ok- Panic mode!

Well, I read the posts and profiles of others that said they had been afraid that the surgery would be a failure for them and I would read right over that, thinking if you go through all of this for the end result, I was not personally afraid of the surgery failing for me. I never gave it a secon thought. BUT....... NOw, I am off into panic mode. I am only 6 days postop and I feel almost normal. I can gulp water, drink an 11 oz protien shake in one sitting and last night I ate 4 oz of cottage cheese and a 6 oz container of yogurt in one meal. Now I am worried my pouch is too big or I stretched it already. Plus, I am hungry soon after I eat and I thought most people didn't have much of an appetitie for a while after surgery. Any thoughts??

Take a deep breath! You are doing fine. Your pouch is fine. If you will eat more slowly, you will get more of a sense of fullness. Stop drinking 1/2 hour before eating and do not drink for 1 1/2 hours after eating. Limit yourself to about 4 ounces of food and eat it SLOWLY. Just because you can eat fast without hurting does not mean you should. Don't aim for a feeling of fullness, but a feeling of satisfaction. Measure your food and do not exceed the measurement. Satisfied feels different post op and you are not giving yourself time to recognize that feeling. Eat away from others and away from distractions to focus on the sensations until you learn to recognize the signals. The learning part is the toughest part of this. You will get it--You have not even had a week to get acquainted with your pouch yet! Joy

Hi--I am about the same as you 8 days post op and was surprised I could drink a 12 oz shake too. But I have found the thicker it is the more full and less, so I think it depends on our "openings" some of us have larger and smaller and then the swelling factors.....so when something is thin and you keep sipping small sips it is possible and probably ok...we need a lot of fluid....but I think when it comes time to eat something a little more substantial, 2-4 ozs will make you feel full.

Deb - I was concerned like you were as I was having identical experiences. I ate 4 oz of yogurt and could have eaten more if I had a bigger container. And 4 oz of cottage cheese or cream of wheat was nothing for me. I always thought ALL pouches were only 2 oz, so I was upset. I asked my surgeon and he said it was all normal as I had a 4 oz pouch and that the reason the yogurt (logically I knew this) was like a bottomless pit was because it dripped through the stoma quicker as it was runny. I have found that as I eat more solid foods (still soft, but I am allowed crackers and cheese and such) that I get fuller quicker, and if I don't eat slowly enough I will find suddenly that I'm too full and I feel very very nauseous for awhile. Thankfully I haven't horked anything up yet though. I did this a couple times, and also yesterday with an Atkins shake although I could drink the whole thing, I felt sick afterwards. So I am learning to be more careful now. I did, however, have a whole 8 oz container of non-fat sugar free yogurt last night as I was just so hungry. I ate it slower and it just kept going down. It was only 100 calories, so I wasn't too concerned over it, but I was making mental notes on what not to have to make me feel satisfied! As we start eating more solid foods like breads and more raw veggies, I think our sensations of fullness will come sooner. But it is true - it's a different feeling. I have had to relearn what feeling full is like. I think for me it's more of a subtle feeling that I don't need to eat anymore. If I do, then I am sick. It's WORTH paying attention to! Dina -15

I feel the same way.DID I STRETCH MY POUCH???? COULD I HAVE DONE THAT??????? I am 8 days post op and I find that I can easily get in 50 -60 grams of protein a day. 40 grams of protein comes from 2 11ounce shakes that I can drink rather quickly. The other protein comes from cottage cheese and high protein yogurt. Sometimes I think that I am eating way to much at this early stage. Have not had any problems with over eating or feeling of fullness. Hopefully when I go on more solid food I will eat less and feel that there is food in my belly. I am also timing my meals so that I eat every 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours a day. Good luck.......