PLEASE help me!!!

My surgery was 7/27/05. My Dr. progresses us pretty fast. At one week post-op he said I could try tuna or deli style trukey chicken if I ate slowly. Anyway, my problem is this...I think I can eat way too much. I am freaking out. I can consume 8oz. of water easily in 30 minutes. I can eat 1/4 c. cottage cheese and 1/4 c. egg beaters for breakfast and not even feel full. I don't know what it feels like to feel full. I am so scared I am stretching my pouch already. I don't drink when I eat but sometimes when I am tying to get down my water I get these "hiccups" (they feel like I'm gonna burp but then it comes out as a hiccup). I may only have one or two but thay are a little painful. Is that what it feels like when your full???? I also had 1/4 c. egg beaters with a half of slice of wheat toast. I am not supposed to have bread yet but I was making it for my son and tried just a bite then when it went down fine I ate the rest. You guys, I really need your input. What if my pouch is too big and I never get to goal?

wow i really wish i had something to tell you but that i think you should talk to your dr about it. i'm thinking you might not want to thinking he might feel disappointed like the way you are feeling now but i'm sure he won't be. he's done this many times and i'm sure you are not the first one to go through this and he's the only expert that you will feel comfortable hearing this is normal or if there is to be any consern for anything. as for me, full feels like if i eat or drink anything else, it will come back up. i feel full most of the time but today i did get a lil worried because i drank sooo much water. like one of those big bottles, about half of it which is way more than 6 oz. it was like 6 oz times 5 or 6. it was a lot. i just couldn't stop drinking it i was sooo thirsty. but the rest of the day i think i've eaten more normal sizes like i should be. good luck and update with what happen or you do ok. take care. maria

First off I wouldn't worry about the water, the more water you drink the better. And remember fluids go through your pouch very quickly, I think I heard someone say it is like a funnel. And as for the food I know for the first week I could not feel if I was full, I think it is because all the nerves need to repair themselves. There are signs that you can look for to know if your full such as burping or feeling gas, or you get a runny nose. Just make sure you eat slowly. Instead if trying to wait until you feel full you could also meausre out an ounce or 2 of food so that you don't over eat. I don't think you need to worry about your pouch stretching yet I believe it will takes months of overeating to stretch it. YOu can also always call your dr with concerns. Good luck Laura

I had a problem with knowing when I was full too. I believe it was because I was still taking pain medication. I stopped taking it and could tell discomfort when I overate. It did make it more unconfortable at other times, but I found I could tolerate the pain and was happier knowing when I had reached my limit. Yes, they told me that you can stretch out the pouch (but they did not think the short time involved was going to be a serious issue as long as I was more careful in the future)

I was thinking the same thing about myself! I feel like I can eat more than I should be able too. Do you eat it quickly or slowly? I eat very slowly....The one thing that I do notice though, is that if you stop when you feel satisfied, and wait a little while for your the food to start to digest, you feel full. Not the full like you probably used to feel before surgery, but still full. I thought the same thing..that maybe my doctor didnt make my pouch small enough, and Im going to ask about that at my next doctor appt. Maybe we're just healing quicker?????

Consuming the water is no biggie. The more water the better. Just try not to gulp too much. (mostly because you'll get lots of air). I heard several people say it took awhile to feel full. (Like 3-4 weeks). I think all the healing going on everything is still just sensitive and adjusting. What I feel is a bit of pressure in that area when I am full. But it isn't some huge "signal". Just a bit of pressure. I get those weird hiccup burps too- and they hurt. (much worse than how it feels when I am full) Mine usually does include the actual burp part too. But I have been pretty gassy. Don't stress.... I don't think your pouch is too big. And I think you WILL loose the weight! You say you had " 1/4 c. cottage cheese and 1/4 c. egg beaters for breakfast". Just think pre-surgery what you would have eaten for breakfast! The kinds of stuff you are eating are still pretty soft and almost liqiud. They go through your pouch fast. And on my "soft" diet my Dr. says bread "if toasted" is fine. Which is probably why yours went down ok. Just plain bread can kind of clump together and is hard to get past the stomach part. Call your Dr. if your still worried...but it sounds like your doing fine to me. Linda

I have those same crazy hiccups! I call them backwards burps. They hurt like crazy!!! It sounds like you are eating about 1/2 cup of food at a time. That is what my nutritionist recommended for after surgery. I am on pureed foods for about 3-4 weeds and then will move on to real food. I don't really know what it feels like to be full either. I agree with what someone else said about feeling pressure in your stomach. I also get "burpy" and my stomach growls a little. That tends to be my que that I am full. Good luck! Shellie

Hi, Saundra. First of all I wanted to let you know that my name is Saundra, also. I go by Sandy now because it was becoming a pain to "spell it" for people every time and I was getting called "Sandra" and so I just went to "Sandy". I think our spelling is unusual and I never met anyone else with the same spelling. OK----I think we are ALL stressing needlessly about our pouches beeing too big. Our surgeons knew EXACTLY what they were doing and my surgeon says it is NOT easy to stretch the pouch and not to worry about it. I think we all feel full or satisfied at different rates because the food goes OUT of the pouch at different rates. As long as it is draining smoothly we should feel fine and not overfilled. The only time I have experienced discomfort is when I eat too fast or drink something with the food. (I forget to not do that!) So RELAX!!! You WILL make your goal. We ALL WILL and we will be healthy and beautiful!!!! (Can't wait!) Sandy

I can relate to the hiccups I get those and the drinking water thing my surgeon said the pouch is in tact but because I have reduced swelling in the stoma liquid such as water empties quicker. the Hiccups he said was normal because the size of pouch and the lack of muscle and weknes from healing causes them you don;t have the muscles to do a proper burp right now.. I had my surgery on 7-25. ask your doctor when you see him or call his office and leave a message I think the best way to sootthe fears is to have a professional reassure you. Michaele Love