Okay I know a lot of you are going to fuss at me, but let me tell you why first. I am one week post bypass. I simply could not get down enough water / protein. I think they call it food avoidance. But anyway, the protein shakes....I couldn't even look at them. Let me mention here that I am 68 years old, probably a bit older than most of you. Broth was good, but as you know very few calories or protein. I tried to eat & drink like I was supposed to, but just couldn't. I did call in for some more nausea meds, (after I had gone through the original prescription) Finally got them today, and I willl try again tomorrow. Here's the thing; I was getting weaker and weaker. You know, wobbly legs, cold sweats. So today I broke my diet, ( which was to be still water, Vitamin Water, SF Jello and protein drinks.) Anyway, I went in the kitchen, got some instant mashed potatoes, and made a slurry of that and broth. Ate that twice, about half a cup the first time, a quarter cup the next. No bad effects that I could feel. Someone took me to get my prescriptions oh, and all I could think about was an ice cold Coca-Cola. Yes I know, no sugar, no carbonated beverages. But remember at this point, I was feeling genuinely weak. So I got a small iced coke. I drank about 2/3 over 6 hours. Tiny TINY sips, and....no bad effects. Then I had a tiny bit of well cooked Raman. And chewed the heck out of it.. Now I'm not stupid. I know I need to get back on the protein and I intend to do so, but becoming dangerously weak, (and again at my age,) I elected to put something in there because I had had less than 50 cal over the last four days. Guess what? I feel better. Should I have done this? Probably not. But I feel better. And for those of you who said I should call my doctor. Sometimes that you don't feel confident in what they're going to say, when they say "Well, FORCE yourself." (Well I have been. Duh. That's why I called you)

My two cents worth.

Have you tried unflavored protein powder? i have seen people online mix it into their broths and soups or drinks.

No, I had not, as before, I had no probs with the shakes. Good idea...

Don't worry you are not alone a lot of us feel like this, my dietitian said don't worry about calories at this stage as long as you are getting something in, however at this stage I would keep away from coke, maybe when you are 6 weeks out frozen coke might be OK. Maybe try sports drinks or water with disolveable vitamins in it. I lived of KFC mash and gravy during the puree and soft food stage I couldn't stomach anything else

The only thing I'm going to fuss at you about ?is the coke. Carbonated beverages aren't a good idea at this stage of the game, especially if you drank it with a straw. Remember . . . no straws. Have you tried premade protein shakes? I stomach them a LOT better than the powdered ones. I use GNC Lean Shake 25 g protein Swiss Chocolate. I swear by it. Don't worry about calorie counting at this point, but do try to get something down. Bone broth? Sugar-free popsicles? Jello? Something! Take care.

Perfection is the enemy of the good.

The first few weeks can be a breeze for some and devastatingly difficult for others.

We can only do our best. Push yourself to improve. Keep doing your best and you will improve.

Good luck,

Tek

Don't worry!

I'd agree with the coke, but if you really really need it - and hey, we all have something we really, really need - why not give diet a go, let it sit and decarbonate (tip: pour room temp carbonated drinks over ice; that'll take out a lot of carbonation right off the bat). Decarbonated diet soda is fine in moderation, it's calorie-free fluids.

Perfection is the enemy of good, is really the best line in this thread. You saw what happened: when you give up on perfect, it all goes out the window. Be honest with yourself and try to deal with it before you go into the disaster zone.

Oh, and: don't trust whether you experience pain signals or not. Your nerves are cut, and it'll be a while before you can trust that mechanism.

Relax. Refocus. Forgive yourself. Move on.

Funny thing is, coke over ice in sips (this is when I was little) was what my mama gave me to settle the stomach...

I was told by a gastric bypass counselor that drinking out of a straw was fine, I was not getting enough Water in at the beginning because I cannot drink out of a cup or glass( mind thing), she told me to use a straw that was no evidence of drank oh for a straw would be hurtful…ijs

1 hour ago, Nannetteallen said:

I was told by a gastric bypass counselor that drinking out of a straw was fine

Yeah, I think this one comes from the same bag as nO cAffEinE which should be labeled The Big Bucket Of Ideas To Torment The Fat People. Literally zero reason.

You know, I wondered that myself. I know not to gulp. So, why no straws? I also know how to burp, which lessens the pressure buildup. I know not to eat sharp crunchy stuff, of course. I don't get "why come" on a lot of stuff. Unless, of course, they're treating all of us like the lowest common denominator, aka=stupid.

'Standard rules' apply to the lowest common denominator (aka [situationally] stupid). Not all of us reason through everything. Not all of us know how to reason. Even super smart folks occasionally miss the blindingly obvious.

Or so I've read.

Good luck,

Tek

When I was in pre-op, a friend of mine who had RNY a year before I did told me this: you will need to show yourself grace and forgiveness after the surgery, because you will not be perfect.

If you can show yourself grace, while also trying to fix any issues that cause you to make mistakes, you'll do just fine.

If you need another way to get protein, check out Protein2O (I bought some at Sams). It is a thin, fruit-flavored protein drink (15g whey protein). The flavor is reminiscent of XXX Vitaminwater. You may tolerate it much better than some of the shakes.

18 hours ago, oldandtired said:

You know, I wondered that myself. I know not to gulp. So, why no straws? I also know how to burp, which lessens the pressure buildup. I know not to eat sharp crunchy stuff, of course. I don't get "why come" on a lot of stuff. Unless, of course, they're treating all of us like the lowest common denominator, aka=stupid.

I have a hard time burping sometimes which has a double disappointment for me as i could burp with the best of them before surgery and enjoyed a good loud burp ? now they get "stuck" and its really uncomfortable

6 hours ago, The Greater Fool said:

'Standard rules' apply to the lowest common denominator (aka [situationally] stupid). Not all of us reason through everything. Not all of us know how to reason. Even super smart folks occasionally miss the blindingly obvious.

Or so I've read.

Good luck,

Tek

Well yes, Ted. I do some stupid things too. Having said that, I shouldn't think we all are in that category that has to be reminded, "Don't iron clothes on body," or "don't use blow-dryer in the shower," either.

Be safe....

16 hours ago, oldandtired said:

Well yes, Ted. I do some stupid things too. Having said that, I shouldn't think we all are in that category that has to be reminded, "Don't Iron clothes on body," or "don't use blow-dryer in the shower," either.

Be safe....

How are our medical teams supposed to know which of us are situationally stupid, generally stupid, or just a rare episode of not seeing the obvious?

For me it's not generally an issue as most folks grasp that I'm smart pretty quickly. In fact, I'm often quickly told that I have a smart arse.

Good luck,

Tek (Not Ted)

Edited January 21, 20224 yr by The Greater Fool