My first appointment today - some questions answered

Hello everyone,

So I had my first appointment today and it went well.  The staff were very nice. 

My next appointment is with the surgeon on Jan 23.  I am told that I will be watching a video with a few other patients.  Is anyone out there booked for Jan 23?

On other threads we were discussing the percentage of weightloss needed and some meal questions..since those threads are long I thought I would respond to them here. I hope those who asked for those questions read this:

At the Red Deer clinic you are asked to lose 10 percent of your weight.  This helps your liver because with a lot of weight the liver is fatty.  The nurse also said that those who lose before surgery have a better chance of losing more after surgery.  The one cup diet prepares you for what and how much you will eat after surgery.

Meal questions:

I asked a lot about what I can and cannot have to eat. I want to get the most energy out of the one cup meal.

Eat proteins first - lots of lean meats like fish, chicken, turkey.

You can eat a sandwich but the nurse suggested taking the cup and cutting out that amount to make it exactly one cup.

I am bad at breakfasts.  I skip them or I have the wrong thing.  I am allowed oatmeal.  The nurse suggested smoothies however homemade ones, not things like boost. She said that they want to see me lose weight through normal food first plus you drink those liquids closer to surgery.  Personally I wouldn't want to drink boost right now because I don't want to be sick of them by the time I am supposed to only have liquids.

Speaking of yogurt someone asked if they could have one with artifical sweeteners and the nurse said no.  Artifical sweeteners encourage the appetite.  Instead she suggested Greek yogurt because it is high in protein.  She said that you can buy small cups of Greek yogurt at Save on foods and Safeway.

I really wish I had more meal ideas.

Drinks:

As others told me before my appointment - no coffee, no tea, no pop, no juice.

I can have skim milk, decaf coffee and tea (no cream no sugar) and herbal teas.  Caffeine like artifical sweeteners promotes hunger so it is discouraged.
Pop is not allowed...even diet pop because after surgery the body will not be able to handle it and it could damage you internally.

Wine ...someone asked about whether we can have a glass of wine.  The nurse said it is discouraged because of the high caloric intake but one glass every once in a while won't hurt.  She did say that after surgery the body absorbs alcohol differently.  One glass will feel like 4 glasses to a patient post op.  

I wish I could see the dietician right now for some meal ideas but my appointment isn't until March.  However by then I will have many pages in my journal so then maybe the dietician can tell me whether I am eating properly or not.

I really enjoy this forum to share ideas and answer questions.  I find the forum so helpful.  My partner, friends and family are supportive but they don't completely understand and it is nice to have others to talk to.

Take care

Mel

 Glad you got some answers! Who is your surgeon going to be?

I was told to eat things like chilis, stews and heartier things. I was also told to avoid soups since they go through me too fast and I am hungry again right away.

I was also told plain lettuce is a "free food" (but don't eat 8cups at 1 sitting. So I like to make "taco meat" with lean ground beef and taco spices (i try to do homemade spice to control whats in it) and then I put 1C of meat over lettuce. 

I also like to grill chicken with thai or greek seasoning and put over lettuce with a squirt of lemon juice. Mmmm.

Good luck and if you need more suggestions PM me. Also, I see dietician beginning of Feb. 

I think my surgeon is going to be Dr. Farries but I am not sure.  My blood work form has his name on it.

Wow...those are awesome suggestions for meal ideas.  Thank you so much.  I love the idea of chili.  I am the same way with soup.  It doesn't fill me up. I actually do not like soup. I have to force myself to eat it. lol

Thank you very much.  Good luck to you too.

 Thanks for the information Mel... I had forgotten some of those things....do you think you can put fruit in the smoothies?  A few berries for taste?


Thanks Mona

Hi Mona,

You are welcome.  I think you can put fruit in the smoothies.  I figured sherbert and ice cream were out...lol...too bad eh?  What would I put in my smoothie? Yogurt, skim milk?? I guess protein powders...I have never tried those before because I worry that they will make me gain weight.

The nurse did tell me that if I must snack I could have a piece of fruit or 6 almonds.  I am going to try and do the one cup three times a day first and hopefully I won't need a snack.

Take care
Mel

Greek yogurt smoothie!!  Much cheaper than a protein powder.

Also if you need to add protein you can add a scoop of milk powder.  Yep, plain old powdered milk can be added to coffee, cereal, smoothies, yogurts, oatmeal etc

Thank you very much for the suggestions. :)  I have a hard time with yogurt...even greek...it's something about the smell that just gets to me. yeah, I'm weird. lol

Oh, I also read on a previous post you were nervous about the psych and gastro. The psych was so easy. We basically had a conversation where he asked me a few questions. In my case he got a bit off topic asking about my job, etc. Lol!

The gastro was a bit more tough, I won't lie. They don't put you under, they spray your throat with a numbing agent and put something in your IV that doesn't put you to sleep but most people don't remember anything. I don't remember anything after the spray until later in recovery I remember when I was coming through things looked a bit blurry. My throat hurt for a good day or 2 after that. I was told I fought the process a lot. Again I don't remember it but I think they didn't freeze my throat enough. They said I have a hernia which I freaked out about but the surgeon assured me next appointment he would fix it during surgery.

As for times my story is not a good one so far so I won't tell you about mine.

Hi. Thanks for the info.  I am glad the the psych evaluation is easy.    I am more nervous for the gastro...oh the thought of it makes me cringe.  That sounds like a weird experience to go through but I guess if you don't remember anything it makes it easier.  My mom had one before where she was half awake and got to watch the screen.  Watching it wouldn't bother me but the fact that i have a camera down my throat makes me want to gag. lol

i am sorry that your story isn't good regarding wait times.  Take care. 

Mel

 Lol seriously I was so nervous for the gastro I told them I wanted to run away and the nurse made me promise I wouldn't. It really was not bad, the worst part was the sore throat for a day or 2 after. I'm a big baby when it comes to sore throats since as a kid I had toncillitis so bad off and on for so long. You will be just fine, you won't notice/remember the camera in your throat.  

I can tell you if you stick to the plan and lose fast you will have surgery fast. I had trouble sticking to the diet and then I had a medical issue (unrelated) in November. That landed me in the hospital and I gained 13lbs in a week. I am mostly down now, only 1lb up from October, but my surgery date for this month had to be cancelled. I am trying super hard for march/april.