CharliBee

I've been following my nutritionist's rules since mid-February, pre-op and post-op. I had surgery nearly a month ago (a few days short of 4 weeks). I have been on an atkins-esque diet, high Protein and as few carbs as humanly possible. First 2 weeks post-op was liquid only, nothing thicker than a strained cream-of-something Soup - carb limitations then, as well. I went from liquids only to soft, moist, lean Proteins - again, no carbs. In all of the literature I read pre-op, nothing said I'd be so severely carb restricted. I'd managed to figure out how to make, eat and enjoy a balanced meal. But, now I feel I'm being told to forget everything about balance, just eat meat. Meat, meat and more meat! I miss vegetables and fruit and bread and rice and Pasta. I miss tasting things that don't taste like meat. My poll questions are me trying to figure out where other people are and if this total carb restriction is normal (someone should have told me, I'd have certainly taken it into consideration) or if my nutritionist just hates carbs. At this point is it normal to be this irritated with the process, or am I just being ultra-sensitive? Does the idea of eating (since what you can't eat outweighs what you can eat) piss you off? I've, seemingly, gone from emotional eating to emotional starving, sort of. I have had serious moments of refusing to eat simply because I didn't want anything that I could eat within the restrictions. Does anyone else's nutritionist insist on no veggies and no fruit, not even juice? Help! I think I'm losing it here! PS: when I say no carbs, that includes the liquid/soft foods phase: no mashed potatoes (which I saw in everything I was required to read before surgery) and no applesauce. Not even baby food because of the carb content.

I'd be pleased as punch for sweet potatoes or even regular potatoes .. even that is too much carb for me according to the nutritionist. not even sugar free applesauce. it just seems a bit much, especially since i'm supposed to stay on this all Protein as little carbs as humanly possible (no veg or fruit) until my next appt in mid-may. I remember the first time I could have anything other than liquid after surgery .. It was heaven for me, as well. And I'm still glad that I can eat what I can on this crap diet, but seriously, variety is the spice of life and veggies are good for you. That's what I've been told for my whole life.

Yeah, that was the "atkins-esque" part, I know atkins gives room for carbs from veggies. fruit juice isn't my number one choice, typically either, but I'll tell you right about now I'd slap someone for a cup of Minute Maid Kids+ Orange Juice (it's the yummiest for me and it's got Calcium, Vitamin A, B, C, D). I know!!! Believe me I know! According to the nutritionist there's not enough acid built up in the pouch to break veg down. This doesn't make sense to me, there's enough to break down meat but not veg?

My name is Charli, I'm 32 and I joined this community in November 2010, but never really became involved. So, this will be my belated first post/introduction. I had Lap-Band surgery on March 7, 2011. I'm healing nicely and generally don't have much pain. My one biggest problem has been the post-op diet, but I'm managing. My room mate has been encouraging me to become active on the site to find community and support from people who've been on this path, since she can only help so much having never been in my shoes. Certainly I have a local support group, but as I'm also painfully shy, it's much easier for me to open up and connect online. So, there's that. Don't really know what else to say here, so umm .. Hi! Charli

My surgery was scheduled for 7:15 am on March 7. I was instructed to arrive 2 hours early and as usual for me, walked into the hospital at 5:12. I was in short term surgery doing all the usual pre-op business (iv, heparin, vitals), I was given some information - but for the most part was left alone with my best friend waiting for the big event. Around 6:45 I met with the anesthesiologist, he gave me a little rundown of what he would be doing. This was my first surgery, so it was all kind of foreign to me. The next thing I know I'm being rolled into the OR and being told to scoot over onto another bed. They had me stretch out my arms to each side and I remember thinking - "this is just like the lethal injection table" - yes, I'm a bit odd. They put a strip on my forehead that was sort of prickly and then set a mask on my face. I remember saying that I didn't think it was on all the way and hearing someone say there was anti-anxiety meds in it, too and to just take deep breaths. The next thing I am aware of is being in recovery and being very irritated with the nurses because my mouth was painfully dry and every time I asked for something to help with it I was either told no or completely ignored. Finally someone brought me a wash cloth with one corner slightly dampened, it was a hollow gesture as it didn't help at all. The next thing I remember is hearing someone say "ICU" and I asked why I was in the ICU. Turns out it was the "step down ICU" basically ICU-Lite. Apparently there had been some unexpected issues with being intubated and the surgeon wanted me to be monitored a little more closely. Worst Idea Ever! I felt ignored and that the nursing staff were treating me like a puppy, the whole pat-her-on-the-head treatment. I needed to pee, I pushed the call button for help out of the padded cage they had me in. Seriously, it wasn't a normal bed and I couldn't get the sides down so I needed someone to come let me out. After 20 minutes, my best friend going to the nurses' station personally and my finally shouting that I would pee the bed if someone didn't help me, someone came in with a bed pan. I told them I didn't need it, I could go to the bathroom if they'd let me out of the bed and she LEFT! OMG are you kidding me?!?! A minute or 5 later someone came in with one of those potty seat things. I'd reached my limit and lost my cool - I told them if they didn't put the rails of the bed down I would stand up and crawl over. They finally listened and put down the sides and I went to the restroom w/o further incident. When I was done I asked for something to help with the still painfully dry mouth. It was a repeat of the bathroom incident. After pushing the call button, my friend waited 10 minutes and went to the nurses' station and about 10 minutes later someone came in with a small cup of ice chips - 1 oz to be exact. She handed it to me and left. It was then that we realized my room had nothing in it, namely a table to set my cup on. So, I ended up holding it the entire time. Around 3 pm my best friend had to go home because the kids were getting out of school, but she was afraid to leave me there alone. I told her to go ahead and go and finally after a few minutes discussion she left. I could hear her in the hall and within seconds the surgeon was in my room asking what was going on. I told him that the staff in this department seemed to be completely incompetent and useless and if he didn't move me to the bariatric floor ASAP I would walk out of the hospital AMA because I could give myself better care than I was getting there. He got that I was serious, left the room and came back a minute or so later and told me that they were readying a room for me on the bariatric floor. Soon after he left the nurse manager of the "step down ICU" came in to find out what had happened and I told her everything. She was appalled and apologized profusely. She stayed with me until they came to move me to the bariatric floor. I made it to the 5th floor by 4:30 and everything changed. The thing is, I have experience with this hospital. My best friend has had surgery there twice and the quality of care she received both times was amazing. Recovery and ICU-Lite was an aberration, no one I know who's had experience with this hospital has never had the omgwtf experience I had that day. But, the 5th floor was heaven. It was the quality of care that I was used to and expected from the hospital. Now, when I pushed the call button a nurse was there within a minute, two at the most. When I asked for something to help with the dry mouth they brought me swabs and a small cup of Water. My pain was minimal, I moved around just fine - however, my insurance requires an overnight stay after any surgery (aside from oral) and so, I settled into my new room. I had no problem getting in or out of bed, only a little pain when I moved from lying to sitting. I felt well enough to walk the halls, 3 laps and then rest for a bit before doing it again. I couldn't figure out why my mouth was still so dry, and then I realized I was breathing, mostly, out of my mouth. Trying to breathe through my nose I realized it felt a bit stuffy. So, my next trip the to restroom I blew my nose. I blew hard and often and finally got a hint of what went wrong during intubation when a huge blood clot came out of my nose. Suddenly I could breathe through my nose. My mouth began to hold moisture which was my biggest post-op physical complaint. After that first clot, more came out each time I blew my nose, lessening each time, for days. Coughing hard ended up bringing up further clots. I asked the surgeon and nurses and was told that the clots were directly related to the intubation troubles, not to worry and it would clear up. (It did by one week out.) I slept sporadically, just couldn't find a comfy spot, and by 7 am the next morning I was being wheeled down for my upper-GI x-ray, no barium. Still at this point I was only allowed 2 oz of water every 2 hours. I was wheeled back up to my room where I walked more laps, watched some TV and waited. When the nursing shift change came there was a patient rundown and when the new nurse checked the chart and saw that I hadn't had any troubles keeping down water, my Fluid intake was upped to limitless! Yay! The surgeon came and had a look at me, we talked for a few minutes (he's one of those guys that a 3-5 minute conversation is as informative as a 15 minute conversation with anyone else) and he told me that he would be singing my discharge orders when he left the room. I was home by 10 am. I left the hospital with strict diet orders, which is standard with the bariatric program I chose. I just didn't realize it'd be so hard to deal. I am still on the strict post-op diet, which is all liquid. The thickest thing I can have is sugar free Jello or strained cream Soup. So, here I am 10 days post-op, my incisions are almost completely healed, I haven't needed any of the pain medication since two days after surgery. And I have my post-op appointments with the nutritionist and surgeon next week. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be bumped up on the diet and be able to have semi-solids like mashed potatoes and maybe even scrambled eggs. Overall I had a good surgery experience with the exception of a few hours of totally freakish incompetent behavior. PS: I had no idea about the whole gas issue until at home after surgery. I became a total gas machine. The constant rumbling and bubbling noises have my dogs forever trying to get inside my shirt to find the culprit. And let's just say that the word EPIC can apply to gas and the passage of said gas. LOL!