Just a few things....

Nancy, I just noticed who did your surgery...do you live in NC? I do now...Western North Carolina.

Yes, I live in NC and work at Duke, so there was no traveling required for me to have the surgery. 

Really........ no Triscuits?  I was given clearance to eat 4-7 whole wheat crackers a day, so I'm using those.  I've wondered about Activia Greek yogurt.  Activia used to work great on me pre-surgery to get my digestive tract in good (really good) working order.   Frankly, I'm a bit nervous to try sugars.  I've been fortunate to tolerate everything so far, but adding sugar makes me a little nervous.  If I do it, I'll make sure it's at home where I'm near a bathroom in case anything erupts! 

I'm really grateful for experienced advice.

DS'er. Wheat of any form is a carb that turns into sugar in the body.

Original Triscuits: (Serving size is 6 triscuits)

Calories 120

Calories from Fat 36

Total Fat 4.0g 6%

Saturated Fat 0.5g 3%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.0g

Monounsaturated Fat 1.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 180mg 8%

Carbohydrates 20.0g 7%

Dietary Fiber 3.0g 12%

Sugars 0.0g

Protein 3.0g

The carb to protein ratio is sadly out of whack. Protein before carbs.   Just do not get hooked on carbs at this point....it is VERY hard to kick the carb habit later on.   Be careful at first with yogurt...and find one you like. The thing is, what tasted good pre-op may NOT taste good post-op. And try to find full fat yogurt (I know, an almost impossible task) but the Dannon Greek has a line of full fat yogurts.   Liz
 

Ideas about constipation would be:

• If you're on any pain meds and can wean off - give it a try
• Try adding magnesium with your calcium citrate
• If the prune juice is working - don't knock it.
• The horrid smells will come as you eat more variety (just like with babies)
• Eat lots more fats - they keep things soft and lubricated.

My appetite didn't come back for a good 9 months.  I didn't find much pleasure in any food, but just ate because I knew I had to.  You should now start working up to 100g of protein.  Use protein drinks if you must, but I found that ricotta cheese was my saving grace for this.  I also ate a lot of egg custard.

By all means, enjoy full fats!  That may very be why you're experiencing constipation.  You may see some strange orangey oil slicks in the toilet if you eat something especially greasy, but it's nothing to worry about, just strange.

Love your signature message and the priority given to mashed potatoes!