BLERDgirl

I have an iPhone but I'm going to assume it's pretty much the same for most mobiles. in the upper left corner are 3 lines, click on that and the the menu comes up. Search is 7th from the top. Click that and type in what you want to search for.

@@GenaW828 - Look at the ingredients on that light sour cream and compare it to say FAGE 0% greek yogurt which can be used in place of sour cream. Fage has 2 ingredients milk and active cultures and is lower in carbs than traditional sour cream. With FAGE I get also get a bit of Protein which balances out the carbs for me. With the "Light sour cream" you get milk, active cultures and a bunch of fillers. This can vary but is usually some combination of carrageenan, guar gum, xantham gum, modified food starch, or artificial coloring to name just a few. I'd rather eat less of the real stuff than a science project.

Carafate is an antacid. I was prescribed omeprazole. Actigall is for the treatment or prevention of gallstones. The only other prescriptions I was sent home with was colace which is stool softener and something for pain. I can't remember exactly what was prescribed. I didn't have any pain so I never got the script filled.

@@harley_quinn25 - Do a search on emblem health. There was a post last week about this exact same thing,

I've been fine since I increased my omeprazole from 20 mg to 40. My doctor says it should balance out eventually but currently I just make sure to stay ahead of it. I figured out what time of day it usually hits and take my meds accordingly. I was having the most trouble in the evenings so I take my pill around 2 -3 ish. As for constipation, I think eating whole foods can help that. Pre-op I was super regular. I went 2 -3 times a day. Now I go at least once a day, sometimes more. Once I got past the all liquid phase I started incorporating fresh veg and high fiber foods back into my diet.

@Smye- Try compression shirts, spanx for men and I think body magic has a male t shirt as well.

Not a nurse. IMO you need a specialist used to treating chronic recurrent infections. I don't know if that would be an infectious disease doctor or an allergist. You may be okay now that the abscess is healed but if not you should request your doctor call in a specialist.

Try Orgain organics premixed high Protein or their Protein powder. I actually used CVS whey protein and mixed it with Almond Breeze almond milk and Fage 0% greek yogurt. I tried premiere protein and found it much too sweet. It may be too much sugar giving you digestive issues.

They do contain caffeine. It doesn't sound like very much. You can decide for yourself. If your nutritionist is advising against caffeine, I'm sure they won't recommend it. From Starbucks website:

That's why you have to know your facts and know what's right for you. Don't worry about what others are doing. I agree with @@Kindle and @@fawnb71 - Make your nutritionist work with you. I walked in informing them that I was vegetarian and that I didn't do fake sugars. Once they saw I was serious it was no longer an issue.

@@Pac-woman - I had a bit of an advantge. I was a Certified Child Life Specialist. My job was to explain medical procedures to children and families. I did pre-surgical tours and medical play. I was familiar with most of what would happen because it was my job.

They didn't use the leg thingy's on me. I think because I had the IVC filter. I had to drag the IV pole with me but I could get up and down without assistance. The spirometer is not out of the ordinary. I had that as well. I just had to do it a few times a day. When I came home I started every morning by sitting up straight and taking a few deep breaths. It keeps congestion from building up in your lungs.

Sounds like you have the right attitude for a successful surgery. Keep it up!

@@Pac-woman - I did too. When I work up I had to pee from all those IV fluids. I was given the choice of the bed pan or the bathroom. I choice the bathroom. Getting up wasn't hard at all. I didn't really have pain. I was just really sore. We all have different pain thresholds.

It really depends on what I am eating. For example, tonight's dinner was ¼ cup red kidney beans, ¼ quinoa and 3 ounces of Beyond Meat Not Chicken. On another day I might change that to ½ cup of red kidney beans, ¼ cup quinoa and ½ cup cooked spinach. I switch it around to meet my protein & other nutritional needs and depending on what I want to eat.

It's surgery so there is reason to be concerned, however I have to say this was the easiest surgery I have ever had. 3 years ago I decided to get healthy. I joined a gym, went 3 -4 times a week, sometimes 5 times a week. I started eating clean, quit sodas, only drank Water. I am a vegetarian. I was living pretty healthy. I spent those same 3 years losing and regaining the same 35 -50 lbs. Sometimes we need help. I've lost in 4 mths what previously took me an entire year. Even better, I am still losing. My surgery couldn't have been more textbook. No pain, I walked in recovery, and I have tolerated every food I've tried. Don't let fear hold you back. Thank your son for his concern, but do what's best for you.

@@tart - Glad to see you hanging in there! It's my understanding that the weight loss can be slower for those with lower BMI's.

If you can stop at one, eat the cookie. If you can't then go drink some Water or well, really anything else. Something tells me you can't eat one cookie. If that's the case you need to get them out of your house. It's sabotage in the making. Sometimes a cup of hot chocolate is enough to soothe the sugar cravings. Other times I have to get up and go clean the bathroom or worse yet, clean the litterbox. It sort of grosses me out enough that I don't want to even think about food.

Try doing a search on proteins. There are several active thread with loads of good information.

It varies from person to person. Some people are fast losers. Some are slow and steady losers. Are you getting all your fluids and exercising? Are you logging your foods? Eating processed foods? There are many variables.

Congrats!

I wonder if people have difficulties working things out with their nutritionist. I have to admit, my first meeting with the nutritionist wasn't complete smooth sailing however. We had a minor quibble over truvia. (she called it stevia and I explained to her it isn't 100%stevia). Once she saw that I had done my homework by researching what I could use, and that I was putting in the work in terms of food logging and exercise, she loosened up.

Welcome! You're off to a good start. I will say this. WLS will teach you patience and consistency. I don't know what your doctor's protocol is but mind was 2 weeks all liquids > 2 weeks purees > 2 weeks soft foods then everything as tolerated. I made a personal decision to not have breads or crackers until I hit maintenance. They are slider foods, food with minimal nutritional payoff that are easy to eat. I would prefer to limit my carbs to complex carbs instead. Those first 2 weeks of full liquids were a challenge. You have to gradually work up to getting in 60+gms of Protein and 64+ounces of fluids. I did both peppermint and ginger tea. Once I hit purees my tummy suddenly preferred ice cold drinks and I started putting ice in all my beverages. That first egg when I hit purees was heavenly! 10 lbs is a wonderful amount of weight to lose in just a week. Compare that to the 3 weeks pre-op it took you to lose 10 lbs. You're now losing 3 times as fast!

I was. I took my iPad and charger. I had a pretty uneventful surgical course so I wasn't on pain meds. I did't bother to put on clothes but I did shower. It depends on your comfort level in hospital gowns. I went in on a Thursday and was discharged on Saturday.

@lgrey- I am vegetarian and I have a zillion food allergies & multiple med allergies. Since my allergic reactions vary from severe hive to anaphylaxis, my nutritionist and I sat down and we discussed alternatives. In the end I went with whey isolates. Isolates are better than concentrates because it's a more potent form of Protein. I drink almond milk and yes it is a lower protein source. Thankfully I can eat Greek yogurt made from milk. Of the non dairy milks I believe hemp milk has the highest amount of protein. It's not very high, but when you are working around allergies and intolerances every little bit helps. Since you have an intolerance I would do whey isolate combined with an non dairy milk to lesson the impact on your system. I also supported my protein needs with Beans and almond butter. A tbsp of almond butter in my Protein shake in the morning, blended smooth. Black beans are lower in carbs so I use a lot of them. In my all liquid stage I pureed them and made them into Soups. I also added chopped spinach which is a plant based protein source and also has lots of Iron. I also used Prosource No Carb Liquid Protein during the 2 week all liquid phase. I was given this in the hospital. It's protein sources are Collagen Hydrolysate and Whey Protein Isolate so it's not strictly a vegetarian product but it helped get me through those 2 weeks. Orgain organics has a high Protein Drink that has a good amount of protein in it. I used the regular protein drink because the high protein has stevia in it which I am allergic to. (FYI -The regular uses sucralose which I can tolerate.) Here is a list of protein sources. Like I said, it took being really creative. I literally spent a week going to going to Whole Foods, drug stores and Vitamins stores reading labels and buying samples. I am 4 mths in and 55lbs down. I still manage to eat a mostly clean vegetarian diet with no artificial sugars or food dyes. I use Myfitnesspal to monitor my carb intake, drink my Water and workout 4 -5 days a week. I average about 800 calories a day.