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Before Your Surgery Suggestion!



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I am reading more and more posts of people begging us to tell them when and what to eat and drink especially after surgery. It seems they are not getting good educational information. This is pretty scary for them. I have a huge book given by my surgeon months before surgery. If your surgeon gives you nothing to prepare you how, what and when to eat post surgery, please push his office to advise you where you can find this information. Being prepared and knowing what to eat could save your life. The posts asking can I eat steak one week out tells me that some surgeons are not properly preparing their patients. That means it is up to you! This is so serious!

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@ I have learned alot outside of my Bariatric Program (through my own research and this forum) - but I had a full session with the Nutritionist to review the post-op diet through 6 weeks. I will meet with her again at 1 month post-op to discuss the next stage. I'm very grateful that my Program is comprehensive and has everything under one roof (psych, nutrition, physiology (haven't used), surgeon, etc.). I also have to attend a 2 hour pre-op teaching class where I'm told they will review the post-op diet and instructions again. I can't imagine not having this knowledge before surgery. It is scary how many people either didn't receive this information or didn't pay attention to it. Thank you for posting this important thread - I hope many see it and take your advice.

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Thanks KristenLe, I feel very sad for these people, because I referred to my notes, records, food calendar constantly. I cannot imagine how I would have coped without all the knowledge at my fingertips. Plus Bariatric Pal!

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I had a big binder of info given to me and it was very helpful, but I still sometimes feel slightly uneducated with nutrition stuff.,, but I roll my eyes at the steak 1wk post op... Uh... Common sense should tell you NO even if your surgeon didn't specify...

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I agree, I am uneducated about nutrition also, and Vitamin issues. Struggling!.

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It makes me sad as well. I have a guidebook that's about 300 pages. I had multiple appointments with my surgeon, nut, bariatric therapist, my normal therapist, etc before I could go under. I even had to attend the monthly nutrition support group before.

Information on the Internet, like with all things, is 50% wrong. I've found a ton of info here - more practical for use than a guidebook, but I still know the right things to look for. Hopefully other people benefit from all the knowledge here.

Not mine, I'm only 2 weeks out. Many on here are much more helpful ????

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I need some help- my son is, in theory, supportive. Afterwards I told him he' ll have to help more cooking case I'll be on a vastly different food scheme. How do you live with a normal diet person?

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Eventually - you'll be able to eat similar foods (Protein & veggies) - but you won't eat as much and should skip the starch (Pasta, rice, bread, etc.). I've been thinking a lot about this. For the first 6 weeks while I'm on mush - it will be challenging but I'm hoping I'll be up to cooking for him at times (I enjoy cooking) even if I can't eat the food prepared. Once I'm cleared for regular food - I think it'll much easier. I'm not going to stop cooking or eating dinner with him just because we can't eat the same. I buy him sweets even though I can't eat them. He drinks soda - I don't. He'll have chips with a burger - I'll skip the chips (and post-op the bun).

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I need some help- my son is, in theory, supportive. Afterwards I told him he' ll have to help more cooking case I'll be on a vastly different food scheme. How do you live with a normal diet person?

Sent from my S55 using the BariatricPal App

Eventually - you'll be able to eat similar foods (Protein & veggies) - but you won't eat as much and should skip the starch (Pasta, rice, bread, etc.). I've been thinking a lot about this. For the first 6 weeks while I'm on mush - it will be challenging but I'm hoping I'll be up to cooking for him at times (I enjoy cooking) even if I can't eat the food prepared. Once I'm cleared for regular food - I think it'll much easier. I'm not going to stop cooking or eating dinner with him just because we can't eat the same. I buy him sweets even though I can't eat them. He drinks soda - I don't. He'll have chips with a burger - I'll skip the chips (and post-op the bun).

i'm one week out and i've been cooking for my toddler and husband every night, lol it's mostly been crockpot meals (thank god it's fall) but it's very easy for me this way.) i still watch them enjoy foods i can't eat like pizza and treats it doesn't bug me i don't even feel like eating

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Well now I am getting jealous. All my NUT gave me at first PREOP appointment was a blue page about Mediterranean diet, one yellow page with activities to do when I am board and an orange page saying I should get a toy box and place it in my kitchen, fill it with activities and open it when I "think" I want to eat.

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Well now I am getting jealous. All my NUT gave me at first PREOP appointment was a blue page about Mediterranean diet, one yellow page with activities to do when I am board and an orange page saying I should get a toy box and place it in my kitchen, fill it with activities and open it when I "think" I want to eat.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Your NUT sounds like a NUT! ????

I actually didn't get my post-op diet until my 3rd appt with the Nutritionist.

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Timely post! I am going for what is called the pre-op appontment today, which will entail seeing the RN, the nutritionist and that surgeon. It is 5 days before my surgery. I will ask for a book or some sort of diet guideline while I am there if it is not offered to me. It's a great center so I think they will have literature.

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Timely post! I am going for what is called the pre-op appontment today, which will entail seeing the RN, the nutritionist and that surgeon. It is 5 days before my surgery. I will ask for a book or some sort of diet guideline while I am there if it is not offered to me. It's a great center so I think they will have literature.

Good! You cannot go into this without being very well informed!!!

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
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      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
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    • BeanitoDiego

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    • ChunkCat

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      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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