11 Days Post Op - Not Really Getting Full

[Ssilian 67]

I'm trying to figure out why I dont feel full. I can drink a 6 oz cup of broth pretty quickly and I dont feel full. I had a 1/4 cup of sugar free pudding earlier and wasnt full either. Makes me think I wasn't sleeved haha - but i have the darn bruised stomack to proove it! Can anyone tell me why I'm like this?

[MyGastricSleeveLife 180]

Give it time. I didn't feel restriction/full until I started on puréed foods. Refried Beans, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, tuna. I feel very full with all of those. It's completely different than liquids. I can still have a full can of Soup just fine but only 2-4 ounces of the puréed thicker stuff. You'll get full. Just don't worry about it too much right now.

[Back~To~Amy 307]

Liquids and soft foods tend to be what's called slider foods meaning they slide right through your sleeve thus not giving you that full feeling. I'm still on liquids and, like you, can consume more that I thought I should be able to. From what I've read, true restriction will be felt as soon as you eat a solid.

[PEvette 297]

I'm the same....you will not feel restriction until you start on denser foods....I was able to drink fluids well....now on pureeds I can get in between 4 to 6 ounces, depends on the thickness....refried Beans 4oz...cream thick Soups maybe 6oz....just take it easy....one night I was eating and wasn't paying attention and before I knew it I had too much and felt the food in my chest, that's not a good feeling at all!

[New Orleans Lady 12]

Do y'all know what size your new stomach is? As I understand, it goes from Bougie size 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, and up to a 40. I asked my doc what size he made mine and he said 34. I am 11 days post op as well. I was able to consume alot of liquid from day 1.

[Ssilian 67]

Ok everyone, i feel better! I've heard the phrase "it slides right thru the sleeve." but how does our food get absorbed if it goes right thru the sleeve? Is that done further down in the intestines? I need to take an anatomy class! Lol

[Ssilian 67]

Do y'all know what size your new stomach is? As I understand' date=' it goes from Bougie size 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, and up to a 40. I asked my doc what size he made mine and he said 34. I am 11 days post op as well. I was able to consume alot of liquid from day 1.[/quote']

My dr used a 32 but i thought that is just the size of the opening?

[MyGastricSleeveLife 180]

It doesn't really just slide through. In the sleeve, we still have our pylorus which is a little valve at the bottom of the stomach that leads into the small intestine. Some absorption still gets done in the stomach & then more in the intestines. It's just that we can hold more Fluid than denser foods and they do go through the stomach faster, but not just completely "right through" it. It's not like they're skipping the stomach completely.

As far as the bougie size, there are a number of pictures floating around this forum and elsewhere on the internet that show the difference in sizes and it really does not make a lot of a difference even from the smallest to largest. Therefore, personally, I don't even consider that as far as capacity goes. I know some people have said that taller people sometimes can consume a little more because they have a longer stomach than shorter people, but I'm not sure how true that is.

My surgeon told me to limit myself to no more than 4 ounces (1/2 cup) during a meal once I started on the pureed stuff. It sounds like a little bit, especially compared to the fluids, but it's completely different having 4 ounces of Beans or tuna than 4 ounces of Protein Drink or pudding or even creamy Soups. Sometimes I can only have 2 ounces of the denser stuff & I'll be full for at least a few hours afterward. It really just depends on the person and the food & sometimes even changes from day to day. Everyone has different "full" signs. I learned that I start getting hot & just feeling generally "icky" as I start to fill up. Luckily, I haven't take "one bite too many" yet. Most people say they throw up if they get to that point. It's challenging, but not impossible to learn your own full signs and stop before it's too much. Just hang in there & take your time as you progress your foods.

[Lissa 2,631]

MyGastricSleeveLife gave a great explanation of bougie sizes. All I'm going to add is a picture of the bougie sizes that someone posted here earlier:

[Lauranbob Mc 94]

Ok everyone, i feel better! I've heard the phrase "it slides right thru the sleeve." but how does our food get absorbed if it goes right thru the sleeve? Is that done further down in the intestines? I need to take an anatomy class! Lol

aspirin, alcohol, sugar, B12 & whey Protein gets absorbed directly from the stomach thru the lining. everything else gets dumped into your small intestines and is absorbed in there.

[MinaT 669]

I can sip easily 3 med cups of Water or other liquids in quick succession, the 4th cup usually goes down a little slower. I can drink my Protein shake sip after sip but it takes a while. SF pudding sometimes I can get the entire 3 ounce cup in and sometimes I can only get in 1/2.

I'm 3 weeks out tomorrow and I'm still on full liquids. I am sure it will change when I get to pureeds.

[topgun 63]

Ok everyone, i feel better! I've heard the phrase "it slides right thru the sleeve." but how does our food get absorbed if it goes right thru the sleeve? Is that done further down in the intestines? I need to take an anatomy class! Lol

Your stomach only processes the food, the intestines do all the absorption.

[bogeydog 30]

Top gun is right. The stomach is basically a holding area where digestive fluids break it down until it can be absorbed by the small intestine. Not a single bit of absorption happens in the stomach.