One week post-op... and an important question.

I just got cleared for soft proteins today. Eggs, cheese and yogurt. I had 1/6 of a string cheese for lunch and it felt weird. It was kind of... *****ly in my belly. ANYWAY... It was a really tough couple days, but I am finally starting to feel like myself again. Today, as I was thinking about all the foods that are just around the corner, I froze. I never considered what sort of sauces I can eat after surgery. For the record, I am a sauce person. I love all types of sauce-- asian, tomato, ketchup, BBQ, etc. 

When did you start using sauces again and what sort of sauces should I shy away from for the first six months/forever?

I can't speak on the *****ly feeling, since I've never experienced that ( that I remember. ) 

As far as sauces go, I was eating spaghetti sauce with ricotta cheese once I was cleared for soft solids. ( a month out, I think. ) Keep in mind that food plans differ greatly from one another. To be sure, ask your nut/dietician what is acceptable on your plan. I know that probably doesn't seem really helpful, but they really are the best ones to ask when it comes to your food plan. I wouldn't want to give you erroneous information. 

Sauces to avoid are anything containing a lot of sugar/high-fructose corn syrup/honey. Look at the ingredient list and sugar content. For all sauces I buy, I buy products containing the least amount of sugars. I really strive to make as many of my sauces homemade as I can, that way I'm controlling the ingredients. 

I avoid sweet and sour sauce, duck sauce, and things of that nature...unless I can make a sugar free version at home. 

Edited for typo. 

Like Audrey I read labels carefully and select the choice with the least sugar. You will be surprised at the differences in brands. I avoid sweet and sour sauce and tend to select tangy BBQ sauce as opposed to the sweet ones. Most sauces will probably be fine and will make meat easier to eat because it will be moist instead of dry. As Audrey said double check with your dietitian too!

Hello gigimgarcia, I'm new on this sight and I will be having a RYN  surgery on the 7th of January. I would like to know if you could tell me how bad the pain was after your surgery and if you had any complications? Running with gamut of emotions right now and don't know what to do.

Let's see. I'm not going to lie to you. It hurts. I had my surgery on 12/08 and I would put my pain this morning around a 4. When I was in the hospital it was about a 7-8 steadily, even with a morphine drip. HOWEVER, I also haven't been hungry since I came home. Recovery doesn't last forever, and depending on your body, you might have an easier time than me. My highest weight was 427, so the doctor told me to expect higher pain than others because of my high weight. Today, one week and one day out... I am about 52 pounds down (including my weight loss from the preop). So don't let the pain give you cold feet. You'll start seeing enough pounds drop that all the pain will be worth it. That being said, the only person who knows if surgery is right for you... Is you. Good luck! I am happy to answer any other questions you might have.

Thank you! How are you feeling today? I hear stories that during the first week swallowing water can even hurt so that has me concerned. At any time before the surgery, did you ever feel that you could not go through with it? And at this point are you happy that you did? It may be too soon,but the levels of my pain may cause me to regret it at each moment. I pray it is a comparasing of natural birth  which was very painful, but I would do it all over again and I did, 5 times. LOL I pray for you and hope you get through these holidays and have a Blessed New Year.

I had no problems with water or anything. The only pain I have is in my body where I was cut. The only reason I am suffering so much is I don't like taking pain medicine so I have been really suffering. I don't regret it because of the pain, but I do regret it when I watch other people eat pasta. Lol. Like I said, as the weight comes off, the pain becomes worth it. Just follow your doctors instructions and you'll be up and moving! You can do this! I got cold feet too... I mean, I was letting someone rearrange my guts! That's a big deal! If you read my blog post on my profile, you can read all about my pre-op journey.

Let's see. I'm not going to lie to you. It hurts. I had my surgery on 12/08 and I would put my pain this morning around a 4. When I was in the hospital it was about a 7-8 steadily, even with a morphine drip. HOWEVER, I also haven't been hungry since I came home. Recovery doesn't last forever, and depending on your body, you might have an easier time than me. My highest weight was 427, so the doctor told me to expect higher pain than others because of my high weight. Today, one week and one day out... I am about 52 pounds down (including my weight loss from the preop). So don't let the pain give you cold feet. You'll start seeing enough pounds drop that all the pain will be worth it. That being said, the only person who knows if surgery is right for you... Is you. Good luck! I am happy to answer any other questions you might have.

String cheese is not that soft, maybe that is why you had a strange feeling. I would stick to cottage cheese, ricotta or shredded cheeses at this point. On the -World According to eggface- blog she has recipes for all the stages. You need sauces/moisture right from the beginning because your food needs to be moist. Especially as you transition to chicken and meats.

What kind of sauces can you eat, or should you eat? You could probably eat all of them. But . . .

Most sauces are a bad idea. They often have sugar, are empty calories, and will give you no satiety. Anything that slides through your pouch should be avoided. Dense protein first is rule number one for a reason. It's easy enough to prepare moist foods without putting sauce on it.