BrianChesteen
Glad to be a Loser!
Well today is my 15th day as a DS'er, my second day back to work.
Everything is still going well physically. I am getting close to 90oz of liquid in a day and averaging well over 90g of protein a day. Many days are over 100g of protein.
All of the muscle pain is basically gone. There are a few little tender spots. The incisions are all but healed, basically pink scars at this point. I am bruised from the Lovenox injections I have to give myself every morning. The insides are basically pain free. Have different sensations now than pre-op but I guess that is to be expected. Urine output seems to be normal. It has slowed way down from the early days out of the hospital. I drink mostly crystal light and powerade zero. Sometimes just plain water seems to kick the kidneys in gear better than those other liquids. TMI warning: Having one good BM a day now first thing in the morning. It is soft but well formed with sort of a Green tint now. The black stuff has worked its way out.
Everything is so good that at times I forget that I had the DS. Knock on wood and pray hard that it keeps going that way.....
However the chattering monkey on my shoulder tells me that this DS is being way too forgiving at this point and that I have spent all of this money in vain. That I will somehow defeat the surgery or not really get any benefit from it. I know these are not realistic thoughts but the chattering monkey is hard to silence sometimes!
Still just taking multiple woman multi vites at this time (the woman ones have iron) until you experts tell me it is OK to start on more vits. I have the vitalady DS regimen ready.
My issue right now is dealing with this all liquid diet. My surgeon now leaves DS patients with about 10% more stomach than a VSG patient. Not sure if this was always the case or not. That being said, I feel like from the reports others make that I have been left with a larger sleeve than many have. I can swallow about 4 oz of liquid at a time and just start to feel it. The full sensation leaves quickly with just liquid. I can drink an 8 oz protein shake in about 10 minutes.
I do feel like I feel hungry. It is different than pre-op hunger but it seems like my new hunger feeling. The liquids and shakes only satisfy this for a short while.
That being said, I have tested the water on a few food items that are not allowed on my surgeon's Phase I diet. Before you read the next paragraph, please don't think I am cramming my face full of food or anything, all of what I have tried so far combined could easily fit on a bread plate (with the exception of the liquid soups).....
So far I have tried spaghetti squash with a little bit of marinara, cream of chicken soup, a teaspoon of mashed potatoes, a teaspoon of fried green beans, about 1/4oz of well chewed roast beef, taco bell refried beans, very thin deli turkey rolls with a slice of colby jack cheese, half a whole wheat english muffin with butter, and chicken tortilla soup from Mcalisters. Obviously my portions are ~4 oz for thick stuff and around 8oz for liquids and I chew the stuff till it is mush. Today I am 15 days post op and honestly I feel like I could go back to regular food but I am taking it in baby steps and being careful! I figure if it does not hurt and does not make me sick or have bathroom issues I must be doing ok.
So there it is. Am I over doing it? Eating solids too early? Am I crazy thinking I am getting hungry?
PS: I have sort of been using this veteran's original food list as a test for my excursions from the surgeons plan:
http://www.dsfacts.com/Post-Op-Eating.html#.Ut7OkBAo670
Everything is still going well physically. I am getting close to 90oz of liquid in a day and averaging well over 90g of protein a day. Many days are over 100g of protein.
All of the muscle pain is basically gone. There are a few little tender spots. The incisions are all but healed, basically pink scars at this point. I am bruised from the Lovenox injections I have to give myself every morning. The insides are basically pain free. Have different sensations now than pre-op but I guess that is to be expected. Urine output seems to be normal. It has slowed way down from the early days out of the hospital. I drink mostly crystal light and powerade zero. Sometimes just plain water seems to kick the kidneys in gear better than those other liquids. TMI warning: Having one good BM a day now first thing in the morning. It is soft but well formed with sort of a Green tint now. The black stuff has worked its way out.
Everything is so good that at times I forget that I had the DS. Knock on wood and pray hard that it keeps going that way.....
However the chattering monkey on my shoulder tells me that this DS is being way too forgiving at this point and that I have spent all of this money in vain. That I will somehow defeat the surgery or not really get any benefit from it. I know these are not realistic thoughts but the chattering monkey is hard to silence sometimes!
Still just taking multiple woman multi vites at this time (the woman ones have iron) until you experts tell me it is OK to start on more vits. I have the vitalady DS regimen ready.
My issue right now is dealing with this all liquid diet. My surgeon now leaves DS patients with about 10% more stomach than a VSG patient. Not sure if this was always the case or not. That being said, I feel like from the reports others make that I have been left with a larger sleeve than many have. I can swallow about 4 oz of liquid at a time and just start to feel it. The full sensation leaves quickly with just liquid. I can drink an 8 oz protein shake in about 10 minutes.
I do feel like I feel hungry. It is different than pre-op hunger but it seems like my new hunger feeling. The liquids and shakes only satisfy this for a short while.
That being said, I have tested the water on a few food items that are not allowed on my surgeon's Phase I diet. Before you read the next paragraph, please don't think I am cramming my face full of food or anything, all of what I have tried so far combined could easily fit on a bread plate (with the exception of the liquid soups).....
So far I have tried spaghetti squash with a little bit of marinara, cream of chicken soup, a teaspoon of mashed potatoes, a teaspoon of fried green beans, about 1/4oz of well chewed roast beef, taco bell refried beans, very thin deli turkey rolls with a slice of colby jack cheese, half a whole wheat english muffin with butter, and chicken tortilla soup from Mcalisters. Obviously my portions are ~4 oz for thick stuff and around 8oz for liquids and I chew the stuff till it is mush. Today I am 15 days post op and honestly I feel like I could go back to regular food but I am taking it in baby steps and being careful! I figure if it does not hurt and does not make me sick or have bathroom issues I must be doing ok.
So there it is. Am I over doing it? Eating solids too early? Am I crazy thinking I am getting hungry?
PS: I have sort of been using this veteran's original food list as a test for my excursions from the surgeons plan:
http://www.dsfacts.com/Post-Op-Eating.html#.Ut7OkBAo670
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