it. If you find a flavor of Syntrax nectar you like, check around you to see if there is a Vitamin Shoppe around you. Compare the prices. The Fuzzy Navel was $59.00 at Syntrax and Vitamin Shoppe had it for $33.49 that's a big savings. Just check out Vitamin Shoppe online before you go and if their shoppe has it for more, tell them what price it is online and they will give you the online price. Good luck to you and best wishes.

There are sports bras that look more like bras with no under wire. They don't have the cross strap. I know what you mean about the bra, it sits right there and sometimes it hits one of my incisions. The one laparascope, the one just below the bra line in the middle of my diaphragm, had to be moved during surgery and moved up and then they had to open it so it looks like I have a = and + on top of each other and it's a bit bigger because of a complication and it still has the clear dissolvable stitches sticking out so it was uncomfy. I am sure it will feel better soon, best of luck and congrats on your loss! Best wishes and I hope I'm sorry

I had that for about 4-1/2 weeks. It does go away, for some people it takes longer. The more swelling you have the longer it takes. I agree just let your surgeon's office know the problem just in case.

pureed meat sounds gross, but Tuna and chicken are easy to puree, but mixing just doesn't cut it. The times I did not blend my tuna or Chicken enough and it was ROUGH going down. I do suggest making sure it's moist and use a processor. The best pureed food I had was I bought a rotisserie Chicken and I pureed it with a little bit of onion and celery and it was very good (I cut the celery so there was no long stringy pieces and it was mostly the middle part so it could be pureed well. You have to start out small and your body needs to get used to one thing new at a time. Oh are there things that will go down nice and easy if you chew the heck out of it first, but mostly carb foods you aren't suppose to eat. Going to soft foods are things you can cut with a fork. Steak and Ham and stuff are not on the list for sure. Pre-op shake I craved Tuna & Turkey Meat Balls. I have hesitated moving from purees to soft food since Sunday and I think I am ready. I am making Turkey Meat Balls and I really hope they are all that I thought they would be, I never had them before. Best of luck to you. I know how hard it is, I was on full liquids for 5 weeks.

I thought the same thing, I thought I was up all night and I heard every creak, groan, noise, and I was up by 6:00 am. I have had so many sleep studies etc. but if it works for you, and you need it, it's definitely worth it, after being on sleeping medication about 8 years it definitely wasn't working for me anymore since I was only asleep from 3-5:30 6:00 am. but I would remiss if I didn't share that there is a definite link to ambien and sleep eating. I admit, maybe losing weight has also helped. I now sleep from 10:15-10:30 - 7:00 am every morning with perhaps 2 potty breaks a night. Life is much better when you get sleep.