I have a brainstorming Idea???

I have been thinking for a while now about all the newbies we have that are either newly post op or going in for surgery. We all know who have been there that there are lots of questions most everyone has about the surgery. So, I thought, as much as alot of people here get stressed and scared over having weight loss surgery, why don't we provide them with information in a fun way??? So, I thought a game thread would be a great way to do this. Say for instance we could take the word Protein and each person who wants to play can type one sentence out a food that is a good source of protein starting with the letter A of the alphabet and going through to the letter Z...Like the first person could start with A..the next B...the next C and so forth. But before it is started, I wanted some of your thoughts and opinions on this and ideas. Afterall it is OUR board here and we should work together to help each other. Any ideas? hugs JudyB

I definitely think doing some posts like this would be great. Maybe instead of the alphabet (what would you use for q, z, etc) we could just all add something we like, trying not to repeat something, maybe include recipes or something. This would work for protein, snacks, meals, etc. We could always do exercise routine, all sorts of great things we could do. Courtney

HI Courtney Jill does the exercise things, so I think i will leave that part up to her As far as including recipes, I think that's a great idea. Something like if I say: Chicken My favorite recipe is................ then the next person could put something they like and their favorite way of fixing it. But....I don't want to just do food here...I want to do things like this Preparing for surgery, what you need at home, what you need to take, Post op..what could happen, things like that. What is your take on that? hugs and thanks for your input on this JudyB

My procedure was performed Lap! Thank God!!

Tiawna sweetie how long has it been since you have had a BM? if you havent went in a week you need t obe calling your surgeon. And they should have givin u some type of stole softner let me know. Try some mac & cheese, get you some Papaya Enzyme from Walmart good for those stuck food feelings but Ill have to get a better idea when you can start taking those, its been so long I forgot the time frame I started on them. Keep us posted. scarambles eggs w/ cheese is ok an good for u did u have a bad experience w/ eggs why u say ur scared of them? Velveta cheese melts easy and is much cheeseier if thats a word lol.

Hey Judy, I am down. I am just 2 months out and I am still learning, this will be really helpful to us Newbies. When will this start? Mo

Sounds great!! Cathy

Girl....there you are! I've been wondering about you. Sounds like for the most part you are doing ok, but things are working exactly as they should be. To begin with, I am 19 months out and have NEVER been regular. I told my doc and he said that was pretty normal, due to the small amount of food we eat. HOWEVER a week is a bit too long. You may be becoming dehydrated (which is very common at your stage of the game), something could be wrong and you don't know. So...you should call the doc and ask them about it. Don't worry - you paid them enough to take good care of you and that includes after care! Your surgery was pretty recent. Are you sure you should be on pureed foods already? I was 2 weeks out before I was allowed to start on meats and stuff. But, if Oscar the grouchy pouch is being a 2 year old, by all means go back to liquids for a day and then try again. Our new tummies are like babies. Recall back to when you started your baby on solids - you did it very slowly and took your time to make sure that they were ok. treat your pouch the same way. It is YOUR new baby. Not sure about mashed potatoes. I didn't try them until I was alomost 6 months out and found that they did not go down well (even today - UGH!). But, make sure that your food is very moist and that you chew very well. Chicken can be a bit on the dry side and be difficult to get down. in fact, even at 19 months out, i had that reminder yesterday when I (1) ate too fast and (2) ate chicken a tad on the dry side. Needless to say - up it came. Was I surprised - YES! I'm 19 months out. Was I happy about it? Yes - cause it means that I still have the internal reminder that my pouch is still working and I need to take care of it - IT'S IN CHARGE! If you are going to eat chicken and potatoes, add a little bit of fat free gravy to make it moist. Instead of eggs, how about egg beaters? I recently found that my pouch tolerates them - not much in the beginning, but now it's become a morning staple. But, can you try them with a bit of reduced fat cheese melted into them. Great source of protein! How about refried beans with cheese - even pintos and cheese from Taco Bell. Cottage Cheese with some pureed fruit (stick with something low in sugar. I like a small chunk of banana or some fresh blueberries), or sugar free preserves, or a bit of splenda and cinnamon or a 1/2 scoop of flavored protein powder (another great protein source). Part skim ricotta cheese with sugar free preserves (another staple) or a little bit of marinara sauce and parm cheese (heat in the micro until all gooey and melty). Sugar free pudding with a scoop of protein powder mixed in. IE: Chocolate pudding w/ a scoop of chocolate protein powder and skim milk as directed in the recipe. Tuna salad, chicken salad, shrimp salad are all perfect. Started with 1 oz of protein and go from there. I would not puree all of the food groups together, because right now you want to limit your carb intake and stick with the protein. That's what is going to heal your body. Some recommend mac and cheese - I, personally, and not a supporter of mac and cheese, mainly because of the carbs and it does not go down well on me. Also, that is a comfort food for me and could be a trigger food as well. So, I stay away from it. But, for you, try it - you never know. Just make it high in protein. When I ate (and still do this) I chew until I counted to 20. That way I know that everything is ground up pretty well. Plus, it forces me to take my time. Try that. That may help. BUT....if it does not, you need to discuss it with your doc and it could be something wrong and need to be treated. Now, last thing....we are ALL here for each other. Please do not be afraid to ask. We're all at different stages of this journey and just because you are starting out means nothing. Because guess what - there are PLENTY of us who have been where you are today. We all have our own experiences and many of us have had similiar experiences - so, you are NOT alone in this! You know how to get in contact with any one of us - so, please do! Jill 265/135/135

That would be great because I am so struggling right now! I think I may have an irritated pouch. So I'm putting myself back on a liquid diet. Not to mention I haven't had a bowel movement. I do walk everyday and I was able to tolerate lots of food like pureed chicken w/ mashed potatos. I'm afraid of eggs. I am really looking forward to some other foods to try. I still have tons of questions. I would try to eat 1 ounce of all the food groups pureed but am lucky if I get one bite in after eating the protein. Right now I don't want to eat or drink anything because everything hurts my sternum and breast area. The good thing is that I haven't vomit yet? I'm sorry I know this post is about the game but I just needed to let this out somewhere. I do have my 1 week Post Op Appt. tomorrow. I'm actually one week today! Hurray! Now I need this pain in my chest and stomach to go away! Ps. So when do we Play!!! More like when can I learn for me? Tiawna J