mi75

well today FINALLY the scale has moved. yay. whew! lasted 8 days. i know for many this is not considered a stall. let's just say 'mini-stall'. very frustrating when in the midst of it!

Stall over baby!!! weighed this AM and scale has moved 2 lbs south-ward! whoop! feeling better already. hang in there everyone, this obviously is normal and MANY people go through it. i suspect at this early point it's just our bodies hitting the emergency break and saying 'hold on..." in response to our VERY decreased calories and shock of surgery, etc. i too will just keep my routine and keep doing what i am. this mini-stall lasted 8 days for me. hopefully everyone else will see similar movement soon!

i agree wtih the above. try to get up and stretch your legs every hour if possible. when sitting in your chair, try as often as you can to do the point/flex thing with your feet and move them around as much as you can. also just a good idea in general for everyone after surgery to do this. once you're home, walk around often, even if it's just around your home dwelling.

fccm- sometimes i feel 'hungry', especially at lunch time and mid-afternoon. those seem to be my only times when i actually 'feel' like i want to eat. i've had no true big hunger and don't expect to for a while. at just about 4 wks out, i'm trying to establish some routine in my eating: breakfast, snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner. every plan is different. but the plan from my nut also includes your Proteins, waters, etc. so even though i'm following that, i'm also trying to set myself up on a healthy routine. i have small kids and really want to be able to eat as a family eventually for our dinner.

for ME, the issue is that i'm eating small meals almost every hour or two, based on the recommendations from my nut and surgeon. there just aren't enough hours in the day! from planning my fluids- no food before or after!- to my Vitamins, calcium- make sure they're 2 hrs apart!- and then getting some actual food based Protein, i'm EXHAUSTED! i'm eating a TBSP of egg salad for Breakfast, then my Protein shake 1 hr later, a meatball for lunch, a few TBSP chili for dinner, etc. i'm in a stall right now so really trying to review my choices and make sure i'm getting all my requirements. i am. just stuck...

Hi all- just curious since i don't see my surgeon for another 3 wks. No hurry, just mostly trying to plan. i am walking daily but i have a small gym available at work complete with treadmills, epilipticals, rowing machine, bikes, etc. no real weights. The PT at work will be setting up a program for me so i'm excited to get started. what were some of the general time frames before ok'ed to exercise by your surgeon? Obviously I won't start until I see him, just hoping i can start soon after.

thanks to everyone, especially those sleevers on the same time frame as me! i am still frustrated and it's making me doubt my food intake. BUT, after reading these threads and many others, i realize that this is TOTALLY normal and just to deal. no biggie. we will ALL get there! egg salad for dinner. MMMMMM.......

i had surgical glue and a drain. was allowed to shower only right from the beginning. drain came out 1 wk post, i was instructed by surgeon NO swimming or baths for at least 6-8 wks after that, just to allow the drain hole to completely close.

i'm also trying to move more and increase water. don't know if it will help. darn scale still isn't moving, today is about a week since it stopped...

the main symptom of leak is generally stabbing gut pain. like bent over, also fever and sweating. you can ALWAYS call the nurse at your surgeon's office and run it by them. their knowledge is invaluable!

BBQ Meatloaf 1-1.5 lb lean ground beef, add shredded parm cheese, chopped onion, one egg and garlic powder. Add 1-2 TBSP BBQ sauce to meat and mix well, (I found some low sugar BBQ sauce after MUCH search that is only 3 sugars per 2 TBSP.) Form into loaf or into muffin cups. Mix a bit of salsa or low sugar ketchup with a couple teaspoons more of BBQ sauce. Bake at 350 until desired doneness. top with sauce and bake to set. SUPER good stuff. an old favorite. pre surgery i used to add crushed croutons too, but not worth the carbs now.

i'm going on 4 wks out and eating things like a little sloppy joe (just the meat and mix) with some shredded cheese on it, a meatball with sauce, egg salad, chili, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese.

sent a little e-mail to my priest and he responded saying it would NOT be a problem. in MY case, he will break off a very tiny corner of the Eucharist for me when I go up and that way I can still participate. i'm so glad. he is an awesome priest.

i ate guac both pre op and have had a little now, post op too. it's a wonderful mufa fat and so good for us. only problem is there isn't a lot of Protein and by the time i get all my protein i'm full! both my nut and surgeon told me that avocado is a great healthy fat option and should be measured and guidelines followed. i believe my post op diet, once i go to 'full diet' is 1/4 of an avocado per day as a healthy fat. i have an entire booklet about each of the food groups on the full diet and what is a normal serving. good luck!

My pre op was 3-4 shakes a day, unsweetened applesauce, light yogurt, SF pudding, broth, Water, unlimited raw veg for 2 weeks. then i was liquids only for 48 hrs prior to surgery and Clear Liquids the day before. i did Protein shots POST op for the first 48 hrs as directed by my nut. the protein in the shots is not as absorbed by the body so not the preferred option, but a lot of protein in a small amount.

thank you everyone for your kind words! i know many others have been there too. it is super helpful to get positive feedback.

yes stalls are normal and can last up to 2-3 wks from what i can tell. read some threads of stalls going even longer. just trying to stay focused. UGGG!!!

i was forced to sleep on my back for about 5 days, and then could side sleep only on my left side. once my drain came out at 1 wk post op, i could sleep on either side. 3 wks out no issues at all. my suggestion is to use lots of pillows on either side to prop you/support you. i'm a nurse so i had my hubs positioning the pillows like we do for patients post op to support their backs.

I have been in a stall for the past 5 days, which i know isn't too long but it's getting me frustrated. 3 wks post op, i'm now on softs/puree and wondering if i am eating TOO much, although it seems like not even close to what my nut's guidelines show. today i'm going to start weighing and measuring EVERYTHING (i was just going by teaspoon or tablespoon up to now) and tracking like crazy. hopefully that will help. i was told to not become obsessive about measuring, and to eat for comfort and such, but i just want to make sure nothing is skewed in my eating. also going to try and increase my Water. i know stalls are normal, but i really wanted to hit ONE-derland before i stalled, and only have 3 lbs to go until then! super frustrated.

looks really yum-o! i LOVE Med food and especially chix shawarma!

i DID tell some of my co-workers, a thing that could not be avoided due to job coverage. some were super supportive. then there were the others...(insert their snark here)... i had the sleeve which generally shows fairly fast results. now that i'm post op, i will not lie about it, but i'm not shouting from the rooftops. i too did this for ME and it is my journey. in hindsight, i wish i had not told the ones that i had. do what is right for you. good luck!

i agree with both the above. you don't want to end up in the ER for hydration or worse, tube feeding! call your surgeon first thing. it could be some silent reflux you are having. you don't necessarily feel it, but it can make you feel like you can't eat. i had it even pre-op for years. a PPI drug did the trick! also, you may want to just check with your nut. they have heard SO many stories and issues related to surgery and may have some guidance for you. best of luck!

awesome on the pop rescue. that is HUGE! i was a regular mtn dew addict and drank almost a GALLON a day until i just dropped it a couple weeks before my pre-op. it was really much less ceremonious than i thought. now it's been about 2 months for me since i had a pop and truly, no big issues at all! in response to your main question- i bought ALL the different shakes, mixes etc. i did nectar, Isopure, unjury, etc. the only one that I found i could handle in the end is Muscle Milk Lite. And not the powder, but the pre-mixed. i add some skim milk and TONS of ice. it's almost like an awesome chocolate milk! the Protein you take in NOW is vital to your healing post op. keep in mind that taste buds DO change post op too so what you like now you may not after, and vice versa. i also found that i couldn't stomach the Unjury unflavored. whey is whey, and it still had that 'taste' of whey in the food i added it to. best of luck to you through this process!

i have followed mine almost to the t. not perfectly, and I did advance flaked fish a few days before i was scheduled to, BUT i called my nut first and talked about it with her. you will find that post op the physical hunger just isn't there any more. i'm 3 wks out yesterday, and i am starting to enjoy the idea of eating again, but likely because i've been able to cook things the past few days that i can actually have. however, the physical hunger is pretty much still gone. when i was pre-op i couldn't stop thinking about when i'd be far enough post op to add my favorites back in. now that has pretty much passed. i'm still looking foward to some nacho 'innards' though! the point of the post op phases is to let your severely swollen, inflamed stomach tissue get reintroduced to food in it's various forms and not let whole foods pass through until it is completely healed. advancing your diet too quickly can put you at risk for leaks and blowing your staple line.

i agree with the others- my biggest concern for you would be causing a leak or popping your suture line. this is very possible from large amounts initially, and i agree that the 'fullness' thing didn't happen immediately. i didn't note 'full' until i went to flaked fish and for some reason, 1 tsp and BOOM it was there. almost to the point of discomfort. now, 3 wks out I am on puree/softs hybrid sort of thing and i pretty much know about 1TBSP plus 1 tsp and i'm totally FULL. but liquids, they still go down easy, quickly, and in large amounts without issue.