Lizardlady

I had issues with acid stomach from time to time pre surgery. After surgery I was fine up until a few days before I started to actually eat food so almost 2 weeks (maybe my stomach knew it was coming soon lol). After that I had CONSTANT acid reflux. Even water would make it flair up. It was horrid so I asked the surgeon and he told me that I need to take a Pantoprazole once every day. He said a lot of times it will go away by about month 3 so I guess we'll see. With the meds, I'm perfectly fine though and I haven't had any issues since, so don't worry too much about it.

My post op diet consists of having at least 1 Protein shake a day even after I'm on regular textures but I can't stomach them much anymore, at least for right now. I got sick of them pretty fast. If you're wanting something "fruity" then you could try Isopure 0 carb (if your diet is like mine and limiting carbs) or you could try Syntrax nectar brand fruity flavors. They do have a variety pack on the BariatricPal Store that I got to try. Here's the link: https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/variety-packs/products/syntrax-nectar-protein-powder-sampler-variety-bag-15-flavors I haven't come across any protein that doesn't have ANY flavor at all. Even the unflavored protein powder does change the taste of things but Syntrax does also have an unflavored powder that is supposedly "virtually tasteless in food and drink." To me though, it does still have some flavor to it but maybe give it a try.

I would suggest finding a good nutritionist and preferably one that has some experience with bariatric patients. I'm in the middle of looking for one right now myself.

I'm 4 weeks post op and was NOT having issues until this past Monday. The previous week my surgeon started me on a vitamin regimen that has quite a bit of iron. Well after a few days I had issues with constipation. Come to find out that the iron in the vitamins, protein drinks, cheese and peanut butter can all cause issues and I had been using peanut powder in some of my shakes. Everything combined I'm sure didn't help! Yesterday I couldn't take it anymore so I used a Fleet enema. I've never had any kind of enema before but it helped right away. I texted my surgeon asking if I should change my vitamin regimen or what he would suggest and he said to try some milk of magnesia or Miralax. Hope this helps!

So, I needed some extra protein tonight since I was not hungry for breakfast and decided I would go for one of my packets of Sunkist tuna to fill in the gap. This time it was Thai style though and it is a bit spicy. I didn't think about it until after a few bites and my stomach started to get angry at me. It doesn't hurt, just noisy(er) than usual. So it got me wondering if spicy food is ok for my sleeve? I'm about 4 weeks out if that makes any difference.

Awesome! Thanks gals, at least I know I didn't do something terrible lol. My stomach sure made me think I did!

My nut actually made a joke about "Flinstone vitamins DO NOT count!" My surgeon and nut both recommended either the Bariatric Fusion (with iron) or the Celebrate brand. Both are chewable and both are available on the Bariatricpal store. They are about the same price as my surgeon's office. Only thing I will say is that the iron seems to be making me..... constipated lol. So watch out for that! Otherwise, they are pretty darn good vitamins.

This is probably more of a vent than anything else. I'm sure I'm not the first and I know it's not the end of the world but I'm starting to get very frustrated at the things I'm "allowed" to eat right now. I'm getting sooo sick of the same 3 flavors of Soup (cuz I can only have 98% fat free CREAM soup) and the same broth and the same non fat yogurt mixed with sugar free jelly and some pudding and Jello in between. I can't even tolerate the Protein drinks anymore. I'm on day 8 now (including surgery day) and I have only had 1 full Protein Drink since. I couldn't stand the taste of the others even though pre-op they were fine. I was ok at first but now it's getting worse. Instead of 3 flavors of cream soup, I can no longer tolerate cream of mushroom (it WAS my favorite of the 3). It now tastes disgusting to me post op. Maybe I'm just more irritated because I already had to do the liquid diet twice pre-op (they ended up pushing back my date the last day of my liquid diet the first time so I had to do it again for when I was rescheduled). Whatever it is, I feel extremely crabby and like my will to keep going is slowly being broken down. Anyone have any suggestions? What helped you through the 2nd phase (days 3-13) and farther along? I'm having a hard time finding things that even sound appealing that will give me the protein I need and stay within the boundaries of the post op diet. Diet is full liquids: Blended Soups yogurt Protein Drinks pudding jello Water broth

As long as you get up every few hours and move around and keep yourself hydrated you should be fine. I slept A LOT the first 2 weeks and I didn't even take my pain meds (cept 1 pill on day 3 cuz I had a migrane as well ugh!). It may not just be the meds making you tired. I tend to get very tired whenever my body has a major injury that needs to heal.

I am simply sick (literally) and bored of Isopure EVERY SINGLE DAY. I was able to tolerate it for a few weeks but after drinking it for 2 weeks straight (1/2 bottle for breakfast and 1/2 bottle for dinner) I can't do it anymore. I have tried the Premier shakes as well. All of the thicker shakes taste about the same to me with the same horrible after taste and they just don't taste good to begin with! I NEED something with flavor (and texture) that makes me THINK I'm doing something bad lol. In other words.... it just needs to taste GOOD without a bad after taste. I was thinking about making my own with a banana and Peanut Butter but then I have to admit that I was a bit stunned by all the carbs in a banana soooo. I think that is out of the question. I DID find that JIF makes a peanut butter powder that is 85% less fat than reg peanut butter and has 4g of carbs per 3 Tbsp and only 1g of sugar..... which doesn't sound bad at all. If anyone has tried it please let me know your thoughts! So I'm willing to give the peanut butter powder a shot, but what else would go well with peanut butter? Any other ideas for a good tasting shake?

This 4th of July I of course won't be able to partake in some of the other grilled goodies everyone else is eating. However, my fiance offered to make me some steamed crab legs on the 5th which is the day I start phase 4 (soft textures: very soft moist foods, dark chicken meat, fish, eggs, ground meat and soft cooked veggies). Crab legs are pretty tender so I am thinking they would fit into that catagory, however, they are also quite rich. Any other seafood lovers out there? When were you able to eat crab legs?

That is really weird..... Out of curiosity, why is the imitation crab meat ok and not the real kind? Just wondering their reason since it is actually so much better for you and contains no carbs or sugar like the imitation does.

LOL!!! Here's hoping I NEVER have that problem! Even at my thinnest, my legs have always been pretty muscular so as long as I keep up with my Protein, I doubt that I'll ever have to post something like that. My son is asking what I am laughing so hard about. At least I got a good laugh today so thanks for that!

My first 2 weeks I was getting less than 200 calories a day because the liquid diet was progressively getting harder and harder for me. Things made me sick that I could eat before surgery. I texted my surgeon since I was overly tired/weak and concerned that I might need to find another way to up my calories. He told me not to concern myself with calories and to just make sure I get at least 2 protein drinks a day and stay hydrated. This was MY surgeon of course so yours may be more concerned with calories. Have you tried to call or text him since surgery and let him know you're having trouble reaching his calorie goal?

If it were up to me (which it is not), I'd look for a new surgeon that you like. It was good for him to cancel if he couldn't give you aftercare but that was a bit late in my opinion. On day 5 of your liquid diet? Really?!

I was also scared of the surgery the first time it was scheduled (I ended up needing to be rescheduled for clearance) and for some reason, although the risk was pretty minimal, I kept thinking "What if I don't wake up?" and "Maybe I haven't tried hard enough to do this myself." I even wrote a note for my son just in case I didn't wake up. The closer and closer my date got, the more nervous I got and the more I tried to talk myself out of it. The day before my surgery was supposed to happen, they called and said my Dr. has not cleared me because I need to go to a cardiologist. If I'm being honest, I almost breathed a sigh of relief and thought "ok now is my chance! I will take this time to prove to myself whether or not I can do this on my own!" 2 days later I was back to eating pizza and breadsticks =/. I failed, however, I also believe I NEEDED that extra time to think and to show myself that I would NOT stick to any diet on my own. It would only get worse if I didn't do the surgery. When the next surgery date came, I was a lot less nervous and I knew that this is what I have to do for myself and my family. I'm not saying that you will no longer crave the things you liked before. I'm not saying it's easy either but it is a tool that does help in "resetting" your body. Not feeling hungry allllll the time helps a ton as well. I am only a few weeks out from surgery so I can't tell you how I will feel a year or even months out, but right now, it is helping me. Sometimes not always in ways I would have thought (sometimes stuff just makes me gag even if I could eat it before), but regardless of how I get there, I am more determined than ever to get there. In the past I had fleeting moments of thinking "I can do this!" and now it is a constant belief that I WILL achieve my goals. I can see the scale moving (in the right direction too!) and I can feel my body becoming healthier. My son is older than yours. He's at an age (10) where he needs to be outside running and playing and going places but I was not able to be the mother I needed to be for him. It hurts not being involved in the things that normal families should do. His grandmother or his dad or my sister would take him out places but I couldn't go because I had no energy and everything hurt. I was embarrassed to go anywhere, not just for myself but for my family. I didn't want to hold them back from having fun just because I couldn't walk for very long. I'd have to sit and take breaks. I couldn't go to a restaurant because I was scared I wouldn't fit in the booth. How embarrassing right? These aren't things I would normally tell ANYBODY. I kept it to myself and would just give an excuse. Looking back now, I've missed so much of my son's life because I let food of all things get in the way. Everyone's story is different but I did not get this way overnight! I too have PCOS and I've also had back surgery at a very young age (16) and the weight piled on significantly with birth control. My surgeon says I will likely not get rid of the back pain but I don't care! It couldn't possibly make it any worse! In fact, it's already feeling better. I'm going to power through this. Whatever it takes to get my life back is what I will do. Don't let fear guide your decision or your life. Go with what your heart tells you and whatever you decide, remember that you are doing it for the right reasons. Edit: Sorry for the very long post! lol

I have been sleeping/laying on my side since I got out of surgery and nobody told me I couldn't. Nurses even gave me extra pillows to put behind me to give some support. I have had back surgery so laying on my back is just not comfortable for me.

My book says I'm allowed "Very finely chopped or spreadable solid foods." Examples given are cottage cheese, tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, refried beans, tofu and mushed soft veggies. I'm wondering if overeasy eggs that are mashed up (since that is the way I eat them anyway) would go in this category? I ask because "eggs" aren't named until the soft texture phase but I'm guessing that's concerning scrambled eggs and hard cooked eggs?

Well they DO mention eggs but only in egg salad lol. So it's a bit confusing. I guess I will text my surgeon and ask. My nutritionist was having a family emergency last time I texted her which was about a week ago and she never did get back to me so I'm currently looking for a new one. I say eggs are eggs.....as long as they are as soft as what you would use for egg salad I think you're good to go. That's what I figured as well. If they are the same only without the extra junk and just soft yolks then I would assume they are fine. I thought about it for a few minutes after my last post and decided I'd go ahead and make some and it went down better than most of the other stuff I've had to eat on this diet and no upset stomach like some of the other stuff too (tuna salad did not go so well). So I guess we'll know soon enough. So far, so good!

Well they DO mention eggs but only in egg salad lol. So it's a bit confusing. I guess I will text my surgeon and ask. My nutritionist was having a family emergency last time I texted her which was about a week ago and she never did get back to me so I'm currently looking for a new one.

So I've noticed that I'm still very much (maybe even more so) attracted to the smell of bad foods. My fiance is a thin guy and can eat whatever/however much he wants but when I smell some of the things he eats, I WANT IT! I'm not at all hungry, but it's VERY tempting just to take a bite of his food. I'm not going to. My will power is still with me right now so fresh after surgery but how long will this last? Obviously the surgery fixes my stomach and not my head but I've heard others say that they just don't crave those things anymore. I don't want to CRAVE anything. What is it that changed that for you?

I have 5. Kind of in the shape of a cross. One is high about 4 inches or so below where my ribs meet. Then another about 3 inches above my belly button. 3rd is IN my belly button and then one on each side. They are all very small. All are less than an inch wide.

Has anyone tried making your own sugar free jello with a scoop of unflavored protein in it? If so, did it still taste ok?

I got some work to do on the new house tonight but when I get back I think I'll try this and let you guys know how it goes.

I would be careful asking your nurse friend to do you a favor like that. She could end up losing her job if there is no Dr. order to do so.