Need post-op PROTEIN help please

[DonnaB 3]

Hi all,

I just got my band last Tuesday, March 7 in Mexico. Yay me! The problem I'm having is getting enough Protein. Before surgery, during my pre-op fast, I was using Protein powder mixed with milk, berries, and blended with ice. It wasn't great but I could handle it by drinking it down quick and getting it over with. Now that I'm banded - I can't drink quick! In addition I'm a little afraid of the ice chips hurting. I swallowed my antibiotic capsule too quickly before it had a chance to soften up and man oh man did that hurt. "Golfball" my Aunt Fannie! It felt like a throbbing, burning, chicken bone lodged in my chest! Yikes! Is that what a PB feels like? Or - oh my God! - is a PB even worse?

I've been drinking Isopure but, today, I just can't gag it down. I can drink Water and Soup so it's not that I'm so swollen I can't swallow it, it's just gross and I can't gag it down. I literally gag when I try. Something else, I have a horrible taste in my mouth - all the time. What's up with that? Anyone?

I would really appreciate any suggestions for dealing with this protein issue. I don't want my hair to start falling out. I think once I can move on to solid food

(FLAMING CHICKEN BONE!

AAAAAAAHHHHH! I'm soooo scared now)

I'll be able to eat enough protein without having to use the drinks but that's a good 2 weeks (plus) from now and I need some advise.

Aside from this issue (and the catbox taste in my mouth - yuck) I'm doing really well. Dr. Rumbaut is a genius. I had no side effects, no problems, I'm not bruised, I'm sleeping in my bed, no back or shoulder pain after the first couple of days. I went shopping the day after I got back to the hotel and again the day after that. All in all, it was pretty easy and now I'm healing well. All is well except for the protein. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.

Thanks for your advise.

[michmouse 0]

I had almost exactly the same problems as you. The smell and taste of Isopure almost made me throw up! The first 3 or 4 days I didn't get anywhere close to my minimum Protein requirements. My doc said to concentrate on hydration first, protein second, so I did. I mostly drank Water or diluted juice, (I had a water bottle with me all day)and my husband would bring me 1 oz shots of protein every hour. After a couple of days I could drink 4 oz at a time of the protein, and eventually 8 oz.

In the beginning I would mix the Protein Powder with either carnation instant Breakfast, or slim fast. This helped me with the taste part. Now I actually like my protein ( I mix it with carb countdown milk)

It just takes a while, but soon you will be able to get it all in.

The other thing, I had thrush in my mouth. I had a horrible taste and a milky white coating on my tongue, not to mention the bad breath! My doc called me in a prescription for Nystatin, and it went away in about a week. It made everything taste gross though! You might keep that in mind. Good Luck! :clap2:

[PhotoNut 7]

Hey Donna, grats on your band! Im so glad to hear youre doing so well.

The Protein is really hard at this stage. I think you'll gradually build up to the full 60 grams. You might try Slim Fast drinks mixed with your Protein shakes. The vanilla was great for this. It made a lot, but I just divided it up into three smaller portions spread out over the day.

[banded_for_life 2]

I take the Isopure Orange Cream with 12 ozs of the low carb milk with 1 tablespoon of fatfree/sugar free pudding powder...just drink on that all day...taste great and you get 60 grams of Protein with the one drink. Just two ozs at a time and keep it in the icebox between uses. For my chocolate fix...I use 100% whey from GNC fix with the low carb milk and natural creamy Peanut Butter with the chocolate sf/ff pudding...taste great! If you can't handle the Isopure..go to GNC and get a few Ready to Drink Protein Drinks in their drink case and try some of those to see what you can handle...you need that protein! oh and welcome to bandland! :-)

[the best me 6]

My doc said to concentrate on hydration first, Protein second, so I did.

YES! I went to the Chinese take-out place on the corner and bought 2 Large Egg Drop Soups at a time. I could sip about a 1/4 to a 1/3 of the container at a time, several times a day and it made a big difference in how I felt. I'd keep it in the fridge and nuke what I needed. It was amazing how full I felt on just 3-4 ounces of the stuff.

I also did Boost in chocolate and vanilla. It doesn't have as much protien as some of the others, but it tasted good. They do have a High Protien version. The colder the better for the best taste. I would also blend blueberries with the vanilla and that tasted good. Just be sure to blend it really well. The chocolate with a TBS or two of Peanut Butter blended in was yummy.

Yes, the golf ball is the pre-curser to the PB. Be careful! And welcome to Bandland!

[Wheetsin 714]

Ugh... I'll be 2 weeks out this Wednesday, and Protein is my biggest problem. I started off with the Ispopure Dutch chocolate and had to give them up last week, they were OK in the beginning but now the smell makes me queasy.

This weekend I picked up some pre-mixed "AdvantEdge Carb Control" Protein shakes. So far they're decent. I got strawberry & french vanilla and IMO the vanilla is by far the better of the two. They're higher in carbs that the Isopure (1g impact per serving, which is 15g protein). I think these will hold me over for a while, but I still need a way to make the Isopure more palatable b/c they're so good on the protein/cal/fat/carb ratios.

I also picked up some sugar free DaVinci syrups, like for flavoring coffee, thinking that might help, and some low-carb Peanut Butter. Maybe tonight I'll revisit the Isopure with a touch of Peanut Butter, or some Syrup. *shrug*

[dolphin_dreams 0]

I like the Atkins Advantage shakes. Creamy Vanilla is really good and they have 18 grams of Protein. I also use Body Fortress Whey powder from Walmart. Mix it with Tropicana Light Orange juice and it tastes like and Orange Julias. Good luck and congratulations on getting banded!

[dongger 0]

I was just banded on March 10, 2006. I am a fan of Protein drinks. One of my favorites is 1oz of skim milk, 1oz of Water, 1 raw egg, 2 scoops of EAS 100% whey protein, 1 packet of sugar substitute. Blend them all together with about 10 cubes of ice. If you like, also add about 2-3oz of cream cheese. With the cream cheese, the drink taste like Cookies and cream.

[BandsterHopeful 1]

Donna, all medication need to be the size of an aspirin or smaller. that is about the size of your stoma. This goes for both now and later. you may need some meds in liquid form, or cut up, or in smaller capsules. most adults get 500-mg sizes of things, and they are way too big. You need to ask for, for instance, (2) 250-mg size ones. Antobiotics are especially hard on the pouch and stoma. if the are3 too big and get stuck behind the stoma, they can casue really bad trouble before they eventually dissolve.

How long must you be on liquids? "Full liquids" is defined medically as anthing pureed and then thinned enough to be able to get thru a straw. This means you don't need Protein drinks at all. Puree and thin canned meats, meaty Soups, chili spaghetti sauce with ground beef, Beans, stew meat, meatloaf, veggies, fruits. you can easily get your protein from decent foods.

For those still on the few days of Clear Liquids, try the nectar protein drinks online. taste great. Renee

[DonnaB 3]

Thanks everyone for your well wishes and advise.

michmouse: no Thrush here, thank goodness. It's the Isopure. I haven't had any today and, viola, no catbox mouth. Thank goodness.

PhotoNut: doc said to avoid the Slimfast entirely. Can't remember why. Maybe carbs or calories to Protein ratio? Hmmm. Mixing it with the whey Protein my be a solution though. I'll check it out. Thanks.

banded for life: lot's of posts here about mixing Peanut Butter with the Protein Drink. There must be something to it. I'll have to give it a try. Thanks for reminding me.

the best me: the egg drop Soup in our chinese restaurant has so much egg floating in it, it's impossible to separate. Maybe I should find a new chinese restaurant for soup. Thanks.

Wheetsin: how did the DiVinci Syrup work out? That might be a solution. Let me know.

dolphin dreams: Body Fortress and light orange juice! Genius. I'm off to the store for OJ. Thanks.

leatha g: Do you know if the Lean Body protein tastes better than Body Fortress? It's the only one I can gag down at this point. Thanks.

dongger: Is that from the movie Sixteen Candles? lol I'm not a big fan of the raw egg but the cream cheese part sounds pretty good. Maybe mixed with the couple of tablespoons of sf choclate pudding that 'banded for life' recommended. Thanks.

BandsterHopeful: Are you banded yet? I can't tell by your post. I had surgery exactly one week ago today. The antibiotic is Cefelexina (ah, Mexico) 500mg and came from my surgeon. He showed me how to soak the capsule for a couple of minutes until it gets "pruney" then swallow it down. Up until that experience the capsules haven't been a problem at all, even a little bit. I just didn't let it soften up enough before I swallowed it. Note to self: Must Learn Patience. Anyway. The problem with the liquids, clear or pureed, is that my pouch hasn't stretched yet as my doctor assures me it should and will, I can't get enough pureed food in there to make it to the 50 grams of protein he recommends and the 60 grams of protein I think I should be trying for. Not yet anyway. Thus, the dreaded protein supplement and all it's joyous issues.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND SUGGESTION!

[kaybug 0]

hi im kaybug i had my band on the 6 of march and i drink ensure for protien it gives u 13g a 8oz can buthe r very good i drink about 4 a day the calories r high like 350 but i figure its liquid how much can i hold just a thought

[tann 2]

when I start my full liquard stage I will be on otifast that the Dr had us on for 2 weeks pre opt. It has 14g of Protein per 8oz shake.< /p>

[dongger 0]

The Advantage Edge shakes are pretty good also.