New Patient and in need of advice and encouragement

Morning, everyone.  I have my sugery for RNY bypass on 6/23/11.  I have seen the nutrionist and have an appointment at the end of the month to see the psychiatrist.  I know I am still 6 weeks out, but I am already getting nervous and second-guessing myself.  I have images of me sitting with my family, taking one bite of food at the dinner table and not being able to eat any more.  I'm afraid of being hungry.  I'm afraid that when I look in the mirror, I won't recognize myself.  I weigh 310 now....my knees and ankles are full of arthritis...I don't have much choice now.  I have to save myself by having this surgery.

I believe in God and I have been praying a lot.  I have a sister who has dedicated herself to be my supporter through this whole process.  I love her so much.

I am looking for ideas on the first few weeks of eating.  What do you eat?  What do you NOT recommend?  What is blend-able...and what isn't?

Thanks!

I was dragging my feet about getting the RNY too. I'd have been very unhappy if I had to deal with dumping, stuck foods, inability to take my pain meds, or regain after a few years. I wanted to enjoy family gatherings, which tend to revolve around food. I want to have some cake at birthdays. I also need to be able to take NSAIDs for pain if necessary, which all my pain meds for arthritis are. I got the DS for those reasons and many others, and since you haven't been cut yet, it's not too late.  Whatever your journey brings, I wish you well.

I'm in the final evaluation stage for a vertical sleeve gastrectomy.  I had the same concerns as you considering I have severe arthritis and chronic depression so not all my meds are going to go away with surgery.  That's why I chose the sleeve.  The disadvantage to the sleeve is that many insurance plans don't pay for it.  I'm lucky mine does.  I know of someone who also had the sleeve even though the insurance wouldn't pay.  Somehow his surgeon was able to document that he would have a better outcome with a sleeve rather than a band or RNY.  Hand in there though, I do believe that it's worth the effort.  I know of several people who have had both RNY and Sleeve and have been able to loose the weight, still participate in family gatherings and enjoy life more.  One gentleman tells me he feels like running all the time when he used to hate to even walk.  Another person bought a mountain bike and canoe after loosing all the weight.

The Sleeve is a great surgery. BUT---you have a BMI of 50. Please, PLEASE research the DS as well as the Sleeve. The DS has the same stomach, with an intestinal bypass that gives the DS real staying power. The DS has the very BEST long-term, maintained weight loss, ESPECIALLY for those with a BMI of 50 or greater.

I fully believe that you can lose weight, a LOT of weight, with any form of WLS. In fact, most of us could lose weight, a LOT of weight, with conventional 'diet and exercise'---we just couldn't KEEP it off. That's where the permanent caloric malabsorption of the DS comes into play.

Just research it, okay?

Its normal to get nervous. This is serious stuff. A lot of things will change and then some will not. You just need to find your support system and balance.
As for first foods. Yous doc should give you all that info. But my staples were Broth, SF Jello, Soft scrambled eggs, Yogurt, and Refried beans.

Good luck... I dont regret for one day my decision. I LOVE my RNY

HI Virvin, I just want to let you know that I had the same thoughts and ideas before I got my surgery.  I am  2 1/2 weeks out now, and to be honest with you, I am not hungry at all!   But let me back up a bit before the surgery.  I was encouraged to start a diet plan a week before and a liquid diet fast 3 days before the surgery.  I thougnt I would die and I honestly thought I was not a candidate for surgery, because all I wanted to do was eat! I was questioning myself, since I was losing some weight on pre op  diet, do I really need the surgery? I also thought about, how am I NOT going to eat after surgery, since my whole existance was around eating!!  My mother, bless her heart,had the surgery done 6 yrs ago, she is a miracle and a poster child for the surgery, but I knew that was not the case with me.  I was going to EAT after the surgery and that was that.  I was different!
Well VIrvin, I am here to tell you, I was soooo wrong about my thoughts and needless worrying,  I have not been hungry at all!!  I drink a lot of fluids, well I try, and I take 1/2 cup of broth in my system a couple times a day, just to put something in.  I eat suger free popsicles.  They are wonderful and refreshing. And sugar free jello daily. Never thought it would taste so good! 
 What I am saying to you, is PLS dont worry.  It is needless worry, as I went through it myself!  I just couldn't fathom NOT eating what I wanted before I got the surgery. How wrong I was!But I feel great, I have lost 21 lbs already in 2 1/2 weeks.! 
Rest assured it will be ok, you have your support system and this blog. so girlie,  just let it happen.  Don't worry.  The doctors know what they are doing, and I  PROMISE you, you will NOT be hungry..
PS Your head will tell you, You want this and that and that smells good, But you wont be literally hungry from it.....Because you will have this new respect for your ne body and hopefully will follow the directions for post op diet.  If you dont your body will tell you.  I tried some yogurt yesterday, and i was on the toilet for about 15 min, releasing it all.  SOrry to sound gross, but my body just wasn;t ready for it.  SO, will all that I  hope this helps you sweetie.  I has been such a transformation for me and when I saw myself losing weight, I think, thank you, thank you, thank you surgeons for helping obese people live a longer , healthier, and  happier life,!!! Good luck on your journey, my friend. - Lisa You can email me anytime you would like. 
[email protected] Im praying for ya sista

Excellent reply Lisa !!!  As we get farther out from surgery we tend to forget those first few weeks. I am a year and a half out and only feel hungry when I forget to eat and not because I don't get enough to eat......Love that COD !!

sounds pretty normal to me. its a life-changing decision so anxiety is part of the process. you may not recognize yourself when you look in the mirror, but you sure as heck will be happy with the person staring back at you. it will take some time to adjust to the new you. for those for whom this is a big issue, therapy can really help.

as for family gatherings, in the early stages its true that you will eat much less. but as time passes you will be just like everyone else. still eating less, but able to eat everything. thats my situation. i dont dump or have stuck issues, as a previous poster mentioned. i had an ulcer early out but it is resolved. as it stands i don't have any complications. i feel strangely normal considering i have an altered anatomy.

the first few weeks i had protein shakes (still do), yogurt, pudding and other mushy things i cant remember. you'll find that your tastes may have changed and will continue to change so dont fret too much if eating is a big chore during the first month. with time, you'll find an eating pattern that works for you and you enjoy.

best of luck.

Hi.  It is normal to be nervous and a lil scared. I wont sugar coat things. Those first 6 weeks post op were rough for me. I love cooking and sitting down to dinner with my family. I wasn't able to do either for the first few weeks. I have a teenage daughter who did alot of the cooking. And when they ate, I would go to my room for like 15-20 minutes. 
I could have pureed 2 weeks after surgery...which would be like tuna or chicken very fine w/ mayo and pickle juice. Or turkey, a lil taters w/ gravy. Stay away from rice, pastas, bread, cereals, milk (for a while).

Arthritis---then you REALLY need to look at the Sleeve and the DS. NSAIDs after the RNY are more dangerous than they are pre-p, and they tend to be the thing for arthritis. (I knew that I would never be able to live comfortably without them.)

What's your BMI? The Sleeve and the RNY seem to have about the same long-term weight loss results for people with lower BMIs. The DS has the very best long-term, maintained weight loss, ESPECIALLY for those with a BMI of 50 or greater. It's also the best at preventing or resolving co-morbs like diabetes and high cholesterol.

I was VERY nervous, even scared, when I was 6 weeks away from my scheduled RNY. Fortunately, I learned about the DS, and after some research I cancelled my RNY and never looked back. Oddly, once I decided on the DS over the RNY, all my fears went away---I knew I was choosing a form of WLS that would work WITH me, my strengths and weaknesses, rather than one that would try to force me into behaviours that never worked when I was 'on a diet'.

It's been 7.5 years since I had my DS, and I've had zero regrets.