The Next Steps Along the Way

I contacted my pre-op coordinator and got the remainder of my required steps scheduled, and it turned out that I could fulfill them all during the course of one day. The nutrition class and the doctors talk were scheduled for the same day, which just happened to be the same day the support group also met, and their timing was back to back to back, so it couldn’t have worked out any better. I invited not only Denny to go along with, but his folks and my mom as well. This allowed everyone to hear the same information and saved me from repeating it over and over again.

The nutrition class is designed to give those who do have any clue about what is up and coming an overview of what to expect and to provide some tips to help you get through the first few weeks post surgery. One of the tips mentioned was the use of Kefir, which apparently I was the only one in the class who knew what it was prior to the class, other than my mom of course. Kefir is similar to liquid yogurt, and provides better probiotic nutrition than yogurt to assist your digestion. My favorite is the Trader Joe’s Strawberry Kefir, as it is nice, thick and creamy. The nutritionist, who was just a little bit of a thing, handed out a packet to everyone containing the post surgery diet indicating the phases and the length of time you are supposed to be in each phase. Phase I is full liquids, Phase II is purees, and Phase III is soft foods.

This packet also gave you a sample day for each of the phases on expectations of what you should be able to eat. I took one look at it, saw that one of the recommendations was Carnation Instant Breakfast, and turned to my mom and said “They can forget this.” I can do liquids – no problem. I was not going to drink Carnation Instant Breakfast, which I tried as a child and gagged on. Fortunately, they considered Cream of Wheat a liquid if you made it runny enough, so I was set. For the lapband patient, each of the phases runs for a minimum of one week. For the bypass patients, each of the phases runs for a minimum of three weeks. What this allows you to do is to teach your digestive system how to digest once again. The reason the bypass patients have to go through each of the phases for a longer period of time is that their anatomy has been reconfigured and the food is going directly into the intestines, which takes some adjusting to.

The biggest issue I saw with the plan was trying to get enough protein each day, while keeping yourself hydrated. The sample diet for the first phase was absolutely ridiculous – I don’t think anyone could really follow it without going crazy. So, the first thing I did after the class was put the package away and I didn’t refer to it again. I was already drinking protein shakes, and my plan was to decrease food consumption and increase liquids as the surgery approached, so it wasn’t a big shock to my system once the surgery had been completed. In that way, all I would be doing post surgery was to follow my pre-surgery diet and I should be fine. By the way, for anyone who would even think about the Carnation Instant Breakfast, it is not a good source of protein, having only 5 grams per serving, plus it contains sugar which is a post-surgery no-no. I found out later, the people in the support group have been lobbying for the removal of the Carnation Instant Breakfast from the suggested post-surgery dietary plan.

The purpose of the group doctor’s talk was for everyone to hear the information from one of the team of doctors themselves. Most of the information provided during the doctor talk I had already heard from one of the other sessions I had attended, but some people need to hear it from the doctor before they will believe it. This talk also allows those who have questions to ask them of the doctor before getting any further in the process. The thing I remember most about the doctor talk was the emphasis placed on chewing thoroughly and taking one bite every ten minutes. I think Dr. LePort said it about ten times during the half hour talk; the key to success was to chew your food to the consistency of mashed potatoes, and to take one bite every ten minutes so as to not overflow the pouch that would be created during the surgery.

The next day, I contacted my pre-op coordinator to let her know I had completed all of the prerequisites and she could submit the letter requesting authorization to the insurance company. I felt like I was finally on my way.

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LK Gardner-Griffie
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