Hang in there! !

[tcswwa 5]

Greetings All,

I just wanted to post an update:

I am almost 3 weeks out from surgery, and almost back to normal, e.g., back to 60 hour work week, almost on to solid foods, and feeling great! A few reflections:

1.) Buyers remorse - I can honestly say I haven't experienced this. Any challenges sticking to liquid and soft diet have been due to head hunger. Its so nice not being physically hungry all the time. No matter how crappy and tired you may feel after surgery; most everyone one this board says it gets better, and trust me it does!

2.) Sense of smell and taste are starting to move back towards a more normal state. 1 week ago the smell of things made me nauseous, and now its getting better. I can consume Protein Shakes, and nausea is gone. Eating omlettes, ground up chicken, turkey, pork with mashed potatoes and wet soft stuffing - yummy. Can't wait to start on soft solids in another 10 days.

3.) Follow doctor and nutritionist advice, but you also have a role. Every patient is different, as is each Doctor.. eating slowly, very small amounts of food, taking Vitamins, and getting moving is very important to how you heal and feel.

4.)Fear of dumping will hopefully keep me honest for quite sometime. I passed on choc cake and donuts at work for the first time ever. I keep thinking about Al Roker at the Whitehouse, and that donut doesn't appeal to me so much. Glad to be on losers side, and hope the fear lasts.

5.) Check weight once per week, try to stay positive, otherwise you will go nuts with ups and downs. Over time eating healthier, smaller quantities of food and getting regular exercise will help you lose weight. My nutritionist and doc suggest regular follow ups with them along with support groups are correlated to keeping weight off in the long term. I dont think this is BS., so I will keep working hard to afford the out of pocket expenses

Good luck to all!