Hey There! Any December 2021 Surgery Friends?

[Jai D 14]

Try using GENEPRO. It’s the unflavored Protein Powder and can be added to anything. I add it to my Protein Shake but don’t just add the powder. First dissolve the powder in a small amount of room temp Water then add to your Protein shake. 1 scoop is 30 grams. I’ve been using 2 scoops plus the protein from the shake helps get your protein intake up there. Im noticing many surgeons give different instructions for the post op diet. I did days 1-3 on Clear Liquids, now I’m on full liquids (pudding, drinkable yogurt, Jello, water, sugar free ice pops, broth, etc) , however I snuck in some ricotta with some drained picante sauce on day 7 post op and I handled it pretty well. My tummy felt different but so far nothing has made me sick. I’m so ready for real food like egg salad and an English muffin and I haven’t even technically hit purée phase. My purée phase allows smashed up chicken but 7 days later (day 21) I can go to soft foods. The ricotta cheese w/picante helped me to feel satisfied, not just full, which was a treat.

[Jai D 14]

Almost 8 days post op and still feel tired. I think it’s just the body adjusting/recovering. Don’t over do it. Nap if you can. Hydrate as much as possible. Although there is no nutritional value in the pudding aside from some Calcium, I’m noticing that it’s digesting the best in my case and is considered a full liquid, which just means it’s milk based.

[Missie21 7]

When did everyone actually STOP the clear liquids.

I realized that my dietitian and my actual surgeon were telling me different things about how to proceed.

Which is fine because they've never done it so it's just opinions.

I did sneak and sip a shot of twist pop to help with the gas. It worked but I don't wanna try it again!

Edited December 25, 2021 by Missie21

[hungrygiraffe 1]

Hi everyone! A bit late to the party but I had the sleeve done on the 9th of December. It has been a challenge to say the least… I had complications and lost about 2 litres of blood. Much longer hospital stay than was planned but getting on my feet now.

great to be here with you all 🙂

[ladygodiva 15]

Merry Christmas! I am two days post op (RNY 12/23) and I want to share my experience so far.
The Good : I tolerated Water right away after surgery and the next day I tolerated Protein Shake without any issues . The sipping is VERY slow going as I feel
Like my new stomach is the size of a thimble! Also, I do not have internal visceral pain like I did with my hysterectomy.
The Bad: the incisional pain is rough. I had a five hour car ride home from the hospital the day after my surgery and it was torture . I felt every roll and bump. Thank god I had a belly band. Get one of these from the hospital before you leave.
The Ugly: caffeine withdrawal!! Omg . I did not have to give it up until surgery and wow. The headaches are intense. So my fellow coffee drinkers out there - beware.

[Guest]

57 minutes ago, ladygodiva said:

beware.

... that it's an old wives' tale that coffee dehydrates you. There's no reason to give up coffee. Sure, the caffeine is a mild diuretic, but in coffee, it comes with the Fluid it dehydrates and much more.

https://time.com/5192272/coffee-tea-dehydrating/

Hope you have a speedy recovery!

Edited December 25, 2021 by Guest

[hungrygiraffe 1]

I’ve been drinking coffee since the first day after my surgery! Doctors said it was absolutely fine.

I have noticed that I am WAY more sensitive to caffeine than I was pre-surgery. I used to drink 5-6 coffees a day no problem - now, if I have more than 2, I find it impossible to sleep at night. Has anyone else found this?

[ladygodiva 15]

Thanks guys. My program says no caffeine for 30 days post op. Plus I am struggling to get in sufficient Water and Protein Shake … thus I am afraid to add coffee at this point. It feels like my stomach is thimble size!

[huskymama 149]

Lady Godiva I had an hour ride home and thought that was rough I can believe you had 5 hours oh my gosh so glad you are home and doing good!

[huskymama 149]

Merry Christmas everyone! I am not interested in eating anything and all I was to drink is Gatorade zero so I do an ounce of Water and an ounce of Gatorade zero. I’ve got good energy but they still have me on pills to control the nausea and vomiting which has a side effect of making me sleep. I think we need to start a new thread all about our recovery. It’s really nice to have this support from everyone going through it together at the same time and those who have gone through it already.

Sw: 227
Surgery day weight 210.5
Post op day 3: 205.4

[ladygodiva 15]

I agree it would be good to start a new thread about recovery. I will say that the first day post op the gas pains were unreal …. I felt like that purple girl in the Willy Wonka movie !! I felt like I was going to pop or injure my internal stitching. I took some gas x and it helped move all that surgery gas through. If anyone suffering from surgery has pain , try extra strength gas x.

[Mbakerreach 0]

Dec 17

[armartin98 108]

40 minutes ago, ladygodiva said:

I agree it would be good to start a new thread about recovery. I will say that the first day post op the gas pains were unreal …. I felt like that purple girl in the Willy Wonka movie !! I felt like I was going to pop or injure my internal stitching. I took some gas x and it helped move all that surgery gas through. If anyone suffering from surgery has pain , try extra strength gas x.

I'm 3 days post op. I feel nauseated most of the time and lots of gurgling in my stomach. I hope this gets better soon.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, ladygodiva said:

thus I am afraid to add coffee at this point.

Cool, that's a personal choice. Just if anyone out there is struggling with diet, sleeping, pain etc ... you don't have to overdo it and deny yourself more than you need to. Trust me, the overdoers from my surgery batch, so to speak, were the first to fail.

[hungrygiraffe 1]

1 hour ago, ladygodiva said:

it would be good to start a new thread about recovery

For sure. I COMPLETELY underestimated how much pain there would be after surgery. Of course I knew there would be some, but I feel like I really wasn’t prepared for just how much.

I’m now 16 days post-op, still hurting from the scars and still black and blue with bruises. The mental side of it is really tough as well. My cravings for bad food (burgers, pizza, cake etc) are just as strong as before. It’s kinda like torture doing this at Christmas when there is almost limitless junk food around. Everyone else is enjoying themselves and I’m stuck with a Protein Shake and liquid paracetamol.

I guess it’s nice to know that I’m not alone and there’s plenty of other people struggling to get back to “normal” (whatever that means for us post-op).