BrownieUNC

No, not picky at all. Surprisingly co-operative.

Shawna at Dr Steinbergs office will get it thru RI BC/BS with no problem (as long as you see all the preliminary doctors that they set up for you). 40 will be fine, BUT, your primary DR may have to co-operate to the extent that he says that you have been at 40 for the last 5 yrs as opposed to just recently reaching 40. But, in general, Steinberg has the best insurance support operation going, AND, in general RI BC/BS is very co-operative compared to other insurance companies.

24 hours. I kid you not. The next day. Who's your Dr in Atlanta?

scrambled eggs ok, poached or fried eggs - no. chicken salad pureed or pretty well ground up ok, chicken breast - no.

too soon for tomato soup. Too thick. Don't intentionally vomit. Try to relax and walk it off. Movement helps.

what dont they tell you.....GREAT question! well, I've read the whole thread - which is 99% "food related". As for me, the unexpected "negatives" had nothing to do with food...I guess I would label them general "quality of life issues" for lack of a better phrase. So, here goes, I'm about to vent a little.... 1) my doctor simply wont permit me to take my other non-related medications (whether tablet or capsule form) no matter how small the pill may be. Yeah, yeah, crush them up, yada, yada...well guess what? they dont work the same when they are crushed up. Diabetes meds dont work the same, cholesterol meds dont work the same, and worst of all my BPH (I am a male patient) meds dont work the same. So, if I'm down a few pounds, what good would it do me if I'm dead from a heart attack, or if my blood sugar is yo-yoing, or if I need major prostate surgery?? By the way, I literally grilled the doctor on this issue before the surgery and the answers were "glossed over" every time. God forbid that I should come down with some other illness, cause I wouldnt be able to get any medicine in me - and obviously that will happen some day. 2) SEVERE constipation. Repeat, SEVERE. Artificial Fiber? Did not work. Prune juice? Did not work. Foods with high natural fiber? Not even close. Laxative such as "milk of magnesia"? Yeah, but its still very rough, and I really dont think its a healthy long term solution. 3) Problems with hair, scalp, and skin. Scalp and skin are very dry and itchy all the time. Texture of hair is TOTALLY different. Much thinner, much drier, not healthy hair at all. Probably losing hair. So there you have it. My 3 big gripes, and none of them have anything to do with food and eating - or lack thereof. Let me just close by saying that I'm FULLY aware of the need for Protein and good hydration, and I am doing eveything in my power to get the protein and the Water and the fiber in. I just dont want people to think that good intentions will always lead to the desired results. Some negatives MAY not be in your power to control.

God bess you. You're in a PERECT PLACE. Don't mess with it til necessary.

1. Sleep in a Recliner ! 2. Gas-X ! 3. Walk ! 4. Get off the hard meds ASAP !

No, but I LOVE Rhode Island now, cause Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Rhode Island paid for this shindig! (and I'm in Atlanta :-)

Excellent ! But you may have eaten your last bagel :-)

well, this thread touches on my #1 gripe. I asked the doctor a thousand times about taking my meds after the surgery, and he just glossed right over it. Fact is, now he wont let me take any pills (tablets or capsules) no matter what the size...and the crushed up powder or capsule contents simply DO NOT WORK AS WELL AS BEFORE. They spike early, and then wear off way too early. (Not to mention that I am being forced to eat 2 small cups of applesause a day - that I dont really want to eat.) It was my #1 concern before the procedure, and its my #1 concern now. Yeah, I've lost some weight. But my cholesterol med isnt working as well, my blood pressure med isnt working as well, my diabetes med isnt working as well, etc. I just dont understand why I cant take pills the size of aspirins. Others on here say they have the green light to take aspirin size pills.

Its gotta be Protein deficiency. Gotta be. Good sources would be any fish (mushed up albacore tuna would be easiest to handle) and scrambled eggs. Also, knock down about 4 glasses of skim milk a day if you can...

If you follow the rules, you will soon swing from a diarrhea stage to a constipation stage. The Benefiber will probably help at that point. Right now you might be overdoing it at 6 tsps a day...you're already fighting dehydration as it is. Another thing is that if you're using childrens chewable Vitamins, a lot of them have castor oil as one of the ingredients. If you're using any kind of artificail laxative you kind of have to time it so that you're at home when it "happens"...

There will be some swelling. And it could last for weeks. At the same time, however, you will be losing weight...so it kind of evens out. I'd lay off the caffeine for a while though......

Recliner !!!