PROBLEMS EATING

I HAD MY SURGERY 8/4 AND HAVE LOST 55LBS. MY PROBLEM LATELY IS THAT I SEEM TO ALOT. IT IS EASIER FOR ME NOT TO EAT THAN WORRY ABOUT GETTING SICK. I STILL HAVE NO APPETITE.NOTHING SOUNDS GOOD TO ME TO EAT. I AM ABLE TO EAT VERY LITTLE MEAT IS ANYONE ELSE HAVING PROBLEMS LIKE ME?

Diane, I am only 6 weeks out and yet I feel the exact same way. I don't want anything at all - just hot tea. I haven't been "vomiting" per se, but after anything I eat I end up hacking up a whole bunch of clear phlegm - it's nasty but not as bad as it could be. A good friend of mine had the surgery a few weeks before me and had the same experience from weeks 6-8. Hopefully it will go away soon! Jen

Yes, I had my surgery on aug. 11 and am still having a great deal of difficulty eating. I throw up a lot and more lately. meats are not at all good with me and it seems to very from day to day. I hope you get feeling better real soon. congrats on the wt. loss. you are in my prayers. barb jones

I had surgery 7+1/2 weeks ago and I am having the same problem. Last night I barfed from taking 3 small bites of my hubby's bacon cheeseburger. But what came up was mostly bread. I think maybe I ate it too fast. I also have a hard time with chicken giving my pain. Especially if it is too dry. I hope this is just a phase! *~Amber~*

Diane, not a guarantee of course, because everyone is different...but, I went through the same thing for quite a while. SUDDENLY....last week my appetite came back, WITH A VENGENCE! I mean, I feel like I could eat all the time at this point, it actually bothers me. Around the same time that my appetite came back, I suddenly felt...like angels singing...like I was 100% normal and would never be sickly again, if I didn't eat what I knew I couldn't. I think my brain finally gave up trying to convince me I NEEDED more food, and the kinds of foods I KNEW I could no longer eat (because I TRIED!) I was so sick, so many times, that I got to where I was certain I would only be consuming Propel, Vitamins, and Liquid Protein for the rest of my life...AND I was ready to accept that!! Now, I can't eat red meat, bread, milk, sugar, pasta, rice, potatoes, caffeine, carbonated beverages...but anything else is fair game. It's cooled off a lot here in the last couple of weeks, so I don't know if the body is trying to get more energy to warm up, or if my metabolism from exercising practically every day has sped up, or what. Needless to say every time I eat (again!!) I think I am surely destroying myself, that I am ruining the surgery and how could I be eating all the time like I am!!! Now, when I try and be logical, I am probably eating about 5 times a day...which is 3 meals and 2 snacks, so I guess that's normal. Still, it frightens me when I can eat 3/4 of a bag of popcorn all by myself, REGARDLESS of the fact that popcorn has almost NO calories and ends up being practically air. It's like when I eat salad. Since salad (lettuce being most of it) is so light and dissolves into practically all water in the stomach, I can eat a BIG salad before I feel full. At first I thought I had exploded my pouch or something, because I could eat so much of it!! It wasn't until someone clued me in about food density that I really started to think about it, and about the density of the things I couldn't eat vs. the density of the things I could. I had distal RNY on 8/2/04, and I have lost 52#, I started at 311 (I am 5'6"). I have lost more inches than I can even count overall (I know for a fact I lost 18 inches in the last 2 weeks!), and two pant sizes (started in a 26, now in a 22 comfortably). My first personal goal for myself is to be 199# on my birthday, January 23rd...that may be wanting too much, but I think I can do it (that's almost 6 mo. post op). This too shall pass, the eating gets easier, I swear. At some point the body and the mind finally agree and you stop eating too fast, too much, or the wrong thing, because your brain finally gives in. Personally, I think it has a little to do with how stubborn you are....and GOD KNOWS I am very stubborn!! Good Luck! Stacy

Dear Diane, I had my surgery on 8/3/04. (-62 pounds). I also went through what you are talking about. I have found that cottage cheese is my best friend. It has lots of protein and it is easy on my new tummy. Try it! It might help. Lisa

DEAR DIANE & LISA THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DISCUSSING THIS PROBLEM. I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. IT SEEMS IF I DON'T CHEW & EAT VERY SLOWLY, I GET THIS SICK FEELING AND IT COMES UP. NOT FORCEFULLY JUST LIKE IT HAD NO PLACE TO GO. MY SURGERY WAS 8/17/04 AND I'M AT 50LBS GONE. AGAIN THANK YOU. I'VE LEARNED I MUST TAKE SMALL BITES. IT'S JUST SO HARD TO REMEMBER. PAT

I hope you arent vomiting everything you eat. If you are you might want to contact your surgeon to make sure it's not a stricture. Meat is hard for everyone this early. Make sure that your meat is really moist. I find lunchmeats are easier for me to handle. Chicken works sometimes for me and sometimes gives me alot of pain if its really dense. For your food protiens try tuna with a bit of mayo, eggs, cheese, lunchmeat and maybe wait awhile to try the harder meats. Just remember to chew well and eat very slowly. Best whishes Patty

Hi, My name is Becky and I had surgery 8/9. I, too was having trouble eating meats so my nutritionist told me to go back to pureed foods or try using more broth when I chop my meats up. My doctor said that your body has a hard time digesting meat when it is normal, so imagine how your new pouch feels trying to digest after surgery. Now I just puree my chicken or beef but I am able to eat pork and fish with no problems. One thing that I found I could eat and not get sick was the krystal cheeseburger with out the bun. Someone told me that they are not real beef, but soy. Maybe that is why I can tolerate it. I admit I have no appetite but I was that way before surgery so I make sure I eat no matter what. So far I have lost 46 pounds and I started out at 308 pounds and I feel great other then the eating problems. Good luck and God Bless You. I will remember to pray for you that things will get easier. Sincerely, Becky Stanford [email protected]