Four weeks out and really struggling--could use some help or suggestions.

Hi There

I know after reading some of the posts here that I will be calling my surgeon on Tuesday. I am four weeks out from my DS surgery and I started out really great with the liquid diet. On July 22, I should have gone to eating pureed foods, but I can't seem to find anything that agrees with me. I am really struggling. I am only able to keep down soup and depending on the day, Greek yogurt. Scrambled eggs, mashed beans (lentils, lima beans), mashed potatoes come right back up. Any suggestions, ideas is greatly appreciated. TIA

Susan

Hi, we are not far apart, I am at 6 weeks tomorrow.  I have to say that even at where it am, not everything agrees with me. Mashed potatoes being one of the things. They just don't sit right. Eggs, if I make them in egg salad or smash one up, does not agree either. Now I have done a baked sweet potato, with just some butter, it stayed down just fine. I think we just have to try different things...and keep trying. It's frustrating, I know. Tomorrow I am supposed to be able to eat regular foods, which will be interesting , since I haven't had too much in the way of even soft foods. Wishing you lots of luck! 

Thank you for making me realize I am not alone in this  I think that finding out what I can eat is a learning curve I wasn't ready for. I am also learning that patience with myself is important as well. I hope you let me know how you are managing these next days as you move into regular foods--I'll be thinking of you.

I will let you know, we can keep our fingers crossed for each other .

Potatoes do tricks on my stomach even today, nearly 9 years later, so I have to be very careful to eat them slowly.  They have little nutritional value for you right now, so put those aside for a couple of months.   I remember scrambled eggs not being as easy as I expected them to be early out.  The yogurt surprises me, but Greek is very thick.  Sometimes we just have to back off of something and try something else or prepare another way.  Here are some things to try off the top of my head.  I'm thinking your options may be too dry of all things.

• Instead of mashing your own, go to Taco bell and try their refried beans.  The extra fat may do you good in getting them down and keeping them down.  Their beans are good for many different surgery types early out.
• Ricotta cheese:  mix with some SF pudding and a little milk or cream (Ricotta Fluff)  for a high-punch protein, or with a little tomato sauce and melted cheese for something more savory.  Ricotta has 7g of protein in a tiny 1/4 cup.
• Try regular yogurt instead of Greek.  If you have Kroger stores, they have a carbmaster yogurt that has just as much protein as Greek.  If nothing like that is around, try another regular yogurt.
• Try making a SF custard instead of the scrambled eggs (which if overcooked, don't sit well).  I have a very simple recipe if you need it (look on my profile or just ask).  This set very well with me early out, and was a go-to food item for a couple of years.  I always had custard in the fridge, and Ricotta Fluff.

If you're still doing very poorly tomorrow, call the doc.  Something may be wrong.

Valerie, 

Thank you for the tips! I am definitely going to try them--especially the Ricotta cheese ideas and your SF custard. 

Susan

I lived on shrimp ****tail for the longest time. I could eat two jumbo shrimp, three if I was lucky, then after months it went to five...... Since you seem to be sensitive to texture, maybe if you try the shrimp just make sure you chew it really well. I also loved the cambells green pea soup, and still do till this day....lol The shrimp got a little old after eating it for months, but it did the job....

Dustycroy 

I have tried shrimp (2 little ones) and thank goodness it stayed down. I am really surprised with how different everything tastes right now. I used to not have any problems with textures and tastes and this is definitely a new learning curve for me :) I want to believe that in the long run, going through this right now is going to be a blessing because I will be more picky in the future as to what I put in my mouth.