ReaRaes

Hi all, I am feeling great for the most part. I think that I am constipated though. Having a hell of a time and not getting enough of anything in. I am not ever hungry. I do get thirsty and then I forget and take a big gulp of water and then immediately regret that. My stomach gurggles and grumbles and whines quite often, but other than taking 40 minutes to eat 5 oz of greek yogurt I can't eat more than about 3 oz of food at a time. A cheesstick and an ounce of chicken put me in to total pain this evening. Yesterday I had all of 248 calories. It has to get better right. I am dying to get to a point where I can eat whatever, just way smaller amounts than I used to.

I am two weeks post op tomorrow. I feel fantastic until I forget and take a big gulp of something or think I can eat a bit more than I can. It isn't that I try to force food in, it's just that when I get full, (which I always am) but I need to try to get some food in, I get really full and it hurts. There is no way I am getting in enough protein or fluids. However, when I eat yogurt, I can eat the entire container, although it does take me at least 40 minutes. I eat 90% of the food I eat each day at my office at my desk. I went back to work on day six. I have felt great since two days after I surgery. I have looked for protein powder and I can't find it locally. The only I nes they have are either vanilla or chocolate flavored. I usually make protein shakes with it, almond milk and frozen strawberries. I will have to do it again and freeze half of it for "ice cream" and drink the other half. My goal this week is to make plenty of good pureed foods. I am just so sick of pureed. I want to eat food. I've only had two instances of dumping, one caused diarrhea and the other just lots of pain. I got a tiny piece of crab stuck and that I had to bend way over and force it to come back out. I tried a rolo today (sucked it so it dissolved) just to see if sweets would not sit right with me like most people. Unfortunately it was just fine. I don't go back to the doc until the 23rd. That is when I get to go to soft foods. Then I am on those for six weeks. I just want to be able to eat small amounts of normal food and drink my water the way I normally do. The

Holly, it sounds like you are dehydrated. Are you getting your full liquids in? And your protein. It could also be iron deficiency. I am day day four post op and 11 lbs down and am feeling my skin drying out and becoming itchy. I have still only had 41 oz of gatorade since I left the hospital. It still hurts a bit when I swallow. I have to usually sit up and double swallow if you know what I mean. Like it gets to the pouch but can't leave it. I have been dying every time I see a food commercial. Everything looks good. Food that I haven't wanted in years looks to die for. This afternoon my husband and I were watching movies and he made popcorn. I had to take one piece. It melted in my mouth. Then for dinner he had baked beans. I licked some of the juice off his spoon. He had a twinkie for dessert. I ate literally a crumb. Then before I came upstairs I dipped my finger in the peanut butter jar and got just a tip full and put it in my mouth. All of it was heavenly. I can see that come Friday when I can have food again I will be so much better off. I will eat only what I can until I am full but I will stop my food cravings because I will be tasting food. I was happy with each taste of food I had tonight. I didn't want any more of them but that taste.

Wow Erin, it sounds like this has been hell for you. I hope you are able to figure out what is causing your daily dumping. I tried to make an appointment with my pcp today and found out I can't get in until May 30th. Not good. I hope I don't have any issues before then. Have you tried talking to anyone yet Erin? I hope you aren't trying to figure this out on your own. I am starting to feel a tiny bit better swallowing. I managed to complete a whole 20 oz gatorade in 24 hours instead of 36 like the last one. Yes, now since 1 pm on Sunday I have had 41 oz of gatorade. I did also lick the spoon of my husband's baked beans, ate 1 piece of his popcorn, had literally a crumb from his twinkies and had a fingertip of peanut butter tonight. Maybe a total of 20 calories. I guess I need to start logging my food intake again. Lol. My blood sugar this morning when I woke up was 183. The biggest reason I did this surgery was to get rid of my diabetes and the need for insulin. If after only having gatorade and onky two sips in four hours it is still 183 I am going to be so unhappy. Just now it was 146. On a great note, I received in my email today a bunch of high protein salad recipes including one I am going to make on Friday afternoon. Cilantro edamame hummus. If anyone would like the recipes send me your email address and I will forward you the email I got. I can't wait to try them all. Lots of beans.

Praying you all do extremely well. Let us know how you do.

Ok I think I am having issues. I am supposed to have had 64 oz of gatorade since I left the hospital. I've had 10 oz. It hurts to swallow any amount of fluid, like I am breaking through a blockage or something. Even a tsp hurts. I don't want to take anymore meds cause I feel like they are all piled up in my pouch blocking anything from getting through. I know it isn't pains from the incisions, my husband says it is from moving everything around. It feels like it could be bad heartburn too. Anybody have that? I literally have no desire to eat or drink except the pity me eating and drinking but if a tsp of gatorade hurts this bad I can't imagine what a chip or a candy bar would feel like.

I made it home safe and sound. I tried drinking gatorade, was hoping to get a whole 20 oz. In over the five hours. Instead I think i got two in. It hurt to swallow anything, now it feels like I am full all thecway up to my chest. Could this be the start of the gas pain?

I am in Minnesota at the Mayo Clinic. Just getting ready to check out. They need to take out my staples and my iv then I get to go. They are fine with me driving because I have had no narcotics since Friday, 4 hours after surgery. I just neec to stop and walk every hour or so which I need to do anyway to pee. Lol.

I am getting ready to leave the hospital shortly, just showered and got my street clothes on. They have to remove my staples and my iv then I am gone. It has been an awesome stay though. The nurses are fantastic.

It went great Carol. I am up sitting in the chair now. I've taken three walks so far today and one last night and basically have no pain. I took oxycodone only once yesterday shortly after I came back up from recovery. Haven't taken it again. If I lived clser to the hospital they probably would let me go today. I just got my first b12 injection andlearned how to do it so I can do it again every month. I have very slight gas pain. Occasionally, drinking my juice and gatorade. Yay, I get to brush my teeth now. Then I get to put my pjs on instead of the dumb gown. My nurse is laughing that I am too independent. She told my roommate she didn't think I'd had surgery cause I am moving too well. Have slept comfortably on both sides and my back. But the most amazing thing for me is that my excruciating knee pain that I have had for the last three weeks is completely gone.

I am waking up and just getting my next dose of pain pills, yay! The ones I am already on for my neck. I've had 8 oz of apple juice and water, just took a walk down the hall and am now going to hopefully go to sleep for the night. Thank you all for the prayers. They worked!

Just got out of my shower and realized I forgot my hair brush. I also forgot my glasses. Duh!!! LOL

No, Dr. said since I live 5 hours from here I will definitely be in until Sunday. I am hoping that by then I can be on my regular pain pills that I can drive just fine while on. They have no effect on my reaction or senses.

Hi all you amazing people. This is it. My surgery is in about 12.5 hours. I report to the hospital in 10. Not thinking about it cause I think I will start freaking out and decide against it. I have actually had diarrhea since I walked out of my last appointment. I think it's nerves. I am alone here as we can't afford for my husband to stay in a hotel here for three nights. Besides, he has shoulder surgery coming up himself and he is in extreme pain and I don't want him to have to deal with me and his pain. My only problem is figuring out how to get checked out of the hospital. They are insisting I get picked up. I can't make friends drive 10 hours on a Sunday. My diet for t he next week is 64 ounces of gatorade a day and that's it. I went out and bought it this afternoon. Thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

I report to the hospital in 10 hours. I am in the hotel room now, just going to hop into the shower and get ready for bed. I drove down this morning leaving home at 4:30 to make my 10:00 a.m. appt. I am going to be alone as we can't afford for my husband to stay in a hotel for more days and he is awaiting shoulder surgery and is very uncomfortable himself and is not too pleasant due to his pain. My only challenge is that they require someone to pick me up but I don't have anyone to do that. I am not going to drag friends to drive 10 hours on the day I get discharged, when they work the next day. So, maybe I'll call a cab to drive me a block and then come back to get my car.

Thanks all of you. I am starting to freak out a bit, not about the surgery, but coming home to a house with one bathroom that is upstairs and having no shower. I tried taking a bath yesterday before I came to the Mayo to participate in this study for them and I have been having trouble with my knees since Thursday and I was completely unable to get in to the tub. What is it going to be like after surgery? Will I be able to do what I have been doing and just lean over the tub to wash my hair or will that hurt too? I can't not shower/bathe.

My surgery is the 25th. I finally got the date on Tuesday. This morning I checked in to the Mayo Clinic as I am participating in a study for those having the surgery. I leave here Tuesday morning. My home is 4.5 hours from the Mayo clinic. So we have to come down two nights before as I have preop appointments the day before. Unfortunately my husband has a torn rotator cuff that he did two weeks ago when we moved. He too has to have surgery, but he'll do his at our hospital in town. I just hope they don't schedule them the same day. I don't have a preop diet but I am trying to be good. No where near as good as I should be. And too many reasons to make excuses not to be. But that ends when I leave here (only because of the diet they have me on here) Good luck to everyone with surgeries coming up.

Hi all, I just wanted to let you all know I finally got my surgery date. It is the 25th. I go on the 24th to meet with the dietician and the surgeon and then have surgery the morning of the 25th. I'm finally excited. I don't have to do a liquid diet but since I've been bad these past few weeks with the move and stressing over this whole thing I'm going to do it to get myself back on track. Starting tomorrow morning. Two weeks and three days from today I'll be joining all of you.

Unbelievably, I finally have a date April 25th. I go on the 24th to meet with the dietician and the surgeon and the morning of the 25th I go under the knife. Woo Hoo!!!

Unbelievably enough, after my continuously telling everyone that Blue Cross usually approves real quickly they are taking the full 10 day requirement for my approval. I have called every other day since they first got it, because that's what they keep telling me to do and still I have no approval. I'm supposed to be a part of a study which I can't get in to until the approval is received. I am so sick and tired of waiting. I've been ready and waiting for approval since February 4th. Unfortunately it took until March 25th for the Mayo to submit the request to my insurance. Very very frustrating.

200 mg per tablet, I don't know, I'd specifically ask your doctor. I'm just stating what the Mayo told me to do for after my surgery which I hope to have later this month.

The Mayo clinic told me to get tums for my calcium. So much cheaper and easy to chew up.

I am gojng to do that gixxie. I have no preop diet, but I have been so bad these past 4 weeks once I get my date I am buckling back down and liquid dieting, tracking everything going in and as of Monday I will be walking to work each day so I will get exercise too, oh and I also have to start walking the dog once a day as my husband will have to do it twice a day. New life starts on Saturday for my husband and I as we are moving to a new place.

Hi all my February friends. I have been away so long but I've caught up with your postings and am so proud of all of you. If you can believe it I still don't have approval. I did accidentally find out that it was submitted today. My insurance company said to call back Monday. I don't know if I can wait that long. Most likely middle to late April surgery. Claire, your posts are so encouraging, well, everyones' are. Erin, you are doing great I love your attitude. Dreaming, I am so sorry for your loss. I am still reeling from the loss of my mom in May of last year. I relate a bit to what you had to go through, in 2000 I had major neck surgery and five days later my sister, niece and brother in law were all killed in a car crash. I wasn't supposed to go up and down stairs at that point much less get on an airplane to fly 2000 miles, but I did. My heart pours out to you. Zom and Erin both congrats on the 30 pound loss. My husband and I move on Saturday so I have been packing like crazy, stressing like crazy, we're dealing with trying to get his disability approved through the VA and it is taking forever. They were supposed to pro ide us stuff for our move and we haven't heard from them. So angry as they don't return our calls. I have been extremely bad these past few weeks. I haven't recorded my food, weighed myself, exercised, or even recorded my glucose levels for weeks. I was so afraid that I would gain a ton of weight. I got back on the scale this morning and was shocked to find that I have actually lost six pounds since the 4th of March. My best news is that the house we are moving to is within walking distance to work so I am going to walk every day starting Monday. The other thi g is that we are moving to a house where we don't have a fence somwe will need to walk the dog a few times a day. I've got friends that live not too far so we will walk together when we can. Our dog hasn't been on a leash in probably 6 years. Currently we have 9 acres of land and live out in the country a long way from busy roads we have been here for 8 years. He is so good that when we take trips and stop at rest areas with him we don't need to put him on a leash we just tell him to stay next to us and he does, but now we are moving to the busiest street in town, and can no longer let him out the door and expect him to stay right there in our tiny yard. So between walking to and from work and then walking the dog I should be getting in at least 3 miles a day. Let's just pray it doesn't rain all spring and summer. LOL I wish you all the best. I'm going to keep checking in with all of you and will , et you know when I get approved and get to have my surgery. Sorry for blabbing so long. Best wishes everyone

I am hoping my surgery will be the middle of April. I was submitted to insurance today. Hoping to have an answer by Monday. Then the Mayo will schedule, hopefully two weeks from then. May is my second busiest month at work so I really need to be back at work by then. Just crossing my fingers for approval and a quick schedule.