3 Weeks Post Surgery Lessons Learned

Well, 3 weeks out now, down about 45 pounds including 2 weeks of liquids prior to surgery, been experimenting on my body like a human lab rat trying to learn as much as possible about what I can and cannot do.  Doc saw me 12 days out and cleared me on soft foods for a week then what ever I can tolerate, so that was a huge plus, thought I was gonna be on chicken broth for months  NOT!!!

Surgery 10 Feb, Nervous, worried, scared, all that crap, but once they got me high, I was game for a heart transplant.  Got out, got walking and the pain was not near what I had expected, Had Lap RNY and the little incisions hurt, especially when you laugh, sneeze or cough. (Hug a pillow)  What I didn't expect is that there was no internal pain whatsoever, the stomach must be lacking in pain nerves because that did not hurt at all internally.

Discharged after 2 days, Chocolate protein shakes begin to suck real fast, used milk with no problems, no gas, normal processing and discharge, quite pleased with that.

I Have been completely blessed, as I hate splena but need my coffee, I tried a teaspoon of sugar in it a couple days after surgery, no problems with dumping or anything, did a lot of soups and shakes that first week, shakes seemed so much better if you let em sit for 30 min in ice after blending, (Gets the air out)

Day 10, Doc loves the outcome, blesses me to eat mushy (can cut with a fork) but wants me drinking with small meals so the pouch is not stressed yet...  I am so excited to chew something, rummage thru freezer, hmmm what to eat, find a weigh****chers Salisbury steak meal, think to self Salisbury steak, that's like mushy meat, sure why not, nuke it and take a small sliver of steak, chew it up and realize as I swallow, that there was a lump in there.....  NOT GOOD  Apparently I plug my little exit, feels like I'm being stabbed in the sternum, I try to drink some water, NOT GOOD  no place for water to go, I burp up said water, I pace around house for 10 min, Finally I run to bathroom and burp/upchuck a mouthful of white foam  YUCK. I say whew, glad that's over   NOT!!!  after an hour of burping foam and dry heaving until my eyes dislocate, it passes and or comes up  LESSON LEARNED--- CHEW THAT **** UP!!!  (and microwaved Salisbury Steak has the consistency of a racquetball)

So back to the food chopper, That is never gonna happen again so I get to experimenting, I got little Tupperware of chopped bacon, onions, ham, OMELETTS RULE, One Egg, some fixings, bit O Salsa and were in business, course now I chew, and chew, and chew... Nothing going down my throat larger than an ants ass.

Kids come home a couple days ago, one of em has some Ben and Jerry's... HMMM I wonder, I get a teaspoon, and have a small teaspoon, no problems, next day, I'm wondering if I got gypped out of this dumping thing every one talks about...  BREAK OUT THE LAB COAT -- I measure out an ounce of Ice Cream  (Big Tablespoon), Ingest, no problems, that's 15 g of sugar, hmmm, pop another ounce, no problem, What the hell???  Another ounce and as I'm finishing I feel the most unique gurgle in my gut... UH OH, and I spend the next hour learning what dumping is, I think I got rid of a quart or so of water there, Make note to self to hydrate and learn that I did not get gypped!!!  (Side note-I hate ice cream, but it seemed a good food for the experiment) seems like I should never surpass 30 G sugars or bad things will happen

Other things, PB and Crackers, Not good, to sticky apparently, just didn't feel good.

Small Wendys Chile -- Awesome, and good for 2-3 meals!!!

Re fried Beans -- go down real good!!!

I had thought that Mashed potatoes would be a good thing, they even told me at the hospital that those were good, took a bit of research to realize that they were probably tied into the reason I found my self sleeping in the horse stall in the back yard and on the floor of my garage, I exaggerate but the crash from those carbs is evil, Carb Coma I believe they call it.

1/4 cup cereal with milk -- Bad, goodnight

That Koshi cereal with protein -- Good

Half slice of cheese thin crust pizza -- Good and I used to hate pizza

Tonite I'm doing a pork/green chile experiment, very lean and in a stew falling apart, wish me luck

Exercise, just walking for now, looking at gym's but just don't have the energy, trying to walk 2 miles a day, succeeding about every other day

Please do not think I'm running around gorging on everything in site, I just want to learn my limitations on my terms, not at a restaurant or a wedding or during a business meeting.  It is a roller coaster, 10 pounds prior to surgery 30 in the 3 weeks since.

Hope I'm not screwing up, I'm really starting to crave some fresh veggies but am hesitant to go there yet, any suggestions on steamed veggies???

Oh and most importantly:
LOSTTXN  nailed it with mantra number 4 --  Never Trust a Fart!!!    (Almost had a catastrophe at Target the other day, then I remembered rule 4!!!)  Thanks LOSTTXN

I'll throw out my 2 cents on your progress.  The weightloss is good.  About normal for a man your age and size.  I waited 6 months before I tested sugar.  Wish I had never gone down that road...Why did we get the surgery if we go back to the junk!!  I'm pointing the finger at me, as much as you.  Go with the veggies...Probably some nutrients that have been coming up short with regular eating...the veggies help.  Cooked spinach with alittle salt is good.  Glad you found Wendy's Chili...what a lifesaver.  If you are like me, know your limit on ice cream.  You will find as the summer comes upon us that the hardest to digest is the soft serve stuff.  It goes straight to the gut...the sugar and fat (cream) really will do a number on you. 
A few other ideas...egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad...with salt pepper, low fat mayo, and Mt. Olive Sugar Free Relish (made with Splenda).  Chicken vegetable or beef vegetable soups may work too.  Lean lunchen meat around a piece of string cheese inside a piece of dark green lettuce (add mayo and mustard)...chew well.  Brian  PS  The longer you wait to go back to the carbs (simple carbs) and sugar the better off you'll be. 

Thanks for your input cabin, and I appreciate the feedback, Im not to worried about the sugar, I didn't get fat from sugar, dont even really have a sweet tooth, I got fat cause I used to love to dig in elbow deep into a rack of ribs with all the fixings or fire up a 24 oz porterhouse and slam it down, portion control was my issue, plain and simple, the ability to feel full will be an awesome tool, I'll still get the steak, may just be 4oz of it but hopefully I walking away from the table feeling satisified.

And I'm off the sugar, cept my coffee, even if it doesnt make me dump, I feel it does hinder my energy levels dramatically.

Cant wait to do a tuna salad, do you eat it with bread/crackers or toast or just plain?

A Mans got to know his limitations!!!  Will let ya know if I come up with any other ways to turn myself into a human lab rat....

Thanks for the words Tex, glad it made ya smile!!!

I would just eat it plain or if you needed to (to add crunch) some whole wheat type of cracker.  One of my biggest downfalls now is carbs (tortilla chips)...The oil, the salt, the corn taste.  I wished I never went down that road.  Now I deal with bread, cakes, candy, chips.  I really don't care much for fried foods (except chips) or high fructose corn syrup in candy or soft drinks.  I'm with you...alittle sugar in the coffee.  Brian

 You are quite welcome my friend!  Thanks for the good laugh!

Learning to eat post op is a lot of trial and error.  While I could be flaming your food choices, I'm not going to, I appreciate your "let's get this **** over with attitude"!  I still haven't manned up enough to try ice cream.

Like LostTexan.. I haven't taken the "dump jump" at five months out. I hope to stay with "safe" foods until i reach goal. At that point I'll decide what to do. It's kind of a "one day at a time" thing. But thanks for the ice cream info. I keep thinking that I'll be one of those people who don't dump, but for you, it seems to be a matter of quantity. Thanks for being a guinea pig.

As for "the foamies".  Yeah, they suck. I too have issues with eating big quantities of foods in the past.  So since RNY, I have gotten poultry stuck in my pouch four or five times because I didn't take small enough bites, didn't chew enough and ate too fast. But I'm learning.  I had 4 oz of chicken breast last night and was ok. 

Finally, if there's any thing I have learned on this board... Carbs are killers.  Specifically sugars and simple carbs.  Complex carbs in moderation seem to be the key. That's one reason I had RNY. The fat malabsorption fits my profile because I love fatty foods like steak.  But I still go for low or reduced fat when I can.

Good Luck and keep us updated.