Will I ever eat food again!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone, I just would like to vent and try to understand some things. First, I see many people who had their surgery date same as mine or days before or after and they are already at stage 3 of eating...Im very confused about why people who are around the same date have very different diets. First week after surgery I was on clear liquids. Now im on full liquids only until after MAYBE this Friday. I was told the doctors do not allow anyyyyyyy pureed foods until after week 2 or 3. I feel very full from liquids and I have a hard time getting all my water in also. Im feeling afraid maybe there is a stricture,but the doctor claims this is how I should be feeling. I go for my first Post Op appointment 2moro. Im also going through depression big time from my loss of my beloved food! LOL I feel like I will NEVER eat again. That I will only live off liquids and mush for the rest of my life. Oh I want just a salad so bad. Well my head wants it.. my stomach dont and cant handle it for sure. Since surgery Ive noticed how advertisments are programming us to want to eat. Everywhere you look there are commericials and billboards. Funny I never notices how many until I could not eat! Anyway please anyone help me with my questions about the many different diets with people on same surgery dates.. and tell me WILL I EVER EAT AGAIN!!!!!!!!! :_(

There are many reasons that we are all given different instructions about what we can eat and when. A lot of it has to do with the surgeon and what he or she has experienced good results with. Other factors are the amount of weight we have to lose, how much is bypassed, size of the pouch etc. It takes a lot of time for us to fully heal and it is important not to stretch the limits after surgery. I was allowed Stage 2 foods at day 10 post-op, but only because I was tolerating my liquids so well. Others in the same program had to wait until 2 and a half weeks post op. It really varies per person. My surgeon says that for the first month we need to be more concerned with getting in all of our liquids, and much less concerned about trying to eat. I can sympathize with wanting "real food" but our bodies need this time to adjust. I miss certain foods too, and would love to eat soomething with some real bite to it, but I just keep reminding myself that I don't NEED it, I only WANT it. It is so important for us to stick to what we need rather than what we want. You'll be on to "real" foods soon, I'll be starting mine at the end of the month, and I am nervous about it....guess I'm scared I'll screw something up Ignoring the advertisments can be difficult, but if I see something that I really want or miss having, I try to think of a way to make it more healthy. Then when I'm allowed to add foods, I can experiment with making healthy versions of old favorites. Just try to hang in there, and take it day by day.

oh how i understand what your saying! today is three weeks for me, and i am "eating alot of liquid. i'm allowed once a day either cottage cheese, or yogert or jello.......... i am going to the nut next week to progress to the next stage, i probably could have gone this week at around 3 weeks out but i couldn't get an app. for the time frame i needed, sooooo it looks like this stage for another week.... i also was very interested in way it was so differnt for so many of us......... but i know i am going to follow what my dr is telling me... and i think genisi has a good point in each dr. orders what they have seen sucess with in their own rpactice... some each food quicker..........i dunno!..... i'mm just following along at this point. what choice do i have right?.baahahhahahahaha i sooooooooo see all those commercails on tv like crazy! i was just saying that to my husband last night. gawd! it seems like everything is related to eating! i'm glad i can come in here and see what everyone else is doing right around the same time i had my surgury!.......

Hi elizabeth One thing you learn around here is that every doc has a totally different diet. My surgeon believes that some solid foods for the intestine to work help it heal faster. He showed me studies to back this up. Having said that - His "diet" was for clears 1 week, fulls 2 weeks then mushies for a month. He skipped all that however and sent me home from the hospital on mushies - he said "listen to your body, and eat what you can tolerate". I've kept it relatively soft but I've already eaten chicken, beef stew, shrimp... no problems so far. Everything is well cooked with sauces or gravies to keep it wet and smushy. With thechicken and beef I shred it all up before I eat it and chew the ever-lovin crap out of it. Some docs don't let people have even soft meats until several months out. It's important, however, to listen to your docs rules, because HE knows what to expect based on what you are eating.

Hang in there! I had surgery on December 6th (I think that makes me 6 weeks post-op) and am just in the soft food stage. I've been cleared to eat very moist fish products (including shrimp), baked potatoes and some veggies. No chicken or beef products yet. I have to admit that I was very excited to go to the NUT yesterday as I thought she was going to clear me for "real food". I left a little disappointed; but quickly remembered that I made the decision to make lifestyle changes and this is all part of it. I'm slowly but surely getting used to not chewing my meals. I have been told that sugar free gum is okay as long as I don't swallow it! It's interesting that you mentioned a salad...I would kill for a little bit of lettuce!! If only I would have eaten more salad the years before surgery! =) Take care!! Heidi K

Ha---we have the same thing in mind..... I had surgery on Dec 19. I'm in the soft food stage. I'm SOOOOOOOO limited w/what I can eat....mainly cream soup. I wonder this same question....will I EVER be able to eat again? People are asking me if I may have a sticture. What exactly is that? I wonder if I should allow myself to get there in time or if you dont force something down you're not doing yourself any favors. If you find out, pls let me know =) Good luck!