Maroux

21 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

@Maroux I got into LA yesterday and I'm so happy that I am traveling again; first it's my happy place (traveling, not specifically LA), but also, it showed me that I can enjoy food. I ate chicken mole for lunch and trout amandine for dinner. They were both delicious but I had to stop before I'd eaten very much at all. Both servers were very concerned that I must not have liked it, but I assured them I enjoyed it very much but I had had surgery and couldn't eat much. They offered to pack it to go, but I said I was staying in a hotel and wasn't able to take it. That seemed to satisfy them. I know these are higher in fat than I should eat, but there's not much I can do about that. I just thought you should know that it is very possible to enjoy food after surgery. I was getting very depressed about this. I just wish I was less hungry. I did walk a lot yesterday around LA and I noticed that although I still got tired, I wasn't out of breath on the hills.

I so want to respond to your post right now in a lenghty way, but I'm preping for an interview for the past week and working to deadlines at the same time. I just want to say for now, that I'm delighted by your good news, all around, and so glad you were able to adapt to travelling with ease. A bit worried about about your hunger feelings, as being pre-op, I am sometimes hungry WHILE eating. I guess the brain takes a while to stop demanding. I'll reply more later. Well done! x

6 hours ago, Brad86 said:

So just curious… if you are now en route,why on Earth will it be end of next year?

Hi! That's because I'm not insured, and I am referred to it via the liver specialist within a hospital setting. That means I am on a waiting list, and there are many loops to go through 1st before I can get the go ahead. All the specialists I have to see have their own waiting list, mostly due to backup from the pandemic. I am sort of happy that I have whole year to form new habits. It could happen quicker though. A year is the max time.

6 minutes ago, The Greater Fool said:

A-1 You will still take your meds. If any are time-release they will likely convert to to immediate release as time-release is iffy with RNY;

A-2 Most doctors have no issue acetaminophen but some will not like NSAIDs like aspirin at least in the short term. NSAIDs are a ready argument around here, some folks believe they are off the list forever, others that reasonable non-constant use is OK. Pick your sides.

B-1 Most likely.

B-2 Most unlikely. Do you have a recliner? It might be useful for a couple days.

B-3 If you can now you will be able to after perhaps with mild pain.

B-4 Your Doc will tell you. You won't smell to bad when you are finally able to shower, unless B-3 is problematic.

C-1 There are stevedores that worked the dock the night after surgery and home bound people that could manage to get from room to room. You won't know until you know. Probably a week or three.

C-2 I would imagine you would be healed enough to ride within a month.

A lot of this stuff is personal experience. The Doc is also a good resource on all of the stuff, don't be afraid to engage him/her/it/them/xi.

Now, let's read all the conflicting answers together, shall we? I'll get the popcorn.

Good luck,

Tek

Many thanks for your replies Tek!

I didn't know popcorn was allowed post-op!

Hi ClareLynn,

I'm so glad you got the help and the information you deserved to continue onto your journey.

Some doctors can be obnoxious and hear their voice 1st before their patients'.

Do you know anyone else with endometriosis who did the duodenal switch? This forum is so huge, you are bound to find at least one person who can share their own journey with you, with tips and all, specifically around endometriosis in this context.

Take care,

Maroux

Hello!

I'm back, now 4.5 days since learning I was en route for the gastric sleeve journey, end of next year.

At first, I was delighted, then freaked out, and now I'm at the stage where I have 100's of random questions...

So I'll label them with letters to make it easy to reply, if you want to just quote the letters . Here we go...

A - Meds

1- If you're on meds for depression, can you still take them after the operation or do they go through your system?

2- Still on meds : when you have a headache, can you still take tablets? (I'm pretty sure half the stomach is taken, but I can keep the brain)

B - Living alone

1. After I get discharged from the hospital, can I go down a couple of steps (to get home)

2. My bed is elevated. Right now, it's a national sport to get on and off it because of my weight. Is it possible to manoeuvre getting in and out of bed without help shortly after the op?

3. Now the embarrassing one: Erm. What about bathroom breaks? Can you wipe?

4. How long after the op can you take a shower?

C - Work

1. I know everyone is different, but how long after the op are you sufficiently pain-free and physically able to work a full day and concentrate on your tasks?

2. When the office is open again (not fully open in Ireland yet), I usually go to work on a bicycle: how long after the op would you say it is possible to get on a bike and cycle?

So, these are my questions after only 4.5 days. Brace yourself for more in the next year! Luckily there are only so many letters in the alphabet!

Thank you in advance for your replies!

Maroux

11 minutes ago, vikingbeast said:

Even just four weeks out, the weight loss is so amazing that I put aside the yearning. And honestly, a lot of what I gorged on before doesn't appeal to me anymore. All the sweets just look terrible to me now.

Oh fabulous! It feel incredible getting that feeling of winning the battle and not flinching to the sweet stuff. Congratulations on your journey. That gives me hope!

5 minutes ago, vikingbeast said:

Bonjour,

I understand. Even for many of us who love to cook, meal prep could be a chore.

But here is the thing. You won't be able to eat much at all, and you'll need to concentrate on Protein first, then vegetables, then if you have any more room in your pouch you can have some carbohydrate.

For the first little bit after surgery, you are healing and you will need to eat liquids at first, then purées or soft foods next. My surgeon requires three weeks of liquids and three weeks of soft foods, and I am one week and a little bit into the purées.

But once you are done, you can easily either find healthier ready meals (don't know about Ireland, but here in the US some markets sell "meal prep kits" with, say, a bit of chicken or fish or beef or lamb, and a veg and some kind of starchy side), or you can learn to cook. You won't need very much, so you could cook a couple of times and have enough for the whole week.

It doesn't have to be beige food all the time. You will introduce foods back into your life a bit at a time and eventually eat a normal diet, just... smaller. I will say that the next time I go to France I may have trouble eating the three courses that are part of the staple meals in a restaurant... even just the entrée would be enough right now, never mind the plat principal or the dessert.

Hahaha, I see you have experienced the French cuisine. At leat The Irish staples are very much bariatric op ready! 😅 (banter).

That's actually a good point you made. I don't think I've realised what the actual portion size will be or look like in a plate.

It might be a bit of a shock reconciling what I see and what I can actuall eat after.

1 hour ago, lizonaplane said:

I'm one month out. I'm not someone who can follow a "meal plan". I don't want to decide at the beginning of the day what I'll be eating at each meal; I need to have a choice or life feels deadly dull. That being said, I will cook something a few times a week (right now it's some sort of ground meat or bean-based dish with a spicy sauce eaten with fat free greek yogurt) and then alternate among the ones I've cooked. I portion them out into 5-6 or more servings in small plastic containers and freeze some so I don't get sick of what I've made or it doesn't go bad too soon. I'll eat them three times a day, Breakfast lunch and dinner, except I will occasionally make egg product with cheese for Breakfast. I would say at most I spent about 40 minutes a day on all three meals, and many days it's less than 10 minutes.

Of course, I live alone and don't have to feed anyone else. I do spend some time looking at recipes, but I'll usually do this when as a form of inspiration, mostly it's things I can't have. Most people's ideas of what a post-surgery patient can have seems very bland to me and I wouldn't eat it, so I don't look at bariatric meal ideas - I go to real cooking sites and figure out how to adapt "normal" recipes.

My job involves a lot of traveling so my next task will be to figure out how to eat better on the road.

You seem like a good organiser, I wonder if the op will teach me more of that.

I also live alone and, it's been a great excuse for hiding my food intake, so I better look out for this, in case bad habits come back in 50g forms, just for habit sake!

16 hours ago, Arabesque said:

Honestly, I probably do focus on what I’m eating more now but the focus is how much Protein, is there sugar in this, etc. So I focus more on the nutritional value of what I eat. Also before I used to skip meals. Now I try to make sure to eat more regularly. I cooked before surgery & I still cook. I prep most of my food so I can control the ingredients & how they’re cooked & I do cook a little more often - one because of prepping lunch now & I’ve dropped my once a week takeaway.

I randomly check calories & portion sizes to make sure I’m on track & not over or under estimating.

I also cleaned out my pantry, fridge & freezer in the first months. Got rid of all the food I couldn’t or didn’t want to eat anymore. If it’s not in the cupboard I can’t eat it. If I don’t buy it, I can’t eat it either.

As @The Greater Fool said it can be an obsess ion if you let it or want it to be. How rigid/flexible do you want to be in your food choices? Your dietician should be a good source of possible eating plans & food options that fit in with your lifestyle, family, etc. You will have to make some changes. If you go back to eating exactly as you did before you will end up where you were before surgery.

Remember, there is no one right way to eat just the way that’s right for you.

Good luck & I hope everything goes smoothly for you.

Great idea about emptying the pantry of useless or harmful foods, I will definitely write this down.

I'm going to have to learn much about Proteins, I am very much clueless 😅

21 hours ago, Orinskye said:

I admit: I over prepared and then didn’t really use a lot of what I prepped. lol

im five months or so out from surgery now and I tend to go really simple with my “meals”. No prep needed.

morning: coffee and egg

lunch: P3 pack and greek yogurt (bought from the store it’s like a $2 meal haha)

dinner: chicken

they told me to push Protein first. By the time I’m done with Protein I have no desire for any sides. My protein count is a tad different than most people’s…. My kidneys have issues filtering high protein diets so they told me 60 grams MAX post surgery and to keep it between 50-60 a day long term.

If I eat two skinless chicken wings? I’m done and full. I really don’t eat very much at all. I also have no desire to eat like I did. I measure nothing right now because my portions are still so tiny. That may change if I end up able to eat more but for now I just stick to the same thing every day. food is really boring for me these days lol

Do you ever look at what you used to like eating and great like it is a friend who passed away? Or is the weightloss so good that it's easy enough to put the yearning aside?

22 hours ago, Starwarsandcupcakes said:

I’ve always loved Soup so I make it a few times a month (even pre surgery I loved soup!). And I keep in the fridge and usually end up eating it for a meal a day while I have it.

Meals don’t have to be hard after surgery- yogurt, curries, eggs, roasted meats in light gravies, and smoothies are all staples in my diet. If I make a roast on Sunday I can use it for different things trough the week. One cook and meals for a week with the only though being do I want a burrito bowl or have it with gravy and a veggie mash.

It all depends on how much you do or don’t want to do.

Hiya! I think I just don't want to get trapped in bland meals, as I've often failed diets for lack of imagination.

22 hours ago, Smanky said:

Hi Maroux, and congrats on starting your journey!

Do you have a dietician on your surgery team? You should have one, and they'll be able to help you with meal plans and advice on what to eat. While you will have to make sure you're getting Protein, you'll have some guidance from your dietician/nutritionist on how to achieve that.

It's also slow going! So you won't be immediately dropped into a new diet, it will be a slow shift from a liquid diet, to puree, to soft foods before you're eating regular food again.

I'm someone who loves to cook, and honestly I barely get to flex at this early stage of my post-surgery journey! I make a pot of something nutritious like a stew, puree it, and freeze the excess, so I don't have to think at all about meal prep. Once I move onto regular food, it will be different, but again - my dietician supplies food ideas and because there will always be leftovers, frozen portions will make things a lot easier day-to-day.

You'll do fine! I'm assuming you eat meat? If so, it'll be a doddle. 😉

Many thanks for your suggestions! All the appointments with a Dietician are being set by the hospital at present. I am a naturally anxious person, maybe it's a bit early for that 😀. You're right, they probably wouldn't let me go through unless I prepare for it slowly and surely. I better get a bigger freezer and millions of little freezer bags just in case!

Thank you,

Maroux

22 hours ago, The Greater Fool said:

It can be an obsession if you want it to be. There are many here that obsess about every calorie.

It can also be a simple task that you handle like several other tasks you do every day.

It's really up to you at least as much as you can control any of your obsessions.

You manage to feed yourself now and your new diet plan need not be significantly more complicated, again, unless you want it to.

For me, my plan didn't require counting calories or much else than "this much Protein, this much veggies", done and done. To this day this continues to be my plan.

Relax. Take the time to learn about your surgery and your plan. You will have plenty of time to learn what appeals to you.

Good luck,

Tek

Thank you for your advice Tek. I was both thrilled and scared when I learned the news. Still feeling both, and I can see it is going to be a long journey.

I mostly rely on ready meals, so haven't much of a clue about cooking healthy. Also I am originally French and I can't see myself eating beige food for the rest of my life, like turkey with mash and cauliflower 😋.

I guess this is going to be a longer journey than I thought, but I can see by your rely and the ones from others here, that I have joined a fine support group.

Thank you,

Maroux

Hi there,

I've just learned yesterday that I'm on the list for the gastric sleeve in Ireland. The op should happen in the next 6 months to a year, with various appointments with various specialists beforehand.

I have never kept track of food in my life, except when I see the fridge gets half-empty, and I start panicking and order some more.

Does following a healthy diet become a new obsession daily after the op, and is there much time spent on thinking about meal preps, food types, after the op?

What happens if I'm rubbish at it?

Thank you for your advice!

Maroux