POST OP - DEPRESSED!! - NEED HELP!

I had rny on July 2. I feel like I've made the biggest mistake of my life. I'm so depressed. I'm so tired of chicken broth, jello, cottage cheese. I started yesterday eating scrambled eggs for breakfast. But I don't even WANT to eat. I want my life back. When does the depression leave. I look ahead to the next 6 weeks and don't know if I can make it thru that time. Can I begin eating normally then?

Connie, Hun I know exactly what your talking about. The Depression is normal, After my surgery I was about 2 weeks out and I called him crying and I said Dr. Baker I'm going crazy, He said no your not You have lost your best friend. Well I started to cry even more and I said Oh My God my best friend died to! He said no Debbie, I'm talking about food!! I calmed down a little bit and Listened to him. You hormones and everything In side and out changes. I guess It was about 4 weeks before I kicked the depression. You hang in there. I didn't ever want to eat, But I knew I had to. and eveything tasted awful!!! I'm a cheese LOVER and even cheese tasted like crap for about 1-1/2 months. Then everything went pretty close to normal. There are still somethings that I liked before that I can't stand now. But thats okay. I feel 100% better. Of course I'm 9-1/2 months out. But I strted feeling a lot better at about 1 month out. So you just hang in there. Remember to walk, and sip slowly and chew very well and what every you do DO NOT GULP!! That hurts!!! Just hang in there. And You need to get out of the house before long. Even if it is to just walk around at Wal-Mart. Hugs and best wishes Debbie Moya Dr. Baker 9/22/03 354/165.5/147

Hey Connie, Glad to see you found the site. Welcome! My surgery is on Wed., I am nervous..and I feel like a ball of emotions. It sounds like it is going to get worse before it gets better too! I am a little scared. How are you on the food issues now? I know you do not feel like eating, but have you found stuff that will work for you. I am going to post some stuff, that another wls member posted. I hope this helps. (by the way, I keep a scrap book of stuff people have posted for future reference). Beginning 3 weeks after your surgery, you will slowly begin adding soft, easily tolerated solid foods to your diet. Please do not begin this stage until your physician or dietitian tells you it is OK. Remember to focus on high protein foods and avoid foods that are high in fat ,sugar or fiber. You will probably need to still get some of your protein from milk or supplements until you are able to eat enough solid food to meet your nutritional needs. Getting enough protein in your diet will help you stay healthy and maintain your muscle mass as you lose weight. Eat the high protein foods first, making sure you fit them in. Remember to add only one new food at a time and observe your reaction to it. If you did not tolerate a food well, the problem may be the food you ate, how you prepared it, or the way you consumed it. How to successfully transition to soft foods: Eat slowly and be aware of when you feel full. When you feel full, stop eating! If you try to continue to eat, you may vomit. You may only be able to eat a few bites of food at a time. CHEW, CHEW, CHEW! You need to make sure you chew your food very well before you swallow it. This makes it easier to digest and pass from your gastric pouch to your small intestine. Avoid drinking fluids 30 minute before and with your meals. If you fill up your small gastric pouch with liquid, you won't have room for your food. If you need to, take only small sips of liquids while eating. Drink enough fluid between meals to meet your fluid requirements. You need 6-8 cups of fluid per day to avoid dehydration. You may need to carry a water bottle with you and sip on low calorie liquids throughout the day to get enough fluids. Avoid sticky foods. These foods can stick together and form a ball in your gastric pouch, causing nausea and sometimes vomiting. Sticky foods include white bread, rolls, buns, pasta (especially if overcooked and large pieces), rice that clumps together, grits, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter. Avoid crunchy, hard to digest foods for the first 2 months. Crunchy and hard to digest foods include: raw vegetables, nuts, popcorn, chips, coconut, olives, pickles, tough fruit/vegetable skins (such as apple, cucumber skin), dried fruit, corn, iceberg lettuce. Avoid crunchy, hard to digest foods for the first 2 months. Crunchy and hard to digest foods include: raw vegetables, nuts, popcorn, chips, coconut, olives, pickles, tough fruit/vegetable skins (such as apple, cucumber skin), dried fruit, corn, iceberg lettuce. Avoid tough or rubbery meats. Avoid steak, pork chops, ham, and other tough meats for the first few months. Meat is a great source of protein, but it needs to be soft and tender for you to digest it. Try a slow cooking method to make your meat tender, such as a crock-pot, boiling or cooking at a low temperature over a long period of time. Avoid food/beverages high in sugar. High sugar foods can cause "dumping syndrome." After gastric bypass surgery, some people feel light-heated, sweaty or faint soon after consuming sugar. See page 12 of booklet for description of dumping syndrome. Avoid extremes in the temperature of your foods and beverages. Some patients experience spasms or cramps with very hot or cold food/beverages. Limit high fat foods. These foods may make you feel nauseated. They are also high in calories and will slow down your weight loss. Try changing to a fat-free comparable product. If you don't like the fat-free product, try the light product. Once you have learned how to eat with your new gastric pouch and have healed from surgery, you can start to add other foods one a time over the next few months. If you follow these suggestions you should transition to solid foods and lose weight successfully! Recommended Foods: High protein foods: Eggs (cooked with minimal fat) Light Yogurt Low fat Cottage cheese Soft fish (baked, boiled, grilled) Tuna fish (fat-free mayo is OK) Baby shrimp, scallops, crab Chicken (cooked so it is tender and cut into small pieces) Bean and lentil dishes and soups Fat-free refried beans Low fat luncheon meats (turkey, roast beef-sliced thin) Shredded or soft low fat cheeses (avoid melted cheese) To****oy) mixed in soup or vegetables Other foods: Oatmeal, Cream of wheat Softened cold cereal Cooked, soft vegetables Soft fruits without skin or light canned fruits Crackers and pretzels chewed well Potatoes Low fat Soups Very dry toast Soft lettuce (green leaf or Boston bib) with fat-free dressing Sticky foods: Foods to Avoid: Bread (may tolerate if toasted) Sticky rice Pasta (especially overcooked or large noodles) Grits Macaroni and cheese Peanut butter Crunchy foods: Raw vegetables Fruit/vegetable skins Nuts Popcorn Chips Coconut Iceberg lettuce Tough or rubbery foods: Tough meat (ex: steak, pork chops, ham, hot dogs) High fat foods: Butter, margarine, oils Sour cream Cream cheese Mayonnaise Gravy Fat back, bacon Sausage Whole milk Salad dressing Hard cheeses Fried foods Bologna, salami Chips Desserts Remember, your gastric bypass surgery is a crutch to help you lose weight, but it is not magic. If you overeat on high calorie foods or beverages this will reduce the amount of weight you lose. Try to eat nutrient-dense foods to get the most nutrition from the smaller amount of foods you will be eating. ************************************************** Ok here is another recommendation from another post op Angel...just a couple of suggestions...I never had the pureed stage and the only food I have had trouble with one time is water... WATER TIPS: Room temp instead of iced cold Add lemon, lime, or orange slices (splenda if you like) Dry drinking only 3 oz at a time every 15 minutes FOOD: Only add one new food a day so you can be sure what is making you sick It can take 15 min to 2 hours for a certain food to make you sick...Just b/c something does not bother you one time, does not mean it won't the next and vice versa Stick with applesauce, carb countdown yogurt and add protein powder to it instead of trying to drink the protein shakes Eat on soft cheese--protein and calcium Use Hood Carb Countdown milk to mix with CIB (Carnation instant breakfast) Cottage cheese with fresh peaches and or pineapples Use Romaine lettuce over Iceburg Lettuce For meats, while on pureed...stick with potted meat, tuna, canned salmon, vienna sausages, deli sliced turkey (really thin, almost shaved) Eat fresh fruits and veggies (especially green veggies: green beans, turnips, etc.) Just be sure to steam and overcook the veggies and chew, chew, chew TIP: Eat with a TODDLER spoon and or fork...only one bite at a time, chew, chew, chew, swallow...let it settle and then repeat...you may only be able to eat 3-4 bites at a time...wait 3-4 hours eat again...drinking in b/w those hours Bake you a SWEET POTATO...put some I Can't Believe It's Not Butter on it and just a little cinnamon...really good and full of FIBER! I hope this helps! Happy Eating! Connie I hope this helps. Please feel free to email me. I hope I see you at the next support group! I will then be about a month out! Take care Tonia