Barely nade it home!!

I think I am going to have to come up with  an "emergency kit" to keep on me when I'm out for any length of time!

I went out about 4:30 to get my hair done--was going to wait until tomorrow but I had one of those "can't stand my hair another moment" moments.  And the salon was open until 7:00 so off I went.  Since I had just fixed myself a protein shake (chocolate with a squirt of SF Peanut Butter syrup...mmm) I took it with me, along with a bottle of water.

While they cut my hair, I drank my shake.  Thirty minutes later as they began doing the color, I started sipping my water.  It was 7pm as I started home.  Remembering that I was almost out of soy milk & had only a tiny amount of cottage cheese left, I stopped at the store. And just as I got to the check out counter it hit me!

A wave of nausea swept over me.  And hunger.  And more nausea.  Thought I was going to die!  It was all I could do not to rip open the cottage cheese in my basket and start scooping it out with my fingers! 

By the time I got home it was a bit after 8pm.  I rushed to the fridge, grabbed out the old container of cottage cheese, spooned it into a 1/4 measuring cup, added some of the new, to fill the cup up, and began to eat.  I use these spoons at home with teeny tiny bowls made for  babies, but that first bite brought relief from the nausea and hunger.  When I finished and waited to be able to drink again, I fell asleep.  I tell you, my recliner has a sleeping curse on it...

Now as I sit here, spooning my way through a small serving of mashed potatoes, I'm trying to figure out an "emergency kit" that I can keep by me.  Cheese sticks are highly portable, and one of the very short list of soft foods my surgeon is allowing me for the next couple of weeks, but without keeping a cooler with me they won't hold up when I'm out and about for any length of time.

Anybody have any suggestions?  Or should a cooler be a constant companion for the next few weeks?  Though I suppose I could keep a spoon on me at all times so I can rush into markets & buy a small container of cottage cheese to munch on in an emergency!  

Pre-op diet and extended excursions 1 month post op i have a small thermal lunch tote, that i keep snacks in.  I use the cryo blocks that you can refreeze.  I take along an yougurt, cottage cheese, cheese stick and even a small protein shake.  Just depends on how long i will be gone.  Good thing is if i dont use what i have,  it is kept cold anf go right back into the fridge when i get home.  Oh yeah dont forget the spoon!

Hope this helps!!  Worked great for me!!  Oh and Sheetz has some protein drinks out now FRS they are about 3 bux but are very yummy, in case you just flat get caught.  They also have muscle milk but not always the light.

I always try to keep a protein bar, beef jerky, or nuts with me.  I also keep a case of water in the trunk of my car.

Do you think your blood sugar dropped, or was it just hunger?  If I go too long without eating, my blood sugar can be affected, sometimes...  When I was in my first year post op, I brought pre-mixed shakes with me if I was going to be out for any length of time.  Now if I sense my blood sugar dropping, I drink a little orange juice followed by protein.  Sometimes I eat a PB cracker.

I still keep a cooler with me in the car cause most of my days are spent on the road. I fill it with frozen water bottles for the cooling effect and when they melt I have cold water. Open them up, dump out or drink a bit and put the cap back on and freeze on their sides. The water freezes on only half and you can get the water out through the top as it thaws. Cheese sticks can also be frozen. They last longer if you don't have a cooler, and they're not bad cold.
Jen 10 yrs post op

I keep a bottle of water, and an individual packet of protein powder like Nextrix.  String Cheese works well if you can tolerate lactose.  Most convience stores have individual packets of that.

Thanks for the great tips! I'm not allowed things like nuts or beef jerky yet, but the frozen water bottles and the thermal lunch tote sound just the ticket for having both water and cheese sticks on hand.

I hadn't thought of low blood sugar. It had been about 2.5 hours since I'd drunk my protein shake, but I usually eat every three hours so hunger shouldn't have hit me so hard. It never has before (I'm two weeks out). But would a single bite of cottage cheese have caused immediate relief if it was low blood sugar?

Anyway, until I am allowed to eat regular food I think I will take this emergency kit with me when out & about!

if it is low blood sugar, you are really early out for it to be starting out so bad.  You might want to get to a good endocrinologist if you don't already have one, and try monitoring your blood sugar levels both before and after you eat to see how they respond to different types of foods - proteins, carbs, etc.  You might have to carry foods with you at all times - high proteins, low carbs - do not use high sugars to bring your sugar up because it will just crash really fast afterwards.

When I was fresh post op, I had a small cooler bag that I took around with me. I would have cottage cheese, yogurt or a protein shake in it.  I now keep the Kashi ganola bars/protein bars in my car, or I keep something in my purse.

Hi Susan, we're neighbors! I live in the Temecula area and work in Riverside. Had my surgery by Dr. Coon in Riverside. Insurance didn't cover Suh even though he is closer to me.

When I was in soft food phase, I carried a tote with ice packs. I would usually keep Carbmaster yogurt handy. Now, I keep a bag of almonds in my purse and one in my car. That's usually all I need when my blood sugar drops or I find myself going too long without eating.