Diet instructions and a glimpse of life after surgery

 

Well, it's getting real.  I've just been given my instructions for pre-surgery and post surgery. There were four of us in the teleconference group, so we must be going at about the same time.

Looks like it's time to clean up those bad eating habits for good soon.

Clean cupboards of unhealthy foods. Check.  Wean of caffeine and carbonation. Did this with exception of savoring a coke when I'm out. 

Drink 64 oz of water each day. Check.

All protein drinks need to be  caffeine free and at least 20 grams of protein and less than 200 calories. I've been experimenting with several of these, so that's ready. They're not the greatest tasting things, but hey...easy protein and will come in handy in the beginning.

Two weeks prior to surgery it's an all liquid diet to shrink the liver so they can safely lift it out of the way to access the stomach. It will be all liquids while in hospital afterwards, but she assures us we're going to be sleeping a lot and won't mind it anyway. It looks like it's at least a one night stay, possibly two. I hope to be a stellar student and get sprung after one night, but again...I'm older than most of the others, so we'll wait and see.

Once we're home, it's all pureed food for the next month. This sounds nasty, but it's all part of the plan. Eating baby food was not recommended due to the higher sugar content.

Then it's on to soft foods for the next three months. This sounds a bit better and should be ok as long as I remember to chew each bite 20 times. Well, since I won't be able to eat more than a few bites this should be fine. I tend to eat fast, so this will take some adjustment.

And then finally it's regular food, but introducing only food about the size of a dime to see how the stomach handles it.  It's still hard to wrap my brain around how little goes into the stomach.

This is why the special bariatric vitamins are so crucial. I'll be on these for the rest of my life. When I read the Facebook support groups complaining about things and then read they are taking Flintstone chewable vitamins I can see why they're floundering.

One of the major post op concerns is dehydration.

Life after surgery didn't sound too bad. Since it's laparoscopically done, the four or five incisions are small. Apparently the one that hurts the most is a bit larger, that's the one they pull the remaining stomach that's been cut off through. I don't even like to think about that.  So glad I'll be totally out of it.

Another life change is never being able to take NSAIDS to prevent ulcers. So I'll be on Tylenol, which I've never used. I'll have to give away or toss out the Aleve.

Another life long change is not to drink for 30 minutes prior to eating or after eating. The small amount of food that goes in has to have time to absorb the nutrients. If water is drank before, after or during it flushes food through the stomach too quickly. I recently spoke to someone who had bypass 30 years ago and she still does this. I guess it just becomes a habit.

All meds must be liquid or chewable for the first 30 days if they are larger than a pencil eraser. The calcium needs to be taken three times a day so the stomach can absorb as much as possible. 

No lifting over 10-20 pounds.  I plan to order my groceries after surgery since I don't think I've ever brought home any groceries that didn't weigh over that. I'm hoping if I tip them they'll carry it into the house and put it on the countertop for me.  I'll have as much stocked up prior to surgery to be ready.

I see people have often come up with a name for their tiny stomach, or pouch.  I'm open to suggestions!