So, Post Op Day 5. The Cream of Things stage continues. I've become a big fan of pureed or strained cream of chicken. I'm still experimenting with cream of wheat; my pre-op cream of wheat recipe was bascially three parts cream of wheat, one part margarine, and one part sugar. lol. I tried a small dab of whipped butter and a pinch of sugar in my cream of wheat yesterday, and it was gross. I think I'll stick with just plain cream of wheat, though now that I think about it, a pinch of cinnamon might be good.
Today I'm adding thinned Campbell's broccoli and cheese Soup. The label looked like it didn't have any big chunks in it, but if it does, I'll strain them out.
My big problem right now continues to be energy levels. I don't feel particularly weak, but even the lightest activity leaves me a sweaty, exhausted mess for about 15-30 minutes, and then I'm fine. Otherwise, all my fluids and full-liquid foods are going down well, and my hunger level is more of a "I should probably do something about that eventually" feeling than the pre-op "OMG I'm going to die if I don't eat all the things immediately." I think I like that.
Pro-tip: if you can afford it, schedule a house cleaner for the first weekend post surgery. Mine is here cleaning the kitchen right now, and it's the best idea I've had in years. haha.
@@Linvega - I slept on my back until last night. I discovered that at this point I can sleep on my left side but not my right. Small victories. haha.
PS to mods: I hadn't intended this to be a running blog, so if you think it's more appropriate to move this thread to another forum, it won't hurt my feelings.
Between pre and postop I was on liquids for 34 days. For 16 of those (preop) I was hungry every day. So what? It was only temporary and a very small price to pay for a HUGE reward. And the fact I did it without cheating was very empowering....it just made me stronger and more confident. Keep your eye on the end goal and know that following all directions is the best thing you can do to have a safe surgery and smooth recovery.
