I'm a newbie! Just met with my surgeon

Hello all, my name is Robyn and I'm a nnneewwwbbbiiieeee!  Have only gone as far as going to the seminar and meeting with my surgeon.  Although he explained pretty much what the surgery would entail, I'm a little concerned about afterwards!  I would like to get the sleeve but it's currently not accepted by my insurance company (Tufts) so I will go with the bypass (unless they can get Tufts to cover the sleeve) my surgeon said maybe by the time I'm ready for surgery they will have it covered.  Anyhow, if I do have to go with the bypass, are there foods that I will never be able to eat again?  Will I still be able to have a beer or two during the summer?  If there's anyone out there that can tell me some of what to expect post surgery, I'd greatly appreciate it!! 

Hey Robyn!

Welcome to the MA board ... GREAT group of people here .. don't be afraid to ask for advice Best of luck with your surgery.

As far as foods, no there is no food you won't be able to eat. Being able to tolerate certain foods might be a different story. Some people have a hard time tolerating meats, breads, sweets or other various foods.
Some people are bothered by sugar and fat content and therefore they can dump. However, the majority of patients DO NOT dump and have no issues with food tolerances (like me.) Other people can have many restrictions and issues. Each individual is different.
Many programs like their patients to wait at least 6-12 months after surgery until they consume alcohol. Alcohol also will effect us differently now. Because we have such a small stomach a lot of patients become buzzed/drunk after a very short period. Sometimes it will only take 1 drink to do this. We also tend to sober up more quickly as well. I will be 1 year out in December but have not tried alcohol yet so I cannot speak from personal experience, but the posts I have seen on the boards and the general information given to me by my surgeon.

Ok I've rambled on enough now ... I'll let someone else have the floor!

Kate

No no!!  Ramble on!  I can use all the advice/experiences I can get!  I'm a little nervous (even though I still have 6 months to go).  I guess it's the fear of the unknown.  I'm excited and scared at the same time!  I know this is definitely the right thing for me to do, and I know it's going to take a lot of life changes, but I have 2 kids and I want to be around for as long as I can!  Thank you so much for responding to my post!   

Welcome, Robyn!

What Kate said is true.  Everyone is different, but ultimately, there is no forbidden food.  It's a matter of you deciding how you want to live your new lifestyle.  Some people find it easier to avoid certain foods just so they don't go back to old habits and some people can handle "bad stuff" in moderation.

I guess I'm taking my chances with moderation since feeling deprived of things is what makes me eat too much of them, so I eat a lot of things I ate before, but I limit my consumption - i do not keep pasta or rice in my house for example.  I may eat them at a restaurant or at friends' homes, but i don't prepare it here.

Alcohol... I can feel tipsy on a few sips of wine now.  The feeling passes quicker than it did pre-op, but I don't pretend it makes me sober.  it's important to drink WISELY after surgery.  beer may not feel good in your system because of the carbonation, or your taste may change.  I didn't like wine pre-op, now I love it.  who knew?  I definitely wouldn't try it early on, but down the road, sure, a beer or whatever can be a reasonable choice.  Like everything else - MODERATION.

Please continue to ask questions, read whatever you can!

Sue

 OH!  I thought I read somewhere that pasta, anything carbonated and caffeine are a definite no-no!  I really don't eat a lot of anything to be honest, but thinking there are things that I do like every now and again and cannot have for the rest of my life kinda made me think "uh oh".  We are Italian and eat pasta every now and again (maybe 4x's a month) and I just couldn't imagine never being able to eat it again, it would be like taking away my security blanket to some extent.  I guess I'm having the tug of war right now....should I?  Of course I should!  Well maybe not....it is a big change...but I will be healthy! Live longer! haha...I'm sure once it gets closer I'll still have these thoughts, but 98% are to have it done :)  

I'm a huge crybaby when it comes to vomiting, is there a lot of that? :/

Thanks everyone for  your input, it really helps!!

Robyn

Some surgeons and some patients will say that pasta, carbonation and caffeine ARE no-no's after surgery ... some will tell you it is OK to have these things. Every program/hospital is SOOO completely different that it is mind-boggling. You would THINK that everyone was on the same page for the same types of surgeries that they do LOL! So, your surgeon might say those things are a No-No for the rest of your life, but in reality you can eat anything after surgery, just in moderation.

My program (I had my sx at Tufts) says NO caffeine for the first 6 months. After that caffeine is allowed, but they stress that they want you to get in all of your water before you have your caffeine. My program also says no carbonation for the first six months but try to limit your intake after that ... of course having no carbonation/soda would be best, but don't deprive yourself. If you want that Dr. Pepper go for it - just limit what you drink. I was a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGe soda drinker pre-surgery but have not tried any soda yet (or any other liquid besides water/milk) I don't want to try soda because I know that I will want to drink it all the time again.

You will see some people on the boards saying "shame on you" if you post that you are eating foods such as pasta (I eat pasta, so you won't hear that from me :)!), breads, cakes, etc and you will see others that will say "go ahead and eat that if you want!" What is comes down to is portion control and healthy choices :) :)

There is no right way to answer the ? about vomitting ... it varies soooo much from patient to patient. I do not vomit -- never have from food. There is a huge stigma w/ gastric bypass and dumping ... some doctors and programs drill into your head that you will dump - NOT THE CASE! The majority of patients do not dump ... some patients will dump on 5 grams of sugar and some may not dump at all! I have had a protein bar with 25-30 grams of sugar in it and I did not dump whatsoever. My program likes your sugar to stay under 14 grams per servings (again, every hospital is different on this aspect..) So, I did not stick to my program when I had that protein bar but I did not dump. Some people dump from eating foods that are too fatty, too greasy or too dry. Again, it varies sooo much!!

I hope I'm not scaring you too much

Hi Robyn! Welcome and congrats on your upcoming journey!

Kate and Sue have answered pretty much all your questions, but I'm one month out of surgery so I thought maybe I could enlighten you with my "still new to this" experiences..... 

I have not dumped nor have vomited from anything yet. I've had close to 15g of sugar during one eating episode. I don't eat rice, pasta, breads....although I do miss them. But I follow my surgeon's orders seriously.

I was told by my nutritionist I am allowed to have caffeine, but not to overdo it. So I limit it to one cup of coffee in the morning if I'm wanting one. I've given up soda long time ago and don't miss it. I do miss drinking alcohol but will definitely wait til I'm about 6 months or more postop before trying.

I've been a bad girl and have had some chocolate (damn Halloween candy) but looked up the nutrition facts of a fun size Hershey with Almonds and it had 8g of sugar and 70 calories and I limited it to one peice and was satisfied. I don't know if I'm a dumper or not. Don't want to test it out!

 Hey Tania!

Thanks for your response!  Wow, only a month out and you've already lost 51 lbs?  Good for you!  That's so awesome!  

Like I said, I'm still 6 months pre surgery so I'm going to be going through lots of what if's, and want to find out as much as I can just so I will have an idea of what I may be going through :)

I'm with you on not wanting to test out dumping! I've had a couple of really nasty episodes (I think it was from something I ate) and I certainly don't want to go through that if I don't have to!

Thanks so much again for your insights and help!!

Robyn

I lost over 50lbs TOTAL, since surgery, 33lbs :)  

Find out and learn as much as you can, but if you really want it, don't back down because of fear. I was terrified, all for nothing! It's the best thing I've ever done! 

keep in mind there are things you can do to alter the usual pasta and bread they tell you to avoid.  I am constantly baking and add protein powder to everything... from cookies to muffins to breads, and of course I substitute splenda for sugar, and applesauce for oil or shortening... and then its a good thing to have. There is also several brands that make a high protein pasta as well.... so you dont have to deprive yourself, just change to a healthier choice and enjoy.