I Can't Stand This Anymore: Moving On to Phase 3

I'm moving on to pureed foods, two days early.

According to the hospital, I'm due to advance to pureed food on Wednesday of this week. From everything I see online, these are approximate guidelines. I cannot stand the liquid diet one more day! It's not the liquid that's getting to me, it's the total lack of variety. I need to taste something other than protein shakes, V8, and plain yogurt. 

The pureed food phase is a bit complicated. In looking for more information, I've discovered an overwhelming number of bariatric recipe sites. Most are like all recipe sites -- loaded with ads, floating video ads, stealth marketing, and the same recipes over and over again.

There are also myriad people advertising their services to be your "bariatric coach". I'm hoping I already have that in the WRD (I've added Wonderful in front of Registered Dietitian), but if I need more support I'm not adverse to finding it online.

Regarding the pureed food phase, there's a lot of conflicting information on what you can and cannot eat. These recipes look yummy, but they contain small amounts of some high-fat ingredients like tahini and blue cheese. I thought those were off-limits.

Do not worry: I'll stick to foods that the hospital says are safe until I can speak with WRD for more clarification. So far this means:

* Pureed tuna, chicken, ground turkey, eggs, tofu, and whole grain hot cereal are all OK. That's plenty to get me started! 

* Serving sizes are 4-6 tablespoons -- and this is supposed to take 20-30 minutes to eat! This will be my single greatest challenge. I eat too fast, and I will have to teach myself how to slow down. Waaay down.

* Food is put in the food processor rather than the blender.

* I'll use a muffin tin to separate and store portions.

* There are some restrictions. At this phase, your stomach is not ready for red meat or for any bread products. And you're not supposed to waste calories on high-sugar food. 

* You're supposed to drink a lot of water between meals, but not with meals. I'm finding the water guidelines challenging.

Here goes! I'll report back soon.

Post-Op Week 2 Progress Report

Things seem to be progressing very well. 

My wound care has ended, so I no longer have to peel band-aids off my torso every day. That's a nice change.

I had been experiencing pain or discomfort in my upper abdomen -- exactly where the highest scope wound is -- when I would swallow liquids. (This is normal.) It's occurring less frequently and less severely. Yay.

I can now drink six ounces of most fluids without pain or discomfort, as long as I sip them slowly.

I'm finding more ways to make a plain protein shake taste better. I didn't buy artificially flavoured protein powder or pre-mixed protein shakes. I usually don't like the taste of any flavoured beverages, and they are always too sweet for me. The plain (unflavoured) protein powder in milk (or coconut milk) was fine with a cup of frozen fruit blended in, pre-surgery. But I can't have fruit yet, and the plain taste was pretty dismal. 

I thought of these ingredients to bring flavour to the mix without adding anything I can't yet eat. I'm using combinations of:
-- vanilla extract
-- cinnamon
-- cacao powder
-- mint leaves
Huge improvement! I'm all kinds of pleased with myself for thinking of this on my own.

The wonderful RD also told me about PB2, peanut protein with all the fat removed. I don't know why I had never heard of this before? Perhaps because I'm not vegan, so I'm not actively looking for protein sources. I don't know if I can get it in our town or if I have to order it, but it sounds like a good option.

I'm walking every day. Only a little so far, but it feels good to get outside. 

I get a daily email from the Government of Canada, asking me to confirm that I am still isolating, and declare whether or not I have symptoms of covid-19. I've also gotten a phone call from a public health worker, asking about my self-isolating plan and how it's going.  

This morning I am cooking another batch of dinners for my partner. He did the shopping and he washes the Instant Pot insert in between dishes I'm cooking. It's not making me hungry, although I do have to watch the impulse to taste things, or even lick a spoon. 

While I'm cooking, I'm making chicken broth for myself, then re-purposing the chicken in a dish for A. This will be much tastier than the pre-made broth. I don't buy canned soups because of the high sodium content, and the broths made for cooking are not very tasty by themselves.

Post-Op Diet Phase 2: An Exciting Day: Yogurt, Plus a Short Walk

Eating a half-cup of plain yogurt should not be this exciting! But I was so happy to put some real food in my mouth this morning.

I can now add V8, plain yogurt, and a protein shake to my hourly intake.

The biggest change will be quantity. In phase 1, you are limited to 3-4 ounces per serving. I found that if I had even slightly more I didn't feel well. Now in phase 2, serving sizes are supposed to be 4-6 ounces. I'll have to approach that slowly to avoid discomfort and nausea.

Phases 1 and 2 combined represent the first two weeks after surgery.

In addition, I can start physical activity again. Pre-surgery, I had shut down all my exercise because of the urticaria. Vigorous exercise is a common trigger, plus for a long time I wasn't sleeping and felt like crap. Now, post-surgery, vigorous is off the table. I'll start today with a short walk on my street and see how that feels.