Sung to the tune of "Row Row Row Your Boat...."

Chew Chew Chew your food Lest you get it stuck If you don't and it won't go down It surely will come up!!!! Bwahahahahahahah.....I crack my own self up. Okay - for those of you who've had surgery already, answer me these questions pleeeeeeeeeeeze... 1) How long do you have to chew things for? 2) Are there foods you just plain don't eat anymore because of problems with them getting stuck? 3) Do any foods get easier to eat without as much chewing as time goes on? 4) Can you eat any raw veggies at all? Is there a timeline of when you can start eating them if so? 5) Do you have non-meat sources of protein you eat that are easier to get down than meat? Thanks for your answers in advance!

Wow, Dina...how to answer. Okay, I'm a month out tomorrow, and I've had some eating issues. I'd say that for the first month, everything is pretty swollen inside, so smaller pieces are easiest. That's why soft foods for a month. I did dabble a little outside the soft foods category, with some success one day, not so much the next. I've held off trying chicken, because everyone seems to have so much trouble with it. And having coughed up my food on 2 occasions, I'm not going there again just yet. Basically, you need to learn to put very little in your mouth, chew until it's liquidy, and swallow. Wait a few seconds before the next bite. You want to know in advance if whatever you're eating isn't going to go down right. If you pile stuff on top of it, well, your song then applies. I eat cottage cheese, yogurt, and string cheese (any small bits of cheese are okay). I drink protein shakes, miso broth (with tofu), and tomato soup, as well as between 2 and 3 quarts of water a day. It does get easier to eat more quantity as swelling dissipates, but that stoma (hole from the stomach to the intestines) isn't getting any bigger. It's really trial and error. I promise that, if you ever have food stuck and have to cough it up, you won't miss raw vegetables. Plus, they dont' contain protein and our mission is to get all the protein in first. You'll be amazed at how little you eat after surgery. And thrilled with the results. I'm down 26 pounds so far, and can't believe how fast the time flies. And I'm really not hungry. But we're all different, so you're going to have to test yourself and see what works for you. Good luck, and relax. You're in very good hands. -Lesa

Lesa - Thanks for the info. It helps to have some perspective about this. I never thought about the swelling though - that makes sense. That would explain why when I was watching video of Carnie Wilson when she was a couple months out she was eating a salad and a decent amount of it (still not tons, but more than a couple mouthfuls). Speaking of that salad - it did look chopped up but she didn't seem to be chewing a ton. Is that a raw veggie (lettuce) that doesn't cause problems? Maybe because of water content? I do love raw carrots and celery so I think there will come a time I'll miss them, but it's worth giving them up for this, that's for sure! Dina

I am a year post op. My doctor had me on protein drinks for the first three weeks then I moved to pureed (soft) foods such as scrambled eggs and cottage cheese for three more weeks. I was then given to ok to freely eat. I have never really watched how I chewed food, I just had to wait in between bites to be able to judge how full I was. I have also been fortunate that I never had food stuckage. I eat anything I want (protein first of course) and have done so since 6 weeks post-op. Hope this helps. Trinia