Post-Op Discouragement

[kayte819 95]

Hello, newbie here. I am looking for some advice or insight or encouragement. I had the sleeve done on January 28 & had no problem with the diet of liquids, then yogurt type stuff, but when I went to my Dr this week they told me to start eating soft foods like eggs, tuna, mashed potatoes, etc. I cannot get these items down. They just stick in my esophagus until I throw up. Out of fear maybe, I have reverted back to broth, yogurts.... I feel so discouraged & I am really, really hungry. I wasn't before but I am now. I am obsessing over food. I have lost 27 pounds so far so I am happy with that, but I don't want get depressed. I have thrown up daily & I just need to know it won't always be like this. I am eating broth or yogurt...no Protein Shakes because what I have is nauseating me now. I'm going to find something new tomorrow at GNC. Anyway, please any thoughts, comments, insight, advice.....it's all sooo appreciated. Thanks!!

[circa 333]

make sure that anything soft you eat is also juicy or you have something liquidy to "lube up" the food. It might sound weird, but its important - you're retraining your esophagus and stomach to accept these foods. try mixing the tuna with mayo, the mashed potatoes with gravy, the eggs with...well - I dunno!

[MegInNOLA 531]

Maybe your sleeve just isn't ready for that sort of food yet. Mine took a lot longer to heal--and it's okay, everything will be fine. It just takes longer. Don't worry about pushing yourself; just try a tiny teaspoon of your "soft" foods at a time, and then eat majority yogurt or broth; gradually change the percentage.

Hang in there--it will get better!

[Lulu77 0]

I had my surgery on the 27th and was back in the hospital the following Tuesday and then again on the following Saturday. The food just sat there in my stomach and did nothing. The pain was so bad that I threw up several times, which seemed to ease the pain. I was told I could go on to the pureed diet, but that hasn't been working very well. I tried tuna with baby food squash and it seemed to go down OK, but then I followed it with something soft, and that started the pain. I had to throw up to relieve the pain. Tonight it is the scrambled eggs that don't seem to be budging. I'm perversely glad that others are going through the same difficulty, but I'm not happy that I have to go through it. I'm trying not to vomit because it can slow down the healing, but if anyone has a suggestion on how to get things going through instead of just lying there, I'd be thankful to hear it.

[KellyL 173]

Sorry to hear you are having problems moving to the next food phase. We all have swelling after getting Sleeved, others for longer than others. I think the swelling lasts 4-6 wks, and of course the healing goes on for a lot longer. So you may want to try really soft and really moist food, use plain greek yogurt to make dips for meats and such. If you are going to eat an scrambled egg, try to not cook it very done, so it's not dry. Cottage cheese is an excellent Protein source, you can add a little cinnamon and stevia or splenda. Or even applesauce or something for flavor.

Don't get discouraged, it just takes some time to learn what our sleeve likes, and to adjust to our new style of eating and how much we can eat. It's kind of natural, try not to stress and try a few bites at a time to see how your sleeve is going to react.

[nateeks 3]

i would suggest you make an appointment to see your gastro. i had/have the same difficulties as my esophagus was irritated due to reflux (GERD) issue . nexium 40mg helped with the acid issues and on really bad days, I take metoclopramide as needed 20 mins before meals to relax the esophagus. good luck!

[carbgrl 119]

i would suggest you make an appointment to see your gastro. i had/have the same difficulties as my esophagus was irritated due to reflux (GERD) issue . nexium 40mg helped with the acid issues and on really bad days, I take metoclopramide as needed 20 mins before meals to relax the esophagus. good luck!

Thanks for posting this. I think it'll help a lot of us.

[kdippy 36]

Oh, I think some people are trying to eat faster than their body can handle. Keep doing the broth and yogart. You may just be alittle behind on what others could and were able to eat at this time. Prayers coming your way. I hope that you find a protien, that you can drink, because that is so important.

[IowaAndy 95]

First off make sure that you are getting all of your Protein and Water daily. This is going to be the biggest help to you and your recovery. I also had a problem with some of the foods that you are describing. As for the tuna I could not eat it at first. I went to the deli and got some shaved ham and turkey and then put it in my small food processor and added some canned broth to make it more moist and this helped the meat go down. As for the eggs I would just try and cut them into small, small pieces and eat them slowly. It is hard to make runny eggs which I would not enjoy at all. i am sure that I would be vomiting. I did eat some Gerber baby food that was chicken and noodles. It is not bad if you add salt and pepper. I would not want to eat it for months but in the beginning it was a good choice for me. Also the lasagna was not bad. Those are the only 2 that I could stomach.

Just remember that this is a slow process and everyone is different yet we all have similiar stories. just make sure that you get your Protein and Water and the rest will come in time. best of luck to you

[hadouni 301]

The move to regular foods is hard sometimes and one of the hardest things (for me) is that I have to stop eating way before I think I'm full because one bite too many is just down right unpleasant.

It seems rediculous to eat 1/3 cup of anything but sometimes I even need to stop at 1/4 cup for denser foods. Last night I had chicken and I mixed it with a little yogurt and some shredded cheese and that went well. I even followed it with a few canned green Beans about 40 minutes later.

I didn't have any issues with vomiting until I started regular foods. I have to constantly remind myself to chew way more than I'm used to, let some time pass between bites, really watch the volume and try to get the denser Proteins lubricated somehow. Who thought I'd be learning to eat at 40?

[Joiebean 53]

Something my nutritionist told me when I had similar problems (and the first person to explain it to me) was that you may not have enough bile to break some of the foods down yet. For me, its meat. But shrimp have been awesome. I'm at 4 weeks out and have been eating them since the 3rd week. They are soft, can be cut up into tiny bits, and I usually put sauce on them to 'lube' them up, usually some liquidy avacado. It depends though on how you heal. Everyone on here is right. We all heal at different speeds, so if your stomach only wants certain things right now, focus on that. Keep trying little teaspoons of food as you go to see what you can tolerate, but if it won't take it, don't force it. As my NUT said, right now stay hydrated and get your Protein. The rest will come in time.

[kayte819 95]

Thanks so much for all the info & positivity! I appreciate it so much. I am going to really give myself more time to heal & not stress so much. I did eat a tiny slice of avocado in a bowl of Soup today & had no problems so that was exciting Does anyone have a reference or guide of any sort regarding what we should be eating when? I have what my nut gave me but just wondered if there is any standard, so to speak.

Thanks again...I really, truly appreciate the words of encouragement!