FutureSylph

5 hours ago, alycia153 said:

Surgery was March 15, ugh. Worst decision I’ve ever made right now! Pain is awful and I have a high tolerance.

Hope you're feeling much better soon. Do you know about taking your pain meds on schedule, rather than waiting until it's awful? Once the pain gets ahead of you, it's much harder to control. Best of luck!

Hummus. I've eaten tubs of it this week, in about half a dozen varieties. I wish I could spread it on raw veggies or crackers, but just straight from a baby spoon is fine, too.

3 hours ago, lizonaplane said:

The bariatric therapist said that about 20% of her patients (especially common in those with bipolar disorder) do not lose their hunger.

That's interesting to me. I have rapid-cycling BPD, and at 17 days out, I've been trying to convince myself that this constant gnawing hunger is psychological. Hmmm.

9 hours ago, Smanky said:

On a PC: At the top of the page where the search bar is, look over to the right hand side and find your User Name link with the drop-down arrow. Click it.

In the drop-down box, click on "My Surgery". It will take you to your "Surgery Information" page.

On the left hand side is a box called "Surgery Information". Click on the link that says "Progress".

Fill it out!

And don't forget to click the Save button (you may need to scroll down to see it).

7 hours ago, misschi12 said:

Anyone on the puréed stage yet? If so how’s it going and what’re you eating?

I've been on purees for five days now. It's going great, except when I push the limits. (For example, scrambled egg is fine but hard-boiled, even well chewed, was a big nope for now.) I whizzed up some mild chili in the food processor, so that's tasty and easy. My favorite so far is ricotta bake. The weirdest part for me is learning to think of 1/4 cup of food as a meal, and waiting two minutes between pea-sized bites.

Congratulations!

54 minutes ago, Nifer72 said:

a nice bowl of buttery popcorn

Oh, that's my kryptonite. I know I'll be able to have it again someday in a modest, reasonable portion, but I sure do miss the buckets of it I used to cram into my mouth! LOL

On 3/16/2022 at 8:00 AM, Kris77 said:

Send the recipe for the Mac and cheese if you can! 😊

Since the OP didn't have a recipe, here's one that looks pretty good:

39 minutes ago, Edge13 said:

Fluids in the weeks after surgery. 6 oz Water, 2 oz Protein Shake, an hour.

Thanks for explaining. Never heard of that before.

Our center has a monthly online support group, and I've attended it every month since this process started (nine months ago). It's hosted by one of the dietitians, and she's great about making sure every question is answered. Attendance is typically about a dozen participants, sometimes two dozen. Since we're a smallish group, we have the luxury of wandering off topic if anyone has something else to discuss. Plus, our host regularly asks us to submit topic ideas that are relevant to us personally. It's not as intimate as meeting face-to-face, but it's about as good as an online group can be, IMO. I actually look forward to it every month.

If your support group is unsatisfying, maybe a phone call to the host is in order. If the problem is that the group is too large/structured to offer any real support, perhaps you could offer to host a second (smaller) group. They can't fix it if they don't know there's anything wrong, you know?

3 hours ago, gc1woman said:

Im trying to force fluids down causing super sharp pains and my body just doesn't want it. Anyone who has been through this, can you please tell me what you did and how you got through. Thanks. And good luck for all those March people going in..

Take smaller sips, and wait two minutes between them. It will be your full-time job for a while. (That's what a hospital nurse told me.) Also, try a different temperature of Water -- warmer or colder than usual until you find the sweet spot. Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon.

8 hours ago, Fl_Dad said:

It's an oldie but a goodie. 😆

I was thinking that number 1 looked particularly good on the scale. Congrats!

Good luck to those having surgery this week! We look forward to hearing your stories.

On 3/9/2022 at 9:55 PM, Edge13 said:

just get your 6 and 2 in.

Your 6 and 2? What does that mean?

Woohoo! Your scale sure looks great! LOL

2 hours ago, Dave In Houston said:

II was proud of this cioppino, though.

As well you should be. That looks fabulous!

4 hours ago, cgp1204 said:

Hope you are feeling better by the day.

Thanks so much. I'm hoping the same for you.

I had RNY on 3/3, so I'm two days behind you, but -- yeah, I still have plenty of abdominal pain, which seems to be both internal and external. It's major surgery, and I didn't expect healing to be complete in a week. If you're not having any other symptoms of trouble, just take your meds, the most important one being a healthy dose of Tincture of Time. Good luck!

5 hours ago, Pollito said:

I'm having these super realistic dreams about smoking.

Your self-identity is changing now, just as it did when you quit smoking, and your brain is processing that. (I have super realistic dreams about smoking, too, but I only quit fourteen months ago, so I'm still learning to think of myself as a non-smoker.)

6 hours ago, Kelly Sweetheart said:

I cannot find a Protein Shake that I like. Previously I was on the Jenny Craig diet and I loved their vanilla shakes. But they only have 12 g of Protein. I think I read somebody added flavored Syrup to Protein Powder and Water and that helped. anybody?

Have you tried the Fairlife shakes? They seem to have less of that icky chemical taste than other brands, IMO.

Adding SF Syrup to unflavored Protein powder and Water is a smart idea. I'll probably try that, so thanks for sharing the idea.

4 hours ago, Flab-U-Less Forever said:

Every day is better and I am finally able to sleep on my side in my normal position. I am only taking pain meds to go to sleep and Tylenol the remainder of the day. NO regrets on my part just surprised at the length of recovery time after reading many stories on here. I feel the hard part is behind me. Hope everyone else is doing well!!!

So glad to hear good news from my surgical twin. Yeah, sleeping in my own bed in my natural position is the highlight of surgical recovery for me so far.

I had my one-week clinic checkup today, and the news was almost all good. Unfortunately, I can't get my drain removed yet -- still draining too much Fluid to take it out. Maybe Monday on that; we'll see.

Another highlight: pureed diet starts on Sunday, and I'll finally have some food (albeit mushy). Really looking forward to it, especially ricotta bake. I'm very much a cheese lover.

For those April surgery folks who haven't found "their" thread, here's a link to it:

11 hours ago, Heather517 said:

But I don’t even think I’ve felt full at all since my surgery, and I’m so frustrated watching my family eat normal stuff, and nobody really understands what I’m going through! 😢

We really understand here, because we're going through the same things. You've just been through major surgery which has changed your way of life, and tears are an entirely normal reaction to that. Just remember to treat yourself kindly with lots of loving tolerance, and remember that this is all temporary. A few weeks from now you'll feel like a whole new woman, I practically guarantee.

1 hour ago, cgp1204 said:

March 1 here - one week out and doing well after a rough few days of liquid diet (which I’d done two weeks prior to surgery so I was starving). Knock on wood, no bad side effects.

Glad to hear you're doing well. I'm five days post-op and still stuck on liquids -- can't wait until Day 13 for purees! (Never thought I'd get so excited at the thought of baby food.)

12 hours ago, gabbykittyvsg said:

The swelling that caused an obstruction is opening up thanks to the hospital treatments. I got the horrible NG tube out this morning. I also had a bowel movement this evening. It's looking like I'll go home to my kitties tomorrow.

So glad to hear you're doing better. Yeah, I had an NG tube for a day, and getting it out was a huge relief. Now if I could get rid of this pesky drain, I'd be a happy camper. Good luck getting sprung!