Need some diet advice...

[Txkat]

I am about 10 days out from my surgery. I think my surgeon's post op diet instructions are very conservative compared to others I've read on the Internet. He sent me home with nothing but liquids for two weeks, 64 oz. of clear liquid, 90 gr. of protein, and my vitamins. Days 4-7 I had terrible watery diareah, and finally I took a day where I only took in about 40 oz of liquid, and maybe 30-50 grams of protein. My instincts were to go on a BRAT diet, so I actually very carefully ate some saltines. I've actually been eating little bits of food every day. I feel tons better, my bathroom habits are much better. I'm still down 22 lbs as of this morning, so I don't think I've dove any harm, but I have my post op visit tomorrow and I'm a nervous. I don't want to lie to my doctor, especially since I'm part of a study, and the information is important to a lot of people, but I just can't take being put back on liquids.

 

[southernlady]

Okay, part of what you NEED to find out is if you have a Valtrac Ring
IF you do then following your diet TO THE letter in the first month or so is ABSOLUTE! You can seriously damage yourself if you don't.

And liquids in...liquids out. BTW, forget the BRAT diet even exists. At least the R, A, and T part...broth is fine but rice, applesauce and toast are NOTHING but carbs.

I hated the 2 weeks of liquids and hated not trusting my guts. But once you do transition to soft foods, things will improve.

 

[brooklyngirl]

What are the the progression of stages from your doc? And getting less fluids is NOT the way to feel better. You can cut back on the protein shakes, too much might be too hard on your new insides and you can increase slowly, but pease DO NOT let yourself get dehydrated, that's not the way to stop diarrhea.

 

[Munchkin]

Find out about the val-trac. If you don't have one, the food progression is just what your doc prefers. And diarrhea should be treated. Get some imodium.

 

[Razbry]

Two weeks seems like forever at this point, but it is also CRITICAL healing time. You do not want to put any load on all those new sutures. I've heard of people dying from just tossing down a couple peanuts (why they chose that I'll never know). If I scared you...good. Like the website says, buckle up for candor! Take care...we care.

 

[Txkat]

Well, I had my check up and my doctor was more concerned about the protein I wasn't getting than the carbs I was eating. Despite all the days of diareah, when they ran my numbers, I wasn't dehydrated at all. I got cleared to eat pretty much anything I want except a pretty short list, starting with soft moist foods and adding 1 new food every day to see how well it's tolerated. I went to the accupuncturist at the doctors office, and that helped my diareah immensely. I'm down 23 lbs and finally feeling better.

 

[newanatomy]

Your doctor is not going to care about carbs. Most of them recommend a moderate carb, low fat, low calorie diet -- not what we eat as DS'rs. I admit, I don't know what is recommended for a SADI/Loop. If the final diet is like that of the RNY, it is low carb, low fat, low calorie, right?

 

[Txkat]

Nope. The dietician gave me a goal of six meals a day and 80 grams of protein a day with a plan to add one new food a day so I can identify what I tolerate. She said that I would probably do fine with carbs, but that I might get very gassy, so I should ad them slowly. Multivitamin w/ ADEK, calcium, and she'll add iron at 3 mos. if my levels look low. She wants me to try to eat at least 800 calories a day.

The SADI is basically a sleeve with the first portion of the small intestine bypassed. I have a 300cm alimentary channel, which is even a little longer than most SADI, which are around 250. I have had great fat malabsorption, and only get digestive issues when I eat too much at once.

 

[Elizabeth N.]

That mixed multi is not going to have enough fat soluble vites. You have nearly all of your duodenum bypassed for food, so you are going to absorb very little iron, just like with a DS. What kind of calcium are you taking?

 

[Txkat]

I am taking Wellesse liquid D with Calcium. All of the vitamins I have a specifically for bariatric patients. I had the dietician at the doctor's office look at them, and she thought they were good. I'm thinking I'm going to go to my PCP at about a month out to have her run blood levels so I can fine tune my vitamins. I'm not doing well getting my 800 calories in, and I don't to get to a point where I am fighting to get my vitamin levels back to acceptable levels.

 

[southernlady]

I am taking Wellesse liquid D with Calcium. All of the vitamins I have a specifically for bariatric patients. I had the dietician at the doctor's office look at them, and she thought they were good. I'm thinking I'm going to go to my PCP at about a month out to have her run blood levels so I can fine tune my vitamins. I'm not doing well getting my 800 calories in, and I don't to get to a point where I am fighting to get my vitamin levels back to acceptable levels.

As long as your D is not in a gel cap or a prescription D2, you will be fine.

Much of the stuff that is marketed for bariatrics is just overpriced horse shit. Example here: http://bariatricfacts.org/threads/barilife-vitamins-wrong-for-dsers.2578/ Mine are available at Costco, Amazon, mostly. I get the dry D3 from BioTech thru Amazon.

 

[JackieOnLine]

Much of the stuff that is marketed for bariatrics is just overpriced horse shit

talk about hitting you where it hurts - it's crap AND it costs a lot!

 

[Txkat]

On the positive side of things, I have discovered the perfect early post-bariatric meal. Quiche. Loads of protein, soft, tastes good hot or at room temperature, easy to pack up and take with you. It's the first thing I've been able to eat consistently that didn't make any kind of dramatic exit. I'm still finishing the chewable vitamins they told us to get at my meeting with the bariatric nurse and dietician before surgery. They gave each of us $200 in vouchers to get protein and vitamin supplements. I imagine it's because they don't want the results of the study to be affected by differences in vitamin intake, but who cares...it was free.