Spuddie
Real food!
Dec 19, 2006
Well, I've been on mashed foods for a few days now with mixed results. I don't seem to tolerate salmon very well. I've tried it twice and did the "frothing" or slimy thing and then it just came back up. I'll have to wait a while and try it again in a couple weeks. Bummer! Salmon is one of my favorite foods. I chewed it very well and it was nice and moist too, so not sure what the problem is. I do understand that different people tolerate different things at different times, though.
I am tolerating things like crab cakes, mashed up meatballs, scrambled eggs (thank goddess--another of my favorites!), and the like. Haven't gotten any wild hairs to try anything sweet or too fatty yet; I'm taking it conservatively and slowly and it's going well except for the salmon. It's just nice to have something to chew a bit more and to have the variety of tastes and textures again. Tonight I'm going to try some moistened chicken breast with a bit of green beans.
Had my 1-month post op appointment on Friday and am down 46 lbs so far. Not too bad, eh? My next appointment is on Jan. 16 with Shira, the dietician, and then a month after that with Carol again. I don't think I will weigh myself at all between those appointments--I'm really trying not to get hung up by the numbers on the scale but concentrate on eating what I should, getting the protein and the water in, and walking. If I do that, I have no doubt that the weight will continue to drop and me watching it every day or week isn't going to change that one way or another.
I dug out the two remaining boxes of smaller clothes I had and I can now get into my zippered jeans that are size 24 very comfortably, so that's good! But I still need to try to find some stuff that's slightly dressier for work. Can't wear jeans to the office. :-( Went to the Goodwill in Hopkins that's a couple miles from my house, and my gosh, what a mess! Nothing organized by size, only by color!! Couldn't find a blessed thing. I hope there is a local Swapkins pretty soon as I'm needing some 22s and 24s but I'll be darned if I'm going to buy new stuff that I'll only wear a few times. And I have a ton of 3x/4x stuff that hopefully someone can use!
Well, that's it for this installment. It's going well, no regrets, no problems, just plodding forward. :-)
Cheryl
I am tolerating things like crab cakes, mashed up meatballs, scrambled eggs (thank goddess--another of my favorites!), and the like. Haven't gotten any wild hairs to try anything sweet or too fatty yet; I'm taking it conservatively and slowly and it's going well except for the salmon. It's just nice to have something to chew a bit more and to have the variety of tastes and textures again. Tonight I'm going to try some moistened chicken breast with a bit of green beans.
Had my 1-month post op appointment on Friday and am down 46 lbs so far. Not too bad, eh? My next appointment is on Jan. 16 with Shira, the dietician, and then a month after that with Carol again. I don't think I will weigh myself at all between those appointments--I'm really trying not to get hung up by the numbers on the scale but concentrate on eating what I should, getting the protein and the water in, and walking. If I do that, I have no doubt that the weight will continue to drop and me watching it every day or week isn't going to change that one way or another.
I dug out the two remaining boxes of smaller clothes I had and I can now get into my zippered jeans that are size 24 very comfortably, so that's good! But I still need to try to find some stuff that's slightly dressier for work. Can't wear jeans to the office. :-( Went to the Goodwill in Hopkins that's a couple miles from my house, and my gosh, what a mess! Nothing organized by size, only by color!! Couldn't find a blessed thing. I hope there is a local Swapkins pretty soon as I'm needing some 22s and 24s but I'll be darned if I'm going to buy new stuff that I'll only wear a few times. And I have a ton of 3x/4x stuff that hopefully someone can use!
Well, that's it for this installment. It's going well, no regrets, no problems, just plodding forward. :-)
Cheryl
Too easy?
Dec 12, 2006
I wonder sometimes if this is just going too well. And I almost hate to say it for fear of jinxing myself. LOL I'm still on pureed (that will change on Friday with my dietician appointment) but am varying it a bit and adding things like a little BBQ sauce to the turkey or a sploot of ketchup to the meatloaf, etc. Tolerating everything, no vomiting since that one 'too dry chicken' episode, getting in my 2 protein shakes a day, walking on my lunch break at work, and gosh...I STILL love refried beans! LOL Most of the time 3 Tbsp. of pureed meat is more than enough for me and I'm full. I still can't say I've experienced any real hunger post-op, and I love walking down the candy and bakery aisle laughing at the chocolate and holiday goodies as they try to tempt me. I'm not even tempted in the least bit. My blood sugars are still a little higher than I would like (in the 160's most of the time) but this is on NO meds.
I find it really weird that someone like me with such terrible snacking habits that have been ingrained for years and years is finding this to be going so smoothly. I read a lot and I used to almost always snack while reading. Usually low-carb stuff like nuts or sunflower seeds or beef jerky, but it was *something.* I haven't done any eating with my reading since about a month pre-op when I started 'practicing' reading without munching. I also always had a snack at night. Now my 3 so-called meals with my protein shakes in between and 3-4 bottles of water or Crystal Light is enough. I'm not suffering, not whining because I can't have this or that, not wishing I'd not done this...nothing. I keep hearing how second thoughts are normal and am now worried that when they hit me they're going to hit big time. I hope not. I tend to be a very pragmatic person and have just sort of made up my mind that this is how things are now and I need to adapt. Onward, and downward. I hope I can say I feel the same way in a month or two or six.
The only problem I'm having is with some back pain and I understand that's fairly normal with rapid weight loss as the spine and muscles realign themselves and your center of gravity changes. I've dug out my heating pad and will try some liquid tylenol next time it flares up--some days are worse than others, but so far it hasn't been bad enough that I've taken anything for it at all.
Friday I'll know just how much I've lost. I admit I am kind of curious since I'm fitting into some clothes that are a size smaller than what I was wearing (2x instead of 3-4x) and some of my clothes are starting to get a bit baggy. But one thing I do NOT want to do is get all obsessed about that damned scale. Did that when I was younger and that's what started me on the yo-yo diet train. I'm getting healthier, and able to move better (ha--I even took the stairs today at work--down AND up!) and that's what counts. Okay, but I'm still curious. :-)
I find it really weird that someone like me with such terrible snacking habits that have been ingrained for years and years is finding this to be going so smoothly. I read a lot and I used to almost always snack while reading. Usually low-carb stuff like nuts or sunflower seeds or beef jerky, but it was *something.* I haven't done any eating with my reading since about a month pre-op when I started 'practicing' reading without munching. I also always had a snack at night. Now my 3 so-called meals with my protein shakes in between and 3-4 bottles of water or Crystal Light is enough. I'm not suffering, not whining because I can't have this or that, not wishing I'd not done this...nothing. I keep hearing how second thoughts are normal and am now worried that when they hit me they're going to hit big time. I hope not. I tend to be a very pragmatic person and have just sort of made up my mind that this is how things are now and I need to adapt. Onward, and downward. I hope I can say I feel the same way in a month or two or six.
The only problem I'm having is with some back pain and I understand that's fairly normal with rapid weight loss as the spine and muscles realign themselves and your center of gravity changes. I've dug out my heating pad and will try some liquid tylenol next time it flares up--some days are worse than others, but so far it hasn't been bad enough that I've taken anything for it at all.
Friday I'll know just how much I've lost. I admit I am kind of curious since I'm fitting into some clothes that are a size smaller than what I was wearing (2x instead of 3-4x) and some of my clothes are starting to get a bit baggy. But one thing I do NOT want to do is get all obsessed about that damned scale. Did that when I was younger and that's what started me on the yo-yo diet train. I'm getting healthier, and able to move better (ha--I even took the stairs today at work--down AND up!) and that's what counts. Okay, but I'm still curious. :-)
Turkey Lurkey
Dec 02, 2006
I'm getting kind of tired of pureed turkey. NO! How can that be?? LOL I've been trying different spices and things with it but I "know" it's turkey anyway. I try to only have it once a day now. I tried some pureed chicken breast and got about 1 Tbsp. down and whooops! First I started salivating like mad, and then up it came. Man, throwing up after this surgery is a really WEIRD feeling! So far, that's the only thing I haven't tolerated, and I'm thinking it might have been just too dry.
Besides the turkey, I've been having pureed lamb, refried beans, plain non-fat yogurt, an occasional Tbsp of applesauce (no sugar added type), and today defrosted 3 of those little Italian meatballs you get in the big bags at the store and pureed them. That was such a nice change, and I tolerated it just fine. Tomorrow I'm making meatloaf for Gary and am going to puree some of that with a smidge of BBQ sauce in it. We shall see how that goes. I'm still not hungry at all--just need some variety!
I've also been having at least one protein shake a day in place of the milk that the PN program recommends. I don't like milk, PLUS it makes my blood sugar go too high. One of the protein shakes has about as much protein as all 3 cups of milk I'm supposed to have and my blood sugar stays nice and constant too. Plus, from my understanding, the whey protein is much more easily digested and absorbed by those of us with the induced malabsorption that happens after a RNY. So far of all the sampling I've been doing I find I like the PVL Whey Gourmet brand the best. I've tried about six of them and only one I didn't like.
I need to get out and exercise more, though. For the first week and a half post-op, I was out walking around the block every day at least a couple, three times. But it's gotten so frigging cold that mostly what I've been doing is walking around the grocery store. LOL I have to admit, it was kinda fun walking down the candy aisle and thumbing my nose at the Peanut Butter Cups. Wasn't even tempted. Once I get back to work on Monday, the walking thing will be easier. I always park as far away from my office as I can, so in addition to spending part of my lunch hour walking around the clinic/skyways, I have the walk in and out of the parking ramp, too. Once I get more of this weight off and can move a little better and not get so winded, I plan to get into some type of more structured exercise program.
And that's my update. My one-month checkup with Carol and with the dietician will be on Dec. 15, at which point I should be able to advance to "mashed" foods. That's still almost 2 weeks away, but I know what I'm looking forward to most: Scrambled eggs!
Besides the turkey, I've been having pureed lamb, refried beans, plain non-fat yogurt, an occasional Tbsp of applesauce (no sugar added type), and today defrosted 3 of those little Italian meatballs you get in the big bags at the store and pureed them. That was such a nice change, and I tolerated it just fine. Tomorrow I'm making meatloaf for Gary and am going to puree some of that with a smidge of BBQ sauce in it. We shall see how that goes. I'm still not hungry at all--just need some variety!
I've also been having at least one protein shake a day in place of the milk that the PN program recommends. I don't like milk, PLUS it makes my blood sugar go too high. One of the protein shakes has about as much protein as all 3 cups of milk I'm supposed to have and my blood sugar stays nice and constant too. Plus, from my understanding, the whey protein is much more easily digested and absorbed by those of us with the induced malabsorption that happens after a RNY. So far of all the sampling I've been doing I find I like the PVL Whey Gourmet brand the best. I've tried about six of them and only one I didn't like.
I need to get out and exercise more, though. For the first week and a half post-op, I was out walking around the block every day at least a couple, three times. But it's gotten so frigging cold that mostly what I've been doing is walking around the grocery store. LOL I have to admit, it was kinda fun walking down the candy aisle and thumbing my nose at the Peanut Butter Cups. Wasn't even tempted. Once I get back to work on Monday, the walking thing will be easier. I always park as far away from my office as I can, so in addition to spending part of my lunch hour walking around the clinic/skyways, I have the walk in and out of the parking ramp, too. Once I get more of this weight off and can move a little better and not get so winded, I plan to get into some type of more structured exercise program.
And that's my update. My one-month checkup with Carol and with the dietician will be on Dec. 15, at which point I should be able to advance to "mashed" foods. That's still almost 2 weeks away, but I know what I'm looking forward to most: Scrambled eggs!
Pureed Food
Nov 26, 2006
I'm surprised at how good this is. Of course, I'm making my own and not using baby food. Yesterday I did the "Thanksgiving" turkey dinner for Gary and Nick was here too. I got to have pureed turkey--nice moist breast meat with some of the liquid from the bottom of the pan added. I could only eat 2 tablespoons and I felt stuffed and stayed full for hours. But it was SO good! Today I had my first two-course meal at lunch...I had 2 Tb. of pureed lamb (left over from Friday's dinner) and 1 Tb. of non-fat yogurt. That was good, too! Just enough to fill me up and the lamb was very tasty. I added the pan drippings when I pureed it so there was some garlic in there, and then I added a bit of Penzey's Shallot Salt as well. Yum! Refried beans, too...love them. Never thought the fat-free type would taste so good, but they sure do. Have to try them with a bit of melty cheese on top next time.
And protein shakes...I've been sampling and most are just okay, a couple quite good and only one gag-worthy entry so far. (That was the Protein Delite Strawberry-White Chocolate. One sip and Y*U*C*K*O* I started retching.) The one I had today was the BEST so far...PVL Arctic Cappuccino Frappe. It tasted just like coffee even though I whipped it up with water and a splash of sugar-free Hazelnut syrup. I think it's one I will definitely be buying. The PVL Peanut-Butter Chocolate is my second favorite.
Still having to remind myself of the no drinking a half hour before and at least a half hour after meals. I sit at the table and reach for a glass ALL the time! Ah well, much re-training is in order.
In summary--it's going well. I'm feeling good--no real pain anymore at all, except it's still too uncomfortable to lie full stop on my stomach for sleeping. I have another whole week off work yet and I'm intending to enjoy it!
And protein shakes...I've been sampling and most are just okay, a couple quite good and only one gag-worthy entry so far. (That was the Protein Delite Strawberry-White Chocolate. One sip and Y*U*C*K*O* I started retching.) The one I had today was the BEST so far...PVL Arctic Cappuccino Frappe. It tasted just like coffee even though I whipped it up with water and a splash of sugar-free Hazelnut syrup. I think it's one I will definitely be buying. The PVL Peanut-Butter Chocolate is my second favorite.
Still having to remind myself of the no drinking a half hour before and at least a half hour after meals. I sit at the table and reach for a glass ALL the time! Ah well, much re-training is in order.
In summary--it's going well. I'm feeling good--no real pain anymore at all, except it's still too uncomfortable to lie full stop on my stomach for sleeping. I have another whole week off work yet and I'm intending to enjoy it!
Thanksgiving
Nov 23, 2006
I was sooooo happy to get rid of Fred, as I took to calling my JP drain, yesterday. I figured it ought to have a name as much as I cussed it out. LOL Still couldn't just flop over and sleep on my stomach, though--still felt too uncomfortable. But I slept without worrying about pulling on the drain or popping it open anyway.
Thanksgiving today...we hardly noticed here since I didn't cook. Liz (my daughter) brought over a big plate of turkey with all the trimmings and a slice of apple pie for Gary (DH) so that was nice of her! Here were my meals for the day:
Breakfast: 2 Tbsp. Vanilla flavored Nonfat yogurt--I added a little extra splash of sugar-free vanilla syrup and it was quite good.
Lunch: 2 Tbsp. tomato soup. I made it with milk instead of water for the extra protein.
Snack: Chocolate-peanut butter flavored protein shake with a splash of caramel sugar-free syrup. Not bad at all!
Dinner: 2 Tbsp. Campbells Cream of Chicken w/herbs soup, again made with milk for the extra protein.
I got all my water/liquids in too--mostly water and flavored water with some Crystal Lite and a cup of herbal tea. Oh yeah, and my one cup of coffee in the morning.
One more day of full liquids, then Saturday it's on to pureed. Woo hoo....baby food! LOL
Thanksgiving today...we hardly noticed here since I didn't cook. Liz (my daughter) brought over a big plate of turkey with all the trimmings and a slice of apple pie for Gary (DH) so that was nice of her! Here were my meals for the day:
Breakfast: 2 Tbsp. Vanilla flavored Nonfat yogurt--I added a little extra splash of sugar-free vanilla syrup and it was quite good.
Lunch: 2 Tbsp. tomato soup. I made it with milk instead of water for the extra protein.
Snack: Chocolate-peanut butter flavored protein shake with a splash of caramel sugar-free syrup. Not bad at all!
Dinner: 2 Tbsp. Campbells Cream of Chicken w/herbs soup, again made with milk for the extra protein.
I got all my water/liquids in too--mostly water and flavored water with some Crystal Lite and a cup of herbal tea. Oh yeah, and my one cup of coffee in the morning.
One more day of full liquids, then Saturday it's on to pureed. Woo hoo....baby food! LOL
Post op!
Nov 17, 2006
It sure feels weird. I've been home for a few days now, and am sipping and walking, sipping and resting, sipping and walking, etc. etc. My brain is still a bit foggy, but now I mostly take the Roxicet at night and just plain liquid tylenol in the daytime so that helps some. At least I can read a couple chapters in a book without drifting off! I'm not hungry at all. Though the food Gary eats looks and smells yummy, I can't say I'm tempted at all by any of it at this point.
I still have my JP drain in and that won't come out til my first post-op checkup next Wednesday. Last night during the night I either kinked the tubing or there was a little clot in the tube or something, but I woke up with the front of my shirt soaking wet where fluid had leaked out around the tube. Yuck! But after I got cleaned up I was able to drift back off for a couple more hours.
I'm actually feeling pretty human today, though gassier than heck. Lots of burping and not enough tooting. LOL No nausea, am getting in my liquids without problems and my blood sugars aren't bad (120-150) on NO meds at all! (I was on metformin, glipizide and Byetta pre-op and still ran very borderline if I didn't watch carbs closely.) Even after drinking white cranberry, apple and pear juice, etc it hasn't gone up. That is so bizarre! Very cool, but bizarre. I only need to worry about using insulin if my sugars run consistently over 200. So far, that's not happening. Yay!
Got a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from the folks at work yesterday, yellow roses and some orange and blue things (I'm not a flower person so have no idea what they are! LOL) and greenery. REALLY pretty autumn arrangement and very nice of them.
Well, I'd better go lie down for a bit. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I just had surgery and need to rest occasionally. Doh! :-)
Cheryl
I still have my JP drain in and that won't come out til my first post-op checkup next Wednesday. Last night during the night I either kinked the tubing or there was a little clot in the tube or something, but I woke up with the front of my shirt soaking wet where fluid had leaked out around the tube. Yuck! But after I got cleaned up I was able to drift back off for a couple more hours.
I'm actually feeling pretty human today, though gassier than heck. Lots of burping and not enough tooting. LOL No nausea, am getting in my liquids without problems and my blood sugars aren't bad (120-150) on NO meds at all! (I was on metformin, glipizide and Byetta pre-op and still ran very borderline if I didn't watch carbs closely.) Even after drinking white cranberry, apple and pear juice, etc it hasn't gone up. That is so bizarre! Very cool, but bizarre. I only need to worry about using insulin if my sugars run consistently over 200. So far, that's not happening. Yay!
Got a gorgeous bouquet of flowers from the folks at work yesterday, yellow roses and some orange and blue things (I'm not a flower person so have no idea what they are! LOL) and greenery. REALLY pretty autumn arrangement and very nice of them.
Well, I'd better go lie down for a bit. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I just had surgery and need to rest occasionally. Doh! :-)
Cheryl
Bleh!
Nov 09, 2006
I'm really, really sick of milk and Carnation Instant Breakfast!! LOL Yesterday I only got four cups in, as I just could not stand the thought of the fifth one. I'm still not hungry or craving anything--I've even been cooking for Gary, and last night the herbed/garlic chicken and rice I made smelled really good, but I wasn't tempted to have any at all. It IS difficult not to taste and lick my fingers, just out of habit--it's those habits I need to be conscious of so I can break them, I guess.
I'm just hoping that how well I'm doing with following the liquid diet pre-op isn't an omen for doing badly post-op! It just seems a bit too much smooth sailing so far. Nah, can't think that way, gotta keep those positive thoughts up! :-)
I have my half-day at work today, my last day before surgery, and must admit I'm really looking forward to having 3 weeks off. Hopefully I will be feeling well enough to at least enjoy that last week off!
Time to run. Looks like it's just flurrying a bit out there right now, though down south of us, they're getting some major snow accumulations. UGH.
Cheryl
I'm just hoping that how well I'm doing with following the liquid diet pre-op isn't an omen for doing badly post-op! It just seems a bit too much smooth sailing so far. Nah, can't think that way, gotta keep those positive thoughts up! :-)
I have my half-day at work today, my last day before surgery, and must admit I'm really looking forward to having 3 weeks off. Hopefully I will be feeling well enough to at least enjoy that last week off!
Time to run. Looks like it's just flurrying a bit out there right now, though down south of us, they're getting some major snow accumulations. UGH.
Cheryl
Here we go!
Nov 07, 2006
I'm really not a "blog person" but I know there are going to be a whole wide range of emotions and reactions to this surgery so it's probably a good idea to document them for posterity. Surgery in less than a week now, and I'm...just READY. Ready for it to be done with so I can start on my merry way...and I haven't even had to wait very long--just over two months since I officially started the process, though I have been researching and pondering doing this seriously for about 2 years now. I can't imagine having to wait months and months and even years to have this done. Fortunately I didn't have any insurance company fights. Being a Park-Nicollet employee, I didn't even need to seek out pre-approval. Way cool.
I'm in the midst of my pre-op liquid diet where I'm living on skim milk mixed with Carnation Instant Breakfast (sugar-free) 5x/day and then having chicken broth, coffee, tea, water and flavored water, and sugar-free gum. I am surprisingly not hungry. I'm on Day 6 out of 10 today, and I AM getting sick of the milk/CIB, but I'm not hungry. And I will get through it. I'm actually looking forward to the bowel prep on Sunday so I can have some apple juice and sugar-free Jello! LOL
Had my pre-op physical yesterday and it looks like we're good to go. My blood sugars are running a little higher than I'd like with the skim milk and CIB, even using the sugar-free variety as I do, but my internist said not to worry about it and just follow the instructions, so that's what I'm doing. A few days in the grand scheme of things is really no big deal. I need to remember to call the pre-assessment place tomorrow as my answering machine is broken so unless they call me at work, they won't be able to get hold of me.
Well, I need to go make Gary's breakfast. It's really odd that the smell of frying bacon and eggs doesn't make me want to eat them, but it doesn't. Either I have my determination so ingrained into my subconscious that it doesn't faze me, or else skim milk and CIB is a lot more filling than it sounds. LOL
I'm in the midst of my pre-op liquid diet where I'm living on skim milk mixed with Carnation Instant Breakfast (sugar-free) 5x/day and then having chicken broth, coffee, tea, water and flavored water, and sugar-free gum. I am surprisingly not hungry. I'm on Day 6 out of 10 today, and I AM getting sick of the milk/CIB, but I'm not hungry. And I will get through it. I'm actually looking forward to the bowel prep on Sunday so I can have some apple juice and sugar-free Jello! LOL
Had my pre-op physical yesterday and it looks like we're good to go. My blood sugars are running a little higher than I'd like with the skim milk and CIB, even using the sugar-free variety as I do, but my internist said not to worry about it and just follow the instructions, so that's what I'm doing. A few days in the grand scheme of things is really no big deal. I need to remember to call the pre-assessment place tomorrow as my answering machine is broken so unless they call me at work, they won't be able to get hold of me.
Well, I need to go make Gary's breakfast. It's really odd that the smell of frying bacon and eggs doesn't make me want to eat them, but it doesn't. Either I have my determination so ingrained into my subconscious that it doesn't faze me, or else skim milk and CIB is a lot more filling than it sounds. LOL
