I messed up already

[jacksmom38 0]

I am 6 days post op and afraid that I may have messed up my surgery already. The first few days I was in a lot of pain and didn't want to eat only sleep. It was painful to even drink. After 2 days more I did the liquid diet with shakes. Then yesterday I felt great, no pain full of energy. I walked 2 miles far from home and my husband took me to Subway because they had Soup. I put Protein Powder in the potato soup. I ate 3 spoons with no chunks, within minutes I had my first dump symptoms. It was terrible, it scared my kids they thought I was dying. I did very good this morning and lunch. But dinner I really messed up. I was making tacos for dinner for my Lg family. I used 95% lean burger, washed the burger with hot Water to remove extra fat. Sat with my family as they ate not thinking of it I ate a spoonful of taco meat and a pinch of cheddar cheese. (I chewed completely) but after I ate it I realized what I did and took a drink of water trying to rinse out my mouth but drank it. I had a lot of pain for about 5 minutes.

I don't know why I did this, I'm so angry with myself. Did I just ruin my new life? What am I doing? What do I do know? Thank you...

[Jonathan Blue 311]

First things first, you did not ruin your new life. If you had not done something like this yet I would have been surprised. We have all had the "Oh crap!" moment when we ate a bit too much. It hurts, but it will pass. If it has not subsided in the next couple hours then go to the emergency room, but I think you will be fine. Just give it some time to work through your stomach.

From the sounds of things, you may just be taking on too much too fast. The potato Soup was a good choice and you may need to stay with things that are more of a mashed or pureed consistency. Feel free to hit me up sometime for some recipes that I have come up with that work. I even have one for a puree that tastes a lot like Chipotle. You should probably take it easy on the solid food for a week or two longer. I know you are excited to start eating normal food again, but your body probably just can't take it right now. I highly recommend using a baby spoon when eating to avoid taking in too much. I know it seems silly, but it was a life saver for me.

This is an amazing journey and it will take time to figure it all out. I wish I could say this will be the last time something like this will happen, but I would be lying to you. I am almost a year post op and every now and again I still do it. The whole thing is a learning process so don't be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. Our bodies just now have a unique way of slapping us up side the head when we do.

Everything will fall into place before too long, just don't worry about rushing. Enjoy the jouney, I still look back fondly on my pureed food fun. Trying to figure out what I could eat and how things tasted differently since surgery was a fun little adventure. I still use some of the recipes I came up with then over a year later.

If you have any additional questions or I can help in any way, feel free to send me a message on one of the links below and I will do what I can to help you out.

Edited October 20, 2014 by Jonathan Blue

[jacksmom38 0]

Thank you so very much, I am afraid I am going to rip out my staples or food will get stuck and cause an infection...

[Jonathan Blue 311]

I agree it is something to be careful about, so if the pain stays there for several hours and doesn't subside, then worry. Just try to take it easy with the food. If you find you are still eating too quickly, you can always try dividing your meal into three and eating each section with a baby spoon every 10 minutes. Set a timer if you need to. It sucks, but forcing yourself now will keep you from stretching out your stomach later. Setting up this now will enforce good habits down the line. You will do just fine. If you ever need any help or advice at all, I am an open book and here to help.

[jacksmom38 0]

Thank you very much, I can breathe...

[LexieLuv 6]

I was told that for a week after surgery it was all liquid diet, then 3 wks puréed food, then 4 weeks of mechanical soft foods and 4 weeks of soft foods. I think it's probably too much too soon.