August Surgery buddies

[Hiddenroses 85]

2 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

I am starting to think that for the first month that the NP should just call all the post op patients like every few days. Seems like I have a new question everyday!! Today I want to know if it’s okay to just add soluable Fiber because I am still having issues with Constipation. Which is pretty odd since everyone warned me about the diarrhea that’s so common with SADI. Anyways, I continually take the two stool softeners daily but it still takes the milk of magnesia to make me go. Then I’m go the next day okay but then nothing for a couple of days until I do the milk of magnesia again and it starts over. I’m certain I need Fiber but i don’t want to make things worse so I called to ask just in case.

I wanted to remind you of what I posted - somewhere lol - that my Nutritionist suggested I use Magnesium Citrate before beg to help with the Protein induced Constipation. This is exactly what mine told me, in fact: "Yes, the GENEPRO will definitely help increase your protein intake. If you are having constipation from the shakes, you may consider taking Magnesium Citrate(better absorption) or Magnesium Oxide, start at 500 mg and increase to 1000 mg, as needed, before bed. Magnesium relaxes the colon and may help you sleep good." I hope that helps!

[Hiddenroses 85]

1 minute ago, ShoppGirl said:

Not sure if anyone else is in desperate need of variety of healthy food but I know if I’m gonna stick to this this time around I need to be able to have more meat and veggies. Anyways I Found a really good site for recipes that I thought I would share in case anyone is interested. There are some shake and purée recipes but mostly regular and soft foods There also isn’t much organization to it but there are pages and pages of recipes and some look really good….to me at least. It’s bariatricfoodie.com

I think that's the website I was just on - I found a recipe for unstuffed cabbage rolls I'm going to try. I'll go slowly; not trying to push my stomach, but I know these two weeks of purees are supposed to help me get on the path to eating more variety so I guess I've got to jump in sometime!

[ShoppGirl 4,338]

1 minute ago, Hiddenroses said:

I wanted to remind you of what I posted - somewhere lol - that my Nutritionist suggested I use Magnesium Citrate before beg to help with the Protein induced Constipation. This is exactly what mine told me, in fact: "Yes, the GENEPRO will definitely help increase your Protein intake. If you are having Constipation from the shakes, you may consider taking Magnesium Citrate(better absorption) or Magnesium Oxide, start at 500 mg and increase to 1000 mg, as needed, before bed. Magnesium relaxes the colon and may help you sleep good." I hope that helps!

Ooh. I just started magnesium oxide 400mg at night for the leg cramp. It worked like magic for that too. It hurt one day and was worse the second then I took that at night and morning it was way better. The second day it was fine. Hopefully that will help with my constipation too. I will ask her Wednesdays if I should take two if not. She wrote it at first for the citrate but my pharmacy said they don’t have that so she changed it to the oxide one.

[ShoppGirl 4,338]

3 minutes ago, Hiddenroses said:

I think that's the website I was just on - I found a recipe for unstuffed cabbage rolls I'm going to try. I'll go slowly; not trying to push my stomach, but I know these two weeks of purees are supposed to help me get on the path to eating more variety so I guess I've got to jump in sometime!

I understand completely how you feel and agree it’s a good idea to try some different things. I didnt do much variety in the purée stage with my sleeve because I refused to try puree food that wasn’t supposed to come that way. I’m so glad I am this time to get some variety now though because for on it’s not as bad as I thought and two I’m telling you the soft food stage for me was the absolute most anxiety ridden part of the whole experience.

I was worried about all the new foods not being tolorated but also if it was soft enough. After every meal I sat there for like an hour worried it was gonna come back up and then all night I worried if I hurt something inside and was gonna end up in the ER. I do struggle with anxiety normally but that stage was so much worse for me because I didn’t try the new foods during purée and I was worried about twice as much at once. Hopefully it will be better this time since I am incorporating some variety now.

[ShoppGirl 4,338]

@Hiddenroses my NP just called back and mentioned adding the magnesium. I said remember I’m in that for muscle cramps she said ooh yea it should help but she also said that if I purée them oats way down I can have the MUSH ones. I’m pretty excited about that because they are quite tasty and have higher Fiber.

[Hiddenroses 85]

40 minutes ago, ShoppGirl said:

Ooh. I just started magnesium oxide 400mg at night for the leg cramp. It worked like magic for that too. It hurt one day and was worse the second then I took that at night and morning it was way better. The second day it was fine. Hopefully that will help with my Constipation too. I will ask her Wednesdays if I should take two if not. She wrote it at first for the citrate but my pharmacy said they don’t have that so she changed it to the oxide one.

Yes to both things you posted! I'm excited to try branching in to more variety of foods, especially things that I can make and share with my family. Both my Mom and fella are somewhat open minded about the recipes and definitely on board for eating healthier. Seeing the weight loss is encouraging but I'm eager to be healed enough to start some kind of exercises. I know that walking and gentle stretching after my meals definitely helps my food digest and alleviates feelings of fullness. I ordered my Magnesium just a bit ago to be delivered from Walmart. I did just double check the dose though and realize I ordered 100mg ones. Oops! Going to have to fix that! 🤦🏻

[ShoppGirl 4,338]

42 minutes ago, Hiddenroses said:

Yes to both things you posted! I'm excited to try branching in to more variety of foods, especially things that I can make and share with my family. Both my Mom and fella are somewhat open minded about the recipes and definitely on board for eating healthier. Seeing the weight loss is encouraging but I'm eager to be healed enough to start some kind of exercises. I know that walking and gentle stretching after my meals definitely helps my food digest and alleviates feelings of fullness. I ordered my Magnesium just a bit ago to be delivered from Walmart. I did just double check the dose though and realize I ordered 100mg ones. Oops! Going to have to fix that! 🤦🏻

Well at least you noticed it now. And you can

return the others since it’s Walmart.

[ShoppGirl 4,338]

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. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[AndreaJD 69]

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!

[ShoppGirl 4,338]

4 hours ago, AndreaJD said:

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!

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.

[draikaina8503 70]

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.

[ShoppGirl 4,338]

@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.

[ShoppGirl 4,338]

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.

[ShoppGirl 4,338]

@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.

Edited August 24 by ShoppGirl

[ShoppGirl 4,338]

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. 😂

Edited August 25 by ShoppGirl