quietcougar

The papers say anything from oatmeal, to Soup and crackers?? Like one cracker drowning in soup? Thin watery oatmeal? I just don't want to screw up.

At three weeks out, you should probably focus on very soft foods; if you're going to have oatmeal, yes, I'd make it watery. I'd also omit the cracker from the soup, as the refined flour can be difficult for your stomach to process. Yougurt, cottage cheese, soft salads and finely ground meats should be ok, but keep your portion sizes to about 3-6 tablespoons of solid foods or 4-6 ounces of liquid (like fat free milk) at each meal. I would also focus on Proteins at this point, as it's the most important element for helping the healing process. Adequate Protein intake will help keep you from losing the lean muscle mass you have, while stimulating the burning of fat (like the Atkins diet). You could also eat things like scrambled eggs, tofu, or refried Beans for extra Protein. Hope that helps, but the best advice would be to contact your surgeon and get advice from them - they know you the best!

If you didn't follow your doctor's orders, he may or may not cancel the surgery. I congratulate you on getting it, but this is the time you really need to settle in and decide why you're doing this. Is it for you, or is it for everyone else? If you can honestly say it's for you, why sabotage yourself by not following directions? You'll need to after surgery, and those directions aren't something you can ignore. I'm not going to beat you up over your discretion, but think about why you're doing this. Your life after surgery will never be the same. Ever. Trust me on this. If I were you, I'd admit to my doctor I'd cheated and see what he says. Yes, it may delay your surgery, but better that then end up in the recovery room only to be told nothing happened. Best of luck!

Can we use crab meat from the can? I'm a horrible cook and I am terrible at buying meats and cooking them. Would it taste bad with using canned crab?

BTW your recipe sounds really delicious! Thanks for sharing!!

The problem with canned crab is the excess Water. It'd be hard to get that out, and since the recipie doesn't use fillers, you're counting on the lack of moisture to help hold things together. You may be able to get by with canned if you treat it like tofu, and put a weight on it to squeeze out the extra Water for about 20-30 mins. It'll taste fine either way. Good luck!

I would also love the recipe! Love crab cakes but dread the filler if it would be filled with carbs.

Each cake has approximately 70 calories, 8 grams of Protein, and 2 grams of carbs.

Can you post your recipe? Sounds like it would be great!

Sure, here it is:

Pacific Dungeness Crab Cakes (suitable for those in the soft texture stage, but can be pureed if desired)

1/2 lb. Dungeness crab meat, cooked (or any crab meat may be used, except canned)

1 tbls. minced celery

2 tsps. minced red bell pepper

2 tsps. finely chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbls. non-fat Mayonnaise

1/8 tsp. sea salt or Kosher salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

2 tsps. olive oil

1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

2 tbls. salad greens

2 lemon wedges

2 tbls. low-fat tartar sauce

Method:

Put crabmeat in a strainer or collander and squeeze out the excess moisture. Transfer to a mixing bowl, and add the celery, pepper, and cilantro. In a small bowl, combine the mayo, salt, and cayenne pepper (if you're using it) and stir until well mixed. Add the mixture to the crabmeat and mix together until well incorporated. Form the mixture in about 6 equal sized patties, appx. 2 ounces each. Press firmly enough to hold the mixture together, and put on a piece of wax paper on top of a plate. Cover the top of the patties with another sheet of wax paper and place in refridgerator for 15 minutes. In a medium, non-stick skillet pan, heat the olive and sesame oils over medium high heat and swirl to mix the oils. Gently place the crab cakes in the pan using a thin metal spatula and cook undisturbed (no matter what, no peeking!) for 6 minutes on each side, or until well browned. You should move them only to prevent burning. When they're done, remve the pan from the heat. Place a tablespoon of the greens (spinach would work well) in the center of a small plate. Place 1 or 2 crab cakes on the greens. Put a lemon wedge next to the greens, and a teaspoon of tartar sauce either on or next to each cake.

How long have you noticed this? Did it come on suddenly or slowly? In any case, it sounds like you should call your surgeon's office and speak with one of the nurses. They can ask you the appropriate questions to tell if it's something to worry about or not. If you're eating and drinking and not in pain, it's probably something minor, but better safe than sorry.

i'm in week 3... i'll stop eating it it tastes good! i'll make a new batch without it.

my friend made the first batch at work...

PS I went to college at Lawrence in your neck of the woods

Neat - I live about a mile from campus and several people I know have graduated from there.

If you like seafood, I have a recipe for Dungeness crab cakes (no flour or fillers, just pure crab and some other goodies) that you may be interested in. They're really good!

Fellow Wisconsin person here! You don't mention how far out from surgery you are, but if you're in soft foods, I'd guess you're at least 3-4 weeks out. My worry is that if you aren't far enough out, one of those seeds could get stuck in your staple line, your tissue heals over it, and you get an abscess. Not good. However, the further out you are, the less likely this is to happen. Since there were probably very few seeds that you actually ate, my guess is that you'll be fine. You may want to call your doctor just to let them know and see if they think it's ok, but I think you're good to go.

There is a limited amount of ghrelin production that returns after a year or so, and there's ghrelin stored in your fat that is released as you burn it off; however, it's nothing like it was pre-surgery. If you stick to what your doctor and nutritionist say, you should have no trouble meeting and maintaining your goal weight with the sleeve. Proteins first, then veggies/fruits, and last carbs (at least for me, your mileage may vary).

Does everyone have a drain after surgery??

I think it depends on the doctor's technique. I know I've seen some people say they didn't have a drain; I did, but I knew ahead of time I was going to. Best thing to do is ask your surgeon. Mine was in for a week. You can't shower with a drain in (which was annoying) but you can wash up with a cloth. I was glad to get that out!

I'm a professor of computer science at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College - nice to see you all! I told my boss and my immediate team members (there are 3 of us), so they wouldn't be so shocked when I come back in the fall. I'm sure some of my students will also be able to see the difference, since I teach a 2-year program. Glad I did it, though. It's a lot easier to exercise and I actually enjoy it!

My surgeon gave me one of these; it looks a little different, but it's essentially the same thing. I thought it would be great to have one, but now that I have one, I don't use it. For one, I prefer to keep it on the down low. The waitress doesn't need to know the details of my life. Second, I feel a little guilty asking for a discount. Yeah, I can't eat much now, but there's leftovers, and it wasn't like I offered to pay the restaurant more when I could eat three times what the other customers could. Just my opinion.

^{Just out of curiosity - why the medic alert Bracelet? Is there issues with post VSG patients longterm that paramedics, etc would need to be notified???}

Yes. Because your anatomy has been significantly altered - even in sleeve patients. The doctors at the hospital are going to be planning on you being "intact". It can change medication dosages as well as medications given (for example, no ibuprofin). This way they'll know what to expect and how to treat you.

Anything with lentils in it should be fine; also vindaloo or tikki masala. Rajma should be fine, that's got a lot of Protein. The drier dahl would be better, since we can't do naan. I would think a papadam would also be ok, that's chickpea flour, but you'd have to check into it. At least it's a little crunch. I have always loved Indian food and eat a lot of it. I have had curries since surgery and they went down fine.

I got the Walmart special, but oddly enough, it's almost exactly what the doctor's office says - consistently within a pound. Go figure.

Ok, I may not be Asian, but I think I should have been. I really, really, really love Asian food. The other day I needed something to eat for supper, and this idea came to me. It may not be new, but it's tasty. Any ingredients that sound strange to you can be found in your local Asian grocer or most large mega marts.

Here's what you need:

1 fillet of white fish (cod, whitefish, etc. - any white meat fish) - 4 oz.

1 sandwich bag with zipper top

Marinade:

3 Tbls. Shoyu (soy sauce)

2 Tbls. mirin (sweet cooking wine)

1 Tsp. minced garlic

1 Tsp. minced fresh ginger

1 Tsp. onion powder

1 Tsp. Sriracha sauce (or other hot sauce, if preferred)

Combine all ingredients right in the sandwich bag, including the fillet. Seal the bag and shake well to distribute the mixture. Marinate 15 minutes, then turn fish over and marinate for 15 more minutes. Reserving marinade, place fish in steamer and set timer to 15 minutes.

While the fish cooks, place remaining marinade in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add Sriracha sauce and stir well. Reduce sauce to thicken, about 5-10 minutes. When fish is finished, put on plate and pour reduced marinade over fish. (If you can have rice, it will go well with that but it's good on it's own too). Enjoy!

Good for you for planning ahead and looking forward to prepare for post op! I am just heading out for a hike with my Fur Kid, so I will make this a short post, but I will get back to you later today with an "at home list" that worked for me as well :0)

I found it was good to have some items to bring with me to the hospital as well, other than the standard toiletries and comfy loose bed gear and slippers with a good grip for walking after your surgery to help release the CO2 and assist with the healing process.

The items I used the most and was grateful I brought with me were:

1. Gas X strips

2. sugar free Halls Vitamin C Drops

(always check with the nurses to see what you are allowed to have first as everyone is different)

3. Chapstick/Lip Balm, lips tend to get very dry.

4. Travel pillow, the horseshoe shaped type used on flights is the BEST, for your neck to get comfy in the hospital bed as well as on your tummy when you cough and get up and down and for the drive home.

5. Baby wipes

6. Your 2 heating pads for sure!

7. Ear plugs- the hospital can be very noisy and the ear plugs will help relax you.

8. iPod to listen to music to relax you and eliminate some of the hospital noises.

9. A soothing natural aromatherapy spray to spritz on your pillow to calm you and help take away the hospital scents around you.

10. Journal, pen and paper.

11. Cell, Smart Phone, Laptop, etc.

12. Silly photos of my family, (parents, brother, nieces) my Fur Kids to make me smile.

13. Sunglasses or eye mask when it seems too bright

14. Ball cap, bandana or some kind of comfy head wear just seemed to make me feel more "at home".

15. A personal "good luck charm" any item that means something special to you that you can touch and see to bring you comfort and a sense of inner peace and normality.

Hope that helps!

You are going to do great!

Husky Hugz from Canada :0)

Wow - I wish I'd had a list like this before my surgery! Great ideas. Too late for me, but I hope they help others.

Hi all, I am still waiting on a date. I sure hope that it is before I go back to school on August 20. I would really prefer it to be 3 weeks before that, so I can be on soft foods by then. Are you telling everyone at work about your VSG? I think I might wait until someone brings it up. I haven't even told my family yet (hubby and son know, of course). I just want them to see the new me at our next family gathering and be surprised!

Not sure where Creedmoor is, but I have friends that live in Boone and I've been to Hickory. Nice area, but it's been a long time since I've been there. I had my surgery May 29th, about two weeks after the end of the spring semester. I teach adults, so it's a little different in my case, but I told my boss and team members about my surgery. I didn't want to come back in August looking like I was a cancer patient and have to explain it then. I think everyone's different, though, and some are more comfortable talking about it than others. I'm pretty open about things like this. Good luck with your surgery!

May 29th and down a total of 40 pounds (both pre-op and post-op, majority of it post-op).

I've lost almost 50 pounds since my surgery, and I can't say that I've noticed any "special" attention. The way people look at me is different, though. When I go to the store, or the mall, I don't get the kinds of looks I used to get being a big guy. I'm still pretty good sized, but I look a lot thinner now than I did. To more directly answer your question, there are women who like larger guys and women who like skinner guys. As you lose weight, you may get more attention from the latter.

I haven't had any issues either, but I'm sure the experience is different for everyone. Things I used to like I don't, and some things I didn't like as well I enjoy more now. Strange, but that's the way the sleeve rolls.

As others have said, it's really your surgeon or nutritionist you need to ask. They have the final say so. My surgeon is of the "no soda" camp. I'll admit, I was a bad boy and tried a little soda. It wasn't bad, but it didn't taste the way it did before surgery. It wasn't like I couldn't do it, but it just tasted - well, bland. I didn't like it. I haven't had it since, but I do love tea, and drink a lot of that.

When you build a life with someone, especially after so many years, you get to know them as they are - you accept everything about them. After surgery, the only you they ever knew is very rapidly changing into someone that (at least for some) they've never known. That makes some happy, others scared, and for a lot of people, insecure. As large people, many of us were insecure - we need to remember that our spouse/significant others are very involved in our changes after surgery. I wonder if the divorce rate is less for couples who both get the surgery around the same time?

It sounds like they're in high school. The key thing is, and you realize this from what you've said, is that you're doing this for you. This will last long after you've moved on from that job, either to another job or into retirement. Good for you for getting the surgery. If they won't be happy for you, I will.

Swimming is typically a good 4 weeks post op - your incisions need to heal completely. Biking, running, and other types of workouts put a strain on your abdomen. For this reason, you will typically be told to wait 6 weeks before *slowly* starting these activities. Not gospel, but it's pretty standard. Your mileage may vary.