Malaika

Nanna - tell them you are on a doctor-suprervised diet in an effort to get a flare-up of your IBS under control prior to having to have surgery to repair your hernia. As for the post-op diet - you have to be on that after surgery to allow the "repair" to heal.

Good to know Susan. I have developed a rash the past few days -- have an appt. with my doctor I think this week so will be sure to have him document it and take a photo.

Glad you found something to give you some strength -- how are the Ensures? Are they sweet? I had a smoothie from Tropical Smoothies and it was really good; however, it had a ton of carbohydrates so I've been steering clear of them because they do go down easy.

I second that thought - YEAAAAAAAAAAAAA. I hate going to bed by myself -- even if it is only to sleep.:blushing:

Ewww - yuck - pureed pizza - NO THANK YOU ... now, pureed chili sounds pretty good ... and chicken and tuna are always good choices.

Happy Anniversary! (and you can celebrate in the 'proper' way - just have to be a little creative on the position so it doesn't hurt your incisions):blushing:

Hi Chin and welcome to the forum. My surgeon recommended starting with about 2 oz. As for mashed food (also called mushies or soft foods) here are some ideas I received from my doctor's office: Soft food should be the consistency of a thick liquid (no chunks or solid material ) and it should be chewed very well before swallowing until it is a liquid consistency ) Tofu Low fat cottage cheese Cereal oatmeal Precooked pureed rice Low fat Yogurt Yogurt mixed with fruit very well blended Cream Soups eggs Boiled pureed fruit ( example pear, apple ) Watermelon, papaya or melon in small pieces Boiled pureed vegetables Beans I also bake a sweet potato until it's very soft/mushy and eat some of it with a tiny bit of butter. Hope that helps some - am sure others will have a lot more suggestions too.

WELCOME SPOTOX to the forum - we're glad to have you join us and hope you find lots of information and answers to your questions. I never had the band; however there are LOTS of members who have had revision and they will tell you that the band is good for a little while and then you have nothing but trouble. With the sleeve, there's nothing to slip and no follow-up is needed -- you just have a smaller stomach and you can't eat as much. However, you can eat anything you want - unlike with the band, from everything I have read. Good luck with your decision. I think I'd go with my surgeon's opinion over a GP -- my own personal opinion.

Be sure to get off of all caffeine before surgery, too, otherwise you'll have withdrawal headaches and those suck as well.

Exercise while you're losing, and plastic surgery afterwards ... they have a new laser surgery out that seems to be getting good results; however, I think that is if there is only a small amount of sagging skin that needs to be dealt with.

I also tell people that yes, I have a kitchen, it came with my condo! (I hate to cook) Dig it out and leave it out - you'll be surprised how often you'll use it. I even made mashed potatoes with mine (well, mashed potato)

That's right -- the surgery and any costs associated therewith can be claimed as deductions on your taxes if you itemize. I have saved all my receipts for the medications, travel, gas, food, etc. and of course for the cost of the surgery itself.

I chose not to tell anyone except Bearded, and my two closest friends. Everyone at work is very judgemental and I didn't want the policing my every move, etc., etc. What I told them was that I had a hiatal hernia repaired- which is the truth - and that I had to follow a special diet to give the swelling time to subside. As it turns out - the only issue I am having is where the hiatal hernia was repaired (spasming) and I am told that may take up to 6 months to dissipate. I have also been told to stay on mushies another 4-6 weeks, so the weight loss is a given. Although I've lost 30 lbs, hardly anyone at work has even noticed. None of my family live nearby, so I didn't see any reason to involve them and cause them worry and concern. I think it is a very personal choice and only you will know what the right decision is.

Helen, so glad you're home and recovering -- from all that you had done, it sounds as though you're doing quite well. Looking forward to hearing more from you as your recovery progresses and your weight comes off. Hang in there, every day will get easier I'm sure.

You might want to consider a blender stick - they take up a lot less room on your counter, if that's an issue. It is for me as I have a 1-butt kitchen with little countertop space. They are quite powerful and easy clean.

I couldn't ever imagine it either, but it has happened -- SF pudding is almost too sweet for me ... and the RTD Protein drinks I was drinking before surgery taste like pure sugar - disgusting. I don't know if that will go away or not, personally I don't care if it does, as it keeps me from eating anything bad. Although to date, I haven't really craved anything bad.

I agree - why didn't he just step up to the plate and tell you what was on his mind? And, if his DIL was upset, why didn't she talk to you about it instead of bringing him into the mix? I love facebook, and chat, and email; however, it's difficult for people reading it to know the infliction with which you wrote it, so sometimes it can create issues ... they both need to just get over it and both need to learn how to communicate!

CONGRATS on finding out that your insurance will pay for the surgery - that's wonderful!

Some of the Protein powders do foam up - some don't - I use EAS and that doesn't seem to foam up; but I've heard that nectar does really bad. Not sure what else you're adding to the drink, but if you're not adding anything, you might want to invest in a blender stick (there's a thread on here all about that) or a shaker cup. I'm sure you'll get some foam regardless, but probably not as much as in a blender because there's not the same power behind it. If you're adding something to the shake, you might try blending it before adding the power and then transferring it to a shaker cup, add the powder and then shake to blend. Also, I would recommend not investing in too many Protein drinks before your surgery, as it's quite possible that your tastes will change afterwards. You can read numerous posts on here from members (me included) where our tasts changed after surgery -- mostly everything tasting too sickening sweet.

I would think the inside of a bean burrito would be the same as the pinto and cheese, only not as much of it - which would be okay because you're not going to be able to eat that much anyway. You could probably order the bean burrito with sour cream -- don't forget, they usually have onions -- I always order mine without, because I don't like onions.

I had pinto and beans - they were great - only thing is, I forgot they put taco sauce on them and that caused me to have some heartburn -- next time I'll order them without the taco sauce --oh, I also got a side order of sour cream, that helped to make them a bit more mushie, if that makes sense. They tasted great.

Thanks Susan, they all sound wonderful and simple too!

Definitely!

Well this is true ... HOWEVER before your surgery, it was NOTHING for you to go to bed at 10:00 pm and sleep until Noon ... admit it - you like to sleep!:001_smile:

Yes, isn't that sad that 8 is sleeping in? During the week I'm up between 5:45 and 6:15 ... and usually on the weekends, I can't sleep much past that either -- so I was surprised when I slept "in" until 8 ... Bearded has NO trouble sleeping - and finally had to wake up up at 10:15 as we have a 12:30 appointment and it takes him a few hours to actually wake up ... I wouldn't know what to do if I slept until 10! I'd feel half the day was over.