A tisket a tasket a basket

Hi all, I have a few questions I thought you might be able to help with. 1)I am trying to prepare a basket of items to have here at home for post-op. What are the top 10 items you would have on hand for post-op if you had to do it again? Thanks for any suggestions. 2)Also, I want to be creative with my full liquid diet. At support group meeting the bariatric nurse said this is perfectly fine. What were some foods you used to help you get through the full liquid stage that helped ease the boredom of bland cream soups? 3)Did you wear a binder post op? If so, was it worth it? My insurance will not cover the cost of this so if enough of you feel it is worth it, I will buy one ahead of time. 4)What is the best advice I could give my husband? He is very nervous about what to do when I get home. He has really no idea what to expect and refuses to read the MB (due to limited free time-he's not a MB snob or anything like that) What things do you think he should know that will help me the most? Thanks for your input! Hugs, Jaimee

Number one on my list would be a mini-cuisenart a friend gave me. I was on pureed for 4 weeks, and this made it possible to make the small amounts of food for me. Number two would be my coffee cup warmer that I found a Brookstone. (I remember seeing cheaper ones, but I couldn't find one anywhere when I went to buy one!) This would keep my food from getting cold, since I had to eat slowly. (over 15-20 minutes) Number three would be Pyrex glass custard cups. Nice for eating from and fit on the warmer. Number four would be my sample menus I got in my diet classes. This made it easy for me to eat what I was supposed to. I never had to do full liquids, so I can't help there. I had lap RNY, so I never needed any sort of binder. My DH was interested, since he had surgery about 7 months after I did! I think he would need to know that you will have an incision (if open), and you will have some restrictions on lifting, so he needs to be prepared to take over some of the household duties. He needs to know a little bit about your diet, and that going out may be somewhat limited for awhile. you will need some rest, but you also need to get moving, so enlisting him to walk with you would be good. He can motivate you as well as support you! Good luck! Sue

The coffee cup warmer is a great idea. I never would have thought of it. Thanks for the suggestion. I have a few of the custard cups so I will be sure to have them handy.

I was lucky - I went to pureed foods almost immediately. That being said I lived on blended tuna + light mayo; any kind of soup, blended; FF cottage cheese blended; plain FF yogurt; sugar-free canation instant breakfast drink; mashed potatoes mixed; and FF refried beans w/ FF sour cream. I would also throw a jar of meat baby food into things like soup, mashed potatoes and tuna - you couldn't taste it but it added some protein. Good luck!

are you having it open or lap? Cindy

I am supposed to have it lap if my gallbladder surgery scars don't interfere.

Jamie,If its lap he doesnt have to worry about anything except the first few days,getting what you need. Eric,my husband kept track of the times I would get my juice or buillion(cant spell). He would do anything I needed. Believe me they do it all because they are scared to death not to hAHA/ I had lap so I didnt wear a binder.I also dont know how creative you can be with liquid. You wont want anything anyway. The first week you wont care about anything. The popsicles really kept me going. Get plenty in the house. Each one is a water. One half I think. I still have a least 2 a day. I love the sf one from meijer. The real cheap ones because they have banana and they are great. I love the sugar free pudding. You will be fine but if there are any more questions,just ask. Love Cindy

I found the crystal light singles at GFS today in 30 packs. I plan to have some of those on hand too for when I am out and about. By the way, where did your picture go? Are you updating it?

After my pre surgical visit today, the doctors office mentioned SNAPPLE A DAY. They said they had several people who said this was good.

Julie, Is the snapple a day thing full sugar or is it a sugarfree product?