September 16th surgeries

[Janine 0]

I today just advanced to a watered down full liquid diet. You guys are sure you can eat eggs and chicken salad and farina and chicken and stars this early out.

It is crazy how we are all over the place with eating instructions.

[terilynn112 1]

I have to say the farina, I'm to eat is REAL watery. Not thick stuff. If it doesn't run off the back of a spoon i'm not to put it in my mouth.

I wish I could have a bm. I'd feel better. Any ideas? I've done milk of mag, and benefiber. Nothing yet. I'm really uncomfortable.

teri

[terilynn112 1]

Oh and I advance to soft solids (mashed potatoes, puree's) next tuesday, for two weeks.

teri

[Janine 0]

try colace it is natural stool softener and usually works in about 12 hours

[K-Indy 0]

Hey 9/16 Banders! I am feeling much better today. A lot of the swelling is down and although I said I was not getting on the scale until Tuesday, I was on there today and I am now down to 230. I was at 233 day of surgery and 237 the day after surgery. I finally had a BM today, actually 2. I took my first shower today. I had been washing up. It was nice to have warm Water running over me. I am still taking the liquid Vicodin, but haven't had any since about 7 this morning. I will take some tonight so I can get some rest. I need to be totally off by Sunday. My DH goes back to work on Monday and I have my post op on Monday afternoon. I keep hearing about the huge weight loss in the first two weeks. I am looking forward to that. With the little amount I am eating, I have to lose. I am on full liquids until Tuesday, so I've been eating cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, yogurt for my meals. I will be glad to have a scrambled egg with a little cheese and fish and chicken. I'm having a hard time getting the Protein shakes in. The SlimFast ones are 20 Protein grams. I found a powder that is 52 grams per shake, so I am having one of those tonight. It has been pretty easy getting the liquids in. I am drinking a lot of Water. I have a 8 oz sippy cup so I sip on that. Although I like crystal lite, it's not tasting too good to me right now. This experience so far as been really interesting. It was kind of scary seeing all those incisions on my stomach. It's not like I didn't know they would be there. It was just kind of creepy seeing them and thinking about how those tools were stuck in the holes. When I walked into the OR, the nurse was getting the tools ready. I was trying not to look at them. The incision at my navel is the most painful. It is much better today though since I have less swelling.

Edited September 19, 2008 by K-Indy
add ticker

[Niecey 0]

Yeah I'm surprised too by how different the diets are. I actually got a booklet spelling out what was allowed.

Days 4-7 Soft foods 1/2 c meals:

Low-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, applesauce, oatmeal, sf pudding, Soups, soft scrambled or boiled eggs, Beans, chicken salad, tuna salad, pimento cheese, cooked veggies, low fat casseroles, grd meats w/ gravy or broth and flaky fish.

Then it says: a soft food is any food that can easily be mashed with a fork. Small bites, chew 27 times and stop eating when you feel full. Fill with healthy, nutritious, high Protein foods.

I was down to 249 on my home scale before the surgery. I got back down to that today. I have had the opposite problem with BMs. Maybe it's the antibiotic (Cipro) that is causing that, liquid form is nasty. It almost tastes like cake batter but then the after taste...not so much.

Denise

[aculberg 0]

Yeah, the diets are all over the place, I agree. I could move to full liquids the day after surgery, and that included things like cream Soups, cream of wheat, grits, anything of that consistency. After 2 weeks, I get to move on to mushy things, like egg salad, cottage cheese, flaky fish, etc.

I too have alot of stomach pain from not having a BM, so yesterday I put a scoop of Miralax in my Protein Shake, and then today I had some prune juice with a little apple juice to cut the taste of it. That did the trick! I feel alot less pressure now, thank God! Still having alot of trouble sleeping though, just cant get comfortable, and I feel like things are moving around in my stomach! Does that make sense? Can anyone feel their band or the port? I think I can but dont want to think too much about it, lol.

[terilynn112 1]

I can definitely feel my port. And the weirdest thing happened yesterday. I can eat (suck on?) cold popsicles, and cold puddings, but cold Water NO WAY! I actually end up sore. Anyway I drank a cold Water, because stupid me forgot my water going to the urgent care with my kids. I ended up with air in my stomach. I could feel it slide thru the band. That was so freaky.

I lost 3 pounds between waking yesterday and today. WOW! Still no bm, although I'm trying. I bought some prune juice last night, while out, and have apple juice here. I know warmed prune juice works for me. I've had to do it before. Don't know why I didn't think of it before.

I feel so much more human already. Just the one incision hurts. And ironically it's not my port incision. It's the one the boys always bump climbing up to kiss me, or hug me better. So I think that has something to do with it.

I took photos the day I came home of my tummy, and was able to feel my port when I did that. They are on my myspace account. If you wanna see, search myspace for my email account craftymom@stny.rr.com

teri

[aculberg 0]

terilynn, Sounds like were having about all the same symptoms and reactions, I cant do cold Water either. I had a hiatal hernia fixed during surgery and I think that has alot to do with the pressure in my chest. I hope its not the band, or if it is, it lets up, cause it constantly feels like I have heartburn. My incisions dont really hurt, not even the port really, and I was actually able to sleep on my side last nite, woo hoo! But I still feel like things are moving around, or just something weird inside. I know were only 4 days out, and it will get better with time. Today I'm going to focus on getting the Protein and fluids in and try to get on a regular schedule with that.

How is everyone else doing?

[terilynn112 1]

I thought I was doing pretty good with Protein and stuff, but I'm not doing so good with that. I miscalculated. OOPS>

teri

[Niecey 0]

I thought I had gotten rid of most of the gas. Wrong!!! I went out tonight for about an hour and put on a pair of jeans, not tight but held me in. By the time I got home the bottom half of my stomach felt like a brick. That was painful. I'll be keeping the sweats on for a few more days.

d

[hopelives124 0]

Hi everyone!

Congrats to all of us on september 16! Hopefully our new birthdays! I had to wait for my surgeon at the hospital

for over 5 hours but it was worth it. She was great and so was the staff at NYU in New York. I had a lot of gas pain for first few days but am a lot better. Full liquids are getting hard I can't wait for mushies but not for another week! I am hungry and missing food. I will probably go back to work on Wednesday have my post op visit scheduled for monday.

[amandac 0]

Also Had suregery on the 16th hope everything went good for you

[terilynn112 1]

Welcome to the group AmanadaC.

I am a full time mom, so I'm back to work. It's hard being able to do everything with the achey's.

I think I still have some gas, as I'm often Um... passing it. My tummy is somewhat swollen. Not nearly as bad as it was, as just two days ago, I looked quite pregnant. Not even a possibility. I too wore jeans yesterday, and couldn't wait to get home and back in my sweats. :embaressed_smile:

I'm going to church this morning. This will be interesting. I have twin 2 yr olds, and usually hold one thru the service, so people will know that something is up. I'll probably sit there with one on my lap.

I go to mushies tuesday. I'm quite excited, and yet quite nervous.

I found this nasty tasting but strawberry sugar free Protein, pre made. I only bought two, glad that I did, as it's really nasty tasting. But high Protein. It had 35 gm. I read some where that more than 25 per serving couldn't be digested, but that's even more than I'm getting in my Protein drinks, and I'm so tired of chocolate and french vanilla.

I made goal with protein yesterday, but not with Water. It almost feels like it's one or the other.

teri

Edited September 21, 2008 by terilynn112
wasn't finished.

[aculberg 0]

I managed to get my Protein in also, but not my Water. But I guess anything we drink is considered Fluid, so I'm not doing so bad after all. When I make my Protein Shake, I put 2 scoops of the powder in with about 12 oz of skim milk, so I'm getting over 40 grams of protein with just that. Now, it takes me like an hour to drink it all, lol, but at least I'm getting it down and keeping it there. I am still on full liquids but that includes malt o meal or cream of wheat and grits and yogurt, so this morning I made a soft boiled egg and just mashed it with a little bit of butter and it was the same consistency as the Cereal, and it was Heaven! Thats the best thing I've eaten in 2 wks!!

Alot of my pain has gone away, now just my port hurts, but they said to expect that for about a month, since its stitched into the muscle. Also, most of the gas is gone as well...so each day seems to get a little better. Keep up the good work!