10 days post-op & need some help......

Hi all, Happy 4th - (I think) I am 10 days post-op today - my surgery was on 06/24/04. The pain is ok - nothing much there. I actually have to remember to take it easy, you know, don't bend to pick up stuff, don't lift anything, etc.....AND I am losing weight pretty rapidly. It is wonderful. My problem is that I don't know if I can make it another 2 weeks on liquids. Mind you I have moved on to the 'Thick liquids' stage. I am supposed to be on this stage for 3 weeks - I have 2 1/2 weeks to go - I feel like I am starving. I am so tired of liquids - if I look at chicken broth again I think I will puke ,,,,, What can I do???? Everything looks & smells yummy around my house - my famkily has to eat and this is NOT something that I should be commenting with them. They will just end up feeling guilty. Even the commercials on TV is driving me crazy. I am already planning what my first meal is gonna be (even though it will be 3 ounces only) I know I can overcome this. Is there anyone out there who can give me some advice?? Please???? Is this normal?? Thanks much, Evelyn In California

evelyn, believe me this is normal i had surgery on the 23rd. of june. i spent 5 days in hosp. because of my blood sugar being high. got that under control and came home on the 27th. i have been going through exactly what you have been going through head hunger is terrible. i have not been hungry but seeing food and smelling food is terrible and it is all in our head... today a boiled an egg and took out the yolk and mushed it up and put some mayo in it and licked the spoon. and it really satisfied me. very little did i lick but this is the 11th day so i didnt think it would hurt and besides ive seen people eating a week after surgery (cheese puffs). so hunny put something on that tongue it will help. i also was making my husband a sandwich and licked the mustard... i go to nutrisionist wednesday and she is going to start me out on mushie foods like applesause, cheese, cottage cheese stuff like that. also go get you some sugar free pops. they are great and i have been eating them all week. just make sure sugar free. hope this helps you. let me know. your in my prayers. susan welch

Evelyn, Yes, this is normal. What you are going through is called "head hunger". This is usually what got most of us in trouble in the first place. I had a hard time as well. I was on clear liquid for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after, then on to 4 weeks of pureed. This may or may not work for you, but what I did to get through the "head hunger" was: I found every low carb, and low fat recipe mag. I could and went through it looking at the pictures and recipies and finding good thing to cook and eat in the future. People thought I was crazy, but it really helped. What ever you do don't cheat or short cut doctors orders, there is a good reason they don't want you to eat yet. Not only physically but you need to learn how to control yourself. This surgery is only a tool, not an easy quick fix. The tool only works if you use it correctly. You can't use a hammer to screw in a screw, and you can't use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail. Right now is the best chance to learn the behavior modification that is so very difficult. One thing I am doing to help with all the head stuff and emotions and the reasons I got fat in the first place is Dr. Phil's weight loss book. The surgery will be my tool for the physical stuff and Dr. Phil will help me through the mental stuff. I know for me I have to fix both or this won't work. I have faith in you, YOU can do it. Just say NO. TTFN Jackie G

Hi Evelyn. I am 13 days out (6/22) and felt like I was reading my own thoughts. The weight loss is encouraging (I've lost 29 lbs.), but head hunger is intense. Since today was the 4th of July, smells of BBQ filled my house. My wife did take some diet root beer, kept it out all day to "flatten" it, dropped in some sugar-free vanilla ice cream, blend it, and I had 2 oz. of it. --Oh my! The things we can liquify may help us survive... --Brett!

FYI, Tylenol elixir is great for the hunger headaches...just a FYI ---Jojo Post Op 208/198.5/130

Hi, I am 2 weeks post op today and I finally get to move on to the pureed/soft stuff phase. I am going crazy because I want to eat real food sooooo bad! I want to chew-chew-chew something. I went to a 4th of July bar-b-que yesterday at a friends house and it was torture. They had all my favorites there and I had to eat my mashed taters and sugar free pudding and smell all that wonderful food. I have just made up my mind that the sacrafice will be worth it in the end. My husband thinks I'm crazy because I still want to prepare meals and see and smell the food, but for some reason I feel the need to torture myself like this. I don't know why, but it makes me feel better to be near it. Sherri

I don't know if this is okay, but i didn't think it would hurt. Most of all, I miss chewing right now! I bought some sugar-free Chicklets (Strawberry flavor) and I chew one or two of them to get over my feeling that I need to eat something. That, plus water is getting me through this. Good Luck!

Here's what my torture was before being able to eat: Not chewing Everything I could have was SWEET! I never thought I'd hear myself say I was tired of SWEET...but I was.... I found that chewing a piece of gum (carefully --- don't want to swallow it as it can clog the pouch) or finding a sour sugar free HARD candy or something not AS sweet as everything else... (I got chocolate caramel creme savers) just having something in my mouth that wasn't 100% sweet and being able to roll it around, chew on it, or whatever helped. When I found myself getting REALLY heated about wanting to eat, I physically removed myself from wherever I was and found something to do ---- Let me tell ya, my kitchen is clean, my laundry's done.... etc. That also helped me get my energy back, being more active. Taking a walk helps too. Mind you, a 5 to 10 minute task is more than enough for me to get past a craving, because that's what a lot of it is. I'm getting to the point where I *want* some foods that I can't have yet. I just keep reminding myself of all the good reasons I did this and that those foods aren't gone forever, even if I end up not being able to eat them --- I'm sure I've had my lifetime quota, you know???? My biggest struggle is becoming Diet Coke --- I want one of those more than anything, but my doc forbids carbonation. Plus I'm trying to stay away from artificial sweeteners which really aren't all that great for you, but for now a necesary evil for me. That's my experience. I also keep reminding myself of all the long-term posties that I've met and talked with who are really truly happy now that they have gone through the roughest parts of this journey, and I see how life WILL get better, and I WILL be able to eat a largery variety of foods and I WILL FEEL better ---- Hope you feel better too! Gina.