New Member, RNY surgery done 9 days ago

Thank you Tanya,

 

I saw my surgeon today, he said I should be on liquid tylenol at night (if needed) for pain.  He did not refill my hydro :(  I have a little left, I'm going to stretch it over a couple days and then I'll be out.  I know I'm not great with pain and that I really like Hydro... so, this will be best even if I won't like it much :(

 

Biking is on the agenda when the stitches that make that 2nd belly button let go... for now, it's uncomfortable if I twist or bend wrong (hurts like they're pulling).  I drove to the doctors today (20 min each way) so I think I'm good to drive.

Hello to both of your newcomers.  *I almost said new losers, but if you aren't use to us, you might not have known that "loser" is a grand term here!*

Please be very careful to follow your plans.  It is urgently important to measure everything.  Please also use the magnifying glass icon above and search for "slider foods".  Basically, when you eat foods which are mostly liquid or very soupy, volumes are going be more than expected.  You will have to watch out for these later when you are eating solids.

I can't be a lot of help on your food choices right now because my Doctor was very aggressive on food progression. 

As others have said, please read your plan very carefully.  It is very, very urgent that you do not drink after you meals. You need to get into the habit of noticing what time you finish eating so you will know what time you are allowed to drink next.  You also must not drink WITH your meals.  While you are on liquid foods like this, it is not as important for your diet, but it is very urgent that you start building good habits RIGHT NOW.  While you are in pain or uncomfortable is the best time to make changes - for me at least. Your mind knows there is a problem because of the pain... you follow your new good habits and as you start feeling better, hopefully your subconscious will connect your new habits with your improvement.  

Please keep us updated on here and let us encourage you to follow your rules.  Do be aware, every doctor has a different plan. There are similarities across all of them, such as not drinking, but what types of food and how much vary widely.

Good luck!!  And Welcome!

Thank you DragonLove!

 

LOL @ Losers, that's funny... I like it.  I have every intention to follow the plans the surgeon/nutritionist laid out for me...but, I'm worried I'll fail at some point... for now, I'm just focusing on today and hoping 5/19 comes pretty quickly (liquids are just non-pleasant, I want to chew).  And, I will start working on that liquid deal now... My wife mentioned it to me too, I keep forgetting.  I'll make that my focus tomorrow and hopefully make it habit.

 

Thank you again for the welcome, I definitely need to help/support now and hope to contribute when I'm a little longer in the tooth and a bigger "loser" :)

Todd

As a side note, I was able to go back to work about 10 days after surgery, but I have a sitting job that allowed me to lean back in my chair while I worked. I only took painkillers at night for about 5 days.

Wow, that's great!  I gotta say, I could probably return to work tomorrow myself (Monday for sure), but my surgeon said he prefers I focus on eating right and getting into good exercise habits unless I'm being pressured to return.  He said "your job now is to be healthy" - and mentioned that a 2-week investment in my health and habits now could benefit me for a lifetime.  I love my job, but I love being healthy too and my work is extremely supportive.  So, I'm going to take the full 4 weeks and return on 5/5.

Hi there...

I'm a 4/7 RNY'er too. Congratulations on your decision to get healthy! 

Not many complaints here. My surgeon keeps a JP drain in for 10 days....finally got it out today! It was seriously cramping my style. However, without it I think I would have done too much. I've lost 12 lbs since surgery. I am a serious water drinker so it probably helped to flush out my system. I have been on 3 protein shakes a day with clear liquids since I got home. Really looking forward to the puréed phase for the next two weeks.  Have to work on my exercise routine now that the dang drain is out. I haven't quite figured out my plan for carbs. It looks like people are quite successful being careful with them! 

I have 2 little boys and it is crazy the amount of times I've stopped myself from licking my fingers or taking a nibble of their food! Some habits that need to be broken! My hubby is very supportive which is awesome.

I go back to work on Mon 4/21...took 2 weeks off. I work from home full time, so it should be doable. 

This site is great and so informative...

I look forward to hearing about your future successes!

Take care,

~Rachel

 

 

Hi Rachel,

 

Wow, that's awesome, three of us on the same 4/7 date!!

You're already doing better than me at 12 pounds, that's so awesome!!  I'm not sure what a JP drain is, but it sounds like it's going to be a good thing to no longer have.

I'm with you on looking forward to the "baby food" / Puréed phase (mine starts Monday, but I may give it a go a day early on Sunday).  I also have two boys, though, they're not so little at 16/14 and 6'3" and 5'10" respectively.  I'm glad you have a supportive husband, I'm very lucky as well with my wife being my go-to-person on this journey (she actually prepares all my food and cooks for the boys so I don't get tempted to eat).

I work from home too (well, split it 50/50 home/office), but am still going to stay out until 5/5; mostly to get my life in order and avoid the stress of return; but also because I have a good support system in place and it's a great experience for the person filling in for me (he's earned this chance).  Plus, I really want to get this right and not make bad choices or hurt myself by pushing it coming back (my job can be long hours and often work 6+ days a week).

I agree, the site has been great...I logged in just now just to read as I'm having late night cravings.  I know they're not "hunger" pains...but, just a desire to eat something I shouldn't (I won't list the cravings here as lately even talking about some of these foods makes me yearn for them :( ).

 

Please keep sharing your progress / journey, I look forward to hearing about it!

Todd

 

p.s. new time record for my 1/2 mile walk a bit ago ... 9:57 (just over 3mph)...I'm a long way from "jogging" still, but pretty good.  Besides logging in here, taking that walk up and down my driveway (measured 0.53 miles) has been helpful to keep my mind of these terrible cravings.  Todd

 

 

Congratulations on your walking Todd...that's great! 

Yes...the cravings can be crazy. Things you may not even really want...but everything sounds so good. Just because you can't have it, I suppose. I went to the mall yesterday. Could not believe all the smells! I've never been so aware of them! I ate my Light and Fit Greek yogurt for breakfast this morning and it was heavenly! So excited that it wasn't a protein shake or something I could see through.

That's great that you have 4 weeks off from work to get things " in order." I probably could have taken a bit more time and would have enjoyed it. However, the mess I would go back to would just have gotten bigger! I feel ready...but may still need a nap!

Supportive spouses help so much! I still feel the need to prep meals for my family, even when my hubs offers. It must be a "mom thing". Oh we'll....what doesn't kill us, makes us stronger?????? 

Your boys aren't little are they? I'm curious how tall ours will end up. They are only 5 and 2 1/2...so we've got time. 

Its good to to have a surgery buddy. Have a great weekend and a happy Easter! 

~Rachel

Hi Rachel,

 

Thanks for the reply.  I've taken a few days away from the board (okay, several since Friday I think).  I had a great Easter, I hope you did too.

 

My cravings have been lessened because I moved to the second phase of my diet.  I actually did this 30 hours early - Saturday night versus Monday.  I've done the following now:

Saturday Night - 1/2 cup Refried Beans (mashed them up REALLY well).

Sunday - 1/2 cup Refried Beans with 1/4oz shredded Jack Cheese.

Monday - 1/2 cup Refried Beans, 1/4oz jack cheese and 1/4 of an avocado.

Tuesday - a can of Vienna sausage (two meals) with 1/4 of an avocado.

 

I didn't try anything new on Wednesday (today - though it's technically 12:30a Thursday here in Cali now).  The fat content on the vienna sausage was 'off-the-chain' high, but I'm still staying on pace for the week as I just ensured no fats around it (low-fat progresso soup and cream of wheat were my other two meals).  I'm still averaging right at 750 calories a day consisting of 50% Carbs, 35% Protein and 15% Fat and getting 65g protein pretty much like clockwork.

 

My weight loss has been decent, I'm at 348.8 - down 16.6 pounds in 16 days (to the hour when I weighed in).  I'm pretty happy with that and given my high sodium content (like 1800g a day) and decent fluid intake (64-72 oz a day), I'm pretty sure it's no****er weight.... though, may be some muscle weight in there.

 

I haven't increased my exercise at all, though, it is getting easier.  I walk 1 mile a day every day - nearly always in two 0.5 mile sessions (though, twice I did a full mile in one session - both time it was hard to move the next day).  When I go back to work (currently schedule for Tuesday, 5/6), I plan to start doing some light free weights and seeing how that goes (we have a gym in the office and I work in the office 2-3 days a week).

 

Cravings have declined now that I'm having beans and the vienna sausage.  I know the latter is pretty bad for me, but I figured it was soft like baby food meat and I enjoyed it... though, not as much as I thought I would.  I have to go another 10 days before I get to try some steamed fish and eggs (my phase 3)... I may give into stage three a few days early though as everything seems to be going through me well.

 

Oh, vitamins... I gotta say.... two of them I really struggle with.  This liquid calcium is terrible, but nothing compared to the liquid iron.  I'm not sure how people post how much they like them... maybe they started with something different first or maybe I just have twisted tastebuds - but, it's all I can do to keep those down.  The calcium is twice a day and the iron at bedtime... one of the reasons I'm on this now is I don't want to go to bed so I don't have to take the iron (laughter).  Arghh.... I can't wait for my first blood work-up and hopefully the doc will say I don't need the iron.

 

Hope you all are well - go team RNY!!

Todd