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Set a timer/alarm. It works absolute wonders. I set my timer on my phone to go off every 10 or 15 minutes. This reminds me to have a drink.

I'm 23 days post op. My diet consists of:- Organic Baby food (suprisingly ok) Tin tuna Low fat slice cheese Cottage Scrambled egg Melt in your mouth crackers deli meats (ie shaved turkey) Protein shakes Water The above has been my staples for the past 9 days. I cringed at the thought of Baby food to but actually enjoy it. Its quite satisfying and one 185gram jar is two meals. There are huge varieties of Baby food with lots of different textures. I choose the ones made for 8mth olds.

I know 6 other people who went to the same doctor as me. One of them had surgery over 5 years ago and none of us had any sort of drain. My Drs notes said if you notice your urine is green the day after surgery, don't be alarmed, its just the blue dye they flushed the stomach with to check for leaks. Just my thoughts on dieticians. I really don't feel comfortable with dietician directions post op. If they worked in conjunction with the surgeon, that would be great but it appears they don't. So for me, I'm skipping the dietician and going by my Dr and what my body is telling me. Sorry, I'm not tarring every dietician with the same brush but that's just my thoughts from my own personal experience.

2.5 litres! Wow, your dietician is very optimistic . I still cant drink that much 3 weeks out. You should aim to sip one medicine cup (30ml) of Water every 15 minutes while awake. Set a timer otherwise you will probably forget to drink. My Dr said to aim for at least 1-1.5 litres to keep you hydrated in the first week. I drank a combination of Powerade and water in the first couple of days. Your fluid intake will increase each day.

Hey Kelli. I had that same feeling in the top of my tummy. Sometimes it was painful. I rubbed it in a circular motion. Dr said if the feeling/pain comes in waves (ie comes and goes), that it was a normal side effect. Mine subsidised by day 3-4. I hated having the cannulas etc. They make you feel so restricted. You will definitely feel better once they are out. Theres no place like home. The first couple days will be bumpy but its on and up from there

Sorry to hear that Sue. I'm 3 weeks out and I actually feel fine. I'm struggling. with portion size but have no problem eating a variety of foods (tin tuna, cottage cheese, deli meats ie turkey/chicken, cheese slices, yogurt and clix biscuits) < those foods are pretty much my staple diet. I do feel different as the day goes in. My stomach feels more bloated in the evening and I feel drained, however, I am working 8-12 hour days. Otherwise I feel good. I burp a lot, like a real lot when I eat too much. That's my only real gripe at the moment. I'm having minimum 60grams Protein a day and take a Multivitamin. Have you spoke to your Dr to rule out any post op complications that could possibly be making you feel this way? Hope you get better soon

Yeah I'm on basic hospital too with Medibank. Had surgery at a private hospital and my gaps were $2400 surgeon/assistant surgeon and $285 for the anaethetist . Its crazy how much the prices differ. Kelliv, glad to hear everything went well. I didn't have a drain but have had one with a previous surgery and they sure are a pain in the butt. Good luck with the rest of your recovery. Thanks for keep us posted

I had no problems with pain while driving. Does your surgeon do drains? Mine didn't but I think if you had one it would make the drive very uncomfortable. 40 minutes isn't too bad. When I discussed driving home with my Dr, he was more concerned about me being tired. I said if I got too tired in that 40 mins that I would pull over for awhile. I was fine though. I also didn't take any pain meds that day until I got home.

You will know if something is not right. If you have prolonged pain in your abdomen and possibly left shoulder and you just feel really nauseous for longer than 24 hours, consult your Dr or ER.

Liquid goes down easier. If you can still eat a cup of food when you move to the puree/soft food stage, you might want to discuss with your Dr. I'm 20 days post op. I cannot eat even 1/2 a cup in one sitting. I get pain and I burp a lot when I'm getting full.

Depends how far you have to drive. I drove myself home after surgery (ie 2 days post op) It was a 75 kilometre trip or 45 minutes of open road. If your still on pain meds , I wouldn't recommend it. Your not going to know how you will feel, so best to have a back up plan

Hi Shell. Glad everything is going well. Our bodies are great at letting us know what they will and won't tolerate :-). I used to love coke to but the craving for it has gone. In regards to exercise.. I think that differs but I remember reading somewhere between 6-10 weeks (ie six weeks for swimming 10 weeks for weights etc). I guess it all depends on the intensity of the exercise. Isn't is just great to actually want to exercise?! I'm away for work for* weeks staying on the 4th floor of a hotel. I use the stairs everyday! yes up and down all 123 steps. I wouldn't of considered doing that 4 weeks ago. Loving life Welcome to the new people on the thread. Looking forward to sharing your journey.

Hi Shell. Glad everything is going well. Our bodies are great at letting us know what they will and won't tolerate :-). I used to love coke to but the craving for it has gone. In regards to exercise.. I think that differs but I remember reading somewhere between 6-10 weeks (ie six weeks for swimming 10 weeks for weights etc). I guess it all depends on the intensity of the exercise. Isn't is just great to actually want to exercise?! I'm away for work for* weeks staying on the 4th floor of a hotel. I use the stairs everyday! yes up and down all 123 steps. I wouldn't of considered doing that 4 weeks ago. Loving life Welcome to the new people on the thread. Looking forward to sharing your journey.

12 days but could of gone back after 7

Its all very confusing. During the liquid stage, it was shakes, Water, powearade (in the first few days as I was getting dehydrated ) , vitamised / puree Soups (thin enough to drink through straw), yoghurt pureed with milk (again to a thin consistency ). I didn't worry about protein in the first week as it was simply to hard to get it down. Still now I get my protein from the shakes. I continue to have 2 a day as portion size is very small and I cant achieve required protein in food alone. I thought week 3-4 were puree stage too but appears to be soft food stage. My Dr then says I can start introducing other foods from start of week 5. I noticed my dietician guidelines were complete different to my surgeons. I went with my surgeons guidelines as personally I think he's rhe one with expertise in the recovery from surgery. Good luck today.

I'm having food with lumps. I eat baby food for 6-8mth olds. It has lumps in it. My Dr said puree is any soft food that can be chewed to a puree consistency before swallowing. I don't puree my tuna or fish. I eat cottage cheese and scrambled egg. My Dr also said I could eat deli meats (ie shaved turkey, chicken or ham). Dr said to avoid any dense foods ie pasta, bread etc.

I took tablets. Had to break them in half for the first 4 days but swallowed them whole from thereafter. Didn't taken them till I got home.

Had my op July 25th. First 3 Days were pretty crappy. But from day 4 things got better and better. Returned to work on day 12. Feel absolutely fine. Apart from smaller portions, you cant actually feel that part of your stomach is missing

How far out are you Nessa ? I get peckish if I don't keep my fluids up. I make sure I still drink two protein shakes and lots of water to stop any potential snacking.

Thank you for your reply. Its always comforting to know that others experienced the same side effects.

Warning...may be TMI ... I've not had a period for 6 years. The first 5 years I had an IUD and in the past 7 mth I've had an implanon inserted in my arm. Both of these devices stopped my period....until now.... I'm 19 days post op and got my period 2 days ago...Unlucky, strange or normal considering what my body has been through?

Good luck for tomorrow Kelli. You'll be just fine :-)

I've told everyone. Friends, family and co workers. I have no shame in what I've done. I stand tall and proud that I have taken this step to make my life better.

Sorry ladies. Hate to break it to you. But hitting the mushy food stage doesn't mean no more shakes. I thought that to but there is just no way you can achieve your Protein intake with mushy food alone as your portion sizes are really really small. It is nice to incorporate some food with those shakes though

Sounds pretty normal to me. I'm 18 days post op. Your stomach and body will do all sorts of things during the first week and gas/wind/excess air are usually the culprit. Take it easy on the Protein drinks in the first week. Our already swollen stomachs don't seem to be a fan of them so early on..Concentrate more on the water/clear fluids for a few days and lots of walking. Any sudden prolonged pain,consult your doctor. Good luck with your recovery