Problems eatting/ 42 days out ?

Hi I have a question or questions: I have been trying to eat following Dr B.'s program for bypass I am 42 days out and I am have problems getting my meals in. I would rather not eat at all. I have been throwing up (not all the time so I know it is not a stricture) I am naseated most of the time. When I get sick after eatting something my response is not wanting to eat it again. My protein list is deminishing. The vitamins even make me feel like gagging as I chew them. I can't handle the Isosource the thought makes me want to gag. I am not usually a complainer but my energy is zero. I can't even take shower without having to laying down afterwards. I feel weak after standing for just a few minutes in one place. I have been walking a little bit but figured I would be furture along in my program by now. I have always been active I go to school full time and work full time so I am moving. I have lost over 50t feel like I am failing. I hope I'm not messing up the program too much. WhenI call the office I am told am told to go bk to liquids for for 48 hrs . Which I do. I am also told no enery is normal also but for how long? Any suggestion or feed back? Thanks

Hi, I am sorry that you are having such a rough time. If I were you I would go in and talk to Randy and or Cassie. Something is not right if you are that sick. You have no energy because you are not able to keep any food in you. In the first 3 months I would get very tired off and on at times, but I think something else is going on. Good luck and let us know how you are doing. Phyllis P.

Su, Did I misunderstand you to say you have lost 50 pounds in 45 days???????!!! That has to be a typo. As for feeling tired, I felt tired all the time for about 5 weeks. I also hated to eat or take my vitamins as I just had no appetite and vitamins chewed up taste yucky. I had no nausea though or vomiting. Hang in there, sip water ALL DAY LONG, add some Isopure or New Whey or Profect to your water to make sure you get your 60 grams of protein in. SIP,SIP,SIP! Take naps as often as you can and then get up and take a walk around the block. Add an extra half lap on your walk every day to build up. Keep in touch with Cassie and Randy. They are there for you. Never think that you are calling too often. I liked e-m myself. Keep posting. You will get tons of support. hugs, Mary

Su, If you have lost 50lbs in about 5 weeks, that is awesome!!!! Maybe you can try different types of protein supplements... I used Worldwide Protein Shakes from Sprouts. They have them in 4 different flavors and come in cans, I used to drink them in 20 minutes. They don't taste so bad. What is making you gagging? The dryness of the protein or the protein itself? Try eating chicken with a little bit of lowfat dressing, as a dipping sauce. I changed my menu around after about 8 weeks and tried different kinds of fish and discovered that I liked so much more now since pre-op. Fish has great amounts of protein and other vitamins and is great for your heart. Yogurt was also a huge staple for me too during the first 4 months. As for energy... fight the tempations to sleep all the time. I remember at my discharge class, the woman told us to fight it. Go for a walk, get the chemicals in your body pumping... I didn't have issues with energy early, but when I have those days where I am dragging and I feel like I go just go to sleep, I take another dose of B-12 and get on the treadmill, it does wake me up and makes me sleep better at night. Do you have sleep apnea? if you do and used your Cpap machine pre-op, are you still using it? If not, maybe you should be. I know from friends that when they don't use their machine, their energy level is bad. Definately call Randy if you do not start feeling better... also the girls are available thru email, they respond very quickly. [email protected] Remember the 5 rules... and chew chew chew! First 12 weeks are a bit rough, but it does better, I promise. ~Nicole

Hi Su, I'm so sorry you're having a rough time I think just about everyone hits a rocky point in this journey at some point or another. One thing Randy told me when I thought I had a stricture was that stress or anxiety can cause your digestive system to not play nicely with food and tense up, causing stricture like effects. So first, try and relax. Give yourself a break - your body just went through something extremely traumatic AND the 50 lb weight loss is probably putting your system into shock since that's quite a lot of weight to lose in 42 days. I, too, went through a bought of throwing up and doing liquids for 48 hours. It will pass. Find something on the allowed food list that works for you, and stick with it. Unfortunately, now isn't a time to make food the once enjoyable occasion it used to be. In these early months we're eating for fuel , not pleasure. For now anyway! Not everyone progresses at the same rate, so take it easy and listen to your body. Do your best to drink water all day long - on top of everything else, you don't want to be dehydrated, too. What type of vitamins are you taking? Mine are pretty OK tasting - here's what I take: Centrum multivitamin - chewable: It's an orangey flavor Citracel calcium citrate chews: I don't like the chocolate, but the caramel and lemon are dreamy. Chewable Iron from the Spa @ Scottsdale Shea: I tried other brands and this one was the best for me. A little more expensive, but they're small, chewable, and taste like berries. Sublingual B-12 GNC brand: tastes like cherry. B-Complex GNC brand: tastes like artificial orange, but it's liquid and mixes easily. I happen to like Isopure, so I can't help you there. I suggest making a list of all of your questions and concerns and call or email the nutritionists - they're always quick to respond to my inquiries and have been very helpful. Their job is to educate us and help us achieve our weight loss goals, so don't hesitate to utilize them! Good luck and keep us posted! Nicole

Su. I was just about where you were i lost 60 pounds in the first 49 days so i know how you feel. It is a lot of weight to lose quickly. Just because you are not throwing up all the time doesn't mean you do not have a stricture. You could have a partial stricture. i did great for about the first three weeks after surgery, and then i started getting sick. i could keep food down sometimes, but not all the time. About week 7 where you are now i got so sick i couldn't even get off the couch. Then i started throwing up so bad i couldn't even keep water down. They gave me medication for nausea and it didnt work. Then they gave me some medication made for cancer patients when they get nauseas (can't remember the name) but it was really strong stuff which helped me to start getting water down and i started to feel better once i was properly hydrated. I asked them if i had a stricture and was told no. For 4 months post surgery this continued. Everyone on the board kept telling me to contact the doctor and when i did the office would tell me it was "normal" Well it turned out that I did indeed have a stricture and I endured it for much longer then was necessary. Just because you can keep some foods down doesn't mean you don't have one. Are you having pain when you eat? In your sternum? I almost always got a painful pressure and then i would throw up. The doctor had me go off solids and on to liquids for 24 hours, and then 48 hours, and even 72. I was constantly going off food and on to liquids. Like you i didn't want to eat at all. Vitamins were difficult as even those would go down fine one time, and come up the next. I had absolutely 0 appetite. It is possible that the food is also just to hard to eat. I couldn't keep chicken down until last week and i am 6 months out. When i talked to Randy at my last appointment he said some people end up becoming Vegans as they just can never tolerate the meats again. I don't remember who it was but one girl said she was like 2 or 3 years out and still coudln't eat most meats. Profect taste nasty, but it is a good way to get your protein in as it is 25 proteins in 3 ounces. I still drink it when i need a protein boost. I plug my nose when i drink it and chase it with water. I recommend staying away from the peach flavored one as it was so bad i couldn't even swallow it and i had thought it would be the best. Make sure you get your water in. It is critical. Even if you have to suck on ice chips. Do follow up with your doctor and remember you know what is right and what isn't. I knew something was wrong but I kept getting told it was normal. Since I obviously had never had the surgery I figured they knew better then me, and therefore doubted my own instincts. Don't do what I did. Trust your instincts and if you feel something is wrong insist on an answer. Please keep us posted.

Su, Even at over three years out, I will sometimes have an unhappy pouch day. I've known this method to work for several people... Take a few sips of warm herbal tea before eating and a few deep breaths. You want to relax your pouch as much as possible. Then eat very slowly and chew very well. I know it breaks the no liquids rule, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Try that once or twice and see if it works. I'd also insist on following up with the doc to make sure there is no stricture. Make an appointment instead of talking to people on the phone. Finally, the vitamins that work best for me are Gummie Vites from Sam's Club. I chew 4 of them in the morning and 4 at night. Swallowing pills is not something my body willingly does. I've been eating Gummie Vitamins since surgery and my labs are perfect. When I've tried going to pill forms of vitamins, I find myself getting tired and I think it's because I'm not dissolving and absorbing everything. Hope you feel better soon. Connie