PROTEIN!

I need advise, im having such a hard time keeping any kind of food down. everything I eat I throw up. I eat really small bites, im chewing my food like crazy and nothing is helping. I try to eat as slow as possible but Any kind of protein is not going down. I tried Chicken and it didn't go down, I tried protein shakes and it was the worst it got me so sick I couldn't even keep water down afterwards. I tried beef and my stomach couldn't handle it. so far im all eating is my water, Greek yogurt and grapes. anything else I try does not work. I tried eating an egg this morning I was surprised I was able to keep it down. I had surgery on 12/12/2017. is this normal? idk what other protein type of food to try. im getting really Anxious because its been so hard trying to figure out what to do. I called my dr and the next apt available is not until after February.

It looks like you're 4th week of post-op living? At that point, I was still on pureed foods.

Chicken is very solid, as is beef. The fact that you can get in yogurt and eggs, to me, says that you should be sticking to soft, mushy things right now.

As for protein shakes, you might want to try a different shake.

Right now, I'd work on getting in your liquids and then work on protein in very soft forms - yogurt, cottage cheese, soft eggs. Pureeing food is an option even if not required by your plan. Some people have success with moist foods like deli meats.

I'd also recommend nixing the grapes - they won't help you reach your goals.

At less than a month out, you need very soft foods, and you may need to be pureeing it. Some ideas include:

• Baked white fish that is very soft and flaky
• Soft scrambled eggs (maybe even a little bit runny)
• Moist chicken, try dark meat, run through a food processor
• Soup with no chunks, add unflavored protein powder
• Cottage cheese

For most people, fruit is nothing but unneeded carbs; it's taking up space in your pouch that needs to be used for protein. Skip the grapes until maintenance.

Did your surgeon provide any sort of post-op eating instructions? Most doctors give their patients SOMETHING in the way of lists of acceptable foods. Take a look at that again. If your clinic didn't give you anything, take a look at these guidelines from the Mayo Clinic (though I'm skeptical of their recommendation for canned fruit).

When you say "small bites," your doctor means SMALL. We're talking "size of a grain of rice" small. And make sure you're going very slowly; take a bite, put your fork down, and wait before trying another bite.

Do some research on protein shakes and try several ones. I finally found one that I could tolerate, Isopure lemonade flavor. It?s clear and not chalky. You?ll definitely need one on hand to reach your protein goals in the beginning. As far as food, I second what Gwen said, listen to your sleeve, and try some soft foods. Some things that work for me: baby bell cheese, eggs, smoked salmon, and Greek yogurt. Hot tea before your meal may also may help relax things in there as well. I like chai and peppermint. Good luck!

Two things you can do:

1. Call the doc, I know that I have medicine that I take that calms down my stomach acid. You might need the same.

2. Find the foods that you can keep down or water and add protein to it. There are many colorless and tasteless kinds as well as flavored water that already have protein in it.

Another thought is that it too soon after surgery for your surgeon's office to tell you that you can't be seen until February. You are only 3 1/2 weeks post op. Perhaps call the surgeon's office back and tell them so.

Also, I agree with everyone else. At 3 1/2 weeks you should still be doing soft foods (that do not need to be chewed) and not try and tackle beef and chicken that is not pureed. Especially since you are having problems with solids still. And fruit is nothing but useless carbs at this stage. A few modifications should have you right back on track soon. At three weeks when I had a problem with tomato soup, my surgeon told me that my new sleeve was still angry with her and that I needed to treat it very gently and the tomato was probably not working for me yet.