Post surgery- How much is full?

 

I need something discussed- I am 2 weeks post surgery.

So far nothing has made me sick. I stop eating when my portion is gone and I'm fine, but I have yet to get a 'full' signal from my pouch.

Things I have tried: (not in this order) it all seems so high fat to me…but Margie says we watch carbs, sugars, and proteins…. My portions are about 1/3^rd cup or less. Some things I’ve tried took me a while to eat, I know not to hurry. (or drink) I eat about twice per day. Shakes are the rest of my meals.

Eggs, soft- fried in butter (per dr.) I’d rather have them w/o the butter actually.

Vienna Sausages

Something like potted meat (chicken)

Peanut Butter

1% milk (in my shakes)

Bean soup from Campbell’s w/ bacon flavoring (this was my Mother’s Day meal!yum!)

Veg. Soup, (mostly the broth)

Mashed potatoes and gravy

Canned sf or no sugar added fruit

Fresh apple thin slices baked in the microwave till soft

SF Pudding

SF Jell-O, Broth-all that jazz everyone does.

I took a chance, experimented once, and tried some regular home-made spaghetti with hamburger meat sauce and it stayed down just fine.

I’m finding things get cold before I can finish my little meal, that is a tad inconvenient….

Please discuss all this – I am doing great and not having hunger pangs or anything – and things seem to do down smoothly. I chew chew chew and small bites-

My diabetes numbers are aweseome…no problems there

I know I’m eating advanced for 2 weeks post op. If it’s not bothering me in the slightest…..is what I’m doing ok?

 

Brenda Nutt

 

SOUNDS OK the reason for advancing the diet is to not irritate that sore little pouch.  It takes awhile to get the full sensation. i guess like any surgery the nerves have to heal before you have feeling there.  How is the leaking going. is that all healed now??? have missed you a lot.

Hey Jan- Seems I've just been in limbo...waiting for that site to heal.  But it did  and I'm up and on my feet again.  It is so hard not to pick up flower pots or potting soil or any of that stuff!  I know I could, but no way am I chancing it...I'm way too sick of the couch to pick up anything! ha 

 (I was prone to that leaky site, so please don't let it scare anyone- I have some odd medical issues and this just tied into it all.   Please newbies, don't let this scare you- most-all people heal their puncure sites beautifully)

My weight loss was not good the days I spent on the couch.  That is a bit dis-hearting.  But, I know it will come off once I'm moving again.  I've paced so much around my deck today that my feet are sore this evening.  Guess going from one extreme to the other does tend to set us back a notch.

I will be so glad when I can start adding strawberries etc. to my shakes.  They are getting a tad old.  I'm on the choc. flavor now and using 1% milk in them until I figure out if I'm going to be able to handle milk or not.  Plus a packet of sweetner.  I just use 5 oz. of milk, if I do more, it gets way too warm before I get it all down.  I try and drink those like a meal.  Any food I comsume, is just experminting at this point.  Later I need to start counting the proteins in what I eat daily.  But for now, I figure anything I get in over the shakes is just all the better.

I hope I get to go walking tomorrow.  It rained here today, in spirts, about the time I thought I'd have to quit and come in the house, it would stop raining, then it would start up again.  I wish we'd get a good hard rain and finish knocking all that polen trash off the trees.  We have a ka-zillion trees and everything is green or messey right now.  The dog has long hair and she's draging it all in onto the carpet.

Better hit the sheets, it's been a long day.  After Mom left, I took my MIL to the eye dr. and praise the Lord she got a 20-20 report after her cadratic surgery a year ago.  It's good to get some good news on the elderly!  I was so proud for her!

My yellow iris bed is sooo pretty right now.  I know your's is too.

Brenda

Hi Brenda, I just have a simple suggestion to make!!!! Take it easy! Although you may be tolerating the foods youve tried, doesnt mean you should be eating them...be very weary of things that are too simple, they seem to really not be that good for you. After all, you didnt go thru this so you could continue eating the things that got you to the point of surgery anyway, right? I think we are to really look at a healthy lifestyle more now than ever....I am trying my best to think healthy first!!!  Have a great day.

Please explain, I'm new, I don't understand....what am I eating that I should not be eating?  What's' too simple'?  I want to think of health first too- If I'm messing up here, please tell me---- help!  I need your experience!

Brenda

My sis is right, just dont want you thinking that getting a quick fix on protien is all that good if what your eating isnt that great for you....but sounds like you are trying a little at a time and doing great on that end...just dont get ahead of yourself. There is a reason they tell you not to try certain things too soon....Your stoma and little pouch are too tender and new to be trying somethings...just give it a while to adjust and heal. Dont think your messing up but maybe pushing yourself a little early on somethings. Im sure glad your healing and feeling good...

It sounds like you are doing fine, but use caution.  Things that didn't bother me in the first few weeks are bothering me now....some to the point of making me ill.  I think Jan has a good theory...once those nerves and such heal it may be a different story so just be careful.  I would caution you on eating more than 1/4 cup at a time at this point too.  If you aren't getting the "full" sensation you could risk stretching your pouch...you may have to TELL yourself that you are full at 1/4 cup to preserve pouch size until that feeling comes back.

Go-Mornin' Nancy - Man was it ever great to sleep late!  Something I rarely get to do.... Now my brain is spinning with what all I have to do today!!! 

About how long until the pouch starts telling us it's full?  I get my portion on my plate and no more at this point, cause I'd want to eat till the plate was clean, this much I know about 'me'.  I miss my stomach telling me I'm full.  It's easy to stop eating, but the 'sensation' is what I sort of miss.  I may not be saying this right, hopfully you will know what I mean...

The chicken potted meat stuff went down good, but I don't think I'll try it again, it is not a favorite of mine to start with, (and it needed crackers bad! hahaha)  I was just trying to get protein in with food like Margie (doc's nurse) advised.

It looks to me like if we stretched the pouch before it was healed, that it would hurt or something.  Guess the stunned nerves are a blessing in a way when it comes to that kind of pain. 

Now I just need to get this body moving!  I need to build endurance for sure, I've not exercised in so long I don't last long.  But each day brings new things and right now it's all so exciting!

Thanks for the reply, at this point, I need all the help/advice I can get!

Brenda

 

Hey sweetie, since Sugar is my sister , i will answer what she was saying (I Think) Not that you are eating anything now that isnt ok for you just that in the future things that are quick and easy are not always the best for you.  She just meant to say that we all need to turn our thoughts to nothing but health foods and get our minds into that mind set.  I have read and read and read some more that you cant stretch your pouch, you can stretch the stoma but not the pouch. Now this is what i have read.  with that being said what ever the amount it that it says 1/4 cup then that is the total amount , not 1/4 cup of this and 1/4 cup of several other things lol ...i dont think that is what you are doing but just to clarify it for others too.  I started getting the full feeling about 6 weeks i think. not sure now.  I had pain feelings before that if i ate a bite too much. dont do that last bite anymore. that was a hard lesson for me to learn, the leaving food on my plate ....starving boys and girls in Africa you know. lol Take care you are doing good so glad you are healed up now. DONT LIFT,,,,,,NOTHING..

My surgeon said I couldn't eat some of those advanced things until I was further out only because you want to give your new pouchie time to heal....I've also read that you can't stretch it, but you can irritate and injure it by eating things it's not ready for.  That is the reason that most surgeons have you do liquids/soft foods after surgery for a month or two. Now, as far as the fullness signal...I still don't get feelings of fullness (or hunger) and I am 10 months out now.  But, I DO know if I go too far...if I take one bite too many oh good Lord does the pain start!  I just measure my portions and eat those and stop! But, for the most part, most of the foods you are doing are okay since they are soft foods and such....