Amelie2016

Hi arenea Since I was told to eat, last night I tried chicken livers, since they are kind of mushy, high in nutrients and protein. Not too bad but I think I ate too much. I just now ate about 1/2 cup of those small pre-shelled shrimp and they have been the best meat to go down so far. So easy to chew, already pre-salty from the brine they're frozen in and feels good, especially since I ate them cold. I'm just an anxious mess right now. So overwhelmed sometimes about what to eat! On the "Post Op" diet, the suggestions look so simple to follow. But "real life" is a completely different ballpark! Creamy blue cheese, easy to eat. But now I have to think about protein! In the first 2 weeks it was mindless, clear liquids, full liquids. Now I feel like I'm on Jeopardy!

Congratulations! Mind if I ask that the few other things, were? =)

Yes, I did. I got my first period since my surgery. I only knew this because I had to weigh at my rheumatologists office yesterday. But it's my period, so I don't think it's a true stall. Other things happened. I was lightheaded. I called my Dr. I have not been eating enough food, not enough meat, and my blood pressure was also way too low. I made all my appointments, PCP, Cardiologist and Bariatric check in, to cover these changes. I got some liquid iron, and also some absorb-able B complex. I don't want to feel that way again. So now I am worried that I won't lose weight ever again, silly right? When eating is the thing that gets your engines running, and allows the rest of your body to function properly. Are you eating enough? Right now ... "real" food feels so gross in my stomach!

I'm hoping to see if anyone else has used this product or has any other recommendations for my new VSG stomach. (I put in a call to the nutritionist, but I doubt I'll get a call back. They stay busy. ) Renew Life Probiotics 50 billion active thingies . It is one that requires refrigeration and they are in capsules. I am 7 days out of surgery, 5 days out of the hospital now. What kind of Probiotics work best for you guys? Before surgery I ate tons of fermented foods so it was never an issue. =) TY!

Oh no, so sorry to hear this! Please do let us know what they find! Hopefully you can get this cleared up quickly.

Wooo!! That is wonderful! =D I bet you had a great flight!

I too have had to cut my BP in half and some days, quarters. I need to be able to function! You will also get a low BP reading if you're dehydrated.

Yes! That's exactly how I am feeling progressing to soft foods. Plus, it's been a bit of a task for me to remember NOT to sip Water before or after I eat. I've started timing it only yesterday. But I think I know the sensation ... sometimes I eat something, and it just feels awful sitting there. Then I wander how long I have to wait until it goes away. If it feels that bad, I do take a tiny sip of water because I really can't have that food sitting that high up. Not gonna happen. And yes, the sliced turkey, felt like a brick in my stomach. Or like I was eating felt. Remember felt? LOL! No, no turkey yet. So last night I bought some more baby food. Someone mentioned corned beef and hash 50% fat free. There is a nice amount of Protein in that and it's mushy! It went down very well. I only microwaved it, but heated in a skillet would bring back memories, yum. I'm finding that I have overbought food! I am clearly not the same stomach I used to be. I think you're brave for trying chicken so far. I'm really scared! lol But yes, this is helping. I do love it. I really do. And to the gentleman who isn't feeling restriction at this point, I bet you will. I read someone else post that their nerves were just settling down and in, and eventually they did get the restriction they had heard about. So don't try to eat until you feel it. And maybe you're being so compliant that you don't feel it, and that's wonderful! One month down!

Just going to chime in, once I was finally allowed to have soft foods, i.e my fermented pickles, I've been as regular as before. Not vinegar pickles, fermented only. I know some people would rather stick a rusty fork in their eye. But anything fermented, kimchi, (white kimchi if you don't want spicy food right now) might help you. But it has to be in the fridge section, say "live" on it just like yogurt or it's not retaining it's Probiotics and won't help you. So I sip some brine and eat 1 or 2 small pickles that I've peeled with a potato peeler. PS before I was cleared for those, I had to take Mineral Oil. When I started reading about Mineral Oil, I was more than happy not to take it! But that's what they suggested so ... I did it.

Congratulations! I'm feeling the same way towards food. Only one month out here however. Not going to weigh myself at home, just hoping to focus on re-education, healing, and making that mind-body connection I used to ignore so much in the past. I'm getting in all my Water and Protein, (via shakes) so that I know, other than that, trial and error with the soft food right now. It feels good. When you don't weigh for so long and see a big drop.

Good afternoon! I am a Feb 1st Sleever! But lost this thread and didn't know how to find it. I suffered nearly a month w/o you guys! lol I read every single post, *whew* I finally made it through! =) Around Feb 23rd or so, things smoothed out very well for me and I was feeling almost "normal", but then I started on soft foods. This part is going to take trial and error for me it seems. I've never had a problem getting the Water in. We used to measure out a 67 oz jug of water every night before bed, and I'd drink that the next day and then some. Since I could only indulge in water and broth (I didn't like the Jello or popsicles) I splurged on trying various "artisan" waters, lol. But I drank only Spring Water before surgery anyway. Learning water ingredients has been interesting. So now I am adding liquid 'Trace Minerals', a capful or tsp, to my 34 oz. bottled water,and it taste amazing. I'll drink four or five of these bottles per day and keep one by my bed at night, but again only one tsp of 'Trace Minerals' per day. I finally got to eat my beloved pickles! I've been peeling them with a potato peeler & sipping some of the brine. Since these are naturally fermented pickles (Bubbies) and not vinegar pickles, I've had no more constipation. Not sure if any of you went through that. But the Premier Protein shakes ended up making me feel like I was passing chalk. Odd since I know I'd been getting in all my water. I've been doing housework, yard work and for some reason, took in another rescue dog. <3 They keep me on my toes, like it or not! I don't go cardio-walking however. I was so heavy that it hurt my feet to walk before surgery, and I've obviously not lost enough weight yet so that cardio-walking doesn't hurt like heck. =( My highest weight was 373. My last Dr. appt I was 330. I also don't want to weight myself at home. I want to focus on all this re-education, healing, eating right and living right! I know if I can accomplish that, the fat is going to come off. Good news, there is a gym associated with the hospital and my surgeons office, designed especially for obese people and I get a free three month membership, and they have a swimming pool. Also equipment that I can actually fit in. So yes, for now I find it a bit hard to consume soft foods. Cottage cheese went down easily last week, but not this week. I tried blended black bean Soup, and it was too spicy. Baby food, goes down so easily. And I like it. O.o I thought I could have deli turkey, BUT I bought organic, sliced turkey breast from the deli section at Whole Foods and that went down like a dry brick. Silly me, I think they meant the kind of deli meats with the added water, derp. Now I have a weird sharp pain left, mid-stomach. Hmm. So paranoid I am! I did have a second leak test about a week and a half ago, and it was normal. I had gone in to check pains under my right breast area. I think I over did some things, and probably still do. The only way I might differ from some of you is that I have Fibromyalgia and fatigue issues, spinal stenosis, arthritis (common). So when I say I can feel everything, it's true. After I woke up from anesthesia, I knew exactly where my stomach had been cut. People rarely believe people with Fibro can feel everything, and yes you can feel things even through pain meds. So I've had some anxiety but I've been diligent, praying and hoping that I understand what I am supposed to do and don't mess up!! I read the posts about alcohol. Man that must have felt horrible and was terrifying for you! I had a canker sore, and used a mouthwash and all I did was accidentally ingest some of the mouthwash and my stomach felt like it was lit up with a match! Poor baby! I have my second follow up middle of March. I'll see my Rheumatologist Dr. tomorrow. Just keeping a close watch on everything. I am so impressed and inspired by the way so many of you have bounced back after surgery! It is truly a gift! It shows your determination, your faith and trust in your healing and I loved reading about that. Glad to be back in the Thread! So many strong and beautiful people here!

How are February 1st folks doing? I can't believe it is now Feb 28th. =) Somehow the past week my little aches and pains have been so minimal it's been wonderful! I had a concern last week as well, we did another leak test in my Dr.s office and i was fine. Might have been a pulled muscle. All the odd things I've felt have been interesting. I developed a canker sore on the inside of my jaw, my dentist seems to think it may have been an abrasion from inutbation, that I just didn't notice until now. I was not exactly regular with the dental hygiene most nights as I wasn't eating and I only swished. Bad, Bad, me. Anyone else get a sore from intubation? So that's about it. I graduated to soft foods and find those new sensations interesting. I too had "hunger" sensations about a week after surgery, mostly when I drank Water. How's it going? How are you eating? What sensations are you experiencing? (Sorry I'm a long talker)

Inspirational article, he looks happy =)

Going under was great waking up was like being born and getting spanked on the butt, again *I was mad*

Is it dreamy? I see they might have some at a Sprouts near me! Right now I'm in love with "Kalona" dairy products, but I will try anything, and luckily, I usually like everything I try. Not a picky eater here. Especially with organics. It's the phony corporate food that I don't like. When the company "Con Agra" finally finished buying up all the old fashioned American food favorites that many if us grew up on, they tossed a bunch of scientists in a room to turn all the name-brand foods into nothing but chemical cocktails in the shape of old American favorites .... they even paid for the brand names so the public wouldn't catch on. Worse Franken- food in this nation. Profit! And hey, when I was a child I loved Marie Callendars Pot Pies, and Chef Boy Ardee! Gone now, GONE FOREVER! Even Hebrew National Hot Dog's. If you taste one now, it's all gross fatty mush. Con Agra, making franken food even more toxic. So yes, I'll go eat that cottage cheese! Like it ownes me money!

*swoon* <3

When oh when, will I be able to sip on some pickle juice! I know I have had some crazy cravings running around my head since before surgery, but I have never gone this long, seven weeks now, in my life w/o my beloved pickled things. I am on week four post op. I'd imagine it's still just too acidic. Is it? I'm calling tomorrow. I dream about my pickles! *cry* PICKLES!! I MISS YOU!! I LOVE YOU!! COME BACK TO ME!!

I promise to eat my Protein first! If you love pickles, you are going to be happy to know that any "fermented" pickle does have nutritional value, the fermenting process creates Vitamins, especially Vitamin C! Look at some vlogs on Youtube or some books by Sandor Katz. He is my Fermenting Guru! Now, the standard modern-day pickle, yep, no real value nutritionally, except for the potassium and trace magnesium. That is why athletes will suck on frozen pickle juice popsicles during a football game or whatever they're playing. =) Also, this might inspire you to make your own kraut! <3 The juice of that as well as fermented pickle juice is exquisite! Also, because I have been cleared to sip this now, I am alas regular! It's more powerful than the 55$ bottle of Probiotics I have in the fridge. GRR , lol. "Bubbies" is a fermented pickle full of lactobacillus and of course Vitamin C, if you don't want to make them yourself. The thing that prevented Pirates from having scurvy : Simple, fermented sauerkraut played an important role in helping prevent scurvy — an affliction known in its day as the scourge of the seas, responsible for an estimated two million deaths between 1500 and 1800 — on sailing ships around the world.

I used to cut tiny squares of Kerry-gold Dubliner Irish Cheddar and put a single piece of pickled jalapeno on top of each one. Really looking forward to doing that again. If I have string cheese, I just play with it like a child and pull away teeny tiny little strings to see how thin I can make them! lol =)

YUM! ty

Thanks Amelie! I take the BA calcium citrate chewables and I think they're pretty good. Are the Advanced Multi EA chewables really large or smaller? I heard you have to take two of them. They are about the size of a nickle and maybe 1/4 inch tall. I just suck on them instead of chewing and swallowing. =) It doesn't trigger me to crave sweets because I was always a savory food addict. Maybe your office could give you a sample, or if you call them perhaps they can give you a sample that way you won't have to spend money on something you might not like. =)

Yay!

I had VSG on Feb 1st. No words of wisdom, but I sympathize with you on the revision. Here is my theory. I was a revision as well. Only I was banded in 2008, stomach prolapsed above the band, how long it was prolapsed is anyone's guess. I was working between the 3 jewelry stores we owned and never had time off. I had it removed in 2011 before my wedding. Yes, odd. During the recent VSG we discovered I had a lot of scarring from the band that had built up, my surgeon removed the scarring from the band placement site as well as where the port was inserted. ANYWAY. I think the shock of going from very low carb, to creamy (starchy) Soups & puddings, shocks the body. I think once people get back to strict low carb, and more experienced people than myself will know, that people will lose at a better pace. I'm not even going to worry about this yet, I'm just going to follow the instructions. I refuse to jump on my scale until my next visit. =)

I absolutely love my "Bariatric Advantage Advanced Multi EA". Tastes like a candy bracelet. And I love my Calcium Citrate Chewables, they taste like tootie rolls. I had my VSG on Feb 1st and don't want to swallow huge pills if I can help it. I have enough other things to swallow, like the probiotic. I mix in my liquid Trace Minerals with a large bottle of Water and can not taste it . =D I'll exhaust you talking about vitamins! lol (I still need to learn to make my posts succinct. >.>)

I have an answer. lol I called my nutritionist. I'm not even awake yet! Haha. I asked her if I could try sipping the juice of my beloved kraut and pickles, by "Bubbies". You've GOT to try "Bubbies"! Local Whole Foods! And the kraut made in Austin Texas. The kraut will be in black bags right next to the Bubbies kraut and pickles. The Bubbies bread n butter pickles are not fermented, and as you know have sugar. Nope. So she said yes! I can try it and see how I react. But to just take it slow and see how it feels in my stomach. My worry stems from a constant awareness and sensation of my healing stomach. I asked if that was that normal, she said yes, for now most people are still 'aware' of their sleeves and can "feel" their sleeves. I am just worried if it might feel like drinking battery acid. Of course I won't drink it like Water. I just want some sips. OK After taking my newest little Boston Terrier Rescue to the Vet today, I'll bring her back, tuck her in, put on her Princess jammies and got get some Bubbies!! WOO!