u/Sad-Suggestion9425

Had abdominal surgery two weeks ago, and since then I've been struggling to eat 1200 calories/day. Eating closer to 500-800. It's been torture as I feel both hungry and nauseous at the same time.

My doctors know. My surgeon encourages me to "push through", find something I can eat a lot of, and also assures me "you can afford to lose the weight anyway".

My primary says I've developed anemia and several other nutritional deficiencies. She's concerned, says I'm at risk of fainting. She's been encouraging, and tells me to try to find what I can eat, and to eat small bites throughout the day.

Success:

• Fruit. I have to take it slow, and I get full quickly, but I can eat any fruit.
• Sweet instant oatmeal
• Instant mashed potatoes
• A small bowl of ice cream (like 1/2 cup)
• Juices
• Veggies, in small quantities
• Cheese in small doses

Failure:

• Protein shakes. Tried a couple types; I can get a couple sips down at a time, but they make me feel nauseous, and I struggle to finish a full shake that I sip on throughout the day.
• Buttery foods. I can handle a little butter, but more than a tsp at a time is revolting. (I usually like butter.)
• Chips. I got one of those snack bags from a vending machine while waiting in the ER (yeah, I had to go back once) and I could eat maybe 8 chips. I could taste the grease and spices like never before.
• Massaman curry. 😭 This is my favorite curry, and I ordered it a few days after the surgery, to try to stimulate my hunger. Did not work. The spices made me nauseous, and the scent seemed to follow me everywhere, even when it was in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Why haven't I tried hummus yet? I've moved in with my parents during the recovery period, and my mom "is going to make it" eventually. I'm trying to get her to just buy a damn tub, but no, no, she's going to get to it soon. 😑 😞 She's trying. She's been a BIG help with me being able to move around and manage my bandages, but she's got ADHD, and I suspect performance anxiety around the hummus, and been kind of a mess in her own way. Sorry Mom.

Oh, and peanut butter. I can eat some. It helps. But I can't eat much. And bread is a struggle.

The good news is that this is a two-part surgery. Right now I've got a bunch of drainage stuff in me, and we will eventually be removing all the gear I'm hooked up to, and the rest of the mass inside me. So hopefully the loss of appetite is due to all the stuff inside me, and I'll regain my appetite when they get their asses moving and approve the second surgery.

No pressure on anyone else to skip it, I'm not calling for a boycott or anything, but just the name Brand New Day makes me feel bummed. 😞

Just found out I will need abdominal surgery, which will require several 5-6 weeks recovery. I started a new job about a month ago, and this job has 120 day probationary period. The job is physical (cleaning, moving, walking) and I likely won't be able to work for a week after surgery, then with restrictions for 4-5 weeks after.

I'm waiting to find out how urgent the surgery is, and I will ask the doctor when I see them if this is something that must be done immediately, or if it can be delayed three months (as I've worked about one month of the probationary period). If surgery can't be delayed, is there anyway to protect my job during the probationary period?

Thank you for your help.

Just got a job as a Psych Tech working with adolescents! It's going to be difficult, I know that, but I'm really looking forward to it. Working with vulnerable youth and populations is where I want to be.

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This is a residential facility with three populations: littles, teenage girls, and teenage boys. The littles tend to have RAD, the teenage girls tend to be SA victims with BPD, and the teenage boys are almost all sex offenders.

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That last one gave me pause. I was expecting the rest (RAD, BPD, SA victims, abusive homes, criminal history) but realizing a third of the adolescents are sex offenders... IDK. Still wrapping my head around it. And I'm hoping I'm wrong about, "almost all". I think that's what the hiring manager said of the boys unit, but I may have heard wrong.

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I haven't started the job yet, still waiting on all the background checks to clear, but I'll be working nights, which I'm happy to do. I don't know which population I'll be placed with. I'm hoping for the littles, but I'm happy to work with the girls or boys. Well, I guess I'm kind of nervous about working nights with the boys.

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I guess what I want to ask is, has anyone else worked with this population? The teenage sex offenders.

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Offenders deserve to be treated with kindness too -- and with strong boundaries from staff. Coincidentally I considered working at prisons in the past. I'm not against working with offenders; it's just that the youth of these offenders is shaking me a bit. The thought of a teenage boy sexually assaulting anyone just really shocks me. (I guess I grew up lucky.) And I know that prisons will have strong safety protocols and lots of backup. This residential facility may not. In fact, I suspect they're understaffed, though I don't know that for sure yet.

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Any advice or stories would be appreciated.

I know, I know, before you yell at me that that's impossible, clinicals are mandatory, I'm crazy, let me explain.

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I'm about to start a night shift Psych Tech job. This will be a residential facility, not inpatient or hospital, and while there WILL be incidents and rough nights, there will also be a lot of downtime, perfect for online classes.

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I'm going to start with Medical Terminology, but knowing I want to eventually get into an ADN program and become an RN, it feels like a waste not to spend this time studying for nursing.

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Are there any structured programs for studying nursing online? Preferably classes with deadlines and scores.

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I plan to work the night shift for a year, then switch to evenings and apply for the ADN. Night shift is what it takes to get my foot in the door, and get experience. My local community college has ADN classes M-F from 8 am - noon. But the more I learn before clinicals the better.