HELP - paniced husband

[cneglia 1]

So my wife had the Gastric sleeve done yesterday. I love love love my wife but she can sometimes not follow through and can be a bit on the lazy side. This morning she gave me a bit of a confused look when I asked what I can do for her. I do most of the cooking so I feel obligated to educate myself and help her through this.

RIght now she is sleeping and has not really gotten out of bed except for brief runs to the bathroom and about 25ml of chicken broth. I made Jello which should be ready soon but what else can I do to help. Any advice on what to avoid and what to purchase/prepare for would be of great help.

I guess I need to get a blender as from what I have read she will need her food blended starting tomorrow. Any advice, web links, iphone apps would be of great help.

[smgirl 3]

Did her Dr or nutritionist give her a post op diet? It should say what she is allowed to have.

U sound like an amazing supportive husband

[Chelenka 827]

Please be sure her Dr. / nutritionist gives you some directions. I wasn't allow pureed food until three weeks post-op.

Here's what my instructions were:

Week one: Clear liquids only - sugar free Jello is fine.

Week two: full liquids i.e. Protein shakes.

Week three: pureed food, refried Beans and soft cooked Cereal made very thin.

Week four: start to work in regular food as tolerated.

The thing is to go slow and carefully during the healing process.

You are a sweetheart! God bless you!

[swimbikerun 1,038]

She is already home? I was 3 days in: op on Thursday out on Saturday.

[devint 162]

I would call her doctor and ask for their guidelines because every doctor recommends different things at different times.

Most important thing is do NOT get dehydrated, which is tough cause a lot of people get "Water nausea" where Water sets then off (me) so you have to find something that works and sip sip sip literally ALL THE TIME and don't let the pain get ahead of her, keep track of when her next pain dose is due and don't feel bad using it.

Second most important is get moving and walking as much as possible at least once every 2 hours or else gas pains will take forever to get rid of. Do not try anything really physical, especially no lifting or anything that puts pressure on her stomach muscles. Just walking around as much as she can go until she tires.

I was also restricted from doing laundry, dishes and taking out the trash because of the bending and lifting so don't even wait for her to have to ask you just keep an eye on it for the first month. Internal stitches take 6 weeks to scar over, minimum (according to my doc)

That being said, here was my experience with diet.

Clear Liquids for 3 days after surgery: tons of broth, they sell mexican or thai infused boxed broth that was a lifesaver, sugar free popsicles so she has something to chew, crystal light. I was advised against set Jello, was told it could "clog" but was told unset Jello used basically as koolaid was ok. Again every doc is different and every patient is different.

Full liquids for two weeks: this was blended Soups and Protein shakes. Lots and lots of Protein Shakes. when it's blended it should still fall right off a spoon if you turn it sideways. even Soups that don't "come" blended (like butternut squash or french onion) you can still throw it in the blender and buzz it up til it's smooth. No particles in the Soup.

Puree from week 3 and 4: soft textured foods like canned meat and veggies, spun through the blender with just a bit of liquid (think broth, gravy or even just water) and voila it's baby food consistency. It clings to the spoon a bit when you tip it sideways.

At puree, I started to get nasty heartburn and interpreted it as hunger. This is common on the forums here so realize it may be head hunger or heartburn. There are pills called PPI that can help.

Good luck and stay connected here. I went through this once as a spouse in oct and then again as the patient 2 months ago. My husband has lost 120 lbs and its amazing the difference it makes in our marriage and everyday lives.

[devint 162]

Also I was a lot more comfortable in a recliner versus the bed for the first week. Ok I promise that's it.

[Madam Reverie 2,958]

I think every woman on this website sighed a big *awww, he's adorable* on reading that.

Careful there, fella. You'll end up getting yourself a cult following.

Either that, or a load of stalkers

Only kidding. All the advice you require is up there ^^^^^ if you have any further questions or queries, there's not a person on the planet who won't run to your aid.

Well done, you. Your wife is a lucky lady

[PRINCESSM 210]

Youre a good spouse and the advice above is spot on

[Beckyyb93 225]

I agree, you are a good hubby! You didn't say much about Protein shakes and she needs to find some she likes because you live off of those for a while. I would suggest getting some samples, whether you get them online or go to GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, etc. she needs to try them first and then you need to buy her what she likes and can tolerate which can be tough because those shakes get really old really fast. She will need variety!

Here is a link to a site that has tons and tons of Protein samples for $2.99 each, I'd just run off some of the flavors to her and pick a few to try out, shipping is only $5 and you can purchase what she likes from there or from any other place that carries them.

http://www.vitalady.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&keywords=protsamp&SortKey=sku&SortOrder=ascending

Good luck, I'm sure you will do great!!

[BeagleLover 1,020]

Here's another place for samples:

http://www.nashuanutrition.com