laurenjane

It didn't hurt to drink after surgery at all. I was surprised. I couldn't drink anything for 24 hours, until my upper GI study was done. After the study was done and it was confirmed that there weren't any leaks in my new pouch then I was free to drink clear liquids. I was super careful at first, not knowing what to expect. Fortunately, getting liquids in after surgery has not been an issue for me at all. I'm extremely thankful for that because I know lots of people are not as successful.

@@Marie Car, a g-tube is a gastrostomy tube. The g-tube is inserted into the "old" portion of your stomach through one of your incisions. Not all bariatric surgeons use them, but mine did. In bariatric surgeries, the g-tube has two purposes. One reason it's used is for drainage. After you get home from the hospital, if you're feeling naseous, you can drain fluids from your old stomach. It's other purpose is a "back-up" if you aren't getting enough liquids in after surgery. You can add liquids (Water or clear Protein drinks) through the tube into your old stomach. I was a little grossed out at the thought of using my g-tube as either a drain or feeding tube, so I never used mine. But I was relieved that it was there just in case I needed it.

Hi @adora. I'm a planner too and I wasn't sure what to expect after surgery either. Everyone's experience is a little different, but most people have a rough time the first week after surgery. I was on pain meds that first week only, and not a whole lot either. I think I still have half the prescription left. The worst part of that first week for me was the pain caused by the G-tube I had. Once that was removed at my 1-week post-op appointment life was SO MUCH better! Until the G-tube was removed I would get very sore towards the end of each day, especially if I had done any type of lifting. You're not supposed to lift anything over 10 pounds. I made sure not to lift anything over 10 pounds, but even anything lighter (like a purse) would tend to cause soreness. So, having said that, I wouldn't plan on picking up your daughter for several weeks. Hopefully you will have some help at home. Don't overdo it, stay ahead of the pain with your pain meds, rest, drink as much as you can, and you'll do great!! Good luck!

I had surgery 6 weeks ago and have been taking the following Vitamin cocktail for the past 5 weeks: AM Multivitamin x2 per day (Celebrate chewable mandarin orange) - this one is my least favorite. It's chalky, super sweet, and just gross. D3 x1 per day (Bariatric Advantage lemon gel 10,000 IU's) - I don't mind this one. The lemon is a bit strong, but the gel is pretty small and goes down quick. calcium citrate x4 chews per day (either Bariatric Advantage caramel or Calcet Creamy Bites lemon) - the lemon is my absolute favorite "vitamin". It's the consistency of a truffle and tastes like Starbucks' lemon cake. PM Iron x1 chew per day (Bariatric Advantage chocolate Raspberry) - yum! B50 Complex x1 per day (Bariatric Advantage) - Finally a vitamin in capsule form! B12 sublingual x1 three times per week (Bariatric Advantage) - this one is chalky and disgusting. I found that taking this one along with a sugar free cherry lifesaver really helps. I can hardly wait to be able to take my multivitamin and B12 in capsule/pill form again. The chewables and sublinguals aren't too bad, but I dread taking those two the most. I take the multivitamins before the calcium and the B-12 before the iron. The calcium and iron act as my "reward" for getting through the gross ones! My surgeon has all of the Vitamins available for purchase at her office at the same prices that you can find them for online. I was also given samples of all of the vitamins, so I could decide which flavors I wanted to purchase. However, many people's tastes change after surgery. You might wait to by vitamins (at least the chewable kind) until after your surgery. I don't think my tastes changed much, but I am a bit sensitive now to overly sweet stuff and some of the vitamins are super sweet. Good luck @@MrsYoungblood!

My doctor says absolutely no coffee, regular or decaf, for at least the first 6 months after surgery. All coffee, black tea, green tea, white tea, chocolate, and sodas contain xanthines. Xanthines are appetite stimulants. I certainly hope I'm cleared for decaf coffee at the 6-month mark. I've been craving coffee so much I've been dreaming about it!

Congratulations!! Your story is so incredibly inspiring. Keep us posted!

I have an old Cuisinart food processor. It works great, but I haven't used it in at least a year. During my pre-op stage I bought a Blendtec at costco. It has been AWESOME! I've used it at least twice a day, almost every day, since I've had it. During the pre-op liquid diet I used it for all of my Protein shakes. After surgery I've used it for Soups as well as Protein Shakes. I don't know how I would have gotten so far without it! Now that I'm a few weeks post-op, I can't wait to get more adventurous with smoothies, ice creams, and soups in my Blendtec. The Blendtec will blend literally ANYTHING. The demo at Costco was a smoothie that included a whole avocado pit, which blended down to almost nothing. Search "will it blend?" on You Tube for tons of videos. I was sold on the Blendtec when I watched it blend an iphone and golf balls!

Hi everyone! I just found this website yesterday with several Protein ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt, and popsicle recipes: http://www.proteincakery.com/category/ice-cream-gelato/ The ingredients are a bit more "natural" than those on the last website I posted a link to. I think I need to try the Cherry chocolate Chip frozen yogurt this weekend!

@@Salonboi what dosage of B12 and how frequently do you take it? My doctor has me on 1,000 mcg only 2x-3x per week. Before surgery I would take a B-complex every day.

Hi @Indieflickers. Take a look at this page for recipes for Protein ice cream: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/08/protein-ice-cream.html I was just looking through the recipes last night and am still trying to decide which one to make first! In the meantime, I'm really enjoying Arctic Zero "ice cream" I found over the weekend at the grocery store. One serving (1/2 cup) has only 35 calories, no artificial ingredients, 0g fat, 5g net carbs, 3g protein, 2g Fiber. It's not exactly HIGH protein, but I don't feel guilty eating it and I haven't had any bad side effects either!

@@Salonboi, my energy level is still a bit low at nearly 3 weeks post-op. Yesterday was my first day back to work. The morning went fine, but the afternoon was rough. After about 4:00 I could not keep my eyes open! I was hoping to stop at the gym on my way home (like I used to do before the liquid diet), but I just couldn't do it. Tonight is my surgeon's support group. I'm hoping to make it through that!

@@nancynew, I would start with yogurt, cottage cheese, or a blended soup. Going from all liquids to thick liquids was a good start for me. Scrambled eggs and refried beans were okay, but I could only handle about two tablespoons before feeling SUPER full and very uncomfortable. I soon realized that yogurt and soups just slide right through my new stomach and were so much easier to tolerate than thicker, more dry foods. Now I'm nervous to try anything new away from home! Good luck!

Hello. How did you make out with your surgery. How are you feeling ?Are you on liquid diet ? Yes how did it go? I hope well. Hello. How did you make out with your surgery. How are you feeling ?Are you on liquid diet ? Hi @@Salonboi & @@nancynew! I apologize for the late reply. I'm doing great!! I'm so thankful to report that my surgery was a total breeze. My surgeon said it was "textbook" and that I was 12 hours ahead of most during my recovery in the hospital. Eating is a completely different experience post-op. Learning how to eat and how much has been interesting, painful at times, but not too bad. So far I've only lost 10 lbs since surgery, but I had lost 34 prior to surgery. I'm headed back to the gym this week, so hopefully that will supercharge my system into more weight loss! I hope you are both doing well and adjusting to your new way of life.

@@ReadyFourChange, My surgery was last week, Thursday the 7th. The surgery went very well and the recovery has been easier than I thought. I won't lie, the first few hours after awakening from surgery were not fun. My surgeon wanted me up and walking within a hour after being in my room. That first walk was miserable!!! However, it only got easier from there. Good luck to you!! :-)

I can't believe it, but I've almost made it though day 5 of my 14-day liquid diet! This is one of the stages of the whole WLS process that I was really dreading. BUT... it's not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be! I won't lie, the first couple of days were difficult, but still not too bad. I thought I would constantly be hungry, since that's one of the main reasons I'm having this surgery, but I'm really not. I have surprised myself at how easily I have been able to stick with the approved liquids and not be tempted with any solid foods. A few things that have helped me: 1. A good blender (I have a Blendtec) 2. Tasty Protein shakes with a variety to choose from 3. Homemade broths (chicken is my favorite, using my tried and true Tyler florence recipe) 4. Herbal teas (both iced and hot) 5. sugar-free Jello (search this site for @@blashlee 's recipe for Orange Dreamsicle Jellotein, it's YUM!) 6. LOTS of Water 7. Knowing where the closest bathroom is at all times (seriously, you're drinking a TON!)

@@RoseNylund Only one cup of bullion a day? Wow! I think I've finally found someone who's surgeon is more strict than mine! Good for you having made it this far! I too am worried for those with only a 2-day liquid diet. I'm on day #12 of my 14-day liquid diet and am actually happy that my surgeon has required it. Before the liquid diet, she had me on a strict liver shrinking diet as well. The liver shrinking diet made the liquid diet so much easier than it would have been if I had gone directly from my normal eating habits to the liquid diet. I also think the 14-day liquid diet is going to make the first several weeks post-op easier as well.

@@WAEE01 Every surgeon has a different pre-op diet. Some don't even have a pre-op diet! Yours looks to be an easy one. I seem to have selected a surgeon with one of the most strict pre-op diet plans out there. Mine cut out all fruit and dairy products (along with a long list of other things) at my first appointment.

I made my own broth from scratch. I don't mind using the canned or boxed broths for cooking, but I don't really like them all by themselves. The cubes are way too salty for me. My favorite chicken broth recipe is: 1 whole fresh chicken (giblets & neck removed) 2 onions (white or yellow) quartered 3 stalks celery (include the leaves) 1 whole head of garlic, cut in half at the equator 3 tablespoons Kosher salt (or half the amount if using regular salt) 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 1/4 bunch fresh thyme Add everything to a large stock pot or dutch oven and fill with Water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Skim off the foam while simmering. Simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Remove the veggies and chicken. Strain the stock into containers. Refrigerate or freeze the stock. I removed all the fat and bones from the chicken and froze it for use later on.

Great idea @@ShellMilliner! So far my will power has been strong enough to keep me away from almost all solid foods. I had a few small bites of chicken while making broth over the weekend, but it really didn't do anything for me and I wasn't even tempted to eat the entire chicken!

Thanks, @@Djmohr! I made a batch of chicken broth and froze it a few weeks before the liquid diet started. Had I known how much I would be going through, I would have done more! I have about 4-6 cups a day right now, so one batch only lasts 2-3 days! I made 3 batches this last weekend which should get me though the week. I'll make at least 3-4 more batches over the next few days and keep some in the freezer for post-op.

Thanks @@Fat_Tony! Good luck to you too. Keep us posted!

I decided on my surgeon after first investigating most of the local surgeons' websites. Once I found a few I liked I went to their free seminars to get a better idea of who they were. After my surgeon's seminar, I had made up my mind and decided to go with her. Her website and seminar were incredibly informative and impressive. I've never regretted that decision. Once I decided to go with my surgeon, I had to change my insurance. Honestly, the insurance change and getting into the surgeon's schedule for an initial consultation were the longest wait. The seminar I attended was on September 23rd, my first appointment wasn't until February 20th. Everything has moved quickly since then though, mostly because my insurance does not require a 6-month supervised diet (many insurance companies require that). My surgery is next week. So, if you want the ability to schedule your surgery for a specific time, I would get going now. Take a look at the websites of local surgeons and attend some seminars. Hopefully your choice will be an easy one!

Hi @RebeccaAR. I'm scheduled to have gastric bypass on May 7th, two weeks from tomorrow, yikes! I go from being super excited, to nervous, to scared, to unsure, and everything in between. Like you, I originally wanted the Lap Band, then the gastric sleeve, and finally decided on the bypass due to my surgeon's recommendation. I have diabetes and sleep apnea. My main reason for having the surgery is to hopefully reverse my diabetes and prevent further complications. I left my initial appointment with my surgeon in tears. It was such a mix of emotions! I was sad that I had finally "succumbed" to weight loss surgery. I felt like a failure for not being able to reach my weight goal on my by myself after having lost 100 lbs on my own (with diet and exercise). On the other hand, I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel and it's so exciting! Fortunately the process has been quick so far. My initial appointment was on Feb 20th. I got all but one of my pre-op requirements done by the end of the next week. The first challenge was my surgeon's strict liver-shrinking diet, which I have been on since Feb 21st. Today is my last day of the liver-shrinking food diet, tomorrow I start the liquid diet. The next 3-4 weeks are probably going to be the most challenging of my life, so now I'm back to being scared! Ugh!

Mine is May 7th! My liquid diet starts tomorrow.

If you do have to do the sleep study, make sure you're extra tired when you go in. Do whatever you have to do to wear yourself out so that you'll fall asleep! I made my appointment for a Friday night after a really long week and just slept less the night before. I was falling asleep waiting for the tech to come in and hook me up with the wires!