Daisee68

I remember having a similar fear. Once you start though, it gets easier. As @@4me4them says, just work the plan. It takes a while to get in the groove of what you can eat, how to eat and when to eat but give it time and you will succeed!

I had bypass but no drain

Cigna approved mine in 24 business hours (submitted Friday at noon and approved Monday morning before noon). Fingers crossed yours will go just as fast!

Ok, not a great title, but I can't figure out how to ask this - here goes. Do you guys feel it is "healthier" (for WLS patients or more importantly a food addict) to eat a few bites of a variety of foods at each meal or more bites of a smaller variety? I had a counseling session yesterday, and she was concerned about the variety I eat. And what I mean by that is she fears that eating just a few bites of so many different foods at one sitting is not a great idea for me as I am still in "recovery" mode from food addiction. Her theory being that if I keep eating lots of different stuff that I like, it stimulates my taste buds and eventually will lead to desire to eat "just one more bite" of not good for me foods. To put it in perspective, we were talking about how I had been to several restaurants the past weekend that I was not able to choose and just chose the best I could. At one meal, I ate some chips and salsa and guacamole and then a small piece of flatbread pizza along with drinking 1/2 of a bloody mary. The day before, we ended up at a Bar type place and I split with my Mom sliders and wings. I ate the meat off of 2 small sliders and then 1 hot wing. I didn't think it was that bad of a choice, but she did. (Again, I am definitely a food addict and so far at least, no dumping so she is worried about my long term goals.) I am heading to an All Inclusive vacation in 10 days and her recommendation was just too chose 2 maybe 3 different items and just stick with those. I see what she is trying to tell me, but I am not sure I 100% agree. I kept saying "but I want to be normal" and she said "it's too soon. You aren't "normal" yet. You ate poorly whatever you wanted for at least 35 years and you cannot break that habit in 8 months. Just watch the slippery slope. Does any of that make sense? What do you guys think?

@@drw2 - I'm so glad to hear this! By the weekend, you will feel so much better! I know you are relieved! Take it easy today but stay hydrated! Sent from my HTC One M9 using BariatricPal

I was SO hoping for this but no such luck. Still size 11, but they do fit slightly better. Sent from my HTC One M9 using BariatricPal

@@drw2 - I hope your day went OK and you aren't too anxious about tomorrow. Will be thinking about you! Let me know how it goes! Sent from my HTC One M9 using BariatricPal

@@VSGAnn2014 - I used Robert Wasa bread YEARS ago when I was dieting. I ate them with salsa. I ate them with cheddar cheese melted on them. I ate then with tuna. Yum! I had kind if forgotten about them. I recall them being VERY crunchy. I'm going to have to get some of those too Sent from my HTC One M9 using BariatricPal

I'm so glad you had a better day! Each day will be better! Sent from my HTC One M9 using BariatricPal

Wow some of these sound really good! I typically use rotisserie chicken, red grapes, red onion, dill pickle relish (too lazy to chop pickles myself), Ranch seasoning powder, light mayo and/or a little greek yogurt and chopped pecans. I try to put the Ranch seasoning on the chicken while it is still warm as it seems to absorb the flavoring a little that way. I sometimes add a little garlic salt if more seasoning needed.

I did not have any taste changes but some people do. You need to talk with @Dub. He is the BBQ master!

@@Jeanette1246 - WOW! 3 little boys is enough to wear anyone out without just having had major surgery! I have no husband or kids but luckily had very supportive family. Having said that, I was on my own pretty quick after surgery (which is what I wanted). If you could go back and read some of my posts in the first few weeks, heck even the first few months, you would see that I had the same depression and frustration and wasn't dealing with responsibilities anywhere near what you are! You are doing great. Give yourself a break. Hormone release plays a role in all of this too and again that is without those of us that have 3 little boys. Deep breath. Stay in today. One Protein drink at a time. I ​absolutely promise you it will get better! One other thing you will see in my past posts if you went back to them is that I am a HUGE supporter of therapy during all this. My therapist has been my number 1 tool - seriously even more important than my surgery. If there is anyway you can find one to talk to (especially one that deals with bariatric patients), I would strongly encourage you to try that. It is really a huge help to me! I still see her at 8 months post-op and the plan is to see her regularly at least 2 years post-op to make sure that we work in to the maintenance phase. After that will just be on an as needed basis. If you can find someone to watch your boys and take just 30 minutes to yourself, try to go for a walk today (take your Water bottle with you). If you are lucky enough to be in Texas like me and have amazing weather this week, go outside. The fresh air will clear your head a little. If you have crummy weather, maybe an indoor mall? You don't have to go for a strenuous workout. I'm just talking a leisurely stroll where you can wear your headphones and just think about you for a moment. It is amazing how much clarity I get from my time alone walking sometimes. HUGS!!

@@cherhope - do you have a surgeon selected yet? You will really want to get their thoughts too. I had to go to a info session put on by my program and in there they explained a lot of the differences which I found very helpful. Again, at that time, I was still not sold on bypass and was hoping dr would do the sleeve, but the info in that class and talking to their RN (who had also had bypass herself) really put my mind at ease.

@InnerSurferGirl - I don't know how I didn't know about these! I was looking for some decent Snacks to take on vacation and these hit the spot! I am going to get more today. I may split them down into 2 portions and I will have to be careful as I can see these being a daily habit for me. Sent from my HTC One M9 using BariatricPal

OK a couple if things. First, omeprazole isn't a Vitamin. That is an acid reducer. That one shouldn't make you sick but if you feel it does, take it right before you go to bed that way you will sleep thru the nausea. Second, Biotin dies not prevent your hair from falling out, it just helps regrowth. There is a lot if speculation on whether it truly works or not. If that ones makes you sick, just skip it for now. Third, check your Multivitamin to see how much Iron is in it. There may be sufficient iron in it for you not to have to take the separate supplement. And lastly and most importantly, you HAVE to get your Protein up. At 3 months post-op, you should be getting a minimum of 60g (and possibly more). You indicate "you think" which means you are not logging your food. You need to do that at least for a while until you are sure you are getting the tight nutrients. And PS insufficient protein is likely why you are losing so much hair. Sent from my HTC One M9 using BariatricPal

I'm so glad! Yes definitely let me know how you are doing. Remember tiny sips all day. Stay hydrated. Sent from my HTC One M9 using BariatricPal

I'm sorry you are having a rough time. Please know that the frustration and depression this early is pretty normal. At only 1 week post-op, it is not a stricture. A stricture forms a little further out. You may have some swelling still. Try to take very small sips and very tiny bites. It does get better. I promise. You just have to give it time. Sent from my HTC One M9 using BariatricPal

@@scarlep - No hun, I don't mind pills. But I am much older than you and have taken pills of all kinds for a long time but I understand. You have to know that Vitamins are super super important after weight loss surgery. Our bodies just cannot get appropriate nutrients from food. Vitamins are a lifetime commitment. They may be slightly different depending on how your Vitamin levels are, but I will tell you that I was told that at 3 months, my vitamin levels were good but could be reflecting pre-op nutrients, so if you get good results (and I hope you do), don't just assume you are good to go without them. I too use chewable vitamins. And I take them with meals. So far, so good, but we will see at my next test. Consider bariatric vitamins or at the very least, consider Flintstone vitamins. They are chewable and don't taste too bad (or kids wouldn't take them). I have heard mixed reviews about them for bariatric patients, so ask your dr but I suppose it would be better than nothing. You are supposed to take double the dose it says on the bottle (i.e. if it says 1 pill 1 time per day, take 1 pill twice per day). I have also taken Centrum Chewables which aren't that bad and then Bariatric Advantage Calcium Chews are pretty good. Kind of like a candy treat. You will just have to keep experimenting until you find one that works. I had nausea for 6 months and took Zofran nearly every day but it finally stopped. You had major surgery. You are still healing. It will get better. PS - how much Protein are you eating? Sometimes that can affect your hair (although there is sometimes nothing you can do to stop it).

So many uses I hadn't thought of! I love the Frank's Red Hot. I am going to use it more! Thanks for the suggestions!

Well that's good that you got some fluids in. Here is what they told me - with a stricture, there is a VERY VERY tiny space because scar tissue has grown and blocked the exit to your stomach. You have to drink the Fluid very slowly so you can give it time to drain out. As long as I was only drinking fluids, I was fine. It was the food that then wouldn't go through and then built up that made me have to vomit and get it out. I know liquid diet is hard, but if you can do it just one more day, I promise it will be easier after. I am so sorry you have been through so much already! Hang in there!

Why can't you take them together? Not enough room or dr said don't take them together?

Happy post-op to you both! At 5 days post-op, you may want to call your surgeon and see if they want you to take something to help with a bowel movement. It is normal not to have had it thus far (especially because you are on fluids only), but they won't want you to go a terribly long time without. Just a heads up, this is generally an issue long-term due to high Protein diet and the way we now process fluids, so you may have to find something to incorporate daily (or every other day) that will help with that. @@Chioni.RNY - There isn't a sugar free Gatorade. There is G2 which is lower sugar / calorie but not no sugar. There is, however, Powerade Zero which is calorie free. Look for that one.

It is likely just as you said - pre-surgery jitters. It is totally normal to have these feelings - both pre-op and early post-op. It is a very big decision but it is the best one I have ever made! When is your surgery? How long do you have to do your pre-op (liquid or other) diet for? Maybe you can start with Protein shakes now - at least 1 a day? I really like the Premier Protein ready to drink shakes. Wish I had found them pre-op but 8 months post-op, I am still drinking 1 per day to meet my protein goals.

@@280journey - Yes I was nauseated BUT I will have to say, that I was that way even after they fixed the stricture. It lasted until about 6 months post-op and then magically went away (THANK GOODNESS!). In the meantime, I took Zofran nearly every day. @@drw2 - So sorry. Just saw this. Try not to worry too much. I know it is a little scary (and trust me I was scared enough for both of us), but it really was a breeze and helped immediately! For your fluids (just tomorrow I guess), you have to go back to sipping tiny tiny amounts all day. Do not get dehydrated. (Actually I went to the ER for fluids because I was so sick and they did a CT Scan and didn't find anything. The next day got worse, so my surgeon did the dilation 2 days later.) I used a tiny medicine cup I had that held one ounce, set an alarm for every 5 minutes and drank about 1/2 ounce (1/2 the cup) every 5 to 10 minutes. I was even able to drink a Protein shake that way. I would do that for a couple of hours, take a break for an hour or so and then start again. How far post-op are you?

Are you taking your Vitamins with food? That should help with the nausea. Also, consider trying a new brand. What kind are you taking?