CJ Sunshine

I had issues with diarrhea the first three weeks following my surgery. It seems that I am one of the ones who became lactose intolerant post op. Once I moved to the puree stage and was getting less dairy based protein, my bowel movements became more "normal." As for something else to drink, I drank/drink herbal teas (hot or iced) and sometimes I put a dash of juice in my water...not enough to add a lot of sugar, but just a little bit of flavor. Decaf coffee is another option.

It's called the third week stall...it happens to a lot of people. Just keep doing what you are supposed to and the scale will catch up.

It can take several weeks for your body to let go of all the extra fluids they pumped you full of in the hospital. I know people who gained 20 lbs in the hospital! it was all fluid...your body is inflamed, so it is going to retain that water....Just keep sipping your liquids and you will be fine. The scale will reflect the loss...it just takes time.

You might want to try Unjury chicken soup. It is 21 g of protein and it is savory instead of sweet...I found it very easy to get down. I'm more concerned about you posting that you only got down 3/4 of a bottle of water. I don' t know how many ounces that is, but water is your number 1 concern right now...you need to try to get as close to 64 oz per day of fluids...way more important than the protein in the first few weeks.

What about catering it? At five weeks post-op, I still have no interest in food, so being around it doesn't actually bother me. But I still don't like eating in restaurants yet...however, if your family wanted to eat out, you could go along and just get some butternut squash soup or something like that. I'm probably going to cook Thanksgiving dinner this year, but it will be simpler. But I should be able to eat most of the food, in teeny tiny portions, by then. By Christmas, you will at least be able to eat some of the food, so don't worry about that one...

Staples? So was yours an open procedure, instead of laparascopic? No wonder you were in a lot of pain!

I just finished purees and am on soft food now. My favorite thing, both for taste and ease of eating, was and still is cottage cheese. I always loved cottage cheese and I found that it went down so easily, that it remains a favorite. Also, I loved the pea soup I made from scratch.

5 weeks post op SIPS DS...no vomiting here either. I don't react badly to anesthesia (some do) and I have followed my doctor's instructions very carefully....the thing that takes time to wrap my head around is just how slowly and how thoroughly I must chew anything and how little I can eat at one time.

I haven't needed it yet, but I've read a lot of people recommend Devrom. It's an internal deodorizer. You can buy it at the drug store or on line.

OMG, I so relate to this post! I read on here about people who are eating solid food almost immediately after surgery...now, 5 weeks out, I cannot even imagine that! I just moved on to soft foods, which includes fish and dark meat chicken and I can barely get 2 ounces in...and some things (ground turkey to be exact) just don't work! I'm grateful that in the first weeks my diet was so limited. I didn't care about food anyway and it made it easy to get my protein in...plus it all went down so easily. My recovery experience would have been very different if I'd tried solid food quickly. I'm still needing a shake for breakfast, because otherwise I couldn't possibly get enough protein in...even with a shake and fairlife milk in the morning, some days I still come up just short (although most of the time I hit my 80g).

I'm 5 weeks post op. The other day I told my wife I wasn't crazy about something she'd made. She said, "Well you aren't crazy about anything since your surgery, so your opinion only 1/2 counts." It's true though...nothing thrills me...I suppose it will change, but right now I'm just not that into anything.

Wow! That's great on all fronts. You look fantastic AND you are healthy! Way to go!

Yes, I don’t think I will be able to avoid replacement, but I’m only 49, so the longer I can postpone it the better!!

One of the most healing things I've ever done for myself was put out pictures of me at all different sizes....those are all parts of me and I don't want to be ashamed of me...thin, fat or somewhere in between, I'm worthy of being remembered and so are you!! I bet your husband isn't embarrassed when you are in the picture...bet he loves you for who you are regardless of the size you happen to be...

sounds like you need to undo that memory and replace it with a good one when you get to goal!! I want to take my wife to either Hawaii or Germany...two places I've been that she hasn't and that I really want to share with her...

I have set an intermediate goal...250 lbs. I need to get under 250, to have knee surgery (which I'm hoping I won't need when I get there)....but that's the maximum my orthopedist said he could do the surgery....I figure when I get there, I may decide to set another goal.

You are being too hard on yourself! You are losing at a great rate...and p.s., your co-workers are not just being nice. There is a dramatic difference and you are doing great!!! Give yourself credit where due. You are doing an amazing job!

Normal is different for each of us. Every doctor has a different plan. For me, fish came at week 5 (yesterday!)...but I've read some posts from people who were eating solid food almost immediately after surgery. What did your doctor tell you to do? Do that.

I guess I'm lucky...since my surgery 5 weeks ago, I have no appetite and no hunger..Once in a while I think I'm hungry, but then I eat a couple bites and I'm like, "yeah, I'm good."

I am also a SIPS patient (they just don’t have a SIPS option on this forum)... since I moved to purées, things have quieted down a bit. I think I may have become a little lactose intolerant post surgery. I’ve been told that can change again, but for now, I think too much dairy was part of the problem. In those first weeks, my diet was largely dairy. I seem to be able to tolerate some dairy but not quite so much.

Agreed. I had/have total confidence in him and I do believe he genuinely cares about his patients. So far, I too have had a great recovery.

Do you cook the bacon crust first? How do you get it crisp?

I'd never heard that before...interesting...

Wishing you a very speedy recovery! May it go as easily and smoothly as mine has been...I'm 24 days post op and feeling great.

I just finished my liquid phase and moved onto purees this week. I puree everything and I often have to add a bit of broth, to get it thin enough...otherwise it does not sit very well. I haven't thrown up, but a couple of things just feel like they sit in my stomach like a lead weight...pureed homemade beef stew looks utterly disgusting, to be honest, but actually tasted pretty good...I just try not to look at it while I eat it...