Almost 4 months post op having issues eating

[warninglabels 1]

Hi guys so I had surgery on 7/19/16

I'm now almost 4 months out and I'm almost down 100 pounds

However I'm having a really hard time with eating some days I can eat fine and then other days the same thing I had no problems eating I can't get down and I get sick. I've become weak on days I can't get food down and I can't seem to stomach Protein shakes anymore trust me I try. I do try to get in milk on days that I can't seem to eat because it does have some Protein so I'm not lacking as much but I am stuck. I figured I'd be able to eat a little more normally at this point. Any suggestions?

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[Djmohr 6,965]

Are you getting sick on those days or do you just not feel like eating? The reason I ask is, early on there are some days that food works just great and others where it simply doesn't.

When that happened to me, it usually has to do with the food i was eating but I never got sick unless I ate eggs.

What types of food are you eating? I am glad to hear you are at least drinking milk, hopefully you have chosen fair life milk which increases the Protein. Especially if you are not drinking Protein shakes.

Lastly are you getting all of your fluids? That can really make you feel like crap if not. Honestly you can deal without food for a long time but you cannot go without Water.

Have you contacted your surgeons office? They may have suggestions as well.

[Travelher 915]

have you talked to your doctor. I wonder about a possible stricture?

[warninglabels 1]

I try to eat but when food isn't agreeing with me I stop eating. I do tend to eat healthy food I slip occasionally but I don't eat much because I have zero appetite. And yes I drink a lot. It might not be Water mostly milk or crystal light and I drink apple juice to help with my bowels which I got an okay from the NUT. I haven't called the surgeons office because they are an hour and half from me and I can't get down there

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[DeletedMember 715]

I have experienced a very similar thing. Some days, food goes down relatively easy (assuming I eat very slowly and chew very well), other days food is very difficult.

I especially have this problem with dense foods - chicken, pork, oatmeal, etc.

There is one "trick" I have found that will often work for me, not sure if it will help you or not. What I have found is that when food is difficult, it generally starts feeling "stuck" or a little painful after just a few bites. If I try to just soldier through it, it ends in disaster. I feel pain and often have to vomit, and I will never "move past" it and be able to finish my meal.

However, if I just take a break as soon as I have that initial feeling (usually after just 2-3 bites) and wait, I can actually FEEL the food start moving through. It's almost like it gets caught in my pouch because my stoma panicked and closed up (don't even know if this is physically possible, just what it feels like).

Sometimes I have to just sit there for up to 10-15 minutes, but eventually it feels like the pouch relaxes, and I can feel (and hear) the food start to move through. There tends to be a lot of loud gurgling that accompanies this. Once that happens, I'm good to go and can eat the remainder of my meal. Works almost every time.

This happened last night with my meal of baked chicken breast and green Beans. After just a couple of bites I started feeling pain. I just sat there for awhile. Once the gurgling and relief started - I was able to finish a meal of 3 oz of chicken and an ounce of green Beans. That's a really big meal for me.

[Nymea 87]

Hi - I had my RNY the same week as you and I have the same issues. I eat pretty much the same thing for Breakfast every day because I find that is the hardest meal for my stomach to cope with. Most days I have no problem, then out of the blue it won't accept the very same food.

I also have the same thing as msujester and find that if I stop at the first hint of trouble and wait until it clears (it can sometimes be as long as an hour) I can usually finish the meal eventually.

The other thing I find when my stomach cramps up like that is sipping a little hot tea is soothing and helps the muscles relax. I know we are not supposed to drink and eat at the same time and as a general rule I don't but when I get the crampiness that won't let anything go down, I find hot tea helps.

I guess it is still a matter of getting used to eating differently. I have 2 friends who had similar surgery .. one said it takes about 2 years to be secure in eating again. The other ... who is not quite at the 2 year mark says that it gets easier but the sudden rejection of food you can normally eat is still present, just less frequent.