KittyKat848

I love Flintstones. Sadly, however, they don't begin to meet the needs of post-bariatric surgery patients. I urge anyone using them post surgery to make sure they supplement with all that's missing.

I started with the liquid type but quickly moved to the chewable. I use Celebrate. I really like them.

I am so sorry you feel so terrible. My first week was a bit rough -- I found that warm liquids were a lot better for me. I was also sickened by the Protein shakes (I started them after 4 days in the hospital on clear liquids) -- and I found that using a cup with a lid helped with the smell. It gets better. Just hang on my friend!

I was very nervous. My husband was afraid that I would die or do some harm to myself. I am the primary wage earner and I also have an eight year old son. My family is my life. I wrote letters to both my son and husband in case of the worse case scenario. I had been very successful on the two week pre-op diet. I lost 18 pounds -- and while this was wonderful, it left me thinking about why I couldn't lose the weight without doing something as drastic as rearranging my insides. My mind started to really play tricks on me the days leading up to surgery. I was also grieving the loss of my old friend/enemy food. On the day of surgery, I remember clearly being in the pre-op room and saying to my husband that he was going to love the new me and that our life was going to be so much better. He replied earnestly, "My life is already perfect and I already love the old you!" It was like a lightbulb went off. My life WASN'T perfect. My blood sugar required two shots and and pills every day. I huffed and puffed walking. I couldn't ride on rides with my little boy -- I couldn't play soccer with the other parents on his team's parent's day. I was watching life -- and perhaps shortening it each day. I told my husband -- and from that point on he has been my biggest supporter. I don't think he realized as a thin person how different life was for me. He just loves me so he didn't think about it. Truth is, I couldn't have possibly maintained the two week pre-op diet without the surgery. I have been on a million diets and my obsession with food and hunger have always won out. Since the surgery, I have been blessed with a reprieve from constantly thinking about food. I can't express what a gift it is to think normally about eating. I still enjoy food but it doesn't consume me. Best of all, I no longer have insulin injections, no metformin, no sleep apnea/snoring, --- and I can now walk from the parking deck into my job and not be out of breath. I feel like I am literally melting out of a fat prison to a whole new active life. No doubt it is scary to do such a major elective surgery. Being on the other side, I assure you that it's way scarier that I could have missed out on so much.

I used up some cheap Protein Powder I have (that I don't really like) -- Designer whey. I didn't want to use my good stuff. :-)

So I made my buttermilk pancakes for my family today. I normally just have a shake, but decided to try something new. Here's what I made: 2 T cottage cheese 1 egg white Dash of vanilla 1/4 tsp baking powder 1 scoop vanilla Protein powder A dash of artificial sweetener Mix well. Cook like pancakes on a sprayed surface. Small is better as it's easier to flip Made 4 pancakes. I can only eat two. Two cakes has 14 G protein, and 4 carbs

Yes. I really like the celebrate vitamins, too!

CelebrateVitamins.com DOES offer a sampler box for $3. Well worth it IMHO. I got a tons of samples that way.

YES. I have noticed this, too -- about the peeing. I am drinking my water and my kidney function is excellent -- but I am not peeing much. I even mentioned this to the surgeon's fellow -- and he acted as though I was worrying about nothing. But there are times I don't go for 6 hours! That cannot be normal.

Perhaps you have unrealistic expectations. I've lost 31 lbs since surgery 12/31 -- and I'm ecstatic. 25 pounds is a lot of weight. Don't be discouraged!

My PCP was supportive, but like above, it was hard to get everything in his notes that the insurance companies insist on in order to get approved (I needed 9 consecutive months). Therefore, I created a form! I got a list of everything required from my surgeon/NUT and made a form that specifically addressed all those things. I even had check boxes! Each month when I went in, my doctor completed the form, stamped it with his office's info and signed it. It worked beautifully. I was approved first request.

Absolutely Terry! However, I want to be clear that my searing pain was far removed from actual incision points. That's what threw me off. It was actually left of my navel -- and it hurt worse that any of my incisions!

I can't express how bad the pain was -- it was difficult to bend or get up and down. It felt like a burning ripping pain. The nurse insisted that it was normal and from nerves repairing. She said it would go away almost magically. I was NOT convinced. However, it really did. One morning I woke up and it was totally gone. :-)

At 23 days, all my incisions were completely closed and healed. However, when I had my c-section, I had a two inch end that remained open. It was explained to me that it had to heal from the inside out. I kept it very clean and used neosporin. It was sore for a long time.

Frankly, the only thing I needed was my phone, charger and chap stick. Everything else was a waste of time to bring.

I hesitated to answer because I've never thought of ricotta as gritty. I guess it is slightly though. I don't think the texture changes really. It sort of tastes like noodles-less lasagna.

Did you advise your employer that you'd be off due to major surgery? If so, you will certainly win your unemployment claim. In fact, I'd look into hiring a lawyer and filing a discrimination suit.

I got this recipe from the world according to egg face. It's very easy on the tummy and yummy, too! Shelly's Baked Ricotta 8 oz of Ricotta Cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1 large Egg, beaten 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning salt & pepper to taste 1/2 cup Marinara Sauce 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese Mix ricotta cheese, parmesan, beaten egg, seasonings together and place in a oven proof dish. Pour marinara on top and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake it in the oven @ 450 for about 20-25 minutes (best) or nuke it till hot and bubbly. I usually made it first in the oven and heated the leftovers in the microwave. Cream Cheese chicken 1 package of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts 1 block of cream cheese 1 packet of zesty Italian dressing seasoning (You can find this right by all the salad dressings) 2 cans cream of low fat chicken Soup Put it all in the crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours. My crockpot runs hot, and I cook it on low. When it's done, I serve it over noodles for my family. I take some and puree it a bit and store in 3 oz containers. It's yummy and goes down well.

Here's what works for me: Ricotta bake Cream cheese chicken in the crock pot Baked tilapia pureed chili Pureed sloppy joe meat Creamed chicken in gravy (crockpot) I tried tuna. Thought I'd die. :-)

Well, against all good advice, I was weighing every day. I was losing a pound a day for a while, so it was pretty awesome. When I hit 297 (started at 344) I hit my first stall. It was at 3 weeks. I was ok at first but then on the 4th day of stall I gained 2 pounds to 299!! I had a BM and went to 298.5. I knew then I needed to stop weighing every day. So I went to every three days -- only in the morning only after a BM. (Sorry tmi) -- this morning-- voila. Down 5!

This morning my three week stall was broken. At one point, I'd actually gained a pound. How's that even possible?! Lol. This morning I'm down 5 pounds!! Don't get discouraged.

I completely agree that it's great that you're proactive about your fasting glucose. Anything over 110 is concerning because it means that glycogen is being released by your liver while you sleep. Do you take metformin? A string cheese and 500 mg of metformin got me to target 85 fasting numbers pre-surgery.

I made a mistake just yesterday (3 weeks post op) by gulping a large swig of water before I remembered. Ugh! Horrible pain in my chest until it passed. Right after surgery I used a small medicine cup to sip -- my sips are far more normal now. Just no gulps!!

Oddly I think day 4 was rough for me too. I had one day of nausea -- it was 3 or 4 -- I hope you feel better very soon!

Thanks everyone! It helps to know that others felt the same. I actually called the nurse today. She seemed completely unsurprised by my description, so I'm assuming it's within the range of normal.