New Post-ops BEWARE! Do not eat solids until your time! Personal experience...

[prepster 0]

Ugh. So I am two weeks post-op. And I had to meet a new friend for dinner. I have told NO ONE that I had the surgery, except for my wife and closest friend.

So we sit down at table and I don't want to look like a total freak, so I order a cup of black bean Soup and some hummus. I tell the new friend that I just got over being sick.

I take a bite of a 1/8th triangle of pita bread and within minutes, I can feel that it is 'stuck'. (Even though I have heard all of you mention this term before, I had no idea what it meant until this time.) My eyes started to Water and I could feel something stuck in my chest. So I excused myself, went to the bathroom, and started to spit up liquid but nothing else came out. Freaked me out.

I returned to the table and apologized for the drama...when SUDDENLY I COULD FEEL SOMETHING STUCK AGAIN. I tried my best to ignore it and stay in the conversation, but alas 2 minutes later, I had to excuse myself AGAIN. Same spitting up drama. When I returned to the table, my new friend joked and asked if I was anorexic.

Keep in mind, I had ONE BITE OF PITA BREAD AND SOME LIQUID SOUP! Three minutes passed, he continued the conversation and suddenly, I said to myself, "oh god, something is still stuck there!" I tried my best to ignore it by listening to everything he was saying but it was no use -- my eyes started to water and my throat was closing. I HAD TO GO TO THE BATHROOM AGAIN FOR THE THIRD TIME IN SEVEN MINUTES! I finally had to make myself throw up the stuck food. Needless to say, my new friend was concerned.

Newbies...it was horrible and humiliating and scary and so not worth it. Please honor your doctor's orders and stay on your assigned meal plan. I literally went though a bad Afterschool Special by attempting real food before I was supposed to and was abruptly shown the way. I could never wish that experience on anybody.

Stay healthy, Newbies!

[alysedg23 0]

Thanks for that story...I will definetely remember you if I want to eat before its time...

[isabelle290 0]

Thanks for the advice. I have one more month till banded. Did you ever end up telling your frined you had the band? That is so amazing to go to eating whatever you want to not even being able to eat a piece of bread! Hope you are feeling better!

[FELICIA17 0]

After that fiasco, won't have to tell me twice .....

[cyndilou29 0]

I'm 2 weeks out and supposed to be moving to mushies but I'm terrified! I'm sitting here with a plate of cottage cheese and I'm so scared to eat the stupid thing. Terrified of being "stuck". Do you think it was the bread? What did the doctor say you should be eating right now? I thought mushies were okay (ie hummus). Aaahhh! You scared me!

[marjon9 6]

The advice offered in this thread is good, but I just have to chime in and say that these experiences of being "stuck" can happen even if you follow the doctor's orders. You can minimize them or eliminate them if you are extremely careful about chewing forever, taking small bites, etc. But even with the greatest caution most people do get "stuck" from time to time. The answer for most people is the old "PB." Most people define this as a "productive burp" where you spit up the stuck food. Some people consider this to be "vomiting," but I think most people do not experience a "PB" as vomiting because the food is in a condition that is similar to the way it was in your mouth. There are no digestive juices, no stomach convulsions, etc. like vomiting. The food just comes back up from the bottom of your esophagus.

For me, I don't find the "PB" experience to be all that horrible. Other people absolutely hate it. In general it can tend to encourage band slippage so it is not a good idea to do it often. But, it is likely to happen to most people. Check out a thread on this forum called "How often do you PB."

[TracyinKS 7]

That pita gummed up like and became a cork in your stoma!

I have yet to try any thick bread like consistancy because I PB'd on eggs and a burger patty... I totally grossed out my son and myself... it's better FOR me to just ignore the bread.. IT IS NOT WORTH IT!

The important thing to remember is that EVERYONE is different in what they can tolerate.. take everything slow, and if you begin to get that stuck feeling STOP and don't drink anything.. wait for it to pass through the opening.

[joanne1970 0]

<p>As I am reading this 4 days post op eating my 4 tablespoons of cream of wheat, I am forced to think. What the hell have I done. Then I think you know cream of wheat isnt that bad, I had always said that no one would be able to get me to eat it now I find myself enjoying it. After reading these stories I think I will try really hard to stick to my diet. I know that my surgeon said she doesnt reccommend ice cream because of the fat and potential high calories, but I found eddy's slow churned light no added sugar and everynow and then I just take a tablespoon and enjoy it as long as I can you think thats ok?</p> <p>Well good luck all, and lesson learned no pita for this chic! JoAnne</p>

[deb24 0]

Hi Cindilou. Hope you are doing well. I felt the same way yesterday when I started mushies. Maybe try to have a little warm Cereal like cream of wheat. It is a little smoother. Everything went well for me with it. Just eat very slowly, little bites and chew it well. I even chew the cereal abit! Good luck!

[mariecarmen 1]

You'll learn. For some it's the hard way, like you describe. Others take advice better and don't push the rules.

I've spent enough time bent over the sink praying and watching slime drip from my mouth and tears from my eyes to have learned several things:

Soft bread is 100% off limits in any size, amount of chewing, period.

Toasted or hard bread (crust, for example) is a gamble that can only be taken late in the day.

Pasta and rice are equally risky.

Dry chicken taken in bites over the size of my pinky nail can be deadly.

I will never attempt carbonated soda.

[cyndilou29 0]

Thanks Deb. I got my mushies down and feel good. It was tough because I was nervous but it was fine. I'm surprised at how well it went down but I literally chewed and chewed plus I took teeny little bites. It's funny, I don't think I ever really chewed pudding before but I do now! Who knew ff, sf pudding could taste so good!

[Hello Kitty 0]

Hi,

I am brand new...never posted before. I have done a lot of reading here however.... I am going to my lap band class this Thursday.

I have read some posts where people say you eat the same things long-term...only smaller quantities. I have heard other people say NO bread or Pasta...is this forever? Some times I get worried about doing this surgery because I'm afraid of being able to handle these restrictions.

Are the restrictions of no bread or Pasta or soda forever?? Never a sandwich again? What about pizza? Will it be ok in very small quantites in the future (I know the begining will be resrtictive). I know being fat is because of bad eating habits...I am having a hard time thinking about saying goodbye to those 100% forever.

For those of you whoi've been baded for some time...what has been your experience?

[huntersmom 0]

thanks for the info. I am only one week out and cannot wait for food but now i am going to be a little weary about it and will have think when i eat.

[AshevilleEddie 14]

This is a classic example of YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). Eight days post-op my doc cleared me to advance to solids. I'm fine, but I also haven't pushed the envelope too much. I was banded on 5/16 and have eaten whole-grain Pasta (only a few bites, the meatball filled me up!) and a couple of bites of garlic toast (the crust only) with no problems, but untoasted flour tortillas were a no-go. And I won't even think about rice or untoasted bread. For dinner last night we grilled some ribeyes. I was able to eat about 2 oz, along with some very soft broccoli/cauliflower. The steak was very tender and I cut into bites about the size of a nickel. We went to the movies yesterday and I tried popcorn for the first time. It went down fine, but about five minutes later it felt like I had swallowed some quick-hardening cement! A half a bottle of Water flushed it right down and I was fine, but I won't be eating any more popcorn anytime soon.

[cyndilou29 0]

Hello Hello Kitty,

Honestly, it is so different for everyone. I know many that cannot get bread down at all while others can get it down no problem. Thin crust pizza seems to be okay for most but not all. Pasta, sometimes yes and sometimes no. It just depends. I got my "mushies" down fine but got stuck on some vanilla pudding.

You'll just have to see what happens. Trust me, if you get stuck on a food, you won't miss it that much. You will be able to eat it but it will be so unpleasant, you really won't want to.