lily06

Thanks ! I have unflavoured protein but it’s so hard to actually mix in that i’d given up on it entirely. I’ll try changing brands hopefully that helps 😊

It’s probably the swelling - i had that feeling for 4 days so i feel for you. And don’t worry post op constipation won’t last more than 4-5 days. Try and get your water in that’ll help !

Oooh let me know what you think of the clear protein from myprotein i have a watermelon sample that i haven’t tried yet - i tried another brand and it was disgusting so i’m scared of being disappointed 🤣

Officially 2 weeks post op as of yesterday and i feel like i’m finally in a groove : i can serve food and know if it’s too much. I’ve mastered what my new normal portion is. I have also managed to make sure my water intake is ok (not great, around 1.5 litres per day should be a little more). I feel much better and have even had morning or afternoon snacks on the go which is great as i feel i’ll be able to manage once i go back to work next week. I’m not getting enough protein in daily yet because i can no longer stomach protein shakes, they feel heavy on my stomach and have made me throw up the last 2 times i’ve tried them. I have a couple more brands to try and hopefully one of them works. I tried protein water but honestly i can’t stomach it either (taste wise) - everything seems so sweet … I don’t have much room for vegetables and i’m craving some so badly. I’m going to try and incorporate some but i have to prioritise the little protein i’m getting in so it won’t be easy. One thing i’ve learnt this past week: some days i can eat more than others. It almost scared me one day but the next few days i ate so much less than i realised we just need more sometimes ! Weight wise i’m at 10.9 kgs (24 lbs) down which is great so far :) I know a stall is near as everyone mentions the 3 weel stall so i’m’trying to be reasonable and weigh in less ! My new goals for the week are to make sure i reincorporate vitamins and minerals that will help me fight any fatigue next week when i go back to work. And also, to up my protein intake ! Hope everyone is doing well :)

I’m wondering how many different foods i should be trying at each food stage. I’ve been eating the same meals for a couple of days (white fish and veggies pureed together) purely because one filet of fish cooked ended up making 5 of my tiny meals. But i wonder if i should be varying meals more ? As in intentionally trying new foods ? I’m moving to soft foods next week so i was looking for meal ideas… Also, how do you you know you’re actually ready to move up a food stage ? I’m scared of soft foods then regular food :O

I do have the detailed food plan it’s just that once something works in my stage i stick to it - i don’t try anything else on the approved list for my stage And i was wondering if maybe it’s better to try a new food on the approved list every couple of days … i don’t know if that makes sense Almost like testing tolerance to as much as possible within the plan of course

10 days post op today and i feel sooooo much better. Those first few days were tough ! I was kind of panicking because i wasn’t keeping things down well but the past 3 days have been a breath of fresh air. I moved to purees, and was able to eat scrambled eggs with a little low fat cream cheese, mashed veggies and white fish puréed together and i have finally found the one protein shake that does not make me throw up haha Every day is getting easier - i think i’ve finally mastered the quantity i can eat after the first 3 days of purees where i systematically threw up after eating too much … I realised that no matter what my eating plan says i need to adapt size of the meal to what i can actually manage. I can finally also manage water comfortably and that is such a relief !!

I had my surgery on the 3rd April and packing wise the only things i actually used were: - lip balm - facial wipes - face moisturiser - hand sanitizer - showers shoes and slippers My entire face was so so dry and flakey which never happens - i was completely mortified thank god i packed a little skincare it made me feel so much better hahaha

Hi ! I’m 7 days post op and have been home for 4 days. i had the same feeling that i suspect was brought on by a mix of adapting to being home and my « new normal » but also the fatigue from the surgery. I almost cried the first two days, and was asking myself why i’d done this to myself … but then i realised this is just the beginning, and the « strictest » of restrictions but in only a few weeks i’ll be able to eat more varied things. I also read through my eating plan and phases to make sure i’m well versed on what to eat and when and how to manage the next weeks. Being prepared kinda helps me mentally realise there is better to come. I think it’s normal to feel this way after such a major change but stay strong, i’ve been feeling better and better every day and it’s important to celebrate that to keep spirits up ! I realised if i want to be able to get to the point where i can eat real food i just need to work and concentrate on how i’m’feeling: eating slowly and concentrating on how i feel so that i’ll learn to recognise being full, when to stop etc That’s my main priority for this second week! If you need to talk don’t hesitate :)

I’m 6 days post op and i’ve found that warm liquids (teas, infusions or broths) are the only forms of hydration i can take. Still water cold or room temp just feels heavy on my stomach. Granted i’m Still very swollen from the surgery but warm drinks seem to soothe me so much more. - they also are easier to physically drink like i did before sipping tea is the norm. Sipping water is a conscious effort so takes more work if that makes sense.

Could it be diastasis recti ? A seperation of abdominal muscles. Not sure if that helps. Hope you find answers soon !

Saturday 6th april and i am finally home !! So excited to be in my own bed tonight i could not get comfy in hospital … i barely made it through 1.5 hours without waking up each night. I can’t wait to finally get some rest. I picked up all my meds and a nurse will be coming twice daily to change bandages and administer injections but i feel pretty good. Trying to get into the swing of drinking and eating but it feels like i can’t do both right now. I’ve had 500ml of water by 3pm but one managed to eat like 70g of food all day. Hoping it gets easier each day because today got me worried about the lack of calories i’m getting in … going to work on making lower volume higher cal and higher protein purées so it’s less quantity but better quality food So glad to be home ! Everything feels so much more manageable being in a comfortable environment 😊

Well, i went in on 3rd april, at 8.30am as planned. I was rushed in pretty quickly because the surgeon was done with his earlier procedures and so i didn’t have time to really get to grasp what i was doing - i went from registration to being rushed by the nurses to change and next thing i knew i was being wheeled into the OR. The operation didn’t go as planned - it was supposed to last 1.5 hours but ended up being 3 hours long because, as my surgeon tells me, my abdominal muscle wall was thicker than expected and he had to pull apart my muscles to access my stomach. I woke up in so much muscle pain … like having done 1500 crunches or something. I was in and out of sleep for the rest or the afternoon and night. I was on a morphine drip, and hydration drip but in pretty much the same pain - i had a drain in also that was unplanned and uncomfortable. The next day i was feeling pretty terrible : pain and nausea really set in. I had horrible acid reflux and having not eaten anything for now 48 hours i was really feeling just down and exhausted. Today, i hurt way less. I’m off the morphine and hydration drip and drinking by myself. I’ve also had my first non liquid food in the form of yoghurt and apple sauce. I think that’s made me feel so much better. I still have mild muscle pain but it’ll get better. I get to go home tomorrow thank god i feel like being home will help soooo much