Orchids&Dragons

Good luck! I do Flintstones!

I drink a protein water on the way to work. To me, they're less cloying than shakes, although still quite sweet.

Little bit of control freak came out, huh? LOL But seriously, like you, I had my surgery in prime flu season, and did the whole hand sanitizer/avoid people thing, too.

I like the PP vanilla mixed into chai tea (from tea bag). Delish! Just like a chai latte! I do have to add one extra packet of Stevia, though. I have that in the evening while watching tv. Just like a dessert.

I found liquids to be really challenging. It does get better once you can chew a bit of something. I asked my husband and sons not to eat in front of me. Not forever, just in the beginning when I was struggling. Maybe it was selfish, but I had to do whatever was necessary for me to succeed. Sometimes I could be distracted if I ate something a bit solid, like a popsicle. Also, if you're not on clear liquids, soups were great. I personally loved the Roasted red pepper soup I found at Target. (It comes in a carton on the soup aisle.) Since soups aren't sweet, my brain was willing to think of them as a meal. Made me feel a little less deprived. But, overall, you just really need to power through the liquid stage. It's hard.

Welcome and best wishes on your upcoming surgery! This is a very supportive and friendly community, so dive right in! Laughing and coughing should not affect your staples. Neither does throwing up. Leaks are extremely rare, but they are possible. Scarring-Since you know this ahead of time, I'm sure your doctor will be on the lookout for "strictures". Basically, this is scar tissue that builds up and impedes the flow of food/liquids through your pouch into the intestines. If a stricture develops, the doctor uses a scope down your throat to get to it, then uses a balloon to stretch that section back out. Sometimes this needs to be done multiple times. Discuss this possibility with your doc. 15-20 minutes to finish a protein shake sounds about right. But this will only be in the very beginning. Most people start being able to drink more quickly (not gulping, but not tiny sips either) in a week or so. Good luck!

Yes, that is a pretty common concern Good luck with your surgery!

Welcome, Gina! This is a very friendly and supportive community. Feel free to dive right in! There are quite a few people here that had surgery in Mexico. I'm sure they'll offer you some advice. There have been many threads about surgery in Mexico. To search the entire site (rather than each thread individually) go to "home" and then type Mexico in the search bar.

Congrats on your surgery and best wishes for a speedy recovery! The weird feeling and pain from swallowing is because of the swelling in your stomach. The nice smooth "tube" that you saw in pictures pre-op is what your stomach will look like after the swelling goes down. But, right now, it's a lumpy-bumpy swollen mess that liquids find a way to trickle through. The worst swelling goes down pretty quickly and you should start to feel better soon. Good luck!

Congrats, Creekimp! That is fantastic!

Congrats on your successful surgery and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

I guess I've been lucky. I haven't seen or experienced many "mean" people on the site. Some are maybe diplomacy challenged or even quite blunt, but I don't think their intent is to disparage or insult. I think they take the time to respond to questions because they honestly want to help that person. Tough love is still love and, at least imo, support includes both positive and negative inputs. All the same, there are a couple of people I've put on my "ignore user" list because I find them to be dependably offensive and consider them trolls. But, overall, I think there is a lot a value to be had in the forums.

Glad you figured out what was holding you back! Some people are far more sensitive to sugars (even natural ones) and those carbs really mess them up.

Congrats on your surgery and hope your recovery is smooth! Welcome! This is a very supportive and friendly community. Feel free to dive right in!

I get that "weighted down" stomach will all solid proteins and, as you said, isn't fun. I've given up solids for now and am back to soups which I can handle fine, even if there's ground chicken or beef in them. Thanks for your description, that's how I'll explain it to my doc!

I don't know anything about hernia repairs, but you may still just need very wet foods. I'm still on mostly soups, myself. But that because of my stomach, not swallowing, per se. If yours hurts with the action of swallowing, maybe you're starting to get damage from acid reflux. Are you taking a ppi?

Good for you! That's how I ended up with a blue belt in karate! We had a family membership, everyone else dropped out so they converted family to many months of individual, and there I was! Unfortunately, I didn't really notice how much damage I was doing to my hips and knees until they got really bad They were already hyperextended and I think the constant pounding was really bad for unstable joints.

That is wonderful news! Praying for smooth sailing from here on out!

It probably means you're not quite ready for that food yet. What foods, exactly, are you having problems with?

Mine was basically a shortened post-op diet in reverse for 10 days total: 5 days mushy foods 3 days full liquids 2 days clear liquids No specific foods, no calorie limit, no alcohol. Not terribly difficult. Surgeon said my liver was flat as a pancake

I think you did the best thing you can in the circumstances. Good luck.

Ocean, this did help to clarify the extent of your cheating and some of your choices weren't as bad as they looked initially. However, it also highlights the fact that time after time, you elected to not follow the surgeon's diet plan. Once or twice, maybe. This many times shows you have some major issues that need to be addressed. You sure don't want to damage your pouch because of being non-compliant.

Yup, what Matt said. You're just one of the fortunate ones!

I'm like that. I have to eat matching colors of my Flintstones!

Wow, that's pretty rude