how much do i chew??

hi guys i have another question of course..lol im on my pureed diet now. sort of i was just wondering how many times ya'll chew??? like tonight  was eating some blackeyed peas (comfort food..lol)  but i didnt puree them so im trying to figure out if there is a specific number of times i should chew... also i know every doc is different but mine told me i can drink 8oz an hour including yougurts and puddings and stuff..doesnt that seem like an awful lot.  AND this morning my stomach growled. im starting to get a little worried. what if he made my pouch to big....or what if i have already stretched it out...any thoughts???

Lots a love

BECCA!!

Not to laugh, but you sound like everyone else who has ever posted on here right after surgery, including myself, lol. Yes every doctor is different, so I suggest you follow what he tells you. 8 oz doesn't sound like a lot in one hour because your still on the pureed part and it pretty much just passes on through your pouch. As far as chewing, I just chewed until it was mush, no particular amount of times and there isn't much to chew on pureed anyway. Are you sure you heard growling and not the sound of the pouch emptying out? Mine makes real strange sounds after I eat, sort of like a clogged drain trying to unstop, lol. I worried and still do worry about stretching my pouch out, and I'm sure it can be done, but your not going to stretch it with the amounts and kinds of foods your having to eat at this stage, so just hang in there and don't worry.......... easier said than done, I know that first hand, lol. You will be fine and all these fears will be replaced with new ones as you go along. They are nothing more than what the rest of us have feared. Just try to enjoy the ride on the road to being a loser. Take Care! Mary

I remember as a kid being told to chew each bite 32 times. Of course I never did. I may not be right maybe someone else will know the answer. Just hang in there.  Teresa M,

Hi Becca.  There is no set numbrer of times...just chew until it is MUSH.  Sounds like you are doing fine.  8 oz. of "fluid" type food doesn't sound like a lot and I would follow docs advice. My stomach loves to growl.  It isn't hunger, it is your re-routed digestive tract. Meantime, try not to stress to much (we all did anyway) and you will never regret this decision.

Chew     Chew    then Chew some more. Make sure as everyone else has said, that it is all mushed up.  You want it to be able to slide down on it's on with a little swallow.  Take smaller bites to make sure you get it all chewed good.   Remember NOT to drink while you are eating.  That could make you sick and that WILL strech your pouch.  That was real hard for me to give up, drinking while eating.  But I noticed that when I drank while eating, I swallowed my food without chewing it good.  When you don't drink, you take smaller bites and chew your food better. All of our pouches get fussy.  I laugh sometimes at all of the noises mine makes.  Still, this is the best thing I ever did for myself. Deb