terry1118

Where can you buy them individually? I'd like to give one a try before buying a whole package.

Me too! When I find something I like I buy one that fits and one the next size down. Right now I'm sort of stuck between the two sizes - current size is baggy britches, next size down is a tad too indecently clingy for a bank. I've even tried washing and then tossing in the dryer to make it shrink! Lol Not complaining, just sayin'. :-)

Prices of Protein vary widely, depending on brand, quality, and where you buy it. Some of the best deals are online. All Proteins are not created equal. Some have sugar, some are high carb, some have fillers, some are not whey isolate. Some are for weight gain, some are for loss (depends on the needs of the individual). Read the labels, ask your nutritionist if your not sure. unjury and I think some others are created for bariatric patients. Beware cheap products - sometimes they are cheap for a reason. Don't stock up. Your tastes change after surgery. What you like now, you may not like then. Also, on the website "The world according to egg face" there are many , many protein shake recipes that are amazingly awesome. Check out the website. Egg whites can be bought in powdered form to add protein to foods and drink. It's safe and tasteless. My son (a marine and a body builder) uses both powdered egg whites and whey protein. You may not need to have whey protein forever. A lot of us learn to LIKE it. I also have Atkins shakes for breakfast. I prefer a liquid breakfast in the morning. If I'm low on my protein for the day I'll have another shake in the evening to make up for it. Sometimes I'm just too busy and forget to eat. If that happens a shake is a quick easy meal. Usually I can get the protein I need from my foods. I like fish, seafood, Greek yogurt, chili w/beans, cheeses, and on rare occasions beef. I have trouble with poultry still. You'll get it all figured out. It's an adjustment but not as hard as it seems. :-)

Cream soups were recommended during the full liquid stage. You can't really eat much at three weeks, I was eating around 1/4 - 1/3 cup at that time. It's not really enough for the small amount of carbs or sugar to be a problem. Someone mentioned here somewhere that Protein can offset the effects of sugar and/or carbs? If so, maybe it helped that I added Protein powder? Introduce new foods with care. We are all different - what didn't bother me, just might bother you. Good luck! :-)

I don't feel hunger yet (three months out). I'm not missing it either. I could be very happy the rest of my life without it. So nice not to be controlled by hunger! I feel totally indifferent about food and am finally eating for fuel. I plan what and when and how much to eat and I follow the plan. It's liberating! And I can watch other people eat things I used to and not really care. I hope it lasts a long, long time! :-)

Then you should be feeling great and able to have a wonderful time on your vacation! :-)

Five shrimp w/cocktail sauce!

I felt perfectly normal long before then. I was pretty good by 3-4 weeks out. I'm just over three months now, down 47lbs since 5/30, I have more energy than ever, no physical restrictions, I have no trouble finding healthy options to eat when I'm out and about. You'll be fine before then! :-) You don't have any other health issues that could slow or impede your recovery, do you?

I was told no driving for one week. At my 1 week post op visit they asked if I was still taking pain meds. I wasn't so they okayed me to drive. My daughter drove me there, I took my keys back and drove home. It's against all the laws of nature to be a passenger while your child drives!!!! My nerves were shot and my leg was sore from stepping on that imaginary brake! Lol

Me too! Though I've never been a fan of summer, I'm hoping next year I'll be able to tolerate it better. Maybe even buy a bathing suit and go swimming when it's hot... :-)

I wasn't in any pain when I woke up in my room. I had someone help me up to get the walk over with - they want you up and walking asap - and then I went back to bed. I was soooo sleepy! I walked three times the first day, each time followed by a nap. The worst part of the first day is not pain. The pain is manageable and they're giving you the good stuff for it. The worst part is the thirst!!! You can't drink until the second day...

When I was still on pureed food I went out once without a snack. I was in Target and bought some laughing cow cheese to try. I had no problems with it. It's so soft anyway, I just licked it out of the wrapper.

Soupy, very humid weather here. It's not hot, only in the upper seventies, but the humidity makes you not want to move. Fall is my favorite time of year. Jeans and long sleeves, beautiful colors, apple picking, comfy days cool/cold nights, and no mosquitoes after first frost. You can't keep me in the house in the Fall! :-)

Mediterranean crusted salmon and asparagus. :-)

I was looking at these just tonite! I wasn't sure if I could tolerate them. You can eat them?

Are you eating any protein? It satisfies hunger. Some types of foods just leave you wanting more.

I never heard that one before! I thought it was an auto-correct thing! Lol

That's a tough decision...

My incisions didn't really hurt too much. The first couple of days they stung a little like any cut would but it wasn't bad. My left side hurt but it wasn't unbearable. Just achy. Sometimes it felt almost cramp-like. I took two weeks off from work but thought I could've gone back after one. I probably would have except I developed an allergic reaction to something related to the surgery. I had a horrible itchy rash that prevented me from wearing anything but a loose-fitting dress the whole time I was home. In my case, the pain wasn't that bad at all. Maybe because I had another surgical experience to compare it to that was worse. I had rotator cuff surgery in '09. That was WAY more painful and the pain lasted for a long, LONG time!

I stopped pain meds during the day after four days. I continued to use them at night for a week. Everyone is different. If you need them, use them. Don't try to tough it out.

My whole first month everything smelled strange and tasted bad. Even if I found something I could eat I could only eat it a couple times before it turned my stomach. Soups were easiest to eat so I added unflavored Protein to them. Soups like french onion, seafood bisque, clam chowder (I filtered out the clams, they bothered me at that time), broccoli cheese, and pea Soup (still my favorite). I could manage Protein shakes and yogurt, too but I got thoroughly sick of sweet things pretty quick. Hot herbal teas were good too. Tastes and smells will get better. Hope you feel better soon!

Yes it happens and it's most definitely not only you! Sometimes it's our own fault - I know when I've eaten too much, or too fast, or too dry - but sometimes it happens for no apparent reason. They say it gets better over time. Good luck to you! :-)