I'm 4 days post op, and feeling pretty good so far. My nutritionist called today and said I need to be getting 60g protein in, in addition to my fluids. I'm doing pretty well staying hydrated (60-70 oz) but I can't get much thicker stuff down and am probably only around 30g protein. Did anyone else struggle with it? Does it get easier?

I'd love to hear your experiences about the first couple of weeks!

-- Gale

congratulations - for being home, and feeling fairly well. No matter which surgery you had, the first little while is very very difficult.

What are your protein shakes? are they milk-based? are you putting them in the blender with ice? if you are STOP!!!!!!

I COULD NOT get down protein shakes until i figured out that putting them in the blender to make them thick was only puffing them up with lots of air and THAT was a major problem. IT HURT!!!!!

So, i did two things. First, I mixed them with milk and poured them over ice [i liked them REALLY cold]. and THEN i used a spoon rather than actually drinking them. Drinking just didn't work - I guess I took in too much air, or too much volume, or whatever. But the spoon really helped.

hope this helps!

Gale, I'm glad to see you are doing well.

Thank you Jiffy! I didn't even think about the "fluff" in the blended shakes being air. *smh*
I'm so dog tired of shakes at this point that I'm not drinking many. I'm doing sf hot chocolate with protein powder, blended soup with protein powder (the Genepro flavorless is AWESOME!), sometimes just milk with powder.
There is such a learning curve with this, which unfortunately I was naive enough not to expect.

Thank you, Diana! It gets better each day. :-)

Oh Gale - you said it - about the learning curve! it's ALWAYS something - and i'm more than 10 years out!! It's hard to believe right now, just after surgery, but figuring out what to eat and when is just the tip of the iceberg.

So, for right now, rest up [you need to heal]. drink your fluid, get your protein in, and start moving a little bit. That's quite enough to deal with!!! LOL! Can you get progresso italian wedding soup where you live? If you fish out the little meatballs and some of the soft veggies, they puree really well and taste good. lots of protein in those cans!!!

BTW, if/when your surgeon allows, mixing protein powder with yogurt can be a GREAT idea.

And watch out for eggs - some people can eat them, others can't. Some do well with them cooked only one way [poached vs soft boiled vs scrambled, etc]. For me, i could only eat them hard boiled, preferably deviled, with lots of hot sauce. Couldn't keep down a scrambled egg for more than 2 years.

The Syntrax Nectar shakes were much easier for me to tolerate, as I'd mix them with water, not milk. The Fuzzy Naval and Lemonade flavors were my go-to drinks. I also made sure not to drink too fast. A sip every five minutes was all I could tolerate.

Things do get better. Before you know it, you'll be ble to tolerate a little bit more each day.

Oh, I hope I can tolerate eggs! I love eggs. We'll see soon, I should get cleared for soft foods next week.
I'm allowed to have yogurt, applesauce, and other pureed food now. Just nothing with chunks. I've been doing what you suggested and pureeing progresso soups. I never thought blended mush could taste so wonderful, lol!

Every day is getting better. :-) I'm moving past the "Oh, crap, what did I do??" stage and getting a little more excited about all of it.

Glad to hear it, Gale. attitude is everything with the surgery - and if you take it day by day, eating event by eating event [notice i didn't call them MEALS!!! ] and just stay focused on the RIGHT NOW, you'll do great.

did your doc mention that many people find that their tastes change? what tasted good before surgery doesn't always work. Just roll with it - don't fight with it, don't resent it. It'll come back at some point.

My dietician mentioned that my tastes might change. I think I'll have to be eating actual food to see whether that's the case for me, lol!!

I will say, I'm getting good at blending!