I am Helen, 31, mother of 2 great boys: 5 and 7 and i have a husband who is very patient with me LOL
I am now 10 post op and i have never been so depressed in my life.
i have a very difficult time getting my proteins and this whole liquid diet is killing me especially when i see that some people move to phase 2 by week 1 or 2 and my surgeon will not let me move to phase 2 for 4 weeks.
I don't even know what to do anymore. My head is spinning and i became very unpleasant. I try so hard to tell myself that it will be better but it doesn't seem to work for more than 5 minutes.
I just found out that milk and i are not friends so it is one more thing to cut out of the diet. The chocolate shakes are getting old again!!! I do not like the strawberry and i have been trying a lot of different protein shakes and i don't like any of them other than Medifast70 dutch chocolate but if i want to be able to reach my protein level, i need to drink 5 of those and i can barely get 2 down!! I am at loss. :stress
I'm sorry to rumble but i am so sad that i don't even know what to do. I don't even want to et out of the house!
Anyways, that is all about me so far! Not a very happy introducting, sorry!!
Can I ask what type of surgery did you have? I know that Jiffypop talks about a protein drink thats supposed to be wonderful but the name slips my mind at the moment.
Lots of people get very depressed after surgery, this is normal, I mean your not getting in "food" and at this point its hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel but I promise you, it will be worth it. I have the band and had to do two weeks of clear liquids, then a week of thicker liquids and then mushies and finally my 5 week out I could eat solid foods... it was long and grooling but every time I stepped on the scale it made every day worth it.
Since your allowed thick drinks are you allowed to drink cream soups? that helps alot.
I'm sure as soon as you let us know what kind of surgery you had we could help you better.
nectar protein!!!! honest. and there are other proteins that are unflavored. Helen, for variety, i found that mixing the protein with yogurt [1/2 c plain] made a very very very very nice, welcome change. kind of like pudding.
are you on clear liquids or on 'full liquids' which includes things like cottage cheese and eggs. from what i've heard from other folks. 4 weeks on phase 1 is a long time. my surgeon has people move off of clear liquids in a week or less.
what's a typical day like for you? maybe we can make a suggestion or two.
as for the depression/frustration - well , it's real. you don't feel well, and you're not happy. but things will get better. honest!
are you getting in your water? in this heat it becomes even more important than usual.
rant and rave all you want to, that's why we're here!
I'll second Jiffy's vote for Nectar - I love it when I don't want a heavy, chocolately shake. They make a "to-go" packet that I always take when I travel as it is easy to dump into a bottle of water, shake and instant meal.
Congrats on your surgery and this will get better. If you are still having a hard time, call your doctor's office and speak to the nutritionist - this is what they are for.
I got the RNY.
To answer some of your questions, my day is fairly uneventful as i am a stay at home mom. I got to school but i only got twice a week at night. I do not have many friends in the area as i find difficult to make friends where i live.
As far as the "tasteless" protein powder, well there is a taste and it tastes awful and on top of it all i don't like milk!
I have ordered a few things online and i should get them soon , i hope they work.
I am on liquid diet: things that are allowed are water, broth, V8, coffee or tea, SF jell-o, popsicles, snapple, kool aid ,Propel and Skim milk SO i don't know if that it still clear liquids or full liquids but i find it extremely long!! Oh i forgot that i can drink protein shake but the kind i like , i would have to drink 5 of them to get the amount of protein a day and i can barely drink 2. On top of it all, can you imagine drinking 5 chocolate ( it is the only taste i like ) shakes a day every day !!!
My days have been awful, i have not cried that much in a long long time. I feel so depressed that i don't even know what to do !!
Anyways, i think i did enough rambling right now.
Thank you ladies for all the kind words, it does help!
Hi Helen!! I remember that right after I've had my surgery (I had half of your surgery, the restriction but not the bypass part ), I had been so miserable, I was thinking what did I do to myself!! But after a while it got better, and I feel like, this is the best thing I have ever done! Once you're out of this liquid phase, you will get the frustration of not being able to eat as much as you would like to (I remember being depressed then too!) But after that, when all your clothes become loose, and walk lighter, and your face starts to look different, and everyone compliments you.. You will definetly feel happy
And don't worry about not getting enough.. eventually you will..
Just hang in there
D.
P.S. Don't want to alarm you, but read the hair loss thread.. It won't necessarily happen to you, but I would have loved to have some heads up.