Friday, August 24, 2012

Five To Go . . .


            Hello my fabulous friends!  I want to start by saying how touched I am that so many of you are not just reading my blog, but responding to it so positively.  It has truly warmed my heart.  Knowing that I have become something to which people look forward to each day has given me another form of added energy to keep moving forward in my journey. I am so glad for our friendships, every one of you.
            I was thinking today that by the time I begin to eat food again, it will have been approximately five weeks or so since I would have had my last bite of food.  Post surgery the first three phases of eating that I will experience are Clear Liquids, Full Liquid, and Full Liquid/Pureed.  It is this last stage in which I will introduce foods such as cottage cheese and egg whites.  Wow, though.  It will have been over a month since I have eaten anything other than some Jello and popsicles.  It might be a more difficult transition than I thought because I am really getting used to not having to stop what I am doing to eat or make a meal.  Plus, I will have to try various foods because my tastes may change after surgery, too.  It will be an adventure for sure, but, as I said earlier, it is a chance to start fresh and retrain my body to enjoy food in a new, healthy way. 
            When I stopped at GNC yesterday, the young man working asked why bariatric surgery patients were not allowed to have caffeine.  I really didn’t have an answer other than your body is to be cleansed in preparation for such a big surgery.  Being who I am, I did a bit of research this afternoon.  Caffeine can act as a diuretic, and since patients need to retain as much fluid as possible, especially when on the various liquid diets, it is not recommended.  Also, it can irritate the stomach, which is not good when the stomach has gone from the size of a football to the size of a golf ball.  However, on the support group forum I stumbled upon, many people stated that they are able to have one or two cups of regular coffee a day without problems.  So, there you have it! LOL.
            And with that, the countdown continues! Five more . . . 

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