Getting Prepared

Hi all - I'm having surgery on the 18th and just today a little bit of panic hit me.  Weirdly, the panic has nothing to do with the actual surgery. It is more about all of the things I have to get done before the surgery and making sure I have all the right food in the house so that my post-op time is as easy as possible. I'd love some suggestions of things that I may not think of to do before the surgery. What did you do beforehand that was helpful? Or what did you wish you had done?  Thanks!!

I think that I had the same nervous energy.  :-)  I don't know if you have a family, but one thing I did that was really smart was to make a lot of freezer meals for my family.  I really didn't feel like cooking when I came home.  It was so nice to have nice healthy homemade meals to pull out of the freezer to cook in the weeks after surgery.  I also made sure all the bills were pre-paid and cleaned the house up.  

For myself, I made sure to have broths, crystal light, sugar free popsicles, and jello.  I also bought some disposable medicine cups to sip out of at first.  I also bought small containers for 3 oz of food and small appetizer forks and spoons.  I use my scale, measuring cups and spoons nearly every day.

Where did you get the appetizer forks & spoons?

I'm in the middle of all that now having just had surgery last Wednesday. I wish I hadn't bought so many of one kind of thing until I tried it after the surgery when my tastes changed so drastically. I bought 3 cans of cream of chicken thinking that because it was my favorite in the month leading up to the surgery that I better get enough because that's all I really cared for when it came to soup. But, now it tastes like someone stirred in a butter cream frosting--how weird is that? So I suggest buying only one kind of whatever you believe you might like.

I also wished I would have known tha****er would suddenly taste horrible to me. I've been an avid water LOVER for years and to have that source of hydration completely nauseate me truly bites. I did get protein drinks like kiwi-strawberry, but again, they're so awfully sweet, they're worse than the nauseating water. Be prepared to need to think outside of the box and look for alternatives you may never have tried. I'm still solving the riddle of what to drink, but I've gotten a lot off my list of possibilities and have a bag of groceries here for a friend who is still pre-op!

A pill box is helping me wonderfully as well. It only has Am and Pm for each day, but it's a great way to make sure I'm getting in my meds and vitamins regularly. Prepare to spend a good hour or so (depending on how many you take) chewing and swallowing (depending on what kind they are) so you don't 'gulp' them down too quickly. (I like to do this on the computer in the morning and during a show/movie at night.)

As far as pantry items go, my protein cappuccino and chocolate "box" drink are the two lifesavers so far. They aren't ridiculously sweet and feel very nice in my tummy. The SF jello has helped, but it does lean toward too sweet as well. The best choice I made was vanilla yogurt because even the banana cream was very sweet to my tastes now.

Oh, I never did really salt things before my surgery because I was raised with fresh herbs and a variety of ethnic spices that didn't need much of a salting boost, but I was able to stomach a bit more of the soup once I salted it and added in some white pepper. So again, think outside the box by "fixing" your foods with as many types of flavorings that you can think of to make it more palatable.

Sorry if any of this comes across as Captain Obvious info, I just was totally clueless about all this and I wanted to be helpful!

Best of luck to you and I'm excited for you to have your surgery! I've already dropped 15 pounds since last Monday when I had my last taste of pre-op food! :)

Hi!  I, too, stocked up on many things and then my tastes changes and everything tasted super sweet to me, so I have several boxes of sugar-free puddings and jellos that I won't use and will be donating.  One of the foods I had in the hospital was beef broth with some Mrs. Dash - and it was delicious.  I added unflavored protein powder to this.  For the puree stage, I really enjoyed refried beans, with a little reduced cheese, taco seasoning, and topped off with taco sauce.  This was a recipe that my program provided.  I like the Crystal Light Lemonade and Raspberry-Lemonade because they are a little tart and not so super sweet tasting.  I have really expanded my use of seasonings in my cooking, lemon juice, garlic and onion powder, Mrs. Dash, Balsamic Vinegar, and it has been a lot of fun to experiment. 

I also picked up Gas X strips.  The hospital gave me a stack of medicine cups, which I continued to use when I got home.  I bought a variety of Protein Shakes, my favorite are Premier Protein and EAS Advantage shakes.  I like Nectar Protein powder, especially the chocolate truffle. 

I have tried several different kinds of chewable calcium, and have settled on the Bariatric Advantage chews as my favorite.  I like the Celebrate Multi-Vitamins, but have also used Bariatric Support which I get at the Vitamin Shoppe. 

Good luck with your surgery!!!!

Not really sure what all is needed for you post-op?

I was on liquids for 8 days post-op and then soft foods. Was not difficult to have protein shakes, Crystal Light and SF Jello on hand. 

My boys were (and still are) eating the full scope of foods and so nothing left my house, but the food for me was clearly marked as such and not allowed to be eaten...my younger son ate an entire week worth of Jello in one afternoon, lol. So I made him large bowls of it and kept the 10 calorie cups for myself. :)

I used baby spoons and forks. Target had little half cup size silver bowls with lids. They are perfect I still use them. Sugar free popsicles are a must, decade teas, sugar free pudding, and my new favorite is Silk Almond Milk with extra protein and fiber. I use it fage yogurt to make smoothies, I also add a little vanilla and a Truvia sweetner. That goes down very nicely without an after taste. Cream of wheat if it is allowed and if you can handle the consistency.

Good luck, DeeW