Hey Tracy ??? for ya
Yes it is true but it is doable though so dont worry. You will need a little of both warn and cold clothes. I just wear shorts around the house and sweets when I go out or if I get cold.
By Shuttle do you mean Bambi? If so he is Great but so is everyone else down here it is a Great Experience and I think the best place to have surgery.
Hey Candance!
We had jello and my mom made cream of wheat. Because they had drove, we had a cooler with jello and crystal light. I wasn't hungry. I mostly drank to stay hydrated. My mom also packed a hot plate and made cream of wheat. I was only there 2 days post op so we didn't need a lot. The hotel's food is expensive.
As for clothes I took way too much. I mainly work those Walmart pajama capri pants and t-shirts. Mainly something with elastic waist. I was warm the whole time I was there. The hotel doesn't have air conditioning but if you open your front door and the sliding glass door it gets a nice breeze going. I never wore a sweat shirt while I was there. But then again I was 100lb heavier then and always hot..now I am always cold!
It sounds like you've got everything planned, just waiting for the day. It will be here before you know it.
Has your mom had any luck with the plastics?
Julie
I'll pop in on this one too.
I didn't get around to it, but you can get glycerin pops at the pharmacy that you can wet your mouth with in the hospital when you feel too dry. I asked for a washcloth and water to wipe my tongue down. They gave me gauze which was nasty and medicinal. Just ask to wet down a washcloth you bring with a little bottled water so you can wipe down your tongue if you need to. I would go easy on it though because it can stimulate your saliva glands and you can get foamy in your new pouch which can be nauseating.
As for food, I would stop in San Diego with Bamby and get some cheese, cottage cheese, etc. The dairy products in Mexico are gamey and unless you like that kind of thing, it can really turn your stomach fresh out of surgery. Bring Sugar Free Jello as well and you can mix it dry with cottage cheese which makes a great meal.
If you stay in the hotel, you can get room service and get cream of wheat, cottage cheese and soups and such. Their cream of wheat is really good - made with milk so it is rich and they serve it with banana or strawberries. I didn't think the cost was that bad for getting room service for that. If I remember right it was about $5 or $6. I think.
Go easy on things that are starchy that will go through quickly at first. I discovered that crackers made me dump. I'd go easy on mashed potatoes too, but if you make it thick enough it would stay in your pouch longer and not be as likely to make you sick.
My friend couldn't find sugar free yogurt so she got me a small regular yogurt and I was able to eat that fine. I ate the whole 4 oz without blinking. But funny that the crackers made me sick but not the sugared yogurt.
As for sugar free items in Mexico, they are called Light. (SF Jello can be found there, but it is "Light.")
If you stay in the Hotel, there is no microwave but they have a coffee pot. I made instant soups with ho****er I brewed there. They were good about giving you as much water as you needed. I took a hotplate but didn't use it because I didn't bring a pot to use!
If I were to make out a grocery list of things to get in SD on the way down, here is what it would look like:
*Cheese
*Cottage cheese
*SF Yogurt
*Carb Countdown Chocolate Milk (12 gr protein/2 gr carbs)
*Propel (flavored waters go down easier for some people)
*Crackers (I dumped easier on saltines but did better with Wheat Thins - if you have cheese with them it might not be so bad right off)
*Soups of different kinds. If you get dried ones, make sure to get the ones that don't have a lot of dried veggies if you are in the hotel. The ho****er from the coffee pot isn't hot enough to soften them quickly. If you get them in a can, make sure they are smooth enough or that you can chew the soup well enough. I've heard tomato soup can make some dump. I never had it because I'm not really overly fond of it.
Hope that helps a little.
Dina
Hi Candice!
The second day my mouth felt really dry but the nurse brought in a breathing thing and after I used it wasn't dry anymore. I was amazed that I could live without food or water for three day but I didn't find it to be that bad.
I carried some food in one of my suitcases but Bambi stopped at the market in San Diego so we could pick some things up. I took LF/SF yogurt, cottage cheese, SF jello, pudding, creamy peanut butter, baby food fruit, broth out of chicken noodle soup, banana (mashed), instant postatoes, FF instant gravy, applesauce, instant oatmeal (thin with skim milk), crystal light, SF kool-aid, salt free crackers. My husband bought me some of the Wonder Bread toast that is on Dr. A's list. It was wonderful with peanut butter on it. I could actually chew. I took some home and would melt a slice of cheese on it. The cheese that comes in a squirt can is good with crackers or melba toast. It still tastes salty to me though. I drink Propel, Chrystal Light, and SF Kool-aid, now. I still can't drink plain water. It feels like lead hitting my pouch. I don't like cottage cheese but I knew it was a good source of protein so I mixed dry SF jello with it and then I could eat it.
Cheri