Questions about beginning stages??

Hello again everyone! I am about 2 weeks out. My stages are as follows: 2 weeks: clear liquids 2 weeks: full liquids (up to consistency of cream of wheat, cream soups, etc.) 2 weeks: pureed/mashed Then, progress to soft solids and then solids as tolerated. **No milk (except lactose-free) for a few months. I had such a hard time with clear liquids... feeling weak and my blood sugar was taking nose dives. I went to pudding and applesauce after about a week, which my doc said was okay. I recently started cream of wheat and cream of chicken, which has been good. I'm going to start cottage cheese this week. I'm doing better with my protein. I'm not nauseated anymore. I tried the Isopure which has been much better, but it's a lot of liquid to get in all 60g of protein. I think I'm going to try the powder again. I'm looking for some of your thoughts and experiences of the first couple months. I've heard some people going to pureed/mashed foods after just 2-3 weeks, others who say they mix their protein with milk. I don't want to pu**** but am having a hard time being successful based on the above guidelines. I can't get my liquids in, I feel weak and my heart rate soars after just a short walk (which it didn't do before the surgery - I was pretty active). Sometimes I feel lightheaded. My analysis is I'm not getting enough protein, liquids or nutrients. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Hi Miss Crystal. I will share my experiences with you. The beginning of my journey was not a pleasant one for me. I was really weak and sick all the time. I was not drinking enough and was barely staying hydrated. Also, I had to deal with an ulcer and lactose intolerance. I could not have any protein drinks made with milk. I had to really learn to push the water. My dr. prescribed prevacid twice a day for the first 2 months. This really helped. I was able to move to soft/pureed foods 3 weeks out. I did a lot of pureed meats with some kind of low-fat/low-sugar sauce to keep it from being so dry. I must admit that I was not very good at first with getting in protein. I just did what I could to get in something. I couldn't tolerate cottage cheese or cheese of any kind. I ate a lot of mashed meat, tuna, chicken, and more chicken. I did not drink the protein drinks at all in the beginning. I couldn't have pudding, creamy cheese soups or anything like that. Like I said my begining was tough. At around 8 weeks I finally began to feel better. My energy level picked up and I was able to eat a lot more variety. I am now 4 1/2 months out and can eat some cheeses but still cannot drink milk, in any form. I feel really good now and get in my protein and enjoy my exercise. I will encourage you to drink, drink, drink. Whatever it takes, get your water/liquids in. Try to remember that you may not feel like your usual self for a few more weeks. You are barely two weeks out so go easy on yourself. Don't push yourself when walking to beyond your target heart rate, do what you can and increase a little at a time as you feel better. Others might have better suggestions than I do. Try to contact your nutritionist and see if they can suggest any food/recipe ideas for you. Oh, for the Isopure powder shakes, Susan Marie Leach's (in a pink cover, I think it's called "before & after") book has some great recipes to try. I use the Isopure zero carb creamy vanilla and am so grateful that I found this protein drink. I went for 3+ months with only about 20 gr of protein a day. Not a good thing. Now I get more protein and actually like the shakes. (I make all of mine with water, not milk.) I hope this helps you a bit. Oh, you also might try eggs or egg salad. I enjoyed that too. It's very soft and helped me get protein. Take care of yourself. You will feel better and better, week by week. Hugs, Robin

I'm glad to hear that my energy levels will pick up. I'm hearing that happens between 6-8 weeks. I'm so anxious for that. I have to go back to work (teaching) in about 3 weeks and am beginning to feel that it may be difficult energy-wise to handle my high schoolers en masse! I might try some soft/pureed foods in another week also... egg salad sounds wonderful. I'm not supposed to try it until 4 weeks out, though, so... I'm trying to follow the nutritionist's recommendations but also feel I need to do what's best for me. I don't have a problem with milk in products but haven't tried milk. I was lactose intolerant before surgery (only for purely milk products such as milk itself, milkshakes, high doses of milk) but could always tolerate pudding, cheeses, etc. I seem to be the exact same way. How do you do the mashed chicken? Chicken salad or do you throw it in a blender? Thank you for your response... it is SOOO helpful!

Crystal - I did my very best to follow my doctor and nutritionist guidelines regardless. If I start listening to my body, soon I'll be eating a loaf of garlic bread! LOL! There were a few things that we really hard to tough out, but I really believe, for me, that to start picking and choosing what rules I'd follow and which ones I'd decide weren't for me, is a slippery slope! Your energy will pick up! Mine picked up at about 3 weeks and has been climbing ever since. My doc says "no protein supplements" - so I'm not getting enough protein, but as long as I make it my first thing in a meal, I'm doing ok. I tried milk for the first time this morning, and it was ok - but I didn't have any problems before surgery with it. So - my advice in a nutshell - is to follow the rules laid out by your doc. You want to get the most you can out of this. Hope that doesn't sound har****'s said with care! Have a great one - Carolyn

I'm doing the protein supplement but the only one I can tolerate is iSOPURE but it takes 30 fl ozs to get it all in. I prefer water to anything (including juice) so using half of my liquid for protein is sooo hard for me, especially when I can only take 2 ozs over 20 minutes or so. I'm going to try the powder again and try it in more concentrated (less liquid) amounts. Once I get my protein down, I don't think I'll care what I eat cause I'm absolutely NOT ever hungry. I don't want to eat, but I do want to feel better and protein is the only thing that does that. So, I appreciate your advice and I am trying to follow the doc's orders but I also know that my body can't tolerate what others can and vice versa. I have spoken with the doc and he pushed me up on the guidelines a little bit so I could get some energy. Thanks for your advice and your support, Carolyn

For mashed chicken, I would blend in the blender but had to had some kind of liquid/sauce to it to make it soft enough. I used some low carb bottled sauces/dressing or lite mayo. Keep the sugar and fat grams down though. I can not tolerate high fat anything at all. Your dr and nutritionist may have other suggestions as well. My dr. recommended blending the meat like above. It will get better, I promise! Hugs, Robin

The Beef broth has 2-3 grams protein and mixing that with your mash potatoes would flavor them and help with softening the meats you blend I have heard split pea soup and bean with bacon tastes pretty ok pureed. Who uses sf popcicles to help get their liquids in? We could actually make our own with the single serving crystal lights right? Does anyone know how many protein grams are in a little sf pudding? If you have one in your kitchen would you please check for me? Brenda

It's not on the pudding pkg. There isn't any protein in the pudding itself, but in the milk you use to make it. You use 3 cups of milk for the pudding so you need to check your milk carton to find the protein grams. It's a little but not toooo significant. Definitely a way to pick you up for a while though if you're feeling a little woozy. I like the idea of beef broth with mashed potatoes... thanks!!

Those are great ideas! My doc said to either puree or mash foods so I wasn't sure which was better. I think a little lite mayo or lite dressing with some salt would do the trick! Oh well, I'm still 2 weeks from that stage! Thanks, I will definitely keep all of it in mind.

Miss Crystal the only thing I can do is reaffirm how important it is to follow your doctors advise. It can seem overwhelming at first but it is possible just keep sipping those protein drinks. It will get better. Hugs, Sandyd