10 days post op

OK guys I need some feedback. I was scared sensless about intake. All the first week I ate Malt o Meal, yogurt, etc. Man I was beaten down with soft food stuff. On day 8, I decided to give a few things a try. My family and I were looking at our new home under construction and we went to Chedders. I ordered baby carrots, green beans, mashed potato. The beans sucked but the rest I ate slow and easy, and chewed chewed chewed, eventually graduated up to a few small bites of my son's chicken tenders w/o the breading. Guess what, nothing happened. No burps, no farts, no pain no nothing?????? So the next day I went to Kroger and bought some refried beans, some asparagus, some King crab and some baby carrots. Guess what? Nothing happened? I am puzzled about the time frame to transition to more solid foods. Seems if I chew them well, make sensable choices I should be fine. I have most of my uncomfortableness at night, asleep. I get gassy as hell. BM's are rolling along just fine. Am I a gastric bypass freak? Did she give me a bypass? I have lost almost 17lbs so far from 345 to 336 this morning, the weight fluxuates 3 or 4 lbs daily. Help am I ok? T Bone

Tbone, Sounds ok. Those foods sound really soft and not too bad. This early out though do be careful. The stomach is still in shock from the surgery And may not be sending any signals at all. Full, hungry, etc... Did your doc give you a list of foods. amonts and such? If so follow it.... If not?---- Here's what I had in my hard drive- Particularly look at the sample diets near the bottom... Best Wishes- Dx -------------------------------------------------------------- The Post-Op Diet- Following bariatric surgery, the typical recommended goal is to develop a balanced diet that optimizes nutrition, stressing Protein, Hydration, Vitamins/minerals and offsetting any possible nutritional deficiencies with vitamin supplements. The goal is to develop a long term eating pattern that provides balanced complete nutrition that provides less calories than are utilized until the patient has lost their excess fat tissue (or a 'goal percentage' of that tissue) and can sustain a constant and healthy weight. Such a Bariatric Diet plan is available from the Obesity Action Coalition at- http://www.obesityaction.org/resources/oacnews/oacnews2/nutrition.php Such a long-term "Dietary Lifestyle" however is often developed by first adhering to a diet that allows the surgical trauma and swelling to subside and heal properly without pressure or strain on the healing tissues. This Diet is typically broken down into "Stages" or "Phases." Each bariatric surgeon has their individual recommendation as to what diet is best suited for their patients. Early Post-Op Dietary regimens can range from "Eat what you can tolerate," to elaborately scheduled and measured protocols that dictate times and specific foods that are to be consumed. In general, all of them stress- enough water/fluid to remain thoroughly hydrated, followed by protein and then vitamins. They also typically come with the caveat of- "Do Not Advance Your Diet Until Instructed to do so By YOUR Doctor." These Post-Op Diets, aimed at gradually re-introducing food to the patient, do prevent in many cases vomiting, and stress on the newly Banded, Stapled or Sutured stomachs. They can break into various numbers of "Stages" or "Phases." Most commonly there are 3 to 5 stages. Although some protocols combine Full and Clear Liquids into one phase, and pureed and mushy into a single stage, these are often the descriptions (in order of advancement)- Clear Liquid Die****er, Unsweetened clear juice, Sugar free Jell-O, Sugar Free Popsicles, chicken, beef, or vegetable broth/bullion, and Decaf or herbal teas. Full-Liquid Diet- All foods and drinks from previous stage plus- Skim-Milk, Sugar Free/Low Fat or plain yogurt, (without fruit) Strained Cream Soups, Protein Shakes, Thinned Cream of wheat or cream of rice cereals, No sugar-added applesauce, and Sugar-Free puddings. Puree Diet- All foods and drinks from previous stages plus Low Sugar and low fat foods that have been processed/pureed to the consistency of baby-food or applesauce. Soft Diet- (Mechanically Soft, or mushy) All foods and drinks from previous stages plus very tender meats such as canned tuna fish, low-fat peanut butter, soft cooked to the point of mushy vegetables, Soft fruit, (banana, melon, low sugar or no sugar added canned fruit) eggs, toast, low-fat crackers, Fat-free or low-fat cottage cheese and soft low-fat cheeses, Mashed Potatoes, (without skins) Tofu, etc... Typically- No vegetable skins, Crisp vegetables, Corn, Rice or Soft Bread. Full Diet- All foods and drinks from previous stages plus crisp vegetables, fruits, meats, etc... as tolerated. The emphasis continues to be on Protein, Low-Fat, Low-Sugar, Vitamin rich foods. An example of a typical "3 Stage" Diet for Bariatric Patients is provided online by J. K. Champion, M.D., F.A.C.S. of Atlanta's Videoscopic Institute of Atlanta, P.C., Bariatric Surgery. (Dr. Champion is one of the three founding officers of the Surgical Review Corporation which was created to establish "Centers of Excellence" in Bariatric Surgery.) http://www.drchampion.com/postop-diet.php St. Vincent's Bariatric Surgery Center (also a Bariatric Surgery 'Center of Excellence') offers an extensive "5 Phase" Diet for Bariatric Patients (complete with shopping lists) at- http://www.stvincents.org/healthservices/bariatrics/dietstage.cfm Eventually, sooner for some than others, a balanced, nutritional, healthy dietary intake is the goal. This is the same whether one has a procedure that is more mal-absorptive or only restrictive and not mal-absorptive at all. Healthy, Nourishing, Balanced Diet.

T Bone, It sounds like you are doing fine.  Things get better quickly when you are able to eat more normal foods.  Fish and dark chicken prepared with moisture seem to work well for most people at first.  Just be careful to take small bites and chew well which it sounds like you are doing.  Good luck to you. May Your Lantern Burn Bright,

Paul