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On my way

nataylor

Member
Hello all!

Last year my father passed away unexpectedly from cardiovascular disease. Then, a few months later, I ended up in the hospital for a week with atrial fibrillation and eventually had a cardiac ablation to correct it. My cardiologist said my weight was probably a large factor in developing Afib. Between that and my father's passing, I was finally convinced I needed to take some drastic action.

I had my Roux-en-Y surgery on June 16th this year. Got sent home from the hospital the next day. The first few days were rough. I had a very hard time moving because of pain at the incision sites. But within 4 days, the pain was much better and I was able to move around more freely. Besides the pain, the worst part of that first week was having to crush up my medication to take it will Jell-O. I've always hated the texture of Jell-O, but mixing it with gritty, bitter medication made it 100 times worse.

The surgeon was happy with my progress at my one-week follow-up. He cleared me for soft foods and, thankfully, said I didn't have to crush my medication anymore.

Been doing relatively well over the past few weeks. Been eating scrambled eggs, oatmeal, and my main go-to protein source has been browned lean ground turkey, very well broken up, mixed with a little salsa. I'm just hitting about 60g of protein a day. I know I should probably do a little more, but I honestly feel too full or not hungry for more food. The surgeon said I should avoid protein shakes, as he wants me getting my proteins from regular foods. I do feel a little low-energy, and I fatigue easily doing physical activities. I'm hoping that improves with time.

I'm already down over 30 lbs from my weight the day before I started my pre-op diet. My clothes are looser, my car seatbelt isn't as tight (I had to struggle to get it buckled before), my range of motion has increased, and the chronic lower back pain I've had has improved.

I can't wait to see what the next months and years bring me!

I hope I can make some new friends here. It's so nice to see everyone's stories.
 
Nataylor,
Welcome to the group and congratulations on your great weight loss already! This is a fantastic place to find encouragement, support, and a little bit of reassurance too ☺️
I had to laugh when I read about you having to mix your crushed meds with jello! What an awful thing to have to do considering your Jello history. Haha
I'm glad those days are behind you!!
And, I'm sorry to hear that you lost your father so unexpectedly. My heart goes out to you. You should be proud of yourself for taking your own wellbeing and health into your own hands and doing something really positive for yourself and those you love.
I look forward to cheering you on along the way! Sounds like you are off to a very good start
 
Hello and welcome You had your surgery on my B-day so I promise it's a great day lol Seriously, it sounds like you're doing really well. I am a huge fan of ground turkey. Even now, it is just so much easier for me to digest. See if your store has ground chicken too. I have a mean chicken parm patty recipe that uses ground chicken, if you get tired of salsa turkey.
 
Hello and welcome You had your surgery on my B-day so I promise it's a great day lol Seriously, it sounds like you're doing really well. I am a huge fan of ground turkey. Even now, it is just so much easier for me to digest. See if your store has ground chicken too. I have a mean chicken parm patty recipe that uses ground chicken, if you get tired of salsa turkey.
Missy, do share that recipe for chicken parm patties. I usually use thin sliced chicken breast but would love to try yours. Might be easier to digest.
 
Hello all!

Last year my father passed away unexpectedly from cardiovascular disease. Then, a few months later, I ended up in the hospital for a week with atrial fibrillation and eventually had a cardiac ablation to correct it. My cardiologist said my weight was probably a large factor in developing Afib. Between that and my father's passing, I was finally convinced I needed to take some drastic action.

I had my Roux-en-Y surgery on June 16th this year. Got sent home from the hospital the next day. The first few days were rough. I had a very hard time moving because of pain at the incision sites. But within 4 days, the pain was much better and I was able to move around more freely. Besides the pain, the worst part of that first week was having to crush up my medication to take it will Jell-O. I've always hated the texture of Jell-O, but mixing it with gritty, bitter medication made it 100 times worse.

The surgeon was happy with my progress at my one-week follow-up. He cleared me for soft foods and, thankfully, said I didn't have to crush my medication anymore.

Been doing relatively well over the past few weeks. Been eating scrambled eggs, oatmeal, and my main go-to protein source has been browned lean ground turkey, very well broken up, mixed with a little salsa. I'm just hitting about 60g of protein a day. I know I should probably do a little more, but I honestly feel too full or not hungry for more food. The surgeon said I should avoid protein shakes, as he wants me getting my proteins from regular foods. I do feel a little low-energy, and I fatigue easily doing physical activities. I'm hoping that improves with time.

I'm already down over 30 lbs from my weight the day before I started my pre-op diet. My clothes are looser, my car seatbelt isn't as tight (I had to struggle to get it buckled before), my range of motion has increased, and the chronic lower back pain I've had has improved.

I can't wait to see what the next months and years bring me!

I hope I can make some new friends here. It's so nice to see everyone's stories.
Hi nataylor, Welcome to the group and congrats on your surgery! Sounds like you are coming along well. Feel free to ask questions, there's a great group of people here. Best of luck on your journey!
 
Here is the link! Diane actually posted it since I was new and had no idea what I was doing yet LOL It absolutely should be easier for you to digest. I have been very lucky in that nothing makes me ill but I do have to eat smaller portion sizes if I eat "solid" meat instead of slow cooked or ground.

(28) Missy's Chicken Parm | American Bariatrics Support Group
That is probably why I couldn't find it when I did a search as I included your name. Thank you and thank you Diane too!
 
Thank you for the welcome, everyone! I love that this place is so positive and friendly.

And thanks @missyinacage for the chicken parm recipe! Sounds easy and delicious. My wife was kind enough to make me some turkey meatballs with homemade marinara on Saturday and that really hit the spot. Chicken parm would be a great way to use up the leftover sauce.
 
Thank you for the welcome, everyone! I love that this place is so positive and friendly.

And thanks @missyinacage for the chicken parm recipe! Sounds easy and delicious. My wife was kind enough to make me some turkey meatballs with homemade marinara on Saturday and that really hit the spot. Chicken parm would be a great way to use up the leftover sauce.

Once you get far enough along that you can eat sides with your protein, it's really great over a bit of spaghetti squash.
 
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