February 2024 Surgery Buddies?

[Rae70 13]

14 hours ago, NickelChip said:

I'm officially off my blood pressure medication!

I haven't taken it since the day before surgery because my blood pressure was normal in the hospital and low when they released me, but the final decision needed to be made by my primary care. I went to see her today and was at 110/78 so she officially removed the med from my chart. All my readings have been normal the past three weeks, which feels like a miracle. I've been on it for at least 10 years, and even with medication I usually measured 130/85.

this is wonderful news!!! Congratulations!

[BlueParis 108]

15 hours ago, NickelChip said:

I'm officially off my blood pressure medication!

I haven't taken it since the day before surgery because my blood pressure was normal in the hospital and low when they released me, but the final decision needed to be made by my primary care. I went to see her today and was at 110/78 so she officially removed the med from my chart. All my readings have been normal the past three weeks, which feels like a miracle. I've been on it for at least 10 years, and even with medication I usually measured 130/85.

That's amazing! Well done!

I was wondering how everyones scars are looking ... I'm 1 month post op on Friday and mine are still very red/dark...

[RonHall908 116]

1 minute ago, BlueParis said:

That's amazing! Well done!

I was wondering how everyones scars are looking ... I'm 1 month post op on Friday and mine are still very red/dark...

I'm 5 weeks out. I only have two that are somewhat a darker pink. Otherwise they've healed up nicely.

[Noelle74 47]

I had surgery Feb 22nd and am somewhat close to you as far as height and starting weight etc. I know we’re past surgery but I would love to have a buddy in this journey if you are looking for one.

[LisaCaryl 79]

36 minutes ago, Noelle74 said:

I had surgery Feb 22nd and am somewhat close to you as far as height and starting weight etc. I know we’re past surgery but I would love to have a buddy in this journey if you are looking for one.

Hi Noelle, not sure who you were referring to?

[Noelle74 47]

I was trying to reply to NickelChip but apparently reply to this topic didn’t get me where I thought lol. I’m so sorry for the confusion.

[LisaCaryl 79]

45 minutes ago, Noelle74 said:

I was trying to reply to NickelChip but apparently reply to this topic didn’t get me where I thought lol. I’m so sorry for the confusion.

No worries. If you want to "quote" someone, as in reply to them... click on quote and it will put their reply in your window like yours is in mine

[NickelChip 897]

1 hour ago, Noelle74 said:

I was trying to reply to NickelChip but apparently reply to this topic didn’t get me where I thought lol. I’m so sorry for the confusion.

Hey there! Would love to hear how it's going for you!

Here's where I am:

My highest weight was 251 back in the summer, which is when I was referred to the surgical program. I started making changes to my eating following the Pound of Cure book by Dr. Matthew Weiner and was down to 238 on Feb 7 when I started 2 week pre-op liquid diet. I was 223 the day before surgery, so 15 lbs down in two weeks. That's compared to 13 lbs in 6 months, which is crazy, but I also know that I wasn't trying to lose weight during those months so much as make healthy choices. I didn't count calories or other macros. I just made an effort to reduce processed foods and eat a pound of vegetables most days. Whereas the liquid diet was pretty much me starving for 2 weeks. But I survived!

Since surgery, it's gone a bit slower, which is in part due to the Fluid shifts from surgery (according to my meeting with surgeon last week). My weight this morning, 3 weeks post-op, was 217 lbs. So, 6 lbs down since surgery.

I'm healing pretty well, meeting my 60g Protein goal and 64 oz Water goal daily. I did have one incident of foamies / vomiting two days ago that set me back a little on food tolerance, but I think I'm doing better today. I go in to see the dietician on Monday. The first week I was getting around 400 calories per day. Last week and this week have ranged between 500-700, depending on the day and what food choices I make. I haven't really experienced anything I would call hunger.

As for non-scale victories, I had to pull out one of my smaller bras yesterday that I still had from about 5 years ago! I also fit into an outfit I bought last year that I wasn't able to try on at the store and discovered was too small when I got it home. But not anymore! And I'm officially off blood pressure meds!

[Noelle74 47]

13 minutes ago, NickelChip said:

Hey there! Would love to hear how it's going for you!

Here's where I am:

My highest weight was 251 back in the summer, which is when I was referred to the surgical program. I started making changes to my eating following the Pound of Cure book by Dr. Matthew Weiner and was down to 238 on Feb 7 when I started 2 week pre-op liquid diet. I was 223 the day before surgery, so 15 lbs down in two weeks. That's compared to 13 lbs in 6 months, which is crazy, but I also know that I wasn't trying to lose weight during those months so much as make healthy choices. I didn't count calories or other macros. I just made an effort to reduce processed foods and eat a pound of vegetables most days. Whereas the liquid diet was pretty much me starving for 2 weeks. But I survived!

Since surgery, it's gone a bit slower, which is in part due to the Fluid shifts from surgery (according to my meeting with surgeon last week). My weight this morning, 3 weeks post-op, was 217 lbs. So, 6 lbs down since surgery.

I'm healing pretty well, meeting my 60g Protein goal and 64 oz Water goal daily. I did have one incident of foamies / vomiting two days ago that set me back a little on food tolerance, but I think I'm doing better today. I go in to see the dietician on Monday. The first week I was getting around 400 calories per day. Last week and this week have ranged between 500-700, depending on the day and what food choices I make. I haven't really experienced anything I would call hunger.

As for non-scale victories, I had to pull out one of my smaller bras yesterday that I still had from about 5 years ago! I also fit into an outfit I bought last year that I wasn't able to try on at the store and discovered was too small when I got it home. But not anymore! And I'm officially off blood pressure meds!

Oh my gosh!! The foamies! One of my friends thought I was crazy when k said I was foaming then started vomiting.
My starting weight was 210lbs and my b/p was out of control. As of now I’m still on b/p meds but when I went in last week it was lower than it had been in over a year. I had the pre-op diet and dropped down 10lbs. When I came out of surgery I was puffy and weighed 203 again. Right now I am at 189lbs which has been the lowest number I’ve seen in years. I was told to get 64oz of Water and 90 grams of Protein a day yes 90! I’m struggling with it. The water intake I’ve done well except one day and nausea hit me soooooo fast. The protein has been hard for me. Sweets nauseate me and it seems most Protein Shakes and stuff are sweet. It is so nice to have someone experiencing the same things so I don’t feel so alone. I would love to hear where you’re finding the easiest protein sources? I think at most I hit 60-70 grams and that’s not every day. It’s a work in progress and definitely hit and miss.

[NickelChip 897]

15 minutes ago, Noelle74 said:

I would love to hear where you’re finding the easiest Protein sources? I think at most I hit 60-70 grams and that’s not every day. It’s a work in progress and definitely hit and miss.

I've been making a smoothie most mornings with frozen fruit, spinach, and unflavored Protein Powder. I was having that most mornings before surgery, so I've just tailored it to be a little thinner now with Water or milk, and I seem to tolerate it well.

I've done well with eggs of every variety, and also smoked salmon, which is so delicious. I can generally eat 2 eggs or 2oz of the smoked salmon. Cheddar cheese is good, as is cottage cheese with peaches. Oh, I also adore edamame! They have it shelled and lightly salted in the produce section of my grocery store in a small tub and it is so pleasant to eat, kind of snack-like, I guess. tuna salad has been nice, too. I've done okay with ground turkey and chicken, but it's not as appealing right now, although I do like a turkey sausage Breakfast patty.

I made a ricotta bake that was really good. I mixed 8oz ricotta, an egg, and some chopped spinach (thawed from frozen with water pressed out), and spread it into an 8x8 baking dish, topped with some diced Italian chicken sausage, then covered in marinara (look for one with no added sugar), sprinkled with mozzarella, and baked for about 20-25 minutes until the cheese was a bit browned. Like a lasagna without the heavy noodles.

I wouldn't be able to hit 90g without significant use of Protein Shakes, which I also can't stand because of the artificially sweet flavor. But maybe you can try making some Soup, like a pureed bean or carrot ginger, and add unflavored protein to it? I plan to try that next week for variety.

[LisaCaryl 79]

2 hours ago, NickelChip said:

I've been making a smoothie most mornings with frozen fruit, spinach, and unflavored Protein Powder. I was having that most mornings before surgery, so I've just tailored it to be a little thinner now with Water or milk, and I seem to tolerate it well.

I've done well with eggs of every variety, and also smoked salmon, which is so delicious. I can generally eat 2 eggs or 2oz of the smoked salmon. Cheddar cheese is good, as is cottage cheese with peaches. Oh, I also adore edamame! They have it shelled and lightly salted in the produce section of my grocery store in a small tub and it is so pleasant to eat, kind of snack-like, I guess. tuna salad has been nice, too. I've done okay with ground turkey and chicken, but it's not as appealing right now, although I do like a turkey sausage Breakfast patty.

I made a ricotta bake that was really good. I mixed 8oz ricotta, an egg, and some chopped spinach (thawed from frozen with Water pressed out), and spread it into an 8x8 baking dish, topped with some diced Italian chicken sausage, then covered in marinara (look for one with no added sugar), sprinkled with mozzarella, and baked for about 20-25 minutes until the cheese was a bit browned. Like a lasagna without the heavy noodles.

I wouldn't be able to hit 90g without significant use of Protein Shakes, which I also can't stand because of the artificially sweet flavor. But maybe you can try making some Soup, like a pureed bean or carrot ginger, and add unflavored Protein to it? I plan to try that next week for variety.

The ricotta bake sounds amazing. I don't eat meat so will try it without!

[NickelChip 897]

1 minute ago, LisaCaryl said:

The ricotta bake sounds amazing. I don't eat meat so will try it without!

Yes, my daughters were of differing opinions about the chicken sausage. I put it in for the extra Protein and the older one loved it, but the younger one thinks it would be much better without. I think I may agree with her, as the precooked chicken sausages have an odd texture, although the spicy flavor was nice. I wonder if there's a way to get that extra kick in another way.

[JoniGraham 1]

I had my bypass February 7th

[kissabeth 5]

Yeah, I didn't want to do it on my own, and it's not dangerously low. Today she was ambiguous about it - I'll take my BP every morning for the next week before meds and see her next week, or earlier if it's too drastic. My dose is fortunately pretty low

[RonHall908 116]

5 minutes ago, JoniGraham said:

I had my bypass February 7th

I had it the same day as well. How's everything going post-op?