This can’t be normal

[ramirezchana 0]

I’m two weeks post op today and have been able to drink Water like I always have from day one. I’m also able to eat a cup of solid food with zero problems. I’m not even chewing until it’s mush. It can’t be normal. Have others experienced this? I feel like she didn’t take enough stomach out or something 😞

Edited May 5, 2021 by ramirezchana

[PuraVida37 715]

Your stomach is still healing. Don't do those things yet! Just because you can doesn't mean you should. You should be following your doctor's plan. You might be doing damage to your stomach, which is not healed yet. You could cause a leak.

[ramirezchana 0]

1 minute ago, PuraVida37 said:

Your stomach is still healing. Don't do those things yet! Just because you can doesn't mean you should. You should be following your doctor's plan. You might be doing damage to your stomach, which is not healed yet. You could cause a leak.

Oh no! I thought as long as I tolerated it it was fine. So as long as I stop now I should be fine right? Or do you think I could have already caused damage?

[Betty1971 386]

26 minutes ago, ramirezchana said:

I’m two weeks post op today and have been able to drink Water like I always have from day one. I’m also able to eat a cup of solid food with zero problems. I’m not even chewing until it’s mush. It can’t be normal. Have others experienced this? I feel like she didn’t take enough stomach out or something 😞

I am not sure what program you were put on but at two week post up I was still at a liquid diet. I hadn't even attempted soft foods. Didn't your surgeon send you home with a detailed diet plan?

I would surely contact your dietitian, your stomach is healing and solids could do damage to the internal incisions.

[catwoman7 11,212]

yes - you can cause damage doing that. You need to follow your clinic's food progression.

you probably aren't feeling it because there were nerves cut during your surgery, and it takes awhile for them to regenerate. In the mean time, you need to follow your post-op instructions. You WILL eventually feel restriction, but for now you have to trust the process.

[ramirezchana 0]

This is a list of foods I’m allowed to have right now per Dr orders because I’m not having any nausea or issues. It says soft foods but I called them solids, how is a veggie burger not a solid?

[catwoman7 11,212]

2 minutes ago, ramirezchana said:

This is a list of foods I’m allowed to have right now per Dr orders because I’m not having any nausea or issues. It says soft foods but I called them solids, how is a veggie burger not a solid?

it's been a few years for me so I may not be remembering this correctly, but I think we could have things like canned tuna (or the kind that comes in packets) and cottage cheese in the soft food stage. And yes - I would consider a veggie burger a solid, too.

[ramirezchana 0]

Yeah I can have string cheese all kinds of fish, ground/cooked chicken, ground/cooked turkey, veggie burger, veggie sausage or crumbles, all fruits and soft cooked veggies. My issue is being able to eat two oz of meat and 1/2 cup veggies so soon after surgery with no nausea, pain, or anything. I know I’m eating way less than before but everyone I talk to says they could only handle a few spoonfuls.

[catwoman7 11,212]

16 minutes ago, ramirezchana said:

Yeah I can have string cheese all kinds of fish, ground/cooked chicken, ground/cooked turkey, veggie burger, veggie sausage or crumbles, all fruits and soft cooked veggies. My issue is being able to eat two oz of meat and 1/2 cup veggies so soon after surgery with no nausea, pain, or anything. I know I’m eating way less than before but everyone I talk to says they could only handle a few spoonfuls.

I never had nausea or pain while eating (well, other than a few days when I had a stricture). I can't remember how much I was eating at that point - but I followed my plan pretty closely the first few months.

Edited May 6, 2021 by catwoman7

[RickM 1,747]

Things like veggie burgers, tuna and some other seafood items (usually start out with tuna salad or other mushified or lubed up version,) refried Beans, etc. were on our first month diet, so it's not that far out of line - dietary progressions do seem to be accelerating some over time as different programs learn what people can actually tolerate - it's a lot more art and experience than science. Doc was adding more veg into my diet at day 10 as my Protein intake was more than adequate.

It's a big YMMV thing, which is why we see some programs that may still have their patients on liquids while others have theirs on steak. A bit of surgeon's personal philosophy in there as well, I suspect, as some may treat everyone cookie cutter style, forcing all to work to the lowest common denominator (one patient had problems with soiidish food at four weeks, so all must avoid that until everyone can progress together) while others are content and confident enough to allow more individuality, recognizing that patients' tolerances can vary widely.

So, if you are working within your program's boundaries, all is good as long as your are tolerating things well. A couple ounces of the softish meats that are permitted at this point is not unreasonable - some may not be able to have that much yet, and others will have no problems. Likewise the veg, half a cup may or may not be too much depending upon what it is and how an individual gets along with that. Some things are more slider-ish than others, and go through with little problem, I suspect that what is considered to be "soft" even if we perceive them to be fairly solid, like a veggie burger, has more to do with how it is processed in the stomach (or not needing much processing) than how "solid" it may seem before we eat it. Most of the things in this 'soft" phase are things that usually go through fairly easily; this also means that we may be able to eat a bit more of them than we would "real" solid food like a tougher steak or pork that has to sit in the stomach for a while being processed before it is let through.

[ramirezchana 0]

5 minutes ago, RickM said:

Things like veggie burgers, tuna and some other seafood items (usually start out with tuna salad or other mushified or lubed up version,) refried Beans, etc. were on our first month diet, so it's not that far out of line - dietary progressions do seem to be accelerating some over time as different programs learn what people can actually tolerate - it's a lot more art and experience than science. Doc was adding more veg into my diet at day 10 as my Protein intake was more than adequate.

It's a big YMMV thing, which is why we see some programs that may still have their patients on liquids while others have theirs on steak. A bit of surgeon's personal philosophy in there as well, I suspect, as some may treat everyone cookie cutter style, forcing all to work to the lowest common denominator (one patient had problems with soiidish food at four weeks, so all must avoid that until everyone can progress together) while others are content and confident enough to allow more individuality, recognizing that patients' tolerances can vary widely.

So, if you are working within your program's boundaries, all is good as long as your are tolerating things well. A couple ounces of the softish meats that are permitted at this point is not unreasonable - some may not be able to have that much yet, and others will have no problems. Likewise the veg, half a cup may or may not be too much depending upon what it is and how an individual gets along with that. Some things are more slider-ish than others, and go through with little problem, I suspect that what is considered to be "soft" even if we perceive them to be fairly solid, like a veggie burger, has more to do with how it is processed in the stomach (or not needing much processing) than how "solid" it may seem before we eat it. Most of the things in this 'soft" phase are things that usually go through fairly easily; this also means that we may be able to eat a bit more of them than we would "real" solid food like a tougher steak or pork that has to sit in the stomach for a while being processed before it is let through.

Thank you so much for the explanation. It makes sense. I guess I need to see this as my own experience and not think I have to be doing what everyone else is.