lessstomachmoreme

RE: mushy foods. eggs still make me bloated after eating them. Better when I just use egg whites and one yolk. I like cottage cheese, greek yogurt, refried Beans. (From Taco Bell, of all things. 11 grams of protein!) String cheese (5 g of Protein.) Mashed potatoes with lofat sour cream, low fat cheese to get some protein in. (Could also use plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream.) Made a fluffy dessert with 8 oz cottage cheese, 8 oz light whipped topping and a dry package of SF Jello lime. Can make it with any flavor of SF jello. Now, at week 4 I can eat fish - baked tilapia was good - I used to be able to eat 4 small filets, now I can only do one and I'm stuffed. (Yay!) I mix tuna salad in with cottage cheese and it slips down easier - if not, I feel like I have a rock in my stomach and I have to walk around until the bloating calms down. Keep at it. Get creative with getting protein in.

I am 4 weeks out now, but remember the early days vividly. Once you are on mushy foods, the diarrhea gets better. Now I eat activated greek yogurt, which helps put all the good bacteria back in your colon that were probably killed off by the IV antibiotics. My APRN said I could use the gas x strips early on that dissolve in your mouth and that helped a lot with abdominal gas pain. I didn't have the shoulder and chest pain that other people talk about, but I had a lot of incisional pain and deep abdominal pain. Like I got stabbed in the gut five times - which I did! I did get a refill on liquid lortab, but did not use all of the 2nd refill. I was able to switch out to liquid Tylenol. CVS carries an adult strength liquid, so you don't have to drink so much of the kid's Tylenol. I found if I stayed ahead of the pain, I walked more and the gas went away quickly. Good luck with your recovery!

My surgeon doesn't allow any caffeine for a year! He says because of potential for ulcers along the staple line. (But he is really conservative, even with the diet progression.) I've been off caffeine for 2 months now and I miss it a LOT, especially on days I work. I guess better safe than sorry, but I think it's overkill when I was only drinking a regular cup of coffee a day. I am being a good girl, though and I've been following instructions to a T. I try to keep in mind that attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure.

I am an open book and have told everybody and anybody that I was having weight loss surgery and have asked for support. I feel like honesty is the best policy - everyone who knows me knows what you see is what you get. I do have a few pat answers when anyone says something negative. I say: "I really need support, not negativity" and that shuts them up every time. One bright spot of being open - as a get well gift, lots of my coworkers got me a gift card bouquet with gift cards for me to use when I am losing weight and need to buy new clothes! Ended up being over $300 worth of cards to places like Kohl's and Maurice's. So sweet! I guess I would say that you would be surprised at the support you can get when you reach out for it. This surgery can be difficult at times. I need all the encouragement I can get. (I'm also surprised at how many people at work have had weight loss surgery and did not share it with anyone until I opened up about it.) If you're hesitant to share with people around you, think about attending a post op support group. It's a great way to feel comfortable and normal and you can be around other people who truly understand what you are going through. At my group, we trade recipes, offer suggestions when others are struggling, and even have a clothes swap once a month. It's made a big difference for me to be prepared for the surgery, ask questions about my concerns, and get some solutions to common struggles.

forgot - optisource is available at walgreen's, so it's really convenient to pick up if I am running low.

I am using optisource post bariatric surgery chewables. Bottle says to take 4 times a day, but I take 2 am and 2 pm, which was ok'd by my dietician. They taste a little like the old fashioned children's aspirin - orangish. (I feel like my hair is stronger and grows faster since I have been taking it, but that may just be that spring time is more humid and my hair isn't as dry.) Also take a Calcium citrate + Vitamin D, 1000 mg in 2 divided doses of 500 mg each. Brand at my weight loss center is Bariatric Advantage soft chews, which are a little pricier, but taste good. You can't take calcium at the same time as Vitamins, so they are harder to remember b/c I take them mid morning and mid afternoon. Helps if you carry some with you to remember. On a side vitamin note, I got some vitamin E oil and once my laparoscopic scars were completely closed and scab free, started massaging that into the scar every night and now they are almost invisible. A physical therapist recommended this after I had ankle surgery and it was miraculous, so I tried it this time with good results. I have also been using vitamin E oil mixed in with my after bath moisturizer I put on every day and make sure I massage into areas that are typically problem excess skin areas post op - arms, thighs, belly. I am also using a palmer's cocoa butter lotion with Q10 that I do believe helps tighten skin a little, also on problem areas. I am trying to do everything I can naturally to help my skin to be more elastic. I think being religious about vitamin and mineral supplements is key to limiting hair loss and limiting a lot of absorption complications.

I was sleeved 3/31. Just started mushie food and am feeling great. I walk everyday, but not the marathon sessions some of you guys are logging. 15 minutes on the treadmill and then a walk around my neighborhood for about 20 minutes. My goal is to get up to an hour in the next week. Getting the Protein and fluid in makes a big difference on my fatigue and clarity of thought. I have been able to eat more than I expected, about 1/4 cup of mushie food - cottage cheese, refried Beans, mashed potatoes. When I am full, I start getting hiccups. I eat a string cheese stick between meals and have enjoyed those a lot. Now they come in lots of flavors - cracked black pepper, jalepeno, pizza! I am eating small amounts of protein about 4-5 times a day, which is what I feel is healthy. All of the Water additives taste strange to me since I had surgery, so I'm just drinking water, water, water.

I'm 3 weeks out and I feel good. I took 3 weeks off, but I feel like I could go back tomorrow if I had to. Some fatigue, but nothing overwhelming. I get out and walk regularly, run errands every day, do my usual housework. I do have to stay on top of my Water intake and Protein. I can drink about 4 ounces without a problem. I know I'm full when I get the hiccups! I burp more than I used to, loudly and suddenly (think, Homer Simpson kind of burps,) so you might not want to drink too much while you're standing in front of the class! I hope your surgery goes as well as mine did. I feel like a hunger switch has been turned off in me and now I treat food as fuel.

Congratulations! I'm 7 days out now. Just got my drain pulled today. (That helped the pain a lot!) In the middle of the 2nd night home I was so uncomfortable and restless - stared at the ceiling and thought - "Why did I do this to myself?" Then I took a deep breath and went through all of the hopes I have for my recovery phase, got up and took some pain medication and was back to sleep in 5 minutes. Take your pain medication regularly so you don't let it get out of control like I did. (I thought I was too tough for pain meds - guess what? I had part of an organ removed - it's gonna hurt!) Walking helps. I figured it took me 8 minutes to walk around my cul de sac and street and did that 4 times a day. When I went out to shop with friends and walked around the bookstore for 20 minutes, I counted that as one of my walking sessions. Now my goal is to get up to an hour a day in 3 weeks. Tomorrow I will venture further and maybe include the next block to see if I can find a 15 minute path I can do 4 x's a day.

7 days out today. Even with all the massive training and classes I went through, I don't feel like I was warned enough about normal diarrhea occurring after surgery. Another peer in my surgical support group told me she had identical problems with diarrhea. She said it resolved for her once her diet progressed to more solid foods because it gives the colon something to digest and do it's job correctly. For me, it started out like bile with a sour odor and progressed to yellow / brown with a grainy quality to the Fluid. Infection has more of a foul / rotten odor. Also watch for "coffee ground" flakes in the diarrhea, which can mean bleeding. When in doubt, call your surgeon. I pushed as much fluid as I could take and it is getting better now that I started on Protein shakes.

5 days out from surgery. Doing better at getting fluids in. Popsicles have helped a lot. Feel like I'm able to take in more Fluid last 24 hours without feeling uncomfortable. What helped for me was to get a small glass and mark where 2 oz. is and just try to drink that over 15 minutes and refill with my hospital pitcher so I know how many ml I have in so far. Walking helps the feeling of fullness go away. My big problem has been diarrhea that comes on so fast I have to sprint to the bathroom to keep from crapping my pants. Trying to compensate for that fluid loss. But we can do it! We'll look back in a month and think how good we feel when we aren't carrying around the excess weight. Overall wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

This is a hard one. I am a mental health professional and an open book. I've been honest with coworkers who asked me why I am going on surgical leave and I was amused -- and then annoyed -- that so many people think that I was asking for their input. I've learned that when they start, I put up my hand and say, "Oh I was just informing you, I wasn't asking for your opinion or permission." Or I have said: "I don't really want anyone's opinion, I just want support." Or when they are mean, I say, "I just make my haters my motivators." (And it worries me that these are mental health professionals! Get some tact, please!) I've had some unexpected responses - some of the people who I have felt close to have been somewhat critical, and other people who have just been acquaintances have been very encouraging and supportive - you never know what people are reacting to, but I think most of the time it is really their own issues about weight or food that are getting in the way. The bottom line: I choose to listen to people who uplift me and avoid people who diminish me. (And ultimately worry most about pleasing myself.) I'm excited to start this journey and the people who care about me are happy for me. One thing I have found very helpful and empowering is a weekly bariatric support group that I have been going to preop. There are lots of nice people who really want to help others and have lots of great advice and give you lots of support who have gone through exactly what you have and don't judge.