Escape_Pod

I wondered the same thing - my surgeon specified nonfat milk when blending Protein shakes post-op. I couldn't help but think to myself - really? I'm getting something like 500 calories a day, and you want to be sure I'm drinking skim milk?? Lucky for me my husband's a stickler (and a worrier) and made me do it. He pointed out it might be harder for me to digest higher fat milk in the first couple of weeks post-op. Better safe than sorry! I have to admit now, the thinner the Protein shake the easier it is to get down. Everything tastes too rich and too sweet at the moment. I'm pretty darned grateful to be drinking nonfat milk in my shakes. (Damn, I hate it when my husband is right!! )

Aha - so that's the secret. Thanks!!

So, I'm in the first week post-op and my diet is pretty restricted. I actually don't mind, since nothing exactly appeals to me at this point. Cream of potato Soup was absolute heaven to me, especially since I decided to squeeze my Protein in another way, so I was able to eat the soup HOT, not just luke-warm. Oddly, I'm perfectly happy to have my husband eating REAL food - hey, at least it makes the house smell good. I enjoy the smell, even if I can't have any of what he's having. Plus, he's been an absolute angel taking care of me, so it makes me feel good to be able to feed him something yummy to take care of him in return. I can tell some people are having a much harder time watching their loved ones eat real food, but I guess I'm lucky. So, this is pretty weird, but I've discovered my absolute favorite thing post-op is "coffee kisses". I'm not supposed to have coffee yet, even decaf, because the acid in it can be tough on my healing tummy. But my husband can have coffee. The aroma is heavenly. And even better, a nice hearty good-morning kiss, and I get a bit of coffee flavor too. Fourth of July grilled hot dog kisses somehow weren't quite as wonderful, but hey - it was worth a shot. Try it - you may like it!! :rofl:

I was sleeved on 6/29, and today is my best day yet! The first 5 days were uncomfortable in a variety of ways, but the incisions are all healing well, and I'm fortunate not to be having any trouble keeping down protein shakes, water, and other liquids. I've got one more week on full liquids before I can begin to transition to pureed foods - I'm really looking forward to that! Even better, the weather has been FABULOUS, so I'm really enjoying getting out for walks as often as I can to get the gas out of my system. Renee, I had my first post-op appointment today, but I spend a few weeks working with a different surgeon before I selected my eventual surgeon, and their office did the first post-op appointment quite a bit later. Really all I did today was get the staples taken out, have the incisions checked, and have a good discussion with my surgeon who answered a few questions. Most that of that could have happened over the phone, but it was really nice to touch base in person.

All in all, I'm very pleased with how it went. There was definitely more pain than I expected, but it's well managed by the pain meds. I spend a lot of time fighting to keep my eyes open, snatching sleep when I can, and I haven't passed the CO2 yet - I'm sure I'll feel worlds better once I do. At the moment I feel really bloated. I had the impression somehow that would happen sooner. But the incision sites are healing nicely, and I'm not having any trouble keeping anything down. There tends to be a bit of discomfort when I swallow, even really tiny sips, but then I burp and it feels much better. I'm hoping that will also pass as soon as the swelling goes down more. I needed my husband's assistance at the hospital much more than i expected. The nurses were attentive but busy, so he spent a lot of time getting me fresh Water, ice chips, or pouring me 1-oz plastic cups of the beverage of the moment. He also brought me juice from home - everything on the bariatric clear diet was so chock full of artificial colors and flavors it was pretty awful. The doctor's clear diet list included diluted clear juices, so the nurses let him bring that in and it was MUCH better until my taste buds adjusted a bit. Also, one of the nurses trained him how to unplug everything when I was ready to do laps around the floor, and it was so much nicer to have him walk with me. I thought I'd send him back to work the first full day after surgery, but it was good to have him with me. He was pretty worn out by discharge. I was VERY glad my surgeon plans a more generous 2 nights in the hospital. After the first night the thought of trying to manage from home was a bit scary. I don' t know how people get through the first few days without a hospital bed that adjusts position at the touch of a button, (it HURTS to get up) and it was comforting to have someone keeping a close eye on my vitals, etc. They transitioned me off the IV drip medications to be sure I'd be fine on oral pain medication and without the nauseau drips before I went home, but I still ended up with the worst migraine of my life within hours of getting home. It was a lot of work battling the nausea and pain so I didn't throw up, but I got approval to supplement the prescription pain meds with liquid tylenol in between, and after a few hours began to feel human again.

I'm 3 days post-op and I was also surprised at how much more pain there was than I expected. On the one hand, DUH, it's major surgery. But on the other hand, you read so may posts from people who didn't need pain meds once they got home, that I began to think, maybe it's not so bad because it's laparoscopic. Nope, there's some SERIOUS pain, and my body is pretty unhappy with me. I'm grateful that I"m not having trouble with nausea though, and I"m able to keep all the liquids down. I'm definitely not ready to come off pain meds yet - tonight I went 5 hours between doses, and that was probably a bit too long a stretch. I have my first postpop appointment Tuesday, so I guess I've got the contrast die thing to look forward to. I'm looking forward to the staples coming out.

I felt exactly the same way - I didn't feel like I had any symptoms of sleep apnea, nor did my husband, and he has severe apnea! It all seemed like an absurd waste of my time and money. But after a week on a CPAP, I have to admit I waken in the morning more ready to get out of bed (and not just because I want the #$^#$(&$ thing off my face - lol!). My surgery's tomorrow, and I'm getting very nervous, but the EXTREMELY thorough testing is comforting at this point - I know my surgeon did everything conceivable to make sure I come through this safely. Hopefully in a few months I'll be able to stop using the CPAP! ... of course, that doesn't mean you don't get to gripe about it a bit!