Dec.1 - Jan. 1 - The First Month [ #lowcarb #fundoplication ]

(NOTE: If you are seeing this on Facebook, please go to my blog - cheapeasylowcarb.blogspot.com - to see my whole post. I don't make my points in the first paragraph, which is all that shows up on my Facebook page :).)

Today I started out with a half-slice of an oppsie with butter and SF (and seed-free) blackberry jam, knowing I was going out for lunch. Got to the restaurant and ordered a chicken strip basket, figuring I'd split it with my grandson, and take any leftovers home. I ordered applesauce rather than coleslaw since I can't have raw vegetables (and I LOVE coleslaw!), split that with my grandson. Then they brought the "basket" - it was a PLATTER of humongous chicken breasts, 3 of them, with a delicious corn meal breading, plus about a half-pound of fries. (All this for $6.99 - if you're ever in Houghton Lake, MI stop in at Bobber's!) I ate half of one of the pieces of chicken but removed the coating first, and about 5 fries, plus some of the applesauce. I was very very full - too full, I found out when I stood up - but after walking around KMart I was more comfortable. Several hours later I made my grilled cheese sandwich using Oopsies, but couldn't finish it. That's what I've had today. Tonight I am nauseated for some reason...hat big pile of cheese on my sandwich, I'm thinking...

So, a lot has changed in one month. I'm losing weight like crazy but I don't know how much because my scale isn't accurate; I'll be at the surgeon's office again mid-month and will find out then.

I went into this knowing it would change how I eat forever, and that I would have to adapt. No choice. I am adapting, but I read accounts of people who, 10 years after this same surgery, are able to eat anything, and I find myself wishing the next decade away :). I miss my raw vegetables like salads and coleslaw as examples, but also cauliflower dipped in ranch and other things. If I could have one thing back, it would be raw veggies. But I wouldn't trade them for what I endured before the surgery!

I'm about 1/3 of the way through my 100 days. (The surgeon told me it will take a full year to recover completely, but the first 100 days will be "critical" and that I need to go easy on myself during this time.) I interpret "go easy" as to rest when I get tired, don't push it when something causes pain, eat what is comfortable in my stomach and no more, and things like that. As I have written about extensively in my other blog, there are a lot of physical and emotional issues that I didn't expect and that are impacting me nearly as much as the surgery has. But back to food...

I eat "mostly low carb" but admittedly not fully yet. There are days my stomach just wants something gentle, and that is usually yogurt or the inside of a baked potato, and anything else just doesn't work. In addition, since I'm still eating such small amounts, I'm not feeling any blood sugar impact from them. I've always felt physical responses after eating carbs, such as an about-to-come-down-with-the-flu-like feeling, a mild headache, and a faster pulse. Of course, since such a huge change has been made to my digestive tract, what and how I eat certainly has changed, and how I feel when I eat has changed, how meds affect me has changed...so maybe the whole response to carbs has also...still, it is a non-issue at this point, but how I eat is still changing almost day by day.

So that's my report for the first month after my nissen fundoplication, at least as it pertains to how I eat - mostly low carb, but now completely...yet.