Want to Help Sweetheart

This is my first time here. My name's Kent. I have "severe" cerebral palsy and am two hours drive from my sweetheart Maggie. We talk on the phone almost every night and she comes up to visit every week or so. Maggie had gastric bypass surgery in June, 2005. Since then, she has had frequent vomitings of both food and water and her hair's falling out. I realize much of this is normal as she gets used to things, but it's still very disturbing to both of us. What's normal and how can I help? (I've always told her how beautiful she is and how deeply I love her.) Maggie hates most of the protein drinks on the market. Can you recommend a brand? Btw, Maggie's lost 85 pounds thus far!

Kent, it sounds like you are being very supportive, I'm sure Maggie is very thankful for that. And congratulations to her on her weight loss. If she is still having a lot of difficulty eating without vomiting, she should check with her surgeon. By now, she should be able to tolerate most solid foods and water should never make her vomit. That could be an indication of a complication called a stricture, which is scar tissue that builds up around the stoma (outlet of the pouch). Another cause of vomiting can be not chewing the food enough. She needs to chew until her food is the consistency of a puree. Or maybe she's eating too fast. There are a lot of things that can cause vomiting but she should check with her doctor. The hair loss is indicative of not getting enough protein. The only way to slow or reverse the loss is to get more protein and the best way to do that is eating a lot of fish and chicken, etc... As for the protein drinks, I can't stand them either. I have found that I can tolerate a protein smoothie of my own concoction. I have some protein powder from our local Kroger store called "Milk & Egg Protein". It doesn't really have a flavor but it does change the way milk tastes slightly. I've found the best thing to do is mix 2-tbsp powder, 8 oz skim milk, 1/4 to 1/2 cup frozen fruit (I have a mix of strawberry, pineapple, and mango), 2-tsp low carb yogurt (you can substitute 1/2 banana if you prefer). Put all in blender and blend until smooth. It's just sweet enough, it tastes good, and has a wonderful milkshake like texture. I know you have her best interest in mind so I really would encourage you to have her see her doctor is she doesn't get the vomiting under control. Keep up the good work. Toni

Thanks. Toni! According to Maggie, I had the weight loss wrong; it's more like 55. The food intake's better, but the water's still a problem. One suggestion was using a straw. Do you have any others? Kent

Some surgeons don't allow straws post-op, I know mine doesn't. Has she tried adding crystal light powder to the water to make it taste better? Any non-caffinated, no calorie liquid counts as water, so help her be creative in that respect.