Worried 1 month out
Well what size is your sleeve. Every surgeon has their own methods. Here is a comparison of the standard bougee sizes. Some surgeons sew more tightly than others.
You surgeon can tell you what size he used. When you consider your original stomach was about the size of a football, all of these are much smaller.
If you are eating mostly dense protein you should have good restriction. If you are eating slider foods like bread, crackers, cereal, potatoes then you can eat a lot of food with little restriction.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
I will definitely ask. I have a follow up on jan20th. I am eating high protein foods. no pasta, no bread, no potatoes. Just frustrating...I will be so disappointed if he used the largest size. I know it's still much smaller than my regular stomach as but for what this surgery cost, I would like to feel alittle restrication.
I agree that you should have restriction. Not a little, a lot. I find it helpful to fill up on ice water before eating. It seems to help and then not drink for at least 30 minutes after taking the last bite of food.
My surgeon told me it is OK to drink water up until the first bite of food.
Real life begins where your comfort zone ends
I drink water all day and I don't have any issues with eat and drinking at the same time. I don't do it Often but I have taken sips of water during meals. If my sister did that, she would throw up!
I wish I knew what determined what size they used for the size of your stomach. I will def ask at my appointment. I thought I did a lot of research but never thought about asking that question.
You might have restriction, but not actually feel it yet for a few reasons:
- your stomach might not be fully healed from surgery and the nerves aren't fully repaired. So be careful not to overdo it!
- your diet at this point is probably mostly liquid/mush. I never did feel much restriction with liquid; many people don't. But when you're cleared to eat some dense protein, I'm sure you will feel the restriction.
- some people have other sensations (like a runny nose) that tell them when to stop eating. So be on the lookout for cues like that.
To clarify, the reason that they tell you not to drink fluid with meals is that it can cause the stomach to empty more quickly so you don't feel restriction. My dietitian told me that if I get thirsty during a meal, it's fine to sip something, just don't guzzle.
Dina Lynn,
Hi there. Congrats on your surgery. I'm 63 years old. I had my sleeve in May 2019 and everything went amazing. I had no pain, none. I could tolerate my shakes immediately with no problem. When I moved to the soft foods, again, no problem, real food, no problem. My daughter had the same surgery by the same doctor just over two years ago and she had so much pain and had to sip from a medicine cup for weeks and struggled with that. (And she's no wimp). We tolerate different foods differently now. I am eight months out and the only time I have any issues is if I eat too fast or too much. Then I'm quite uncomfortable. I have lost almost 90 pounds, I've started yoga and I feel sooooo much better!
I tell you all of this to encourage you as well as make a point. This journey is so individual. There are some similarities of course, but don't stress because your journey is different from anyone else's. Talk with your doctor to make sure you are on track and relax. Consider yourself very blessed. I certainly feel that way. Good luck with all the changes that will come your way.
Sincerely,
Jinxy
My experience was counter to most people I talked to. I was STARVING until I was able to eat solid foods. I'm about 90 days out now and while I still feel my stop signals quickly, they are a little less than before. The biggest thing I can say is to trust the process. Its life changing and so worth it. If you put in the work, you will be so happy. Good luck!
