Nhope

Mine was dark and stinky. In part because I was peeing out all the anesthesia and drugs and everything that I went on in my poor body. Keep drinking. My NUTR recommended drinking salty broth to help with dehydration.

By now you probably see that you're not alone. I'm just two weeks out and have the WTF did I do moments at least once a day. I think part of the problem is that I don't feel normal, and I no longer know what normal is. I'm having to eat differently and my body is healing from some pretty traumatic surgery. I am able to get my protein from eggs, cottage cheese, fortified milk, ricotta, etc. I have to lay off the protein drinks for my own sanity. But I hate that no matter how slowly I eat it, I sometimes can't finish one egg. I really wish I could fast-forward about 3 months. I have to say that I do feel better after reading some posts on this website, and I try to stay away from the ones about complications so that I don't start imagining things! Think of all the hard things you've done in your life and you've survived. This is just another mountain, and you're not alone.

I have the nasty taste and everything tastes incredibly salty. At this point I'm sticking with those things I can tolerate, even if it means eating the same thing over and over again. One go-to: carnation light start instant breakfast drink, made with fairlife (higher protein, less sugar) milk.

Comfortable pillows and a place where you can sleep upright for a few days. What I've needed most is patience!!! Also--my mom brought me a teacup that has a lid. I can put tea or broth in it and drink as slowly as I need to and put the lid back on when I need a break.

I was really happy I brought some pre-moistened facial wipes. They were cooling and made me feel just a little fresher. Only other things I used were phone and headphones to listen to music.

Good for you!!! Keep up your spirits and support system...it can be a windy road ahead, but you'll do great.

Good luck to you! I'm almost 2 weeks post and can say that the difficult moments have been fewer than I expected. Just keep focusing on your goals of great health and well-being!

I just had my first post-surgery visit and cannot tell you how wonderful it was to eat an egg for dinner last night! For the first few days after surgery, I was very stressed out about the protein drink issue. All the ones I stocked up on (ignoring all the good advice NOT to stock up) were intolerable--either making me bloated and nauseated, or I simply couldn't drink more than a few sips and then I wouldn't be able to eat or drink anything for several hours. After a couple of days, I decided that to stop forcing myself and just drank the ones I could, even if they were not the highest grams of protein. That way I was at least getting something in! After a week, I was able to take in more and that gets better each day. I'm not yet up to 60grms of protein a day, but I'll get there, especially now that I can eat eggs, cottage cheese, tofu, etc.

I had my RNY with a gall bladder removal on Aug 4th. FWIW, here are some of the things I found most helpful. And yes, everyone is different, but I found it useful when others on this list shared their experiences, so here are some things that made the process a little easier for me: 1. In packing my overnight bag I only brought a change of underwear for the next day. I wore a caftan thingy both to and from the hospital so it felt like moving in and out of a nightgown. Ladies, I just skipped the bra at that point. 2. Also in the bag, I brought a pack of pre-moistened wipes. I am allergic to alcohol so I didn't want to rely on regular hospitals wipes and I was so happy to have my familiar, cooling, cucumber scented wipes to freshen up afterwards and to use on my forehead to soothe. 3. I was glad I thought to ask the nurse for an extra pillow to hold on my stomach. Getting up and down, it helped to put pressure on my incisions and muscles and have them strain less. 4. Music and headphones were essential and over-the-head ones, as opposed to earbuds, were much easier for me to keep track of with all the getting up and down nurses moving me around. 5. Best move I made all day was in the pre-op, after I was all set up, and had been given some pills that were making me dopey. My SIL who had been with me up to that point was still there and trying to keep me calm and distracted, and I just asked her to leave so I could have time alone for prayer (and silence!) All in all, things went smoothly for me, though the anesthesia really kicked my butt and it took me a long time to be able to get up and around. My first walk was at 4am when the took me to get weighed. It seemed kind of cruel at that point. Finally, my spiritual practice includes "mindfulness" and I'm using this opportunity of relearning what it feels like to eat to really focus on the whole experience. It doesn't make my protein drinks taste better, but it changes my intention toward them when I say I blessing of thanks for the opportunity to nourish and heal my body.

My surgery was on August 4th, so almost a week out! Everything is going as expected. I have been able to manage the pain with just Tylenol and nausea with a zofran a couple of times. There's the gas.... I'm working on getting in the protein during this liquid phase, but I realized the other day that it was just as important to how I was feeling to make sure I was staying hydrated and just keep getting liquids in me. I woke up yesterday really feeling woozy and dehydrated. Luckily I can tolerate water, sf jello, G2, and some veggie broth I made in advance and froze. I am able to move around a bit while my energy levels are building. I'm just trying to be patient with myself and keep those "what the F*&#%K did I do to myself" moments in check.

Ditto what everyone says about you being an inspiration and thank you for sharing your thoughts and frustrations with all of us. I would venture to guess that most of us on this list struggle with a sense of self, and with sabotage, and with our own image. In my case, that's a big reason of why I'm here. But keep pushing forward, acknowledging the hard stuff, and celebrating what you have accomplished.

Thanks, everybody. I check in at the hospital tomorrow morning at 9:15, surgery scheduled for 11:15.See you all on the other side!!

My mother stopped by my house for some last minute planning before my surgery on Friday. As she was leaving, I started to cry and she was lovely and hugged me and said all the right things. It was very sweet as those kinds of moments don't happen often anymore. However, what I realized I was crying about was not fear about the surgery or the future, but shame. Shame that I'm about to turn 54 and I am so overweight and so unable to maintain a healthy weight that I'm having surgery. Shame that I don't have the will power or the magic key that I KNOW doesn't exist. Shame because my parents always pushed me to lose weight and keep it off and I could never do the second part, and now I have somehow failed them. Shame that I'm doing something I swore I'd never do, and shame because I feel like I'm being punished for having failed all those other weight loss attempts (hundreds of them, literally) And yes, know that none of this is rational, I know the reality of my situation, but I was surprised to find that deep sense of shame still existed. Thank you all for being part of a place I can just go and vent.

I started by replacing one meal a day (usually breakfast) with a protein drink and tracking my eating on the Fitnesspal app. Also, ask your doctor or nutritionist recommend something! You don't have to do this alone.

I am "pescatarian"--no poultry or meat, but I eat fish, eggs, some dairy products. I've been eating like this for close to 40 years and plan to continue after surgery. All my pre-surgery testing has shown that I have normal blood pressure, heart, kidneys, blood sugar, liver... all those things. With the exception of "borderline high" cholesterol and the issue of heel problems, I'm as healthy as a middle-aged woman over 300 lbs can be. I attribute this, in part, to the fact that I haven't eaten meat in so long, and I stay away from artificial sweeteners and foods. My surgeon also told me that meat is one of the things people struggle with digesting after bypass. In my experience so far, I've been able to meet all my pre-surgery protein requirements. I hope it will be the same after surgery on Friday.

Sounds awful.. I hope you have some good support--not just for the surgery but for all you're dealing with. Do you like your doctors? Would it help to let them know you're having a rough time? I will keep you in my prayers.

Just 5 days until surgery (gasp) and thought I'd share how I've been making my protein drinks (Premier, pre-made) more palatable. In the blender, with a couple of ice cubes and a dash of cinnamon. Works on all the flavors so far, but I just picked up some strawberry so that might not be a good match. I know from this website that my tastes will change after surgery, but at least for now I'm okay! I almost forgot to add: that I put my drink in an insulated water bottle so that I can drink it over a long period and it's still cold. The longer I take to drink it, the better I can tolerate it.

Hello all, Eight days until my bypass and I just came back from an appointment that totally surprised me! It was with a clinical pharmacist who was explaining how to give myself the blood thinner shots for 10 days after the surgery. I'm not too squeamish about these kinds of things, but I was surprised this wasn't mentioned in any of the classes, appointments, handouts, or other information I've been getting since January. What will also be a surprise is how much the prescription is going to cost me. I'm waiting to hear back from insurance, but it could be a lot. Any experience or thought about this!! Having to give myself a daily shot in the stomach for 10 days seems like adding insult to injury...I'm just saying...

So what's the update? How are you doing with the bold step? My surgery is in 9 days and your honesty really spoke to me. Thank you.

Thanks, what book is this? It looks pretty comprehensive. No chicken broth for me, I don't eat poultry or any kind of meat. Luckily I've found some good broth alternatives, and make some of my own.

I found miso broth concentrate in my supermarket's natural foods aisle. It's really savory and rich and makes a great broth. I like to mix some plain 0% greek yogurt into broth and soups to make it a little creamy and to add that protein. I really only like yogurt in savory preparations, so it's great!

Just knowing that you can be so clear and post so soon after surgery gives me some comfort!! Keep up the good work (and good luck with the gas....)

My date is Aug 4 and I'm super nervous and crabby. Started my pre-op diet on Friday and it sounds like one of the more extreme ones: 3 high protein drinks/shakes a day, 2-3 snacks of yogurt, sf pudding, cream of tomato soup (so random!); and fluids include clear broth, sf jello, tomato juice, no caffeine tea/coffee, flat diet soda. It's going to be a long 14 days, but I feel a little better each day I'm on it--just very fatigued. I plan to make my own tomato soup today--I'm not so crazy about eating packaged foods. I've also not been able to get a clear answer about the sugar free stuff. I cut artificial sweeteners out of my life several years ago,(it has helped enormously with reducing headaches and stabilizing my mood) trying to only eat stevia or monkfruit based ones if unavoidable. However, the pre/post diet seems to include so many. I've asked a couple of the nutritionists if it's a calorie thing or a metabolism thing and I get mixed answers. Some say it's okay to find low sugar things, some say no sugar because of dumping (even before surgery) so I'm kind of confused. I'm just limiting the sf jello products to when I'm desperate, and I don't drink things like crystal light.

Friends: I'm about 6 wks out from my surgery and have been following a restricted calorie diet in order to lose consistently before the big day--about 1800 calories a day. I started at 357, now I'm at 331. But here's the thing: I have spent much of my life struggling not only with eating and weight, but with the scale. For years I'd weigh myself 2 or 3 times a day. I went without one for several years, but now I have one again and I mostly stick to once a week. But I'm still strongly affected by the numbers. My whole day can be made or blown by what's on the scale. If I haven't lost anything, or what I think I should have, I beat myself up. If I gain, I tend to then overeat. I know, objectively, about fluctuations, and about focusing on behaviors rather than numbers, but I still struggle. In choosing WLS, my main objective is to lose weight and maintain a lower weight because of a degenerative disease I have in my achille's tendons and heels. I really am not focused on a specific number. Still I get so caught up in what the scale says! And honestly, it's hard not to pay attention to the scale because every time I go to the doctor (for anything!) I get weighed, so they are also using it as the first evaluation of my success. Now I'm wondering if I should just get rid of my home scale altogether so that I can focus on other measures of success, but the thought terrifies me. Has anyone done this? Or are glad they have a bathroom scale? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for the Fairlife tip! I'm not allergic to artificial sweeteners but have cut them out of my life as much as possible because they sometimes give me terrible headaches. I'm happy to have so alternates!