pammieanne

Congratulations to you!!!!!

I'm RNY, so with that in mind, I can only answer from my experiences and from what I've learned. At week 5, I would think it would be OK because it does have some Protein in it. But keep in mind, there's only 8g in a full cup of cooked quinoa (and 220 calories). It's not a dense protein, like meats/fish, so it won't keep you as full for as long. Down the road, if you want quinoa, I'd add a dense protein to go with it, and use the quinoa as a side dish and only have a little bit of it after you eat your dense protein.

You want to be on an Iron (ferratin I believe is the one that we absorb the best) supplement every day. It's very common for post WLS women to be low in iron. You can also get it via a patch at PatchMD. You can't take it with your Calcium (or like two hours before?), because it counteracts. You can google this and likely find lots of information on it. I know on another board I am on, there is much discussion about keeping an eye on your iron levels.

You can take higher doses of Miralax, rather than one little capful, try2-3. You can also use magnesium citrate, and that will have you going! But of course, because you're so newly out of surgery, I'd just run those suggestions by your doc beforehand!

You can probably find something at the buffet to munch on... any kind of dip can be put on your plate, and you can use a carrot as a vessel to your lips! LOL But as far as alcohol goes, It's a toss up. Obviously if your doctor approved it, but just keep in mind the calorie counts, and don't ever drink anything sweet or with added sugars. I sipped on a bloody mary at 6 weeks out... felt guilty as hell, and didn't have another drink until 3 months out... which I only had a couple of glasses of wine over a 5 day period in Key West.

I'm curious why they thought you were 'malnourished'... and what exactly was 'no carbs', because that's a really hard diet to do! LOL cheese, veggies, and fruits all have carbs. I stay low on the carb rung, but I did low carb several years back and had great results with it... I know it works, and I was very healthy back then as well. I aim for under 50g of carbs, going closer to 30. And the only carbs I try to have are ones from non starchy vegetables, Beans, and cheeses.

It'll happen! This waiting part is the worst part of it all (OK, I'm lying, the liquid pre/post op is the worst)! Don't make it a race, and don't put 'time' constraints on your success... even if you dont' get your surgery before your birthday, you'll have it before your next birthday, and most likely you'll be so much thinner than you are now! Keep it in perspective, and don't let yourself down with timed goals!

Yup, head hunger... the beast. I haven't figured it out completely, but you have to have sheer determination, and lots of Water close by to try and conquer it... drink as much as you can until you are full, then you have no room for food... then find something to do, no matter what it is. Rinse, and repeat. I did see a person once post that you offer yourself dense Protein (chicken, tuna, steak), and if you don't want that, then it's more proof that it's your head playing games with you! And if you do eat the dense stuff, there will be no room for the true temptations that the brain is wanting you to eat! Now, someone remind me of this when I whine about it, please! LOL

The incision on your left side is usually the biggest one, where they put in the camera. Barring any other complications, the pain there is typical, and mine lasted about 3 weeks before it was completely gone. When you cough, try covering your stomach with a pillow and holding onto it for support. Of course, I'm no doctor, and since you had complications, you may want to just put a call into your doc's office to be sure.

Your friends and family are not the ones going through this. You are. You have to do what's best for you, and once you start losing weight, they will either be very happy for you, or very jealous of you. But this is about YOU... not them. I waited until I was 51... I watched my ex sister in law go through surgery when my son was born... I got on a serious diet and lost 50lbs and thought "Hmph, I can do what she couldn't do!"... then fast forward 9 years, and I not only gained it all back, but my thyroid went wonky, and I quit smoking... and gained an additional 40lbs on top of it! This surgery was for me, and I'm very pleased with where I'm heading. All of that said,,, YOU have to be ready to make changes. You cannot expect this surgery to work just because you're having surgery. YOU have to be ready to make changes as well. Make sure you're ready for that part. The surgery only works on our stomach, not our brain.

Try sipping on something warm. That has helped me after having something stuck. I think it helps relax things... And I adore mushrooms, but I've had the same thing happen with them. I'm 4 months out and still leery of them Hope you're feeling better soon!

I put mine on in the morning too. I just started about a week ago, so hopefully they'll give me good results!

Please don't push your new pouch... you are pretty new out of surgery, and your nerves haven't healed enough to tell your brain that your pouch is full... bananas are full of sugar. Sure, you may not have dumped this time, and you many never, but it's not protein forward. I understand that some doctors allow things like bananas, but I doubt he suggested a whole one. Try things like cottage cheese, eggface's ricotta bake (google it), Oikos triple zero yogurt, hummus, mashed beans. Get your brain onboard with your new lifestyle changes, and it'll make it easier for you in the long run.

I'm sorry you're going through all of this. I've never dealt with a Fluid leak from the spine, but I hope ultimately it's not a huge deal! How to deal with the fear of anesthesia?? Denial... although I had had two other surgeries prior to my RNY, I still get the creepy feelings of 'what if's' that sneak in... but I tend to try to ignore that as much as possible. I think about how many people go through surgeries every day/month/year and come out of it JUST FINE... Talk to your doctor and ask him how many surgeries he's performed, and how successful he is. Maybe that will help? I hope you get the MRI settled with the insurance company sooner than later! Good luck!

I've not seen anything about spray vitamins, but I've seen a lot of good things about the Vitamin Patch (PatchMD). I started using that about a week ago... hoping my numbers are great at my next appointment because I'm forever forgetting to take my vitamins, and some of them taste so nasty I can barely choke them down!

Your stomach has just been cut on, and the nerves were also cut. It's very hard to feel 'full' when the nerves can't send the signals to your brain. Give it time, and always ALWAYS measure and only eat what your doc suggests (or even less). Once your stomach has had time to heal, and you start on more dense foods, you'll feel the full feeling again. Although, the feeling I feel now is different than what I used to feel when I was full - it's much more unpleasant. I eat much less than what my doctor allows because of it. I don't like the full feeling I get now.

How many calories are you eating? At 9 weeks I would think it almost impossible to actually gain real weight. Are you getting your water in? Working out doesn't mean more calories. At 9 weeks, I can't see how you could eat enough to actually gain weight... unless you are eating a lot of carbs. No simple carbs AT ALL. Just lean protein and maybe a bite or two of non starchy veggies. That's it.

Everyone is different with what they dump. I'm only 4 months and haven't had anything with any bigish amount of sugar in it because I don't want to go there. I want to use my honeymoon stage and milk it for what it's worth! LOL I guess if you tried a 1/2 of one, you could see how you felt on that?

I don't know how old you are, but maybe it's a hormonal thing... like your testosterone levels are low?

Get more flavors of the drink drops (I like the blueberry pomegranate and the cherry pomegranate) Have a warm decaf cup of coffee/latte sugar free hot chocolate Hot flavored tea There's really not much more of a choice, to be honest.

For now on you don't eat until you feel full. You measure. You eat to refuel your body. Not to feel full. And at only 2 weeks out, you have cut nerves that don't allow you to feel a full sensation anyway. If you eat too much you run the risk of hurting your pouch, damaging your insides. If you feel hungry, and it's not time to eat, drink more Water. Mostly it's your brain messing with you at this point. I'm only 4 months out, so I remember quite well how I didn't feel full, but I measured and only ate 1/4C of what I was cleared to eat. As I hit the solid food stages I couldn't even eat what was 'allowed' by my plan. Even today I can't eat 3oz of a solid dense Protein like chicken or beef. I do good to get 2ounces in. Things will change, but don't start testing the waters already. Just follow your plan. If you want to be successful long term (like 5 years out), start using the good habits now.

I mostly tell the truth. I figure if they are going to talk about me, might as well have the facts in line Plus, I think it's good that the truth be known. The stigma behind our surgeries is because people don't know the facts (Jack). I tell them the percentage of those that lose and regain without the help... I tell them that I only have a small window of opportunity to lose and then I'll be just like any other person trying to maintain weight loss, only I'll have a tool that will allow me to have a much better chance at success... I blabber on and on Hahaha! With acquaintances, I just tend to say thank you when they notice my weight loss. And they don't know me well enough to be asking me any other questions as far as I'm concerned! I'm flabbergasted though at how many people have not said a word to me about my weight loss... like my snarky sister in law... 68 pounds and not one word out of her mouth - and she KNOWS about the surgery

At only a couple of weeks out, your stomach is still swollen and healing. You can't feel fullness because your nerves were cut. Measure, and don't push it, and don't worry. Once those nerves start working again, and the swelling goes down, you'll feel plenty of restriction. At almost 4 months out, I still have plenty of restriction, get food stuck, and can't even eat the amount my doctor said I could try for. You'll get there, but don't push things now because you might hurt your newly formed stomach!

I think most everyone gets scared... I got freaked out because I didn't get scared! LOL And I'm a lot older than you. I am 51, and it went like a breeze. It will for you too! Just don't push it post surgery, meaning both activity and food. Just because your doctor tells you you can move on to a new food group, it doesn't necessarily mean your new tummy will handle it. Don't get discouraged about that, just take a step back and wait a little while longer... that's been my biggest hurdle to overcome!

Those arms!!! So impressed! Scar, no scar, pain... looks like it was worth everything and anything! You look fabulous!!!