MrsGamgee

Stuff that I took that I needed: phone charger, chapstick, slippers, toothbrush & toothpaste, book to read, all my RXs (at the hospital's direction), extra socks, hair brush Stuff that I took that I didn't need: pjs, face scrub & lotion (was too bagged to worry about it), shampoo/conditioner/body wash What I wish I had: a cardigan

I use the Jameison prenatal chewables with iron.

Here's today's NSV... I have had clothes in sizes 16 - 24 in my closet for years and years. Today I was sick of having to dig through hanger after hanger to find something that fits. This is mostly pants, skirts, and jeans. I pulled anything that was bigger than a size 18. My closet is much emptier now and I'm thrilled!

I'm curious... did you all discover these changes gradually? I haven't noticed any real changes yet, but then I'm still on full fluids and have only tried a few things (oatmeal, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, refried beans, pudding, and soup). Meat and raw cabbage (where did that come from??) are the only things I'm craving.

Welcome SuzM! Good for you for making the leap of faith. This community is a great source of info and support. I'm a mom of 2 as well (8 & 7yo), and they are my number one reason for going on this journey. I want to be around and healthy for when they graduate and go to college, and my type 2 diabetes was making that look more and more unlikely. I walked out of hospital not needing my diabetes meds any longer. That alone has made this all worth it, and all the other good stuff is just getting rolling for me. Best of luck to you! Ask lots of questions, read all the stories... [emoji4]

First off, yay you! You're on the loser's bench now! The pain is real, especially the gas pain. A realization that I came to a couple of days after surgery was that I had to relax my body, sort of giving my body permission or reminding it to pass the gas. And as everyone says, sip sip sip and walk walk walk. This too shall pass!

Just my two cents on a couple of your questions... Condiments like steak sauce or ketchup can be loaded with sugar, so be careful. I would suggest maybe trying mustard instead? Pasta alternatives... my go to is zucchini noodles. Love love love them. Good in hot and cold recipes.

My surgery was 10 days ago, and honestly I'm feeling pretty good. I'm getting my fluids in, and now that I picked up some unflavored protein powder, I'm getting closer to my protein target. The thing I became aware of today is that I have been slouching a lot. I need to work on sitting/standing properly, even though my abs burn when I do.

For me, when I was 8 days out it was suddenly much easier to get my water in. I can't explain it, except that it felt like there was more room for water. I can do more than sip now, although I do get a little discomfort behind my sternum if I try to drink too much at one time. Hang in there!

I'm a worrier too. I worried right up to the morning of surgery that something would happen to make my surgeon cancel my surgery. Even had nightmares about it. BUT all went smoothly and here I am on the other side of it all. Try to stay positive and don't let the worries get you down.

I'm on full fluids right now, and let me tell you making dinner for my family tonight was tough. I'm not hungry, really, but the head hunger is real.

Honestly, if left to my own devices I can avoid all the foods I'm not supposed to eat. The last 3+ weeks have been challenging though... with cooking for my family (mostly healthy meals) during my pre-op diet was rough, and even though I prepped a number of meals for them for my first couple of weeks post op, it's hard watching them eat while I'm getting by on mush. It will get better, I know. My hubs has benefited from my healthier meal options, to the point that he was frustrating one of my goals. I wanted to weigh less than him (never did, ever), but he kept losing. Only now, after surgery, I weigh less than him. [emoji4]

I am too. Frustrating. This app needs some upgrades, but today's a bit of a mess.

Day 25 - Grooming. Just my usual basics today. I have noticed that I've been losing a bit of hair this past week, but I'm trying not to get too freaked out by it. I know that in the past when I've had big medical procedures done I've had a bit of hair loss immediately after, and I know it's too soon for it to be malabsorption related. Still, it is a bit jarring.

Honestly, I slept on my stomach about 4 days post op. It wasn't perfect but it was more comfortable than on my right side, and I'm not able to sleep all night on my back.

Overnight refrigerator oats are a favorite of mine. You can change them up so much. My favourite is to add a bit of cocoa powder, some chia seeds, and raspberries. Looking forward to when I can have them again.

I take the extras (b1, d3, b12, cal citrate) over and above my multi at the direction of my RD. One note about biotin... make sure your team knows that you're taking it. There is evidence that it can mess with blood test results, so you may need to stop taking it for a period of time before having bloodwork done.

I think I turned a bit of a corner today. All of a sudden I can drink more water. I was getting close to my water target before, but it was work. Today it's going down easily. I had a large drop in weight initially, but the rest of the past week it's been just sort of trickling away. Down 10lbs from the morning of surgery, 8 days ago. Only concern is I think that my remaining blood pressure med might be too strong. I'm dealing with a bit of dizziness and a headache. My blood sugars are fine so... I see my regular doc next week, so I'm hoping it will be adjusted.

Day 24 - treat yourself Not sure how I can treat myself today, as treats up to now have largely been comprised of food and that pattern must and is changing. Perhaps I'll do a bit of a mini spa day... face mask, shaving my legs, etc. B-side: not sure honestly. I haven't tried Halo top yet, and I'm not really wanting regular ice cream either.

Bravo!!

All that about altering genes really caught me too. I've been pondering it all afternoon.

This one struck me as hilarious because it's me exactly when I feel Thanksgiving-full from a 1/4 cup of greek yoghurt.

Things here are moving along, both literally and figuratively. It took almost a week to have a bowel movement, but things are much happier in that regard now. Eating is going well, no aversions or rejected food so far. Very close to getting my water target, but still missing my protein target by a lot. Still getting tired really easily, and figuring out how and when to take my meds and vitamins is like choreographing a major invasion. But overall, I'm happier than I expected to be a week after surgery. Looking forward to getting out of the house for a bit on the weekend. Hope everyone else is doing well!

"I had to eat my salad naked, and it wasn't nearly as yum." Bahahahaha!

Oops... missed the b-side! Dog person... totally allergic to cats. Impatient *sigh* SW or ST??? I can't really choose. Love them both. All of them!