catmar
4 weeks post op
Jul 30, 2009
yes, it has flown by, but it has been a month since the RNY.
i remain on pureed foods until i see the dietician on August 11th. i have introduced a couple of new foods over the past week. i can tolerate chicken, and had some pureed shepherd's pie. the mashed potatoes were too heavy, so i only added a wee bit to the meat.
Overall, I feel pretty good for the most part. Still struggling with stamina. but i am doing 2km a day walking and going to the pool just about every day since i started a week ago.
it is the long weekend, and i need to plan meals for work. I plan to return on Tuesday, after the Civic Holiday. will see how the week goes, but am prepared to take part vacation days (no sick days left!) if my energy is low. i actually think that sitting at my desk in my regular chair will be challenging. i tend to switch seats, stretch out on the couch, fold my legs under me all day long. sitting in the same spot, even with breaks to fetch things, will be a challenge. But at least i have a sedentary job. i wouldn't be ready to go back if it was a physically demanding job.
i have lost 48 pounds. 21 on optifast, and 27 post surgery!
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i remain on pureed foods until i see the dietician on August 11th. i have introduced a couple of new foods over the past week. i can tolerate chicken, and had some pureed shepherd's pie. the mashed potatoes were too heavy, so i only added a wee bit to the meat.
Overall, I feel pretty good for the most part. Still struggling with stamina. but i am doing 2km a day walking and going to the pool just about every day since i started a week ago.
it is the long weekend, and i need to plan meals for work. I plan to return on Tuesday, after the Civic Holiday. will see how the week goes, but am prepared to take part vacation days (no sick days left!) if my energy is low. i actually think that sitting at my desk in my regular chair will be challenging. i tend to switch seats, stretch out on the couch, fold my legs under me all day long. sitting in the same spot, even with breaks to fetch things, will be a challenge. But at least i have a sedentary job. i wouldn't be ready to go back if it was a physically demanding job.
i have lost 48 pounds. 21 on optifast, and 27 post surgery!
3 weeks post op
Jul 23, 2009
This is the time i was waiting for, a few weeks past surgery and on the mend, and here i am. i saw the surgeon for my first post op check up two days ago. he thinks that i am doing well. and so do i, 40 pounds down (21 on optifast, and 19 post surgery). i had a very bad episode the night before i saw him. four hours of extreme pain, with vomitting. i guess i had too big a portion of mushroom soup for supper the night before. that was scarey, even though i figured it was because of the soup.
i have still been walking, but tonight, i went to the gym to do a few laps in the pool. i also did some aquafit moves. it felt great to move around weightless. the surgeon gave me clearance to do whatever exercise i felt like i could do.
i am still struggling with the protein shakes. not having them, in fact. i am adding protein powder to pretty much everything i eat, and i am eating very protein rich pureed food - mostly beans. i have tried canned tuna with a bit of cottage cheese, and i can tolerate it, but only a very little amount of tuna. i have tried Stagg's chilli and can tolerate that, mixed with cottage cheese, quite well. so i made a five bean recipe with some garum masala, etc, and it is delicious. i will likely try some pork tenderloin this weekend and hope for the best.
energy, or lack of it, is still an issue. still doesnt take much effort to tire me out. but i will just work through that. i go back to work in 1 and 1/2 weeks, so i hope to feel more normal by then.
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i have still been walking, but tonight, i went to the gym to do a few laps in the pool. i also did some aquafit moves. it felt great to move around weightless. the surgeon gave me clearance to do whatever exercise i felt like i could do.
i am still struggling with the protein shakes. not having them, in fact. i am adding protein powder to pretty much everything i eat, and i am eating very protein rich pureed food - mostly beans. i have tried canned tuna with a bit of cottage cheese, and i can tolerate it, but only a very little amount of tuna. i have tried Stagg's chilli and can tolerate that, mixed with cottage cheese, quite well. so i made a five bean recipe with some garum masala, etc, and it is delicious. i will likely try some pork tenderloin this weekend and hope for the best.
energy, or lack of it, is still an issue. still doesnt take much effort to tire me out. but i will just work through that. i go back to work in 1 and 1/2 weeks, so i hope to feel more normal by then.
2 weeks post op
Jul 17, 2009
well, i made it through the surgery. a small complication with the stapling, but there were no leaks so i was good to go after three nights. I found it amazing that i could go from morphine on the morning of day three, to percacet later that day and on the day i left the hospital, to practically no pain medication. I had my last 1 extra strength tylenol on the morning of day 7 post op and that was the last time. i got home after spending one night closer to the hospital. Was so happy to be home, see my dogs, sleep in my own bed etc...
i had to adjust to the food schedule, i was following the sample diet (full fluids) but found that i was better off eating less, but more frequently. i haven't been able to get enough protein powder into me to date. i can't stand the kind that i purchased with vanilla flavouring, so now that it is pay day, i can go and purchase a different brand and get unflavoured. i have started to introduce pureed food. bought some staff silverado chili and am pureeing this and adding a bit of cottage cheese to cut the spice a bit. it is delicious and i know that i am getting a good bit of protein in that meal. i find that i can tolerate about two small teaspoons every 7 minutes or so. i am having no problem getting in the water and some. i do miss gulping it down, though. i just tried pureed tuna with a bit of mayo, relish and cottage cheese. however, i think that the density of this made it trickier to regulate. i had to stop halfway through the portion cos of discomfort. the first experience i have had with that full feeling and i don't like it.
i was surprised to find out that i wouldn't need nexium anymore. and the surgeon was right. i had a few nights of heartburn, but things have settled down with the help of tums. i can't seem to get comfortable with my c-pap machine. the vendor thinks that i have developed post-op intolerance, but told me to keep trying and if in another week, it isn't any better, she will fire off an email to the sleep specialist.
so i am currently taking 2 calcium carbonate chews a day (with vitamin d)
centrum multivitimin, (chewable)
whey protein isolate (sportzone by Life) (but only getting in about 30grams per day of protein with this)
diet what i have eaten over the past two weeks- cottage cheese, cream of chicken and cream of celery soup, strained and cooked with skim milk. chili and cottage cheese, tuna and cottage cheese. v-8 drink, and tomato juice, habitant pea soup. pudding, and water. i haven't tried coffee or tea yet.
oatmeal (with the whey protein isolate) when i can handle it. neopolitan frozen yogurt (with the protein drink).
energy is touch and go. i do try and do two walks a day, and just took the dogs these last two days. couldn't do that til now cos they are big and can pull. but they have been amazing during this time, i must say. i have done a couple of loads of laundry and hung that out to dry. a bit of cleaning. but hope to get out to the gardens to do some much needed weeding over the next few days. i have run a few errands, been over to see family etc.
i see the surgeon on the 21st of july. as of monday july 13th i was down 35 pounds since i started the optifast on June 11th. 21lbs with optifast and 14lbs 10 days post op. i can feel it in my face and some of my clothes. others say they can tell, but i don't know....
1 comment
i had to adjust to the food schedule, i was following the sample diet (full fluids) but found that i was better off eating less, but more frequently. i haven't been able to get enough protein powder into me to date. i can't stand the kind that i purchased with vanilla flavouring, so now that it is pay day, i can go and purchase a different brand and get unflavoured. i have started to introduce pureed food. bought some staff silverado chili and am pureeing this and adding a bit of cottage cheese to cut the spice a bit. it is delicious and i know that i am getting a good bit of protein in that meal. i find that i can tolerate about two small teaspoons every 7 minutes or so. i am having no problem getting in the water and some. i do miss gulping it down, though. i just tried pureed tuna with a bit of mayo, relish and cottage cheese. however, i think that the density of this made it trickier to regulate. i had to stop halfway through the portion cos of discomfort. the first experience i have had with that full feeling and i don't like it.
i was surprised to find out that i wouldn't need nexium anymore. and the surgeon was right. i had a few nights of heartburn, but things have settled down with the help of tums. i can't seem to get comfortable with my c-pap machine. the vendor thinks that i have developed post-op intolerance, but told me to keep trying and if in another week, it isn't any better, she will fire off an email to the sleep specialist.
so i am currently taking 2 calcium carbonate chews a day (with vitamin d)
centrum multivitimin, (chewable)
whey protein isolate (sportzone by Life) (but only getting in about 30grams per day of protein with this)
diet what i have eaten over the past two weeks- cottage cheese, cream of chicken and cream of celery soup, strained and cooked with skim milk. chili and cottage cheese, tuna and cottage cheese. v-8 drink, and tomato juice, habitant pea soup. pudding, and water. i haven't tried coffee or tea yet.
oatmeal (with the whey protein isolate) when i can handle it. neopolitan frozen yogurt (with the protein drink).
energy is touch and go. i do try and do two walks a day, and just took the dogs these last two days. couldn't do that til now cos they are big and can pull. but they have been amazing during this time, i must say. i have done a couple of loads of laundry and hung that out to dry. a bit of cleaning. but hope to get out to the gardens to do some much needed weeding over the next few days. i have run a few errands, been over to see family etc.
i see the surgeon on the 21st of july. as of monday july 13th i was down 35 pounds since i started the optifast on June 11th. 21lbs with optifast and 14lbs 10 days post op. i can feel it in my face and some of my clothes. others say they can tell, but i don't know....
June 20th/09 -less than two weeks til surgery!
Jun 20, 2009
I cant believe it. A two year odyssey is down to under two weeks! i am on day 10 of the optifast liquid diet. am still hungry almost all of the time, but am getting used to it. I certainly have cravings, especially for saltier things, but have so far resisted the tempation. i am a little weak, and notice that normal tasks take more effort. But i guess if you are on 900 calories a day, that is to be expected. i haven't purchased any products for post op, cos everyone seems to have some aversion to things that they didn't have before surgery, so i am going to wait. i am excited, but am feeling some anxiety as well. I think that the optifast challenge has kept me focused and so i find myself counting down the days to when i finish optifast rather than to my surgery, if that makes any sense....
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