PROTEIN!!

I mentioned on facebook that I went for my 1 week post surgery appointment on Wednesday.  Most of the people that follow my post also follow facebook, but not all, so bear with me is this is old news for you.

My post op appointment went well.  My incisions look good, but I still have some soreness.  I do get tired very easily.  I was supposed to eat 1/2 of a soft egg before I went to the appointment to see if I could tolerate swallowing solid food.  It went down and tasted so good.  Even with only 1/2 of egg, I still have to take very small bites and chew it very well before I swallow.  So, hooray, I now am on a pureed/soft diet for the next 6 weeks.  The things you normally think of when you hear sof diet, I cannot have.  No mashed potatoes, no macaroni and cheese, no ice cream and very little soup.  I cannot have vegetables or fruit yet..  Protein is what I can have.  Soft or pureed chicken and turkey.  I can have tuna and salmon or other soft fish.  I can have a very small amount (1/4 cup) of beans.  The reason they limit soup is because it is a liquid that pretty much goes through your stomach fast and has little protein.  I am supposed to have 75 - 80 grams of protein a day.  That is a lot!  I am still supposed to have the protein supplement for one meal a day.  I have protein powder in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry that I can make into flavored skim milk or milk shake by adding ice in the blender.  If I add 2 scoops to 8 ounces of skim milk I can get 42 grams.  I also have a chicken soup flavor and a unflavored powder that is 21 grams per scoop.  I can make a chicken broth with the chicken flavor and the unflavored I can add to just about any liquid.  I have to have the other scoop to add the 21 grams.  The 42 and 21 only equal 63 grams, so I still need 12 grams a day to make at least 75.  Two ounces of canned chicken or I have found chicken and turkey sticks that are like vienna sausage that is actually a toddler food, that have 10 grams a serving.  That gives me 85 grams and I am over the limit which is alright.  Besides I tried to get down 2 ounces of chicken last night for supper and couldn't get it all down.  So I figure I am about on target.  I'm sure all that bored you to death, but I wanted to give you an idea of what I have to eat daily.  Plus, I am supposed to get 64 ounces of water in a day, too.  To complicate it even more, there is what they call the 30/30 rule.  I cannot drink 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after I eat.  If I drank before, I would fill my stomach up with fluids and there would be no room for food/protein.  Afterwards, I need to digest what is in my stomach before I can have fluids again.  I also have vitamins that I have to take daily. I take a multi-vitamin twice a day, a calcium tablet twice a day, iron once a day and B12 once a day.  I just have to divide them up throughout the day.  Plus, I have my regular medication I still have to take, too.  Whew!!  That's a lot to get down.  I have been having a burning or irritating feeling in my stomach especially at bedtime.  My surgeon said it was probably just irritation from healing that caused that, but just to be sure, he prescribed my a drug called Carafate.  It is a liquid that you drink that coats the stomach.  It is usually used to treat ulcers and that is certainly NOT want I want to get.  I am drinking that at bedtime.  I will see my surgeon again in a month to check up on that.  Oh, and after all that, I have lost 23 lbs.!!
I am very pleased.

So now that you know my meal plans for the next 6 weeks.  I am trying to walk a little more every day, but it does tired me out.  Phoebe has been a great incentive to walk.  She loves to go outside and run around.  She certainly know the word "outside".  She jumps down and starts to dance around on her hind legs and runs in circles. She is such a cutie.  Hannah & Houdini watch from the windows.  I think they are embarassed that she gets so excited.  Such displayed emotions is certain not something a kitty would do.    On a high note, I have seen them kiss noses with other and I saw Phoebe licking Houdini's ear - and he was letter her!  We have made progress!

I did mention to the surgeon that I did not leave the hospital until 9pm on the night of discharge.  He was furious.  He said that when he orders a drug he expects it to be given "now", not 2 1/2 hours later.  There was no excuse for that, he said, and he was going to follow up with his nursing staff.  I did feel justified for pitching a little fit at the hospital after what he said.  He thanked me for telling him, apologized for the delay in getting discharged.  He said he would handle it.  I hated to be a tattle tale, but, really......

I think that's about it for now.  Stay tuned.  This is such a learning process.  No more grabbing something quickly to eat.  I have to plan for everything.

Until next time,
woof from Phoebe, meow from Hannah & Houdini and xoxo from Bonnie