Malyss

I wish that I had known that a coccyx pillow would have been quite handy while I was in the hospital. The nurses kept me in an inclined position for most of my stay, but it really put a lot of pressure on my tailbone. I found it very difficult to find a comfortable position. At one point, I finally started using one of my bed pillows just to sit on, but it did not provide as much relief as I would have liked.

Ah, okay. I'll hold out hope, then since I'm only 2 months out. Thanks, ladies.

I feel so gypped. I had a rather low sex drive before my surgery, and about 2 months out, it's still just as low. I'm certainly glad that my husband hasn't read this thread, or he would probably feel fairly gypped as well!

During my pureed stage, I would cook chicken thighs and breasts up in the crock pot until they were very tender. Sometimes, I would save the broth from the pot to puree the chicken with. Other times, I would puree the chicken (minus the bones and skin of course) with spaghetti sauce (I used some delicious sauce that I'd made at home). I would layer the spaghetti sauce pureed chicken with fat free cottage cheese in a very small bowl to take with me for lunch. It was somewhat reminiscent of lasagna.

Mine itched for probably 2-4wks after surgery. I just kept them clean and applied Neosporin about twice a day. It gets better once they heal.

Prior to my surgery, I made a support pillow for myself. It's about 16" long and about 9" wide at its widest point. Mine is stuffed quite firmly and provides a lot of support, but it would be bulky to pack in a suitcase.

I have BCBS Direct Access and did not have much of a problem getting my surgery approved. At most, I think that there was a slight issue with the fax machine that my doctor's insurance coordinator was sending my info to. Other than that, once BCBS had all the info (labs, psych eval, etc.), it didn't take long at all.

Congratulations on getting a great doctor at a great price! I remember Conway, SC. I lived down that way back in the mid 90's. It's not far at all from Myrtle Beach.

Some surgeons have their patients put on catheters for the surgery. I'm guessing that if your surgeon has you catheterized, then you would likely not have to worry about the incontinence issue. It might be best to bring up the topic with your surgeon.

I can only attest to having tried the Shirataki Tofu Noodles. They are serviceable, but do not expect them to have the same taste or texture as traditional Pasta. The texture is quite different. Right out of the bag, they have an unusual aroma. Perhaps "odor" is a better word. They need to be rinsed a bit, dried off a little and then boiled for a little bit. Do a Google search to get a better idea of how to handle a package of these noodles. It's been a while since I've dabbled with them and my memory isn't so great. Adding or cooking them with a good sauce can help. If you haven't tried them, then maybe get just 1 package and give it a try. I was able to locate the noodles in my favorite Asian market as well as my local Shop Rite.

I was told that I should not drive until after my first post-op visit with my surgeon, which was just about a week after my surgery. My theory is that the idea was to discourage patients taking pain medication (mine was vicodin in liquid form) from getting behind the wheel.

This week, I'm really enjoying my pureed pork tenderloin. Over the weekend, I cooked the pork tenderloin in a crock pot with some Hoisin sauce, some sliced onions and some chili garlic sauce. It turned out really well. I'm also pretty pleased with the homemade spaghetti sauce that I made over the weekend. My husband had been craving it for a while, so I gave in. The homemade stuff is just so good.

Best of luck to you! I had a speedy approval with BCBS.

I wish that I could count the running around that I do at my job. Since returning to work, I've had a harder time getting motivated to do anything. I need to check with my doctor to see when I can start using my eliptical.

Hello. I'm down in the Alloway area. Have you chosen a doctor yet? I had my surgery with Dr. Kakkilaya and am doing quite well. Yesterday was my 3 week anniversary and so far, so good.

My surgery was on 02/22/12 and I had my first post-surgery BM on 02/27/12 without taking anything.

This Wednesday will be my 3 week anniversary. Today was the first day that I was able to get 64oz of Water in. So far, it's been a struggle to manage to drink enough. My water bottle is always near me and save for the pre-meal and post-meal periods when I am not to drink, I am generally sipping. Protein hasn't been a problem for me. I'm currently in the puree stage and have been making purees from pork tenderloin, chicken thighs, and cauliflower. I basically turned the steamed cauliflower into "fauxtatoes" with the addition of a little bit of light cream cheese and some time spent in the food processor.

I was on a high protein shake diet for 2 weeks prior to my surgery and the day before my surgery I was on clear fluids.

I'm jealous. I ordered one from World Market and the top part came in several pieces. They were at least very very good about refunding my payment quickly. I think that I might just see if I can do anything similar in my crock pot, though I know that it's not same.

By about my 3rd to 4th day out, I was feeling much colder than usual. Even my hands were freezing and I rarely have cold hands. I just piled on some blankets and carried on. My husband wondered if it might have been from my metabolism being slower due to not taking in many calories. After a couple of days, my body heat came back.

Congratulations! I'm glad that you're feeling better than how you felt starting out. I felt a little icky my first day or two and was having "buyer's remorse," but by the third day or so, I was feeling better for having had the surgery. Best of luck with your recovery!

I ended up having one true food funeral before starting my liquid diet. The weekend before my liquid diet was to begin, my husband and I got together with friends and had sushi. It was nice. I ate enough, but not too much. It was a good "farewell for now" to the sushi. Someday, I'll have it again but in a different way.