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draikaina8503

Gastric Bypass Patients
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  1. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    Well this time they didn’t operate on my stomach but with my sleeve I was for sure not able to eat what I could pre surgery. I always felt like I could eat more than others at any given stage but I never tested it too far beyond what I was supposed to have. At like 6 months out I was eating about what everyone else with a sleeve could (maybe a tad bit more) and at 3.5 years out I could eat like 4” or 5”’ of a sub but probably would’ve been full if I had stopped at 3”

    Not that I had them often but that was a question they asked me to get a good idea of capacity and it is pretty standard and easy to visualize. Lots of people do feel extremely full on next to nothing very early out, just means more inflammation. Also, they make the stomach a pretty standard size with the surgeries but I don't think they can control how much stretch our stomachs have. That’s not anything I got from a Dr. just my own guess to explain why we are not all the exact same at the same stage.

    I really hope you enjoyed your crab. I found a skinny scampi recipe that I’m gonna try making the sauce to dip mine in. I know that I won’t eat much at this point but I want to find the healthy recipes now while I’m not p hungry because last time I didn’t and i think that was part of why I regained. When I could finally eat more and my body was hungry I hadn't changed what i was eating enough to maintain the loss. Then at a certain point I just gave up trying. I am such a picky eater I have been really scouring the web for recipes. A friend of me said that making tacos with ground turkey tastes the same to her so I plan to give that a try when i can have them or taco salad.
  2. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to Onemealplan in August Surgery buddies   
    It was neat to watch but shocking to see what occurred. On the positive my liver looked great! lol my stomach looked like a tube. It’s truly a real reminder to take it easy and love yourself.
  3. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to Onemealplan in August Surgery buddies   
    Baby food carrots and squash. purée cottage cheese with soft fruit. I like peaches. Scrambled egg white with milk. Congratulations on your next stage.
  4. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to Onemealplan in August Surgery buddies   
    I hope the nausea gets better quickly. Maybe it’s a specific food? Could you get more Zolfran? I didn’t take time off either and regretted it. Maybe you can still do FMLA if needed. I still get exhausted by 2pm and just need a nap. Congratulations on the weight loss!! Feel better ❤️‍🩹 soon.
  5. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to Onemealplan in August Surgery buddies   
    I say go for it! Share with your husband and try a bit. I’m actually at Red Lobster now having crab.🦀 Had a few bites and went down just fine. Just take it one step at a time :D I will say I’m still in shock about how small my food intake is. Especially now at this stage. Did you feel that way before?
  6. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to Onemealplan in August Surgery buddies   
    Wow I didn’t even know you can have a taste switch like that! Sweets are difficult for sure. It’s every where and makes it a challenge for all of us. I can’t believe the amount of commercial we have just about food. Love me some fish tacos, tacos period. The true Mexican kind lol.

    I’ve actually had no GERD at all! I was concerned about that too but nothing happened, luckly!
  7. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    Did you see the idea for the ricotta bake? I have posted it a couple of times but it’s really good. I will add though that with the purée stage I was eating a lot of cheese and barely any Fiber and between that and the shakes the Constipation was pretty bad. I ended up adding some purée oats with the NP permission and some purée veggies with GENEPRO unflavored Protein Powder mixed in and I added a teaspoon of soluble fiber to my daily proffee and all that seems to have helped. The other thing that is pretty good is puree egg salad. I just made it like normal then put it in the food processor. Well I did use less of the yolks and subbed some Greek yogurt for half the low fat mayo to cut some fat. I thought it was gonna be really gross honestly but it pretty much tastes the same. The other thing I did was to purée a whole container of salsa and I add that to my scrambled egg beaters and my purée refried Beans for some flavor.
  8. Thanks
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    I can’t speak to the nausea other than suggesting you call your team and ask for more of the meds that work better. My team gave me ondansetron which is also used for nausea with chemo just in case. (I would assume that’s a pretty strong one). It does say it may cause drowsiness. I’m guessing yours does too.

    In terms of the non drug induced drowsiness it got a bit better for me with purées but I am still taking naps at 2.5 weeks out. Honestly I haven’t really done any chores other than make the bed, a little laundry because I have the raised pedestals and of course the dishes. I did sweep the floors with a broom last week but it took me all day because I was still in pain and I’m pretty sure the dirt pile I asked my hubby to get is still in the laundry room.

    Even if you don’t have outside incision pain, though, your insides are still healing so try to take it easy. I was told not twisting, bending, or straining of any kind for 6 weeks at least. I believe last time it was 8 weeks for anything involving over 10 pounds of weight but it’s been a while so I need to confirm that.

    I know how it feels to sit here and look at things piling up in terms of chores. I’m sure we all do, but you can seriously hurt yourself if you do too much too soon. To me it’s just not worth it. Other than dusting I just don’t see what chores don’t involve bending or twisting.

    I figure It will all still be waiting to be done when I am ready. It’s just me and my hubby and if it bothers him then he is perfectly capable of doing it himself. Really it’s just the bathrooms and the floors that I just can’t do properly. I have used Clorox wipes on the sink area and cleaned the mirrors. I may try to do the toilets today. I just won’t do the bottom part I guess.

    I do have an appointment this week as a follow up to the muscle cramp thing. I probably could cancel it since the magnesium is working but i want to ask her what I can be doing physically at that point. I will be 3 weeks out. I know that I am physically healed enough to be doing some faster walking so I plan to get my treadmill out and start doing that gradually.

    Anyways, all this to say please take it easy. Allow yourself some time. This is a pretty major surgery and it’s not at all uncommon to need some time to get back to 100%.
  9. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to RRenaeL23 in August Surgery buddies   
    My follow-up appointment is on this Thursday. Hoping to begin my next stage which I believe is the purée stage. Anyone have any ideas for first foods to try first during the puréed stage.

    thank you @Hiddenroses! For your support for Veterans!
  10. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to Pepper_No_Salt in August Surgery buddies   
    Hey everyone! It’s been a tough couple of days. I live in a constant state of nausea from the time I wake up until I go to bed. I’m out of Zofran so I take my Phenegren every 4 hours on the clock. It’s making it ridiculously hard to even begin to figure out my fullness cues. I’m hoping it gets better and I keep telling myself I survived a whole pregnancy on a Zofran pump so I can get through a couple weeks.
    The lack of energy is also hard. I went out yesterday and by 4 I was yawning and people kept asking if I was okay. I almost fell asleep driving home and crashed by 10pm. It’s like I can do one chore and then I have to rest for 30 minutes. I really didn’t think about this before and now I know why people take off work until they get to regular diet.
    The good news is I’m losing about a pound a day, I have no pain, and my incisions are healing well. Thursday I have a dietitian appointment and get moved to puréed foods!
  11. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    It just dawned on me that my first day of soft foods falls on Labor Day and I usually have snow crab legs since they always have them on sale for the holidays. I usually have other stuff with them that I can’t have now but I contemplating having them. Some people do develop allergies though and shellfish is certainly a common allergy so I’m a little scared. Part of me wants to go and get a scratch test to see if I’m allergic to anything now- although I’m not sure if that’s for foods and stuff anyways or just contact stuff. I had a little regular milk the other day and that went fine but peanuts and seafood scare me as well. I suppose I can just take a bite and then wait an hour. My husband will be home with me so I should be fine.
  12. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    Oh no they didn’t offer that to me this time or last. I bet that is so weird to watch. Sounds like it could be good to motivate you again if you start struggling a bit down the road again though.
  13. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    I think when you go on vacation if you just tell them you had stomach surgery they will understand. Don’t have to get into what it was specifically. Just says special diet prescribed by doctor. Or even it’s delicious but I already ate. All they really care about is knowing that it’s not because you are dissatisfied with the food.
    I was a savory person before my sleeve too. I had kind of a unique change to where I craved sweets which was another of the things that contributed to my regain. It’s pretty uncommon according to my dr. Post SADI I don’t feel like I am craving sweet as much. Perhaps because I know I can’t have the sweets I really would want but hopefully because that reversed itself again. We shall see. I know that I have been craving fish tacos which is really weird for me. I barely even ate fish pre surgery or post sleeve. Just made myself like once a month because I know its good for me.

    I don’t think the caffeine restriction is really about how you will feel when you have it. It’s more about affecting your healing and I think I also heard something about it causing irritation or GERD.
  14. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to Onemealplan in August Surgery buddies   
    If you’re on weeks 1/2 hang in there! It will get better ❤️‍🩹 and you will slowly be able to eat again.


    Did anyone get their surgery video? I did! And OMG it was fascinating but also made me feel such sympathy for my new stomach and what we went though. 
  15. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to Onemealplan in August Surgery buddies   
    Hey everyone! I’m reading though all the post and it’s interesting how similar and different our experiences are.

    Can’t thank you all enough for sharing because sometimes I feel like it’s just me lol.

    This is my second week of puree foods and I can now move into soft. However I can only hold 2oz of food every 3 hrs and I drink nothing but Water with electrolytes in between. I’m thinking soft foods might be too heavy for me. How much is everyone having of foods? I tried 30z of scrambled eggs yesterday took me 1 hr to finish lol. I accidentally had matcha 🍵 tea the other day because I forgot it had caffeine, silly me but my stomach did just fine. Granted it was the tip of a teaspoon with some milk. So this week I’ll be slowly adding dry decafe coffee to my morning warm cup of milk here and there.

    Oh homemade blended and straining apple, carrots, ginger is wonderful! I have about 4oz of it a day.

    I do feel “full” it’s a heaviness in my chest. I’m also still feeling discomfort here and there with purée foods as they go down my esophagus . Anyone else?

    That mental hunger hasn’t gone away and I know it will be a while before it does but I’m such a foodie that all I want is to “taste” food on my pallet that not the same everyday.

    I’m not doing artificial sugars, I’ve never liked them. My new stomach still doesn’t and nor does my pallet. I’m just going to keep sugar low as I always have. Savory foods is my achilles heal lol.

    I think because I’m not focused heavy on extra Protein in between foods I’ve not had issues with consipation. Take care of yourselves and just try one medication at a time. My stool is “lose” but not watery. I go every other day.

    I’ve started Vitamins but very slow and they are so sweet I have to force myself to like it. They are the Berimelts.

    I have a vacation coming up in two weeks, which I’m excited for! Mentally preparing myself for only having 1 taste of the food my husband and I decided to get. We have the same taste and always share or split plates so I’m not too worried about deciding on what to eat.

    I’m nervous about restaurants pushing food on me or asking if I didn’t like something or why we are ordering for one. If anyone lives in the UK please let me know if that’s uncommon. I know in the states when I said no water with my meal post surgery they looked at me crazy.

    I’m bummed that I won’t be able to enjoy beer or pub food in the UK but that’s just the way it is.

    Hope everyone is having a good recovery! ❤️‍🩹 I will say I’m so happy to be out of the liquid phase that was the worst for me. Also I didn’t drop any weight during the liquid phase that was my stall, funny enough because they say week 3, but not for me it was week 1 and 2. Now I’m dropping weight and down 20 pounds. (Yay) they said you’ll lose about half of your ideal weight within the 6 months so I’m on a good track. I do weigh myself daily and the scale is dijital so it records everything. I highly recommend those.

    Take care everyone!!
  16. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    For anyone earlier along in the process. Not sure if your allowed artificial sweeteners but the unsweetened applesauce for the purée stage is 1000 times better with a packet of Splenda mixed in. Honestly not sure why I didn’t think of it sooner.
  17. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    Well it’s always something. Our AC just went out and it’s 83 degrees already. Can’t even imagine tomorrow. 😩. My husband says he has to move stuff in the garage so they can get to everything and he can’t get it all tonight so he will call at 8am tomorrow and get someone out. I took a shower and used my leftover surgical soap on my belly so if I sweat and it soaks the steri strips at least it will not have bacteria in it. I have been reserving it for days before and after I will be out of the house and sweating like that so I still have a little left. I guess it could be worse, could’ve happened the first week while I was already miserable. I am gonna feel like a lazyu person when they come in and see my house too. It’s been two and a half weeks and I haven’t done much at all. I know they don’t really care but I always worry it will further the stereotype. I just assume they are judging when they see the overweight lady and think of course she is lazy. Ooh well between my stomach pain and the current temp I’m not moving from my two fans. 😂
  18. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    @draikaina8503 I was just thinking that if you’re allowed if you may want to use fat free milk or almond milk instead of Water to add to your shakes. It will add more Protein and probably taste better.
  19. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    I found a “recipe” where you mix 1/4 Cup of low fat or non fat (if you can find it) cottage cheese in with two scramble eggs and it comes out to 18g Protein. It made almost 3 1/4 cup servings so 6g per serving. To me the cottage cheese tastes kinda salty so it adds a bit of salt and creaminess to the eggs. I’m not sure how soft the eggs will be leftover though (may be too dry for us right now)! so I think next time I may just make one egg at a time. I am curious to try it with just egg whites to reduce the fat and up the protein even more because I can probably use 3 egg whites for the 3 servings.
  20. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    @draikaina8503 for the boiled chicken you just bring it to a boil and then reduce to simmer and cover it. It’s been a while but if I remember correctly it took close to 15 minutes for a giant chicken breast like you get from Walmart. You just take it out and cut it or use a meat thermometer to know it’s done but after you’ve done it a couple times you will pretty much just know time wise.
  21. Like
    draikaina8503 got a reaction from ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    Just had my first milestone walk - completed the entire block at a decent pace in 15 minutes! I was worried I wouldn't even make it to the end of the street, but I got there and felt like I could keep going... so I did. I can't wait for these weight restrictions for lifting/pulling/all that jazz to be lifted so I can actually take my dog out. But he's so hyper all the time that he would do more harm than good right now.
    I'm trying a plan today to hopefully reach my Fluid and Protein goals (like adding more Water to a premade shake and things like that). We'll see.
    Those of you who have had your first post-op appointment already, could you tell you were losing weight prior to the appointment? I can't and I'm terrified I'm doing things wrong. But I guess since I actually made it around the block in a decent time, maybe something is working.
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    @ShoppGirl
    I'm definitely going to be looking into making the proffee. Iced coffee is my fave (though honestly, I just love coffee). I foresee me making it the night before, just so that I don't have to get up even earlier when I return to work. At least until I get a rhythm going lol.
    Huh, I didn't even know there were different ones, other than the Protein 2o with caffeine and without. So that is good information. I've been having one of the electrolyte ones a day, because honestly it was just so much for me to drink at once. I know I really need to focus on those goals, but man... I can't even finish a premade Protein Shake in 30 minutes right now.
    I'm glad you got to enjoy your crochet group, and kudos on feeling better in your normal clothes! 27lbs is no joke, so another grats to you for sticking to it and seeing it through to the other side. And congrats as well on your NSV with the car seat!
    It's nice to have cheerleaders. I haven't really told many people about my surgery - my husband (obviously), a few best friends, and my in-laws. My in-laws were... probably the most negative of everyone, telling me how they knew people who had the surgery and it ended up not working for them. But I knew they were just offering their perspective.
    Those suggestions from your crochet group are amazing! I love Ms. Dash flavors myself, and the food processor idea is amazing. Responding to a later post - I'm glad it worked!!! Makes me look forward to that puree stage even more.
    I think putting a band aid over the incision under your breast is a good idea for a while. I know I'm just as nervous about my incisions (though I can't wait for these staples to be out, holy crap). So I too would be erring on the side of caution, just to make sure I didn't open them up again or anything.
    Ohhhhh, good information about the peas, corn and collagen. I'll have to double check my book when I get to the pureed stage. (Though someone's idea about getting baby food some time ago in this forum is still like... the best idea ever to me.)
    You have soft foods coming up already? That's awesome! Although, you did have surgery a bit before me, so that makes sense lol. I am nervous about doing anything beyond the full liquids currently, just because I'm not sure what to expect with my new stomach. But at the same time, I can't wait to move it right along.
    I'm sorry to hear about your dog. ❤️
    I've never boiled chicken before. How do you know when it's ready?
    I'm sure as I progress, I'll definitely have more questions. Right now, I'm just focusing on my fluid and protein goals. And not overdoing it with the pain. I took myself off the narcotics because I am terrified of taking them more than necessary, but I'm not sure Tylenol is cutting it either. Maybe I'll break down and take one tonight so I can hopefully get some sleep since I've been struggling getting comfortable.
    Thank you for the website recommendation! I'm trying to do all the reading and stuff to make sure I can stay on top of everything. I too am a 'by the rules' person if I know the rules, and I really need this to work for me.
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    @RRenaeL23
    You are very welcome! I hope that helps you out some, and you definitely deserve all the encouragement. Everyone here does. We are all each other's cheerleaders because we know what we are going through, and we're going through it together.
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    @Hiddenroses
    I know what you mean about being easier to type from a desktop computer. I have to have a separate word document open to help me organize my thoughts as I'm responding to each post. That's another reason why it takes me like... a couple of days between posts. (My ADHD is also responsible for that, but shhhhhhhh.)
    I'm sorry that Wednesday was exhausting for you. I've had a couple of nights now where I'm just not sleeping. I can't get comfortable. I'm not in pain, but it just seems that since I took myself off my pain meds that I have been extremely tender in the abdomen lately.
    I do like your idea of the 'no noodle' Soup, and will definitely keep that in mind for when I make it to the puree stage. I have so much stuff to get for that point, but I'm waiting until I'm actually at that point. I am looking forward to the ricotta bake that ShoppGirl has mentioned a few times. Though, admittedly, I'm just looking forward to different flavors.
    You are welcome again for the pillow idea. My pillow is my best friend right now, literally lol. It protects me from the overzealous dogs I have as well as just provides relief. My left side is also where most of my tenderness/pain is at this point, so being able to apply pressure there has been really helpful. And... a month or two to recover??? My husband might lose his mind lol. He still forgets I just had surgery and is like, "Will you cook dinner? " No, no I will not. You are an adult, figure it out.
    I am not taking any kind of collagen. The only thigns I got were what the doctor told me to get, which was my multivitiman with Iron and the Calcium supplements. They did not recommend anything else, so I went out of my way to make sure I didn't get anything else lol. I did not want to screw up anything regarding this surgery.
    I'm still using an antibacterial body wash, so I guess that's the biggest thing. So enjoy your Hibiclens while you have it! (And absolutely, if insurance paid for it - TAKE IT ALL. lol)
    Baritastic has been great, so I also highly recommend. It's what my bariatric team wanted me to use, and I've been using it faithfully. I have noticed a few things that had the wrong information, but it is easy enough to correct.
    I'm glad you got in contact with your testing center and will be meeting with a counselor soon. Honestly, getting tested was the best thing I've ever done and told me so much about myself. Finch sounds kind of like Habitica, which is what I have been using to help me set routines and habits and such.
    40-60g of protein for a female? My bariatric team says a minimum of 60g of protein a day, and the more the merrier. I'm still amazed at how different offices handle things. Pre-surgery, I was averaging 90-100g of protein a day, and they were ecstatic about that. They did say the more protein I could handle before and after surgery, the less likely I would be to lose my hair and things like that. I'm still not quite up to that 60g mark post-op, but I'm hoping I might be able to hit it today.
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    @Pepper_No_Salt
    Welcome to full liquids! Sounds like your first post-op appointment went well!
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    @Greekmom4
    The refried Beans with salsa and a little bit of mozzarella sounds yummy. I'm used to eating medium salsa, but I'm pretty sure that's a no go for a while lol. Those are also good tips for starting the soft stages of food.
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    @AndreaJD (I'm not sure why it suddenly won't let me tag you?)
    My incisions can't make up their mind if they want to hurt or if they want to itch. They seem to alternate between both, though the ones on my left side tend to hurt more than the others.
    I do absolutely have those moments of "I want...." though mine are more like, "I want a slice of cheese, just to have something different than liquids." There are a few times that I want things I used to have, like Cheez-Its. But I know those aren't on the table, so I am able to push those away fairly quickly. But as someone who loves a variety of food, I'm really struggling with just "I want ANYTHING different than my current liquids."
    I'm glad your sister is showing her support. I've been on Pinterest myself, pinning recipes for Future Me to be able to have.
    As for weighing, I literally do not weight myself. Only at the doctor's office. Because I DO get hyperfixated on those numbers and will absolutely derail myself mentally. Maybe I'll go to weighing myself once a month at home after a few post-op visits, but for now I'm just doing it strictly at the doctor's office.
  22. Like
    draikaina8503 got a reaction from ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    Just had my first milestone walk - completed the entire block at a decent pace in 15 minutes! I was worried I wouldn't even make it to the end of the street, but I got there and felt like I could keep going... so I did. I can't wait for these weight restrictions for lifting/pulling/all that jazz to be lifted so I can actually take my dog out. But he's so hyper all the time that he would do more harm than good right now.
    I'm trying a plan today to hopefully reach my Fluid and Protein goals (like adding more Water to a premade shake and things like that). We'll see.
    Those of you who have had your first post-op appointment already, could you tell you were losing weight prior to the appointment? I can't and I'm terrified I'm doing things wrong. But I guess since I actually made it around the block in a decent time, maybe something is working.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    @ShoppGirl
    I'm definitely going to be looking into making the proffee. Iced coffee is my fave (though honestly, I just love coffee). I foresee me making it the night before, just so that I don't have to get up even earlier when I return to work. At least until I get a rhythm going lol.
    Huh, I didn't even know there were different ones, other than the Protein 2o with caffeine and without. So that is good information. I've been having one of the electrolyte ones a day, because honestly it was just so much for me to drink at once. I know I really need to focus on those goals, but man... I can't even finish a premade Protein Shake in 30 minutes right now.
    I'm glad you got to enjoy your crochet group, and kudos on feeling better in your normal clothes! 27lbs is no joke, so another grats to you for sticking to it and seeing it through to the other side. And congrats as well on your NSV with the car seat!
    It's nice to have cheerleaders. I haven't really told many people about my surgery - my husband (obviously), a few best friends, and my in-laws. My in-laws were... probably the most negative of everyone, telling me how they knew people who had the surgery and it ended up not working for them. But I knew they were just offering their perspective.
    Those suggestions from your crochet group are amazing! I love Ms. Dash flavors myself, and the food processor idea is amazing. Responding to a later post - I'm glad it worked!!! Makes me look forward to that puree stage even more.
    I think putting a band aid over the incision under your breast is a good idea for a while. I know I'm just as nervous about my incisions (though I can't wait for these staples to be out, holy crap). So I too would be erring on the side of caution, just to make sure I didn't open them up again or anything.
    Ohhhhh, good information about the peas, corn and collagen. I'll have to double check my book when I get to the pureed stage. (Though someone's idea about getting baby food some time ago in this forum is still like... the best idea ever to me.)
    You have soft foods coming up already? That's awesome! Although, you did have surgery a bit before me, so that makes sense lol. I am nervous about doing anything beyond the full liquids currently, just because I'm not sure what to expect with my new stomach. But at the same time, I can't wait to move it right along.
    I'm sorry to hear about your dog. ❤️
    I've never boiled chicken before. How do you know when it's ready?
    I'm sure as I progress, I'll definitely have more questions. Right now, I'm just focusing on my fluid and protein goals. And not overdoing it with the pain. I took myself off the narcotics because I am terrified of taking them more than necessary, but I'm not sure Tylenol is cutting it either. Maybe I'll break down and take one tonight so I can hopefully get some sleep since I've been struggling getting comfortable.
    Thank you for the website recommendation! I'm trying to do all the reading and stuff to make sure I can stay on top of everything. I too am a 'by the rules' person if I know the rules, and I really need this to work for me.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    @RRenaeL23
    You are very welcome! I hope that helps you out some, and you definitely deserve all the encouragement. Everyone here does. We are all each other's cheerleaders because we know what we are going through, and we're going through it together.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    @Hiddenroses
    I know what you mean about being easier to type from a desktop computer. I have to have a separate word document open to help me organize my thoughts as I'm responding to each post. That's another reason why it takes me like... a couple of days between posts. (My ADHD is also responsible for that, but shhhhhhhh.)
    I'm sorry that Wednesday was exhausting for you. I've had a couple of nights now where I'm just not sleeping. I can't get comfortable. I'm not in pain, but it just seems that since I took myself off my pain meds that I have been extremely tender in the abdomen lately.
    I do like your idea of the 'no noodle' Soup, and will definitely keep that in mind for when I make it to the puree stage. I have so much stuff to get for that point, but I'm waiting until I'm actually at that point. I am looking forward to the ricotta bake that ShoppGirl has mentioned a few times. Though, admittedly, I'm just looking forward to different flavors.
    You are welcome again for the pillow idea. My pillow is my best friend right now, literally lol. It protects me from the overzealous dogs I have as well as just provides relief. My left side is also where most of my tenderness/pain is at this point, so being able to apply pressure there has been really helpful. And... a month or two to recover??? My husband might lose his mind lol. He still forgets I just had surgery and is like, "Will you cook dinner? " No, no I will not. You are an adult, figure it out.
    I am not taking any kind of collagen. The only thigns I got were what the doctor told me to get, which was my multivitiman with Iron and the Calcium supplements. They did not recommend anything else, so I went out of my way to make sure I didn't get anything else lol. I did not want to screw up anything regarding this surgery.
    I'm still using an antibacterial body wash, so I guess that's the biggest thing. So enjoy your Hibiclens while you have it! (And absolutely, if insurance paid for it - TAKE IT ALL. lol)
    Baritastic has been great, so I also highly recommend. It's what my bariatric team wanted me to use, and I've been using it faithfully. I have noticed a few things that had the wrong information, but it is easy enough to correct.
    I'm glad you got in contact with your testing center and will be meeting with a counselor soon. Honestly, getting tested was the best thing I've ever done and told me so much about myself. Finch sounds kind of like Habitica, which is what I have been using to help me set routines and habits and such.
    40-60g of protein for a female? My bariatric team says a minimum of 60g of protein a day, and the more the merrier. I'm still amazed at how different offices handle things. Pre-surgery, I was averaging 90-100g of protein a day, and they were ecstatic about that. They did say the more protein I could handle before and after surgery, the less likely I would be to lose my hair and things like that. I'm still not quite up to that 60g mark post-op, but I'm hoping I might be able to hit it today.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    @Pepper_No_Salt
    Welcome to full liquids! Sounds like your first post-op appointment went well!
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    @Greekmom4
    The refried Beans with salsa and a little bit of mozzarella sounds yummy. I'm used to eating medium salsa, but I'm pretty sure that's a no go for a while lol. Those are also good tips for starting the soft stages of food.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    @AndreaJD (I'm not sure why it suddenly won't let me tag you?)
    My incisions can't make up their mind if they want to hurt or if they want to itch. They seem to alternate between both, though the ones on my left side tend to hurt more than the others.
    I do absolutely have those moments of "I want...." though mine are more like, "I want a slice of cheese, just to have something different than liquids." There are a few times that I want things I used to have, like Cheez-Its. But I know those aren't on the table, so I am able to push those away fairly quickly. But as someone who loves a variety of food, I'm really struggling with just "I want ANYTHING different than my current liquids."
    I'm glad your sister is showing her support. I've been on Pinterest myself, pinning recipes for Future Me to be able to have.
    As for weighing, I literally do not weight myself. Only at the doctor's office. Because I DO get hyperfixated on those numbers and will absolutely derail myself mentally. Maybe I'll go to weighing myself once a month at home after a few post-op visits, but for now I'm just doing it strictly at the doctor's office.
  23. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to AndreaJD in August Surgery buddies   
    Yes, @ShoppGirl, I had a similar experience with Miralax. I was at home, so no emergency, but I learned that lesson. My team didn't recommend stool softeners but I think I'm going to start one because this full liquids with Protein Powder is quite constipating.
    Monday I start pureed, and I am more than ready. I blendered some lentil Soup with Protein powder and extra Water for dinner, and while it tasted good and satisfied my craving for something kind of hearty, it became this kind of brownish thin sludge and I was like, "This is what I eat now?" I know it's only day 11 and I'm still on liquids. I just want to be sure I don't give up the joy of good food. I'm not a cook at ALL but my husband and I decided we are on a mission to become foodies of healthy, clean, whole foods.
    Thank God my incisions are done itching. That was terrible. I mean, not a crisis in the grand scheme of things, but it was annoying. They're just about to the stage where I can start taking bubble baths again. I LOVE bubble baths and take a lot of them. That'll be really nice.
    I really feel everyone on trying to get it all right and balance things to get enough protein and keep the sugar and carbs low, and keep the quantities right. I'm still struggling with having zero feeling of fullness. I definitely do not feel hungry, which is crazy on less than 500 calories a day (I'm supposed to aim for 300 - 600 with no more than 1000). That's a total blessing and I hope I never get hunger back. That would help so much long term. But I do hope that once I advance my diet I will have fullness cues. I measure, so I guess I don't 'need' them, but I would be less afraid of overeating.
    Every once in a while, I have these sort of "mind echoes" of, "Oh, I want [insert high calorie comfort food here]". It's fleeting and it's not physical, it's totally a mind want, but it's interesting. I kind of shrug and say, "I don't do that anymore."
    I'm having an interesting thing happen with my one sister who was very against my having surgery but was being as supportive as she could of my decision. She's now sending me things like a mug warmer for my Soups and an immersion blender, and links to Pinterest recipes for amazing soups. It's really cool. I am appreciating it a lot. I hope you all have supportive people around you.
    What is everyone doing regarding weighing? I kind of intend to weigh myself each morning when I get up, which will be more structured when I go back to work on Monday, but then I also don't want to get fixated on the scale and then get discouraged when I plateau, which I know will happen. On the third hand (LOL), it's exciting and reinforcing when I'm making these hard changes to see the scale move.
    I got a pill organizer and filled it with all my Vitamins that I have to take starting Monday for the rest of my life. It's a LOT! I have to take pills 4X a day. Luckily, I haven't hated any of the bariatric chews and melts so far. And like @shoppgirl, I love the Bariatric Advantage calcium chews. They're basically Starburst candy!
  24. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    Make sure you ask your team about bubble bathes before you take them. I was told no bath or swimming for a while. I would have ti look at the paperwork but I think it was 6 or 8 weeks maybe. I love that your hubby is on board to eat the healthy foods with you, that will make it a lot more fun. Maybe you can do a blog or a thread on here with recipes if you have the time?? And your sister being so supportive is amazing. I found That I used the food processor instead of the immersion blender in the purée stage but it was super sweet of they regardless. I got a little 3 cup one. Actually splurged Quite a bit on the kitchen aide one so it wouldn’t bugg me to leave it out but bf budget doesn’t permit for that they have them far more reasonably priced. I have puréed eberything.

    I also found these little containers from dollar tree to be super handy to store leftovers in individual portions. They are 2.6 oz I think. 1/4c is 2oz and I am allowed 1/8 to 1/4 on puree so then take up a lot less room in fridge than all the big leftover containers and I can keep a pretty good variety that’s grab and go. They are basically little baby containers if you don’t have dollar tree I’m sure Amazon has something. I also got a couple of packs of their little desert sized paper plates for now and spoons so I don’t have to deal with as many dishes for a while.

    in terms of weighting it was really hard for me not to weigh everyday but what I did with the sleeve was to record my weight in my phone notes once a week so that when I got discouraged I could look back at that and see the overall downward trend. You can do it in the Baritastic app as well or on this app but doing it was than daily sort of reinforced it to my brain that little daily fluctuations didn’t matter.

    I’m curious to see what pill organizer you got. I have added magnesium at night now so I have five doses a day. I didn’t think they made one big enough for all these big Vitamins so many times per day. Although I figure that most times I will only need to take the Calcium while I’m out. Then again it couldn’t hurt to keep a couple Multi Vitamins with us just in case we would get stuck out unexpectedly. I do that with my rx meds and these are just as important ooh and if you like the fruit flavors chews you may like the caramel to change it up as well they are sorta like weathers original flavor but better because they are chewy.

  25. Like
    draikaina8503 reacted to ShoppGirl in August Surgery buddies   
    Word of caution. If you need to take a laxitive and you finally are able to go. Just the once may not be the end of it and the rest it not hard at all. it’s very lose.

    I went to do a Walmart pickup, stopped for gas on the way and got it all down the side of my car so I went through the automatic car wash. Well it always pushes in my mirror so I jumped out to move it back real quicK and I almost went in my pants. Luckily I live really close and I made it but I’m thinking of putting some of them potty pads in my seat with a towel over it until my bowels can figure out what they want to do so if it does happen at least it won’t get on my seat. 🤷🏼‍♀️

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