So I am 33 days Post op. My surgery was preformed in Germany where I now live. I am finding it exceedingly hard to find support and answers here! My Surgeon had NO follow up program and I feel like I am out in big blue treading water for dear life! We used to have a support group on my base but it looks like they no longer hold it. And since my German is not so good, a off base support group just wont work.

I am not really sure what to eat, and how much I should be eating! I am exercising with 1hour walks a day with my dogs. I am going to try out a zoomba class soon, but not sure if that will be too much at this point.    right now, I am trying to get at least 60gr of protein, 2 lt of water, I take 4 flinstone vitamins a day and 1000mg of Calcium.  I get my B12 shot once a month and try to eat foods that are lean and fairly low fat. However I am finding that some food gives me the worst heart burn! I have thrown up twice. I am so afraid of becoming un healthy! Any advise would be so great! I know a lot of people will say to go with what my surgeon recommends but I don't think I will get the answers that I am looking for with him. Especially since its a 2 hour drive to get to him.    Any advise, or recommendations would be a great help! Especially regarding    Foods, and Quatities

Sorry, I don't have any answers for you as I am pre-op still but I hope you are able to get some of your answers through here!!  Remember that you are not alone, even if it may feel that way.  Best wishes for you!!!

You'll probably get more specific answers on the RNY board, but I'm sure some of the post-ops will be along to help. I was evaluated for RNY, though I decided to have another surgery. In that program we were told 2 comprehensive multi-vites a day (not Flintstones, think Centrum Forte or Centrum 50+ which has complete mineral support as well), plus calcium citrate (not carbonate) with vitamin D and magnesium and sublingual B12. Also, if you still menstruate you will likely need iron as well, go by your labs. The post-op eating plan was 2 weeks full fluids, 2 weeks pureed foods, 2 weeks soft foods and then regular diet for life always focusing on protein. Protein goal is a minimum of 80g per day with protein supplements (particularly whey protein) encouraged to meet goal. We were also told a minimum of 64oz of sugar free, caffeine free liquids a day, which is about what you're getting. As for exercise, we were told just to wait 6 weeks before doing anything intense or lifting anything over 15lbs.

 Thank you so much! That was very helpful! I go for labs tomorrow so I will ask about the iorn! And will also ask about changing my vitamins! :)

 Thanks guys! This website has already been a saving grace! thanks for the support! :) 

First question I have is what kind of surgery did you have?  From the vitamins that you take, it sounds like an rny.  The reason why I ask is that there are different stages for different types of surgery.  If you had an rny like I  had, there are four different stages:clear liquid, full liquid pureed, and soft foods.  Each stage is about 2 weeks.  If you have any questions about what to eat at this point, let me know. If it is an rny, your stomach can only hold maybe 2 tablespoons at a meal and you would need to eat about every 3 hours.
I'm not sure what the other type (the lap, sleeve, and the ds) can eat and at what points.  Hopefully, someone else can tell you.
I'm shocked that the surgeon has no follow up program, nor giving you clear cut guide on what to eat and when.
If you have any questions, please contact me.  I can give you more in depth instructions

Research the crap out of this board and there will probably be an answer for every question you have. If not, ask in the RNY. Those people are sharp and will help you out.

You're not getting the vitamins and minerals you need.  Four Flintstones won't work.  They are missing some things altogether, like Selenium.

You need a good adult multi with 100% of the RDA of most things in it, then take two a day.

You need 1500-2000 mg calcium CITRATE.  Make sure it's not carbonate.  Take 500 mg at a time, at least two hours apart.

The ASMBS also says menstruating women need 54-63 mg iron.  Everyone else needs 36 mg.

You should get your vitamin D level checked because most people need to take extra D3.

You should probably be eating about 1/2 cup of food at a time right now, eating lots of protein and very little if any starchy stuff like bread and rice.  Eat four to six times a day.

 Everyone has given great advice about vitamins.  However the part about heartburn is a problem too.  Please follow up with the surgeon about this.  Some people take over the counter meds and others are on prescription meds.  Your pouch is very important and you do not want a hernia or other complication.  Good luck.

Judy

If I could give this info each time someone was in your spot I would...

melting mama has a blog/site - great info there

melting mama has a friend named Andrea...umm....her last name escapes me - I think it starts with a "U" - she's a vitamin smarty kind of person, read up on her info

theworldaccordingtoeggface.com is a great site

bariatrictv.com I cannot say enough about

Like everything else on the internet, trust ...but verify. Anything with an .edu or .gov is pretty trustworthy and the sites I just gave you are the same people I trust getting info from.

bariatrictv has a forum - use it. Tons of support and practical info. I love OH but in all honesty theres never been snarkiness over there at BTV.
Rob from BTV has a site - he pulls recipes together like a pro.
Andrea has vitamin info, learn it and see if you can add anything to it
I love Beth (melting mama) and Michelle (eggface) they are both great for info, personal journey type info and recipes and reviews. neither of them pull any "I'm an expert so you can only listen to me" kind of crap. Tons of people on youtube but be careful, some of them are ignorant...they mean well but just aren't informed. I'm sure others will add to this list.

Best
Binda

 these sites are awesome thank you so much!!!!!

 Thank you all so much!!!! This was beyond helpfull! I cant belive my doctor didn't let me know all of this information! I cant wait to get back to the states! 

Anyway thank you ALL so much! I am so happy that I decided to ask! 

I agree with all the great advice but also wanted to add that you may need to be on a PPI, like Prevacid. The heartburn symptoms you feel may be excessive acid, and at the very least that will hamper the healing process. At its worst, the presence of acid can lead to ulcers and gastric bleeding, which can be life threatening.

I do hope he told you not to take NSAIDs as well.

Good luck!