First Post--Want to feel good again!

Hi everyone!  My name is Lorie and I had RNY on November16.  My surgery went well and I was feeling fine so what did I do?  I pushed myself too soon and ripped one of my internal incisions.  Since then I have felt like dog-doody and just want to feel better.  My surgeon did a scope on me today and I am having an upper GI to make sure I didn't do any more damage.  I've been to the ER twice and had a gazillion tests run because the pain had gotten so bad.  I just want to feel better!  Even after all of the tests, they haven't found any more other than the ripped incision.  Again, I just want to feel better!  Someone please tell me that I will start feeling better soon!  I'm not sure how much more I can take. Also, I am past liquids and mushies and am on protein.  My surgeon wants me to eat ONLY protein and if I have any room left over I can eat veggies.  This is proving to be very difficult for me.  Every type of protein now makes my stomach turn over at the thought of having to choke down more.  I was about as close to a vegetarian as someone could be (pre-surgery) without actually being one.  I have tried different meats and proteins but I am SICK to death of protein.  My surgeon says that I will be on this diet until I am at goal.  That is a good 88 lbs. away!  However will I cope?! The bright spot in all of this is that I have already lost 30 lbs.  I put on a pair of pants this morning that I haven't worn in over two years!   Somebody please give me a pep talk!  I'm in dire need of some uplifting words!  I don't mean to sound like such a baby! Thanks! Lorie in Jeffersonville

Lorie- I am sending you an OH hug, you need one! I haven't had the complications but I did suffer from the emotional ups and downs that the surgery and loss of my best friend- food- brought me along my journey! I seemed to get better with time although it took some getting used too! Things will get better with time and healing. Some of our journeys are smoother than others, but our bumps along the way make each of us stronger and we are all better and learn from those tedious bumps! I am sorry that you are struggling right now, but do hope that you are feeling better soon. Those 88 lbs won't take long to disappear and hopefully as they start falling off you will find that you are feeling much better and that protein can once again be tolerated! Don't worry about venting/crying here, thats what we are all here for! We are all family and each others support is  what we each need and are hoping to offer to as many others as needed, when needed! Good luck to you on your new journey! I hope that things smooth out for you soon and that you can enjoy the new you! Hugz Dawn

Beans, beans and more beans.  This is a good protein source and I used it for the first 3 months.  Refried beans and cheese worked good for me. E

I agree with Eluca...beans! All kinds of beans! also try the veggie protein at krogers.  Check out a post from Cindy....she made veggie protein balls for the ornament exchange and they were GREAT!

Do you like eggs?  I boil eggs then chop them up with a fork and add a dab of light butter and some salt and pepper and eat that for breakfast.  Some other options for protein as eluca said is refried beans with a little bit of cheese melted on top and a dab of FF sour cream.  Have you tried tuna salad with eggs and light miracle whip or even FF miracle whip?  That has protein from eggs and tuna.  Try to experiment, so you dont get bored of the same foods.  That was my problem.  Deli turkey, ham, chicken also has protein.  Hope you can use some of my ideas.  By the way, welcome to the Indiana board.  Nobody said this was easy, you just have to push yourself as much as you can and it will get easier.   Dont be afraid to vent to us, we are here to help. Jenny

Cindy's recipe is for Peanut Butter Protein Balls.....check them out...they are GREAT!

Lorie, Welcome to the board. I'm sorry to hear that you are having a rough time of it. Don't worry hon, you will get through this. I would imagine that a ripped incision would very much be like a perforation. With each of my perfs, I was put in the hospital overnight with nothing by mouth (IV only) so that the perf could close up on it's own. For where my perfs were (same place each time), if I drank liquids, I got a sharp pain belown my left rib cage. My upper left side by my clavicle hurt each time I would draw in air though. The did a GI scan I believe in order to see that was happening. I was fortunate in that each time, the overnight stay did the trick (they re-scanned the next day to be sure). My perfs were due to a complication from endoscopies. Oh..let me introduce myself to you. I am the board's 'queen'. I wear two tiara's....one for being the sugar-free Queen (which I proudly wear!)...and one, unfortunately, for being the complication Queen. Yeah, mention 'surgery' to me and 'something' happens! Check out my profile and trust me when I say that everything WILL be fine! If I can say it, trust me, anyone can say it and believe it! It won't be no time when this will be a distant memory and you will be on here telling new post-ops 'now, do NOT over-do it because you can cause some internal damage if you do'. I try to think that every complication I've had, had a reason. You just found yours...so you can tell others what NOT to do.  Folks on here gave you some terrific protein options. Meat..it's not the only protein out there...lol. My favorite non-meat is fat-free cottage cheese. I take one of the large containers of it and mix 1 can of drained sugar-free fruit ****tail. Then I eat on it for a few days. Also, when I did first start on meat, I used the canned meats, You can find them in about every meat there is..ham, chicken, tuna, turkey, crab, etc. they are usually over by the tuna. I added a little bit of Miracle Whip Light to it and made like a tuna salad with it. I had it with crackers...my cheese crackers (on parchment paper, mound low-fat shredded cheese in ~2" circles, with ~2" in-between each mound. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Any fat remaining in the cheese will be baked out & on the pachment paper...the good protein remains.). I used those cheese crackers alot. I'd spread heated refried beans on a few of them, top with shredded cheese and nuke to melt the cheese. I felt like I was having a mini burrito (well..I don't know all the names of mexican foods so there's probably another name that fits this better...lol). I must admit, at about 2 months out, I would also saute some onions and add a teaspoon of them as a topper...I love sauteed onions..lol. I do stick with either olive oil or canola oil though. You're doing great on your weight loss. Many, many congrats! Now...take it easy and KNOW that it does all get better! Sherri

Welcome, I am glad you found us. You can get the best support and ideas here than you can ever imagine. These ladies and gentleman are the best. My name is Shanna and I am pre-op waiting for my Ins. to change on the First.I have been on a PCP sup. diet for almost 3 months and as of this morning I have lost 28 pounds by Cutting sugar out of my diet and eating alot healthier.I have 126 more to go though until goal so I am def. hoping to get approved next month with BCBS. Welcome again. Shanna