Advice on Preparing For After Surgery (Foods, Exercise, etc)

hello to all! i am new to these boards, and have found some great info, and i wish i had hours and hours to just read through everything! my surgery is scheduled for jan. 28th, and i have my pre-op visit next week, and i'm driving myself nuts. i'm second-guessing, and making lists and lists of questions, and i'm still not sure what's right and what's in my head! i've done tons of research and know the procedure is right for me, but i'm worrying about the "after". i don't wanna screw it up or be totally unprepared.

i guess my question to you all is, what should i make sure i know before i go under? are there things you wish you'd asked before? and, i guess what are some of  your best suggestions for foods to keep on hand, and exercises to do, tips from all of those who have made it so far already.

thanks in advance, and i can't wait to be a Loser!!!!

toni

Toni, ASK ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.  While you will see here all surgeons have some sort of pre-op and post-op program, everyone is different on what they cover and how much help they give you so if you are not getting the answers you need (now keep in mind the answers you need and the answers you want may not be the same...)   then ASK!!!!  We are a great group of people and all are going through very much the same thing with some varying complications and differences, but remember WE ARE NOT YOUR SURGEON.   Not trying to be harsh (or scream in all capital letters, the caps are for emphasis not volume)  Some people make the mistake of substituting the boards for a visit to their doctor....your best health comes first; that is why you made this decision, right?
We can share experiences and answer some of the things that may embarrass you (like why do I gurgle every time I drink water?    But seriously, pick your surgeon's and their staff's brains!
Prepare:
Buy as many 4 ounce (not 8, not 12....but 4 ounce) glad/zip-lock/Tupperware containers that you can.  I use them as my bowls and serving dishes for myself
Purchase some toddler spoons and forks (encourage smaller bites)
Have protein powder at the ready ... protein powder you LIKE
Fat Free cans of re-fried beans!  These were my favorite when I could eat mushies
Egg Beaters (or similar)
Have some 4 ounce containers of strained soups, broth, jello, SF pudding, SF Popsicles all at the ready-these are your life for the first couple of weeks post=op
Buy a small strainer; this way you can have more "real" soups minus the chunks
Hand blenders are great...not a necessity but real nice because even after fills you will need to "mushy" foods for a while
Don't be afraid to try new things and cook.  Cooking new, healthy and protein rich recipes has been a true enjoyment for me because I find things my family will eat too
If you can get by with it..."Clean house" of crappy choices to eliminate temptation
Just my thoughts....and I am sure you will get some more suggestions from others
Keep on posting and stay involved...I firmly believe the most successful utilize all their support options ()Like this board!)
Sonja

Toni-

Ask your surgeon anything and everything you can think of.  No question is stupid when you are considering a life-altering surgery.

As for post-op foods:

Right after surgery, you'll be on liquids for quite a while.  Here's what I used most of all:

Slim Fast high protein power- chocolate- in a large can with yellow lid
     Hint:  to make them more palatable, mix in a blender with 1/2 cup FROZEN skim milk and 1/2 cup refrigerated milk.....tastes like a milkshake

Broth in cans....chicken, beef, vegetable (just make sure you strain out any vegetable chunks)

cream of chicken soup

cream of mushroom soup (you have to strain these creamed soups)

unsweetened tea


Good luck with your surgery!

 

Definately find a protien drink you like.
I use Isopure and EAS.

I got nervous before surgery too. Wondering if I was making the choice, had I tried hard enough to lose the weight, etc...

Only you can decide what is best for you. The more information you have the better. Have a good support system in place.

As for me I have no regrets. I had surgery on 11/25 and lost 30 pounds. It is so exciting!

Best of luck to you.

Hi.  I'm not new here been checking out the site since 2005.  Was working toward gastric bypass when another medical condition necessitated a hysterectomy (well THAT was good time!) and was advised to wait two years before any other surgery.  So Monday of this week (1/12/09) I had lap LapBand surgery. 

The most satisfying thing I've had so far is Healthy Choice Split Pea soup with ham, dessicated in the food processor and strained.  The bacon flavor really made me happy!  I can't live without my pre-mixed protein milk shakes.  I bought a sample bag of various protein products from the surgery center and one of the products was Lean Body Bananas and Cream Protein Milkshake - it rocked!  I haven't found it on a store shelf yet, but I've only been to the store once.  Maybe if the temperature weren't -3 I'd get out a bit more, but I got what they had at my local grocery which was Muscle Milk Protein Shakes in lots of flavors... Very good also.  One of my favorite snacks is Sugar free Jello.  I bought some frozen sugar-free popsicles, but it's so cold out that cold doesn't really work for me right now.  Chicken Boullion is also very satisfying.  I'm looking forward to mushy foods and one of my first purees will be fried turkey burger and pureed cauliflower.

A couple other little tricks I use.  Avoid strong smells.  They nauseate me.  Or as my son said "Mom, you had a real sensitive nose before surgery.  Are you saying it's even worse... or better?"

I have DVR and don'****ch any live TV.  That way I can jump through all the food commercials.  I love Food Network and Top Chef, so I make sure to line-up a snack to have while watching food shows. 

I find Ice Water is one of the most satisfying things for me.  Also very flavorful decaf teas... I got some Jasmine Green Tea, Earl Grey, Blueberry herb tea, etc.  I'm missing the coffee and thought I'd be able to ease it back into my life but it upsets my stomach.

Well that's all for now, I just discovered this page and this is my first post so I guess I've run on.  Good luck.  I'm so excited everyday about my new life.  Oh a couple other things though.  Most important for me has been "do as I'm told" and learning how not to dry-heave (breathe deeply through your nose and swallow).

Ok.  Peace out.