HELP with Hubbies Questions...

OK...it is after midnight and I sit up after just talking with my husband about the surgery. He is more nervous about it than am mainly because I have been talking with you wonderful people. He asked some good questions and I just didn't know how to answer them. Please help me. Here goes... 1.) How will I take medicine after the surgery? 2.) When will I be able to eat "normal" food? (meaning meat, veggies, stuff you chew) 3.) What if I go on an eating binge and stretch out my stomach pouch? Hubby seems to question my willpower (can't blame him...he's never seen me lose more than 20 lbs). He is worried that I will eat so much and stretch the pouch out, gain all the weight back, and be miserable with 2 stomachs!!!! 4.) what will I be eating per day at 3 months, 6 months, 12 months post op? He can't seem to understand that I can still eat with this surgery!! And he thinks if I can eat I will stretch out the pouch and gain weight!!! 5) What will I be eating when I go out? 6) Will I never be able to have any sugar again...meaning anything with sugar even fruit. Also, does this mean no carbs...like no crackers, pasta, or bread? I swear, talking to him is supposed to help but I think it stresses me out more!!!! Please help me inform him. Rachel

Hey Rachel, just got home from surgery today, so I will tell you everything I know, and was told to do. All doctors are different so you may get a few different replies. 1) you you take liquid or chewable forms of your medication or they will be crushed put in applesauce or broken into tiny pieces. 2)you will beable to eat normal food by the 2nd to third week, If i tolerate stage 2 over the weekend I will advance to stage 3 on monday which contains, chewable foods, like : cooked, cereals(oatmeal, grits, chream of wheat) mashed patotoes wiithout skin, pureed vegetables(no corn), pureed banana and other fruits without peels, seeds or hulls, pureed fish, tuna, poultry, cheese, eggs, refried beans and a few others. 3)If you go on a eating binge you will be sick up to your eyeballs and will never do it again. You new tummy will not allow it, you will either vomit or dump. Hopefully you will not feel the urge to overeat, I have not wanted anything to eat since surgery, I feel full and that feels good. I had surgery tuesday, after the leak test on Wed, I had a tray that had, a protein drink, glass of crystal light, two popcicles, a bowl of chickenbroth, and jello. I could only have a few sips of everything and I felt like i was going to bust. The next day I had the same thing for breakfast,lunch and dinner, I was able to get down alot more the second day. Trust me it don't sound satisfiying right now but it is. 4) by week 6 and beyond we are able to eat almost everything, just in small portions, of course you will still want to avoid some things like dried fruits, or skins of fruit, veggie skins, whole milk, tough meat with gristle, nuts, sugar, fried foods. 5)When you go out to eat, it will just depend on what stage you are at, you can always take home left overs. the first month you will need everyghing pureed so, when you go out you will most likely want to get soups, or baked pat, or chili. 6) yOu can have sugar just tiny amounts of it, some people are able to tolerate sugar fine after being post op for a while, you can have have fruits and carbs, the carbs like pasta and bread I am able to have at 1month out, they just can't have seeds or nuts. Hope this helps!! hugs nora

First let me say you will get alot of responses and they will and should vary. Why? Because EVERYBODY is different in there tolerance, reactions, healing, progression etc. No on response here is THE answer. Be prepared to be surprised, do your best to follow the guidelines set out by the nutritionist and doctor, and create a system that works for YOU. I am 17 mnths post op, at goal for 9 mnths fluctuating between 154-158. My unprofessional opinion: 1 - Immediatley post-op you should crush or chew your medicines, if they taste nasty mix in a tablespoon of some soft food or disolve in an ounce of fluid. I say this because if its nasty why would you want to drink a cup of nasty when you can swig a sip or two of nasty and be done. By time you are on solids you shoul dbe able to resume whole pills, but consult you doctor for their exact directions. 2 - Your nutritionist should give you a timetable for any special instructions. Different surgeons allow different things, I have read no meats till so and so or no raw veggies till so and so. The liquid, pureed, soft food, solid food stage progression is to allow your pouch and the incision time to heal and not be irritate during that process. I honestly do not remember my "rules". I ate when I was comfortable. Chewing well is the key. 3 - Over time you will be able to eat more. Period. It took years to create the stretched out stomachs we had. It would take years to stretch this stomach. How do people regain with a small stomach if its not been stretched? Grazing. You could eat your 2, 4 , 6 ounces of food, and an hour later eat again. Or you could nibble all day long. Calories in vs calories out. You eat lots of calories = you gain weight. It's not your stomachs fault, that tool will work if you work it. If you over eat, it will hurt, especially early out. The density of your food will help dictatwe the amoutn you eat. White carbs and soft food will slide in and slide through, leaving you hungry sooner or able to hold more. Solid protein, meats etc and fods on the low end of the glycemic index will fill you up better and last longer in your stomach to hold off cravings. I still have moderation control problems, so I make sure its low calorie foods to stay in my daily calorie allowance. 4 - What you eat, when you eat it, how much of it you eat depends on your tolerances. Some people might be eatting peanutbutter sandwhiches at 3 mnths. Me I swore off all white carbs my first year. And to this day I have not eatten crackers, chips, potatos, pasta, rice, pizza, anything fried, or anything from a fast food restaurant. On occassion I will buy a loaf of whole wheat fiber bread or low carb low cal wraps. But normally do not do breads. You do not need to be as anal as me, and trust me you can have a bad calorie day on "good for you" foods too. Some people come right out the gate and eat whatever they want, but keep in mind the good habits you create early out will be a blessing further down when you can eat more. 5 - ReLearn what a "normal" portion size is now. When you eat out order a to go box with your meal, divide out what you will eat and box the rest. That way it is out of site and you don't have the urge to clean the plate. To hell with what people around you think. Order al la carte, a meat and a veggie. Restaurants will serve you what ever you want. That way you don't have to drool over the rice you shouldnt eat or wont have room for. I have had a plain grilled 6 ounce piece of chicken for breakfast at Dennys while my best frient had a omlet with hash browns and muffin. It's about choices. You could order eggbeaters w/ cheese and a side of bacon as well. Burger no bun, veggie instead of fries. Fast food...salad low cal dressing or chicken sandwhich toss the bun. 6 - You could be like over half of WLS patients and have no dumping at all. My best advice is to not "test" the theory. Once you know the answer it could slow your progress. Since your will be purging your system of carbs and sugar the first few weeks on liquids and pureed, use that time to switch to artificial sweeteners, diet no calorie drinks, and low fat foods. Just like protein drinks, they may not taste right or normal, but soon enough they become the norm, and you do not miss the real chocolate because you have not had it in so long to compair what you are missing. Your new life style should be a low carb lifestyle, that doesn't mean no carbs because carbs are energy, but in moderation because yes they break down to sugar. Again eatting bread, pasta etc is a person choice and your pouch will decide if it likes it. Me I'm not giving my pouch a choice, I choose to eat my calories elsewhere. Fruit is good for you, choose wisely, eat in moderation. Choose low glycemic index fruits, apples and berries are lower in carbs, but all have high sugars. Eat your fruits and carbs early in the day so you burn them before bed, do not sleep on carbs, your body will use those to burn while you sleep instead of your fat stores. If the choice at a party is cookies or a fruit tray...hello go for fruit. You are going to eat. And there is no reason why you can't eat normal food. Once slice of pizza as opposed to half a large is a major difference. If you deprive your self and become obssessed with what you are missing you do more mental damage than good the surgery is ment for. Moderation, choices, EXERCISE. What I do works for me, you will find what works for you. This surgery is not ment to be a punishment, but a life style change with a tool to help you for life. You may not like the indefinitiveness of my answers, but too many people post that there is one right way and that is not true. Be well informed, keep a food journal, track fats, carbs, calories, and proteins, take your vitamins, EXERCISE. Let your doctor and nutritionist be your final answer before taking anything posted on these boards as the bible, and even then you may need to tweak their recommendations to work for you. Its a learning process. Good Luck Michelle 11-08-04 324/156 @ goal (height 5'7) 02-27-06 LBL 06-30-06 BL/BA

Hi Rachel I thought I would chime in on your questions. I can't tell you how you will be doing at 3, 6 and 12 months, but I can tell you how I am doing now. 1. Right after surgery, Dr. Bour will prescribe Prevacid that melts on your tongue. All of his pts get it. It helps prevent ulcers in your pouch and strictures. He does send you home with a pain pill. What I did, was I took one pill at a time over the course of a few minutes until I had taken everything. Now, I am 6 weeks postop and I take 3 pills a day. I can now take them all at the same time. I take the Optisource vitamin and it is chewable. We actually take 4 a day. I haven't had a problem taking any meds. Remember, hopefully the number of meds you take will decrease after the surgery!!! 2. AFter surgery you will be on clear liquids for about a week. Then you advance to full liquids (puddings, yogurt, cream soups etc) for about a week and a half. Then you move up to pureed foods. I ate tuna, chicken (blended), egg salad, etc. You can eat essentially anything as long as it is blended. During this phase they add back fruits and veggies. You can also have some starches...mashed potatoes, beans, etc. this lasts about 2 weeks. Then comes soft foods. That is where I am right now and will move up on tueday. I have eaten grilled chicken, hamburger, more veggies and fruits. They don't want you to eat salads yet and stalky veggies or corn. I can have crackers now and I love the crunch factor from them. Once you get to soft foods they increase your total meal volume to 4 ounces. 2 oz of protein FIRST and then 2 oz of veggie, fruit of starch. or 1 oz of two of them for a total of 4. This phase is 2 weeks. The last phase I know you can add other things such as salad and Im not sure what else. They don;t recommend you eat pasta and rice until about 3 to 6 month out. They take up alot of space in your pouch and it is inportant to fill it up with protein at first. 3. there is always a chance you can stretch out your pouch. I know that after time it will stetch a little. I don't know how easy it is to do that, because one time I ate grilled chicken too fast and was absolutely miserable for about an hour. You have to eat slowly and you will know when your pouch is full. If you fill it up and continue to eat you will throw up. The food can't pass through the opening that fast and has no where else to go but back up!! 4. YOu will pretty much eat normally at 3 months on. Some people can't eat sugar, high fatty foods or real starchy foods. Many people can. It will jsut depend on you. They recommend the order always be protein first followed by veggies, then fruit and then starches. 5. When you go out you will eat what you want. YOu will know what you can tolerate at each stage and most places have something to choose from. When we started our support groups I was on pureed and I ate chili when we met at Ruby Tuesday's. 6. As far as sugars go...you will just have to wait to see. There is no way to tell who is going to tolerate them and who won't. A lot of people don't test the waters, because that is what got us here in the first place. I haven't had a desire to try anything sweet at all and I used to have a bowl of ice cream every night!!! Everyone is different, so it is really hard to tell you what you are going to feel or wht your experience will be. I know for me I am very happy I did this. I would do it again in a heart beat. I really think that Dr. Bour's program helps you get ready to give up alot of things that aren't good for us. 4 weeks on optifast and then all the clear liquids and full liquids and by the time you can start to have some of the things that we used to eat all the time, you really don't want them. I never thought I would say that!!!! I hope this helps!!! Melissa

Dear Rachel I had my surgery 1 1/2 years ago. It was the best thing I have ever done in my life. My health and quality of life have improved dramatically. My steadily worsening diabetes was my deciding factor. I can't even imagine what sorry condition I would be in if I hadn't had my gastric bypass. I have been blessed be wonderful support and friendship from this site and my local support group. I am at a point where I feel normal and don't concentrate on having had surgery. I just go about my life. My eating and exercising habits are just that - habits. I am happy to share my experiences and remain active in my support group, because I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity. It truly has given me a second chance at life. I can tell you how things are for me, but we are all different and a lot of it comes down to personal choice, taste, and commitment. I started at 278 and have lost 122 lbs. I am about 10 lbs. from my goal, but I am not really fixed on a number. And I am still losing! I am at the point where I can eat pretty much anything I want, but because of my diabetes which remains, I stay with low carbs and high protein. I have never tried sugar and never will. I am extremely motivated and don't want to open the door to that temptation. Some post-ops decide to test and find that they can tolerate sugar. They develop a "friendship" and add small amounts of goodies to their diet. I know that's not possible for me. Sugar too often leads to the downfall of a gastric bypass patient. There are so many sugar-free products out there for us that I don't feel deprived. I tolerate sugar alcohols, but others have problems with them. You just have to see what works for you. You will probably be able to tolerate more and more foods as you get further out. You'll be able to eat vegetables and fruits when your doctor clears you for them. When you go out, you can order soup or an appetizer, and/or share off your husband's plate. Some restaurants allow you to order off the childrens' menu. Some honor cards from your doctor and others don't. I don't bother with the card. Sometimes I eat at home and just order a drink at the restaurant. Sometimes I order a fullmeal and take the leftovers home. Going out isn't about food for me anymore. I also carry protein bars in my purse. You'll be able to eat crackers and toast - crunchy bread. You won't be able to eat things that could form a gummy obstruction. I only eat crackers when my blood sugar is low and I have to bring it up. Otherwise, I don't eat pasta, potatoes, or other starches, but other people do. I'm on the extreme end of the scale. I eat more the way people do when they've had a stall. ( It is normal to have periods when you won't lose weight for awhile, even when you're doing all the right things. Our bodies have to catch up.) I do lots of protein shakes and bars. I find that meat is sometimes too dense for my stomach and makes it crampy. I have started eating salads just in the last few months. I used to think that they were wasted calories and space, but now I eat them because they fill me up on my hungry days. Further along, your little pouch will relax a little, normally, increasing your daily intake, and you will also have days when you can eat more. It will scare you, but it happens to all of us. But then, you'll go back to your normal amount in the next day or so. "Hungry" days come with no rhyme nor reason. We all worry that we're going to stretch our pouches. I have read that they are made of very strong muscles and don't really stretch. I think there is more dangerin drinking with meals, so that they flush through too quickly so that you're not satisfied, so you want to eat more. If you eat too much, you'll dump, so you'll learn to not take that "one last bite". It's a very unpleasant feeling. You will be surprised that one or two bites will fill you up. As for willpower, this surgery is different than any diet you've ever been on. Your body is surgically altered to work differently. You will no longer crave sugar and carbohydrates and you won't be able to eat large amounts of food. If you have diabetes, it may go into remission while you are still in the hospital. Most people come off their medications for their co-morbidities. After your surgery, the weight will literally fall off of you. It will make up for any diet you've ever failed in your life. Rachel, you're not going to fail. All you have to do is follow the rules your doctor gives you. At first, your new body will do the work. After about a year, you will have to use our tool correctly to maintain your body, but it isn't hard when you commit to taking care of yourself . You really won't want it any other way. After surgery, you will crush your pills. I used to mix them in just enough sugar-free yogurt to moisten them and swallow it down. Later, some supplements come in chewable or liquid form, and now, I am able to swallow my pills normally. Check with your doctor about any medications you take regularly. He may have to change their form. It is a tremendous decision to have this surgery. The best thing you can do is come to this site and get all the information you can. Read peoples' stories and ask questions. We're all here for you. If you decide to have the surgery, you will be a success!! Best of luck to you and your husband. Love, B

Thanks so much to all of you who have posted responses!!!! It is just really overwhelming to think that I will no longer be controlled by food. Right now, I live to eat. I look forward to the day that I eat to live!!! Everyone is so sweet. I am beginning to get a peace about this. Hubby is too!! Thanks again and God bless you all. Rachel

Thanks Rachel for asking that question. My husband too has had many questions that I try to inform him of what I will experience-the replies you got were very helpful. I let him read them. Thanks to those who answered you.. Debbie